Eternals - Expanding What A Comic Book Movie Can Be

 Director: Chloé Zhao, 赵婷 (Chinese, Woman)

Don't be fooled. The trailers want to make you think this movie is a smash-em-up, space-monster vs. superhero good guys fighting the baddies throughout time. Marvel wants you to go in with your expectations of what comic book movies are. Don't be fooled.

Your first hint is that Chloé Zhao not only directed this movie, she also helped write the script. Yes, that Chloé Zhao, you know, the one that won all those awards for Nomadland. Know that not only was she offered to direct Black Widow, but she turned it down, specifically because she was already a fan of the comic books of the Eternals, and she knew what kind of story she wanted to tell. No femme fatal kicking ass main plot. Chloé Zhao would never be so basic.

Your second hint is that in agreeing to do Eternals, Zhao also insisted on doing it her way - with as little green screen as possible, real sets, real locations, with her own particular cameras so that she could get the giant swooping landscape shots that Zhao is already legendary for. This movie was never going to look like any other Marvel movie, and she made sure of it.

Your final hint - the casting. Let's dive into that one.

A Sea of Color

The main character is Sersei, played by British-Chinese actress Gemma Chan, with all of the elegance we already love her for, with the ability to manipulate matter (woah). South-Asian American Kumail Nanjiani plays the humor as Kingo, but he's also a stunningly handsome (in this universe, movie star) and exceedingly well built. Brian Tyree Henry plays Phastos - the genius, GAY black man whose devotion to family shines. Lauren Ridloff, Afro-Latina actress plays Makkari - a hero with superspeed and happens to also be the first deaf superhero in the MCU. It is wildly important to note that Lauren Ridloff is also deaf, which makes for one of the first times I can think of in recent film history that we have an actual deaf actress playing a deaf character, and god she is magnificent. Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek plays Ajak, the leader of the group and the clear matriarch of the family. And finally, in his first American film, the amazing Ma Dong-seok as Gilgamesh, the beefiest Korean actor on a major Hollywood screen, and using that presence on screen to be a loving caretaker and protector. 

Look at this cast and tell me that they weren't trying to do something special with this film. 

Yes, there are white actors. Richard Madden (Scottish) plays Ikaris - who gets a callout from Phastos' son as quite literally being Superman (this is the first time the MCU has ever mentioned DC, by the way). This is an accurate description, although like Ikaris, has quite the...fall. Lia McHugh (American) plays Sprite, the forever twelve-year old, which we know from Interview With a Vampire always goes well. Barry Keoghan (Irish) plays the wildly creepy Druig, with the ability to possess minds, and becomes a quite literal cult leader. Kit Harington (British) plays Sersei's boyfriend, and is largely absent for the majority of the film. And finally, the biggest hitter on the list, Angelina Jolie (American), who plays Thena. God I love Thena. We'll talk about her separately. 

If you look at this list, even within the white actors the casting very deliberately chose actors from all over, rather than just American actors. Each actor speaks with their native accent, rather than the Hollywood homogenous. We listen to an Irish brogue, followed by a full on funeral rite in Hindi, to a rapid signing. The accents, like the casting, is intentional. The Eternals are a representation of the cultures of the planet, not just what we tend to think of when we think of "superhero". 

Inevitably, someone is going to use the term "checking the diversity boxes", but frankly, I don't care. The diversity here does not stick out like a sore thumb, it is THE POINT. The Eternals are trying to create the standard on which other superhero movies will stand. We don't need the team of white Captain America's anymore, and Marvel knows it.

The Deviants

This is probably the category that made a lot of Marvel fans go "well, what's the point".

The Deviants are the "main antagonists" in this film, or the main baddies/monsters/etc, but honestly they are barely even that. I imagine a lot of people felt that they fell flat, as they don't ramp up in scale to the big bad, they aren't world ending like Thanos.

And that's because they aren't supposed to be.

They're a foil. A mirror of the Eternals, a different side of the same coin. They're coming to terms with their own existence, the fact that their god betrayed them. They have witnessed the genocide of their species by the Eternals, and they're really fucking mad about it.

I will say this about them, that I believe almost all Marvel/DC movies suffer from, which is "shiny monster syndrome". Because CGI has reached a particular point in development, when FX artists are creating a monster, the easiest way for that monster to look realistic is to make them look metallic or shiny. As a result almost all Marvel monsters look relatively similar. Audiences are pretty bored with superheroes fighting the same sort of big bad monster with the big scary teeth, and I don't blame them.

Luckily, by the end of the movie (minor spoiler) the Deviants start to evolve, which takes them closer to their comic-book counterparts, and that's where I think they're actually going to become much more interesting and formidable, but I think this movie is setting us up for them to be their big bad selves in the future.

Do We Really Need More Dr. Strange CGI Sparklies

This the other category of complaint that I saw a whole bunch on the internet, which is basically that the Eternals have have shiny/sparkly powers that look a whole lot like Dr.Strange, and they're tired of that.

To which I say:

Ok???

Like, sure ok, that's boring, but also, only like half of the characters have shiny/sparkly powers that we see a whole bunch, and even within the shiny/sparkly category they're used differently so all of their abilities are unrelated to each-other?

Also, why are you suddenly mad about CGI sparkles? 

You weren't mad about it with Scarlet Witch.

Or Dr. Strange.

Or Loki.

Or Shang-Chi.

Or literally every Marvel character with a magic based ability.

So why are you mad now?

Does it really have to do with the CGI or the fact that you just don't like seeing a black gay man be able to hold his own against white superman?

Hmm.

Not to mention the fact that the literal main character does not have this issue. She touches objects and changes them to other things. Like for example, a bus into a bunch of flower pedals. This also makes for a really interesting main character to watch, because she isn't super "punchy punchy", which I love. If anything, she's a defensive character, which is a rarity to be the star in any superhero lineup.

