THEM

 

THEM

 A musician friend that invited me over for a jam session.

When I finally got the Internet at the house, I was able to get Amazon Prime, someone had given me a gift card that I hadn't used. 

So about two weeks ago I had been seeing THEM pop up as a free series that I could watch. I had added it to my watch list. I wasn't so sure about it and I have to be in a certain mood to watch certain progams. So before I began watching THEM I decided to watch Tom Clancy's Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan. I have seen many of Michael B. Jordan's performances and I have made interesting observations. I really enjoyed Fruitvale Station. I had reservations about Creed, and Fahrenheit 451, but his performances opposite male actors have a better delivery than those with female actresses. Maybe it's the maturity of the stars he is on screen with such as Chadwick Boseman, Sylvester Stallone or Michael Shannon. He's working his way more into action movies. Without Remorse has moments and if you are a fan of Michael B. Jordan I don't think you will be disappointed.

Now on to THEM. I decided to just watch an episode one night. I wasn't sleepy and there wasn't anything else I needed to do. I had my assumptions, but I wanted to get that idea out of my head and watch it with fresh eyes with no expectations. The opening reminded me of a Tim Burton film, all of the bright colors of the suburb. The series is set in 1950, but the opening song was Patti Labelle's version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. So, hearing this I already had a bad feeling about the first episode. I know artist take creative license, but sometimes you have to be careful in doing that. There was a song by Judy Garland that played next, 'Get Happy'. The series was created by Little Marvin. THEM is about a black family that moves into a white neighborhood where they discover they are not wanted and that they will literally have to fight to stay alive. THEM is part social commentary, part supernatural and part suspense and thriller.

I didn't recognize any of the actors in the first episode, but after I made the decision to see what was going to happen I saw a few familiar faces. The names are not well known, but I recognized the faces. Type casting is real for many actors. I noticed that these actors had played characters that were racists or sought revenge on other programs. 

I didn't recall with the first episode of any type of disclaimer about the contact of the episode, but later I began to see that flash on the screen. The "N" word was used once and then started to progress. There is also a character in black face that appears in several episodes.

There are some very intense and cringe worthy moments that show up as the series progresses. As I mentioned at the beginning, I have to be in a certain mood to watch certain things and THEM was no exception. Because of all that is happening in our world now there are many similarities that some people of color may be feeling. There are some people of color that may want to avoid watching the series. When I see things like this I think of people that it may anger and the ideas it could put in the minds of people that are somewhat unstable. As an artist/writer myself I don't want to be one of those people that feels art is to blame. I do worry about that because of some of the things that I write about. The conclusion I have come to is that people already have ideas. Sometimes a film, movie or series can help them lay out the plan. The artist has no way of knowing what the audience will take away from what they see or read. This will be one of those conundrums like what came first...

As an artist there are some great performances in THEM. The experiences are real to some, but this is not a series for everyone.

Use caution if you decide to watch it. The ending series song is Young, Gifted and Black. I don't know if I had ever head this song before, but I have had a title in my head for a poem Black, Gifted and Young for over 10 years. I know I have heard the phrase, I'm just not sure where I heard it that it would stay with me. I keep working on the poem until I get it just right

When it comes to differences we can all see the other as THEM.

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Two more Movies

Pinky - (DDD) In one of my film or books or in doing research, I had seen this film listed, but I never saw it. I had seen The Imitation of Life which has two versions about the same subject. Thanks to MoviesTVNetwork I was able to finally see Pinky. The film stars Jean Crane as Pinky Johnson, a fair skinned black woman who passes for white. Ethel Waters plays her dark skinned grand mother. This film deals with a lot of issues that are still relevant today. If you forget race, everyone should be able to understand this film. We are all trying to fit in somewhere. We all have to play the game of life at some point. The rules are different for us all. It depends on what you are trying to achieve. There is some truth in the phrase, “ All the world is a stage and everyone has a role to play.”

The Place Beyone The Pines - (DDDD) This was one of those films that I had never heard of. One of my friends had sent me a bunch of DVDs and they were just in those little white paper sleeves. This saves on shipping expenses. Sometimes the title may be familiar and other times I’ve never heard of the film. I like the idea of popping a film into the DVD player and experiencing a film without knowing the premise. It’s funny that I would watch this particular film, as two of the stars were at ZACH promoting other films. The film starts off going in one direction and then without notice it takes off in a different direction. I really enjoyed this film because it has several twists and turns. A man suddenly finds out he is a father and he wants to take responsibility, but is clueless as to how it all works. A few misfortunes lead him down the wrong path. He doesn’t like the idea of another man raising his kid and he finds himself turning to a life of crime to get money. At that point everything beings to unravel for everyone involved. We are then introduced to a new character and things take another unexpected turn and continue to go in that direction. I will not give away the second part of the film, but I was not expecting the out come. This is definitely a film to see.
The film stars Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez.







Coming soon: The Monuments Men, Lincoln, Savages, Silver Lining Playbook, Django Unchained, ARGO, The Book Thief, August: Osage County, The Kid with the Bike,

The rating system - (d) it’s okay, if you like the stars (D) worth a look, especially if you are a fan of the stars (DD) Great cinematography and costumes (DDD) good script, cinematography, (DDDD) Not to be missed (DDDDD) I highly recommend this film



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Everyday People

I found this film for a dollar and it seemed like an interesting premise and one of the faces was familiar so I picked it up. It’s an interesting story on many levels. It deals with the perceptions we have of people without really getting to know them. For most of us we tend to judge someone by what we see and not what we know. If we see someone on the street begging for money, we immediately think they are homeless or have some sort of addiction. Sometimes the person begging on the street isn’t homeless, but they just can’t make ends meet. But if we just pass judgment and don’t bother to ask, then we’ll never know. Many of us don’t care to know. I too am guilty of that, but I made myself aware of this world that I knew nothing about. People get into a situation because they are afraid or don’t know how to ask for help. When you hear no often enough in your life you just don’t bother to ask your family or friends for help.

Everyday people brings people of various backgrounds together. There are people who work, but they aren’t doing it for the money. They are doing it because they enjoy it. I know it may sounds odd, but it is true. There aren’t many people who can say they have a job that they would do for free. I used to volunteer a lot and from time to time I try to help others, but I don’t volunteer like I used to. One of the reasons is that here in Austin, they don’t seem to supply parking so it makes it difficult unless of course you take public transportation.

We live in a world where we are divided on many levels. There is the racial divide and the economic divide. Sometimes we become a part of this without even knowing. One day we are a part of something and then before we know it we are a part of something else. Everyday is a challenge and if we don’t acquire the knowledge to deal with it, then we are doomed.

Everyday People has won several awards and was written and directed by Jim McKay for HBO films.

Thanks for stopping by, and do come back again. Remember to keep an open mind.