FINALLY, A BLACK BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE
HITS THEARTERS NATION WIDE
A Box office ‘Marvel’ one paper called it, “‘Panther’ pushes past estimates”, is the sub title. That was the caption on page A10 of one of my least favorite free mini-newspapers called amNewYork on Tuesday February 20, 2018. For the most part, a sleazy liberal propaganda tool that rarely tells the truth about political matters, without mixing it with their brand of false and even fake news that is hostile toward conservatives.
But this brief piece, coopted from Reutters, unlike most articles in that paper, I found useful, mainly because it spouted statistics and did not go off into “leftist” spins of the new as it usually does. The article states that:
“Black Panther,” staring Chadwick Boseman and directed by Ryan Cooler, has blown away its original tracking. The film, which carries an estimated $200 million production cost, had been tracking to bring in between $100 and $120 million when estimates emerged on Jan. 25. Since then, “Black Panther” has become far more than just a popular tentpole title. Instead, it’s become a must-see event as it veers into record-setting territory”
That Sunday, it is said to have finished with $60.1 million, making it the “second” best Sunday in industry history, behind 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” record of $60.6 million.
It is also said to be the highest three-day debut ever for a February film, but the fifth highest of all time behind only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($248M), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ($220M), “Jurassic World” ($208.8M) and “The Avengers” ($207.4M).
Now I will not bother to inject here the many times that such statistics have proven to be tampered with. Nor will I address the motives to under report Black movie successes that White Hollywood and those who control the statistics that are reported are driven by. I will leave that to others better qualified to expose such things. I will just say that I am personally aware of White run movie theaters that tamper with ticket sales to keep Black movies from reporting as doing as well as they actually have.
I was shocked when I looked at my ticket after I came from the movies seeing “The Help” some years ago, and found out that I was given a ticket for a White movie that was playing at the time instead. This has happened at least twice to me at different theaters. And I am sure there are other ways that they can tamper with the figures. So I have no reason to think that the reporting on a movie as important as “Black Panther” will be accurate rather than under reported.
When the announcement was made some time ago that Marvel Cinematic Universe was finally bring a Black super Hero to the big screen in his own film, it was followed by mix emotions, some negative, but fortunately, overwhelmingly positive. I complained that it was long overdue, and that it should have preceded many of my favorite White super heroes that had already made their way to the big screen of Marvel.
Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that Wesley Snipes did not get his wish to do a “Black Panther” movie back in the 90’s, It would have been nice, but due to the poor technology available then, as compared to now, it would not have done justice the hero, no matter how good the writing and acting was. But that does not excuse the White Powers in Hollywood’s failure to recognize and present Black themes and talent in the manner that they should have all these many years. And it certainly does excuse their dishonesty about there not being a sufficient audience for our kind of movies.
But now that the time has arrived and “Black Panther” who made his spectacular first appearance in “Captain America-Civil War”, has arrived in theaters on Feb. 15th as limited premiers, and on Feb. 16th nationwide, I predicted that many would be using this film to further their own personal agendas and I was right. From the many greedy shysters looking for a way to make a quick buck, who set up so-called fundraisers on “go fund me” and other places, to supposedly help Black children who can’t afford to see the film, go see it, while no doubt, padding their own pockets with lots of money for their car payment, mortgage or whatever else they want to buy; to the many special interest groups seeking to us it to promote their cause; to the many Trump haters on both the “left” and apparently on the “right”, who could not write a review of this important movie without making it about politics.
The openly liberal-left “TIME” magazine’s cover story “A HERO RISES” by Jamil Smith for instance, was heavily peppered with anti-Trump comments amidst an otherwise pretty good article. That is, aside from his constant insinuation that “Black Panther” would show Hollywood something about the marketability and lucrativeness of an all Black or mostly black film in a world media market. This is a repeated theme in many articles I have read about the film, and it is false. Yet Vanity.com said:
“Strong business for “Black Panther,” which cost nearly $200 million to produce and roughly $150 million more to market, would send a clear message to the movie industry that certain communities are still widely underserved”
But Hollywood had known for a very long time that well done Black movies make lots of money, they just do not care to make money if it means promoting Black themes that could empower Black people too much.
