‘One Battle After Another’ (dir. by Paul Thomas Anderson) | Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn (9/26)

[phillycavsfan]

Spoiler

her daddy white so she white lol

Spoiler: Spoilers

We're telling Coli jokes here, but she's black. At the beginning Perfidia's mom talks about Perfidia coming from a long line of revolutionaries. You combine that with the fact that we know Bob isn't her biological dad, so Willa's got her mom's fight in her. Plus Bob complains to Carlos about not being able to do her hair.

The movie ends with her driving to another protest, not Bob sitting at home. She's the real hero of the movie. It's not a white savior movie at all.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

I don’t care how long the film was in his head, if you fail to stick the landing thematically, especially regarding the message as it pertains to the black experience regarding protest and revolution in this country, your shyt ultimately rings hollow no matter how well crafted it is. This film boils down to the same thing liberal white directors have been pushing for two decades if not longer, that any chance for black liberation will NOT come from black minds or hands, struggle or effort; rather, it must be guided by a white savior. Doesn’t matter if he’s a drunk near hobo, without him you will FAIL. My suspicion is that this film, despite its glowing reviews and expert craftsmanship, will not stand the test of time as a masterpiece. In a few years people will go back and see that at its core, its just another white savior film, and both Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood remain the superior PTA films.

This might very well be his The Departed. Where he finally wins the oscar for like his 4th or 5th best movie. Or this might be his magnum opus. Only time will tell.

However, at the moment the the thing you can identify is how he made a 3 hour film flow easily. The great ones do that. This movie was truly locked in from beginning to end. Its still a father/daughter story at the end of the day. So its focus, stakes and momentum is felt throughout the script.

I'll put Sinners against Weapons, Superman or whatever. Just a stronger picture and thematic richness. However, I think "Yea, but" might come to Sinners for not finishing strong with its vampire usage than OBAA mixed messaging. Because it gets just enough right and leaves enough open for debate. While at the same time being an impeccably well made film.

In 2018 you'd probably thought people wouldnt switch up on the OG Black Panther lol (Sinners is obviously better crafted so it has a chance to stick).

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

I think as black men, and I said it earlier, its certain obvious shyt we gotta turn our brains off for when it came to this movie lol.

This is a good movie but yeah, I rolled my eyes quite a few times on some "can we get past this troup and get back to business". And this film had nothing to do with Black Liberation, but more so Black Bodies = the Blood of Christ for everyone else to forgive them of their sins and save them lol.

I think one review said it best. You gotta look at it as a satirical world where everyone in it takes it seriously.

 

[Apollo Creed]

I think one review said it best. You gotta look at it as a satirical world where everyone in it takes it seriously.

That's how I felt, the activism part was satire as I felt the leads were not even the real activist and the activism was just a vehicle to show who they are as people of that makes sense. The real activist in the film were less performative.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Spoiler: Spoilers

We're telling Coli jokes here, but she's black. At the beginning Perfidia's mom talks about Perfidia coming from a long line of revolutionaries. You combine that with the fact that we know Bob isn't her biological dad, so Willa's got her mom's fight in her. Plus Bob complains to Carlos about not being able to do her hair.

The movie ends with her driving to another protest, not Bob sitting at home. She's the real hero of the movie. It's not a white savior movie at all.

Spoiler

being rejected by one side doesn't make you the other lol. It is an insult to blackness. Jokes aside she is just mixed race. But I will end that here

 

[BelieveBeOK]

Had me in tears by the end.

I hate how movies do this to me more often as I get older.

Sean Penn did a madness so did Benicio Del Torro and the bounty hunter guy in their limited screen time.

Let's say 8/10 for me.

 

[Ziggiy]

This might very well be his The Departed. Where he finally wins the oscar for like his 4th or 5th best movie. Or this might be his magnum opus. Only time will tell.

However, at the moment the the thing you can identify is how he made a 3 hour film flow easily. The great ones do that. This movie was truly locked in from beginning to end. Its still a father/daughter story at the end of the day. So its focus, stakes and momentum is felt throughout the script.

