43 "Jump Street": A Silly Movie Rewatching Extravaganza

Hello encore!

In order to maintain adherence to my writing goals, I am attempting two posts in one day before the month is over!

In order to further adhere to my writing goals, I will attempt to actually keep this post short!

I have really been appreciating the fact that I have loosened my parameters for which movies "count" in my 52 movies/year goal to include movies that I have watched before.  It's meant that I can revisit movies without feeling, completely arbitrarily and perfectionistically, like they're a "waste of time", which is good because what does that even mean for someone who loves movies??

Not all of the movies I've rewatched are excellent, but that's fine--as dedicated readers may be aware, Husband and I are at times prone to watching movies that are concertedly and intentionally fine--just fine--because sometimes I just don't need a challenge or an emotionally transformative experience.

HOWEVER.  Two recent rewatches are most certainly excellent:

"21 Jump Street" (2012)

and

"22 Jump Street" (2014)

Readers with a very good memory may recall that I have a personal love story with these movies.  In 2012, Husband (then-Boyfriend) and I went to see a terrible Disney movie (unheard of!), hated it immediately, and for then-Boyfriend's very first time ever, we theater hopped into "21 Jump Street", where it saved the evening because it was thoroughly delightful.

In retrospect, it comes as absolutely no surprise that I loved both "Jump Streets", as they are directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller--the directors of a little movie I may have mentioned before called "The LEGO Movie" (2014).

True to form, both of these movies are silly, inventive, self-aware, sweet, and charming, thereby casting off the constraints that would normally accompany remakes of pre-existing media and render them a bit tired, boring, and stiff.  The casts are great.  The writing is great.  I giggled a lot.  Who could possibly complain?

Interestingly, my reliability as a rater for these films is remarkably high, likely aided by the fact that the movies' quality is commensurately high and they have, to my pleasure and relief, held up well with the passage of time.  When I originally saw each of them, I rated both "Jump Streets" (I am oddly tempted and actually barely fighting the impulse to instead refer to them as "Jumps Street", like attorneys general) as a 4.  Upon rewatching them, I gave "21 Jump Street" a 4, and upgraded "22 Jump Street" slightly to a 4.5.

So, if you're in the mood for something easy and fun, please enjoy the national treasure that is Channing Tatum and these two delights of cinema.

{Heart}

Antiracist Accountability: Olympics Edition

Hey everyone,

It's time for this month's Antiracist Accountability post!

This week's news that champion gymnast Simone Biles has withdrawn from competing in this summer's Olympic games is a great jumping off point (gymnastics pun?) for some self-examination for the white allies of the world.

Straight out of the gate, there were some pretty bad takes in reaction to this news.  The over-arching themes were:

--Pearl-clutching and concern trolling for Biles's poor, pitiable teammates (who, despite being fragilized by critics, have seemed to hold up okay)
--Perpetuation of mental illness stigmatization and minimization
--Entitlement to being entertained by athletes, no matter the cost to said athlete

Rife throughout the feigned disappointment for Biles's decision was a boatload of unfounded moral superiority--a stance that many commentators were all too ready to assume while Monday morning quarterbacking about a dedicated and decorated athlete.  Their readiness to browbeat an incredibly accomplished athlete--a LITERAL Olympian widely proclaimed to be LITERALLY one of, if not the, greatest athletes of all time--about the importance of hard work and being a member of a team defies any logic.

...Because it's not about logic.  Not always explicitly articulated but most certainly evident in these responses was also some serious racist bullshit, in what is already an Olympic games (and institution) rife with racist bullshit.

There were several components of racism and white supremacy implicit in the criticism of Simone Biles.

White supremacy has instilled in white people a deep sense of ownership of and entitlement to the labor and excellence of Black people.  In this mindset, Biles's responsible and inspiring decision to respect and protect her mental and physical wellbeing by not competing in the Olympics flies in the face of the entitlement to Black entertainment some white people deeply feel.  She is asserting the fact that she belongs to herself, not the white people who want her to perform.

White supremacy expects effusive and uncomplicated gratitude for all that America has "given" Black people.  The very premise of this demand, from a nation that kidnapped, tortured, murdered, and forced into chattel slavery countless Africans to build its wealth, is repugnant on its face.  Taken to an extreme, this expectation of gratitude can demand that Black people continue to engage in self-sacrifice to the point of self-destruction.  Through her self-preservation, Biles resolutely rebukes this mindset.  She owes us nothing.  She is not disposable.

White supremacy has long-running tradition of concocting and perpetuating the myth that Black people, on whose backs our nation was built, are lazy.  This has led some white people to therefore feel empowered to lecture a Black Olympian--again, I cannot stress this enough, an athlete who is among THE BEST IN HUMAN HISTORY--about the necessity of working hard and being tough.  

