Difficult to watch, but a VERY powerful film.

Stymie said:

LadyZsaZsa said:

Stymie said:

Saw it and wish I could unsee it. The actors were amazing but it was painful to watch. Reminds me of the violence in Passion of the Christ.

I won't see it.

Believe me, I almost didn't see it myself so I understand...

I think this movie will kill it during the awards season. Should be interesting to see if a black director, black screenplay writer and/or black lead actors win in their prospective categories.....

man, powerful stuff!!! glad i saw it. i knew i would. difficult subject matter doesn't make me back down or want to 'unsee' stuff. i think our inability as a country to watch such unflinching truth is why were still in "kindergarten" as it relates to race, racism, and the emotions the whole complicated subject brings up in us. Chiwetel's my guy and I'm so happy for him, Steve McQueen is becoming a mancrush for this piece of cinematic genius. and for once, I'ma have popcorn for the Oscars. I mean dag. Best Actor alone could look like this:

Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale

Forest Whitaker - The Butler

Chiwetel Ejafor - 12 Years*

Idris Elba - Mandela

*= will and should win!

And don't let me get started on Patsey (Nupita sp?)!!!!

datdude said:

man, powerful stuff!!! glad i saw it. i knew i would. difficult subject matter doesn't make me back down or want to 'unsee' stuff. i think our inability as a country to watch such unflinching truth is why were still in "kindergarten" as it relates to race, racism, and the emotions the whole complicated subject brings up in us. Chiwetel's my guy and I'm so happy for him, Steve McQueen is becoming a mancrush for this piece of cinematic genius. and for once, I'ma have popcorn for the Oscars. I mean dag. Best Actor alone could look like this:

Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale

Forest Whitaker - The Butler

Chiwetel Ejafor - 12 Years*

Idris Elba - Mandela

*= will and should win!

And don't let me get started on Patsey (Nupita sp?)!!!!

Your post reminds me what I love so much about America. We aren't a perfect nation but to see that these actors, even the ones who aren't American themselves, can portray the lives of folks who could only dream to have a fraction of the opportunities that we have today. I will be right there with you and Chancellor with HOT buttery popcorn for the awards season this year

I saw 12 Years a Slave over the weekend. Very Powerful. Chiwetel Ejifor is Brilliant and he will win the Oscar for Best Actor. Steve McQueen will become the First Black Director to win the Oscar for Best Director. I really wanted a Black American to win Best Director one day but I'll settle for a Black Brit...LOL.."12 Years a slave" will win the Oscar for Best picture becoming the First Film featuring a predominately Black cast to do so. It will not win Best Screenplay even though it should. Steve McQueen & Lee Danielshad to graduate from the SAME film school of CRAZY...LOL...They Love taking the viewer OVER the damn edge.

***********************************************************************

I will say this about Director Steve McQueen. I've seen his other flick "Shame"and it was good but extreme. So it didn't surprise me that he focused on the beatings of Slavery, it's his style. Had Steve gone any further torturing the female slave "Patsey" I really believe the film would have been a WASTE. I wondered for a minute if the ENTIRE 2nd part of the film was gonna be about this Slave being tortured and why we needed to see beating after beating. We get the point Steve, we really do. The Essence of the Film would have been lost to the Viewer had that happened. Directors ALWAYS tell a story through their eyes and I'm glad Steve decided to hold back as much as he could on his enjoyment of over-the-top Extreme-Crazy.

I read an interesting online article published on Nov 11th that featured actor James Franco (Planet of the Apes, The Great & Powerful OZ) views on the movie. James said he LOVED watching the Slaves getting beaten. He said physical violence is what Viewers wanna see and he's one of those viewers. James said he was so captivated that he had to see the movie 2 nights in a row...

Chancellor said:

I read an interesting online article published on Nov 11th that featured actor James Franco (Planet of the Apes, The Great & Powerful OZ) views on the movie. James said he LOVED watching the Slaves getting beaten. He said physical violence is what Viewers wanna see and he's one of those viewers. James said he was so captivated that he had to see the movie 2 nights in a row...

James Franco gets on my nerves.....seems like he is overrated or something lol

SeventeenDayze said:

James Franco gets on my nerves.....seems like he is overrated or something lol

..LOL...One thing is for certain he'll NEVER host or co-host The Oscars again. The year he co-hosted with somebody is said to be the worst ever..

Lammastide said:

MoBetterBliss said:

watched it the other day... Didn't dig it

I have not seen "Hunger" but do you get why the Director continues to hire Michael Fassbender to star in his films?

Chancellor said:

I saw 12 Years a Slave over the weekend. Very Powerful. Chiwetel Ejifor is Brilliant and he will win the Oscar for Best Actor. Steve McQueen will become the First Black Director to win the Oscar for Best Director. I really wanted a Black American to win Best Director one day but I'll settle for a Black Brit...LOL.."12 Years a slave" will win the Oscar for Best picture becoming the First Film featuring a predominately Black cast to do so. It will not win Best Screenplay even though it should. Steve McQueen & Lee Danielshad to graduate from the SAME film school of CRAZY...LOL...They Love taking the viewer OVER the damn edge.

