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3 Reasons Shaft (2019) Isn’t Shaft!

7/8/2019

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Originally this was going to be titled “3 reasons why Shaft (2019) Sucks” like I did for a previous Samuel L. Jackson movie “The Hitman’s bodyguard” (and other films like “All Eyez on me") but the problem is, the new shaft film doesn’t suck. It’s just not “Shaft”. So instead of saying the film sucks, let’s point out why this film isn’t considered a Shaft film (to me at least). This film is the fifth film in the Shaft film series and a sequel to the 2000 film with the same title, although way more comedic in tone. Unlike its previous film, which was distributed by Paramount Pictures, this film is produced by New Line Cinema & Netflix (who already have it streaming overseas) and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, who own the first three features and the TV series due to its acquisition of the pre-1986 MGM library when it absorbed Turner Entertainment through the Time Warner formation in 1996.
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On February 18, 2015, it was announced that New Line Cinema had acquired the rights to Shaft, based on the famous detective character, John Shaft, and would develop a new film within the series along with producer John Davis of Davis Entertainment. On July 28, 2015, it was reported that Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow would be writing the script for the new film, which would also be produced by Ira Napoliello. On January 20, 2017, the studio hired Tim Story to direct the film. On August 18, 2017, Jessie Usher was cast to play the lead role as the son of Samuel L. Jackson's John Shaft II from the 2000 film, while Richard Roundtree and Jackson would reprise their roles from the previous films and in October 2017, Netflix signed a deal with New Line Cinema to cover more than half of the film's $30 million budget in exchange for the rights, which allowed Netflix to release the film on its platform outside of the United States two weeks after the theatrical release in the U.S. Filming began in February 2018. It was reported that the film already wrapped up production in the early part of the year but the cast went back to re-shoot some scenes in Atlanta (which is why Harlem doesn’t look like Harlem in this film) in August 2018. They should of reshot this whole movie because it’s soo inconsistent with the rest of the franchise (films, tv show, comics, the shaft theme song), that this film feels more like a reboot than a sequel to the classic film and it’s modern sequel in 2001. Here are a few reasons why I feel like that.
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1)Shaft was not a fuck fest!

Rewatch 2001’s Shaft. How many times did Samuel L. Jackson said the word “motherfucker”? 13 times. In total. In the new film, within the first 5 minutes, not only did they surpass the number.. everyone is screaming “fuck”, “motherfucker”, etc. The franchise always been rated R and it’s basically have become Samuel’s thing to say fuck a lot in his films but I feel like this film took it a bit too far! When Samuel used to say motherfucker in his films, it was like poetry. This film on the other hand is mumble rap. I don’t mind cursing in film but shaft isn’t Samuel L Jackson. Samuel may play Shaft but shaft isn’t Samuel. I felt like I was watching a Wayan’s brother parody of Shaft. Like a “low down dirty shame part 2”. Speaking of comedy, that brings me to my next point.

2)Shaft ISN'T a comedy!

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The original films are neo-noir action crime movies with the 2001 version kinda going the thriller route. This new film however is a generic action comedy (think of films like “Ride along”). Shaft and the rest of the cast are cracking jokes every 5 minutes. Everyone is a comedian! You can have funny moments without making the whole film a comedy. Look back at the last shaft. Scenes like Busta Rhymes talking to the press when he’s supposed to be driving off in the limo or the fat guy eating donuts who’s wants to become a cop, the last film had a perfect balance of drama, suspense and comedy. This new film only kept the comedy.

3)Romantic subplot

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There’s a line in the moment where Jesse (who plays Shaft the third) says “don’t mind him, he thinks he’s the black James Bond”. That line fits in the film because in a way, he was the black James Bond (especially with Shaft in Africa) and just like James Bond, he had his own Bond girls. Every film was a different woman and none of them because the focus of the film. Not even as a subplot. Not once was the franchise about John maintaining a relationship with anyone. He had plenty of sex, had plenty of women but it wasn’t a huge part of the plot. The investigation override everything in the Shaft franchise but this film not only gives him a love interests to focus on but their relationship is basically part of the plot. There was never a moment in the series where you see Shaft going the distance to get with a specific woman constantly and we never saw the women’s point of view of being with a guy like shaft. We all know shaft was a player but this film made him a womanizer who can’t be without a woman for more than 5 minutes. I love Regina Hall and as always she gives 100% to her roles but it felt so misplaced because never in any of the previous shaft films was there a romantic interests that we the audience had to focus on. Shaft smashes and than dashes and that’s the last we see of his relationships.

