tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post4391419172707034147..comments2024-03-22T20:34:13.792-05:00Comments on Indomitable | The online home of Chauncey DeVega: Lee Daniel's New Movie The Butler is a Very "Conservative" and "American" Story. But is The Butler a Black Version of Forrest Gump?Lady Zora, Chauncey DeVega, and Gordon Gartrellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138154899923808806noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-27702763288565486752013-08-27T11:19:32.238-05:002013-08-27T11:19:32.238-05:00This is so refreshing to read, and extremely well ...This is so refreshing to read, and extremely well written, might I add. Sadly, it seems my impression garnered from the commercials was spot-on.OaktownGirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-49676406222708951842013-08-23T16:26:13.844-05:002013-08-23T16:26:13.844-05:00Not a major film, there is one about L'Ouvertu...Not a major film, there is one about L'Ouverture done recently.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-22355965460371882952013-08-19T20:44:27.730-05:002013-08-19T20:44:27.730-05:00I appreciate your and everyone else here on WARN&#...I appreciate your and everyone else here on WARN's perspective when I go to crazy land too. <br /><br /><br />I am excited about the prospect of crowd funding for the arts. But, if it is a for profit movie, I am worried about that just being a way for the Hollywood system to get a win/win. <br /><br /><br /><br />They don't have to subsidize or take the risk, and we the consumer don't get anything out of it directly, i.e. do the crowd funders get free passes or other materials? <br /><br /><br />For small indie projects sure--I am going to be working on a graphic novel in the near future and using Kickstarter once we get near the end of the process--it makes sense. But do I want to say I helped pay for a movie that made millions at the box office and I still had to buy a damn ticket?<br /><br /><br />And what if the lowest common denominator also includes coonery and buffoonery? The masses are asses, we need to get ready for that aspect too.chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-78654997140364888342013-08-19T13:48:55.842-05:002013-08-19T13:48:55.842-05:00Just a couple of things:
1) I cringe whenever blac...Just a couple of things:<br />1) I cringe whenever black women are raped on screen...period. I edited out my snarky comment about Ken Norton being overlooked for and Oscar nomination/win for his similar role in Mandingo.<br />2) I respect your blog and find it to be a refreshing area to exchange ideas. Thanks for being you. I also appreciate your perspective when I roam too far into "crazyland".<br />3) With the advent of "crowdfunding", there is no excuse for African-Americans to keep supporting films that don't meet our cultural expectations and pander to the least common (aka: white power frame) denominator. <br />Spike Lee is tapping into "crowdfunding" for his next project. I'm more than curious about the cultural "message" his film will attempt to convey.Black Sci-Finoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-2380143499775177002013-08-19T12:00:16.354-05:002013-08-19T12:00:16.354-05:00Will Smith is supposed to do a Hannibal project. Y...Will Smith is supposed to do a Hannibal project. You know I want my Colonel Tye movie. I would also like a movie about the real Harriet Tubman who was the equivalent of a scout sniper, spy, and infiltrator. <br /><br /><br />Movies about black pride and self-reliance cannot exist within the Hollywood system.chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-4234385888850562182013-08-19T05:10:46.280-05:002013-08-19T05:10:46.280-05:00I'm not watching any more movies about maids, ...I'm not watching any more movies about maids, butlers, chauffeurs, dysfunctional fat women, pimps or rappers.<br /><br /><br />How about a movie about Bass Reeves, Toussaint L'Ouverture, Hannibal, Paschal Beverly Randolph, Antonio Grajales, Amilcar Cabral or other more active people? Why not a movie version of the book "Standing At the Scratch Line"?Shady Gradyhttp://theurbanpolitico.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-41544396850462012012013-08-18T22:14:42.755-05:002013-08-18T22:14:42.755-05:00A Hollywood movie liberating anyone? Negro please....A Hollywood movie liberating anyone? Negro please. This is a product designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator like most others. <br /><br /><br />Don't be hating on Monsters Ball. That scene with the curtains and Miss Berry? Damn!chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-806214608554373152013-08-18T19:42:50.164-05:002013-08-18T19:42:50.164-05:00I hope you saw a decent bootleg copy. Them queens...I hope you saw a decent bootleg copy. Them queens: Lee & Tyler won't get a dollar from me. It's disappointing. I supported Whitaker/Fruitvale & here he is working w/a non-respectable negro. Still a great read this article, probably the only honest critique available. Everything else will be Chapstick to lip, ass-kiss reviews or 'journalism.'Learning is Eternalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-77997246572663532272013-08-18T18:58:17.865-05:002013-08-18T18:58:17.865-05:00I was in no hurry to see
