Ain’t It Cool…No It Ain’t

So, about a year ago, a semi-popular geek movie critic named Devin Faraci was accused of some pretty serious sexual harassment. He had some deep ties in the Austin Film Community and was a pretty big part of the Alamo Drafthouse. This stung for a lot of people, as Faraci did tend to express progressive ideals. He disassociated from his duties with the Alamo Drafthouse and stepped away from the film community. While he stated he had no memory of the incident, he did not deny it could be true and did not call his accuser a liar. It seemed like the resolution would be peaceable.

A couple months ago, it was revealed that Faraci had actually started quietly working for the Alamo Drafthouse again. Tim League spoke a lot about second chances, but this was all coming a bit late and frankly felt a bit dishonest. It appeared that he had started back rather soon after his public departure. And then this week?

The Austin Film Scene and Geek Movies lovers were given another shock. Indiewire uploaded this article detailing sexual harassment and assault by Harry Knowles by Kate Erbland and Dana Harris. If you are wondering exactly who Knowles is…well, for that we need to go a little farther back.

1200px-Harry_Knowles_by_Gage_Skidmore — picture by Gage Skidmore

Harry started Ain’t It Cool News back in the late 90’s. It was a geek website focused mainly on movies. They trafficked in rumors, news and reviews. They got so big, Knowles was courted by studios for approval (even getting cameos in movies) and even appeared on Roger Ebert’s shows. His writers went on to be popular in their own right. Harry had a film festival called Buttnumb-a-thon which was a weekend people would pay to get to sit and watch a bunch of highly anticipated films. Harry was seen as a guy who could help or hinder your career. You can see where this might be leading right?

Throughout this time, young women have quietly told friends of experiences with Harry. He could be, to be generous, “handsy”. And often, he would get a benefit of the doubt, maybe it was an accident. I suspect most women can tell an accidental brushing of their butt or a breast, women will often give it a benefit of the doubt. And there are guys more than willing to take advantage of this. And in the geek community, there is a heavy reliance on the idea of the “Socially Awkward Geek.” He just does not know any better. He is awkward with women. He means well. Film writer The Blair Bitch shared this text she received from Harry:

Look at the time stamp. That was this year. Harry is 46 years old and should be more than old enough to have learned that this is not “proper” interaction. That is not socially awkward. It is creepy.

Now, to be honest, I knew who Harry was…but I never read much of the AICN site. I tried…but I found it painfully hard on the eyes. I thought the design was just terrible. So I rarely read a lot of it. If I did go, I was looking for something specific, not to wander the site. One thing I really had never done? Read Harry’s reviews. Film blogger and critic Scott Weinberg took a pretty firm stand with the women Knowles assaulted and harassed. He has started looking back at Harry’s reviews. And they are…well…telling.

There were more creepy reviews. How did this guy get on people’s radar? His writing is terrible. Someone claimed that at least it is not boring. But his work is actually really dull. Contemplating why mutant Hillbillies don’t rape the pretty actress is not interesting writing!

Between the multiple women, the creepy reviews and the creepy texts, it all paints a pretty disturbing picture. The reviews alone should have kept him from the mainstream.

My main hope here is that the the fallout is women not feeling they have to accept mistreatment to get ahead. That harassment and assault are not things they must just put on a brave face for if they want to advance in the film geek world. But judging from some folks rush to stand behind people like Harry (and Victor Salva, a child rapist whose latest film is about to hit theaters) this is still something a ways off.

September 30, 2017 0

15 Years

September 11, 2016 2

Comic Book Movies Are The End of Movies

I will be honest…I find this claim a bit dubious. Not because there is zero truth to it. But the headline lays the lack of staying power. Hollywood has relied heavy on genre before and movies survived. For one, westerns did not kill the industry. And they ruled for a long time.

But as the article notes, lots of movies from multiple genres are facing massive declines in their second and third weeks. The continued reliance on blaming comic book movies (or more specifically Super-Hero movies…after all, Road to Perdition and a History of Violence are comic book movies) for Hollywood’s ills is a bit overstating things.

There are less than ten super-hero films a year (usually less than five, but there is a year coming up with eight or nine on the slate). There are over a hundred films released every year. Super-hero films are not even ten percent of the films released each year. I have mentioned all this before. I think the article is right in the reference to all the choices cannibalizing each other.

