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Mini review: (2 out of 5 stars)

Hustle and Flow is an insult to the hip-hop community at large. Playing off every hip-hop stereotype and cliché, Hustle and Flow manages to be entertaining, but little more. Terrance Howard plays DJay, the pimp who dreams of being a rapper. In a typical midlife crisis, DJay realizes that dealing marijuana and selling flesh isn’t what he’s cut out for. Instead, DJay wants in to the hip-hop game.

Unfortunately, the whole production is much more of an MTV made-for-television production than the well-researched, socially driven film it could have been. The characters are flat and predictable, and seldom deviate from their clichéd typecasting. Craig Brewer’s direction was plain and uninspired, even during the “jam” sequences that drive the movie. For a movie that attempts to “bring the black experience” to the mainstream public, Hustle and Flow does little more than reify negative stereotypes, downplay the hardships, ignore racism, and create a mediocre soundtrack. If you’re interested in hip-hop, pick up Kanye West’s Late Registration, and skip this movie.

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More:

Here’s another thought about Hustle and Flow: take a feminist reading of the film, and … eesh.

Normally I’m willing to look the other way, in acknowledgement of the fact that, historically, the Women’s movement and the Civil Rights movement (is there a better work? the Black Movement?) have always been somewhat combative– but here’s the thing: Hustle and Flow does nothing, in my opinion, towards the end of African-American equality. It trivializes, ignores or sensationalizes the problems faced by impoverished, neglected minority groups, while at the same time deligitimizing the hip-hop movement as a whole. The driving force behind hip-hop has never been the beat. It’s always been the injustice and the pain and the frustration, needing an outlet, needing a postive way to come to the surface. That’s what hip-hop is about. It’s about the Dead Prez and Ludacris and Kanye West, not Nelly and Snoop Dogg. Hustle and Flow takes that all away.Listen to Late Registration (Crack raised the murder rate in DC and Maryland / We invested in that it’s like we got Merril-Lynch / And we been hangin from the same tree ever since / Sometimes I feel the music is the only medicine), and then to … “You know it’s hard out here for a pimp / When he tryin to get this money for the rent / For the Cadillacs and gas money spent / Because a whole lot of bitches talkin shit” It doesn’t stack up. I think if you listen to Bigger than Hip-Hop by the Dead Prez (download here user: music pass: music), you’ll find that Hustle and Flow is just the short of “fake hip-hop” that they’re indicting. Just a game of pimps and hoes? All about the bling bling? (heh, I’m way to white to even TYPE that, lol).

It’s still bigger than hip hop hip hop hip hop hip
It’s bigger than hip hop hip hop hip hop hip hop

[verse 1]
Uhh, uhh, uhh
One thing ’bout music when it’s real they get scared
Got us slavin for the welfare
Aint no food, clothes, or healthcare
I’m down for guerilla warfare
All my niggas put your guns in the air if you really don’t care
Skunk in the air, make a nigga wanna buck in the air
For my brother locked up in the jump for a year
Shit is real out here don’t believe these videos
This fake ass industry gotta pay to get a song on the radio
Really though, dp’z gon’ let you know
It’s just a game of pimps and hoes
And it’s all ’bout who you know
Not who we are, or how we grow
I rap ’bout what I know, what I go through
What I been through, not just for no dough
Even though the rent due, what I’m into ain’t for no dough
Or just no fame, everything must change, nothin remains the same
Sick of the same ol’ thang, it’s bigger than bling bling

Hook:
If i, feel it I feel it, if I don’t, I don’t
If it ain’t really real then I probably won’t
Rollin with my soldiers, live soldiers, ready to ride
For this real hip hop y’all I’m ready to die
Uhh, hip what hop what hip what hop what hip what hop what hip what
Hop c’mon, c’mon, my soldiers, live soldiers, ready to ride
For this real hip hop y’all I’m ready to die

[verse 2]
Hip hop means sayin what I want never bite my tongue
Hip hop means teaching the young
If you feelin what I’m feelin then you hearin what I’m sayin
Cause these fake fake records just keep on playin
What you sayin huh dp bringin the funk
Let the bassline rattle your trunk, uhhh!
Punk pig wit a badge wanna handcuff me cuz my pants that’s tend to sag
Hip hop means throw up your rag, soldier flag
Whether ridin on the bus or you stole a jag
M-1 mean freedom, burn the cash
Revolutionary love til the day we pass
Will they play it on the radio
Maybe not, maybe so we gon keep it pumpin though
Everybody know we headed for the whoa, fo sho

