ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Oscars

Judas & the Black Messiah: “I Want to Live”

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The film has been on HBO Max for about a month now. I knew watching it was gonna require courage, as historical dramas about Black pain and suffering only serve to make me angry. So, I avoided it as long as I could until I finally sat down to watch on the first Saturday in March.

And, as I figured, I got angry. Very angry.

I wasn’t angry at the acting or the story or the filmmaking process. I was angry at the reality that has not gone away 50 years later.

The thing that leapt off the screen for me as I watched: The SYSTEMIC racism. Emphasis on the word SYSTEMIC. I’m talking specifically those scenes within the FBI and their chessboard maneuvering.

Black mobilization is a threat. Always has been. Always will be. It’s why slaves couldn’t learn to read. It’s why the flame of Reconstruction was doused by Jim Crow. It’s why King, X, Medgar Evers, Fred Hampton and countless other Brothers and Sisters had their lives taken.

It’s why they label BLM as “communist” and “Marxist.” It’s why over 40 states are currently in the process of remixing voting laws – even drafting bills to make it illegal to serve food and water while standing in line for hours waiting to vote. 1969. 2021. Mobilization Is still a threat. And their greatest fear.

An IRRATIONAL fear.

J. Edgar Hoover in the film hypothetically asks Mitchell, the FBI agent handling Bill (Judas) O’Neal, what he’d do if his baby daughter brought home a Negro whom she was in love with. His point: Survival. Protection of their way of life. Fear of being conquered. Hoover’s words echoed the now famous Charlottesville Tiki Torch sentiment. Those marchers targeted Jews. But they could have inserted anyone in their war cry.

(WHOMEVER) WILL NOT REPLACE US!

REPLACE YOU? 🤣🤣🤣

For the record, we are not trying to replace Whites. We don’t want your throne. We don’t want your seats of honor. We don’t want your status or your authority. “New World Order” is laughable to us. Marxist regimes are the furthest thing from our collective minds.

Fred Hampton, MLK, BLM are all fighting for the same sentiment – a sentiment best expressed by a Jay Z song title:

CAN I LIVE?

Can I work for a livable wage to raise my sons and daughters without restriction?

Can I go to my job wearing the hairstyle I want, speaking my normal dialect without having to codeswitch? Can I get the opportunities to advance in my field without those previously stated issues being an issue?

Can I go to church without having to assimilate into a White Evangelical approved form of Christianity that denies my true expression of who I am? Can I sing, shout, say AMEN, embrace my African heritage in my expression of faith without it being a threat?

Can I buy a house in the same neighborhood as you and you not feel so threatened that you engage in non-neighborly microaggressions insinuating that I am not welcome there? Can my house get the same appraised value attached to it even with my photos of my African American family of 5 framed on the walls?

Can I just get a ticket for speeding? Can I just walk home from a store? Can I just drive to my new job? Can I do ANYTHING that results in me just getting a write up instead of a toe tag at the morgue? And can my expression of righteous anger and frustration not require the use of deadly force because you see Black anger as a threat?

If I CHOOSE to love your daughter, Agent Mitchell, is that enough? Can I not be subjected to jests about how dark the baby’s skin color will be? If other family members express their racist thoughts about my presence in the family, will you defend me? Or will we be ostracized from your family – and our children lose their birthright – because we won’t “play the game?”

Replace you? No, White community. It’s never been about that. We just want to live. All we want is our modern day equivalent of that promised 40 acres and a mile and we’ll keep living. Some of us will live with you in our space. Some of us won’t. That’s our choice.

You have a choice too. Let Hoover’s fear consume you. Let the irrational horror of what we might do take over your hearts and minds. Continue to mangle Scripture for your own benefit.

Or…you can live. With us. Lose your fear. Lose your terror. Lose your life…and find it again like Jesus said. When you’re ready, our arms are wide open ready to live with you and love you.

Thank you Chairman Fred.