Ramin Setoodeh, New York Bureau-chief reported:
“Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, first realized that “Black Panther” was more than just movie when the trailer debuted at Cinemacon last year to tears and cheers. It suddenly dawned on him that “we were doing something that people had been waiting their entire lives to see,” says Feige,”.
It is amazingly tragic that “some” White’s in powerful places in Hollywood still pretend to suffer from the “I didn’t know” syndrome when it comes to the effect that marginalizing Black talent and subject matter on the big screen has had.
Kevin Feige is said to have also said in that article:
“Everyone deserves to see themselves reflected on that silver screen and the inspiration that comes from it.”
The Question is, why hasn’t he seen to it that it was done long before now? It certainly has not been the thinking of Hollywood bigs since Hollywood began.
I remember growing up watching lily White TV programing with mostly rare spots of poorly defined Black People showing up from time to time. I had see so much of White people on TV that I literally fell in love with beautiful White women, and had the utmost respect for White people, while seeing my own ethnic group as marginal or even below average. That was the goal of the programmers back then, was it not?
It would not be until many years later that I had my mind-set broken from glorifying White people, and that came as a result of being exposed to the likes of the early radical Malcolm X. But that took me to the other extreme, and I eventually found myself thinking that I hated all White people.
But thank God for the Christian Church, it was my involvement with the church, (Emmanuel Tabernacle in Jamaica, Pastored By Mary Moss) that caused me to be determined to see the world and all in it through a biblical perspective. And from that time on, I have never allowed myself to be manipulated by foolish ideas.
I now love my White brothers and sisters just as I do all ethnicities. And I can criticize them all when they are wrong, including my own.
The Vanity.com article also stated:
““Panther” marks the first time that a major studio has greenlit a black superhero movie with an African-American director and a primarily black cast, including Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright as Shuri, the princess of the fictional African country Wakanda.”
The question is, why? If we were as persistent and insistent as other groups are, this would have been done a long time ago, and far more often.
But rather than acknowledge the ethnic prejudice of Hollywood, there is the tendency to point to audience numbers as the excuse for the delay. Note this comment:
“While domestic ticket sales plummeted last year, the number of frequent African-American moviegoers nearly doubled to 5.6 million in 2016, according to a survey by the Motion Picture Assn. of America. Some are paying attention.” (Vanity.com)
The truth is that the numbers of Black moviegoers has always been high. To use this as an excuse not to service us with movies that look like us is dishonest and demeaning. But then again, we are just as much to blame because we allowed it. We should have started our own sustainable Black version of Hollywood a long time ago.
The Homosexual activist issue
Also of concern to me is the role that the homosexual activist community played and will play in this film. They are always involved in big money making events in Hollywood, and seek to influence the public through movies, yet many in the Christian community seem to be too afraid to say anything about it, or them for that matter.
Considering how homosexuals activists have pressured the Star Trek franchise into featuring homosexual concepts in their TV series, and a homosexual couple in their major blockbuster film “Star Trek: Beyond”, the major character, “Solo”, (It is even claimed that there was a kissing scene that was thankfully cut out), it should not be a surprise that they would continue their aggressive push in other areas as well.
Before it’s over, there will be multiple primary homosexual characters in the Star Trek series, because homosexual activists are just that arrogant, bold and persistent.
I understand that they’re new “Star Trek: Discovery” series, which I have not seen yet, has a potential transgender character. That the female second in command, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, is the star of the series, and her name is, get this, “Michael”. This is likely a hint at transgenderism or an open door for them to incorporate transgenderism into the series at some later date.
Brian Fuller promised to include homosexual characters in the series when he was running the show.
And the persistence of the homosexual activists in their demanding “positive” representation on TV and in movies has and will continue to pay off, while Christians generally remain silent and passive concerning the take over of Hollywood and media by homosexuals.
That persistence is not limited to Star Trek and other TV sitcoms, dramas and movies. It has long been not only directed at the comic book industry, as I reported some time ago, but it also targeted Marvel studios, and will continue to do so until they also bend to the homosexual activists agendas.
