WISDOM OF THE SAGES
EPISODE X: FALL 2023
Hello People of the World;
I am once again, too far behind on these. It is January 2024 as I type this. I am wondering if I should keep going as I have not even bothered to create a January 2024 file for the month. But I am compelled to continue because I want to keep writing. But my writing focus has been work-related. So, if I can get this, November, and December’s editions posted in time to also do January’s, then I will ocntinue.
We’ll see. I can barely remember what happened those months and will have to reference the all-powerful faché-book to kickstart the memory grease wheels.
As always: Stay safe. Stay home.
All right, let’s get going:
1:[ This virus really showed how equal we all really are: How much we really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, want to ignore what happened and pretend that ignoring safety protocols is somehow “muricin".
2:[ MOVIE REVIEWS:
Ballerina – Netflix
Holy crap was this good! The John Wick Series has essentially de-evolved into Mansplain the Series. Cool Dude, saying COol things about the exact situation they're in. "They killed his dog and stole his car..." "Oh"
"John will come for you and you will do nothing."
"Why are you here?" Pffft! I mean, who asks that... at a funeral? "I came for the hors d'oeuvres".
This is in the similar vein of action-revenge thriller, but told more economically, with tightly-sketched archetype characters, and standard but strongly-built plot. It also upends expectations, I mean that "Deal with the BIGGER Bad" scene? Chef's kiss. And that auditorium stairs sequence. Cool.
EW3's BEST OF 2023!
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION
Almamula - CIFF
This is a tough one. It is about a young Argentinian teen suffering homophobic attacks, so his overly-religious mother moves him out to the worksite town of her husband, who clears forests, and has him go through confirmation.
Instead, he becomes obsessed with finding Almamula, a "demon" in the forest that takes "bad kids" away.
It's very abstract in dealing with its themes of social isolation, acceptance, and sexuality, dropped against a backdrop of Indigenous removal for deforestation, and a horror tale. Graphic and uncomfortable at times.
I thought it was funny when the director, on-hand for a post-screening Q&A had to explain the Indigenous removal scene to a white dude.
This cracks the Best of 2023 based on my rating. It's a tough watch.
RECOMMENDED (not for everyone)
BEST OF 2023
PS: they aka'd this as "Carnal Sins" for US audience, because: gays.
3:[ This Month’s Essay:
Can't believe this needs to be said:
"Killers of the Flower Moon" IS NOT SHIELDED FROM CRITICISM just because they listened to the Osage for once. Yes, some Osage see themselves reflected in the film. We can be happy they do. But, some Osage DON'T. It is after all, a film that is supposed to be open to criticism.
It's not binary. We can support the Native actors and Osage for their story and still criticize the film for being another example of a white director taking the authority over the telling our own stories. It kind of surprises me that smart folks I know still can't see this kind of revisionism in Native historical films, where Natives are presented and human and sympathetic, still takes our own voices away from us. Because these films follow the tenets of Revisionist Westerns like "Dances with Wolves" and "Little Big Man". White saviors can exist behind the camera as well. The film festival taught me that.
Scorsese isn't magically unlike all the other white directors taking our stories and voice while patting us on the head for being "Good Indi*ns". (Please, let's stop using that word to describe ourselves. We can't reclaim it. We shouldn't. Do any of us know what it how it was used?) In the end, it's Scorsese's name over the title of that film and I don't see the Osage at all the film panels being interviewed by all the major news outlets. Sh*t, instead it's him getting praised by Letterboxd for "listening to the Natives".
It's so weird how we shield the white directors of these films. Where was this shielding and supporting when Sandy Osawa made a film about the same thing in 2007? That was when I first heard about the Osage Murders. But you know who have been trying to tell us about them since the 1920's? The Osage. Too bad our Native community would listen until Scorsese told us his version of the story. It is disheartening how openly we let our own authority over our stories and culture be taken from us. You can't see the wolf in the picture because they are operating the camera....
NOTE: Be prepared for a video essay on this containing this text.
4:[ Observation: I know it started as a joke, but lately, I've been thinking I could actually do a one-man revue about Orson Welles. I've certainly made his "Fat Old Guy wearing an over-sized, black button-up Shirt" Phase. I need to start learning magic....
5:[ We cannot go back to “Normal” all after this: thinking that fresh water is a infinite resource.
That is it for this month.
Man, I purposely made these shorter to make them easier to write for. But I think I made them irrelevant to myself. Especially, since no one reads these anymore. At least I don’t think they do. I know some people had alerts for new posts but like me, I typically ignore these kinds of alerts. So, I did this to myself. What is that called?
As always, I invite you to comment, correct, or contradict anything I write here. I am open to a critical debate. Thanks for taking the time to check out what I write here and I will see you in a month.
Until next time, remember “I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control everything really are.”
2023 Ernest M Whiteman III
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