12 Years A A Slave

[Zander]

Just curious...what's the formula in this one?

[MENTION=20854]Zander[/MENTION]

Alex Haley's "Roots" laid the foundation for all "slavery" films.

I appreciated the actors, their performances were excellent. The production was excellent. But the story felt old to me. Like it had already been done, a lot.

You still haven't given me the formula as you understand it. You're basically just restating what you said the first time.

An example would be for a romantic comedy would be

1. Boy sees girl
2. Boy falls for girl
3. Girl thinks boy is loser
4. Boy gets girl
5. Boy loses girl
6. Some drama happens that bring them together
7. Girls falls for boy
8. Boy gets back girl in the end

That's what I was looking for, that's a formula.

About 3 romantic comedies come out per week, how man movies that cover slavery come out? Perhaps 1 every decade? If that?

You seem almost upset that the movie even exists. There aren't too many of these movies in existence, certainly not enough for you to state that "it's been done...a lot."

So...tell me the formula you got for this film. I'm curious to know.

I am not upset about the film being made. I went out of my way to watch it! But I do hear what you're saying.

Slavery is such a heavy, depressing, topic. I don't enjoy seeing human beings treated as chattel. I don't like seeing anyone degraded. It's like a horror film to me.

So, for me there is a formula. equal parts violence, degradation, racism, and pain.

 

[MarcATL]

I am not upset about the film being made. I went out of my way to watch it! But I do hear what you're saying.

Slavery is such a heavy, depressing, topic. I don't enjoy seeing human beings treated as chattel. I don't like seeing anyone degraded. It's like a horror film to me.

So, for me there is a formula. equal parts violence, degradation, racism, and pain.

Cool, you get it.

That's the thing about these films, their uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.

Let me share something with you.

My dad, he's about 72 now, doesn't watch these types of films. He says it makes him too angry. Here's the thing...he's not even American. Doesn't live here, he lives back home in the Caribbean.

That's how uncomfortable these films are.

I believe that's what you're responding to, that discomfort with the content.

The scene that bothered me the most was that whipping scene.

I flinched more than 3 times, and looked away at least twice. And I'm just here on my computer watching it.

I'm currently download "Non-Stop" w/Liam Neesan, which also stars Lupita Nyong'o.

Should be a better watch.

 

[MarcATL]

Historical dramas that don't have Brad Pitt cameos.

Really?

I wonder who made that rule.

Brad Pitt actually STARRD in a historical drama...



Excellent film that I saw in the theaters at the time.

You're not good at this, are you?

Let's see--Brad Pitt's production company makes a movie in which Brad Pitt plays the only white person who is not competing in the scum of the earth championships....curious coincidence.

The only character in the movie who wasn't a one dimensional stereotype was the guy who got himself killed and tossed into the river near the beginning. Even the lead was played about as completely flat as one person could possibly be. I was looking forward to seeing this movie and it ended up taking me 4 sittings to get through it it was so boring. Even the homecoming scene at the end that should have been the apex of the film had all the love, joy, warmth of someone meeting their mate's parents for the first time. A good true story was greatly disserviced by this treatment.

Hahaha, yeah...I noticed that too.

However, with that said, I still believe the cast was pretty damn near PERFECTLY cast.

Don't you?

 

[MarcATL]

Here's a good review I read of this the other day.

'12 Years a Slave' Is Harrowing and Illuminating | PopMatters

I think this sums up my sentiments rather perfectly.