Lovecraft Country
HP Lovecraft was an absolute racist but that part of him has long gone ignored. I have definitely explained that even Italian was too dark for Lovecraft and he named his black cat the N-word. So when I heard of the book Lovecraft Country which combined the real-life guidebooks that Black people wrote for traveling the country and eldritch horror, I was excited. The involvement of Jordan Peele was exciting and showrunner Misha Green has a history in television. JJ Abrams is just a producer. The show hit me right away with the great combination of realistic stories of racism and extraordinary tales of horror. The show is set in the 1950s with segregation still legal and many laws still on the books making it easier for violence against Blacks to happen. Unlike movies like The Green Book, it does not pretend that racism only existed in the South. Jurnee Smollett is great as the hot-blooded Letitia. Jonathan Majors plays the bookish ex-soldier Atticus who is bucking against the way the world is while trying to be smart about things. Courtney B. Vance plays the older Uncle George who is wise to the guidebooks and is constantly working to explore and add to the book. I definitely recommend this show.
Project Power
When I first heard about this movie, I was intrigued and expected it to be an adaptation of a comic book when it is actually not. It definitely feels like a graphic novel, though. The story of the movie is that there is a new pill being sold that gives people superpowers for five minutes. The superpower depends on a person’s individual genetic markers and is based on animal attributes. The powers are often not pretty and disastrous hence it being an underground drug. It stars Jamie Foxx as an ex-soldier similar to the second Captain America (Isaiah Bradley) who has a personal vendetta. He is joined by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a hotshot police detective. The real star of the movie is Dominique Fishback, a young student who is caught up in the drug world but desperately wants to help. The movie is action-packed and takes a look at how policing, politics, illegal experimentation, and life under the poverty line really works. I definitely recommend it.
Zombies 2
I really liked the first Zombies as it had a lot of bouncy, poppy music but actually had a really good racism allegory. The second movie extends that allegory and really puts more work into it. It is ostensibly about how minorities may try to pass or fit in to get rights instead of being themselves. This includes denying or destroying their heritage in exchange for acceptance. It also explores the situation of how non-minorities can lose their place in their community by siding with minorities. It is not a perfect movie in that sense but it is definitely very entertaining and I hope it educates the average Disney Channel viewer. The whole cast returns and they all get expanded bits in stories. Milo Manheim plays one of the titular zombies who is trying to gain more rights for his kind but is swayed by the siren song of true acceptance. Meg Donnelly plays a cheerleader who has lost ground for choosing to date a zombie and is trying to live her life the best way she can. I was very pleased that they gave more of a role to the franchise’s only black character played by Carla Jeffry who is adorable. Although, the addition of the werewolves does bring in the dynamic Chandler Kinney who is so charming. I recommend this to those who like bouncy musicals.
Music of the Week:
Cardi B – Money
Steven Page – The Work At Hand
Bring Me The Horizon – medicine
Lauren Jauregui – More Than That
Weekly Update:
This week’s theme is “Racism and the Supernatural”
I watched more Riverdale Season 4
I watched more Nancy Drew Season 1
I watched more Watcher videos
I watched more Watchmen Season 1
I watched more Batwoman Season 1
I watched more Rizzoli and Isles Season 5
I watched more Harley Quinn Season 1
I watched more Muppets Now Season 1
I finished Hannibal Season 1
I finished Scientology and the Aftermath
I finished Elementary Season 2
Wolf of Words 