Decided to “go to the movies” today and came home utterly satisfied at the $40 I spent. If these films and performances do not get noticed at the Oscars, I will officially lose faith in the award.

Here’s why in a nutshell: The heavy film was the funniest, the light film was the saddest.

4:20 p.m., Varsity Cinemas: PRECIOUS

The Class, winner of Cannes Palm D’or 2008, looks self-indulgent and contrived next to Precious.

• Powerful, astounding, honest and generous.
• The work of the cast (mostly non-actors) OUTBESTS any other ensemble work to mind.
• There were scenes that were so riveting, I felt uncomfortable chewing popcorn.
• Mix foreign, independent and film festival sensibilities together and you have Precious. And it is both painful and funny to watch.

Memorable Scenes:

1. Bomba-puss-claht!
2. Mother-Daughter post-natal fight
3. Italian-Precious fantasy
4. Mariah Carey, social worker
5. Halfway house visit news
6. Precious’ outburst in Ms. Rain’s class (OMG.)
7. Mo’Nique’s monologue in the end (OMFG.)

9:40 p.m., Canada Square (Cineplex): EVERYBODY’S FINE

A light-toned movie about loss, emptiness and parent-child relationships. Robert de Niro is – I forget – one of the finest character-actors EVERRR.

• Melancholic, selfless, coy and affective.
• De Niro’s minimalist and direct style is unvarnished and compelling.
• Made me think about my own parents and what they must be feeling.
• An independent film hiding in a Hollywood production.
• The movie will most likely earn twice the box office amount this weekend if Miramax released it on Father’s Day.

Memorable Scenes:

1. Playing with the Baby.
2. Hospital News.
3. Frankly, anything with de Niro in it. In fact, if Kirk Jones decided to cast potatoes to act as de Niro’s kids, I would still have welled in the theater the way I did tonight.

“I LOOK LIKE A BUMBLE BEE WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE”.

God Bless this girl! We don’t feel bad for being semi-cruel and posting this,because after all our big girl Gabby Sidibe is killing the box offices. We guess we’ll pass on chocolate for a couple day though.

For some reason this reminded us of Biggie’s Ready to Die album cover, or something Biggie related.. Okay we’ll stop while we’re ahead.

REVIEW OF Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

From Precious’ peers at ‘Each One, Teach One’ to Lenny Kravitz’s performance as ‘Nurse John’ , I can honestly say that this is one of the strongest casts I have seen in a while, HECK maybe since “Crash”. Everyone is so real. I didn’t think for one second,

“OH, I’m watching a film”,

possibly because Gabourey Sidibe is an unknown actress making her screen debut, but I truly believed that she was Claireece Precious Jones.

I was fortunate enough to attend a private screening of “Precious, based on a novel by Sapphire” yesterday evening.

The film, set in Harlem, introduces us to this character (Precious) who feels invisible, unloved, neglected…Daniels’ direction allows for the audience to follow Precious on her journey, battling a second pregnancy, at just 16, an expulsion from her school and an abusive home environment. Her mother, Mary, played by the extremely talened Mo’Nique, is awfully brilliant. She manages to become this vile, terrifying presence in Precious’ life. In my opinion, I required neither more or less from her portrayal; I think she ought to be ready to start off 2010 in good spirits as I am very positive her performance, along with Sidibe’s will be very well received (cough cough AWARDS SEASON cough)…Paula Patton plays an inspiring teacher, Ms Blu Rain, who shows care and respect for Precious and Mariah Carey = amazing in this film.

Daniels definitely knows how to bring the best out of Mariah – I’ve yet to see “Tennessee” but have only heard good things about her performance in that and now seeing her in “Precious” shows me just how talented she is as an actress. One of the most disturbingly real scenes for me, had to be right at the end, between Mo’Nique, Sidibe and Carey. I won’t say too much as I don’t want to ruin it for you all, but it was so well executed in every sense – camera angles, pace, delivery of the actors….

That also leads me onto say that I must again commend the direction of this piece. I LOVE how it is shot, how it is conveyed to the audience. The segments exploring Precious’ mind, showing her dreams and aspirations are almost like something out-of-a-fairytale…it is done so cleverly to draw up the contrast between her wishes and her reality.

Powerful

Realistic

Emotive

Celebrate

Invisible

Obligation

Unrelenting

Sidibe

I say powerful because it is one of the most powerful films, if not the most powerful film of the year. Realistic because it is so real. The film is so unbelievably emotive, but it’s actually not the kind of film I would cry in, it’s almost too deep and too gripping for one to shed a tear. (I’ve actually never cried in a film, ever….but anyway…) C is for celebrate because we all should celebrate this film. I know it took a lot of effort and hard work to finally turn ‘Push’, a novel by Sapphire, into this film and I am so delighted at the positive response it has been met with. Invisible represents how Precious feels, especially when we first meet her at the opening of the film. O is for obligation because I strongly feel that everyone, or as many people as possible, should go and see this incredible film. U stands for unrelenting because Precious is stuck in this world of unrelenting abuse and pain.

S for Sidibe, because her performance is FANTASTIC.

Even though I will be squirming in my seat throughout most of the movie, I’ve decided to go and “woman” up to watch the new film,  Precious,  starring Monique and Gabourey Sadibe this weekend.   Precious is based on a true story which was also inspired by the novel, Push written by Sapphire.   I just find it hard to watch anyone being raped, abused, and tortured.  Let alone a child.   Monique is also supposed to be going hard with the profanity.  Not that I’m “holier than thou,”  but I don’t like my ears being burned off!!

 I have heard good and mainly bad things about it, but I shall hang tight for the inspirational ending.

My decision may have also had a little bit to do with the person who directed the film; Mr. Lee Daniels

It was so refreshing to find out that Tyler Perry is not the only black man to direct black films with deep and realistic storylines.   Yes!  He is not the only black man to direct a movie based on a true story that deals with problems that are deeply affecting the black community.  Hallelujah!!  Is there anyone else aware of this?

Mariah…

I keep forgetting what wonders makeup can do!!

I’m falling in love with Gabby already….

I will be back with a review after the weekend ;)

I’ve held off as long as I could on issuing my predictions, but now I simply cannot wait.  It is December and Oscar season is about to kick into high gear.

Don’t fret if you haven’t heard of some of these movies.  You will soon.  The National Board of Review, the first precursor that deserves to be taken seriously, issues its list this week.  Critics circles from all over the country will begin to put forth their lists, and then we get the Golden Globe nominations on December 17th.

So, without further ado, here’s my first stab at predictions.

Best Picture

1. Up in the Air
2. Precious
3. Nine
4. Invictus
5. An Education
6. Up
7. The Hurt Locker
8. A Single Man
9. Inglourious Basterds
10. It’s Complicated

I’m convinced that “Up in the Air” is the movie to beat this year.  I think it will tap into the zeitgeist and become a juggernaut.  If anything takes it down, it will be “Precious,” which is receiving raves all over the board and has done fairly well at the box office.  ”Invictus” and “Nine” have been getting good reviews as they begin to trickle out.  With no one going crazy though, they are all but assured a nomination but a win doesn’t seem likely.  Everyone likes “An Education” and “Up,” so I think those two are safe.  ”The Hurt Locker” is the critical hit, yet history has shown us that those types of movies often don’t make the top 5.  It’s going to make it in a field of 10, but I think it’s not as secure as many pundits will have you and I believe.  That’s where my certainties end and it becomes a guessing game.