***********************************************************************

I will say this about Director Steve McQueen. I've seen his other flick "Shame"and it was good but extreme. So it didn't surprise me that he focused on the beatings of Slavery, it's his style. Had Steve gone any further torturing the female slave "Patsey" I really believe the film would have been a WASTE. I wondered for a minute if the ENTIRE 2nd part of the film was gonna be about this Slave being tortured and why we needed to see beating after beating. We get the point Steve, we really do. The Essence of the Film would have been lost to the Viewer had that happened. Directors ALWAYS tell a story through their eyes and I'm glad Steve decided to hold back as much as he could on his enjoyment of over-the-top Extreme-Crazy.

I saw Shame, the ending was a bit much for me.


I guess if I see Thor after this I'd be okay.

i beg to differ that Steve McQueen FOCUSED on the beatings in 12 Years. He showed a sufficient amount to properly tell the story truthfully. i haven't seen Hunger or Shame but it seems Steve's origins as a VISUAL artist before directing inform his film making style rather than "being over the top" and the body is part of the "art."

I also don't feel there was anything "over the edge" about The Butler, so he and Lee Daniels aren't kindred spirits IMO. 12 Years and Precious were both based on books, so to me, doing justice to the source material is important. Now Tyler Perry is the one who doesn't know the difference between drama and melodrama!

I prefer knowing, that way when I go see it I'm not thrown for such a loop. But my son did mention that is seems there is an obligatory slave movie every year. I'm beginning to wonder is he right and if he notices, being a part of this generation, then maybe, just maybe, things need to be re-thought sometimes.

If there's a Holocaust movie every year (in some variation, Striped Pajamas, Defiance, Minute Men, Valkyrie etc.) there can be a slave movie every year in equal variation. The Harriet Tubman story BEGS to be made. This current generation from my estimation needs to see ALL of them too. Their flippant use of the N word and belief in a postracial fallacy is indicative that they aren't paying attention close enough.

morningsong said:

I prefer knowing, that way when I go see it I'm not thrown for such a loop. But my son did mention that is seems there is an obligatory slave movie every year. I'm beginning to wonder is he right and if he notices, being a part of this generation, then maybe, just maybe, things need to be re-thought sometimes.

Just because there were high profile movies about slavery this year and last year does not mean there is an obligatory slave movie every year. What was the obligatory slave movie of 2011? 2010? 2009? 2008? There were none.

morningsong said:

I saw Shame, the ending was a bit much for me.


I guess if I see Thor after this I'd be okay.

Thor is next on my list but the New Hunger Games sequal is calling my name....

sexton said:

datdude said:

Chancellor said:

morningsong said:

Chancellor said:

I couldn't get in to the hunger games so I'm passing on all the other movies.

Did you think the first Hunger Games was too "Teeny Bopper/bubblegumish" or did the plot & storyline turn you off?

Chancellor said:

Chancellor said:

morningsong said:

Chancellor said:

Did you think the first Hunger Games was too "Teeny Bopper/bubblegumish" or did the plot & storyline turn you off?

Oh boy, I disliked the first Hunger Games... such lame conflict scenes and situations. It did seem very teeny bopper to me. Kind of like the revamped Teen Wolf they put directly on MTV. Kind of like Twilight which was laughable!

Something like Harry Potter, on the other hand, managed to not seem so dumbed down, or lazy.

ufoclub said:

Oh boy, I disliked the first Hunger Games... such lame conflict scenes and situations. It did seem very teeny bopper to me. Kind of like the revamped Teen Wolf they put directly on MTV. Kind of like Twilight which was laughable!

Something like Harry Potter, on the other hand, managed to not seem so dumbed down, or lazy.

..LOL...I liked the first one but I agree with you about the dumbing down of the scenes & situations. From what I've been reading Part 2 is more Dramatic/edgier...Different director...The studio will soon find out if going with a different Director/Vision helps pull in the Bigger Bucks.

MoBetterBliss said:

Lammastide said:

For those who haven't yet seen McQueen's first feature film Hunger, I'd very much recommend it. It's difficult, but it's quite an arresting film.

watched it the other day... Didn't dig it

I respect that. It definitely is work to watch.

Chancellor said:

ufoclub said:

Oh boy, I disliked the first Hunger Games... such lame conflict scenes and situations. It did seem very teeny bopper to me. Kind of like the revamped Teen Wolf they put directly on MTV. Kind of like Twilight which was laughable!

Something like Harry Potter, on the other hand, managed to not seem so dumbed down, or lazy.

..LOL...I liked the first one but I agree with you about the dumbing down of the scenes & situations. From what I've been reading Part 2 is more Dramatic/edgier...Different director...The studio will soon find out if going with a different Director/Vision helps pull in the Bigger Bucks.

I'm reading that part 2 of the Hunger Games is better.

In terms of stories where people are put out in the wild to fight each other, it has competition in my brain against things like Battle Royale, Apocalypto, Deliverance. I know there's some good one I'm forgetting.

Okay folks, time for you all to start a Hunger Games thread and stick to the topic at hand (12 Years)