14 September 2020
“Seen ’em {rise|increase}, I seen ’em fall/I{‘ve| have actually} seen the {dreams of|imagine} fiends and scenes of war/Inside my mind, it ain’t nothin’ {serene|peaceful|tranquil}, it’s called Blackness/The most {expensive|costly|pricey} gene of all” – Phonte Coleman, “{Expensive|Costly|Pricey} Genes”
There is {a moment|a minute} early on in Jamie Foxx’s Netflix thriller, {Project|Job|Task} Power, that {gave|provided|offered} me {pause|stop briefly}. His character, Art, has abducted {a young girl|a girl} and has her {trapped|caught} in the trunk of {a car|a vehicle|an automobile|a cars and truck}. Out of context, it’s {high on|high up on} creep {factor|element|aspect}. Art is desperate for {answers|responses} and {aggressively|strongly} {trying|attempting} to {reason|factor} with her as her {muffled|stifled|smothered} screams echo from the trunk. {{However|Nevertheless}, {we know|we understand} that the {young lady|girl}, Robin (played by Dominique Fishback), {has|has actually} been {pushing|pressing} a drug called “Power” that {grants|gives|approves} the user {five|5} minutes of {unpredictable|unforeseeable} superhuman {ability|capability}.|We {know|understand} that the young {lady|woman|girl}, Robin (played by Dominique Fishback), {has|has actually} been {pushing|pressing} a drug called “Power” that {grants|gives|approves} the user {five|5} minutes of {unpredictable|unforeseeable} superhuman {ability|capability}.} The {creators|developers} of the {capsule|pill} {have|have actually} {kidnapped|abducted} Art’s {daughter|child}, Tracy, and Robin is his only link to {finding|discovering} her.
The juxtaposition is {deliberate|purposeful|intentional}. {This {very|extremely|really} {intimidating|challenging} {man|guy|male} is turning the screws to this high school {girl|woman|lady} and {justifies|validates} it {because|since|due to the fact that} his little {girl|woman|lady} {has|has actually} been abducted.|{Because|Since|Due to the fact that} his little {girl|woman|lady} {has|has actually} been abducted, this {very|extremely|really} {intimidating|challenging} {man|guy|male} is turning the screws to this high school {girl|woman|lady} and {justifies|validates} it.} As {a father|a dad|a daddy}, the scene {attacked|assaulted} both hemispheres of my {consciousness|awareness}. I {simultaneously|at the same time|concurrently|all at once} {empathized with|felt sorry for} his drive to {rescue|save} his {daughter|child} {but|however} was {also|likewise} {taken aback|surprised|shocked} at his treatment of the {young lady|girl} half his size {cowering|cring|trembling} {before|prior to} him {clad|dressed|outfitted} in a Wu-Tang {t-shirt|tee shirt} and boots. {The ends|Completions} {justifying|validating} the {means|ways|methods} is {a recurrent|a reoccurring|a persistent|a frequent} {theme|style} in the {film|movie}, as Robin is {selling|offering} drugs to raise {money|cash} for her ailing {mother|mom}’s {surgery|surgical treatment}. {Higher|Greater} up the {food chain|food cycle}, the bad {guys|men|people} {justify|validate} their {misdeeds|misbehaviours} by {claiming|declaring} to “advance human {evolution|development|advancement}.” Even the {cops|police officers|polices} (like Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, Frank) {use|utilize} the drug to even the {odds|chances} with the bad {guys|men|people}.
{Everyone|Everybody} has {an agenda|a program} and tows that line {between|in between} {individual|private|specific} {progress|development} and the “Greater Good.” It’s the {stuff|things} that {good|great|excellent} {comic books|comics} and comic book-like {films|movies} are {built|developed|constructed} on. {{However|Nevertheless}, it struck {a stronger|a more powerful} chord with me as I {sat in|beinged in} my {house|home} scrolling the news about a pandemic {currently|presently} {gripping|grasping} the {globe|world} and dividing {a nation|a country} in {unprecedented|unmatched|extraordinary} {ways|methods}.|It struck {a stronger|a more powerful} chord with me as I sat in my {house|home} scrolling the news about a pandemic {currently|presently} {gripping|grasping} the {globe|world} and dividing {a nation|a country} in {unprecedented|unmatched|extraordinary} {ways|methods}.} The {needs|requirements} of the {individual|private|specific} verse that of {the whole|the entire} are being weaponized and politicized daily, leaving {a lot of|a great deal of} us {feeling like|seeming like} both Art and Robin. Who you {think|believe} is {right|best|ideal} {depends on|depends upon} which side of the trunk you {happen|occur|take place} to {occupy|inhabit} at the {given|provided|offered} {moment|minute}.