I’m pretty confident that “A Single Man” will get in because of its striking visual style and Firth and Moore’s performances.  ”Inglourious Basterds” was an audience favorite, and it did pretty well with the critics.  The Academy respects Tarantino enough to give him an Oscar – they already did 15 years ago.  If the voters try to appease the audience with the 10 nominations, this could be their attempt at a populist pick.

My 10th slot was a total throw-up.  I don’t know why, but I just get a feeling that “It’s Complicated” will take the slot.  It’s a bold and optimistic pick, considering that I’m leaving traditional Oscar fare like “A Serious Man” and “The Last Station” out in the cold.  I make this selection out of a sense of optimism that could only come from someone not involved with the industry.  Some would probably call it naivete.  I believe that the shift to 10 nominees for Best Picture because they earnestly wanted to change the dynamics of the race.  What’s the point of expanding the field if they were just going to included 5 similar movies?  It would only serve to devalue a nomination.  So I’m under the impression that they want to include something that is not our traditional Oscar movie, but nothing too radical.  Nancy Meyers makes movie that are just plain enjoyable, and “It’s Complicated” could be the beneficiary of a year where the voters might have the good will to test out something new and different.  As my friends at Awards Daily would say, “No guts, no glory,” right?

Best Director

1. Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”
2. Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
3. Lee Daniels, “Precious”
4. Clint Eastwood, “Invictus”
5. Rob Marshall, “Nine”

The Academy loves Jason Reitman.  They gave him a nomination for Best Director in 2007 for “Juno” when even the boldest prognosticator wouldn’t predict him.  A split between Best Picture and Best Director is rare, and with respect for Reitman so high, it doesn’t seem likely that he won’t be rewarded along with his film.

Don’t count out Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker,” though.  She helmed a stunning war movie with incredible vision, and praise has been lavished on her for months.  If the “year of the woman” theme becomes prevalent, she could steal this category.  If etiher Lone Scherfig for “An Education” or Jane Campion for “Bright Star” makes a surge, I will have to seriously reconsider.

The majority of the raves for “Precious” have fallen on the acting and not director Lee Daniels.  But if I have underestimated his movie’s chances and it becomes an unstoppable force, it would be pretty hard for Daniels not to come along for the ride.  I think Clint Eastwood is safe out respect, but 2008 was not particularly kind to his films.  The Academy showed that they are not a Clint-worshipping cult, shutting out “Gran Torino” completely and barely noticing “Changeling.”  As for Rob Marshall, I think “Nine” will play well enough that he’ll get swept into the category.

Best Actor

1. George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
2. Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart“
3. Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
4. Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
5. Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”

Most people are saying that Jeff Bridges is unstoppable and are predicting with certainty that he will win.  However, I remain skeptical.  I’m pretty firm in my convictions about “Up in the Air,” so I think the love will spread here.  Most Best Picture winners take home at minimum 4 statues.  It doesn’t have much of a chance in the technical categories (save editing), so Clooney would be the most logical fourth award in addition to Picture, Director, and Screenplay, right?  He won recently in the supporting category might cause some second thoughts, but I don’t think this will work against him too greatly.  If an actor’s first win was for Best Supporting Actor, the voters usually don’t have scruples in crowning them Best Actor (proof: Denzel Washington, lead for “Training Day” in 2001 and supporting for “Glory” in 1989).  Clooney is widely respected as a leading man in the industry, and with this performance, they may have found the perfect time to bestow the highest prize an actor can get on him.

Jeff Bridges’ “Crazy Heart” was moved to 2009 just so he could win an Oscar (which is maybe why I resent it so greatly).  He has 4 nominations under his belt, and most argue that he is overdue.  We all know that the Academy has a sense of urgency in rewarding someone they feel fitting, a sense that I don’t get with Bridges.  They went to great lengths last year to make sure Kate Winslet won an Oscar, but she has been turning in fantastic performance after fantastic performance.  Bridges, on the other hand, doesn’t have consistently excellent work.  We’ll see in the coming weeks whether the people with a say reward a career or a single performance.

Colin Firth is a reputable actor in his own right, constantly doing solid work but rarely stepping into the spotlight.  With “A Single Man,” he has his chance.   His performance has already won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, which could be the first of many to roll in.  I see him being more a critical darling, though, which can be both good and bad.

I gave the fifth spot to Jeremy Renner for “The Hurt Locker” because I get the feeling that voters will feel it criminal to ignore him.  This is one of the few movies in the race that I have seen at this point, and I can say that he does deserve it.  But a spot for him comes, in my opinion, at the expense of an Oscar veteran: Daniel Day-Lewis or Morgan Freeman.  Here, the “we-just-gave-it-to-him” will play against Day-Lewis.  He already has two statues, one coming just 2 years ago.  However, he is the farthest thing from a prolific actor, and I think the Academy does feel the need to nominate him whenever he actually makes a movie.  I think Morgan Freeman will get the slot because he is playing Nelson Mandela, a well-known political figure (which usually plays well with the Academy).  He also has in his favor a win that came in the supporting category, and like Clooney, it’s time for a win in the big leagues.

Best Actress

1. Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
2. Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
3. Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia“
4. Helen Mirren, “The Last Station“
5. Abbie Cornish, “Bright Star“

Having seen “An Education,” I will testify to the fact that Carey Mulligan’s performance will make the Academy voters fall head over heels.  It is acting that reminds us of the elegance of an earlier era, evoking comparisons to Audrey Hepburn.  The Academy is notoriously smitten by the past, and this will give them their old-time fix.  And I couldn’t be happier.

Sidibe is harrowing in “Precious,” but she is overshadowed by Mo’Nique too greatly to win.  Meryl Streep will of course be nominated for “Julie & Julia,” like she is for every movie in which she appears.  However, there could be a deal between Sony and Universal to campaign her in the supporting category for her aforementioned role and in the leading category for “It’s Complicated.”  A double nomination could be possible, but Kate Winslet reminded us last year of the Academy’s unwillingness to accept “category fraud.”  She has what it takes to win for this role, but I think they know that she doesn’t need another award to cement her status as the greatest actress of our time.  Or who knows, maybe they will realize that they haven’t given her a statue in over a quarter of a century.

I haven’t heard much about Helen Mirren or “The Last Station,” but I’m throwing her in the mix just because she is Helen Mirren and the trailer just screamed, “GIVE ME AN OSCAR!”  I was very tempted to give my last slot to Marion Cotillard for “Nine,” yet I ended up giving it to Abbie Cornish for “Bright Star.”  Hers was a universally agreeable performance, it’s a period piece, and she is a rising star.  I feel comfortable making this prediction because Keira Knightley followed a very similar trajectory to a nomination in 2005 for “Pride and Prejudice.”

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”
2. Alfred Molina, “An Education”
3. Matt Damon, “Invictus”
4. Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
5. Alec Baldwin, “It’s Complicated”

This is a category that has favored psychopathic villains and old people this decade.  The last two have been from the former, so for now, I think Christoph Waltz seems fitting to carry on the tradition that Javier Bardem and Heath Ledger have left.  He was an absolutely magnetic presence, and the movie was always better when he was on screen.  Isn’t that what makes a performance the “best” in a given year?

My second slot went to a sentimental favorite of mine, Alfred Molina in “An Education.”  Absolutely charming and joyously witty, this a performance that will stick in the minds of voters.  I think goodwill for “Invictus” will translate in a nomination for Matt Damon, or perhaps it will come as a reward for the actor’s great year (including a dynamite leading turn in “The Informant!” that will unfortunately be overlooked).