Other reasons shaft ISN'T shaft

Another reason I don’t like this film is that It lost its grittiness and feels like a stylized polished mainstream pop movie with zack Snyder style shootouts with close up of the bullets while playing James brown in the background. It quickly becomes feels generic comedy like a “uncle drew” (which had way more heart than this film) but my biggest complaint about this film is that they turned Shaft into a dead beat dad! Not just Samuel L. Jackson’s shaft but Richard Roundtree as well (who shows up 90 mins into the film compared to the last one where he was Shaft mentor who showed up numerous times). This film completely ruins the continuity of the previous films. Rewriting the fact the original shaft isn’t 2001’s Shafts uncle, but is actually his father when we literally spent the whole last movie explaining their relationship, just to throw it out with one line in this film. How is Shaft, the man who would risk his neck for brother man a dead beat dad? I just can’t see it and you’re telling me throughout the last Shaft film that, that man had a son somewhere that he wasn’t taking care of? Na. I call bullshit.The original film deals with themes like the Black Power movement, race, masculinity, and sexuality. Now we do touch on masculinity and sexuality in this film but race and the black power movement is completely gone. Sure the last film didn’t focus much on the movement but you still felt the black culture within the film. This film felt like they were trying to hard to keep it black. The fact they don’t play Issac Hayes throughout the film is a spit in the face as well. ​The film is very funny and the cast brings their a game and its a good script if it wasn’t a shaft film. This film puts too much focus on comedy, Screws up the morals of shaft and shits on the original (by not playing Issac Hayes and Richard Roundtree role reduced to basically a cameo).
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Disney Live aCtion CONTROVERSY

7/8/2019

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Mulan Teaser Trailer

So yesterday during the ugly 4th of July weekend of racist babies screaming about how pissed they are about “The Little mermaid” and this whole #notmyariel drama (more about that in a few), Disney Studios has released the teaser trailer to Disney’s live action adaption of Mulan (in theaters March 27, 2020).
Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, and was Disney's 36th animated featureand the ninth animated film produced and released during the Disney Renaissance. In the original animation, the film was about the title character (voiced by Ming-Na Wen). Fearful that her ailing father will be drafted into the Chinese military, Mulan takes his spot -- though, as a girl living under a patriarchal regime, she is technically unqualified to serve. She cleverly impersonates a man and goes off to train with fellow recruits. Accompanied by her dragon, Mushu (Eddie Murphy), she uses her smarts to help ward off a Hun invasion, falling in love with a dashing captain along the way. Produced and released during the Disney Renaissance, Mulan was the first of three features produced primarily at the Disney animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Development for the film began in 1994, when a number of artistic supervisors were sent to China to receive artistic and cultural inspiration. Mulan was well received by critics and the public, grossing $304 million, earning Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and winning several Annie Awards including Best Animated Feature.
Now when I first heard news about Mulan becoming the next film on the list of Disney classics to be adapted into a live action feature, I was excited. Then news came out it wasn’t a musical. Was still hopeful. Then I heard there’s no Mushu character (which in all honesty, I watched it for Eddie Murphy as a kid). Then I saw what happened with dumbo and now I’m even less excited. Now I really enjoyed Aladdin and already got my tickets to The Lion King so most likely I will be seeing Mulan in theaters. I just hope they still play #truetoyourheart by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder in the ending credits... now for the news on “The little Mermaid” adaption.

