Because everyone wants RANDOM BLACKFACE for Christmas

[wilde_stallyn]

I promise that I will post a personal update type entry sometime soon, but at the moment I'm too pissed not to say something about this.

I went to see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus with a friend this afternoon. I didn't really know much about the film going in, other than that Heath Ledger was working on it when he died and Johnny Depp, Jude

Comments

[eversor_deus]

I guess everyone experiences from a different viewpoint, because none of those things even really occurred to me as being offensive until I saw you upset about them just now o_o

[wilde_stallyn]

I've become a lot more conscious of this stuff in the last few years.

[eversor_deus]

I wonder if that's why it was so prominent for you then. I mean, I didn't notice and reviews (since you said you were looking for comments about racism in reviews and all) didn't note anything about it. It's too bad it got in the way of the film itself =( I rather liked the movie, particularly visually.

[wilde_stallyn]

It is too bad what would otherwise have been an interesting, if disjointed, movie had to be racist. It's not too bad that I can no longer watch racist shit without cringing. I've tried to learn to think critically about oppression because I think it's important. Does it make enjoying media more complicated? Yes, it does. Do I sometimes enjoy things even while acknowledging that they are problematic? Of course, racism, sexism, heterosexism, ablism, etc. are ubiquitous; it's hard to find something that gets everything right, particularly coming out of Hollywood. But that's why I try to talk about it, particularly if I haven't already heard/seen anyone complain, so that it won't get ignored, and so that people who might be hurt by it have some warning. And I try to avoid giving money to projects that seem particularly egregious. If I knew in advance I might have still watched Doctor Parnassus, but I'd have waited until I could pirate it and went to Sherlock Holmes yesterday instead.

[thegiantkiller]

Jeepers. That's . . . yech. Much less enthused to see that one now, even if it does have Tom Waits as the devil. Thanks for the warning and I'm sorry you had to endure such a horrible surprise?

[wilde_stallyn]

The Devil confused me. The mythology in the film was a real mishmash.

[teesa_nezumi]

I haven't been out to see a movie in ages. Won't see that one. Thanks for the journal update! I'm very happy to hear form you! -T

[wilde_stallyn]

I almost never go to movies. I think the last thing I saw in theatres was Coraline.

[kaizoku]

Today is just my day for belatedly hearing about blackface in the media. Lovely. Another movie to put on my "will not pay to see no matter how much you tempt me with your pretty actors" list, along with Avatar.

(Here via the queer friending meme, btw.)