If the category goes back to honoring old people, Christopher Plummer will win.  I’m sure he will get nominated for his performance as Leo Tolstoy in “The Last Station.”  If we want to talk about overdue, here is a renowned actor without even a nomination.  The man is 80 years old, and I hate to use this as justification, but we are running out of time to honor a truly great cinematic presence.

The final spot was kind of a toss-up.  I debated including Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” or Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones,” but this category often has a comic soft-spot (example: Robert Downey, Jr. last year).  Thus, I selected Alec Baldwin in “It’s Complicated,” going with my hunch that the movie will be a light, non-Oscar fare movie that will score with voters.

Best Supporting Actress

1. Mo’Nique, “Precious”
2. Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
3. Julianne Moore, “A Single Man”
4. Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
5. Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”

Barring some huge “Precious” backlash, Mo’Nique has this category in the bag.  She’s simply too good not to win.

This is the category where we are most likely to see two nominees from the same movie.  This year, “Nine” and “Up in the Air” both have that capability.  Unfortunately, it is highly doubtful that both can sneak in two because I think Julianne Moore is very safe.  ”A Single Man” is going to play strongly in the race, critics love her, and she has been four times an Oscar bridesmaid.

I’m inclined to say “Up in the Air” will take two slots because the movie is more of a force to reckon with than “Nine.”  Anna Kendrick, featured more often and flashier, will occupy the first slot, and Vera Farmiga will get the second slot the film takes up.

As for “Nine,” there are many ladies to choose from for the one spot I’m anticipating for the movie.  My money is on Penelope Cruz, who gets to play the temptress with a number that is killer sexy.  Who cares that she won it last year?  They aren’t picking her to win; they already know Mo’Nique has it all sealed up.  But if “Nine” becomes a bigger player than I am anticipating, then Judi Dench will probably get the film’s second nomination.

Best Original Screenplay

1. Up
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. (500) Days of Summer
5. It’s Complicated

I’m having a hard time picking a winner here.  I love “Up,” but I don’t think it was a very screenplay-driven movie.  Ditto for “The Hurt Locker,” which was definitely propelled by the acting and directing.  ”Inglourious Basterds” was not Tarantino’s best scripting work, and I don’t think the voters would indulge him with another Oscar unless it could top what won him the first one, “Pulp Fiction.”  As for “(500) Days of Summer,” it definitely deserves a nomination here because of its creativity and ingenuity, but the film did have its detractors.  Going with my hunch again about “It’s Complicated,” if it were to sneak in here, it wouldn’t be contending for the win.

This is a category that has been marked by a great deal of uncertainty and unpredictability over the past few years.  Last year, they threw a massive curveball and nominated three movies that no one really expected.  Of all the categories I predicted in this post, I expect this category to be most prone to fluctuation and discrepancy from the actual nominees.

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Up in the Air
2. Precious
3. An Education
4. A Single Man
5. Invictus

Do I still need to explain my reasoning for “Up in the Air?”

I’m currently reading the source material for “Precious,” and that is quite a job to adapt.  This is a very real threat to “Up in the Air.”  I hope the same can be said for Nick Hornby’s wonderful screenplay of “An Education.”  In the words of my review from last week, he turns a funny drama into what feels like a serious comedy.  His script makes the movie just plain fun to watch.

My last two picks are not locks like the previous.  ”A Single Man” will probably make the cut because it is a way that they can honor helmer and writer Tom Ford’s vision without giving up a spot in the tight Best Director field.  Strangely, I’m finding it quite difficult to find anyone who will predict “Invictus” here.  Although the book on which it is based is not held in a great deal of esteem, the movie is still a big part of the race.  Although it may not win Best Picture, it’s the most impressive movie left to choose from after we take out the previous four.

What do you think?  Have I hit the nail on the head or not even come close?  What is your “Up in the Air,” your certainty?  What is your “It’s Complicated,” your hunch?  What is your “The Lovely Bones,” your doubt?  I really want to know what you think!  This is my favorite time to be a moviegoer and I am curious to hear what those truly interested in the awards season have to say.

I recently saw the movie Precious in theaters and could not believe how great it was. It definitely lives up to the hype and is bound to get nominated for several Oscars this season, if not actually taking them home.
The movie follows a young teen, Precious, living within the ghettos of Harlem, New York as she overcomes mental, sexual, and physical abuse from her parents. Not only that, but she also struggles to pull away from the expectancy to live solely off welfare assistance and gain a higher education to eventually support her two children, who she had from her very own father (yes, incestuous rape is one of the many disturbing acts that the Precious has to endure). With help from her loving, hard-hitting and inspiring teacher and classmates, Precious goes on a journey to finally become her own person and enters a world where for the first time, she feels as if she is loved.

The world the you are thrown into when watching the movie is not fun, its the complete opposite. The world is brutal, depressing, and very dark. The majority of elements that arise from this movie are established by Precious’ mother, Mary, played by actress/comedian, Mo’Nique.  The mother is ruthless, selfish, and alone and Mo’Nique displays it perfectly on screen. Throughout the whole movie she conjures up emotions from hate and animosity, whereas by the end you feel pity and repulsed by the truth behind her actions. Mo’Nique’s last scene in the movie alone deserves an Oscar nomination.
Actress, Gabourey Sidibe also did a great job as Precious, because you sincerely care for the character and her well-being, I know i did. I hope to see more of her in the future. Mariah Carey also does a surprisingly good job as portraying a unglamorous social worker that works with Precious. Despite her minimal screen time, Mariah played the character well and extremely believable, for she resembles nothing like her superstar persona.

Overall I thought this is an excellent film. Like i said before, the movie itself is unpleasant, but its a movie that need to be experienced for its great story and superb acting. It has great heart and hope, even within the darkest scenes.
My only recommondation is that you keep plenty of tissues handy upon seeing this movie…which everybody failed to mention when I went to go see it…

Score:  10/10

Gabourey Sidibe as Precious; image courtesy of moviedearest.blogspot.com

Before going into my thoughts on a movie that I already feel I’ll need to qualify and back into when composing my analysis, let me stress a few things.

1. I haven’t read Sapphire’s Push, which is the movie’s source material. Thus I can’t say how faithful an adapatation Precious is. I intend to read it, and welcome anyone who has a copy they’d be willing to lend to expedite the process. As you can imagine, it’s hard to find a copy at any of the local libraries right now.

Cover to "Push"; image courtesy of speaksista.com

2. I am a middle-class white lady, so I know I have some biases and blind spots. They may affect my analysis of the story about an abused, illiterate, fat, dark-skinned, HIV-positive black girl named Claireece Precious Jones living in 1987 Harlem during the height of the AIDS and crack epidemics who is placed into an alternative school called Each One Teach One after being impregnated by her father with their second child.

3. Regardless of the criticisms I’ll detail later in the post, I think you should see this movie. Yes, you. Especially those of you who are scared that its content will be too overwhelming, exploitative, or another cinematic example of poverty porn. If you care about the tenuous presence of African Americans in media culture, you should see this movie. If you care about the plight of marginalized groups, you should see this movie. If you are willing to back up these concerns with volunteerism, monetary contributions, or your industry, you should see this movie. And if you think that these kinds of personal and systemic hardships don’t actually happen to young people, you should definitely see this movie. While I agree with Teresa Wiltz and thus don’t abide by Oprah’s line that “everyone is Precious,” I’ve had too many friends and family members recount traumatic personal and professional experiences weathered by themselves, loved ones, peers, neighbors, and students to think otherwise. 

I always like to enumerate the positives first.

