The Blackening Cast Poster
*(CNN) — Racism can be funny? Well, not on the surface, of course. But comics and creatives have long used humor to break down stereotypes. In the fractured world, we now live in, whatever works as far as I am concerned. There’s a film out this week called “The Blackening” that uses tropes to get to some truth.
Let’s talk about it.
Something to sip on…
It is a well-known trope that the Black characters in horror films are usually the first to die.
The new film “The Blackening” – about a group of friends on a Juneteenth getaway who find themselves trapped with a killer – skewers the genre and asks if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
I recently interviewed one of the stars of “The Blackening,” Yvonne Orji. “They go on a vacation in the woods, which, first of all, no Black person is doing that. Ever,” Orji joked about the film’s setting.
Yvonne Orji as Morgan and Jay Pharaoh as Shawn in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson
Our conversation turned to a more substantive theme in the movie, described by Orji as a look at “who holds Blackness.”
“[When] President Obama was in office, it was ‘Is he Black enough?’ It was like, well, what does that even mean?” Orji said. “I’m Nigerian American. Is my black experience different? [The film] is a satire, but it’s a really interesting conversation starter.”
It will be interesting to see how those themes are explored in the context of an edge-of-your-seat slasher movie. One thing is for sure: the best kind of art makes us think, as well as entertains and thrills us.
“The Blackening” is in theaters NOW.
One thing to talk about…
The whole art versus the artist discussion is another one that’s been around forever.
Meaning, if you have problems with an artist, do you still support their art? That’s come up again in the excitement surrounding “The Flash” and the film’s star, Ezra Miller. (DC Studios, which produced “The Flash,” shares a parent company with CNN.)
Miller, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, made headlines last year when they announced they were seeking mental health treatment amid multiple legal troubles. The actor nodded to that at the film’s Hollywood premiere this week, thanking supporters for the “grace” they have shown them.
The whole thing has prompted a conversation about whether you can support a project from someone whose actions you may not support. Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts.
You should listen to…
Killer Mike’s activism hasn’t always thrilled his fans.
The rapper and one half of the hip-hop duo Run The Jewels ran afoul during the last Georgia governor’s race after he had warm words of support for the incumbent, Republican governor Brian Kemp, who some complained helped disenfranchise voters of color. He is also a vocal advocate for gun rights.
Killer Mike’s new album, “Michael,” offers up the various parts of himself, he told The Atlantic.
“They see you as half superhero of Run The Jewels. They see you as … Killer Mike the liberal … They see you as Killer Mike the pro-Second A guy,” he said. “These weird groups of people like you for different reasons. But this album gives it all to them in one, and it helps you understand I’m simply a human being.”
“Michael” drops Friday.
Can’t wait to watch…
‘Black Mirror’ Season 6
“Black Mirror” might go broke with all its guest star power in Season 6.
Salma Hayek Pinault, Rory Culkin, Aaron Paul and others have roles in the new season of the series that is hard to explain on some levels. (Think modern day version of “The Twilight Zone” that holds a mirror up to our lives.)
It’s a little sci-fi, a bit fantasy, some drama, a dash of dark humor and a whole lot of interesting writing and performances. Definitely not for everyone, but check it out for the cameos and stay for the plot points.
New episodes are streaming on Netflix now.
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