I confess, there is one thing I wish Marvel Studios would do. Marvel has a large catalog of material. They are saturating their own market with such big movies, they are not planning for what will happen when super-hero films just won’t make money. Marvel Studios has a real concern there than DC does not have. DC is just part of the WB…they have other options.

Marvel’s sole option right now is their cinematic universe. Marvel Studios can, and should start considering making smaller movies…films not aimed at the blockbuster. Both in their cinematic universe and outside of it.

Marvel needs to look to the future if they want to succeed past 2020. They need to look into stuff they own that is not super-heroes. Fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, adventures,espionage, comedy, family fare. Marvel has all sorts of options beyond their Cinematic Universe. They need to take the risk and see if they can succeed without the MCU. They took risks with Ant-Man and Guardians and now Doctor Strange. Now Kevin Feige and his team need to see if they can work their magic beyond super-heroes.

September 10, 2016 1

Bustin’ Up

So, the Ghostbusters Trailer has hit. And there were responses. I initially saw plenty of “I’m in” responses. Suddenly I started to see a lot of “blah” reactions. Some were super aggressively angry that the trailer was a disappointment.

And, I agree to an extent that there was some stuff that is frustrating (Mentioning the original film as it does makes it seem like a sequel, and it is not). But I loved the interaction between Wiig, McCarthy, Jones and McKinnon. Plus Jones slapping McCarthy yelling “the Power of Pain compels you!” cracks me up.

But then there was a complaint that started a war of words. See, Leslie Jones’ character Patty is a transit employee. People questioned why she could not be a scientist. And this question was lambasted for it’s being PC.

I am weary of this. I am weary of how legit questions of story and character choices in regards to diversity are so quickly attempted to be shut down with cries of PC Culture. Diversity in film is, of course, not important to these mostly white critics. White people in America have no idea what it is like to watch movies after movie where there is only one or two folks who look like us. It is easy when your face is all over the screens. And my entire life, I have heard white people lament even one non-white character appearing in a story as being unrealistic, or they are token characters or they are forcing diversity.

The question of why Patty could not have been one of the scientists (and having, say, McCarthy be the “every man”) is a valid one. It is not like film and television have had a bunch of black nerds. Now, they already finished the film. Feig did not consult me. And Leslie looks like she had fun with the role. She is certainly protective of it. I am holding back final judgement until I see the film.

Personally, I still wish it was within the original film’s storyline. I think it would have made things fun if they returned in a sequel. Let these ladies be aware of the originals, but nobody really knows where they went. So, this film would focus on the new team, but in the background there is that mystery of where they went. Then in a sequel, they could bring the still living cast in to team up with the new team.

March 7, 2016 0

Diversify

So, last Sunday’s Oscars happened. There was much questioning in advance of how Chris Rock would address the #OscarsSoWhite controversies. Some felt he should drop out. Some felt he should use the the night to stick it to Hollywood racism. And, he did pretty good. Rock had some good jokes that called out the racism at play…Hollywood’s “Sorority style Racism” as Rock noted. But Rock’s bits could have been better.

It started to become apparent that Rock’s calls to diversity were somewhat single dimensional. In fact people on twitter started noting that Diversity is a bit bigger than Rock’s focus. Aasif Mandvi tweeted:

hey #Oscars, diversity is not just #black and #white.

He was met with a response that stated that because Chris Rock is black, he was focusing on black performers. Which, to be frank, is a pretty bullshit excuse. Rock was hosting the Oscars to a broader public. Asians and Latinos (just to name two groups left out) had every right to be frustrated by Rock’s extraordinarily narrow observations.

In a bit of irony, Rock’s race themed bits all highlighted white versus black. He only spoke of black actors vs white actors. There was a distinct lack of diversity. Heck, it even looked as if he and his writers lifted the Martian Gag from the Nightly Show.*

All of Rock’s bits would have been funnier with an expanded racial scope. Of course, pointing this out has gotten some hit with accusations of saying the same thing as “All Lives Matter”. Which is absolutely false. Let me cut folks off at the pass. This is false. Period. There is no discussion to be had. Pointing out that other races were not recognized by Rock is not the equivalent of saying all lives matter. Why don’t we look at some facts about Oscar Diversity. It is not a pretty picture.