White supremacy is predicated on the false belief that white people are, quite simply and as its name implies, superior to members of all other races.  Adopting an attitude of blatant and un-earned sanctimony toward a Black athlete whose literal superiority is consistently demonstrated and well beyond debate is so ludicrous it could only come from this absurd ideology.  And yet, still, some white people seriously (seriously??) questioned whether Biles is great following her decision to step back from this year's Olympics.  When Biles asserts the fact that she is, in fact, the Greatest Of All Time, many white people's anxiety and rage about their lack of superiority is triggered.

The fucking audacity in this criticism is truly stunning.

For anyone reading who noted within themselves feelings of anger, irritation, condescension, superiority, or entitlement toward Biles after her withdrawal from the Olympics was announced, this is an opportunity to take stock of the ways in which you are, perhaps unwittingly, acting out very old white supremacist beliefs.  This is a chance to reconsider these beliefs and commit to doing better.

In conclusion, in case anyone needs a tl;dr on this issue, journalist and poet Michael Harriot had some concise analysis:

And in case anyone is still confused, McSweeney's put together this handy decision tree:

Keep fighting the good fight, friends, and may all Olympians be healthy and proud of themselves for all they've done.

{Heart}

"Wework" "Betting On" the "Action" that is "The Last Blockbuster": Three Meh Documentaries Plus One Charming One

Heyo,

I've watched several documentaries in the past few months.  Some of them have been... fine?  Which led me to the following inspiration for today's post: As I review some of the underwhelming documentaries I've watched in the last little bit, I will also offer alternatives I've seen that vastly outshine them.  And to top us off, I'll share one film that is a delight!  

Let's roll!

First stop on the meh train to mehville:

Anyone who has read some of my past posts can probably guess that I am a giant sucker for a tale of a megalomaniacal new-clothed emperor wannabe wunderkind meeting their comeuppance.  Those stories scratch a certain kind of deep itch--a wish for there to be order and justice in the universe.  I wanted "Wework or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn" (2021) to be that, and it just fell flat.  I got nowhere near enough of the gory details I crave about what the hell exactly happens at Wework to appreciate its gigantic ruse and its eventual gigantic stumble, and of course Adam Neumann hasn't exactly met with the humbling he seems to very much deserve.  I gave this movie a 2.

As an alternative, might I suggest "Fyre Fraud" (2019) or "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" (2019), both of which are:

• way better at delivering big yummy helpings of comeuppance
• way more generous with those juicy details of exactly how cataclysmically poorly conceived and executed each of their silly sham businesses were, and therefore
• way more fun.
• Also I'm kind of devastated I didn't write a post about "The Inventor" because I find Theranos FASCINATING.

Next up on our tour of meh-diocrity (sidenote: the redundancy of this neologism makes me lol):

"Betting On Zero" (2016) reveals the deeply questionable business practices behind the deeply suspicious health food/supplement company Herbalife.  As the company enters the crosshairs of iconoclastic hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, whose gigantic financial position predicting that Herbalife will fail lend the film its name, he subsequently falls into the crosshairs of his apparent rival, mega-investor Carl Icahn.  While this sounds like a perfect recipe for a riveting documentary, this film suffers from the fact that it concluded before the whole real life story.  Just like with "Wework", Googling the outcome of this clash-of-financial-titans battle after finishing this film only deepened my sense of disappointment.  I gave this film a 3.

As an alternative, I recently rewatched "The Big Short" (2015) which is:

• way more watchable
• in a depressing and aggravating way, way more intellectually satisfying
• crucial education that every American should have received at, if not before, the time of the events depicted, and
• admittedly not technically a documentary.

And now for our third and final lackluster mehpisode:

Again, "Class Action Park" (2020) has the makings of a satisfying documentary, but it ultimately falls apart (much like the disastrous rides that comprised this terrifying-sounding amusement park) because it doesn't really seem to know how to tell the story it's telling.  Much of the movie is a tour of Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey in the form of archival footage of the park interspersed with interviews with non-A list celebrities you may or may not recognize who either worked there or patronized the establishment in their youth.  The generally jocular, devil-may-care tone struck by this structure becomes more and more discordant with the fact that literally people died because of the horrific negligence of the park's owner...??  Like.... this is not remotely amusing??  This is an emotionally confused and therefore unsettling film.  I gave it a 2.

As an alternative and in closing, may I present to you:

"The Last Blockbuster" (2020) is remarkably similar in structure to "Class Action Park": it explores a business that had outsized impact on the culture around it and its ultimate downfall through contemporaneous footage with playful interjecting interviews with celebrities with whom you may or may not be familiar (including the delightful Ron Funches!!).  

It is different, however, in some very important ways:

• no one died
• no one is forced to be callously cavalier about the fact that someone died, because no one died
• Blockbuster is actually charming and therefore actually worthy of our nostalgia
• I really liked Blockbuster
• I really miss Blockbuster, and
• this movie makes me wonder if there really was a distinct Blockbuster smell and if so, would I recognize it if I ever encountered it again?

Despite its structural and superficial similarities to "Class Action Park", "The Last Blockbuster" is actually more in keeping with documentaries like "The Perfect Bid: the Contestant Who Knew Too Much" (2017) and "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" (2007); it is a sweet, earnest, gentle, good-hearted biography of the plucky people that comprise microcommunities brought together by their love of a generally wholesome thing entering its twilight.  It's a nice film that leaves you feeling nice.  I gave it a 4.

