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Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Will, Obama, And A Field Negro.....


I mentioned Barack Obama and "I Am Legend" this morning, and said a couple weeks ago that I was going to post a review of the movie. I wanted to wait, cause I didn't want to spoil it for folks at the time.

But if you are familiar with my blog, you know I am a bit lazy when it comes to reviews. I know, I know...how can I write a blog about Black film and only occasionally review the finished product? I don't know, but what I do know is that little factoid is seemingly not going to change anytime soon.

I will talk a little about the power of Will Smith, tho. He is completely magnetic on screen; your eyes are riveted on him at all times. It is rare when any actor has this quality....but Will also has something else.

He is completely believable.

We all know about Will's charmed real life; the huge beautiful mansion, the zillions of the dollars, the perfect looking children, his scary (but strangely interesting) wife.

Knowing all that, I believe it and feel Will when he is the last man on earth, when he loses his family, when he is fighting aliens, when he is playing a gay con man, or a cop, or is a fugitive. Your disbelief is suspended, and that is something only a real actor can do.

I think Will takes a lot of hatorade because of his uber-fabulous personal life, but I must say, I can't remember a Will Smith film that I didn't enjoy, and he is one of the few actors I will venture into the theater to see.

Field Negro had an interesting perspective on "I Am Legend". I don't know if I completely agree, but I love the Field, so I'll give him a pass, haha.


I Am Barack
by The Field Negro


I caught my homey Will Smith's new flick today, and as a movie, I must say, it was average.

---Although I loved all the Bob Marley references and the soundtrack--

Will needed a hit, and I think he has one with this movie. (77 million this weekend).

But something deeper is going on here, and I am on to those pagans out in Hollywood.

First of all they are trying to get us to vote for Obama for president by putting out this movie now with all its subliminal messages and hidden meanings.

Think about it; black man (who looks a lot like Obama by the way) is one of the few people left on earth and it's up to him to save mankind and future generations from extinction. So not only does he have to concoct an antidote for a deadly virus that's infected humankind, but he has to fight off a bunch of freaky mindless humans in the process. (Think republicans on steroids) He does all this by throwing in a little Rastafarian philosophy of peace and love along the way. He waxes poetic about Bob Marley, and his vision of solving the world's problems such as racism through song and music. (Think other "Magic Negroes" like Oprah).

If all this sounds eerily like Obama's campaign for president, I don't think it was by accident. I am telling you the Hollywood crowd has it in for Hillary. Think about it. Obama, like Will in this movie, preaches optimism and hope for the future. But instead of music he wants to use political speeches and catchy campaign slogans. In the movie Will has to find a cure for a virus that has destroyed most of humanity. Obama has to find a cure for the virus that's effecting the A-merry-can psyche. It's called eight years of George Bush. The movie is so anti republican that Will Smith's character actually declares at one point in the movie that "there is no god". That line was a shot from Hollywood at the Huckabee crowd as well as the other holy roller republican candidates. (But who is complaining?) And the producers of the movie were smart, because in order to keep white folks attention Will Smith's best friend and companion throughout the flick happened to be a dog. (I hope that's not a shot at Barack's wife). That is, of course, until he went to that kennel in the sky...whoops, I said enough about the movie itself, I don't want to ruin it for you.

So sorry Hillary and Bill, the better this flick does at the box office the worse it will be for you. Because the more A-merry-ca watches this little subliminal number, the more a bunch of them will go into the voting booth next November and see Will Smith and not Barack Obama.

If that happens, the words "I Am Legend" will take on a whole different meaning.

12 comments:

Christian H. said...

Hi,
This is a cool blog. I stumbled onto it from another screenwriter's blog. I guess I am one of those few black screenwriters.

I'll keep an eye out here for good content. Drop by my blog sometime for discussion of the craft.

:-)

Marvalus said...

Wow...that's reaching...not saying that it's not possible...but realize that most of Hollywood is behind Hill, not Barack (at least they are now)...

But a good read nonetheless...

Anonymous said...

about "I Am Legend"...hate to say i told you so...but...

the movie didn't suck, but it no substance. but it will make big bucks, and so will Will.

Invisible Woman said...

Hi. Welcom Christian...I am glad to have you here; please feel free to comment frequently. Also, I see you haven't updated your screenwriting blog since November---naughty boy :-)

@Ms. M--I feel pretty much the same about H'Wood and the post, tho the former may change soon.

@darkbrotha: that was field negro's opinion...personally I loved it---sorry :-(

Unknown said...

