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Abby

Abby was not my favorite horror movie. It was slightly hard to watch for me. As a horror movie it does not necessarily reach out an grab my attention. This is probably because the typical exorcist role Abby took on. Personally, whenever I watch horror films with exorcism like characters, they always make me laugh. Abby was no exception. Some of her lines with her demon voice were straight funny, because of her distorted voice.

There were some ideas that were very typical in this film as well. For starters, the strong Christian influence in the family. Most horror movies with the strong demon or exorcist character have some type of religious influence that is supposed to help cure these demons. Abby was no different. William Marshall played the role of a bishop. There were moments in the film where he tried to pray this “demon” out of Abby. Those types of scenes are always expected in horror films. You can find scenes like this in movies like The Exorcist, Scary Movie, and many more. There was also the typical hospitalization of Abby, in which doctors claimed there was a psychiatric problem with Abby multiple times before Abby herself proved otherwise. This specific part reminded me of how doctors can lack empathy for people of color when they are seeking treatment. This idea clicked when Momma plead that there was something more wrong with Abby then what the nurse felt was wrong.

Personally, I did not like the idea that Abby was infested with a sex demon. I felt like Abby’s sex demon made her do things that showed sexuality in a negative light. A lot of scenes portrayed Abby as overly sexual. The fact that a bunch of men in the movie were out to get a sex demon destroyed in a female was problematic to me. It let off a picture that women do not have sexual urges and when they do it is something bad. Personally, I do not think a man would have ever been casted in an Abby-like role. The scene specifically when Abby was at the bar with two men was quite interesting as well, because Emmett tried to physically remove her from the bar with the reason being that she was his wife. I’m sure the intent behind this film was not to be discriminatory, but some of the things that happened in this film came off as very sexist.

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My Favorite, Candyman

Candyman has by far been one of my favorite films to watch for the Sunken Place class. The things I loved about Candyman were its scariness and the dynamic between Candyman and Helen.

Candyman is actually the only film that scared me in the Sunken Place class. Candyman was more so creepy than it was scary, and I believe that’s why it was able to scare me. When watching horror, it is easy to expect deaths, fighting, and other crazy things, so when an artist is able to incorporate all of that with creepiness, that’s what makes it a true scary or horror film. To start the film, you get this picture of a swarm of bees buzzing and flying from all over the city. Something about the incorporation of all the bees sends a tingle down my spine. The opening scene was also accompanied by the girlfriend in the bathroom with her friend doing the Candyman man skit in the restroom. Everything seemed calm and then boom the girls gets killed. This type of unexpected event is what truly makes a scary movie scary. Additionally, the bathroom in the old park was very creepy as well. It was the site of a lot of a lot of creepy events in the movie. The general feeling of fear that the people of Chicago had against the Candyman also aided the creepiness of the movie in general.

           Secondly the dynamic between Candyman and Helen was very interesting in the film as well. It was very interesting to see Candyman’s awkward love towards Helen. He could have easily killed Helen plenty of times, but every time he would basically let her go freely. Him constantly setting Helen up to look as if she was killing people in my eyes was his way of just keeping her alive. Every time she would just be sent to a mental hospital and he was able to still keep in contact with her. Throughout the film, I questioned his strange addiction to Helen; this white woman. I questioned why he was out to kill Black people but would always spare this white woman’s life. I think after watching the film he was in love with Helen’s obsession with him. A lot of people would have been feared into not looking into Candyman, but Helen decided to make Candyman the topic of her research. Additionally, she stood her ground whenever she encountered him.

           All in all, I think Candyman was a great movie and I look forward to watching Candyman 2 and 3.

