ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Tiffany Haddish

The Lego Movie 2: The Toxic Gender Wars

by Leave a Comment

We all owe Disney a collective ‘Thank You’.

After their unceremonial firing as directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Phil Lord and Chris Miller were immediately offered involvement in two projects that needed guidance. One such project was Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse, an animated spin outside the confines of the MCU that was met with critical acclaim and may well net a Best Animated award from this month’s Oscars. The other project was, of course, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, a sequel which clearly benefits from their unique energy and voice.

The Second Part arrives at an interesting point in the franchise. Despite the critical and financial success of the first film and its follow-up Lego Batman, the misstep of The Lego Ninjago Movie seems to have tempered anticipation for the world of Bricksburg. While the first entry felt like a fresh take on the importance of play (and its stunning connection to the human world), follow-ups have felt increasingly like extended toy commercials. Thankfully, The Second Part feels like a return to form for the series that almost achieves the same success as the first.

Directed by Mike Mitchell (Sky High) and produced by Lord and Miller, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part begins immediately following the events of Taco Tuesday in the first film. Here, the citizens of Bricksburg face a dangerous new threat when invaders from space begin to destroy everything in their path. When Lucy, Batman and their friends are kidnapped and taken to the land of DUPLO, Emmett must venture into unknown territory in an effort to save them from the villainous Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi.

Filled with Lord and Miller’s trademark whip-smart pop culture references and layered dialogue, The Second Part further embraces the interaction between the imaginative and human world by taking the beloved characters beyond the basement and into the vast unexplored region of the Systar system. While the first film was concerned with Emmett’s journey to discovering what it means to be ‘The Special’, The Second Part shifts gears to explore the dangers of toxic gender roles. As the now beloved characters darkly brood over the state of Apocolypseburg, the greatest threat to their world seems to be… brightly colored hearts and glittery musical numbers. Led by WyldStyle and Batman, the lost Legos do their best not to succumb to the suspicious nature of the female-branded toys. (After all, anything that causes Superman and Lex Luthor to become friends must be evil!)

On the other hand, Emmett’s journey to save his friends also brings him into contact with Rex Dangervest (also Chris Pratt), a galaxy-defending space cowboy that trains raptors. Without giving away any spoilers, the inclusion of the dual role for Pratt provides an opportunity to hilariously satire the more ‘masculine’ roles that he has played through his career and lampoon their perceived macho traits. (In fact, the film also includes a cameo by one of Hollywood’s most accomplished action heroes as he mocks one of his most famous characters.) By throwing these two very different gender stereotypes up against one another, The Second Part effectively explores the toxic nature of all labels, encouraging the value of celebrating people for who they are. As a result, there is a divine equality within The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part that acknowledges to our differences and also creates space for celebrating them as well.

While the sequel doesn’t quite carry the same resonance of the first film, the film remains sharp and entertaining with new thematic ground to cover. Thanks to the crazed brilliance of Lord and Miller, The Second Part is funny, self-aware, and more than willing to help children engage in complex topics worth discussion.

So, yes. In the end, everything is still awesome.

Special Features include “Everything is Awesome Sing-along,” “They Come in Pieces: Assembling The LEGO Movie 2,”​ “Emmet’s Holiday Party: A LEGO Movie Short,” “LEGO Sets in Action” (highlighting LEGO product), “LEGO Designers,” “Super Cool Music Video” (by Beck featuring Robyn and The Lonely Island), outtakes and deleted scenes, and promotion spots.

5.10 Deconstructing THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART

by Leave a Comment

With the release of LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART, Emmet, Wildstyle and the crew find themselves in the worst possible scenario—when everything isn’t awesome. When an attack from DUPLO invaders further disrupts their post-apocalyptic world, Emmett must travel to the far outreaches of the Systar System in order to rescue his friends from the unmalicious queen Watevera Wanabi before she enacts Armomageddon, destroying the entire universe. This week, we welcome back Heather Johnson and Alan Sharrer to talk about the film’s understanding of growing up and the toxic gender wars. 