Eye Candy

Look, we can't talk about a Chloé Zhao movie and not talk about cinematography. This movie is unbelievably gorgeous, because she refused to green screen environments, so they're just beautiful, practice, location based art. The fact that the internet seems to not like this, baffles me to heck. I know, I know, you think that having superhero suits in realistic environments seems weird, but I disagree. It grounds our characters in reality, rather than puts them out of focus. They are of this world, and Zhao is making it a point that they belong here. Setting the characters in real environments makes them not unlike you and me, it takes them off the pedestal that comic movies love to put their characters on. 

Just look at these shots and hopefully you can see what I see.

A Brief Ode to Karun

There's one actor I haven't mentioned yet, which is the incredible Harish Patel. Karun is Kingo's valet, and obvious best friend. He is the human eye that is needed throughout each scene so that the audience has someone to latch onto that is truly like the average person. Karun brings needed levity into many scenes, his enthusiasm for the Eternals is frankly, adorable, and like us, he's just excited to be brought along for the ride. At one point Kingo says that Karun should go home (as it is the end of the world), and he says "and do what? Watch TV?" We love him for it.

Gilgamesh and Thena

At this point, you've probably noticed that the Eternals names are all very similar to rather famous myths. Ikaris - Icarus, Makkari - Mercury, Sersei - Circe. They're not direct counterpoints, but they are canonically the inspiration for many of the myths. 

Gilgamesh and Thena are by far, my favorite reinterpretations of these mythological characters. 

If you don't know the Epic of Gilgamesh, you should become acquainted with it, not for this particular movie, but because it is so important to the stories that we know and love. If you love the Iliad or the Odyssey, or even the Bible, go learn about Gilgamesh.

While there are many descriptions for Gilgamesh, according to the myths he was a great warrior, a giant of a man, and has become a symbol of pure masculinity and power.

Which is why it is so refreshing to see Gilgamesh in this film, depicted as this huge, burley, man with inhuman strength - who cooks pies and treats his love with devotion and gentleness. Gilgamesh in Eternals flips the script on what masculinity means.

His love is Thena - who is of course this universe's inspiration for Athena, the goddess of war. She is clearly, the greatest warrior of all the Eternals, able to conjure and wield any weapon. It is Thena, the feminine, who is the strongest amongst them, and it is Gilgamesh who choses to be her rock and greatest supporter. 

Furthermore, Thena suffers from something called "Mahd Wy'ry" - which is essentially a form of dementia. Gilgamesh watches over her and prevents her from hurting herself or others. It is utterly heartbreaking and beautiful to watch their relationship as Gilgamesh calls her over and over again back from the brink and into reality. The physically strongest characters in this story are also intrinsically tied in gentleness and care. 

Morality, Coming to Terms With God

Oh, shit, did you think I was really just going to talk this movie and skip over the main theme of the film? There's no good way to do this without spoilers, so: 

SPOILERS

The Eternals have been on the planet since the beginning of time. They're immortal. And they think that their entire purpose is destroying the Deviants, but they Deviants have been gone for most of human history at this point. 

So they're just waiting. 

For what? For their god, Arishem, to bring them home. They've done their job, so now they're just sitting there. Their purpose in life has been fulfilled.

Until surprise, it isn't because actually the Deviants were created by Arishem in the first place (the god fucked up), and made the Eternals to correct that mistake. And Arishem only needs them there to allow humanity to propagate as much as possible, to provide energy, to birth a new celestial, like Arishem. The Earth is a god incubator. And the Eternals are there to make sure that it happens.

Convoluted, sure.

But not the point.

The point is that the Eternals have been told one thing for FOUR THOUSAND YEARS, and then suddenly they learn that everything they've been protecting for centuries was doomed from the moment they stepped foot on the planet. 

Their god, Arishem, whom they have served willingly and enthusiastically, for FOUR THOUSAND YEARS, was lying to them. And now, learning the truth of their god, they have to make decisions.

Thing is - according to their god, this is what is best for the universe. More celestials means more life. More universe! This is the way that life continues. Without the celestials, new planets and new species cannot exist. 

On the other-hand, many of the Eternals love humanity, the Earth, and cannot see the sacrifice as being worth it. 

No one in this situation is acting out of malice. There is no bad guy. The Celestials want to propagate life in the universe. Their god has told them how creation happens, and they're helping that happen.

So in the most interesting thing I have seen in a comic-based movie, the heroes split off into categories.

1. Those who believe in their god, and decide to protect their mission at all costs.

2. Those who believe in humanity, and decide to protect that at all costs.

3. Those who believe in their god, but refuse to fight their family, so they just leave.

Religious belief causes this friction amongst the Eternals. They truly, utterly, love each-other, but it is their religion that fractures them. 

And in the end (SPOLER SPOILER SPOILER), Ikaris, having lost his purpose in life, having killed his own family for his god, betraying his love - cries, and we watch his heart shatter. His faith lost, he becomes the myth, and flies straight into the sun to his death.

This is the most human reaction I've ever seen in this kind of film. Religious beliefs fractures families in the real world on a daily basis. Not to mention political ideology. Some of us deal with this by removing contact, others by agreeing to never speak about the topics. But this is not an option for the Eternals, as their beliefs are coming into full focus with a doomsday clock. This mirroring is not unlike what we see today between the believers and the extreme religious in vaccines, or climate change. Belief systems are about to come to a reckoning as our systems fail and people must make decisions that create real time change on our planet. The fight is real, the cataclysmic damage is real. The only difference the catalyst. Eternals asks us if we will fight for each other, against each other, or merely watch. 

Happiest Season - If Happy = Anxiety they nailed it

 Director: Clea DuVall (White, Woman, Lesbian)

Usually, I don't really bother with rom-coms (gay or not) because frankly, they're not my style. I find them cringe inducing and annoying, and largely frustrating. But I kept seeing posts over and over again about this movie that I figured hell, why not - bring on the sleigh bells and the gingerbread.

*Edit from the future - I wrote this review like a fucking fever dream so prepare for that I guess.*

Kristen Stewart and the many Hot Suits

I don't know about you, but I'm really happy to see Kristen Stewart in a movie where she actually gets to have a personality. Not that her character Abby has much personality, but hell, any character has more personality than Bella Swan. That being said, yes I know she's been in other movies, but I'm also just really delighted to see her play lesbian characters.