1. Gabourey Sidibe is an awesome find as the lead. And I know it belabors a perhaps insulting point that actors are not their characters, especially in a role author Sapphire intimated to Katie Couric would have been near impossible for any survivor to play, but I find it comforting that Sidibe is happy, proudly fat, and confident. It’s evident in her talk show appearances on Conan O’Brien that she’s got the approachable star power of an A-list celebrity (watch her delightful interview here, here, and here).

Here’s hoping that Sidibe’s performance will lead to further opportunities. I’d be so sad if she won an Oscar for this role, only to be sidelined by tokenistic casting practices. I already saw Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson light up the screen in Dreamgirls, only to play Carrie Bradshaw’s personal assistant (and imaginary friend?) in the Sex in the City movie. 

Hudson's Louise never mingles with Carrie's established friend group; image courtesy of nypost.com

2. Mo’Nique deserves the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Precious’s mother Mary, who neglects, emotionally bullies, and physically abuses her daughter. 

In addition to also allowing her partner (who we never fully see on-screen) to sexually abuse and twice impregnate their daughter, she also forces her daughter to engage in sexual activity with her, largely out of punishment for a gross, partriarchally-skewed misinterpretation of what consensual partnership is and should be. It’s a challenging, potentially damaging role that many actresses shied away from out of an inability to plumb terrifying emotional depths or out of an uneasy feeling that taking on this part could be misconstrued as promoting the idea that black women are sub-human.

To me, Mo’Nique does a superlative job negotiating how this woman is considerably flawed, morally compromised, and victimized by a system that encourages women of oppressed racial and economic groups to stay marginalized by over-relying on men, competing with other women and girls to keep undeserving men, keeping them bracketed off from educational and professional advancement, and convincing them that they don’t deserve better and neither do their children. While many people may gesture toward Mary’s knockdown fights with her daughter or her transparently fake show of domestic stability for visiting social workers as evidence of Mo’Nique’s powerful performance, I’d offer up scenes where Mary sits comatose for hours in front of the television or gives her profound confession about her daughter’s home life to social worker Ms. Weiss (played by Mariah Carey) at the end of the movie. These moments are informed by a series of photographs kept in a scrapbook that show Mary as a happy young woman in high school, with her partner, and her baby girl, and later distant and resentful of her, suggesting how mother and daughter came to their destructive relationship. In these moments, whether conveyed with glazed eyes, frozen in damning snapshot, or through a bewildered face made paler by make-up, we see a woman depressed and trapped. It becomes suggested that she is perhaps haunted by the same cycle of domestic abuse her daughter has lived through and at times as much victim as victimizer.

Screen shot from Mary's final scene; image courtesy of accesshollywood.com

3. As this was a concern for many skittish filmgoers of my acquaintance, I’ll say that from my perspective, I didn’t find this movie to be exploitative. Though I had issues with how director Lee Daniels would abruptly shift aesthetics and cinematic style, I appreciated that this movie wasn’t, say, all Dogme all the time. For one, surrealist flights of fancy is part of Precious’s coping strategy. For another, I think a movie that dwelled so much of the horror of the protagonist’s situation and environment would have veered the movie into exploitation, and may have also suggested that an authentic poor, black experience (whatever that is) necessitates aesthetic ugliness over compositional beauty. I found the unsettling moments to be handled sparingly, oftentimes providing a necessary jolt while also suggesting that Precious isn’t only her pain. The most effective moment for me was when Precious is given a reading tutorial by her teacher and, in a her embarrassment and frustration, returns to a particularly explicit memory of her father attacking her. Another noteworthy moment occurs when Precious is getting ready for school and sees a slim, blonde white girl staring back at her in the mirror — a chilling example of how girls of color may internalize normative standards of feminine beauty.   

4. Man, did I ache for Ruby, Precious’s young, inquisitive neighbor who is clearly another abused child and is seeking comfort and friendship with a girl who is too damaged to see a kindred spirit. Some people laughed at Ruby in the screening I attended, especially in one scene when Precious is running away from Mary with her newborn in hand and knocks the girl over. Fuck you, I say. My only hope is that somewhere, later, off the page and reel, Precious and Ruby reconnect. 

5. I’m assuming this is lifted from the book, but I was struck by how Precious is a proud and protective mother to children who, due to incest, are also technically her siblings. Watching her hold her mentally disabled daughter or breast-feed her infant son, I found myself confronted by how my own feelings about reproductive rights are informed by racial and class privilege and how the notion of “choice” is subjective. While I might personally be horrified at the thought of giving birth to children formed from prolonged familial abuse and would thus potentially remove our relationship, Precious views these children as her own. Mercifully, the movie does not judge her for feeling this way, and forced at least one (middle-class, white, female) filmgoer to think more critically about her politics.   

6. As this is a music blog, I found the incorporation of music culture to be applied to interesting effect here. For one, there’s Daniels’s decision to cast successful recording artists like Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, drawing out believeable and unassuming performances that belie their celebrity and attendent glamour.

Mariah Carey un-glams it up for Ms. Weiss; image courtesy of createdintheattic.files.wordpress.com

For another, there’s the soundtrack’s song selection, which emphasizes contributions from jazz, soul, and R&B artists, many of whom are women of color, perhaps a reflection on the majority of the movie’s cast (thanks for the link, Kristen!). Some of the songs listed here are not period-appropriate and thus not heard in the movie, perhaps serving as inspiration and putting the movie and its source material in dialogue with generations of female artists. However, Mary J. Blige’s stirring “I Can See In Color” serves as the movie’s theme and is even featured in the scene when Precious finally flees her mother’s apartment. I hope she wins an Oscar too.

Then there was stuff that made me itchy in a bad way.

1. The opening credits are written in Precious’s semi-literate hand, then clarified through parenthetical notation. I don’t know if it was the result of studio meddling, but I found this borderline insulting. For one, it seems to imply that potential audience members can’t do basic decoding. For another, it undermines the protagonist’s particular system of written language, suggesting that it is improper, inscrutable, and in need of intervention from more literate, unseen sources. 

2. As suggested earlier, this movie is visually beautiful, but stylistically uneven. At times, this is a blessing. Other times, Daniels’ heightened visuals were annoying, making me think more about how the director executed a shot than what the protagonist was going through in the moment. While I’d have to read the book to determine whether this is true to the source material, I found the most distracting moment to be when Mary visits Precious in a half-way house after leaving home and reveals that her daughter’s father has AIDS. This news and its personal implications hit Precious instantly, but the movie detours into another fantasy sequence where the lead imagines herself at a glitzy premiere. While this may be true to how Precious processes this in the book, the scene in the movie seems to suggest more about the director’s power over the camera than the protagonist’s complex emotional responses to trauma. I would have prefered to stay with Precious in that moment, but maybe some feelings are off-limits to the viewer. It just registered to me as an icky moment of authorial control.

3. As others have noted, the variance of African American skin tones and how certain shades align with class positioning is a source of contention here. As Precious is a dark-skinned black girl, it would stand to reason that her family would match her skin tone. This potentially sets up a binary wherein all dark-skinned characters are poor and uneducated. While this is challenged by the presence of Precious’s classmates, who vary in terms of racial and ethnic categories, the binary is certainly abided by the social workers, who are educated, middle-class, light-skinned (often-multiracial) African Americans.

While Precious speculates about Mrs. Weiss’s background, the movie portrays her writing teacher, Blue Rain (played by Paula Patton), as a light-skinned, gay but somewhat desexualized, savior. If this isn’t clear within the narrative, the movie’s compositional elements make it explicit. How better to frame a middle-class, college-educated, light-skinned black woman teaching systemically disadvantaged girls than to cast a saintly glow around her through backlighting? In this way, as well as how Precious navigates intersectional identity politics, A.O. Scott makes a case for how the movie is similar to The Blind Side, the Michael Oher biopic starring Sandra Bullock as his affluent and plucky adoptive mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy.