The film is available now on Digital and out on Blu-ray and DVD on May 4. The Blu-ray combo pack includes “Fred Hampton for the People” and “Unexpected Betrayal” as special features.

Academy Awards 2021: Boseman Loss Shows Why We Still Do (and Don’t) Need the Oscars

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It wasn’t supposed to go like that.

After unexpectedly re-arranging the schedule to push Best Picture up and let the acting categories shine, the Academy clearly wanted to send a message. With the foregone conclusion that Chadwick Boseman would posthumously take Best Actor for his work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, it was going to definitively celebrate a young man who was taken from us far too soon after losing his battle with cancer last year. 

An African-American man. 

Black Panther.

The significance of the moment was going to be a victory to end that night that would be both emotional and satisfying. After all, at a moment when Black culture is looking for heroes, a Chadwick victory would have been a symbolic statement in honour of a young man who had become a beacon of hope for many, sending viewers home with a truly feel-good moment.

Well, we all know how that went.

After Phoenix announced Anthony Hopkins as Best Actor to close out the show, the shock was palpable. The room was fairly quiet. Phoenix had to fumble through an awkward acceptance on Hopkins behalf as he was the only nominee not available. Of course, Twitter erupted. (In some ways, you almost feel bad for Hopkins. At home in Wales, even HE didn’t think he was going to win. If I were him, I likely would have slept through the ceremony as well.)

In a moment that felt like the reverse of the La La Land/Moonlight fiasco of a few years ago, the ‘feel-good’ finale completely backfired.

Within seconds, people took to their social media and responded accordingly. Outrage! Fury! Cancel! The response was completely understandable—and expected. After all, around this time, it’s almost tradition for people to take to the inter-webs to complain about the Oscars and the choices that they proclaim are ‘Best’. People decry from the rooftops that the films the Academy selects show their irrelevancy (and, sometimes, that’s a totally fair complaint). Comments like ‘this is why I don’t care about the Oscars’ flood social media with tsunami-like force.

But the irony is that same blow-up on the Twitter-verse shows that people still do care.

While people may either be happy or furious, the fact that the reactions to these awards are so strong suggests that there’s still an interest in the results. For over 90 years, the Academy Awards have been the ‘standard’ by which success in the industry has been measured. To win an Oscar is considered one of the highest honours in the industry and, even though culture has changed a lot in recent years (and continues to do so), there remains a respect for that golden statue that continues to endure. To win an Oscar still says something. 

They matter because they matter to us.

The reason people were upset about Chadwick losing the award is not because Hopkins didn’t deserve it but rather that it meant something to them. Hopkins turned in the performance of the lifetime in the role but a Chadwick victory would have felt not only poignant but powerful. With his career still reaching his potential before his death, Chadwick still felt like someone that people could relate to, especially amongst the Black community. A win for him seemed like it would have felt like another win for them.

And it might have.

But, if the awards truly didn’t matter to anyone outside the industry, no one would have cared. There would have been no outcry or frustration. It would have simply passed on from the cultural zeitgeist and landed on the entertainment pages… not the front page… 

The problem may be that we’ve given too much credibility to the Academy. Though filled with over 1000 industry professionals, with this responsibility comes the expectation that it will represent the values of the people and the time. The truth is that they don’t always. Yes, they strive for representation and want to speak the voice of a culture. That’s why these films matter as much as Marvel films or alien invasions. They connect with a heartbeat that speaks the cries of our world.

But they don’t always speak for you and I. How could they?

With this in mind, the loss by Chadwick shows that, maybe, we don’t need the Oscars to play the same role in our culture. The truth is that, while considered the highest heights of the industry, the loss to Hopkins does not take away from his performance (or career) in any way. So many of history’s best films and performances were never recognized by the Academy. Citizen Kane, Raging Bull, Do The Right Thing, Pulp Fiction and innumerable others were robbed of ‘Oscar glory’ yet remain the most influential films of the last century. (And let’s not forget Delroy Lindo from the list of snubs this year…)

Regardless of who the Academy chooses to take home the gold, Chadwick Boseman will be remembered.