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Blacula the Black Vampire

Blacula was a striking film from the very beginning, starting out with Count Dracula’s vernacular. He made such offensive comments in such a normative way. It reminded me a lot of the father in Get Out. Both Dracula and Dean had such calm demeanors but were both super racist. They also seem to have a fascination with black people. Dracula bit William Marshall with the specific intent of making him Blacula. This is similar to the idea of taking control of the Black body like in Get Out. Blacula himself is much like Andre from Get Out as well. First, he was bitten and killed by Dracula. This is much like when people go off the grid in Get Out when the surgeries happen. Then, when Blacula was back alive he could not handle the sight of flash, like Andre in Get out. After studying the film Get Out and watching Black Horror from prior, I am able to see how Peele was able to collect bits and pieces of inspiration from films before his.

Secondly, I love how the antagonist in Blacula was a third party. In a lot of horror films there is always someone who plays the role of going after the villain and in this film it was a Black cop. I think that is key, because growing up there was always a joke around Black people in horror films and knowing when things are fishy. Gordon knew things were not right from day one. He even had to work extra hard to prove to his fellow cops that he was not crazy.  Personally, I never understood why people were not alarmed by the cape Blacula wore. That is the first sign of a vampire; the extravagant capes they wear.

Lastly, Blacula did very good at incorporating Black culture. A lot of horror movies with Black people lack the basic culture that Black people are surrounded by. Perhaps this is because Blacula was directed by William Crain, a black man. Crain did well at including 70s culture with things like the afros, funky music, and spunky outfits. I also appreciate the fact that Blacula consisted of mainly Black characters.

Overall, I think Blacula was a good movie. I feel the acting and special effects were pretty decent compared the other films we have watched in class. There was a very real feeling in the movie, which made it enjoyable to watch.

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Tales from the Hood Appreciation Post

Tales from the Hood was a horror movie unlike any other I have seen so far. This is for many reasons. First, the idea of the Black man in the pub telling the young boys about these stories was clever. It was similar to the way people sit around and story tell and pass information on through generations.

Next, it showed White cops killing a Black man. This is something that happens every day and is a very big topic in social justice reform currently. Seeing this played on screen was pretty ruthless and horrific, but then the man seeks justice for himself once he was dead. I think it was interesting how the man killed was big on social justice and cop corruption. I felt like there was a lot of irony in that character development. Even though the screenplay wasn’t the best, I believe the author was able to successfully show horror in this clip. Horror was achieved in the haunting of the young Black cop. It was like he wanted vengeance for the slain man, but he also knew he did wrong in not speaking up about the murder, so he had it out for him no matter what he did.

The story about the young man who drew his father as a monster did not sit well with me. It was hard to watch a Black man beat down on this family. I did really enjoy the fact that the son was one of the lead characters in that clip. As a child actor, I felt like he did strong in his role. I also enjoyed the fact that he was able to control his father with the paper in the end. To me it showed that the son was superior. This reminded me a lot of Jason from Us in the fact that both were very silent, but in they came out on top. Also, the fact that they were both the only two who were able to gain control of their nemesis’ bodies.

Lastly, the story about Duke not leaving the plantation really reminded me of Get Out. This short story reminded me of Get Out because the similar plantation style houses. Secondly, the thing that stood out to me most was the music selection in the scenes. The sounds that were used sounded very similar to the sounds that were used in Get Out, especially in the scenes when something big would happen.

Overall, the different structure of this film helped keep my attention with the culmination of all the short stories. I would classify this movie as a horror movie because there were horrific scenes. It’s safe to say I enjoyed Tales from the Hood.