Patton's Blue Rain is Precious's light-skinned savior; image courtesy of nickelforathought.files.wordpress.com

3A. I felt like Precious’s Each One Teach One classmates could have been better developed. Perhaps this is a limitation of the format, as feature films don’t have the time to flesh out characters the way that television can. The Wire devoted an entire season to four pre-teen boys navigating the Baltimore public school system, following them until the end of the series’ run. If only more time and resources were given in movies and television to create complex, multidimensional characters who are girls of color. 

Precious with classmates Rhonda (Chyna Layne), Consuelo (Angelic Zambrana), and Rita (Stephanie Andujar); image courtesy of thankgodimfamous.com

3B. I’m curious as to how viewers might interpret the dearth of male characters. I know that Ralph Wiley voiced his concern about with the lack of sympathetic men in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple in “Purple With a Purpose,” an essay from Why Black People Tend To Shout: Cold Facts and Wry Views From a Black Man’s World. I wonder if similar criticisms can be made here. We only see Precious’s dad during traumatic flashbacks, and even then he’s almost entirely obscured by shadows (something I’m sure Richard Dyer would take issue with). Other than that, we have a nurse named John McFadden, played by Lenny Kravitz, who came across to me as kind of a jerk who thinks he can fix any problem with a serving of organic fruit or a greeting card filled with money. 

Kravitz's McFadden is well-meaning, if not a bit aloof; image courtesy of tapeworthy.blogspot.com

4. There’s also some characters who are left unexplained. One is a classmate of Precious’s in the Each One Teach One who breaks down for Precious the difference between the word “insect” and “incest,” supposedly for comic effect. That she’s one of a few white characters and coded as queer should be given more context.

Of greater concern to me is Precious’s grandmother, who takes care of her firstborn, Mongo, who has Down Syndrome. At no point is it made clear how she feels or what she knows about her granddaughter’s homelife or even what side of the family she’s on. I really wanted to know more about her and the relationships she’s cultivated within this extended family.

5. Finally, the movie suggests that Precious’s final scene is triumphant, again suggesting further similarity with The Blind Side. But it’s also a bit of a lie. The odds are still very much against her, as they would be for most semi-literate, economically disadvantaged, HIV-positive, teenage single mothers. Not impossible odds, and certainly better odds if her love of math was further nurtured, but long-shot odds that don’t often reflect statistically-supported realities.

Taking all of this into account, I’m heartened that movies like Precious are being made and hope that more media texts grapple with such subject matter and fund more projects with African American directors, actors, producers, and other personnel across racial and ethnic categories. The movie apparently broke $30 million domestically at the box office, which is no small thing for a $10 million indie covering such sensitive subject matter with or without Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry’s producer credits. While movie-going can hardly rectify systemic oppression, it can get us thinking about it and maybe (hopefully) work together toward fixing it.

We just returned (Thanksgiving Day, 2009) from watching Precious at 13th St. Warren Theaters in Wichita.  Ran into some K-State folks there too!

It is the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and I can’t get this movie out of my mind.  Not that I really want to!  It is a must-see!

The big idea I’m struggling with is why it has taken so long for a movie like this to come out.   Another question in my mind is why it is making such a big impact through African-American characters.  When Barbara Streisand starred in “Nuts” in 1987, we were introduced to the rage of incest by a parent through a White character.  Streisand played a call girl who killed one of her johns.  The case hinges on whether Barbara’s character is willing to claim an insanity plea or to argue her case directly.  I saw this movie in 1987 right after it came out.  It was not popular.  But many of my friends and I were fascinated by the storyline.

There have been many TV movies since then that star mostly White characters and White families; most of them middle class; some of them wealthy.  Perhaps TV producers believe it is acceptable to raise the subject of incest and rape on TV within the White dominant culture, but Hollywood believes that this issue must stay within a non-White culture.  Is this because we (that is, Whites) don’t want to see the darker side of our nature?  I don’t think this is the reason since many of the incest/rape stories on TV are presented within White families.

What is very different about “Precious” the movie is that for the first time I can remember, a mother describes in detail her thinking and her actions in relation to allowing her child to be incested by the father.  She explains this to a social worker (played by Mariah Carey) in a busy office during the day.  She does not explain her violent behavior, her hate of Precious’ daughter (a girl with Down’s syndrome), her foisting “Mongo” off on the grandmother, her agoraphobia, or her own incestuous behavior.  But she does give an explanation that Precious is needing to hear and digest; likewise, the social worker is allowed to know these things in order to grant welfare assistance.

Mo’Nique does a magnificent job of playing the mother.  She is like Louise Fletcher in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.  We want to hate her; but we know she is playing a part.  We are not meeting Mo’Nique the stand up comedienne; we are meeting an actress playing a part.  Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are boos and hisses from the audience when her name is read for “Best Supporting Actress” at the Academy Awards.  When Louise Fletcher received her award, that is exactly what happened.

Clarice Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is able to move along with her life after this last meeting with the social worker.  We do not know where she goes next.  What we do know is that she has been given an explanation (as horrible as it was) that lets her know that the incest was not her fault; she is no longer at the effect of her mother’s obsessions.  As she walks down the stairs carrying her son and holding the hand of her daughter, we see a young girl (she is still only seventeen at the end of the movie) who has an extended support group (Ms. Rain, played by Paula Patton; her classmates at “Each One-Teach One”, the alternative high school she attends; the social worker), who has a place to live (the shelter where she has been living since leaving her mother’s apartment), who is completing her middle school education, and who is almost ready for a public high school.

Will she make it?  Or will she be another statistic?  Some viewers will want to know what happened to Precious.  I’m not sure this movie will satisfy.  But I now understand why Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry felt so strongly about making sure this movie got distributed to a wider audience.  It is a story of telling the truth, of getting on with life, of valuing education and of making family.

foto: rijkaard, eşi ve lindsay

Teknik direktörümüz Frank Rijkaard’ın eşi küçük Rijkaard’ı dünyaya getirdi. Umarım iyi bir futbolcu olup, Galatasaray’da oynar, muhaaaa. Allah motherlı-fatherlı büyütsün. Resmi sitede açıklama şöyle ki;

“Teknik Direktörümüz Frank Rijkaard, baba olmanın mutluluğunu yaşıyor. Frank Rijkaard’ın, eşi bir erkek bebek dünyaya getirdi.

Teknik Direktörümüz Frank Rijkaard ve eşini tebrik ediyor; hayata gözlerini yeni açan Santi Rijkaard’a ailesiyle birlikte sağlık ve mutluluk dolu bir ömür diliyoruz.

Galatasaray Spor Kulübü”

I just came back from seeing the movie Precious and it is an absolute must see. Although it is dark and utterly draining, it is still a testimony to the power of the human soul that remains even in the most trying circumstances. It is a movie that in my view all Latter Day Saints and all professed Christians should see, but unfortunately too few will.

Of course, this film is rated R and the R rating is well deserved. It is a gritty and no holds barred look at a side of American life that we all too often choose to ignore. Dark and nearly unspeakable acts of human cruelty are shown and described. Language is foul and free with four letter words perhaps being the most common words uttered. Yet, this is reality for a sizeable number of Americans. This film does not glory in this terror but reviles it desperately hoping for a way for its characters to escape it.