He matters. And he’s as important as he was yesterday.

I admit it. I love the Oscars. I love the pageantry, the music and the speeches. Unlike many, I love the fact that winners use the platform to speak their hearts about issues that matter to them. (I mean, they’ve been given a voice. They should use it.) I even love my Oscar pool with friends.

Ultimately though, they don’t determine which films or performances matter most. Only the ones that mattered to these people. That’s why it doesn’t really matter in the end if Boseman posthumously took home the gold. His performance in Ma Rainey’s was a thing of brilliance and it will be remembered. (In fact, it should be remembered.) This year’s Oscars may have been the most diverse in the Academy’s history. Chloe Zhao. Daniel Kaluuya. Yuh-Jung Yoon. H.E.R. Soul. Jon Batiste. All of these winners from last night show that things are changing. This was not #OscarsSoWhite, even if it did feel like #OscarsSoWrong.

The loss by Boseman doesn’t change any of this… but it’s all anyone’s talking about.

Yes, it would have made an amazing story to see him cap off his young but incredible career with a win. It would have been an emotional moment for us all. But there’s a reason that they announce the winner by saying ‘the Oscar goes to…’ They don’t want the other nominees to feel as though they are someone lesser than the others.

Because they aren’t. Not Riz Ahmed. Not Boseman. None of them, regardless of category. They all achieved something great with their cinematic achievements. And, like Chadwick’s performance, their work lives on. 

The Academy knows that. We may have forgotten it.

Message received.

7.18 Meeting THE FATHER + Oscar Talk!

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Roll out the [digital] red carpet and strike up the [Zoom] speeches! Believe it or not, It’s Oscar season and time to crown the Best Films of the pandemic year. As efforts such as Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah and Sound of Metal all duke it out to claim the top prizes, Seeing and Believing’s Kevin McLenithan drops by to talk about some of the potentially important smaller awards and mistakes that the Academy may reward come this weekend. What’s more, we also take a deep dive into Florian Zeller’s nominated film The Father and discuss the fragile nature of safety and the relationship between humility and perspective.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.18 The Father + Oscar TalkDownload

7.07 Reviving History in MANK

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Set in 1930s Hollywood, Mank tells the story of Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), a screenwriter with a scathing wit and a passion for alcohol, as he channels his experiences with the cultural elite into what will become his greatest achievement… the script for Citizen Kane. This week, we welcome Pop Life’s Richard Crouse and In The Seats’ Dave Voigt to chat about reading the present in our past and the relationship between integrity and power.

You can stream the episode on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.07 MankDownload

6.20 Emancipating the BIRDS OF PREY

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After her debut in SUICIDE SQUAD, fan favourite Margot Robbie gets her time to shine brightly in BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN). After stepping out from the shadow of her ex—the Joker—Quinn quickly finds herself in the cross-hairs of every hitman in Gotham, especially maniacal crime boss Black Mask (Ewan Macgregor). However, Harley isn’t the only woman in Gotham who needs emancipation and she finds some unlikely allies in tough cop Rene Montoya, Black Canary and The Huntress. In a fantabulous episode, Mira Ibrahim joins me again to talk about the meaning of emancipation and pop culture’s portrayal of gender.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

6.20 Bird of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)Download

Parasite: Staring From the Outside

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“It’s all so metaphorical.” (Choi Woo Sik, Parasite)

Written and directed by Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer), Parasite introduces the viewer to the Kim clan, a destitute Korean family struggling to make ends meet. When a young friend encourages the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo Sik), to apply as an English tutor to the Parks, a wealthy family who live in an extravagant mansion, he believes that he may have found an answer to their financial problems. As the lies and deceptions increase, the Kims and Parks become intertwined in a symbiotic relationship that will threaten all of their lives. 