Even now before the “Black Panther” movie can even get shown good, the homosexual activists, (both open and still in the closet) in media are stirring up conversations about an alleged homosexual scene in the film that was supposedly cut out. And some even claimed that “Black Panther” co-screenwriter; Joe Robert Cole admitted on a phone call interview, that it was in the film.
Needless to say, that since Hollywood is flooded with homosexuals both open and in the closet, and some believe it is indeed run by homosexuals, it is just a matter of time before everything that comes out of Hollywood will be homosexually tainted, that is, if it is not already.
I wonder when Christians and people of true moral character will get the sense to form their own movie “industry” that is void of self-aggrandizing perversion and obscenities. That is something that is truly long overdue.
It is a shame that we can’t even have a Black movie that tells a good story about nation hood, without a homosexual demanding to be represented, as if being homosexual is something wonderful, which it is not, and never has been or will be.
While I care about the struggle of the homosexuals seeking help with their same sex desires, (being a true Christian demands this), I am not obligated to defend or celebrate the act of homosexuality as something healthy and good, (Christianity does not demand that).
The fact that we as a society have allowed people, who are suffering from mental disorders, to dominate our thinking about homosexuality, that is clearly wrong, and made it something to be supported, protected and even celebrated, is an indication of just how deeply we as a nation have fallen away from God.
The sheer illogic of the claims made by homosexuals in all their forms should normally be rejected, but in stead, it is accepted by many, and foolishly tolerated by others.
The “Black Panther” movie should not be allowed to be overshadowed by homosexual activist’s interests, nor by political interest either for that matter. Even social issues have been incorrectly injected into the movie.
The Daily Beast’s Ira Madison III (a Black Male), in his article, said
that the film was “utterly disinterested” in appealing to a white audience.
But that is clearly not true since the film did have a White male in an important role ( C.I.A. agent), who saved Black lives. A role that could have easily been given to a Black actor. Which speaks to the apparent need of the Black director, to do something to let his White peers and exeutive White overseers know that he was not excluding them. Something that White directors, rarely seem to be concerned about, considering the number of movies, news programs and Sitcoms that have been and are totally White.
Danai Gurira, in the article “Watch the Throne” in Essence magazine, incorrectly stated:
“In this story, T’Challa returns to his homeland to step into his father’s shoes and perhaps avenge his death.”
But nowhere in the film does T’Challa indicate this. And in fact, in “Captain America: Civil War, he has the opportunity to kill the man responsible for his father’s death and he chooses not to take his life.
And what is it with Hollywood’s love affair with Black actors and actresss degrading themselves or playing strong negitive roles. One article stated:
“Reviews also praise Jordan’s portrayal as the villain, with some saying his evil performance is among the best the Marval universe has ever seen.”
Now I am not sure who made the statement, but I disagree, and anyone who has seen all of the Marvel movies would know just how exagerated that statement is.
But then, when Hattie McDaniel, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Monique can get Oscars for playing roles that were degrading, but not for any of their roles that were positive, why should we expect anything less from them?
Separating entertainment from theological truth
While “Black Panther” was indeed extereemly entertaining, well written and excuted by the excellent choices of chosen actors, Christians must remember that it is not theologically sound. Though beautifully representitive of African culture, Wakanda is not a real place, and while sociologically appealing for “Black” people, ancestral worship is contrary to the teaching of the Bible. (Matt. 4:10) Or any communication with the dead ((Lev. 19:28; Deut. 18:10-13). And the exaggerated human connection to animals is also contrary to the teaching of the Bible.
(Gen. 2:18-22, Rom 1:25) But it plays well into the thinking of modern day Transhumanists.
As Christians we must never allow our apitite for entertainment to cloud our view of reality and truth.
I fully enjoyed the film, though it did have problems. One being the shaking in what seems to be most of the actions scenes, making it difficult to see what was going on. I suspect it was a necessary money saving method to avoid the higher cost of fine tuned detail in each strip.
But it was bearable and so did not make the movie impossible to watch.
The special effects, the beautiful landscape and the amazing out door civil war battle in Wakanda, as well as the good story, line far out weighs the visual issues.
I have seen it twice already and I plan to see it again. I figured, I would make it three times as hard for them to down play the numbers the film racked up.