[verse 3]
Ay dogg that label is that slave ship
Owners got them whips and rappers is slaves
If you really wanna eat you gotta hear the same thing
With the football, b-ball, or if you slangin that dope
Aint never seen no hope, brainwash video shows be foolin my folk
What the hell a brother gon do though, huh
When the rent due, when the lights and the gas gonna get cut off
Drop them raps or cock them gats
Aint never had shit ever since we came to this bitch
Why I gotta feel pain to get rich
’stead of stackin chips, finna pack them clips

I dunno. I like to think that there’s a power to hip-hop, but, like literature, only if its treated with respect and understanding. It’s a medium for expression. And I wasn’t impressed by anything remotely powerful in Hustle and Flow.

I’ve given up on the Academy– or on democracy, rather. With the exception of the awards for best lead and supporting actors and actresses, I was really disappointed all around.

Crash was not an exceptional movie. If the Academy wants to make penance for the awards American History X didn’t win, it shouldn’t go about that by giving undeserved awards to lesser films.

And, I’m sorry, but how in god’s name did Ang Lee win Best Director? I think, perhaps, the Academy voters were confused, and thought “best director” meant the same thing as “director who chose the most controversial subject matter.” There was nothing supberb and nothing sublime– hell, nothing even noteworthy about Ang Lee’s direction of Brokeback Mountain. ANY studio, B-movie director could have done an equally mediocre job with the same script and supporting cast and crew.

i can’t even give words to my frustration. i don’t know why i take the stupid awards so seriously.

I’m going to watch the Academy Awards tonight. I don’t know why, exactly, because I know that doing so is setting myself up for a lot of disappointment.

Disappointment, because the Film Academy isn’t an impartial, idealist group of film lovers. Disappointment, because the films that win tonight are more likely to win for reasons political rather than for their sublimity and accomplishments in filmmaking.

To start with, The Constant Gardener isn’t going to win Best Picture. Just like Saving Private Ryan lost out to American Beauty 1999, The Constant Gardener isn’t going to win because the 6,000+ members of the Association of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences don’t, to be crass, have the balls to vote for a film as strong as The Gardener. And, doubtless, half of the Academy members are invested in various pharmeceutical corporations, or happen to believe very firmly in the mission and purpose of the UN, and are thus unwilling to vote for a film that indicts both for their greed and for their failures. Yeah, it’s a bold film. So was City of God (Cidade de Deus, 2002), which directory Fernando Meirelles also could have / should have won best directory and / or best picture for. But again, it’s too rough. To gritty. Too hard to sit through. Film, like the news, should be pleasant, right?

Like Brokeback Mountain. That was pretty pleasant. I mean, it wasn’t– tortured loves, hate-crimes, poverty– no, not that pleasant, at the same time there’s lot of pretty cinematography of the Canadian Rockies (wait? wasn’t this movie set in Wyoming? why wasn’t this filmed in Wyoming? Meirelles films on location. He didn’t go to Arizona to film his scenes in Kenya…), and happy moments, and an overall hopeful tone to the conclusion of the movie: his little girl’s gettin’ married. Guess they’re going to have to find themselves another cowboy, right?

But the point is this: Brokeback Mountain, subject matter aside, was not an especially well-made movie. The direction was plain and uninspired– even when filming with the Canadian rockies as a backdrop. Ang Lee is not an especially talented directory, and his lack of telent demonstrated itself visibly in Brokeback. Any studio back-lot, B-movie director could have done just as well.

As much as I love Jake Gyllenhaal, his performance as Jack Twist was stilted and forced. Every moment he was on screen, his body language and inconsistent, forced accent belied what he doubtless must have been thinking: “how does a cowboy act? how does a cowboy talk? what does a cowboy think? I don’t know, and I don’t think Lee knows, so I guess I’ll just trust his direction and hope it turns out alright.” Bad move, Jake. Unfortunately, because (I imagine) few, if any, of the Academy members have met or grown up around real cowboys– people who actually rodeo, who have broken bones and nasty scars to prove it– they probably won’t be able to recognize that Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of a cowboy is unseemly as trying to pass off Canada as Wyoming.