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, SoundCloud or on Spotify! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or more!

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.

5.10 Lego Movie 2 – The Second Part

Thanks Heather and Alan for joining us!


 

 

Girls Trip – Strong Women, Crazy Fun, and Deeper Meanings

by Leave a Comment

Image result for girls trip movie

It would be an understatement to say that Ryan, Sasha, Lisa, and Dina were as close as friends could get. Calling themselves the Flossy Posse, these women were more of a sisterhood. They formed one of those epic groups of friends that everyone remembers.

And then life happens. Friends, although with the best of intentions to stay close, can drift apart when careers, spouses, and even children get in the way.

An all-star cast of Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith give us this group of phenomenal women characters. Hall gives us the hard working Ryan Pierce, a famous self-help figure who encourages people that they can “have it all”. Queen Latifah gives us the confident Sasha Franklin, a popular gossip blogger. The hilarious Haddish brings us Dina, the unemployed, wild and out-spoken friend who is fiercely loyal to those closest to her. Pinkett Smith presents the more conservative role of Lisa Cooper, a nurse and mother of two who is no longer the party girl she used to be.

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Girls Trip is a downright fun, unabashedly debaucherous film. Pinkett Smith called it a “hard R”, which is unsurprising given its extensive alcohol and drug use, sexual content, and profanity; it’s definitely a cross between Bridesmaids and Sex and the City. Is this just a fun, girls-night-out movie that should be taken with a grain of salt? Or are there some messages we can take from?

Image result for girls trip movie

It’s no secret that people grow up and change, sometimes drastically. And this can put serious strains on a relationship. We see the “growing pains” that these women go through after coming together for an extended period of time after barely seeing each other in the last number of years. It’s intriguing to see how their currently personalities mesh with one another and how they navigate the different structure of their group.

Ryan is married to her sweetheart, Stewart Pierce (Mike Colter). They are in the public eye and portray a perfect marriage, amongst their perfect lives. Secretly, though, Stewart has been regularly cheating on Ryan. When the Flossy Posse confront Ryan with this information, we come to learn that Ryan is well aware of Stewart’s cheating, and that they have been trying to work through it with counseling. Things get worse with Ryan and Stewart’s relationship and, when it seems like the obvious choice, Ryan does not leave Stewart. It moves past a loyal wife doing everything in her power to save her relationship, to something more like staying together to save face and maintain their image in the public eye. It brings up the difficult question of when is enough, enough? How much can one take before making the impossible decision to leave their spouse? We also see Ryan’s closest friends attempt to assist her in this decision. They see from the outside what’s going on and how it’s affecting Ryan. They obviously want the best for her and can’t stand to see Stewart putting her through this. I’m sure it’s an extremely difficult position to be in – trying to tell your friend that she is being stepped on, while simultaneously trying to be respectful of her and let her make the decision that she is comfortable with.

When Ryan eventually decides to leave Stewart, we see her very vulnerable side. Her whole image seems to include Stewart. She needs to reclaim her individuality not only on a personal level, but also on a business level. Business dealings that she had arranged together with Stewart now needed to be changed to include only her.

One scene that still has me thinking is the scene where, before the partying began, they all knelt down in front of the bed in the hotel room to pray. Dina began to pray.  You’ll recall that Dina is the joker of the group and I was fully expecting this prayer scene to immediately turn into comedy.  But she genuinely prays to God about her thankfulness for her friends and the time they are spending together.

Image result for girls trip movie

It’s weird to say, but I’m proud of this movie. It portrays four very different but strong women who are navigating different paths in life. We see some of them at their finest, and some of them at their darkest. We see that it’s okay to be down and vulnerable. It doesn’t make us any less of a human being. It’s okay to be alone. It’s okay to lean on others for help. This film, to me, seems like another step in the right direction for female empowerment on screen.

One thing that I’m taking from this movie is how important the people around us are. Having a support system in life is just so incredibly important. And we shouldn’t take these people for granted.