Also - the costume designer gave us a blessing in the form of Kristen Stewart in suits. The queers are all gonna watch this film if nothing else for the fact that Kristen Stewart has a whole list of suits that she wears throughout the film in which she looks outstandingly, absurdly hot. How in all hell the other characters aren't supposed to guess that she's gay is beyond me, because just LOOK AT THESE SUITS.

I mean come ON 

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of this suit because it is FIRE.

GAY

Supportive Best Friends and Sibling

Dan Levy as John who is too gay to function and Mary Holland as Jane - the total nerd who is absolutely devoted to her family are a delight on screen. I would have watched a whole movie about those two to be completely honest. Yes, they're wildly over the top and not believable, but they're also hilarious - which this movie desperately needed because of the ANXIETY. (We'll get there, I swear.)

AUBREY PLAZA

I have always loved Aubrey Plaza. She utterly stole my heart in Parks and Rec, and she utterly stole my heart in this movie too as the character Riley. She is witty, playful, brilliant, honest, and HOT. She gets real with Abby, listens to her, cheers her up in a fantastic gay bar with wonderful drag queens. And this is a problem mostly because -

Abby and Harper have the chemistry of a Wet Turd Sandwich

This is an issue for a Rom-Com in which you are supposed to root for the main characters to do the thing where they magically fall in love all over again. Because their love wasn't really believable from the very first scene.

In fact - the VERY FIRST SCENE of the film - Harper (who is played by MacKenzie Davis) is desperately trying to get her girlfriend to enjoy Christmas, who typically AVOIDS Christmas because it reminds her of her DEAD PARENTS.

Abby isn't into it, and Harper doesn't care! She is so taken over with the Christmas spirit and her magical night (that Abby clearly isn't enjoying!) that she invites her girlfriend over to her parents house! EXCEPT she lied when she said that she was out to her parents, so her parents don't know about Abby - WHOOPSIE.

Cue the anxiety.

From here on out, its just a snowball of lying and manipulation by Harper - attempting to save face for her panic-inducing extremely dysfunctional heteronormative family. Going as far as to push Abby so freaking far away that the whole time I was just screaming "RUN ABBY RUN" throughout the entire film. Anxiety.

The directors try to remind us of their relationship by having them smooch on-screen, but of course, due to the chemistry being like a cold fish, it's completely unbelievable and feels forced and uncomfortable. Instead, it ends up feeling like gaslighting - where Abby says "I have a problem with this" and Harper replies with "It's not really a problem, you're just being too clingy". A N X I E T Y.

What the fuck was the mall scene?

I don't fucking know what that was. I hated it. It made literally zero sense as mall cops do not act that way. The kids are little shits and slightly terrifying, and is this supposed to be funny? Small anxiety. The mom now thinks that Abby is a klepto and Harper doesn't really try to amend this! Anxiety.

Despite Everything, Abby and Riley Do Not End Up Together???

Which is honestly, a true shame. If that turn had been taken, this movie would have been a KNOCKOUT. Leave your manipulative girlfriend for someone who is hot and honest and brilliant! Who actually tries to show you a good time in the weird small town! Who doesn't prioritize her weird old high school friends and ex-boyfriends! 

But no - we get to go back to Harper-mcGaslighty because wow she had the ability to come out to her parents WAY AFTER SO MUCH DAMAGE had been done and you ALREADY DECIDED TO GO HOME. Yeah, its FINE. Let's just pretend that all didn't happen and we can have a Merry Christmas!!! 

A N X I E T Y.

The Moral of this Holiday Story Is

Gaslighting is fine I guess and all is forgiven as long as you come out to your family and they're okay with it anyway and are shockingly accepting immediately 

but hey

at least Kristen Stewart gets to wear that suit on screen.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire - A Work of Art

 Director: Céline Sciamma (French, White, Woman, Lesbian)

Hold on while I gather my tears for a moment as that is where I have been left after watching this movie.

This review will probably be rather brief in order to not be spoiler-y, but I will begin by saying that it was utterly beautiful.

Visually Speaking

The camera shots appeared carefully picked - each frame seemed delicate and poised just so, no angle was wasted or blasé. The dialogue simple and pointed, almost like a poem. There was no room for excess throughout the film. 

I found myself holding my breath so often, in awe of the starkness of the rooms, the vividness of the colors, the tension. 

Of course, we have to mention the paintings, which were themselves, incredible. The painter Hélène Delmaire did a stunning job - and it was her hands which were present whenever the character Marianne moved to work on each piece. It is through her work that we can quite literally see the development of Marianne's feelings - her piece starts out cold and "correct", and by the end it carries Héloïse's likeness and her inner storm. 

The Actresses

Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel are masterful throughout the film. Their connection is electric, from the very first moment as Adèle hurls herself towards a cliff to the first time their hands touch. They have a constant magnetism that is positively mesmerizing. 

I find myself utterly drawn in by Adèle Haenel - the way she portrays her sorrows, her ecstatic joys, even her nervousness is so exquisite. I found myself wishing that more actresses could learn to capture subtlety in the way she tells a whole story on her face. The final scene of the movie - which I don't wish to spoil - does focus in on her face for a solid minute and it is absolutely the thing that brought me to tears at the end. Magnificent. 

I also want to point out Luàna Bajrami as Sophie, who was a sleeper cell star. I wasn't expecting to love her as much as I did by the end of the film, but she got me. 

It should also be mentioned that there are barely any men present throughout the film (bonus points!).

Themes

For anyone who has only heard the briefest thing about this film (until of course, you read the prior paragraphs) - you know that this film is GAY. And oh boy, it is VERY GAY.

But it's also a wonderful example of what happens when you remove the male gaze from a film. The love scenes are romantic - not voyeuristic. The moments which have the most emotional impact are not the ones you might expect in a romance movie - a slight touch, a joyful look, reading from a book, playing the harpsichord, playing cards. 

