American Cinema

Top 10 Performances of 2013: #6

mixedamericancinephile Leave a comment

Chiwetel Ejiofor

6. Chewitel Ejiofor: 12 Years A Slave

I find it incredible how this performance got lost in the shuffle of awards season. Were I a member of the AMPAS, he would have been my second choice for Best Actor after my #2 pick from this list, and I thought 2013 was the best Lead Actor pool in recent memory. I’m not quite sure the average viewer is aware of the physical toll this part must have taken on him, to say nothing of the mental aspects. I’ve been a fan of his for years, and this is his masterpiece. My favorite moments of his in this film are all dialogue-free: his reactions in big moments, his gracious smile, the singing of the spiritual at the funeral, and any moment in which he’s listening. He’s just got “that face” and he can communicate and do so much with it. He can do anything.

Top 10 Performances of 2013: #7

mixedamericancinephile Leave a comment

jonah-hill-says-wolf-of-wall-street-behavior-leads-to-a-very-bad-ending

7. Jonah Hill: The Wolf of Wall Street

No one in the business is more fun to watch than Jonah Hill. People have long underrated comic actors, but it’s become very difficult to deny that this dude has got some chops.  The Wolf of Wall Street would have been a completely different film with another actor in this role. The role itself would have been completely different. He demonstrates what’s so special about character actors. Donnie’s love for Jordan is oddly touching considering how despicable their behavior is. Donnie functions as somewhat of a chaser for Jordan by being so over the top, but that same quality also makes them seem more outlandish, creating the opposite effect, thereby engendering that feeling of unease so many people seemed to have felt watching Wolf. And of course; the teeth, the accent, the prosthetic, all that deli meat that he chocked on-it’s all just bloody brilliant. I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this film.

Defaulting To Whiteness II: The Absurd Race-Bending Of ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’

mixedamericancinephile 4 Comments

exodus-gods-and-kings-christian-bale-joel-edgerton

Forgetting for a second whether I’m personally offended as a person of color over the casting choices in Exodus: Gods and Kings; I find the casting of an almost entirely white cast to play Ancient Egyptians to be flatly absurd by any metric. Casting like this is historically, geographically, and demographically inaccurate, in addition to being quite simply boring. I can think of no better example of defaulting to whiteness than a casting decision such as this one: “we have a story and a setting that fall outside of our modern racial parameters so why not just cast a bunch of white people, right?” I won’t pretend to know exactly what ancient Egyptians or ancient Hebrews looked like and by what, if any, modern racial or ethnic classifications they would likely fall under, but I am confident in saying that they did not look like Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, or Sigourney Weaver.   Continue reading →

Top 10 Performances of 2013: #8

mixedamericancinephile Leave a comment

BN-BC698_0115os_M_20140115153557

8. Christian Bale: American Hustle

The thing I love the most about David O. Russell as a filmmaker is his ability to take extremely flawed characters and give them a narrative space to truly thrive in. I consider it his trademark as a writer and director. He takes individuals most people would condescend to and shows us why and how they’re remarkable. Christian Bale literally embodies this quality in American Hustle. He’s bald, overweight, etc., but at all times he appears to be completely comfortable in his own skin. He knows who he is, which of course makes him a good con man. It’s a fine counterpoint to Bradley Cooper’s character, who has no idea who he is. We see this with their respective “hair” sequences. The film is about deception and role playing, and Bale’s character is the only one who doesn’t switch. His sincerity and relative decency in this role makes the whole thing work. Also, they shot this film in my hometown, so thumbs up for that.

The Sudden Rise of the “Magic Indian”

mixedamericancinephile 2 Comments

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

There is concept in film studies called “the Magic Negro.”  The magic negro is a character through which a white protagonist achieves their objective, narrative or otherwise.  Its a concept as old and enduring as the feature film itself.  Famous recent examples include The Green Mile, The Blind Side, The Help, Jerry Maguire, and every Whoopi Goldberg film.  Despite many fine performances and some quality cinema that has come out of this vein, the magic negro as a narrative device is problematic precisely because it essentially reduces black characters to mere narrative devices.  In other words, it has a dehumanizing effect.  Needless to say, I would be remiss for calling myself the Mixed American Film Buff if I didn’t keep an eye out for this, and frankly, its never too hard to spot.  Sadly, when you look closely, there are few roles written for black actors that don’t adhere to this trope.  Continue reading →

Top 10 Performances of 2013: #9

mixedamericancinephile Leave a comment

Oscar-Isaac-Inside-Llewyn-Davis

9. Oscar Isaac: Inside Llewyn Davis

First of all, I had no idea Oscar Isaac was such a fantastic singer. This isn’t meant as a mere side compliment, because the character of his voice is crucial to an understanding of the film. Isaac’s voice is rich and true, resonating throughout the story, giving us a beautiful contrast to his extended series of fuck ups, mishaps, and bad breaks we’ll call his life. The film is a character study, a portrait of an artist, and his face tells us as much as his voice does. He wears everything on it. It’s appropriate he got this role not just because he’s tremendously talented and well suited for it, but just as a Coen’s fanatic I have to say that he really reminded me of a young John Turtturro in this. It’s an excellent performance from a really underrated actor in an absolutely beautiful piece of cinema.

Thoughts On ‘Days of Heaven’

mixedamericancinephile Leave a comment

days-of-heaven-5

I recently viewed Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven for the fourth or fifth time and it was no less impactful than it was the first time I saw it.  The blisteringly beautiful cinematography of Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler is the hallmark of this film which remains the quintessence of style of a master filmmaker.  The “little things” make all the difference in this film, like the shot of the wind blowing on the water and blades of grass.  Details like Sam Sheppard reaching out for Brooke Adams’ hand in the woods.  So many unforgettable moments such as the swarm of locusts descending on the farm, the imposing farmhouse designed and built by the great Jack Fisk in the distance as the migrants approach the property, and the way the camera seems to float in the stream and circle playfully around Gere and Adams.  Continue reading →

Top 10 Performances of 2013: #10

mixedamericancinephile Leave a comment

DF-02868FD.psd

10. Lupita Nyong’o: 12 Years A Slave

In the months since I posted my 12 Years piece on tumblr, the world has rightfully fallen in love with Ms. Nyong’o and it is safe to say she is an unknown no longer. The utter despair and pain captured in her performance continues to resonate.  This is the sort of performance you can feel in your bones and makes you squirm in your seat.  The whole film is like that, really, but her performance stands out in this respect because her situation is so uniquely desperate and hopeless.  She’s literally hard to watch at times, not because of the brutality she endures, but because the despair and sense of being trapped is so complete and dire in her face, in her actions, her voice.  Great work in what ought to be a star-making performance.  Now, if only the American film industry created roles for black women…

Defaulting To Whiteness: Sci-fi Futures, ‘Girls,’ & The Trouble With Colorblind Thinking

mixedamericancinephile 1 Comment

Celebrity City

Media are reflections of the culture and society they represent and emerge from.  When one is alienated from certain media it likely stems from a lack of relatability on the part of the consumer in relation to the reflection in question.  In other words, the consumer doesn’t see themselves reflected in the product.  This is why, stereotypically, men don’t like daytime soap operas and romantic comedies, women don’t like sports and wrestling, and black people don’t like Seinfeld and the Winter Olympics (this black person actually loves Seinfeld as much as he hates the Winter Olympics, but we’re talking about stereotypes).  Continue reading →