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A Basic Analysis of Us

Jordan Peele’s Us was a great movie in my opinion. The way he was able to use this movie and address such important social issues was the best I had ever seen. It was the best because the movie was appealing to so many different groups of people. It was almost like he tricked people to go to the movie theater, then boom a whole eye-opening lesson while being entertained. The thing is I don’t trust that everyone got the messages Mr. Peele was trying to send in the movie. It took me multiple time of watching Us to understand a lot of the messages that were sent in the film, and I learned so much more only after studying the film for the Sunken Place class at UCLA. In my opinion, it is very unfortunate that these topics have to be hidden in movies in order for them to be addressed, but that is the sad reality of the world we live in. Above all, there were a few monumental moments that stood out to me in the movie. My favorite thing of the movie was the overall character development of Jason, Adelaide’s son. I believe it’s safe to say that Jason’s character falls somewhere on the spectrum. He was always spaced out in his own world, but when it mattered the most, he came up big for his family. Even though Jason was the youngest in his family and seemed lost at many times throughout the movie, he was able to truly study his tethered and make a very significant difference. I think this is big because I truly believe Jason’s tethered, Pluto, was the scariest out of all of them. Pluto’s ability to play with fire and corner Jason in the dark closet was one of the most horrific parts in the movie. Jason’s courage to literally make his tethered walk into the fire was amazing to see as well. For starters, he willingly killed an extension of himself and secondly, he watched it happen all to save his family. His senses were spot on when he was able to identify the trap that Pluto had them in in the car. I also see him as a sacrifice, because after he killed his tethered, he got kidnapped himself. This then led to the dramatic ending with the fight between Adelaide and Red. Then to finish it off Peele left fans wondering about the status of Jason and whether he was technically a tethered or a regular human. Being left on edge like this only leads me to assume there will be a sequel. I am excited to see how this series continues on and what Peele has in store for us fans, whether it be in an Us sequel or another movie as a whole.

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A Basic Black Horror Analysis with Get Out and Birth of a Nation

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The Sad Reality of Cosmic Slop. The Space Traders

    Throughout this class I have taken with Professor Due in the African-American studies department I have learned a lot. One of my favorite films we discussed was Cosmic Slop. The Space Traders. This was one of my favorites because the story line felt so real. It would not be a surprise if one day white people decided they wanted to sell Black people to a faraway land that they have no knowledge of. This is not too far off from the idea of slavery. The idea of selling Black bodies as if they are a commodity was mimicked in this film. The outlandish vernacular the officials used when they were talking about Black people in the opening scene was very intentional. It was comical to see, because they were just projecting stereotypes. None of the stereotypes actually fit me personally, and I know so many Black people they did not fit as well. It was interesting to watch, because they were minimizing what it means to be Black, but it’s so much more than what they projected. The ideas were so outlandish it was hard not to think some of it was funny. I’m glad the writers casted a Black man who fit in with the white higher ups. I am almost certain that every Black person know “that one Black person” who they consider as wanting or longing to be white. I think this was important because Black people can do whatever they want to try and fit into society, but at the end of the day being Black is being Black. This means unfair treatment, like they did in the movie when they sent the rich Black man’s family away too. The ideas presented in the film were deemed futuristic but were also not far off from what Black people experience today. They were futuristic in the sense that a space ship came from an unknown place to take Black people, but when you think of it there are still parts of the universe that have not been found yet. So, could this potentially happen one day…yes for sure! Like I said before selling Black bodies to unknown people is not to different than selling slaves to taken from Africa to the “new world”. Also, environmentalism was addressed in the film. To trade Black folks, the US would receive unlimited resources and the environment would be cleaned up. This parallels with Global Warming that we are experiencing today. This all goes to say that as much as the film was outlandish and futuristic it parallels with the present day conditions Black people are living in everyday today. This is why it is Afrofuturistic.

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Black Science Fiction in the Hands of the Colonizers, What’s Your Take?