Beyond the (gorgeous) romance between the two lady leads, there's also an underlying theme of women's freedom in a 1770 society. A particularly impactful moment for me was towards the middle of the film, where SPOILER Sophie decides to have an abortion. I couldn't think of a movie where I watched an abortion being performed, no less an abortion in a period film. It was unbelievably powerful to see this woman make this choice, and there was no preamble or post speech about how she regretted it or wasn't sure. She knew from the beginning, she did the procedure, and it sucked, but it was then over. It took my breath away. More of this please.

The Music Moments

There are a few "music moments" throughout the movie, but there is one in particular that took me entirely off guard but I was completely into it. The women of the town gathered together at a bonfire and began to sing - at first entirely atonally in an almost choral rendition of the dolby digital start up sound, which turned into a wave of rhythmic pulses and chords in a joyous eruption. I am rather certain that I witnessed witchcraft on film, and it was every bit as magnificent as I thought it could be. This scene alone could have convinced me to watch the whole thing. 

One more music moment - this movie managed to avoid the terrible trope of "non-professional musician for some reason is a perfect pianist". There is a rather lovely moment where Marianne is playing a little snippet of her favorite piece (you'll recognize it) but it's not perfect by any means. She's not overly frustrated by this issue - she gets a little flustered later when she can't remember a part - but her playing ability isn't overdone. I was cheering in my seat.

Final Thoughts

Out of every movie I have reviewed thusfar, this one belongs on the "masterwork" list more than any other. It is absolutely a work of art. 

Antebellum - A Fantastic Movie, Not a Fantastic "Horror Movie"

Directors: Gerard Bush (Black, man), Christopher Renz (White, man)

Allow me to start with two things:

I adore Janelle Monáe.

I am not the biggest horror movie buff.

Both of these things are important, because I wasn't really planning on watching Antebellum at first. Because as much as I love Janelle Monáe, a horror movie really has to be something new to catch my interest.

Luckily (?), I'm not sure that Antebellum was a horror movie, or at least, not in the way that horror movies typically play within the genre.

There is a LOT that I can't say without spoiling the movie, and I promise I won't, but here's a few things.

The Good

Janelle Monáe is, of course, stunning. She is absolutely one of the best actresses on the scene these days, and that makes this movie worth watching entirely on its own. She pulls you into her joys, her sorrows, her laughter, and her pain. And boy is there a lot of pain in this one, so be prepared. If you aren't ready for something heavy, maybe watch something else for a bit, because boy does this get heavy, and quick.

Additionally, although he does not say much throughout the film, Tongayi Chirisa did such a phenomenal job with this role, I can't wait to see him in other larger roles. He made me feel so much for his character despite exceptionally little information, just based on his acting alone. 

Huge shout out to Gabourey Sidibe, who is hilarious, "cute as hell", and just a delight to watch. She really pulled this movie forward in ranking for me, personally. 

There is some absolutely GORGEOUS cinematography here. For the most part, the movie follows through with breaking my least favorite horror movie trope, which is color coding everything to be dark all of the time. There are colors abound, which only add to the surreal feeling and intrinsic unsettled environment. 

The Bad

The writing is trying, really, really hard. A lot of the dialogue seems forced, and although the subject is heavy, a lot of the scenes didn't quite land hard enough specifically due to bad writing. 

I had a big problem with feeling "scared" of the villains partially because I didn't really find them believable. Their dialogue was oftentimes chock-full of cliche, and one of the actors in particular was trying a southern accent on that seemed to slip every other sentence. That being said - there may be a reason for that particular problem, which I find forgivable given the ..... big ole spoiler that I'm not going to do. You get to figure that one out by watching it. But I did find this very distracting.

Finally, I didn't feel scared. Horrified - absolutely. There is plenty about our country's original sin that is horrifying to the bone, but I can't say I felt the level of fear I got from say, Get Out, Us, the Babadook, or Midsommar (which are, btw, the only horror movies that I really like. Sorry, horror fans.). There are a lot of horror tropes that they play with here: the creepy little girl from the Shining, imagery a la Silence of the Lambs, film style from "standard horror" scenes - but none of them landed. They all felt out of place and unpracticed. The timing felt entirely off. I feel like they detracted from the overall story and made it seem like the directors were trying too hard.

That being said....

The Hopeful

I got it. Once the big ole spoiler that I'm not gonna do happened, the movie went from being just "okay", to being EXCELLENT. Suddenly, all the things I was griping with didn't really matter, because it WAS horrifying, and it WAS scary, and wow HOLY SHIT THEY JUST DID THAT.

There is a great deal of "I really need some catharsis" by the end of this movie, and boy does it DELIVER. I was cheering throughout the last twenty minutes of the film. 

It seemed as if the movie was trying to make itself into a horror film, which I have to wonder if it was somewhat pressured into one by production companies, rather than putting forward its own incredible narrative. If it had just focused a little more on its timing and not worried so much about fulfilling horror tropes, I think it could have easily ended up on the masterwork list.

Additionally, this is Gerard Bush's and Christopher Renz's first feature film as directors, and as writers. I have hope that if this is where they start, their work can only get better from here. 

My Extremely Controversial Take on Mulan (Extremely Expanded)

Director: Niki Caro (New Zealander, White, Woman)

This (lets face it, rant) was originally posted to facebook a few hours I had finished watching the movie. I have since added things to it that I feel are necessary to address now that it has been nearly a week. 

Why Did You Watch It? Don't you know about the boycott/paywall?

I felt kinda like I had to because frankly, I did the audition for that lead role. I worked my ass off on that monologue, in both english, and in mandarin. My friends did too. We all had to prove that we had martial arts backgrounds, because y'all this was MULAN, and she had to be a warrior. So even before the trailers even started coming out, I knew more about the movie than most. So I was going to watch it.

I don't agree with a paywall - for anything. Not for concerts, and not for movies. That's all I'm going to say about that, because I've got other things to focus on.

