Django Unchained

Just go see it as quickly as you can. It’s that good. Whatever race you are, it will make you think if you’re even half way reflective. And never mind Spike Lee. The brother is getting old and stepping on people’s right to do their own art (imho). Yes Tarantino wrote the n word pretty liberally into this movie, but it feels authentic for the period.

It was a very painful movie on some level if you’re of African extract. Just viscerally visualizing (on a high def screen), how much injustice and inhumanity that slaves had to endure, literally bows your head and makes you want to throw up. While I was watching, I looked around the theater at all the Caucasian faces and wondered what was going on in their heads. People looked pretty uncomfortable during some of the unfunny parts in the movie. Even the young white people who are generally pretty much disconnected in more ways than one from this painful piece of American history; suddenly had to come to a screeching mental halt and think about this reality because of the power of the movie’s images. How did it affect them? As an African and self-identified African American, I think it’s a good thing to show these images. It may show how disrespected our ancestors were, which is extremely uncomfortable, but in so far as they can hew as close as possible to historical truth, it pushes people closer to dealing with reality vs. what they wish was. Or in this case, wasn’t. Put another way, this movie feels like an indictment of slavery in a pretty accessible format, even when it renders some of the very serious issues humorously.

At any rate, go watch it. And make up your own damn mind. I just bought the one sheet poster. This is one for my own records.