There has not been an Asian Best Actor nomination since Ben Kingsly in 2003. There has not been an Asian Winner since 1982, which was also Ben Kingsly. It was 26 years earlier that there was another Asian nominated. That was Yul Brenner in 1956. And he won. You have two Asian winners in the Best Actor category. There was one Asian woman nominated for Best Actress. Merle Oberon in 1935. Not a single Asian Actress has been nominated since. Not even from the Joy Luck Club, which got no nominations for it’s actors.

Surely it is better for the supporting roles, right? Between 1957 and now? Best Supporting actor has nominated Asian Actors six times. Of those six? Two are Ben Kingsly. The only win was Haing S. Ngor for the Killing Fields in 1984. The last nomination was Ken Watanabe in 2003.

Supporting Actress? Since 1957? Again, six. The last being Hailee Standfield in 2010’s True Grit. Only one win, that was to Miyoshi Umeki in 1957.

So, what about Latinos? Surely, they fared way better in acting nominations and wins, right?

Well, for best actor? Five since 1950. Last nomination was Demián Bichir in 2011. Last win? 1950’s José Ferrer for Cyrano de Bergerac. For supporting role, there six nominations. One was for José Ferrer in 1948. Anthony Quinn was nominated and won twice. Andy Garcia and the other two went to Benicio del Toro, who won in 2000 for Traffic.

Best Actress had three nominations between 1998 and 2004. That is all, no wins. Just three nominations in the history of the Oscars. Supporting Actress? Six nominations between 1954 and 2013. And I bet that 2013 nomination would catch people off guard, because it is Lupita Nyong’o. She and Rita Moreno are the only wins.

Native Americans have three nominations in the history of the Oscars. Three.

While looking for that last one I found this article which sums all the information up nicely.

Chris Rock focused heavily on the lack of Black actors. Since 1958, there has been 18 nominations. This includes Will Smith (Twice), by the way. Morgan Freeman was nominated three times. Denzel Washington four times. There have been four wins (Sidney Poitier, Washington, Jamie Fox and Forrest Whitaker). Best actress has only had ten nominations since 1954 and only a single win (Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball in 2001).

Best supporting actor has seen sixteen nominations and four wins since 1969. The wins were Louis Gossett Jr., Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr and Morgan Freeman. Best supporting actress? Eighteen nominations with six wins (Hattie McDaniel, Whoopie Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson, Mo’Nique, Octavia Spencer and Lupita Nyong’o) between 1939 and 2013.

Going by the actual numbers, those individuals who were telling Asians, Native Americans, Latinos and other minority groups to just accept that they were being ignored? They have the bigger gripe. Asians, Latinos, Native American performances are far less recognized. In comparison, black performers are getting more of the opportunities.

Hollywood needs more diversity. Hollywood needs to expand it’s recognition. But Rock made his bits all about black actors, every single bit featured only black actors (or in one case Black “Man on the Street” interviewees), and Rock gave no recognition to the lack of diversity other races (who have had even less recognition in Oscar History). But he did manage a racist Asian joke. Way to go with the appeal to diversity.

*The Nightly show did the “What if Mark Watney Was Black” gag a few weeks back. It is entirely possible that the Oscar version was recorded in “competition” and it was coincidence…but it was the exact same joke, just the Oscar version got the original white actors.

March 3, 2016 0

Unbearable Whiteness of Being

So, the Brits are making a weird post 9/11 road trip movie following the apparently true tale of Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor going on a road trip after…well, 9/11. I suppose it is ripe for a comedic take.

But the main reason anyone is talking about the film is they cast Joseph Fiennes as…wait for it… Michael Jackson.

The most iconic black celebrity in the past 50 years of pop entertainment…is set to be played by a white guy. The defense, of course, is that the film takes place at a point where Jackson looks really white. And so, if they cast a black actor, they would have to do a lot of make-up to lighten the actors skin.

The thing is, Jackson never expressed a disdain for his blackness, he saw himself as a black man. Many claim he bleached his skin. This is certainly a distinct possibility, as he had vitiligo. This often occurs in patches, and bleaching is actually a way to try and even out skin tone in patients. People stick to the belief that Michael Jackson was trying to look white, due to his extensive surgeries. There is no actual evidence of this, other than people want to believe it. But the fact is, there is no basis for this. What seems more likely, is Jackson fell into the same trap as many other celebrities who get plastic surgery. He became obsessed with getting operation after operation, likely to sometimes “fix” previous surgeries.