Fin!

{Heart}

Antiracist Accountability x Pride: "Paris is Burning" for "Kiki"

 Hi friends,

This Pride month, as with last year's, I want to uplift Black and Brown trans and gay people.  While last year I talked about Marsha P. Johnson's gargantuan influence on the movements for gay and trans rights, this year I want to share with you two documentaries about thriving enclaves of safety, joy, and artistry that gay and trans people of color have created in New York City and their evolution through the decades.  

The first is the electrifying classic "Paris is Burning" (1990).

The second is the unofficial epilogue to "Paris is Burning", "Kiki" (2016).

Viewed together, the films offer time-traveling front row seats in the uproarious performance halls and intimate apartments of New York City's gorgeous, resilient, burning bright ball scene.  

"Paris is Burning" introduces us to New York's ball culture and some of the major houses it was comprised of in the late 1980s.  The film reveals the origins of appropriated terms still used today (such as "throwing shade"), but more importantly centers the deep love, ingenuity, and vitality fostered in a community assailed by seemingly endless acts of individual and systemic violence.  Its beauty and joy is made ever sweeter by the heartbreak at the film's conclusion, when the audience learns how many of the film's participants lost their lives to illness and other manifestations of the brutality of oppression.  The poignancy lent to "Paris is Burning" by the ephemerality of its performances and, ultimately, many of its performers lends an enduring, weighty ache to an already indelible film.

As its unofficial sister film, "Kiki" updates us on the state of this community by focusing on the young people who are part of the kiki scene--essentially ballroom culture for teenagers.  "Kiki" shows us that in some ways, things have improved since "Paris is Burning": kiki performers have access to more resources and, in some cases, broader support from family and loved ones than their '80's ballroom forebears.  But of course, societally there is still so far to go until kids in the kiki scene gain the supports, resources, safety, and respect they richly deserve.

These truly are wonderful, uplifting, inspiring, and deeply human movies.  If you haven't already seen them both, I strongly recommend them and I hope you enjoy them!

You can watch "Paris is Burning" here.

You learn more about "Kiki" here and watch it here.

Perhaps obviously, I gave both of these glorious, gorgeous movies a 5.

Happy Pride!

{Heart}

Antiracist Accountability: Tulsa and Black Wall Street

 Hi team,

For this month's Antiracist Accountability post, we're going to get historical.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma that destroyed Tulsa's Black Wall Street.

As a result of the Tulsa race massacre:

• Almost 300 Black people died
• Somewhere between 8,000 - 10,000 Black people were left homeless
• 35 blocks of the previously prosperous majority Black Greenwood District were destroyed
• Adjusted for today's currency, approximately $50 - 100 million in property was lost
• Years of Black entrepreneurship and resilience were wiped out
• For decades, the history of this event was intentionally erased

(Sources for these statistics are listed below.)

Learning about this event is critical for all Americans to better understand our history and the forces that continue to shape our nation today.  Here are some resources for learning more about the Tulsa race massacre and Black Wall Street:

• The Tulsa Historical Society and Museum has an extensive archive of photographs, audio files of interviews of people with firsthand accounts of the massacre, and documents about the massacre, including rare contemporary articles, many of which were later removed from public libraries in an effort to suppress memory of the massacre.
• The New York Times created an interactive resource that allows you to explore the people and businesses that comprised Tulsa's Black Wall Street.
• NPR's Code Switch returned to Greenwood to assess the current state of the neighborhood on the hundredth anniversary of the massacre that you can read or listen to as a podcast here.
• KOSU, Focus: Black Oklahoma, the History Channel, and WNYC Studios are collaborating to produce a six-part podcast series called "Blindspot: Tulsa Burning", which you can learn more about here.
• USA Today's "5 Things" podcast interviewed Professor Trevon Morgan, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics at Ohio State University, about the massacre and the ongoing case for reparations to repair the harm done by the massacre.
• For more learning and reading, NPR's Code Switch put together a list of recommended books and articles.

Given that today is also Memorial Day, the centennial anniversary of the race massacre at Tulsa's Black Wall Street offers an important rejoinder to the patriotism and reverence that typically accompanies this day.  Memorial Day is often framed as a day to reflect on those who fought and died to make America possible and uphold rights all Americans enjoy.  Despite intentional attempts to erase its memory, the Tulsa race massacre is a reminder of the even longer fight, largely by white Americans, to maintain America's sinister tradition of racist oppression.  At its best, perhaps, Memorial Day is about the fight for what America could one day be, while the anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre and the memory of what was lost on Black Wall Street reminds us of what we have always been.  For a nation eternally at war with itself, with its higher and as yet unrealized ideals battling its founding practices of slavery and genocide, it's hard to imagine a more poignant coincidence of dates.

Maybe one day we can finally become a nation that fully manifests our ideals.  Let's hope, one day, the right side of this battle wins.

{Heart}