mghee-61577 Reviews

Origin (2023)

Transcendental

[9/10 · 18 February 2024]

I like all of Ava Duvernay's stuff and when I heard about this new movie she was coming out with and read what it was about, I knew I had to see it. I finally got around to seeing it as of this writing.

I was personally blown away by it. I think it was her best yet. The best way I can explain the gist of this movie is that It follows the true story of an author (African American woman) who writes a book that explores a social construct across 3 countries ( America, Germany and India) that artificially elevates groups of people over another group. Her intellectual curiosity and moral code prompts her to visit Germany and India to research the "origin" of this and well as interviewing people across the USA about it.

As I mention in my title, the resulting overall story is transcendental. This movie goes beyond race although it is certainly a factor involved with it. I went into the theater knowing the subject matter but yet at the same time I learned many new things as well. It breaks down concepts brilliantly. It is mind expanding. The similarities and differences in each country are explained and eye opening. The movie plays kind of like a scholarly documentary but is presented as dramatic story that weaves all these complex pieces together in a pretty riveting manner.

I was never bored during the 2 hour and 21 minute run time and i found my eyes getting a little watery at one of the ending scenes. I knock it down one star only due to the author's personal family melodrama in the movie only because i found the research and analysis of the concepts in the movie were so stimulating, i could not wait until they refocused on that. As i mentioned, I do not lump this movie into the category of race. Though integral to the film, it goes beyond it in its examination of other countries and the similarities that are revealed are truly interesting. No doubt you have to have an open mind to appreciate the story but I'm sure many people will dislike it which in a way proves the point of this film. Now I have to read the book that the movie is based on which i rarely do. A brilliant must see.

Watermelon Man (1970)

Brilliant and Hilarious

[9/10 · 21 January 2024]

Ive watched this movie over a period of decades and it only gets funnier each time I watch it. Meet Jeff Gerber: A white suburban upper middle class man with a good job (insurance salesman), nice wife, and two small children. Jeff has two noticeable quirks: 1. He is a health nut 2. He is a bigot. Not a mean bigot but he enjoys needling black folks.

The first 30 minutes we see the white Jeff Gerber and all of his quirks. This part of the movie is the set up for what is to come. It is kind of corny but it is vital in order to become acquainted with him and the people he associates with on a daily basis.

The hilarity starts when he wakes up in the middle of the night and finds that he is now a dark skin black man. He becomes terrified and so does his wife. Every other line coming out of his mouth is his fear of now taking on all the negative stereotypes of black people and his delivery of these lines are VERY funny. He thinks he's over did it with a sunlamp but it's clear, this is karma. He frantically takes a cab to the "colored neighborhood" to buy skin products to try and bleach his skin back to white with the help of his wife but to no avail. He eventually goes back to work with his new skin color and his fellow employees are not too sure what to make of it but accept it, especially the secretary who starts lusting after him.

Godfrey Cambridge OWNS this movie playing both the white and black Jeff Gerber. Estelle Parsons plays his "liberal to a point" wife who also has some pretty funny scenes of her own in reaction to her "new" husband, one of which had me dying laughing (skin inspection). Erin Moran of Happy Days fame actually plays the young daughter. Mantan Moreland shows up as a fountain counterman at the deli that Jeff frequents each morning. His reaction to Jeff's new color is hilarious and their interaction is pure comedy gold. Another minor detail I noticed about this film is the use of some of recognizable character actors. Emil Sitka from the 3 stooges plays a deliveryman in a hilarious scene. Kay Kuter from Green Acres plays Jeff's physician who is befuddled over Jeff's new skin color.

The brilliance of the film is how it approaches the subject of racism and exposes it from both blatant and subconscious angles. Though this is an exceptionally funny movie and marketed as a comedy ( I am African American and I rank it as one of the funniest movies ever) it gets its more serious message across. It is from 1970 but still relevant. If you have never seen this and the subject matter sounds interesting to you, you owe it to yourself to view this film. It is not likely you will forget it.

Black Mirror: Loch Henry (2023) Season 6, Episode 2

Fame- at what cost ?

[9/10 · 17 June 2023]

Ahh, this is the Black Mirror I know and love. Now the involvement of technology in this episode outdated, but that did not stop me from enjoying it. The premise of the story is good- A young man brings his girlfriend home to the Scottish countryside to meet his mother. They are both into producing documentaries and decide to film a story about the town's gruesome past incident. The suspense is good as we the viewers slowly learn more about this incident. I liked this one because I did not predict the ending and it is very dark. I especially enjoyed the acting from the boyfriend at the end as it fit the mood and ending of the story (you may see what i mean when you watch the episode). After thinking about it for a while I think there is a moral to it as I state in my review header. A good addition to the Black Mirror catalog of stories that is worth checking out. I knock it down a minor peg from a perfect 10 to a 9 only because it doesn't include the inventive current/ future tech of most episodes and the Scottish brogue can be a little hard to understand from one character at times. Otherwise, don't ignore this one. It is good and dark.

