Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua Team on Runaway Slave Thriller ‘Emancipation’

[obarth]

I love @wire28 ain't no need to beef. especially when I know he's fukking with me.

I know, but I wanted entertainment. I'm a selfish nikka

 

[KingofthePenguins]

I agree with most of that and I definitely agree with the coli or people in general ignoring things like the photograph or about last night. My problem is since the 70s, we’ve told the story of slavery on screens. Whether it’s roots, whether it’s underground, 12 years a slave, birth of a nation (Nat turner), glory (slaves going to war), the new version of roots, Harriet, amistad, free state of jones, etc and as a black man, I got it. I don’t need anymore education on the subject.

Why are you assuming that they are for you and that they are for educational, not entertainment, reasons? Roots is not a movie by the way, and seven within 31 years is nowhere near excessive. If excessiveness is your issue, then you need to be going after superhero projects.

Yeah, those movies about slavery play into the same tropes, but new ways to explore the subject exist and all slavery stories are not the same. The Will Smith project is supposed to Ben similar to Apocalypto and The Revenant, not Twelve Years a Slave. That is logical seeing as Antoine Fuqua puts out action projects.

You have not outright stated that your issue is depictions of slavery altogether, but I am sensing that that happens to be your real issue with it. It is alright if you are uneasy with slavery in entertainment, but trying to push your uneasiness onto other people and have no one see anything with slavery is not sitting right to be honest.

 

[KingofthePenguins]

so many black movies not about slavery, civil rights, etc bomb each year. People who complain about the 10 movies we've ever had on slavery are full of shyt.

That is why one is not even able to engage it seriously, and they are similar to alt-right sycophants in how they repeat the same untruths about the things against which they are rallying. They need to just say that slavery movies have them experience terrible emotions and how they are not wanting to experience that and go to be honest. Everything else is concern trolling bullshyt that is not even true. Harriet performed well at the box office while The Photograph bombed, so they obviously are not being honest in why they really rail against slavery projects.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

If you think there have been “too many slave movies in recent years”, you have both cataracts and dementia. I would say since at least 2012, there have been all different types of black movies in theater and streaming. It may feel that way to you because you haven’t actually paid attention to the non-slave related movies.

Also, based on Fuqua’s catalog, there’s zero reason to think this would be an interesting movie. Will Smith is actually your wild card here.

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

First day

 

[Poetical Poltergeist]

I wanted to see two of my favorite posters beef

Ain't no beef on these streets no mo.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

If yall knew more about the slave he's playing yall wouldnt be so negative.

nikka literally escaped slavery, became a guide, was captured beaten and left for dead by confederates, survived, rejoined the Union Army at the same time they let blacks serve in the military, and then became a war hero during the Siege of Port Hudson in the Corps d'Afrique.

Yall tweakin

Lets hope they explore this and not just tack it on at the end in a paragraph.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

Not in the mood for this. At all. Would be there for any other movie Antoine and Will want to do (even though I really think Antoine is the wrong guy for this) but not this one. Tell new stories. We need to change the narrative and im tired of White America seeing us as victims, animals, or somewhere in between.

It never ends

I thought that that is what you are suggesting. I am not seeing how slavery plays into that. If you want to combat negative images, then you need to shout down shows such as Snowfall and Power. Those shows are popular on here, though, and popular amongst a lot of people who harangue about depictions in entertainment.

I agree that entertainment can often be empathy machines, but I am not seeing how empathizing with slavery is a bad thing. It is a fact that many of the injustices and disparities that we see today trace to slavery, so how is helping draw those parallels in entertainment negative? I am not seeing how that plays into negative stereotypes.

The notion that slave movies are pervasive is just outright untrue. There have literally been seven projects about American chattel slavery to have wide theater runs since 1989. Where are all of these movies about slavery?

Too many of the few projects about slavery are meditations on pain and suffering that solely explore the brutality. Antoine Fuqua is not that type of director, though. He is a commercial action director. The biggest problem is that his projects are not that impressive to be honest.

I believe that they need to try new approaches that steer away from just the suffering and brutality, and there are people who are actually doing that. I cannot say too much because it is a test screening for a project that is not out yet, but one of the best projects that I saw last year is a Hitchcock thriller about slavery and the parallels to contemporary America. You do not get those types of things if you just ban anything exploring slavery.

I agree with you that there needs to be more balance. However, people oughta be going about that by putting out more of things about z, not less about x. Most of the projects starring Black People in recent years are not pushing such negativity, though. Too many of you guys ignore the more mundane images of Black People that you say you want to see (The Photograph.)

Another one, huh

 

[Piff Perkins]

Expect a lot of slave and 1940s-1960s civil rights movies next year lol. Studios gotta recover from coronavirus and what better way to do it than a cheap, feel good movie that can gross 100mil. I can see it now..."a feel good film about race in a post-Trump world" (assuming Trump loses) lol.

no thanks

 

[TheJet]

If it ain't an enslaved African slaughtering slave owners I ain't here for it.

 

[Ahadi]

Will Smith Says ‘Emancipation’ Has What ‘Django Unchained’ Lacked: Love Over Vengeance

Curious as to know why became interested in doing this movie all of the sudden

 

[Ol’Otis]

Will Smith Says ‘Emancipation’ Has What ‘Django Unchained’ Lacked: Love Over Vengeance

Curious as to know why became interested in doing this movie all of the sudden

Love over vengeance?

 

[Kidd Dibiase]

Love over vengeance?

ugh

he wanna kumbaya that role

not support off rip because its a slave movie but this definitely won't have me checking for it

 

[Ahadi]

ugh

he wanna kumbaya that role

not support off rip because its a slave movie but this definitely won't have me checking for it

It’s why I liked underground / Nate Parker’s film because atleast they fought back and weren’t victims. Cause all that’s painted is us as victims as if none of our ancestors did anything.

 

[MIKE SPLEAN]

Love over vengeance?

Trash