Michelle William’s performance as Alma was a good performance, but only mediocre in comparison to Rachel Weisz‘s performance as Tessa Quayle in The Constant Gardener.

Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist won’t be winning best art direction or best costuming, despite it’s rich and detailed realization of 19th century England. I don’t doubt that Dicken’s would have approved whole-heartedly of Polanski’s adaptation. Unfortunately, the Academy as a whole doens’t seem to approve of Polanski, and probably doesn’t want to suffer the embarrassment of giving an Oscar to a director who can’t come within American borders to receive his prize. Homosexuality is in with the Academy, and molesting children, it seems, is most defiantly out.

Crash was a good film, but in no regard was it a great film. The script and direction were very heavy-handed (perfect for your average American audience, on which subtlety is lost), the performances were over dramatic, and the editor tried too hard to be trendy, at the expense of the film as a whole.

The Academy may not have much love for Roman Polanski, but they do love Stephen Spielberg. THREE nominations for War of the Worlds? Admittedly, the technical aspects (sound and visual effects) that it was nominated for were well done, but the overall movie was so poor that it shouldn’t even be dignified with a single Oscar nomination, let alone three. How many nominations did Oliver Twist garner? And War of the Worlds has THREE? Fortunately, there’s little question that the Visual Effects award will go to Jackson’s King Kong.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen a good number of the nominated films. Most notably, I haven’t seen Munich.

I’m sad to see that Batman Returns didn’t garner any nominations. The sound editing and special effects were spectacular. And the cinematography was significantly better, in my humble opinion, than Brokeback Mountain.

Capote was the best picture of the year, but of the nominated films, it may have been the best directed. Bennett Miller’s direction shows a maturity and elegance that many of the so-called Hollywood greats fail at, which is especially impressive considering that Capote is Miller’s first major release.

The biggest let-down of this year’s nominations, however, is the conspicuous absence of nominations for Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City. Not only did it warrant a nomination for the best adapted screen play (well, maybe– a nomination, but not a win), and best direction (I have never seen a better screen adaptation of a comic-book– none of the Marvel movies even come close), but it also could have (and probably should have) been nominated for Best Picture. But, again, it’s a rough film. A really rough film. And it’s probably exactly because it managed to leave so many viewers with a sick feeling in their gut that it didn’t get nominated. And its for that exact reason that it should have been nominated.

So, what-ev. I tend to assign far greater importance to the Academy Awards than they’re due. At the end of the day, the Academy Awards are as whimsical, seemingly political, and potentially errant as any American political election, and I must remember that the failure of the Film Academy to recognize a great film is exactly that: a failure of the Academy, not an insult to the film.

Well, for those of you know don’t know– I’m back. Well, no, check that– I’m not. Officially, I return on Friday. Brandon is throwing a party for me: if you want to see me, find Brandon’s house in Laramie on Friday night. That’s when I officially return. =)

I know I owe several of you phone calls. But 1) I haven’t had my laptop, and my Palm screwed up, so I haven’t had access to my phone numbers and 2) remember, I’m not officially back yet.

Yeah.

Is it good to be back? Of course. Is it bad? Well, I dunno. Like everything in life, coming home has been a shade of gray.

I’ve been home for almost a week now. I still haven’t managed to sleep in my bed, which is the first thing I expected to do. The bed is covered with stuff, waiting to be put on the wall, or thrown out, or otherwise sorted. So I’ve been sleeping on the floor, under my desk (the only clear space on my floor). The prospects for tonight aren’t looking very good, either.

I’ve had two very happy discoveries since my return: (well, more than that, but not of the sort that I’m going to discuss here) 1) fast internet. My high-school dreams of high-speed wireless internet finally materialized. My parents are now hooked up with Millhouse Electric point-of-sight broadband. Which is glorious. There’s still a few problems to be ironed out before I can begin downloading the internet, but I trust that a few phone calls will have me well on my way. 2) Bawls is now being sold in Cheyenne. B&B Computer Service now sells the world’s most caffeinated carbonated drink. It’s not as tasty as RedBull, but has a way cooler bottle. =)

Let’s see…

Chester is adorable.