"The Butler" or...I was in no hurry to see<br />"The Butler" or "The Help". In fact I'm waiting for a REAL<br />movie about Nat Turner or Toussaint Louverture or Gen. Dumas of the French Revolution before I can, if ever, support any more “when we was negros” movies<br />like any of the aforementioned Hollywood (pleasin’ Ol massa) films. <br />Asian, European and African filmmakers make films about their people without the shackels of pandering to a dominant society. This is what’s so sad about, “Forgive Paula Dean” Oprah and Lee “white boy rape’n Halle Berry” Daniels, having the money and opportunity to do and say more only to pander to the edges of the white power frame.<br /><br />This is a sad road to travel as an African American filmmaker and is so similar to the political reality of the "real" reason Halle Berry was awarded an Oscar, by her...uh... "peers". Guess who produced "Monster's<br />Ball? Oh, Brother. Lee, I would have paid the price of a movie ticket to you NOT to make that film.<br /><br />I have had my worst fears about The Butler just about confirmed by your review. Of course, it would be ignorant for me to critique the movie without seeing it. <br /><br />But, my sister, whom I respect and share a love of sci-fi movies with, saw it with some of her girlfreinds the other day. I asked her several pointed questions in the hope that I could discern the scope of the film as carefully nuanced (White Power Frame) historical fact. <br /><br />Between her answers and your review it would seem that "we" cannot find truth in "our" movies if the goal is profit, over truth. Truth can be entertaining. In fact, truth is the most entertaining form of artistic expression, or so it is often said about artists who starve today only to be worshiped tomrrow, upon their demise. <br />The Butler and The Help are certainly not art considered “ahead of its time”. Quite the opposite.Black Sci-Finoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-17181009330121087322013-08-18T18:05:24.509-05:002013-08-18T18:05:24.509-05:00Please, write more. Virtual space is cheap real es...Please, write more. Virtual space is cheap real estate. Jenny dies of HIV. I think that was made much clearer in the book and its sequel. Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies. Folks often wonder we can problematize it while still enjoying it. My analogy is eating fast food. As long as you know what you are eating, and that it is bad for you, then proceed at your own risk.<br /><br /><br />I will check out the imdb page. As you know, I like to go white supremacist websites, they too are thoroughly disappointed. <br /><br /><br />Do keep reading and thank you for your comment.chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-37213799647146238702013-08-18T15:38:21.815-05:002013-08-18T15:38:21.815-05:00I have been reading WARN for a while now and have ...I have been reading WARN for a while now and have been enjoying your insights and writing but don't think I have commented before. As of yet, I have not seen The Butler and I usually won't read reviews, etc., until I have seen a film but decided to read this.<br /><br />Your comments fit with what I was imagining the film to be like from what I had been finding out about it in the last few days, if that makes any sense (I really was not aware of its development until the story about Oprah in the Swiss boutique broke). If fact, I had already thought it sounded kind of like Forrest Gump! I especially thought that it sounded like one of those movies that was made to make white people feel better about themselves.<br /><br />So I don't really have that much to say about this piece, that is, I pretty much agree with what you say about all the points above, it's just that I haven't seen this movie yet. And despite figuring that I might give it a pass in the theater and just wait for Netflix, etc., maybe I will go after all. <br /><br />I am wondering, have you looked at the film's IMDb page? ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/?ref_=sr_1 ) Under the "message boards" heading (scroll almost down to the bottom), there is one that says "racist trolls." This person states a belief that many people give "black" movies low number-of-stars ratings on IMDb without even seeing them. It is quite lengthy with responses and unfortunately many of them are quite nasty and make the point of the original poster. Another theme is that the film promotes a "liberal agenda" that is designed to make white people feel guilty! <br /><br /><br /><br />BTW, Forrest Gump was pretty misogynistic, too (not saying for a moment that you said or implied it wasn't) and I realize it is kind of OT for this post. There was a detail about the end that I remember differently and I could be wrong; but rather than a nice, traditional, nuclear family at the end, I recall that Jenny was conveniently disposed of through dying of childbirth complications or some unnamed disease, after, of course, providing FG with a healthy, "normal," male child.<br /><br /><br />Sorry this is so long. I really like this blog.Timnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-50063850892855149762013-08-18T12:35:38.401-05:002013-08-18T12:35:38.401-05:00I will have to track that down. I was thinking som...I will have to track that down. I was thinking something similar too--how many other movies have dealt w. similar themes (likely many) and how many did Daniels borrow from?chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-204668243028599032013-08-18T12:02:58.921-05:002013-08-18T12:02:58.921-05:00BACKSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE precedes this movie ...BACKSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE precedes this movie by decades and, I suspect, raised a number of similar points (I've seen that min-series, but not this new film and am not eager to do so)Michael Paul Goldenberghttp://rationalmathed.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com