The little Mermaid CastinG

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It was recently announced that Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid and racists on social media has lost their damn minds! You may know Halle from Grown-ish or from the Grammy-nominated singing group Chloe x Halle, which is comprised of her and her older sister. The casting of Bailey wasn’t one many fans had predicted, but it was one that delighted many. However it didn’t take long for the usual arguments to be made against her casting, with the lion’s share of points being directed at her race and lack of red hair.
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The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical romanticfantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Pictures. The 28th Disney animated feature film and first film in the The Little Mermaid franchise, the film is loosely based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The film tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel who dreams of becoming human, after falling in love with a human prince named Eric. The Little Mermaid was released to theaters on November 17, 1989 to critical acclaim, garnering $84 million at the domestic box office during its initial release and $233 million in total lifetime gross worldwide.
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One thing I noticed tho about this backlash is how much of it has been driven by bot accounts rather than real individuals. One of the most popular tweets from the backlash claimed to be from a white woman throwing her DVD of The Little Mermaid in the trash because she’s pissed about Bailey's casting. It was quickly revealed to be the work of a bot, using various images stolen from Pinterest and Instagram. The main image of "her" throwing the DVD away was clearly an image of a man's hand, but by the time the tweet was exposed and the account suspended, the damage had been done.
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As is typical of social media, trolls and people with pre-existing political agendas latched onto Bailey’s casting as a means to stir the pot and encourage further hostility. It helped to soak up so much of the excitement from the news, allowing once more for the narrative to be defined by hate. Instead of focusing on the genuinely great news of Bailey’s inclusion in a major project that holds decades of importance to Disney, racism defined the story, and it allowed once more for nasty right-wing hate campaigns to pretend there was a real backlash at play here rather than simple bigotry.
I for one, am very excited for this casting. I remember seeing this young star performing on the Macy thanksgiving day parade and now she’s nominated for Grammys, on a hit TV show and now the lead of a Disney movie. I’m so proud of this young sister. I’m loving the success her and her sister have been achieving and I know this version of the little mermaid is going to be special for the little girls growing up watching it. Representation matters. Growing up in the 90’s, there wasn’t much representation of ourselves in media and what what was in the media usually had glorify the lifestyle of gangsters, thugs, drug dealers and everything else we didn’t want kids to emulate (but eventually would since their only entertainment was hip hop & R&B). I know for a fact I will be seeing this film in theaters and I honestly can’t wait to see the modern/Live action version of the musical sequence “Under the sea”!
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Finally, A proper Spider-man Sequel!

7/1/2019

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Sony is finally getting  back on track with the Spiderman franchise (with Marvel helping every step of the way). I honestly didn’t know how this film would live up after Infinity War and End Game but its the perfect ending to the infinity saga if you ask me, and maybe.. one of the best spider man films I’ve ever seen (besides into the spider verse).
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Spider-Man: Far From Home is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and the twenty-third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Jon Watts, written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Parker is recruited by Nick Fury and Mysterio to face elemental threats from another dimension while he is on a school trip to Europe.
By October 2016, discussions had begun for a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, with a release date given to the film before the end of the year. Holland was confirmed to return in July 2017, with Watts and the writers also confirmed to return by the end of that year. In 2018, Jackson and Gyllenhaal joined the cast as Fury and Mysterio, respectively. Holland revealed the sequel's title ahead of filming, which began in July 2018 and took place in England, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the New York metropolitan area. Production wrapped in October 2018. The film's marketing campaign attempted to avoid revealing spoilers for Avengers: Endgame prior to its April 2019 release. Spider-Man: Far From Home premiered in Hollywood on June 26, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 2, 2019, in 3D and IMAX. The film was positively reviewed, with critics calling it a "fun and satisfying sequel" and praised the performances of the cast, particularly Holland and Gyllenhaal. It has grossed $110 million worldwide. The movie has only been out in New York for 2 hours and it’s already making millions. This is actually the first time I ever seen a movie released on a Monday.  It’s a work night! I got to be at work in 9 hours but I had to see the latest spider man adventure before going to bed.
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I really enjoyed this film. I could go ahead with the cliche “the actors did a great job”, “the visual effects were amazing”, bla bla bla.. but what really amazed me is how emotionally invested I was in the film knowing who the villain was before Peter Parker/Spider-Man did. Any fan of the comics or TV shows know who the villain of this film is, even though the trailer tries to misdirect you but even though you know who the villain is, you’re at the edge of the seat screaming at Peter to stop what he’s doing (but of course he can’t hear you). I literally punched a wall watching Peter doing something really stupid in the second act (I don’t want to spoil it for you). Now my only complaint is that this film villain storyline feels a bit copied from “The incredibles” but they do make it work, connecting the film to Avengers: Infinity War/End Game and goes back all the way to Iron man 1 and 3 (and even “Captain Marvel” if you stay for the end credits). This film is a perfect epilogue to the long ass book that was the MCU.
Defiantly a must see for any marvel or Spiderman fan. If you haven’t seen any Spiderman films, you can enjoy it but this film is really fan service. Fan service for the ones who love the Mysterio character, those who want to see Peter tell MJ how he really feels, how soon does she find out that he’s Spiderman (Look at the old films with Tobey McGuire and see how long it took MJ to find out before and you’ll get your answer), does he every accepts the responsibility that comes with his great power? Funny enough its the same stuff over and over again if you read the comics and watch the show, just told in a different medium but hey, I love it. 10 out of 10.
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