The Apartment (1960)

One of the All Time Greats !

[10/10 · 31 August 2022]

This movie has always been a favorite of mine, Essentially its about a "nice guy" played by Jack Lemmon who is essentially abused by corporate politics and does not have much luck with the ladies to boot. BUT, there appears to be a pay off for him at the end and I'll leave that up to your interpretation.

I first discovered the film back in the 70s as a kid as NBC Saturday Night at the Movies would always play it. Back then I thought it was funny but based on repeated viewings throughout my life as i got older, i appreciated the humor more as well as the dynamics between males and females (especially when it comes to personal relationships) and I could definately relate to the corporate politics portrayed in the film.

Though stereotyped, i still enjoyed observing the key characters in the film, namely Jack Lemmon as "nice guy" type. Fred McMurray is really good as a middle aged company executive and "player". Shireley McLaine as the "confused" but desired young woman working at the company as an elevator operator. Loads of character actors you'll recognize, many with funny lines of dialogue. I always comeback to watch this movie for comfort every few years and also recommend it to friends.

One side tangent I notice about the film and appreciate, it takes place at a huge insurance company in the late 50s- Though none are portrayed as key characters, it does appear to display a highly integrated office which I'll assume was not out of the question in NYC by the time the late 50s rolled around.

Them (2021– )

Disturbing, but don't say I did not warn you !

[8/10 · 12 April 2021]

A disturbing story about racism that is brought to literally horrific levels. We're talking Jim Crow personified as a demon here (Da Tap Dance Man). I think episode 5 raised the bar in terms of shock value that I was left speechless. Therefore, this may be an uncomfortable watch overall for some. However, I respect and admire the boldness of all who put this film together and acted it out. Strangely addicting because you do not know what is going to happen next. As a black viewer, I also found some of the scenarios that played out vaguely familiar with my own life experience which made this an interesting watch for me personally. Like a good book, I could not put it down and watched all 10 episodes in one weekend. I knocked it down a few pegs because I don't believe some of the things the wife did (Lucky) in the community could not happen in real life back then or even today (she would have been arrested immediately). It si being compared to Jordan Peele's Get Out and Us but I think THEM is 10 times more sinister. Overall, highly recommended if your interested in this type of genre.

The Twilight Zone: The Shelter (1961) Season 3, Episode 3

The most intense episode in my opinion

[9/10 · 3 January 2021]

After watching several episodes for the billionth time over a 4 day span as part of the New Year's Twilight Zone marathon, I've finally come to the conclusion that this one is the most intense episode of the series. The premise is pretty simple. Beloved neighborhood doc has the only bomb shelter on the block. The neighbors are all enjoying themselves at the doc's house as part of his birthday celebration and then an emergency broadcast comes on warning the country that unidentified objects are flying toward the U.S. and citizens should immediately take cover. However, the doc faces an additional dilemma. He only has room for his family to survive in his bomb shelter and the neighbors are pleading for him to share it (since they do not have one) given the zero hour that has been thrust upon them. This episode displays a lot of human drama in 30 minutes. There is fear obviously and the urge for survival gets ugly and very primitive amongst the neighbors vying for the attention of the doc to let them into his shelter. As a result, there are a couple of striking scenes of prejudice that rise to the surface as well as violence in the midst of it all. I'm not a cinematographer but there is a shadowy camera shot from behind of a woman neighbor on the stairs holding her baby that is crying, while her husband is pleading for the doc to let him , his wife and the baby in the shelter. This scene reeks of the desperation the neighbors are experiencing. Gets me everytime. I will not give away the ending but it is an unforgettable episode.

The Twilight Zone (2019–2020)

It's Improving

[7/10 · 27 June 2020]

It's obvious that nothing can compare to the OG Twilight Zone from the early '60s. That is the standard. I was excited in 2019 for the Jordan Peele reboot though and watched every episode. Reflecting back, I was unhappy with it. Yes there were a handful of decent episodes but a lot of them in my opinion had flat endings or just could not maintain my interest. The political slant to the episodes did not bother me. i just think a lot of the episodes were boring.

Come June 2020 with the Season 2 premier, and WOW ! New and improved! The stories now remind me of the OG Zone with stories of human turmoil complete with dark twisted endings. I have been through 4 episodes so far on season 2 and really enjoyed 3 out 4 of them and look forward to watching the rest. As others have said, if you hated season 1, come back to season 2. I don't think you will be disappointed. I rate the show 7 as of this writing. The season 2 episodes boosted my rating.