Liu Yifei and her comments

Liu Yifei plays Mulan beautifully. She did the vast majority of the stunt work, and she does so with grace that is fitting for the legend. Admittedly, a lot of people think that her performance was a little one-note, and I do tend to agree. I am not sure if that's entirely from her performance, or from the writing though.

Her comments about Hong Kong are totally unacceptable. Here's exactly what she said, which was a re-post from the government-run Beijing newpaper People's Daily (so not her own words) on the social media website Weibo. 

(in Chinese): "I also support Hong Kong police. You can beat me up now."

The post adds in English: "What a shame for Hong Kong."

The quote referred to are allegedly from a reporter for the state newspaper Global Times, who was supposedly attacked by protesters at Hong Kong's airport after being accused of being an undercover police agent. That being said, with my limited knowledge of Chinese news sources, I haven't actually found any reports about this particular incident. (They might be out there! I just can't find them.)

Ms Liu shared the post and echoed the comment by saying: "I also support Hong Kong police."

I do think that what she said is a clear and direct example of the level of influence of the mainland. If you want to work in China, this sort of sentiment is unfortunately common. 

Despite living in the US, Liu Yifei clearly wants to be working on the mainland. She moved to China at the age of 15 to pursue an acting career - and just like the rest of Chinese-Americans, knowing that pursing an acting career in the US as an Asian-American woman is an insanely difficult path. For a Chinese-American, the route couldn't be harder. Being an English-speaking, American educated Chinese actress in China? She might as well have a golden ticket. Her casting for this role could be seen from a mile away - she was even considered for the role of Mulan for the 2009 Hong Kong film Mulan: Rise of a Warrior. She's a huge Chinese star, and everything she has done has been pretty much playbook for someone whose entire career is dependent upon doing well in Beijing.

A Whitewashed Crew

The costume designer? White. The composer? White. The director? White. 

The costumes looked rather like someone had tossed a bag of skittles on screen - a hyper display of colors which frankly, was quite disney. It was very clear that they were drawing from many different dynasties for costume inspiration (don't worry, we'll be talking about authenticity soon), but if you keep that in mind the costumes were quite accurate - they just mixed together a vast amount of time periods. I would have loved to have seen a Chinese costume designer's take on this, but I did not find myself disliking the costuming. It was still very beautiful, despite everything.

I hated the soundtrack.

I guess I had my hopes raised from the other projects that are technically under the Disney title (Marvel, Star Wars, etc) that had wonderful, memorable soundtracks. But this soundtrack was just pandering to the original cartoon, and even when doing so, extremely basic and boring and forgettable. 

I heard the dizi in the very opening title sequence...but it was not the best. I think I heard a guzheng once. Give me more erhu and pipa, and a goddamn chinese orchestra for fucks sake. It was so clear to me that this composer had no fucking clue how Chinese instruments worked, and just tried to overlay a couple of soloists on top of his clearly standard basic studio orchestra. Barf. 

Do I think that these roles should have been given to Chinese artists? Absolutely. I wish I could have seen the Ang Lee version, who Disney had originally approached to direct the movie, but it wasn't to be since he had conflicts. Disney can do better than this, and I have to hope that they will because...

The Rest of the Cast

The casting for everyone else? Oh be still my beating heart. Donnie Yen, as usual, was absolutely magnificent. I could watch him do martial arts demos for hours and be completely entranced. Jun Yu as Cricket was an absolute treasure. Yoson An as Honghui? Swoonworthy. I hope to see more and more of these amazing actors in more films, and it's so great that they got to star in this totally asian cast.

Last but not least, GONG FUCKING LI as Xian Lang!!! SHE IS A GODDESS and I love her in every movie, but oh my god we got a witch in a mainstream movie about China and I can scream about this for days because my entire childhood featured Chinese witches and I was the only one around who knew they existed - and now EVERYONE DOES! CHINESE WITCHES ARE BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL AND COMPLICATED and Disney fucking NAILED IT which is so rare and I was just *screaming* the whole time.

(screeching in the distance about Gong Li)

If we can cast an all asian cast for a Chinese story, I hope we can eventually hire asian artists for the other aspects too. We're slowly crawling there. 

A Very Brief Yell About Choreography

THAT WUSHU WAS DAMN GOOD. 

Again, DONNIE FUCKING YEN.

Also, there's a fantastic scene where Mulan is sparring off with Honghui and it's just so so so good I was just giddy the whole time.

But where was Mushu? Did they sing "I'll Make a Man Out of You"?

There was no Mushu, no singing-musical moments. THANK GOODNESS. It felt like the legend was actually being treated with respect and care, unlike the original. For those of you who see this as a loss - welp, we are on too far sides of the spectrum my friend. 

That being said, there is a weird CGI pheonix that I cannot quite wrap my head around. Was it an animal companion? A metaphor for her spirit? It seemed like the movie wanted to not pick a side and do both, which effectively meant that they accomplished neither. They needed to pick a hard stance - either the phoenix is real, and design it to seem more real and in the environment, and have the character interact with the phoenix. OR the phoenix is a total metaphor and could be even more stylized, like seeing it briefly - but oh actually its a kite, or a paper cutout. They took the middle ground and it came up short.

The Authenticity Problem

Take a second for me and just picture in your mind what Snow White looks like. Now try Cinderella. If you knew the exact time period and country of origin of each of these characters, are they at all accurate? 

No. Of course not.

It's Disney. Disney has absolutely never been a great source for authenticity. Hell, just go look at Aladdin (or it's similarly weird remake) and you know exactly what I'm talking about.

But lets look at a really, really obvious example to talk about how inaccurate we're talking, and also why Disney did what they did.

At the very start of the movie, we see that Mulan lives in a Tulou - a feat of ancient architecture which is an incredible example of communal living and defensive structure. 

The Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster

These buildings were made at the earliest in the 12th Century CE. They're located in the southern region of China - mostly in the mountainous Fujian region. 

Mulan's story (in the original folklore) takes place in the 4th-6th century CE in the northern region of China - either Hubei, Henan, or Shaanxi. 