With the Oscars fast-approaching, Parasite has slowly crept its way into awards contention, continuously winning audiences over with its unique storytelling and shocking finale. Featuring Joon-ho’s signature brand of humour and horror, Parasite also has a social conscience that also challenges perceptions and stereotypes regarding the boundaries of social status. As a result, the film is truly one of the year’s most engaging and interesting scripts, worthy of all the accolades that have come its way. 

Essential to Parasite is the concept of lines and boundaries. As Mr. Park speaks repeatedly about his demand that his staff do not ‘cross the line’, their luxurious home is designed with clean edges, squares and sections to indicate the proper location for both items and people. Put simply, the Parks live in a world of control and separation. Their highest priority remains maintaining the quality of life that they have achieved. Meanwhile, however, the Kim family live in a world where boundaries are blurred as they constantly reach upwards. Open windows let in everything from water to fumes. They scurry feverishly until they find Wi-Fi signals, often in the strangest of areas of their basement apartment. In fact, even their bathroom appears virtually upside down as the toilet approaches the ceiling. Struggling to pay their bills, they find themselves constrained by the social boundaries that have been laid in place by families such as the Parks. (Incidentally, this notion of exclusion is also beautifully represented by the Park family home’s many walls and windows, suggesting that they both want to be left alone and admired at the same time.)

Nevertheless, despite the social division between them, there seems to remain a symbiotic dependency between the two families. While the Kims slowly gain access to the Park residence, they could clearly be viewed as the titular ‘parasites’, leaching off of their benefactors’ food and finance. Though, with that in mind, the Parks too find themselves relying on their servants to perform the most menial of tasks, suggesting that they too find themselves in a similar role. In Parasite, there remains an interconnectedness between class cultures that those in the upper class either remain unaware of (or refuse to acknowledge). For example, the film recognizes the self-imposed blindness of the wealthy as they treat the disenfranchised as less than human. Broken and ignored, the Kims represent an entire section of the population that the Park family choose not to see. Blinded by forged documents and business cards, the Parks are only willing to acknowledge the worth of the Kims based upon their credentials, as opposed to their value as human beings. As such, Parasite plays out like a cautionary tale, it also serves as a call for justice for the oppressed as well.

Special features on the Blu-ray disc are sparse, especially when one considers how immensely popular the film has become. However, the sole feature—an interview with director Bong Joon-ho—is especially good and delves into many of the film’s key themes and ideas. (Though, if extras are what you’re looking for, you may want to wait to see if Criterion eventually offers a release in their collection.) 

Sharply-written, visually stunning and shocking at times, Parasite is an experience well worth investing your time into. Through his distinct brand of story-telling, Joon-ho embeds his tale of interconnectedness and social injustice with levity that somehow enhances the moments of surprise when they arrive. 

Parasite has moved in onto Blu-Ray and Digital now.

6.18 Setting Off the BOMBSHELL of Truth

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Back in 2016, after Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson raised allegations about FOX Executive Roger Ailes, the fallout helped further survivors of sexual misconduct to speak out against their attackers sparking a movement that reverberated throughout the industry. Now, with his latest film, Bombshell, director Jay Roach attempts to give light on the truth of the story in the hopes of continuing the ongoing conversation surrounding sexual misconduct in our culture. In an honest and challenging conversation, we welcome back ScreenFish’r Julie Levac and TO Film Files’ Jolie Featherstone to discuss the relationship between power and voice.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

6.18 BombshellDownload

GIVEAWAY! Parasite on Blu-Ray!

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As Oscar season ramps up, ScreenFish wants you to bring home the film that everyone is talking about!

In PARASITE, meet the Park family, the picture of aspirational wealth and the Kim family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kim’s sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. 

The winner will receive a copy of Parasite on Blu-Ray.