The film is set in Harlem in 1987 and tells the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones an obese impoverished illiterate African American teenager born into the most deplorable situation possible. At age sixteen, she is pregnant with her second child that we quickly find out is the result of her father’s repeated raping her. Her mother is a welfare queen and an absolutely intricate and fascinating monster of a human being. Precious is constantly belittled, beaten and brought down. Her plight is almost unimaginable.

Yet, first time actress Gabourey Sidibe fills her character with such personality and soul that she almost flies off the screen. Precious has withdrawn into a shell and hardly engages with the outside world. Yet, her inner imagination is shown in wonderful bursts of creativity that reveal that ambition cannot be putdown completely. Her character has no time for self-doubt even as she has been taught to hate herself. She is simply living day by day and hoping for something better from life. At one point, she mentions wishing she were dead, before soon after snapping back to reality and thanking God for the blessing of new days.

Mo’Nique a comedian not known for her fine acting, here plays the mother in an oscar worthy performance for the ages. She is completely human and this makes her menace even more terrifying. She is the result of a life drained of hope, and we realize that she is a poor victim even as she is a vicious perpetrator of hate. It is a performance that shows an incredible nuance and poignancy.

Precious of course receives help from an alternative school teacher Ms. Rain (Paula Patton) and a social worker played by an almost unrecognizable Mariah Carey. Yet, the film manages to present hope without trafficking in cliché or melodrama. There are no simple solution, and yet we can see how simple words of kindness or moments of attention fill Precious with light.  Bit by bit, she develops a renewed sense of self and a purpose in life. This film is also a powerful expression of the empowerment of motherhood as Precious is empowered by the birth of her second child in a beautiful way. Every moment of joy feels improbable but utterly real.

In the end, one leaves the theatre with a greater appreciation both for how low people can go, and the power for people to rise up again. Spiritually, this film made me think about the incredible power of the atonement. Even someone born into the lowest of the low is capable of being redeemed by the light of hope. There is a powerful moment where Precious stands outside of a church looking in and imagining herself part of the gospel choir, and that image could be a metaphor for the whole film. Small acts of kindness, and examples of humanity at its best are the way to bridge the gap and bring people into a deeper sense of hope. Every human being is a child of god with dreams and ambitions. Precious is the kind of person that we would all judge in a negative way if we saw her or spoke to her. She is neither refined nor articulate. Yet, this film can help us realize that this judgment is precisely wrong. It is a message that is powerful and enduring.

We had no kids last weekend, and only one this weekend, so I had time to catch up on my movie watching.

No….I did not see New Moon, I have never seen Twilight and have no desire to see it, or read it for that matter.

First we went to see Couples Retreat last Friday night, and then Saturday afternoon, I saw Precious. Then Saturday night, we rented Obsessed, The Soloist & The Haunting in Connecticut.

Shortest Movie Reviews Ever:

Couples Retreat: cookie cutter Vince Vaughn movie, good but not great.

Precious: Monique has to get an Oscar nomination for this, that was a tough character to watch, very gritty. VERY good movie! Mariah Carey was actually good and Nurse Lenny Kravitz needed more screen time!

The Haunting in Connecticut: Decent movie, seemed it a little out there for being “based on a true story”, so I Googled the real story about the house afterwards, and Hollywood added a lot more to the story than what actually happened.

The Soloist: After about an hour, we turned it off. Too slow, characters were not likeable, so I had nothing invested.

Obsessed: Another movie about a temp seduction, it was okay.

Then I watched Doubt on HBO one night, it was good, but not blow me away good like I thought it was gonna be. Howard Stern gave it a lot of accolades, so I was expecting more. Guess I’m not a movie snob considering every actor in this movie was nominated for an Oscar.

On Thanksgiving Eve, I rented Observe & Report and Orphan.

Observe & Report – needed more Aziz Ansari!! I love that guy!!!

Orphan – not your typical “evil kid” movie. The three child actors in this film were soo good; I had to look them up on www.imdb.com as soon as the movie was over (at 1am). As a parent, no sure I would let my kids take that acting gig, it was CREEPY, but sooo good!

Then I saw Planet 51 yesterday, it was BORING. My 5 year old wasn’t impressed either.

Coming Soon….but not soon enough:

So yesterday, I went to see the film “Precious” with my BFF and sister. Or should I say, I dragged them? I’ve been really excited to see the movie ever since I heard about it, being a big fan of Mo’Nique, since Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School (but that’s another story), and my most beautiful Mariah Carey (who is really unrecognizable!). Though they didn’t like it, (with their own personal prejudices) I thought it was really eye-opening, as well as amazing! One should realize that Precious exists all over the world, in different forms, and we can learn from her struggles, to persevere, and as the original novel suggested “PUSH” through our boundaries towards our goals. I bought the novel for myself for Christmas, and I’m very excited to read it, but tell me what you think!
Here’s the trailer!

Claireece "Precious" Jones dreams of a life vastly different from her own in "Precious".

(Lee Daniels, 2009)

November 28, 2009

by Joel Crary

Heart-shattering and nightmarishly dramatic, “Precious” is as good as they say. I saw lead actress Gabourey Sidibe in a televised interview recently. She appeared happy and armed with the excitement of a young woman who has received a terrific opportunity. She spoke animatedly about Hollywood and make an embarrassing admission about her sincere crush on N*SYNC. Her transformation into Precious is outstanding. Sidibe pushes every good and healthy emotion that she quite apparently has in person and buries them, encasing Precious within herself, not greeting the world but trying to pass by unnoticed with a dark and featureless expression. She’s fascinating to watch because I couldn’t believe she was being seen.

Overweight and poor, Precious daydreams of fame, of men finding her attractive, of dancing in music videos and starring in fashion shoots as an empowered Queen Latifah song drowns out the sounds of real life. Daniels represents these fantasy sequences in stark contrast to the disheveled world of the 1980’s tenement Harlem, whose residents all appear tired, worn out and doubtful that things will change. Precious’ fantasies are a symptom of exposure to an outside world that she knows only via the images from the television sitting in the apartment she shares with her mother – white women finding quick success and fortune on game shows, part of a culture that lumps her lifestyle into a corner.

The dream sequences show Precious as full of life and happiness, a world that she can escape to and does when real life becomes too hurtful. She is physically bullied by sexist young boys in the street. She has the most torrid relationship imaginable with her mother Mary, played in an absolutely shocking turn by actress Mo’Nique. Profanity and physical abuse are only the beginning. It is discovered that Precious is pregnant with her second child. The first was born with Down Syndrome and lives with her grandmother until the social worker comes by the apartment, when Mary pretends to have it all together so that the welfare cheques won’t stop coming.

Mo’Nique’s performance as Mary is truly astounding as she hurls plates across the room at her pregnant daughter and chases her down stairs while Precious tries to keep her baby safe in her arms. Mary is an sickly mess of a human being who seems to exhibit either furious anger or an unsettling catatonia with little in between. “She lies around like a whale,” Precious explains to social worker Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey). Sunlight never appears to reach the living room, only the dim radiation of the television and the sickly yellow glow emitted by pawn shop lamps, while crackheads ring at the buzzer.

One night the principal of Precious’ school comes calling. She offers a chance for Precious to pursue an education in a more intimate atmosphere, catering to troubled youth. Sixteen, illiterate and endlessly reminded of her shortcomings by her mother, Precious makes her way down to the Each One/Teach One alternative school and meets Blu Rain (Paula Patton), a teacher who inspires her to write. Through journal entries, Precious is able to give her own voice to her situation and she begins to see that her children will offer the only unconditional love in her life.