In other words, if this took place in Europe, the very beginning of the movie places Mulan in the wrong country, 600-800 years later than she would have lived. It's like going from the medieval to the renaissance. 

That's a HUGE difference from the source material. So why do it? 

Well, China had a lot to say about how Disney would approach this Mulan movie. Keep in mind that at this point, China's movie industry is an even bigger audience than the US. You can even read about how Hollywood is somehow getting even lighter in skin tone when casting  to try to appeal to Chinese audiences. Not only that, but the original Disney Mulan cartoon was an utter flop in China. It upheld the wrong values (personal journey over familial piety), it had a weird talking dragon, it didn't represent Chinese people well. So this time Disney was determined to listen to what China said.

China wanted to showcase the things about China that made it well, impressive. Why show a little hut village when you could show a Tulou? How many of you had seen a Tulou before you watched the Mulan movie? Putting it in the movie shows that Chinese architecture is impressive and beautiful and unique. They wanted to showcase things that made (mainland) China great. Sweeping sands, beautiful clothes (regardless of time period), wonderful wushu choreography. 

Additionally, the whole "qi" thing as a sort of magical factor is very much on the head with a lot of Chinese media and folklore. Think back to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the way those characters literally flew. They may not have called it "qi", but it is rather heavily implied. Add this magical element and not only do you have something thats very Disney-fied (it is the "magic kingdom" afterall), but you are also stating off the bat that you do not have to be historically accurate. And neither China nor Disney wanted that for this version of Mulan.

The Xingjiang Connection

Hoo boy. This is not my realm of expertise but I will try to do my best with the information I have gathered.

There is approximately 1 minute of footage which takes place in Xinjiang, which is towards the beginning of the film when talking about the silk-road. As a result, there is a section of the credits that states as follows:

Thanks to the 'Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Security' and the 'Publicity Department of CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Committee'

As of Friday, Sept 11, nineteen members of the United States congress have sent a letter to the Disney CEO to question Disney's cooperation with "security and propaganda authorities". It goes like this:

"The XUAR Publicity (or Propaganda) Department—which is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—has denied, distorted, and otherwise covered up these crimes against humanity that also include forced labor and a campaign of mass sterilization, forced abortions, and birth suppression against Uyghurs," the letter reads.

The letter asks that Disney explain its cooperation with XUAR authorities, including what contractual agreements were made, Disney executives' awareness of the political complexities of the region, what local labor was used and what Disney policies exist on prohibiting relationships with human rights abusers.

If you do not know what the heck they're talking about about the suppression of the Uyghurs - well, you are in for a depressing time. There are lots and lots of sources about this which you can check but I'd suggest maybe starting here.

This is a much larger human rights problem than I could possibly encompass in a movie review, and I suspect that it will continue to unravel in the next few weeks. I intend to keep an eye on the news in the meantime.

The TLDR

I liked it. A lot. So much so that I felt like I was gonna cry for 90% of the film. But I am a half-Chinese, born and raised in America, from a mainland Chinese mom, who always dreamed of seeing what I loved about Chinese martial arts films in more widespread media. I dreamed of that entirely Chinese cast and seeing a woman warrior take to the screen as the lead.

And yes, it is deeply, deeply problematic. There's a lot in this movie that is clearly "the glory of china against non-han peoples" - but then again, so is the original legend. There was going to be issues in that regard from the very get go. But I think that if we're going off of just the legend itself - the story of a woman who does everything for her father and for her emperor, and how well they brought that idea to life, it's the closest I've ever seen, and I'll take that as a win.

THAT BEING SAID, I do intend to find and watch the Hong Kong Mulan (2009) movie and review that as well. So we'll see who reigns supreme. 

The Fall by Tarsem Singh - A Beautiful Story

Director: Tarsem Singh (Indian, Man)

I cannot think of a more fitting first review for a blog about de-centralizing white-framing than a movie that is quite literally about narrative frames. So here we are.

I've begun writing this the moment I could stop sobbing, so I guess you can keep that in mind as you read this. Clearly, I've been well and truly impacted, and I think this movie rather effortlessly fell (pun intended) into my list of favorite movies of all time.

The General Idea

The Fall revolves around the concept of storytelling. A stuntman named Roy (played marvelously by Lee Pace) is hospitalized, bedridden and potentially paralyzed. He meets Alexandria (played incredibly by young Catinca Untaru), a 5 year old who is staying in the hospital due to a broken arm. He tells her an Epic story, about love and revenge.

On Narration

We see the story through Alexandria's imagination. The world is vivid, colorful, magical, and as a result, accuracy is neither suggested nor needed. It's through the eyes of a child - so Singh had the opportunity to make it as wildly fantastical as they wanted, and they sure did so. 

The narration, on the other hand, is by Roy. Since the literal narrator is not the visual narrator of the film, there are sometimes inconsistencies from Roy's words verses what we see. For example, Roy describes a man as "the Indian" - referring to a native American man. Alexandria sees her Indian co-worker, complete with a gorgeous green turban. That being said, it doesn't take long for Alexandria's ideas to start infiltrating the story, as she corrects Roy and interjects along the way.

The dialogue between the two of them is just stunning. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Catinca Untaru's part was largely unscripted. Lee Pace was in his hospital bed for the majority of the filming, to make Untaru's reactions more real as she believed that Pace may be paralyzed. In a rather infamous scene, she reads a word incorrectly, interpreting an E as a 3, which Pace and Singh decided to keep and play off, which contributes to a significant plot twist. As a result, Untaru is completely charming, and absolutely believable. 

Can We Talk About the SET, or the lack of set?

One of the reasons why this film is so goddamn beautiful is because Singh didn't use any sets. Everything is filmed in real locations, with practical effects rather than CGI. His eye for color is pure artistry, and he utilizes it to maximum effect, filming in over 20 countries.  The filming for the "fantasy" sequences took over four years as a result.

But seriously, just look for yourselves and you'll get it. To say that this is just a small snippet of scenes that made me audibly gasp is not an exaggeration.