The mountains are incredible. They’re suddenly bigger. And bluer.

Wyoming should be colder. A lot colder. I want snow. Lots of snow.

Wyoming is beautiful. Breathtakingly so. Barren, desolate, and brown-patched-with-white, I love Wyoming’s endless, empty plains.

At the moment, I’m searching for a job.

Link: South Dakota bans abortion

On Wednesday, the 22nd of February, the state of South Dakota banned nearly all forms of abortion. The ban rejects exceptions, even in the case of rape or incest. In a statement from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Senior Staff Attorney Eve Gartner assessed the ban as “an attack on women’s fundamental right of privacy and their ability to make the most intimate and personal choice about when and whether to have a child.”

This scares me. Yeah, it’s a big step backwards. But what scares me is that this could starting point for the long-lasting effects of the Bush administration. Gartner points out that “The U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed time and again the constitutional right to make the private choice to have an abortion.” The PPFA has promised to “go to court to ensure women, with their doctors and families, continue to be able to make personal health care decisions — not politicians.” There’s no doubt that a court case was anticipated by the South Dakota lawmakers.

The broader significance of this case, however, has less to do with abortion in South Dakota. That’s big, but this is bigger: it has more to do “testing the waters,” so to speak, of the newly right-dominated Supreme Court. This ban directly defies the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal (throughout the country). If (or when, rather) this case reaches the Supreme Court we’ll be able to begin to asses the extent of the legacy the Bush administration may or may not leave on America through his choice of Supreme Court nominations.

The timing is suspect. The New York Times notes that “since 2005, bans similar to the bill have been proposed in at least five states.” 2005. Well, what happened in 2005? This: 2005 saw the installment of Bush-nominated Chief Justice John Roberts Jr and Bush-nominated Justice Harriet Ellan Miers to the supreme court. Obviously, conservative states are chomping at the bit to see how far the new installments will go towards achieving the right’s agenda.

Thai PM Taksin announces snap election

As a friendly reminder that people DO have a voice, Thailand’s (seemingly) corrupt and lavishly rich Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra has been forced by mounting opposition to announce declare a snap election for April. And it’s about time. Taksin, in addition to being PM, is a major media tycoon and opponent of free speech and free press. Although it would be dangerous for any one man to have a monopoly on the media in Thailand, it’s especially so for that man to also have a political monopoly. And a media monopoly is exactly what he’s been working to build. Protest broke out a few months ago when Taksin’s media conglomerate attempted a hostile take-over of Thailand’s other major media source (television, newspapers, radio), Matichon. Fortuantely, stong public outcry prevented the takeover.

Taksin’s list of offenses is both long and grievous, ranging from a borderline-totalitarian and militaristic response to unrest in Southern Thailand, suppression of opposition by suppression of free speech to using his high position to avoid paying taxes.

The public response has been slow, but steadily mounting. I include this news item here not because many (any?) of you care about the political situation in Thailand, but rather because there has been a strong public response against Taksin that is forcing him to acknowledge the grievances against him. Rallies in the parks, petitions signed and signatures collected– they’ve had their effect. And if it works in Thailand, it could work in the United States. We have a thousand and sixty (1060) days left of the Bush regime. That’s way too many.

Oh, and I post this because, while in Thailand, I had the opportunity to participate in the Sondhi-lead anti-Taksin protests. Which is a cool feeling for me, to think that maybe I helped in some tiny small way the push for democracy in Thailand. =)

Heh. I don’t usually post this sort of thing, but this made me laugh. A lot:

Did I mention how much I love Singapore? It’s… what? It’s like… an American oasis in the middle of the Asian-Pacific region. Heh. And, well, I’m American. So it feels rather like home. And that’s a good feeling, sometimes. Especially after a few months of being surrounded by absolutely nothing familiar, whatsoever.

But it’s like this: I’m hanging out in an airport that shames O’Hara International for overall pleasantness and efficiency, drinking a Nantucket Nectar, using free internet, and listening to some good jazz that’s playing. Yeah, I have a six hour layover between planes. But when it comes to layovers, I can’t think of another airport where I’d rather spend 6 hours.