This week my class focused on the idea of Afrofuturism in the eyes of the colonizer. This is an idea that I never thought about until it was brought to my attention. Until then most of the works we have studied have been written by Black artists. It was proven to me that screenwriters/storywriters outside of the Afrikan Diaspora do think about Black life and culture. It is interesting to me in which how they decide to cast and write the plot. There are many things that can be misconstrued or misinterpreted in my opinion. I would think it is hard to write about something you do not have any experience with. At least, it would be hard to write without the use of biases or stereotypes. I suppose one could do research, but personal experiences really impact decision making. The experiences one goes through as a Black person are very unique, and because of that I imagine it would be hard for one to mirror that in their work if they are not Black. This brings up the question I then asked myself, should non-Black screenwriters write Black science fiction or Afrofuturistic works. I seriously contemplated no, because of the idea of another person capitalizing off the work and experiences of a Black person. I then had to remind myself that one, art is art and I can not determine who gets to participate in art. Then I assessed the other side of the spectrum. Black science fiction is a field full of nothing but great things. Just by studying this art for the past seven weeks my eyes have been opened up to another dimension of the world. I have been able to learn some valuable things, that I’m pretty sure I would not have learned anywhere else. Afrofuturism makes way to talk about serious issues that would otherwise not be discussed. Afrofuturism, in my opinion, allows for Black people to be sensitized to some of the real problems we face in society. It also allows for us to celebrate other things in the wildest, most imaginative ways possible. So, by colonizers being able to write Black science fiction, it just sheds more light on Black people in general. It exposes all we have to offer in the world. Sometimes it may not be written well, but that’s good in a sense. It allows for Black community to collectively check the wrongs people do and educate people what the Black experience really is and what it means. That is my take on colonizers writing Black science fiction.

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Like Daughter

    Like Daughter written by Tananarive Due is one of great interest. When discussing this story in class, many said they would be willing to copy themselves. They said they would use this extra person to show up for things that they did not want to. Others said they would lock this person away until they were sick and needed their organs. Others said they are completely against this idea as a whole. I personally am completely against the idea of cloning myself or anyone else. I fortunately grew up with two parents who supported anything I did, so I feel no need to redo anything in my life. Secondly, if I wanted to reincarnate myself, I would just have a baby. I believe it is wrong to recreate another person identically to me to for the fun of it. I would be stripping another person’s individuality to an extent. I really don’t believe in using a person for my health benefit. It’s not fair to limit someone else’s life because I want to benefit off of them. There are plenty of ways I could help myself if I got sick. Reading it, I could not help but think of a lot of people I know. The story was so personable. Neecy was a reincarnation of her mother Denise. Denise wanted to give her daughter the life that she did not have when she was a child. This story reminds me so much of my friends who have their parents living through them. The children whose parents micromanage their lives and determine everything for them. This happens all too often with people now days. The Afrofuturism that I mainly notice in this story shows through the use of technology. The idea of something being able to recopy exact DNA and clone someone is very futuristic. I do believe that someday this could happen. The fact that Denise recreated herself also reminds me of how Black people have to constantly recreate their image to fit in different places, because we are not accepted everywhere. Going the extra mile to make sure things are perfect to live up to these high standards we subconsciously hold ourselves to because of society. Neecy represents the better version of Denise. This is important because Denise could have just improved her life personally and made herself a better person.

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I’m printing this tweet and putting it on my desk

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My Earthseed Community

There is a major need to create an Earthseed community for Black people across the world. One major reason is the excessive police brutality that Black people face on a daily basis. Secondly, Black people need equal opportunity to the same resources as everyone else in the world. We are seeking shelter from all of those who would like to kill us and do not want us to excel in life.

    In Parable of the Sower, Lauren states, “Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaptation. Civilization, like intelligence, may serve well. Serve adequately or fail to serve its adaptive function. When civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by unifying internal or external forces” (pg. 101). This is one of the main reasons my community is being started. The world is not serving Black people adequately, so it is time for us to disintegrate and focus on ourselves. Lauren also states, “Once or twice each week A gathering of Earthseed is good and necessary thing. It vents emotion, then quiets the mind. It focuses attention, strengthens purpose, and unifies people” (pg. 214). This idea is something I plan to implement within my community. We will meet consistently in healing spaces. This will help keep my community well connected and will let people know the support they truly have.

My Earthseed community will be created on the continent of Africa. This will bring us back to our roots and ground us. Every person who identifies as Black is welcomed to my community. Blackness is so complex it would be a sin to limit who can and cannot come into my community. The leadership model for this community would be a mix between socialism and democracy. There will be an advisory board and not just a president.