As {films|movies} go, {Project|Job|Task} Power is {just|simply} {ok|okay}. There are {bright|brilliant|intense} {spots|areas}, like Robin’s extemporaneous rhymes {courtesy of|thanks to} Alabama rap phenom CHIKA, and Fishback’s {{intense|extreme} {but|however} {humorous|funny|amusing}|{humorous|funny|amusing} {but|however} {intense|extreme}} {portrayal|representation} of a streetwise {teenager|teen} in over her head. {{But|However} as a superhero {vehicle|car|automobile|lorry}, it’s {pretty much|practically|basically} Taken {meets|satisfies|fulfills} {Limitless|Unlimited|Endless} {coated|covered|layered} in a fog of Terrigen Mist.|As a superhero {vehicle|car|automobile|lorry}, it’s {pretty|quite} much Taken {meets|satisfies|fulfills} {Limitless|Unlimited|Endless} {coated|covered|layered} in a fog of Terrigen Mist.} Jamie Foxx as the ex-soldier on {a parental|an adult} rampage is at his most {brutal|ruthless|harsh}, impaling henchmen on ice sculptures and clipboards leaving {a trail|a path} of blood {across|throughout} New Orleans. They {dangle|hang} the {revelation|discovery} of his superpowers {until|up until|till} the very end {but|however} {by then|already} you’re {just|simply} {ready|prepared|all set} for the {movie|film|motion picture} to be over {anyway|anyhow}. {As for|When it comes to} the city, New Orleans is {lazily|slackly} represented by football fans {grunting|groaning} copy and paste colloquialisms in the streets and the {outraged|annoyed} citizenry calling into the {local|regional} radio station to report {the latest|the most recent|the current} superhuman sighting. Quibi’s series #FreeRayshawn does {a much better|a far better|a better} {job|task} of {approximating|estimating} the {Big|Huge} Easy’s {unique|distinct|special} {charm|appeal|beauty} and {movies|films|motion pictures} like {Fast|Quick} Color and The Old Guard are more {compelling|engaging} {depictions|representations} of what it{‘s like| resembles} for {everyday|daily} {people|individuals} to {manage|handle} the {responsibility|obligation|duty} of {extraordinary|remarkable|amazing} {abilities|capabilities} thrust upon them.
{{But|However}, for me, the {biggest|most significant|greatest} {failing|stopping working} of {Project|Job|Task} Power is that it stops {just|simply} {short of|except} {exploring|checking out} the {implications|ramifications} of race in the {storyline|story} {given|provided|offered} {the {material|product} and the cast|the cast and the {material|product}}.|For me, the {biggest|most significant|greatest} {failing|stopping working} of {Project|Job|Task} Power is that it stops {just|simply} {short|brief} of {exploring|checking out} the {implications|ramifications} of race in the {storyline|story} {given|provided|offered} {the {material|product} and the cast|the cast and the {material|product}}.} Jamie’s Art {falls back on|draws on} {a predictable|a foreseeable} shaming of Robin for her {choice|option} to {sell|offer} drugs, while acknowledging that the system is {set up|established} for her to {fail|stop working} as a Black {woman|lady|female}. In the {same|exact same|very same} breath that he {suggests|recommends} she {join|sign up with} the Army to {solve|resolve|fix} her {problems|issues}, he {reveals|exposes} that it was the {military|armed force} that turned him into a human guinea pig, {setting off|triggering} this chain of {events|occasions} in the {first|very first} {place|location}.
The most {egregious|outright} treatment of race in the {film|movie} is a ham-fisted nod to the {violation|infraction|offense} of Henrietta Lacks, a Black {woman|lady|female} whose cancer cells were {stolen|taken} from her body in the 1950s and {used|utilized} as the {foundation|structure} for {countless|numerous|many} medical {breakthroughs|advancements|developments} from that point on. The {intersection|crossway} of class, race, medical impropriety, and {government|federal government} {accountability|responsibility} is as {relevant|appropriate|pertinent} in 2020 as it ever {could|might} be, {but|however} the directors, Henry Joost and Ariel Shulmna– of Catfish {fame|popularity}– {squandered|misused|wasted} this {opportunity|chance} to {connect|link} the dots in {a meaningful|a significant} {way|method}.
On the {flip side|other hand|other side} is HBO’s {latest|newest|most current} {foray|venture} into {historical|historic} fan-fiction (hot on the heels of their Emmy {nominated|chose} Watchmen series), the Misha Green helmed Lovecraft {Country|Nation}. The series is {based on|based upon} the 2016 {novel|book} by Matt Ruff and stars Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, and Courtney B. Vance. Like Foxx’s Art, Majors is an Army veteran {named|called} Atticus Freeman who is on a search of his own to {find|discover} his {missing|missing out on} {father|dad|daddy}, played by Michael K. Williams. {{But|However} where {Project|Job|Task} Power dwells in the superhuman, Lovecraft {deals in|handle} the supernatural, blurring the lines {between|in between} real-life {monsters|beasts} of the Jim Crow south and the {ones of|among} folklore.|Where {Project|Job|Task} Power dwells in the superhuman, Lovecraft {deals|offers} in the supernatural, blurring the lines {between|in between} real-life {monsters|beasts} of the Jim Crow south and the ones of folklore.} {{But|However} more {significantly|considerably|substantially}, where {Project|Job|Task} Power {dabbles in|meddles} the significance of Blackness with a capital B, Lovecraft {brims|overflows|teems} with the visual, musical, and {historical|historic} contributions of African-Americans in the 1950s and how their treatment by the {agents|representatives} of white supremacy is {an evil|a wicked} unto its own.
