With much of the news and discourse these past few weeks surrounding white people attempting to be black and do black things, On the Floor tackles what happens when white directors decide they want to tell black stories. We argue quite a bit about whether it works, who did it best, and where we are
Profound films come a dime a dozen for Pixar, a studio who has been so successful that when they make good movies it’s seen as taking a step back. But of the profound films and subjects they’ve touched on, Inside Out provides the studio with one of its most challenging attempts at trying to succeed. Thankfully I can report that the film more than earns its profound status and a place amongst Pixar’s beat.
This week’s On the Floor tackles one of the biggest issues currently facing the film industry, the star system. With Jurassic World making a gazillion dollars and everyone cementing Chris Pratt as a new star, we take a look at the history of the star system, how we do and should determine what a star is and where we go from here. We also take ample time to shade Will Smith for his career choices. Enjoy!
Making a film for a star is not a new Hollywood concept, its been done since we discovered what stars can do for film’s box office. Still there hasn’t quite been someone in the package of one Melissa McCarthy to build one around. Thank goodness for Spy then, the smart, wickedly pointed spoof of all spy films, that gives her an amazing movie to lead.
Let me just start off by saying this, San Andreas is a fucking awesome movie! Whew, I feel good that I’ve gotten that out onto the page and now we can move past cursing and exclamation points. San Andreas represents all that is wonderful about the summer blockbuster season: characters you can root for, crazy spectacle, and most importantly, elements that allow you to commune with it in pure ways. Cinema can do many things, but first and foremost, it must entertain.
Simply put, Heaven Knows What is a film by the Ben and Joshua Safdie about a young girl, Harley, who is dumped by her seemingly on-and-off-again boyfriend, Ilya. After a loving decision to try and get his attention, she proceeds to try to find love in ALL the wrong places. This is the scariest film I have seen so far this year! From the very beginning the Safdie Brothers do not let you from their grasp (even when the credits roll at the end). They remind us that this a lifestyle that never ends, and we don’t even know how it started. It just happened.