"... Wesley Morris’s response to 12 Years a Slave in Grantland is particularly arresting when he recounts the horrific scene where the sociopathic owner of the Louisiana plantation, Mr. Epps, awakens Solomon and his fellow slaves in the middle of the night, ordering them to come to the big house to dance in their nightgowns for their masters’ entertainment.

“I watched the joyless look on all those black faces and the amusement on the faces of their white owners,” Morris writes, “and I thought about last August 25. I thought of the handful of black burlesque dancers who jiggled and bounced in animal costumes for Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards. Cyrus couldn’t have known the uncomfortable history she had reached into, what it means for black people to perform this sexually, this anonymously for a white woman, but there she was traipsing, like Mrs. Epps, among her fine beasts.”

- Frank Rich, NYMagazine

This movie is not for the faint of heart. An American horror story. It is also a must see.

misterearl wrote:One Passage From One Review

"... Wesley Morris’s response to 12 Years a Slave in Grantland is particularly arresting when he recounts the horrific scene where the sociopathic owner of the Louisiana plantation, Mr. Epps, awakens Solomon and his fellow slaves in the middle of the night, ordering them to come to the big house to dance in their nightgowns for their masters’ entertainment.

“I watched the joyless look on all those black faces and the amusement on the faces of their white owners,” Morris writes, “and I thought about last August 25. I thought of the handful of black burlesque dancers who jiggled and bounced in animal costumes for Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards. Cyrus couldn’t have known the uncomfortable history she had reached into, what it means for black people to perform this sexually, this anonymously for a white woman, but there she was traipsing, like Mrs. Epps, among her fine beasts.”

- Frank Rich, NYMagazine

This movie is not for the faint of heart. An American horror story. It is also a must see.

I made up my mind to never get drawn into going to see Hollywood movies that continue to depict black people in a slave ,or subservient position(The Butler)etc.... The Help was the last movie for me.

If Hollywood refuses to show middle class black people raising a family where the husband and wife really love each other I will boycott their movies that program Americans to view black Americans with a 2nd or 3rd class citizenship. ENOUGH OF THIS BRAIN WASHING .

Why aren't there any other movies being repeatedly shown about other ethnic people being treated bad while in America. Why just Black folk ?

playa2 wrote:

misterearl wrote:One Passage From One Review

"... Wesley Morris’s response to 12 Years a Slave in Grantland is particularly arresting when he recounts the horrific scene where the sociopathic owner of the Louisiana plantation, Mr. Epps, awakens Solomon and his fellow slaves in the middle of the night, ordering them to come to the big house to dance in their nightgowns for their masters’ entertainment.

“I watched the joyless look on all those black faces and the amusement on the faces of their white owners,” Morris writes, “and I thought about last August 25. I thought of the handful of black burlesque dancers who jiggled and bounced in animal costumes for Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards. Cyrus couldn’t have known the uncomfortable history she had reached into, what it means for black people to perform this sexually, this anonymously for a white woman, but there she was traipsing, like Mrs. Epps, among her fine beasts.”

- Frank Rich, NYMagazine

This movie is not for the faint of heart. An American horror story. It is also a must see.

I made up my mind to never get drawn into going to see Hollywood movies that continue to depict black people in a slave ,or subservient position(The Butler)etc.... The Help was the last movie for me.

If Hollywood refuses to show middle class black people raising a family where the husband and wife really love each other I will boycott their movies that program Americans to view black Americans with a 2nd or 3rd class citizenship. ENOUGH OF THIS BRAIN WASHING .

Why aren't there any other movies being repeatedly shown about other ethnic people being treated bad while in America. Why just Black folk ?

Just remember one thing, movies are made to make money. Get a subscription to Neflex and see man of the documentaries they offer.