| More {significantly|considerably|substantially}, where {Project|Job|Task} Power {dabbles|messes around} in the significance of Blackness with a capital B, Lovecraft {brims|overflows|teems} with the visual, musical, and {historical|historic} contributions of African-Americans in the 1950s and how their treatment by the {agents|representatives} of white supremacy is {an evil|a wicked} unto its own.
} After {just|simply} one episode, Green {has|has actually} {established|developed} a world where Black {people|individuals} get to be their own heroes, {armed|equipped} {only|just} with {knowledge|understanding} and an indomitable will to {traverse|pass through} the {roads|roadways} of the very {country|nation} they {helped|assisted} to {build|develop|construct}. When Atticus {returns to|go back to} his {hometown|home town} of Chicago, we are {treated|dealt with} to the {sounds|noises} and sights of Black {joy|delight|happiness|pleasure}, {but|however} it is pierced by the sight of an Army {recruiter|employer} {preying on|taking advantage of|victimizing} its {jobless|unemployed|out of work} citizenry, {imploring|urging} them to sign on the dotted line. The {same|exact same|very same} predatory {behavior|habits} that Art calls out in 2020. {Not much|Very little} {has|has actually} {changed|altered}.
Courtney B Vance– who, coincidentally, {also|likewise} appears in {Project|Job|Task} Power– is {used|utilized} to {much better|far better|better} {effect|impact|result} here as Uncle George, the publisher of the Green Book, a travel guide for Black {motorists|drivers|vehicle drivers} {seeking|looking for} safe {lodging|accommodations}. This is {just|simply} {one of|among} the cultural signifiers, {along with|together with|in addition to} speeches by James Baldwin and photography by Gordon Parks, that makes Lovecraft {Country|Nation} feel more like a love letter to Blackness than a postcard. I saw myself without compromise in the love, {fear|worry}, and hope that the characters {brought to|gave} each interaction. George’s young {daughter|child} Dee is {an aspiring|a hopeful|an ambitious} {comic book|comics} artist who sends him off with {a new|a brand-new} collection {before|prior to} each {trip|journey} and I {couldn’t|could not} {{help|assist} {but|however} {think|believe}|{think|believe} {but|however} {help|assist}} of my own {daughter|child} who I {recently|just recently} {escorted|accompanied} to a craft {shop|store} to {procure|obtain|acquire} a 50-pack of gel pens for her to sketch with. {{But|However} Green takes these {moments|minutes} {a step|an action} beyond {mere|simple} representation, as Dee’s {choice|option} of {fictional|imaginary} heroine {delights|thrills} her {mother|mom}, Hippolyta, {named|called} after the Queen of the Amazons.|Green takes these {moments|minutes} {a step|an action} beyond {mere|simple} representation, as Dee’s {choice|option} of {fictional|imaginary} heroine {delights|thrills} her {mother|mom}, Hippolyta, {named|called} after the Queen of the Amazons.} This {hopefully|ideally} {hints|tips} to a more {significant|considerable|substantial} tie-in down the line {but|however} {delights|thrills} the {comic book|comics} fans who {know|understand} her as Wonder {Woman|Lady|Female}’s {mother|mom}.
By the end of episode {one of|among} Lovecraft {Country|Nation}, we {learn|discover|find out} that Atticus Freeman is {searching for|looking for} more than his {father|dad|daddy}, it’s {a birthright|a bequest|a due} that he is owed. His {lineage|family tree} has a significance that is yet to be {uncovered|exposed} and the {revelation|discovery} that monsters dwell {amongst|among} them raises the survival stakes. In {Project|Job|Task} Power, Art and his {daughter|child} Tracy suffer the exploitation of their very DNA, {but|however} Atticus hopes that his will {lead to|result in|cause} his {salvation|redemption}; “I {don’t|do not} {contemplate|consider|ponder}, I {meditate|practice meditation}, then off your fucking head …” {Family|Household} {business|company|service|organization} {has|has actually} {already|currently} been drummed into the subtext of this origin story. I {have a feeling|sense} that Atticus will have some {hard|difficult|tough} {decisions|choices} ahead {as well|also|too}, {based on|based upon} the {tension|stress} that {already|currently} exists {among|amongst} his kinfolk. {{But|However} I’ll be rooting for him every {step|action} of the way.Source: vibe.com|I’ll be rooting for him every {step|action} of the way.Source: vibe.com}