Movies, Geekdom, and Race

…yes, with an Oxford Comma (thank you, Weird Al)


Deadpool
Brian (the World’s Greatest Husband) and I rarely go to a theater to see movies because 1. they’re expensive; 2. not a lot we want to see; 3. we’re getting old, so staying out late is harder; and 4. a lot is available in alternate formats: Netflix, Amazon Video, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.


Being geeks on multiple levels, we thoroughly have enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) offerings. We’ve seen almost all the films to date, and we DVR or subscribe to the various television series (in addition to the DC Comics TV series). We have a lot of TV to watch.


So last Friday we took a mental health day (We both suffer from anxiety and depression, and we work for the State of Wisconsin; need I say more?), and after a blissful day of desperately-needed sleep, we went to see Deadpool, which despite being based on a Marvel comic, is not part of the MCU.


Janet, from our gaming group, had seen the movie and highly recommended it because the eponymous character’s hilarious sarcasm, foul language, and breaking the fourth wall are so much like her own personality. Ryan Reynolds, who is trying the Marvel Universe after his unsuccessful foray into the DC Universe, was spot-on in his portrayal, and the self-referential Easter Eggs were wonderfully abundant.


Deadpool gives plenty of eye-candy for all with plenty of shots of Reynolds’ naked bod and bum, as well as the beautiful body of the talented Morena Baccarin – well known to geeks from her days aboard Serenity, as well as her role on Gotham, based on the Batman DC Comics. Stan Lee also makes his traditional cameo. The real scene-stealer is Leslie Uggams, notable mostly for her role as Kizzy from the phenomenal TV series Roots, who plays Blind Al and perfectly matches the sarcasm and wit of the titular character.


Trust me, if you have an ounce of comic book geekdom, you’ll want to see this movie.


Race
Sunday night was the 88th Oscars Ceremony, mercifully hosted by Chris Rock. I say mercifully because of the criticism regarding the lack of diversity in the nominees of the major Oscar categories. While watching Rock’s opening monologue, I wondered if he had been hired before or after the nominees were announced because his opening monologue dealt as beautifully with the race controversy as Billy Crystal’s solo opening sequence for Oscar 62 made up for the terrible opening number from Oscar 61 (FTR: Rock was hired before the nominees were announced.).


Starting with Rock’s opening monologue, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS or just the “Academy”) seemed to take a mea culpa attitude with a humorous bent; as in, Yes, we need more awards going to African-American actors, and we are addressing that issue; but for now, let’s enjoy a good show. Plus, the “Black History Month Minute: Oscars Edition” was beyond funny on so many levels.


Of course, the African-American community wasn’t the only one complaining; Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, and other under-represented populations also bemoaned their lack of representation. What all these demographics forget, and Chris Rock did a beautiful job reminding them, is that the problem isn’t with the Academy; it’s with the movie industry. Rock’s opening monologue included a story about a Hollywood fundraiser he attended, which included a grip and grin with President Obama. Rock said, “I’m like, ‘Mr. President, you see all these writers and producers and actors? They don’t hire black people, and they’re the nicest, white people on earth! They’re liberals! Cheese!’”


I agree with Rock that Hollywood is racist and needs to look outside its stereotypes and clichés. A shining example of the way things ought to be is George Romero and the lead actor he chose for Night of the Living Dead: Duane Jones, who was a theater thespian and acting professor. When Romero hired Jones, and mind you this was 1968, the director said Jones “simply gave the best audition.” One would think that Hollywood would be more enlightened in the third millennium, but this is the community so out of fresh ideas that even Spielberg is doing remakes.


Rock said, “We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors.” He and Hollywood need to include other under-represented populations: those with dwarfism, actresses who are older and/or larger than the Hollywood stereotype, people with varying abilities physically and cognitively, etc.; as well as people of different ethnicities, including African-Americans.


As an aside note, I have one issue with the term African-American: I know of an actress who was born in South Africa, faced hardships there, then eventually immigrated to the US with her mother to start a new life. The woman now has dual citizenship, thus being truly “African-American,” but cannot state that as her ethnicity because of the color of her skin. The actress is Charlize Theron.

While I was watching the show, my son Mekhi (who is African-American by skin color, as well as ethnicity) came downstairs and asked for a bedtime snack. After telling him that a popsicle is not suitable for bedtime (I allowed cheese and pretzels), I told him about the Oscars and all that I’ve mentioned in this blog – including the Night of the Living Dead story. He agreed that is the way it ought to be. He’s studying the Civil Rights Movement in school, and I think the story of the Oscars would be an excellent lesson in how much further we need to go as a country before “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all…are created equal.” Yes, even Thomas Jefferson needs to be updated, and I think he would agree.


Pog ma thoin!
-Lori


“This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies.” – Chris Rock