SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (dir. Boots Riley, 2018)

"this scathing critique of the horrors of late capitalism doesn't even pass the bechdel test" is some real "alexa what is neo liberalism"

I think we get that! but the execution fell flat (and i'm not talking about the sci-fi twist, that saved the last act for a little while). xp

the action climax went on way too long and i felt the audience enthusiasm being sucked outta BAM. I liked the last scene and the coda fwiw.

"i felt the audience enthusiasm being sucked outta BAM"

the essence of Emeril

again, i liked the film plenty! i'm really glad i saw it and glad it exists! i still think it's worth marking really underdeveloped/served-as-an-accessory female characters in what is getting bandied around in the conversation as the year's wokest movie or whatever. professional critics have also observed this problem, while praising the movie overall.

the Last Dragon performance - - - i think it's a reasonably complex scene where you could simultaneously see detroit's intentions and cash's reaction. i don't think it's "supposed to be bad" (though it kinda is - reminds me of doonesbury pastiches of early 80s performance art).... but i do think that it's significant that it's the one scene where we see detroit using her own "white voice," and - - - - sorry i feel like i would get into spoilers to really spell it out, but it's basically directly before the 'rap' scene and they're both about groups of white people basically being reassured that some form of performed racism/abuse of the performer is totally okay and they they audience have been invited to do it by the black performer so hey we're all cool right?? and then we have this universe's version of "i'd buy that for a dollar," or the big memeification of violence subplot, and at a meta-level here we have this movie, a comedy, about black characters suffering... blah blah blah, just saying i think her performance piece is supposed to both a sincere piece of her larger radical praxis (which as we've seen covers a few different kinds of activities), and deeply enmeshed in the economics and power structures of this world..

iirc she uses her white voice in the telemarketing boiler room too

Detroit’s white voice was really funny and pointed

Anybody else catch “Both Sides Convenience Store”?

I didn't. Was trying to keep up with the changing earrings gag.
do you think tessa thompson is better developed here or on westworld?

arguably the lifetime-contract thing is what the movie really gets wrong: the trend is towards making labor more disposable, part-time, and precarious

the scary thing about the future isn't that this unsustainable trend will continue forever, but that as its accompanying social instability increases capital will look for ways to reverse it without actually distributing power to workers, and hit upon reconstructing feudalism

(also of course u.s. prison labor not partic precarious)

excellent point. yes.

Oh good, another promising movie derailed by America's obsession with race

Keep it up

huh?

lol

Oh good,

Oh I just assumed, having watched Get Out yesterday. If I'm wrong, soz

yeah, Get Out would have been a lot better if it had no racial element and instead was a 15 second movie about a girl casually checking her computer and eating cereal and we don't see what she's looking up

Those are the options, true

"i was intrigued by this satire on race in america, but have recently heard things that suggest it may have been completely derailed by including a discussion of race in america. ughhhh it's like get over it already!!!!!"

"i figured the 'white voice' scenes in the trailer referred to telemarketers imitating Betty White. not into all this racial commentary but i do loves me some #GoldenGirls #spiritguide #betrayed"

anyway "America's obsession with race" is a weird way to say "the centuries-long cultural impact and intergenerational trauma of American chattel slavery"

I do like Whiney's movie pitch, though I think it'd be better as a seven hour version, turn up the volume on the cereal

Alison Williams Eats Cereal While Posting About America's Obsession With Race Mechanical Keyboard 4 hours ASMR

I have to admit I found the pro-TSA sentiment in Get Out disturbing.

it was pro tsa worker not pro tsa. very different things

yeah, pretty sure the fact that Rod the TSA Agent saves the day in Get Out was a joke about how useless TSA is in real life.

Slavery isn't something that can ever be forgiven/recovered from. So, move on. Stop trying to deal with it, it can't be. Shit happened. I live in a country where English colonists invaded and didn't much respect the native ppl, we've lived with it. It isn't great but it is what it is.

Otoh be sarcastic on the internet to other white ppl

Keep going

Oh pls you thought Get Out was going to win best movie

The famous best movie award

The fuck is wrong with you albvivertine

Anyway I enjoyed this, warts and all. Wish Yeun and Thompson's parts were improved or excised.

Who cares, Ilx has its mind made up

...about racism?

FPed albviviterine, sorry not sorry to whoever's sock this is

couldn't help but find the movie extra timely considering the images coming out of Spain

Spain: Amazon Workers on Strike Attacked by National Police https://t.co/hljQT2ICoM

— #August21 (@HalfAtlanta) July 19, 2018

Yikes

Some common sense from @BootsRiley pic.twitter.com/tSeHciNbr4

— Conor Gillies (@conorgillies) July 19, 2018

that's well said

Very

https://store.sorrytobotheryou.movie/collections/frontpage/products/tercel

soundtrack album is really good

"i brought all kinds of weapons"
"it ain't that serious, man. it's serious...not THAT serious"

In the Q&A he did after our screening, Boots mentioned that Squeeze and Detroit had a good deal more conversation film but it got cut

Also that the manager of the telemarketing place had an anarchy tattoo on his neck because the Boots’ own manager back then had one and was in(or managed?) the band Neurosis

This movie reminds me of so many classic Boots lyrics

"I used to work at Mickey D's
To my old busta ass manager, LICKY DEEZ!"

"I asked him why I couldn't get mo hours
He said it must be cause I lacked the mental powers
If I was smart then I would be in his position
I left his nose in a busted up condition"

"two inches to the left of Trump" will be fine with many ilxors

good quick read w/ Boots on the history of the American left

https://www.vox.com/2018/7/27/17620246/boots-riley-sorry-to-bother-you-history-of-the-left-interview

oh def, I really assumed workfree was mainly about conditions in amazon express-shipping facilities and so on. arguably the lifetime-contract thing is what the movie really gets wrong: the trend is towards making labor more disposable, part-time, and precarious, not locked-in for life.... not a major problem tho. i do wish hammer got a line about like "hey these people all signed contracts, it's an equal agreement" or w/e. big part of that whole ideology that cd be made explicit.

WorryFree reminded me of the alleged practices of Sea Org, except operating openly and with sufficient legislators bought to make their practices legal. But its real roots, apart from American chattel slavery, is the workhouse tradition of the U.K. and probably other countries. I know that the Salvation Army and other religious organizations have been accused of exploiting the labor of people they are supposedly serving.

Am I correct in not finding any trace of religion in this movie, either as a tool of the ruling class or a traditional support for African-American communities?

Also, LOL at "Michel Dongry."

Man, this was an ugly mess. Interesting, audacious, but ugly. Repo Man comparisons OFFTM. The satire was second-rate Harrison Bergeron in subtlety, and the interesting unionizing stuff got trounced under dirty heehaw bits.