Those COSTUMES though

The other thing that made me audibly gasp on a consistent basis is the costuming. Huge shoutout to Eiko Ishioka (Japanese, woman) who designed costumes that is an absolute feast for the eyes. This is one case of where the costuming not only looks incredible, but also adds to the narrative quality of the film. One little touch that I could not get over was how Alexandria wears her cardigan throughout the movie, with one arm in, the whole thing twisted to the side so that she can stick her cast out. Of course, the fantasy sequence costuming is really what you want to stare at for days.

Again, don't take my word for it.

(Roy and Alexandria, who has decided she has the same costume as Roy, obviously.)

(The main characters of the "Fantasy" setting. I particularly love the coat on the far left.)

(If I could own this dress, I would.)

(screaming)

Details, details, details

There's some heavy subjects in this movie. Death (in general), life-changing injuries, suicidal ideation, child labor, poverty, the (insane) risks that stuntmen took in the early days of Hollywood. The interactions that we as the viewer experience with these subjects are largely the way that Alexandria experiences them. This means simultaneously that sometimes she gets more than she can handle, and sometimes she gets a beautifully crafted message. I especially love the scene where an older gentleman gives her a "magic spell" to make fear go-away, which becomes a mantra throughout the film (and the soundtrack!). It is a, sometimes horribly, realistic conversation but it is treated with care.

One moment that I want to address without giving anything away could have been horribly traumatic, but they chose to explore the moment by veering off sharply into the avant-garde. We see seemingly unrelated shots of ice melting, scenery, and then sudden stop motion animation. I think that it was the perfect choice for the situation, fully delivering the emotional content without visually accosting the audience. I would love to see more movies take risks like this, delivering a more artistic and emotional scene rather than going for a gory-gut punch.

TLDR:

Visually stunning, emotionally powerful, with moments of pure joy and moments that made me bawl like a baby. This film makes us question whose story we are listening to, whose eyes we are seeing through, and which voices should be heard. Sometimes it is better to listen than to tell the tale.

The "Masterwork List"

I asked my friends on facebook if they would supply me with what they believed were masterworks by POC and/or non-cisgender male directors. I started it off by listing my own personal favorites.

This list has yet to be "vetted" (again, by me, whose opinions is my own and just a reflection of my own interests and not some professional film critic), but each film will be marked with whether or not I've seen it, and subsequently linked to their reviews if/when they occur.

Additionally, I highly suggest taking a moment to consider the term "masterwork" and the origins of that title. I'm using it here because it is almost ironic to be making a "masterwork" list specifically featuring POC and non-cisgender men, and that makes me giggle a bit. Consider in the future whether or not you want to be using the term for your favorite films. 

Each director has been labeled with their gender, ethnicity, and if applicable - their LGBTQ+ identity. Part of the reason to make this list at all is to have more transparency to which frame you are viewing in the film, and all of these identifiers are therefore important. This is partially to challenge the idea that the white-male gaze is the standard framework in which all non-white male directors become "other-ized". 

A suggestion on how to use The List: Try to not stick to one category of people. If you watch a movie by a white woman, try a movie by a Chadian man next. While the years are not listed below, there are also a great deal of different eras that these movies come from, so try to switch that up too. There is a wide variety of viewpoints on purpose, so don't use it to only find new Korean directors. Broaden your watchlist! 

A quick guide:

✔ = I've seen it, and can vouch for it being on "the list".

alphabetical by last name

Naji Abu Nowar, British-Jordanian, Man

Theeb

Mona Achache, Moroccan-French, Woman

The Hedgehog

Chantal Akerman, White, Woman

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

Fatih Akin, Turkish-German, Man

The Edge of Heaven

Laurie Anderson, White, Woman

Heart of a Dog 

Andrea Arnold, White, Woman

Red Road

Jamie Babbitt, White, Woman, Lesbian

But I'm a Cheerleader 

Jennifer Baichwal, Mixed-Indian, Woman

Manufactured Landscapes 

Ritesh Batra, Indian, Man

The Lunchbox 

Rakhshan Banietemad, Iranian, Woman

Tales

Susanne Bier, White, Woman

Things We Lost in the Fire 

Kathryn Bigelow, White, Woman
The Hurt Locker 

Zero Dark Thirty 

Tony Bui, Vietnamese-American, Man

Three Seasons 

Charles Burnett, Black, Man

My Brother's Wedding 

Niki Caro, White, Woman

Whale Rider 

Jane Campion, White, Woman

The Piano 

Věra Chytilová, White, Woman

Daisies

Isabel Coixet, White, Spanish, Woman

My Life Without Me

Sofia Coppola, White, Woman
The Virgin Suicides 
✔ Marie Antoinette 
✔ Lost in Translation 

Alfonso Cuarón, Mexican, Man
Y tu mamá también

Roma

Lee Daniels, Black, Man

Precious 

Julie Dash, Black, Woman

Daughters of the Dust (The first feature film directed by an African-American woman distributed theatrically in the United States) 

Byambasuren Davaa/Davaagiin Byambasüren, Mongolian, Woman

The Story of the Weeping Camel

Jocelyn deBoer, White, Woman & Dawn Luebbe, White, Woman
Greener Grass 

 

Guillermo del Toro, Mexican, Man
✔ Pan's Labyrinth
✔ The Shape of Water
✔ The Devil's Backbone