Casting white actors in black roles has an effect that is quite different than doing the reverse. There are many roles for white actors out there. But in television and film, your cast is often comprised of white people. And frankly, Fiennes does not look like Michael Jackson simply because he is white. I mean, if Joe was a dead ringer for Jackson, there might be a defense here…but literally the only thing they have in common is paleness.

Fiennes will, in fact, have to go under extensive makeup and prosthetic effects to look like Jackson. So, this is different from doing the same for a black actor how?

January 29, 2016 0

So There It Is

Halloween has come and gone. Hope folks had fun. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

November 1, 2015 0

Prometheus Lost

So, Ridley Scott announced the title to the sequel to Prometheus. And I was a bit surprised they caved this early.

I was one of the few who at least generally liked Prometheus. It had some problems, such as the whole “what I choose to believe” thing was never grounded tightly enough to make sense as a solid philosophy and the final act is pretty crazy messy to the point of confusion. Adding to the confusion was the similarities that seem to set up Alien, but clearly at the same time could not be the same ship found in Alien…and the filmmakers emphasized that this is a different planet, different ship…this was set in the same universe as Alien, but is a separate story.

And I like that idea. The notion that there might be a film to line up more precisely with Alien, but that it would come after a divergent story in the same universe. Rapace and Fassbender are welcome performers for me and I am curious to see the next step in that story. But of course, the problem is…they are not just trying to appeal to me, who would have no problem getting interested in another Prometheus film.

I suspect the lukewarm reception has resulted in bringing the Prometheus story directly under the Alien name brand with the upcoming sequel being called Alien: Paradise Lost. I see some potential confusing, what with Neil Blomkamp’s possible Alien five. I presume that will get a re-title. And ever since Alien Resurrection, religious and mythical titles seem to be the go to.

But I suspect they realized continuing Prometheus 2 would not have the attention getting power of actually calling it “Alien”. This does beg one question…will we see the regular Xenomorphs this time around?

September 25, 2015 0

Direct Sequel vs Kinda a Sequel

Zack Snyder has commented that in his mind, Batman V Superman is actually the Man of Steel Sequel. There is a Man of Steel 2 on the Warner Brothers slate-with talk of George Miller directing (which would be exciting)-but Zak really feels this is the true follow-up.

And this feels like it is becoming an issue with both Marvel and DC films.

In the early days, the Marvel stand alone films were allowed to focus on the hero. There might be a cameo, or a supporting role (Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier). But the films were primarily focused on the hero’s journey, while the larger Avengers story-line might be lightly hinted at.

But Captain America: Civil War seems to be suffering the same problem as Batman v Superman… so stuffed with heroes, it feels more like “Avengers: Infinity War-Prologue”. They are feeling less like proper films in a franchise and more like the setup films. Adding Spider-Man to Civil War only enhances that.

I kind of get what they are doing with Batman v Superman, because Warner Bros has been playing catch-up after trying to determine how to get that Avengers cash without totally looking like they are trying to copy the the actual Avengers formula.

So we are getting long movies full of heroes, all while they give less and less room for the title character. Part of what I enjoyed about both Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy was they had connections to the greater shared universe they inhabit without losing their own spirit.

I worry both DC and Marvel will be making it near impossible to allow even their solo movies to be focused on the hero whose name occupies the Title Card.

September 22, 2015 2

Keep an Eye Out In Your Nightmares

Since my earliest childhood, I loved monsters. Whether horror or sci-fi or fantasy…stories with monsters were exciting to me. This resulted in my not finding horror movies so much as scary…but exciting. My parents did not let me watch horror movies in general, mainly to avoid me having nightmares I suppose.

In high school, I started to get more access to horror movies I saw a Nightmare on Elm Street. I did not find it super scary, but I loved the imagination behind it. Teacher turned filmmaker Wes Craven made a real impression on me.

Not every film he made was a classic, but he gave some truly visionary offerings. He started the Elm Street Franchise and then, with New Nightmare, turned it on it’s head, before “challenging the rules of the genre” was the thing to do.

Honestly, there is an extra cruel irony when a storyteller faces something like brain cancer. It is like a monster directly attacking the heart of a storyteller. My condolences to his friends and family in their loss.

Craven understood the power of story, and I am glad he shared his experience with us.

Thanks for the Nightmares, Wes Craven. You’re gonna be missed.

September 1, 2015 2