A score of historically significant videos are projected on the walls and windows as the camera circles Sapphire. She discovers Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and the story of the world. “I’m going to teach them all this,” she writes of her children with resolve. Based on the 1996 novel “Push” by Sapphire, Geoffrey Fletcher’s screenplay smartly uses the education and writing process as a narrative device to illuminate Precious’ life as characteristic of tragedy. “What do I mean if I say the author portrays her protagonist’s situation as unrelenting?” Ms. Rain asks of her students before a heartbreaking revelation about Precious’ sexual abuse comes to light.

Moments like that are treated with great care and compassion by the filmmakers. Despite the girl-overcoming-the-odds sentimentalism of the narrative, the horror of the drama prevents it from ever being hokey, and thanks to Sidibe’s performance and the editing choices, the film maintains a contemplative rather than a melodramatic tone. Certain moments elicited gasps from the audience in attendance. It’s hard to believe how cold and cruel Precious’ situation is. It is only her inner light that makes it not entirely tragic.

Mo’Nique’s performance instills a hunger to see how her character is met with the true and just hand of the social care administration, which isn’t without its flaws but operates through Mrs. Weiss as a kind of bureaucracy that heaves a deep sigh of compassion when a girl like Precious comes along. Sure enough, Mary will sit down in an office to reveal how messed up she really is. The film is uncompromising in its treatment of abuse, but brilliant in the way it strips away motivation to reveal the individual underneath.

Precious

Precious is a adaptation of the book Push by author Sapphire (born Ramona Lofton). The movie is really graphic and explicit, but living in America this is what many are born into.

The Story of Precious touched my heart from beginning to end. The writers and actors of this movie played very believable roles. I am a person who tends to stop thinking that dreams have meaning. That peoples ideas don’t always come across the way we want them too. I lean towards the ideology of knowing or just living out all my visions. But I want to make sure its known to others in this lifetime that no matter what you think you can achieve that thing.

This movie Precious touched every part of my soul and is a refreshing look at the world that allot of my African people in the hell conditions of America have been forced into. Its so sad to know that people are born trained to be savage. Looking at america and the euro centric views its no wonder we as Africans Stuck in America are so far at the bottom of things.
Please know Indigenous Afro Kemetic Gods and Goddesses people that we are living in an inverted reality and this is only for a time being, continue to dream and know that you will persevere through this wicked mans way of life. A way of life that teaches raping, stealing, cheating, killing and all other forms of evil that you can imagine.

You are greater and you shall proceed through all of this, because thats who you are and who YOU COME FROM GREATNESS.

Respect to Actors: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula M. Patton, Chyna Layne, and Lenny Kravitz.

With her recent role in the Tyler Perry-directed and Oprah-backed film, Precious, Mo’Nique proved her versatility. She is known for portraying roles in comedy films, but she is aiming to become an overall actress. Usually, she is overlooked for these types of roles, but after this performance, all of her phones will be ringing off of the hook.

Even with all of the praise and critical acclaim, some negativity came. Not long after the film premiered to rave reviews, rumors of turmoil began. It was said that Mo’Nique has been feuding with Oprah and Tyler Perry. The feud was said to stem from Mo’Nique wanting thousands of dollars to walk the red carpet at a film festival in Canada.

For a little while, these rumors began to heat up. It was not until Lee Daniels, another worker with the film, denied these charges that people backed off. He said that the relationship between Mo’Nique, Perry, and Winfrey is just as strong as it had ever been. Daniels also denied rumors of her demanding money to walk the red carpet.

Despite the rumors of Oprah also being upset, Mo’Nique’s representative said that there is nothing going on besides mutual respect and admiration.

In order to get ready for Precious, I chose another Lee Daniels film, that I’m hoping will make Precious a better trip than what I expect.

A nasty crime lord (Stephen Dorff) hires Rose (Helen Mirren) and her stepson Mikey (Cuba Gooding Jr.) — assassin partners and longtime lovers — to off his spouse, Vickie (Vanessa Ferlito). But Rose, ill with cancer and on her last job, spares her mark when she learns Vickie’s with child. The unexpected twist forces Mikey, Rose and their charges to flee to life in suburbia, until the past catches up with them.

Now looking at this film from a person who has seen it all in films, I have got to say this movie is pretty messed up. When you have film with Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr. doing it, you know you have a pretty messed up film.

So anyway, all the critics I have read, all HATED this film. For me I’m going to say yeah its odd and kind of weird but really it does a good job with its material. It takes this unusual story and makes it a stylized, enjoyable thriller.I’m not going to lie there are scenes that get a little too out of hand, but after that I still was on the edge of my seat wondering what was to happen next.

I am not a prude and I can see how the sex scenes bring a grittiness that was needed to show the harshness of real life but nothing else about this movie reflects real life. The director almost comically twists the relationships to get a jolt out of the viewer.

Helen Mirren doesn’t quite act to the standard she could have. She looks like at times she just lost a bet, and was given a script to work with and just decided to mildly act it out. Cuba Gooding Jr. does the best job in this film as basically taking the last act of the film and making it his show with a powerful performance. Stephen Dorff, plays the type of 2nd grade villain that doesn’t get enough screen time to show how vicious he really can be, I think this was a problem but he could have done better as well.

The one thing I’ll also say about this film is that it shows these weird couples, but you know what that’s reality. I mean there is a couple of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Mo’Nique, this was kind of odd, but it still showed how strange couples can actually be.

Consensus: The over-the-top sex scenes and at points very random, Shadowboxer is a stylized and entertaining little thriller, that doesn’t get the best boot from its cast, but in the end is actually OK.

5/10=Rentall!!!!!

I finally got to see Precious, the film everyone has been talking about by director Lee Daniels, about an illiterate, plus-size and pregnant girl from Harlem who finds her way out of an abusive home through the power of learning. Long before it’s opening last Friday, the film has been gathering a lot of buzz especially towards its star performers including newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, and yes even Mariah Carey.

After having seen the film, I can say that all the acclaim the film has received so far is warranted. All the actors, especially comedy darling Mo’Nique who plays opposite Sidibe as her relentlessly abusive mother Mary Jones, make this a a moving film that resonated in my consciousness for days afterwards. Watching Mo’Nique in her role gave me chills and many are calling her performance Oscar worthy.

Another impressive force is non other than pop diva slash actress, Mariah Carey. It’s hard to believe Carey’s second film since her easily forgettable debut in Glitter, is generating acting buzz but it’s true. In fact, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is awarding Carey with the Break Through Performance Award, an award whose past honorees include Oscar recipients Jennifer Hudson, Marion Cotillard and Freida Pinto.And she can’t seem to stop buzzing herself. At the film’s press conference for the Toronto International Film Festival, Carey wouldn’t stop talking about how difficult it was to see herself as an “ugly” character.

“They totally changed me. I didn’t want to look in the mirror. It was beyond dressing down because Lee Daniels loved to torture me. He really wanted me to not just look plain, he wanted me to look homely. That was his goal. He wanted a mustache and an under-the-eye thing and the bad hair.” Via: Us Weekly

To see Carey without makeup is yes, shocking but in no way does that make her eligible for an Academy Award. To see Carey flex real emotion (and shocker of all shockers, real tears) was, I’ll admit, moving. And ok, she may have carried the pivotal emotional crescendo of the film in the final scene when the protagonist (played by Sidibe) sits down with her mother for the first time since she fist-fought her way out of an abusive home and I applaud her efforts. But with all the complaining she’s been doing about looking the part of dowdy inner-city social worker Ms. Weiss, it makes me want to ditch her efforts out the window altogether.