Movies that depict the worst aspects and are commercially successful are rare. Are there not inspirational elements to those who preserved or were heroic paving the way for others? Or does the movie viewer just see "victims"?

nixluva wrote:I disagree. This is a movie based on the writings of an Actual Man who went thru this experience of being a free man and then being kidnapped and forced into slavery. It's perhaps the 1st honest look into this period of American history because it's the words of a man who actually lived it and wrote in his own words.

I want to see someone do the story of "Black Wall Street" the Tulsa massacre of blacks who had built a highly successful town all on their own and had all their property stolen, cars, Planes etc. and homes, businesses and churches burned to the ground. It's a powerful story that hasn't been fully told. Most young black people don't even know the story.

That's what I'm talking about, they won't do a movie about that because it represents black people being successful, responsible and professional and administrating the whole town, where a dollar wouldn't leave the community for months.

Now that would be tempting.

misterearl wrote:Nalod/ playa - 12 Years a Slave is a story of survival. Nalod, saying movies are made to make money is not a revelation. 12 Years is a work of art.

It is bogus to pass judgement without seeing the movie for yourself. The parallels of certain unforgettable scenes are still valid today. The Wesley Morris review is case in point. Yes, he draws a direct line to Miley Cyrus.

With that said, it makes Django Unchained look like a cartoon.

It's a great movie about people. Good and bad.
Black, white, yellow, Jewish, Germans, Brits, Indians, Asians... is irrelevant.
There are cowards and are heroes among all of them.

Killa4luv wrote:

markvmc wrote:I blame Melo.

Lol. Comic relief. I'm gonna see it this weekend.

The sequel "40 years a knick fan"............

misterearl wrote:Nalod/ playa - 12 Years a Slave is a story of survival. Nalod, saying movies are made to make money is not a revelation. 12 Years is a work of art.

It is bogus to pass judgement without seeing the movie for yourself. The parallels of certain unforgettable scenes are still valid today. The Wesley Morris review is case in point. Yes, he draws a direct line to Miley Cyrus.

With that said, it makes Django Unchained look like a cartoon.

Django was a cartoon. Blood sells. Works of art hang in non-profit museums. Movies are made to make money.
Passing judgement on other's judgements can be valid, whether you shell out cash to watch something you've read and understand before or not.

They're resurrecting Roots!

Yes indeedy, and Lorde's "Royals" is all about the fanstasy of slaveholding, and the NBA is racist/homophobic because Jason Collins don't have a job, and on and on and on.

Reliving the worst of the past doesn't accomplish much. Especially in the entertainment industry.

Dirty Laundry. All these years later, and Don Henley was still right. Oh wait, there were no minorities on the Eagles. Another racist issue! Over to playa for a quick youtube hit!

The ignorance of youth is no reason to commercialize historical violence. If they don't bother to read or care about the atrocities, we can always show it too them in glorious Hi-Def, right?

Maybe staring at 90 minutes of Nazi doctors dismembering people at Hadamar would be educational too, huh? Another work of art.

SupremeCommander wrote:
I'm white but consider myself a student of history - but I don't know this story at all. Is there a book or an article you could link to? I am definitely interested in learning more

Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup as told to David Wilson, is a memoir of a black man who was born free in New York state but kidnapped, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before the American Civil War.

playa2 wrote:Slavery was an immensely important part of Black history, and it has informed Black identity to this very day; no one is denying that. But to only present Black stories through the lens of pain, torture and suffering without also balancing it with the positives, gives a one sided image of our history and our existence. No one's AFRAID of our past but we should be upset that it's being REWRITTEN for us, as one that doesn't include joy, growth, humor, connections and prosperity.the only films that get financed and presented by Hollywood are those that present Black folks in a subservient position, ones where we're depicted as suffering, abused and taken advantage of ... yet in the end, the spirit always "triumphs". Its sick. Why? Because in a way it's justifying the behavior. It takes away the humanity & gives the appearance of a super-human existence. And if something is "super-human" - it's not human - and abusive behavior becomes justified.

Best Man Holiday is coming out so there you go. I get what you are trying to say though.