I still havn't seen the movie, but I will eventually get around to it!
Field definately had a very interesting opinion though. I'm not in a big rush to see this movie but when I do I'll have this in the back of my mind!

Anonymous said...

oh...my bad.

Anonymous said...

I am going to fly the torch for 'I am Legend' for 2 reasons:
1) Smith's performance was great. He was really matured as an actor in my opinion

2) A black person carried a film and made a smashing in an age of incredible racism and hate. Go Will lol!

--> I live in the UK and I don't know how well it has done here but seeing that Fresh Prince is still on UK tv on satellite, I am sure it will do fine.

Nicole said...

I thought I was the only person who thinks Jada's scary - gorgeous woman but she looks like she'd cut you for eyeing her man. Lil ninja probably carries a knife in her pocket.

The Will/Obama connection...not too sure bout that, but they have the same ears.

Anonymous said...

I didn't read this post too much cuz eventually I will see the film; so I didn't want to spoil it for me. I didn't see the film because I wasn't interested in it. But, theblackactor.com will command me to see it at some point. LOL.

As for Will Smith, I don't really watch his stuff cuz the genres don't interest me.

I don't dig aliens and sh*t and the action film genre doesn't interest me.

I saw him in Six Degrees and Happyness; and a moment or two of Independence Day.

re comments: Wow. Interesting. Girl, I had one too.

Derrick said...

As far as hateration on Will, I have a love hate relationship with the brother.

I was a big fan as a 9 year old listening to parents just don't understand. It was one of those wow moments as a child when I got the album "He's the DJ, I'm the rapper".

Then around 95 I read an Ebony article where Will basically made a statement that amounted to I'm not like those other niggers, I'm a good Negro, see, I don't cuss in my music.

First I take homage to Black folk trying to separate themselves from the rest to impress white folk and get in their good graces. Plus, I find him to be a hypocrite, because how are you doing something special to not cuss in a rap song but cuss up a storm in a movie and then act like you're above it all? What’s the difference?

Plus He did Gettin Jiggy Wit It - come on dude, wack as hell! And clearly for the white folks.

Then when he did Ali and went to South Africa to film it, he spoke of how surprised he was that there was beautiful women and big buildings and interstates and whatnot.

Here's a dude so intelligent and educated that he received an engineering scholarship to college, but thought so low of his own people that he bought into the African booty snatcher stereotypes.

So any hate coming from me has had nothing to do with his plush lifestyle, it has to do with him! Plenty of people with big do that I love.

And LMAO at Field Negro talking about Hollywood plotting to get Obama elected. Most movies, especially ones that take the production level of this one, are finished filming about a year before they come out (which would be before Obama was obviously going to run, much less before he announced) and except for in rare occasion when a movie is rushed to the theatres (usually the only time that happens is to get it into theatres at the end of the year for Oscar considerations) movie releases follow a pretty
formulaic schedules. I didn't see anything in that piece showing that this movie was put in the theatre's off the normal schedule.

And I don't think rich white folks in Hollywood are bending over backwards for Obama for a second - they're rich white folks.

Contrary to what one might think, many of the exects in hollywood are republicans. The talent might be overwhelmingly democrat, but not the rich white businessmen. Most rich white business people are republicans.

Damn, I wrote a lot!

Invisible Woman said...

@Regina: It is something you can think about, but if you read Yobachi's comment he makes a good point.

@aulelia: wholeheartedly agree with #2

@darkbrotha: no worries!

@nicole LMAO at the "ninja" satement (so true) and the ears (also true!)

@ yobachi: you sho did haf a lot ta say...haha. I love it tho. I alsways value your opinions. I know there are a lot of folks in the community that feel like you do, and I know Will has had to "bend" sometimes, and some don't like it. I'm not giving him a free pass, but I realize how very hard it must have been for him from so many angles, and he's done better than most probably could have done in the same situation.

And even tho he did win that scholarship to M.I.T., remember where he is really from. That might have been his first real experience out there in Africa, and I think, sadly, a lot of people would react the same way. I agree that he should have kept it to himself tho!

@babyplease: a requirement on writing about Black Hollywood is seeing the whole Will Smith library! Just kidding, but you should see a few.

about the comment thing; some loon left some long 3 page comments that almost crashed my computer...I don't know what's wrong with some folks out there!

Unknown said...

~ You Go HILLARY, GO wooohooo!!! lol
hiya IW~
xx
HB