Saw Alice in Wonderland. Good movie…for the cinematography. Though I want to address that that story was never originally a children’s tale. Yea Disney owns the rights, but that plot has elicit drug use all up in there. Kudos to the cast though, they did pretty well. Johnny Depp fails to disappoint because he doesn’t stray from his talented abilities, and the same goes for the Helena Bowman Carter (Harry Potter movies and Fight Club) and the newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice.
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The Oscars are tonight. And for this year’s “phenomenal surprise” we the public have been graced with the pleasure of having both Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique up for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. First and foremost that really is phenomenal that a first time black actress is already up for the highest accolade in the film industry and the same goes for Mo’Nique (who went from the stage of stand-up comedy to displaying bafoonery on urban sitcoms to finally blessing us with outstanding dramatic performances). BUT I have a pressing question…
Whyyyy is it that when African Americans are finally acknowledged enough for the awarding of an Oscar it has to be when they are portraying the lowest of the low in society: pure monsters in human transformation. Examples are Denzel Washington for Alonzo in Training Day, a rogue cop that takes it just a little too far when it comes to the bad guy. He double-crosses everybody. Then there’s Halle Berry for Leticia in Monster’s Ball who in the light of depression and grief turns to an equally despaired Billy Bob Thornton for a graphically animalistic sex scene/ relationship. Nothing loving about that. And to throw a some history in the mix, Hattie McDaniel won for Best Supporting in 1939 (she played a House slave), and originally didn’t even technically win the Oscar and called it an honorary award…the rewards of institutionalized racial incongruity at work. The only exception would be Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Ray Charles, but let’s not overlook it wasn’t always about the glamour of the old crooner’s life- there were some large skeletons that came out in that film too.
Denzel played Malcom X- why not award him for that? Halle played Dorothy Dandridge- they only made it a TV movie! Will Smith was great as Muhammad Ali, but had to contend with and lost to Denzel that same year. There are plenty more unacknowledged black stars that had unforgettable roles, but with the industry doing what it does best, it’s hard for those to be truly acclaimed worthy. I don’t know, it just seems like there isn’t much I would want to thank the Academy for.
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