Finally, no one can stop talking about the film’s darling, twenty-six year-old psychology major turned (*ahem Award wining) actress, Gabby Sidibe. The actress is making waves for not only her stirring performance but she’s also causing a stir among Hollywood industry insiders as an incoming talent with an un-hollywood body. As if she hasn’t already impressed you, Sidibe’s real life valley-girl-esque personality is almost polar opposite to the character she plays in Precious. Finally, Hollywood, a land that was once reserved for the beautiful, tanned and skinny, is making room for talents like Sidibe.

“I just hope that people can get past what I look like, and what other — you know, what other people look like. And see the heart and the soul of the person.” Via: CBS

Writing about a movie like Precious (2009, Lee Daniels) is fraught with difficulties and opportunities for saying the wrong thing. As a social problem film, based on Sapphire’s novel Push, Precious attempts to illuminate, with as much visceral charge as possible, the struggles of one African American teenager to escape soul crushing poverty. The film thrusts its “reality” in the viewer’s face like a dare, effectively asking us “Can you watch this? Can you stomach this?”

For example, early in the film we see Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) washing dishes in the dim, depressing kitchen of the New York City apartment she shares  with her somewhat one-dimensionally villainous mother, Mary (Mo’Nique). In the background of the frame Mary barks questions at her daughter, the glow of the television screen reflected on her angry face. But we remain in the foreground of the shot, with Precious, as she measures her words, almost swallowing them, knowing that any response she offers will be the wrong one. Suddenly, violence explodes the frame as Mary hurls a heavy object at her daughter’s head, knocking her to the ground.  It a shocking moment that immediately cuts to a flashback of Precious being raped by her father. The filmmaker clearly wants to place the viewer in Precious’ point of view: we hear the sickening, rhythmic pulse of the creaking mattress, the crying of a baby (the product of previous sexual abuses), and the grunting of her father, who whispers to his daughter as he defiles her.  It is a truly horrifying scene.

When life becomes too intense for Precious, as it does in this scene, she imagines herself in fantasy worlds where she is a glamorous star, and thankfully, the viewer gets to go along with her (who would want to stay in that rape scene?). It is a testament to Sidibe’s acting skills that she is able to create such a vivid distinction between the woman she is in her fantasies and the woman she is in real life; one persona beams, struts and asks you to look and admire, while the other shrinks inward and demands that you look away.

The idyllic savior, Blu Rain (Paula Patton)

Although Precious swerves perilously close to the “poverty porn”  found in last year’s critical darling, Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Danny Boyle), I think it was able to avoid most of the pitfalls of its “children in peril” predecessor. While Slumdog  seemed to revel in its moments of high tragedy — the blinding of a young boy with hot acid, the violent raiding of a slum village, the prostitution of little girls – Precious exposes us to the horrors of its protagonist’s life but only in small bursts.  Furthermore, the message of Slumdog  seemed to be that “Poverty sucks but it will prepare you to later win a lot money in a game show, to be followed by a really fun Bollywood number in a train station with the woman of your dreams, so don’t feel too bad about it. ” Or maybe I just misread the film?

Poverty porn in Slumdog

By contrast, Precious had a more ambiguous ending. After (rightfully) refusing to allow her mother back into her life (a scene that generated a round of applause at my screening), we see Precious emerge on the streets of New York, with her two children. Precious is still poor, still only reading at an 8th grade level, still the product of (double) incest, still HIV positive, still a single mother, but she is smiling. And the non-diegetic music sounds almost triumphant.  But this is no choreographed Bollywood number. The audience does not exit the theater feeling “Phew! I’m glad it all worked out in the end.” Rather, as the credits rolled I felt that I had heard one woman’s story, that this story was still unfolding somewhere, and that she still had much to do.

Thus, I was relieved to find that Precious was not nearly as exploitative as I thought it would be (though many critics disagree), but this does not sum up my experience of the film. While I sat in my chair, horrified and saddened by the images on the screen, something very different was happening in that sold out movie theater. People were laughing. A lot.

Our Dickensian villain

For example, one of the film’s most (at least for me) emotionally powerful scenes is where Mary (Mo’Nique) finally admits to her culpability in the repeated raping of her daughter (and yes, Mo’Nique truly deserves all the buzz she has been getting for this role). I don’t think we are intended to empathize with Mary in this scene, but we do gain some insight into how her home became a nightmare of rape and anger and jealousy. It is difficult for Mary to vocalize these horrible things and the weight of this confession causes her to blubber and sputter. I cried during this scene but most of the people in the theater were laughing. It was a curious moment for me because I wondered if these people were just hard-hearted cynics or if  maybe I was just a sap.

When I got home that night I began to search online to see if this phenomenon had happened anywhere else and was surprised to see that it had (go here, here and here ). So what to make of this laughter? I have a few ideas:

1. The Mo’Nique Factor

As I mentioned, Mo’Nique was really wonderful and convincing in this role. But, as we all know, Mo’Nique is first and foremost a comedienne. And fans of her work, who would be lured to the film, curious to see this actress in a new role, possibly found it difficult to take her seriously.

Mo'Nique the Comedienne

2. People were Uncomfortable

It is awkward to watch images of rape and child abuse in any setting, but in a crowded theater it becomes even more awkward. And given that Precious was punctuated with fantasy images and moments of genuine comic relief, I think laughter may have been a natural response during those moments of stunned silence, when the images onscreen were simply too horrifying to process.

3. The Tyler Perry Factor

Precious is not a Tyler Perry film, but he did co-produce it (along with Oprah Winfrey) and his name was linked with the film in the media blitz leading up to its release ( also here and here). Other Perry-directed films, like The Family that Preys (2009) and Madea’s Family Reunion (2002), mix broad comedy with moments of real tragedy. Therefore, any audience members drawn into the theaters based on Tyler’s brand name may have been expecting to laugh.

Tyler Perry

4. It Really Is Poverty Porn

Initially I was a bit disturbed by the audience’s response to this film. How could they laugh at such tragedy? But after mulling it over for a few days I started wonder if maybe I was the one who was responding inappropriately to Precious. Maybe this audience, which was 70% African American, was laughing, not at the tragedy of Precious’ life, but at the audacity of Hollywood and its attempts, once again, to make African American life into a horror show.  Armond White, whose scathing review has been quoted all over the internet, writes that:

Precious raises ghosts of ethnic fear and exoticism just like Birth of a Nation. Precious and her mother (Mo’Nique) share a Harlem hovel so stereotypical it could be a Klansman’s fantasy. It also suggests an outsider’s romantic view of the political wretchedness and despair associated with the blues. Critics willingly infer there’s black life essence in Precious’ anti-life tale. And the same high-dudgeon tsk-tsking of Hurricane Katrina commentators is also apparent in the movie’s praise. Pundits who bemoan the awful conditions that have not improved for America’s unfortunate are reminded that they are still on top.

While I think White engages in a bit of a hyperbole in his review (Little Man [2006, Keenan Ivory Wayans] is a better film? Really?), he does make a good point: does Precious merely assuage liberal guilt over the persistance of the profound  class and racial divides in this country by allowing the haves to weep over the fates of the have-nots? Perhaps the laughter of those around me was a way of rejecting or resisting this Hollywood offering, of refusing to cry over images that are calculated to make us do just that?

So to sum up this contradictory post: my experience of Precious left me feeling confused (and even ashamed) about my relationship with the film image and about the role that film can and should play in the depiction of social problems. Can a film about a suffering individual ever avoid being conflated with an entire social group? Can these films ever not be poverty porn? What is the value in putting these images on the big screen?

I would love to hear your thoughts about this film and your experiences watching it the theaters.