So I had a Stewards Key Lime Pie soda with lunch, and– imagine this– they know how to make a good Americano here. It’s fantastic. It’s like America… with better food, and more diversity. And no civil liberties– but hey, you win some and you lose some. And right now I feel like I’m winning. Aside from that pesky cold that I came down with last night.

Really, though, I’m very impressed with Singapore. I mean, well, it doesn’t have a lot to offer in the way of scenic, natural beauties– but as far as cities go, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cleaner, more modern city. Somehow, Singapore manages to be as industrialized and developed as the United States, but without the grime, noise and pollution. Lots of big, green parks. Wide sidewalks. Quiet streets. And jazz, Nantucket Nectars, and diversity. =)

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It’s interesting: Bangalore’s International terminal, servicing a booming IT sector and 8 million people, is about the same size, and not nearly as nice as Bozeman’s airport. Serving, possibly, 50,000 people.

Changi is about the size of DIA. And it’s amazingly efficient. I’ve been through customs here twice, and never waited more than 30 seconds to go through immigration. I’ve even been greeted with a smile.

Mmm. Can I admit? It was a pleasant moment for me, this morning (around… when? 1:00AM?), when the immigrations officer in Bangalore quizzed me, “you don’t need a visa for Singapore?”

“Nope,” I replied. “I’m American.”

And, well, as long as I’m making confessions: my six months in SE Asia have had just the effect on me that I was afriad they might: I’m geniunely proud to be an American. I’m just as (if not more) aware of America’s shortcomings and faults, but being away from America has given me an opportunity to view, with a proper sense of perspective, how many good things America has going for it.

But I also find myself more determined than ever to do whatever I can to fight for and defend those things that make America great. And to fight and resist everything (see: Wal-mart, Dick Cheney, etc) who threaten American prosperity and emminence. Heh. What form that will take still remains to be seen. But I have plans, mind you…

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Hmm. Hotel California and free internet. I may never leave.

I realized, just last week, that my problem with Bangkok (or Thammasat, rather) wasn’t Bangkok. It was me. It’s like this: I went to Bangkok for all the wrong reasons.

Talking to other people that have travelled to Thailand, I realize that people to to Thailand for its beaches and its parties. Which means, had I wanted to hang out on beautiful beaches and go to racous parties, Bangkok would have been a perfect fit.

Unfortunately, (and I say this with perfect candor, but a slight smile) I went to Thailand to study, and for a cultural experience. Small wonder I was disappointed. =)

Not that I didn’t find aspects of Thailand (heh, parties aside) that I enjoyed: I certainly did. But it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting vibrant, genuine culture; challenging education. In short, I was expecting India. Which wasn’t fair to Thailand, and it wasn’t fair to myself.

So I guess the point is this: um… what is the point? Oh, yeah. That the right reasons to go to Thailand are, well, what we might call “all the wrong reasons.” But they’re really the right reasons to go to Thailand. Which sounds like double-speak. (I’ve been reading about Islam all morning– go figure, that after reading about religious principles, double-speak should emerge…) But anyhow.

It’s been good.

It really has.

I’m working on a new feature for the blog, at present, that will automatically record everything interesting that I do (heh, well, that feature is easy, since I don’t really do anything all that interesting) and catalogue my thoughts. Heh. Unfortunately, this feature is dependent on the Easy Button, which Meekyung and William keep promising, but, like Duke Nukem Forever, never manage to produce. =)

So I guess I’ll stick to doing things the old fashioned way, for now.

Today was my last day at Parikrma– bittersweet, of course, but the staff and school gave me an exceptionally warm send-off.

My bags are almost packed. It’s a tight squeeze.

Um. Random thought:

I, for one, applaud Google for their launch of www.google.cn– the so called “emasculated” version of Google that meets the Chinese government’s standards of censorship. Apparently, I lot of people seem to think that Google is the ACLU, or some sort of international human-rights bastion. It’s not. Google is a search engine– a tool that allows individuals to use the internet, and use it effectively and efficiently. By providing a Chinese version of their search services, Google is extending this service to million of Chinese internet users.

Besides, it’s not so bad. A search for “overthrow the chinese government” returned 963,000 results. Granted, that’s ~200,000 less than Google.com’s 1,180,000 results, but that’s still almost a million more results than Yahoo’s www.yahoo.com.cn’s 5,090 results for the same. =)