Detroit (2017)

Kathryn Bigelow's last couplef ilms have been about war, the war over there. This film is only slightly different; it's about the war right here, at home in the USA, whether in 1967 or today. "It looks like 'Nam," he says of Detroit, he being a young white police officer who has never been to Vietnam. For him, the Detroit riot is like war (he who abuses and disbelieves a black Vietnam veteran--and it is not lost that the original incident that sets off the riot is a welcome back party for black veterans). But for the African Americans who call this country home, every day is a war, a losing battle, every encounter with the police can result in an illogical death, and in a brazen disregard for civil rights. They are second class citizens, gunned down in the street without reason. It is infuriating listening to the excuses of the white police officers. And what really bothered me was of course, the complicity, of John Boyega's character thinking he's doing the right thing and of the State Police and the National Guard, etc. They choose to save themselves and turn away. A riot is no excuse for ignoring civil rights. The message from Bigelow is clear, that these problems persist in our society today. This movie is a visceral experience, necessary in our current political climate.

I did the film was too long. I understand the point. That the entire system is designed to disadvantage African Americans, from the very beginnings (the interesting animated opening scene) through to the riot, the policing, and the trial. I don't think the trial was really necessary though. The drama was in the Algiers Motel. The trial was just beating us over the head with it. It could have been done more subtly in text. The movie could've ended there, in my opinion.

Mudbound (2017)

Wow, what a heartbreaking movie. It's really well done. The time jumps in the story line are really cleverly executed. It's not always immediately obvious until it cuts back to where we had left off. The cinematography is stunning. Downtrodden rural Mississippi is pretty devastating for everyone, black and white, but you know the African Americans have it way worse. The juxtaposition of life in the Jim Crow South with war-torn Europe is night and day for the African American soldiers. This tale of coming home from war is poignant and devastating and exactly what we need. Discrimination in this country still remains abysmal. Dee Rees does an excellent job assisted by strong performances by Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell and Mary J. Blige. 

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

Straight Outta Compton is a perfect example of a primary source on our present society. Sure, you can view it as a secondary source on the 80s and 90s West Coast hip hop scene. But the movie itself is a product of our time. The influence of our society is overtly present throughout, giving this movie more importance than at first glance. Any African American could tell you that police brutality has been an ongoing problem in their communities for decades. But for many who live in Ta-Nehisi Coates's suburban dream, the recent incidents of police brutality caught on video have been a startling wake up call. This is the reality that minorities live in this country. What has changed is the quick access to video.  Rodney King's brutal beating was caught on tape, otherwise we may never have heard his story. Camera phones can capture video in an instant and the video can go viral on the Internet the next day.

NWA tried to convey their struggles through music (simple exercising their first amendment rights that even the FBI tried to curb) to the suburban teens who knew of no such struggle but listened to gangsta rap. This movie puts visuals to their visceral rhymes. From the outset, F. Gary Gray captures the raw toughness of the streets of Compton.  It looks like a war zone, complete with a tank-like battering ram. The threat of gangs is real and close to home.

Considering the original members of NWA served as executive producers, the film is surprisingly candid. The group is not uniformly portrayed in a positive light. It is a brutally honest movie. I loved the casting of O'Shea Jackson Jr as his father. In fact, the whole cast made a very convincing ensemble. Including Paul Giamatti who is seemingly typecast as the evil music manager; it is just something about his look and his mannerisms that make him a fitting choice.

Finally, the film does a good job at portraying the immense influence of the revolutionary group NWA. Their seminal album Straight Outta Compton changed hip hop music. What I didn't know before was just how brilliant Dr. Dre is as a businessman. He first found success as a founding member of NWA. Then he left that for Death Row Records where he found more success before throwing that money away to found Aftermath Records, which still operates today. That is not even to mention the massive moneymaker Beats. It's astounding that someone with such business savvy let himself be cheated out of money early on in his career. It was Ice Cube that saw through the mirage and so he took his lyrics genius solo. And individually these giants of rap each shaped the music industry in their own ways.