Attack the Block
May. 15th, 2011 11:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slemslempikeI went to see Attack the Block and took my two remaining housemates along too. I think it's the first time we've actually done anything together, and it was nice.
The trailers beforehand were for the X-Men prequel, in which women did NOTHING except look sultry, undress/kiss; Super 8, in which there was ONE girl character, who didn't talk, and didn't do anything except operate as an object of a boy's desire (also, no female voices at all, but TWO shots of women's arses); and Cowboys and Aliens, where there was a woman who got to talk and do stuff, and then the last shot of her in the trailer is when she is naked in front of a large crowd of clothed people (seemed to be all men). Fucking Hollywood.
I really wanted to like AtB, because it's Joe from Adam and Joe! Doing his first film awww. And it would sort of justified him buggering off and leaving the radio show for so long if it were good. I don't know whether it was just that I was pissed off from the trailers, or whether it's just not my sort of film, but it didn't really grab me. It looked good (not sure about the aliens though), and the main actor, John Boyega, was really great. The story wasn't bad, and I liked the script, mostly - I don't know. Maybe I was in the wrong mood?
I was specifically annoyed that the main female character in it was irritating, and not well written at all. She didn't have any depth to her, while the others (male) all did to some degree. While there were some teengage girls who had smaller parts, and in fact got to kill one of the monsters, none of the women except her were actually part of the main effort, and it bothered me.
Also, you know how in films where it's a bunch of white people, the solitary black person/people will die? This film had a majority black cast, and none of the white people died. That's not to say that they necessarily should have done or anything, just that it "strangely" doesn't work in reverse, which I've seen claimed (by idiots, but still).
(Oh, hang on, checking imdb, one of the policeman was white - but certainly none of the main, named cast.) FFS, I've just seen that they've listed the three main white actors above the black actors who had more to do and say. I realise that this is probably to do with agents, and who's been in most other things - but that's part of it, isn't it. That black actors, even when they get leading roles and aren't just sidelined in a majority white cast, have less clout in getting their names into publicity etc. Whatever - I hope that John Boyega especially does more work that I get to see.
The trailers beforehand were for the X-Men prequel, in which women did NOTHING except look sultry, undress/kiss; Super 8, in which there was ONE girl character, who didn't talk, and didn't do anything except operate as an object of a boy's desire (also, no female voices at all, but TWO shots of women's arses); and Cowboys and Aliens, where there was a woman who got to talk and do stuff, and then the last shot of her in the trailer is when she is naked in front of a large crowd of clothed people (seemed to be all men). Fucking Hollywood.
I really wanted to like AtB, because it's Joe from Adam and Joe! Doing his first film awww. And it would sort of justified him buggering off and leaving the radio show for so long if it were good. I don't know whether it was just that I was pissed off from the trailers, or whether it's just not my sort of film, but it didn't really grab me. It looked good (not sure about the aliens though), and the main actor, John Boyega, was really great. The story wasn't bad, and I liked the script, mostly - I don't know. Maybe I was in the wrong mood?
I was specifically annoyed that the main female character in it was irritating, and not well written at all. She didn't have any depth to her, while the others (male) all did to some degree. While there were some teengage girls who had smaller parts, and in fact got to kill one of the monsters, none of the women except her were actually part of the main effort, and it bothered me.
Also, you know how in films where it's a bunch of white people, the solitary black person/people will die? This film had a majority black cast, and none of the white people died. That's not to say that they necessarily should have done or anything, just that it "strangely" doesn't work in reverse, which I've seen claimed (by idiots, but still).
(Oh, hang on, checking imdb, one of the policeman was white - but certainly none of the main, named cast.) FFS, I've just seen that they've listed the three main white actors above the black actors who had more to do and say. I realise that this is probably to do with agents, and who's been in most other things - but that's part of it, isn't it. That black actors, even when they get leading roles and aren't just sidelined in a majority white cast, have less clout in getting their names into publicity etc. Whatever - I hope that John Boyega especially does more work that I get to see.
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-16 01:12 am (UTC)Yeah, the butts in the Super 8 preview got to me, too. It appears to be something of a kids' film, but obviously they need to appeal to a grown-up audience, too, and apparently the only way to do that is by sexualizing women. Again. Some more. I AM SO TIRED OF IT ALL.
Thor had Natalie Portman as a super-smart astrophysicist (though all she really does is follow Thor around and never actually do anything remotely smart). Also, there was at least one token Asian, token black man, and token tough women, none of whom die. Clearly, the movie is very very equal is terms of gender and racial representation and we are just whiners.
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Date: 2011-05-16 10:47 am (UTC)