I'll put Sinners against Weapons, Superman or whatever. Just a stronger picture and thematic richness. However, I think "Yea, but" might come to Sinners for not finishing strong with its vampire usage than OBAA mixed messaging. Because it gets just enough right and leaves enough open for debate. While at the same time being an impeccably well made film.

In 2018 you'd probably thought people wouldnt switch up on the OG Black Panther lol (Sinners is obviously better crafted so it has a chance to stick).

The Departed is a good comparison when it comes to celebrate directors getting their due for an entertaining yet thematically flawed film.

 

[Lootpack]

@Ziggiy I didn’t come out of the film thinking there was a white savior narrative. That dissolved itself along the journey to the point where it’s actually the opposite. Leo could’ve gone superhero at any point but stays a pathetic, paranoid dad desperately trying to find his daughter.

Spoiler

Dude arrived late to the scene after Willa handled business with a rifle he never lands a bullet with.

 

[SilverSamurai]

PTA's best movie since The Master

See this in IMAX 70mm or Vistavision if you can brehs

 

[THE 101]

Cinema

That was a fast 2hrs 40

The moment Regina Hall shows up at the school dance the film barely stopped. Just relentless tension and movement. Unbelievable pacing and momentum. Truly masterful shyt.

Leo playing dumb ass stressed out whiteboys......one of the purest joys in cinema

That final scene was beautiful too. Maybe the warmest, most earnest emotional scene PTA ever did. Dope film about fathers and daughters.

I can't wait to rewatch as the "prologue" section threw me off. It wasn't what I was expecting but looking back on it I thought it was dope. More in the spirit of 70s paranoia thrillers. Tonally very different but that could've been a great movie in itself. Junglep*ssy killed that heist scene. Car chase was crazy.

Penn touched on a certain kind of demonic white supremacy that fetishes black women. A kinda of self hatred and hollowness that I thought was very uncomfortable. One of the best villains we've seen in recent years.

PTA the modern GOAT. I feel privileged I've got to live through his greatness.

Cinema

 

[JamesJabdi]

Sean penn looked like RFK JR in this

 

[Apollo Creed]

Cinema

That was a fast 2hrs 40

The moment Regina King shows up at the school dance the film barely stopped. Just relentless tension and movement. Unbelievable pacing and momentum. Truly masterful shyt.

Leo playing dumb ass stressed out whiteboys......one of the purest joys in cinema

That final scene was beautiful too. Maybe the warmest, most earnest emotional scene PTA ever did. Dope film about fathers and daughters.

I can't wait to rewatch as the "prologue" section threw me off. It wasn't what I was expecting but looking back on it I thought it was dope. More in the spirit of 70s paranoia thrillers. Tonally very different but that could've been a great movie in itself. Junglep*ssy killed that heist scene. Car chase was crazy.

Penn touched on a certain kind of demonic white supremacy that fetishes black women. A kinda of self hatred and hollowness that I thought was very uncomfortable. One of the best villains we've seen in recent years.

PTA the modern GOAT. I feel privileged I've got to live through his greatness.

Cinema

Penn’s character isnt a self hater its more of the dehumanizing and degenderizing of black bodies. Black people arent human in their lens just sexual objects. Im the manner white men obsess over black male bodies but dont consider themselves gay because black males are not human nor men in their view. Its why his angle had a homoerotic thing going

 

[Black Excellence]

It is interesting seeing the personal gripes affecting how much a movie can be enjoyed. But this is why art is subjective, I dig the conversation around this.

I didn't feel Regina’s, Teyana’s or Wood Harris’ characters were so much of a trope that it took away viewing pleasure. If a black director shot this scene for scene would we have an issue?

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

One thing I noticed in the film is that

Spoiler

EVERY black revolutionary was jailed or killed . Still to this day we are not allowed to win in white films

. Great movie though.

 

[phillycavsfan]

One thing I noticed in the film is that

Spoiler

EVERY black revolutionary was jailed or killed . Still to this day we are not allowed to win in white films

. Great movie though.

Spoiler: Spoiler.

Perfidia was free. Also, technically Willa survived and continues the fight. It was a lot more hopeful than Panther or Judas and the black Messiah.