A future technology that will be within my community is an H2O combustor. This machine will take particles out of the air and create clean water for people to drink. My community will survive by using this device for a constant supply of water. We will also study our land very carefully to learn what crops are suitable to be grown in the soil. We will also advance our weaponry, so we can protect ourselves in the case of an outside attack. My Earthseed community will give everyone housing and medical coverage. We will also provide education for all.

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Lemonade, Daughters of the Dust, and Professor Due

Watching Beyoncé’s Lemonade sends chills down my back as a young Black woman. Growing up, I was taught that the Black woman is the most disrespected person on earth. I have seen, read, and experienced many things that have made me feel this is true, but watching Lemonade put this narrative into perspective for me. To be able to watch Beyoncé pay homage to Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust was remarkable for many reasons. First, Daughters of the Dust is written, produced, and directed by a Black woman. Julie Dust made history in Black cinema and cinema in general with this film. This was the first wide-release film by a Black female filmmaker. This was a major win for Black women, women in general, and Black people. She truly paved the way for many other Black directors to come after her. Secondly, this film includes a majority Black cast. This is something you rarely see in film, especially in 1991. It is important to see Black people in these positions because it helps give agency to the Black community. To be able to script a Black narrative from a Black person’s point of view with Black actors gives so much more meaning to the content itself. It was really powerful to see a movie with only Black faces on the screen. Third, to see another Black woman pay homage and bring light to this film again was amazing. The amount of respect given to Dash, as a result of another Black woman on a national scale is incredible to watch. It is amazing to see how this film has been passed through a generation and people are still learning from it. This itself is Afrofuturistic because themes from the past are coming into the future and are still relevant. People are still learning and expanding from these same ideas and styles shown originally in Daughters of the Dust. Lastly, the icing on the cupcake is to be taught this by another Black woman at the top public university in the United States. This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it is. For Black people to have agency over their own narratives and history is amazing in itself, because for so many years that right has been stripped from us. We have always had to learn our history from a White-European standpoint. Also, to do it at the top university in the United States, which happens to be a PWI, speaks volumes. These small gestures seem to go unnoticed, but to me it means the world.

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WE ARE ALL DIRTY COMPUTERS

Have you watched Janelle Monáe’s emotion picture, Dirty Computer? Well if you haven’t you should. It is the epitome of Afrofuturism. I define Afrofuturism as the arts of the African diaspora in the most uniquely imaginative way. There are no boundaries within Afrofuturism, and Janelle Monáe clearly exemplifies this in her emotion picture, while also bringing to light prominent issues in today’s society. In her emotion picture, everything heavily relies on technology and everything is very theatrical in every aspect. Throughout the short film, Monáe, whose character is Jane, is undergoing a process, in which her memories are wiped out completely. This is all in an effort to assimilate her into this “normal structured” society. This is a theme that is parallel to real experiences in the African diaspora today. Many Black people have tried their hardest to assimilate into their respective societies in search of creating a normal life for themselves. Normal meaning, being treated the same as all people no matter skin color, sexual orientation, religion, and more. At the end of the day no matter how hard Black people try to obtain equal treatment, the first thing people see is the color of their skin. When people see Black skin, there are many preconceived notions that come along with it and treatment of Black bodies and people are different. In the film this is shown through the institution continuously trying to suppress Jane’s memories. The erasure of her memories will theoretically allow the institution to recreate a clean Jane that they can mold into what they want. It is ironic, that this institution is aiming to delete Jane’s history, because I feel like a lot of times people try to delete prominent moments in Black history. This erasure of Black history allows White people to maintain control over many narratives. This then leaves Black people with no agency. This is similar to how Jane has no agency over memories or body in Dirty Computer. Taking away history is very important in the oppression of one’s culture. This makes it a lot easier for people to assimilate into society, which is essentially what this institution wants Jane to do in the film. All these ideas are present in Dirty Computer, which is important because Afrofuturism does not only look at the future. Afrofuturism takes into context the past, how it has shaped history, and the intersections between both, all while looking at all the possibilities that could happen.