To enter, simply like or share our post on Facebook and answer the following question in the comment section: Name one other film directed by Bong Joon-ho.

For a bonus entry, like or share the post on Twitter and Instagram.

All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on Monday, January 27th, 2020

A special thanks to TARO PR!

PARASITE

Facebook: https://facebook.com/parasitemovie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/parasitemovie

Instagram: https://instagram.com/parasitemovie

#Parasite

6.16 Pouncing on CATS

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Featuring iconic songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and starring such talents as Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift and more, the first big screen portrayal of the Broadway smash musical CATS seemed like a sure-fire hit over the Christmas season. However, despite its award-winning pedigree, terrible reviews and troubled special effects have caused the film to suffer at the box office. But does the film deserve to be in the centre of Oscar buzz or does it really cough up a hairball? This week, we’re joined by Allen Chabot and newcomer Naomi Bain to talk about welcoming outsiders, T.S. Eliot and what went wrong… horribly, horribly wrong… 

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

6.16 CatsDownload

Green Book: Navigating the Space Between Races

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The tension was palpable.

In the moments (and days?) following Julia Roberts’ announcement that Green Book had won Best Picture at the 91stAcademy Awards, there were almost as many cheers and celebrations as there were anxious and angry responses. While some denounced it for simplifying racial arguments and a ‘White Savior’ complex, others proclaimed that it was a worthy winner due to its depiction of diverse ethnicities coming together and tearing down of stereotypes. While there are fair arguments on both sides, the truth may lie somewhere in the middle—and depends entirely on your perspective.

Directed by Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber), Green Book tells the story of Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali, who won an Oscar for his performance), a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.

In truth, one can make compelling arguments for either the inherent dangers or merits of the film. While scenes where an ignorant Tony Lip attempts to ‘educate’ Dr. Shirley on what it means to appreciate African-American culture, these moments are also played to show the dangers and limitations of stereotyping as opposed to reinforcing them. Meanwhile, other scenes where a drunken Dr. Shirley is rescued from advancing racists by Tony Lip struggle to evade the echoes of a ‘white savior’ complex, despite their initially noble intentions.

Mahershala Ali as Dr. Donald Shirley and Viggo Mortensen as Tony Vallelonga in “Green Book,” directed by Peter Farrelly.

Though flawed, Green Book wants badly to be viewed as a film that seeks to explore the humanity underneath the stereotypes. As Dr. Shirley, Mahershala Ali portrays the man with dignity and courage in the midst of horrendous racial discrimination. (After all, we soon discover that accepting the dangers of this tour was ‘his choice’ in an effort to display the strength of the African-American culture.) However, there is also a complexity within him, as he battles social expectations upon him. In other words, Dr. Shirley is a man who doesn’t ‘fit’ into any particular social mold and this is a truth that becomes somewhat shocking to the uninformed Tony Lip. While Tony believes he sees the world properly, his experience with Dr. Shirley shatters his preconceived notions about social boxes and barriers. Whereas he once thought he understood what Dr. Shirley’s ‘people’ are like, he slowly begins to change his racist tendencies, whether they be conscious or unconscious.

Viggo Mortensen as Tony Vallelonga and Mahershala Ali as Dr. Donald Shirley in “Green Book,” directed by Peter Farrelly.

For its release on disc, Green Book contains several special features, including Virtuoso Performances (a look at the two lead characters with commentary from Ali and Mortenson), An Unforgettable Friendship (which looks at the relationship between Tony and Dr. Shirley) and Going Beyond the Green Book, a short feature that discusses the meaning of the book itself and its significance during the days of racial segregation. (The last segment is of particular interest given the fact that the film itself falls short in explaining the Green Book and its relevance.)

Despite its failings (in fact, arguably because of them), Green Book is an important view. Regardless of whether you support or despise the film’s description of race, this is a film that wishes to speak to our common humanity, despite the social barriers that we build between ourselves.

Green Book is now available on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD or Digital Download.