✔ Pacific Rim

Claire Denis, White, Woman

35 Shots of Rum

 
Pouran Derakhshandeh, Iranian, Woman

Hush! Girls Don't Scream

Autumn de Wilde, White, Woman

Emma 

Andrew Donsunmu, Nigerian, Man

Mother of George

Cheryl Dunye, Liberian-American, Woman, Lesbian

The Watermelon Woman 

Ava DuVernay, Black, Woman
Selma 
✔ 13th
✔ A Wrinkle in Time

Atom Egoyan, Armenian-Canadian, Man

Exotica 

Asghar Farhadi, Iranian, Man
A Seperation
The Salesman 

About Elly 

Greta Gerwig, White, Woman
Little Women 
✔ Ladybird 

Servando González, Mexican, Man

Yanco

Debra Granik, White, Woman
Leave No Trace

Winter's Bone  

Lee Hae-Jun, Korean, Man
✔ Castaway on the Moon

Keiichi Hara, Japanese, Man

Miss Hokusai 

Mahamat Saleh Haroun, Chadian, Man
Daratt  

A Screaming Man 

Wendell B. Harris Jr., Black, Man
Chameleon Street

Trần Anh Hùng, Vietnamese, Man

The Scent of Green Papaya

Kon Ichikawa, Japanese, Man

The Burmese Harp 

Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican, Man
Babel
✔ Birdman 

The Revenant

Barry Jenkins, Black, Man

Moonlight 

Patty Jenkins, White, Woman

✔ Wonder Woman

Bong Joon-Ho, Korean, Man
✔ Parasite
Snow Piercer
The Host 

✔ Okja

Memories of Murder 

Miranda July, White, Woman

Me and You and Everyone We Know 

Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong/Chinese, Man
Chungking Express
In the Mood for Love 

Days of Being Wild 

Jennifer Kent, White, Woman
✔ The Babadook 

Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian, Man
Taste of Cherry

Where is the Friend's Home? 

Kim Ki-duk, Korean, Man
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring

3-Iron  

Takeshi Kitano, Japanese, Man
Zatōichi

Satoshi Kon, Japanese, Man
Perfect Blue
Millennium Actress  
✔ Paprika 

Zacharias Kunuk, Canadian-Inuk, Man

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner

Akira Kurosawa, Japanese, Man

✔ Ikiru
✔ Seven Samurai 

✔ Yojimbo
Throne of Blood 
Kagemusha 

Ran 

Karyn Kusama, mixed Japanese-American, Woman
Jennifer's Body 

Girlfight 

Ang Lee, Taiwanese, Man
✔ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
✔ Life of Pi
✔ Sense and Sensibility

Spike Lee, Black, Man
✔ BlackKkKlansman
✔ Da 5 Bloods
Crooklyn 
Malcom X 
Do The Right Thing

Bamboozled 

Jennie Livingston, White, Woman, Lesbian

Paris Is Burning 

Rashid Masharawi, Palestinian, Man

Laila's Birthday 

Deepa Mehta, Indo-Canadian, Woman
Fire
Earth

Water 

Takashi Miike, Japanese, Man

Audition 

Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese, Man

✔ Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind

✔ Castle in the Sky

✔ My Neighbor Totoro  

✔ Kiki's Delivery Service

✔ Princess Mononoke

✔ Spirited Away

✔ Howl's Moving Castle

✔ Ponyo
✔ The Wind Rises 

Júlia Murat, Brazilian, Woman

Found Memories

Mira Nair, Indian-American, Woman
The Namesake

Moonsoon Wedding 

Shirin Neshat, Iranian, Woman

Women Without Men 

Sandra Nettelbeck, White, Woman

Mostly Martha 

Ken Ochiai, Japanese, Man

Uzumasa Limelight

Jordan Peele, Black, Man
✔ Us

✔ Get Out

Prachya Pinkaew, Thai, Man

✔ Ong-Bak

Sarah Polley, White, Woman
Away From Her

Stories We Tell 

Sally Potter, White, Woman
Orlando
Ginger & Rosa

Yes  

Joseph Gaï Ramaka, Senegalese, Man

Karmen Gei

Lynne Ramsay, White, Woman

Ratcatcher

Satyajit Ray, Indian, Man

The Music Room/Jalsaghar 

Carlos Reygadas, Mexican, Man

Silent Light

Boots Riley, Black, Man

✔ Sorry to Bother You

Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli, White, Trans-woman, Queer

So Pretty 

John Singleton, Black, Man

Boyz in the Hood 

Abderrahmane Sissako, Mauritanian Malian, Man
Bamako
Timbuktu

Waiting for Happiness  

Lorene Scafaria, White, Woman

✔ Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Hustlers  

Céline Sciamma, White, Woman, Lesbian

✔ Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Ousmane Sembène, Senegalese, Man

Mandabi

Tarsem Singh, Indian, Man
✔ The Fall

The Cell 

Makoto Shinkai, Japanese, Man

Your Name  

Isao Takahata, Japanese, Man

✔ Grave of the Fireflies 

The Tale of Princess Kaguya 

Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese, Man

Woman in the Dunes 

Shinya Tsukamoto, Japanese, Man

Tetsuo: The Iron Man 

Agnès Varda, White, Woman
Le Bonheur
Vagabond
Cleo from 5 to 7

Margarethe von Trotta, White, Woman
Vision - From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen

Hannah Arendt 

Lana and Lily Wachowski, White, Trans-women
✔ The Matrix
✔ The Matrix Reloaded

✔ The Matrix Revolutions

Taika Waititi, New Zealander, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui mixed, Man
✔ Jojo Rabbit 
✔ What We Do In the Shadows
✔ Thor Ragnorok 

✔ Boy

Lulu Wang, Chinese-American, Woman
✔ The Farewell

Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-American, Man

Chan is Missing 

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai, Man

Tropical Malady

Anne Wheeler, White, Woman

Better Than Chocolate 

Olivia Wilde, White, Woman

Booksmart 

John Woo, Hong Kong/Chinese, Man
The Killer
Hard Boiled
Bullet to the Head 

A Better Tomorrow 

Alice Wu, Taiwanese-American, Woman, Lesbian

✔ The Half of It
Saving Face

Zhang Yimou, Chinese, Man

✔ Hero  

✔ House of Flying Daggers 

✔ Curse of the Golden Flower 

The Story of Qiu Ju 

Keep Cool 

To Live   
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles 

Wilson Yip, Hong Kong/Chinese, Man
✔ Ip Man
✔ Ip Man 2

 Ronny Yu Yan- Tai, Hong Kong/Chinese, Man
✔ Fearless

Mai Zetterling, White, Woman

The Girls