Month: June 2020

Released: February 1986(Hong Kong)

Director: Chia-Liang Liu

Rated R

Run Time: 94 Minutes

Distributor: Shaw Brothers/Celestial Pictures

Genre: Action/Martial Arts

Cast:
Jet Li: Zhi Ming
Jianqiang Hu: Chao Wei
Qiuyan Huang: Sima Yan
Hai Yu: Master Shi Ren

As someone who grew up watching Kung Fu movies like Enter the Dragon, I’ve learn to appreciate all forms of the martial arts.  I even dabbled in the arts myself with styles like American Kenpo Karate and Wing Chun Kung Fu.  There’s something alluring about training your body to move in ways that most people aren’t aware of.  The genre of the martial arts flick goes back nearly a century with its origins in the Far East.  You see, back in the day of the old Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest production companies, you had to have a background in the martial arts if you wanted to be a part of a Kung Fu movie.  Whether you were a part of a traditional Kung Fu school or a member of the Peiking Opera House, it was mandatory that you needed to know martial arts in order to pull off some of the wild techniques that you see in these older movies.  Yeah, you could have stunt doubles, but actors like Gordon Liu and Jackie Chan didn’t really need them.  The Shaw Brothers production was the oldest and most well-known in Hong Kong, at least until Golden Harvest showed up.  Most people don’t know that the Shaw Brothers are the reasons why we have actors like Gordon Liu and Cheng Pei-pei, who played Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  There was one actor who showed up towards the tail-end of the Shaw Brothers dominion of the genre.  You may know his name: Jet Li.

Jet Li stars as Zhi Ming, a monk training in a northern Shaolin temple in ancient China.  He continues training until he learns that a birthday party is being held for a particularly corrupt official who was responsible for the murder of Zhi’s parents.  Defying his Shaolin masters, Zhi makes his way to the city when he encounters a group of assassins from a SOUTHERN Shaolin temple who are also out to kill the same official.  After failing to kill the official, Zhi, Chao Wei, and Sima Yan escape to regroup and try again.  That’s the story in a nutshell, and it’s been the basic formula that these movies have used for decades.  It’s more or less a reason to show off the martial arts prowess of the people and actors involved in the film.  Thankfully, the industry and genre have evolved a great deal since the Shaw Brothers era in terms of writing and story telling.  You still see these stories being told today in different forms, though.  It’s a tried-and-true plot that when well executed, never ceases to entertain.

Generally speaking, most people don’t go to Kung Fu movies for the story, although films of the last 20 or so years have proven that a Kung Fu movie CAN have a great story to go with it.  No, most people watch Kung Fu movies for the action and the fighting.  If you want martial arts, you came to the right movie.  There is rarely a moment where you are NOT seeing martial arts employed in some fashion.  There are some training sequences at the Shaolin temple which are incredible to watch.  You really do see that these guys know their stuff and it’s incredible.  A lot of these folks really are Shaolin monks and have spent years, even decades, training.  But you also get to see Jet Li at an early stage in his career.  This guy is fast.  He’s an expert in wushu and other styles and you really buy him as a monk.  A lot of Kung Fu movies prior to Martial Arts of Shaolin have employed wires to one degree or another, in order to exaggerate certain moves.  I’ve seen two, MAYBE three instances where a wire was used in this movie.  Outside of that, all the action and martial arts are grounded.  Yeah, there’s high-flying acrobatics, but that’s because of the stunt team and again, not much wire-work there.  But the fight choreography is second-to-none.  It’s one of the best choreographed movies I’ve ever seen, especially for an 80s Kung Fu flick.  You also get to see different styles used here.  From certain animal styles like the praying mantis to various weapons like the spear and the three-section-cudgel, you get a lot of bang for your buck here.

Acting-wise, everything here is about what you would expect from a Kung Fu movie of this era.  It’s fairly over-the-top, especially the villain.  I think they just want you to know that the villain is a bad guy with his over-the-top evil laugh.  I will say, though, that Jet Li was pretty good here.  He even had some funny bits when he dressed up as a sheep-herding woman.  It was actually pretty funny, mostly because you really don’t see Jet Li doing a lot of that anymore.  He’s clearly having a good time here, and it’s pretty goofy.  It works, though.  It keeps the tone light and not super-serious.  That’s the kind of thing that people tend to go to movies for.  The set and costume designs are excellent.  The cinematography is something to behold.  I have to give serious credit to Hong Kong’s cinematographers.  They really know how to showcase the Chinese countryside and landscapes.  There’s some really beautiful shots in this movie.  They even shot some of the film on the Great Wall of China.  It’s mostly on location.  I didn’t see a lot of moments that were shot in a studio.  That’s a real testament to the film-makers involved here.

The film is well-directed and well-shot.  You can see the action, which is a rarity these days, because film-makers have a tendency to use shaky-cam or extreme close-ups to hide their ineptitude in action sequences.  This is the third film that Jet Li had ever made, and he would go on to become one of the most well-known martial arts actors in the industry along side Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen.  Martial Arts of Shaolin would also be one of the last big film productions that the Shaw Brothers would have before switching to TV.  The moment Golden Harvest Productions entered the picture, that was pretty much it for the Shaw Brothers, at least in that particular form.  As far as Kung Fu movies go, Martial Arts of Shaolin is definitely worth checking out.  If you’ve got Netflix, it’s on there as well as Amazon Prime.  If you are a fan of the genre, there is no reason for you NOT to check this one out.  It’s fantastic.

My Final Recommendation: This is a must-see for Kung Fu and Jet Li fans. 9.5/10

I love action movies.  I love movies that have awesome fight scenes.  Movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix, and Enter the Dragon come to mind.  But for every Neo vs. Agent Smith, you have a Liu Kang vs Shao Kahn.  I get that making an action film isn’t easy.  No movie is.  But for the movies that I’m going to be putting on this list, they really could’ve used either a few more takes or required a different action director/choreographer.  But for some reason, some of these movies just made do with that crap that they filmed….and…well, audiences know when something is absolutely dog-shit.  I’m talking bottom of the barrel stuff here.  So, strap yourselves in, this is going to be a bumpy ride.  For your consideration, an appropriate amount of snark may be applied.

Liu Kang vs. Shao Kahn – Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

Speaking of Liu Kang vs Shao Kahn, I decided to watch Mortal Kombat: Annihilation today.  In fact, this movie is kind of what inspired this list.  Anybody who is familiar with action movies and Mortal Kombat is going to know that Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is one of the worst movies ever made.  Yet, despite all the film’s problems, it holds a special place in my heart as a movie that is “so bad, it’s good.”  This final battle is one of the worst final battles I’ve ever seen.  There’s a lot of bad fight scenes in this movie, but this one takes the cake.  The clip that I’m showing has Liu Kang turning into a dragon(or a loose stool interpretation of one) and Shao Kahn turning into a multi-headed hydra.  It’s bonkers.  The choreography here is absolutely awful, considering that the actors involved are martial artists.  To be fair, though, the character of Shao Kahn has always used brute force, not finesse.  I could honestly write a dissertation on why this movie ain’t good.  I may actually do that at some point, but I digress.  Yeah, this is bad.  It’s so bad, it’s hilarious.

Sever Vs. A.J. Ross – Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever

The Matrix inspired a lot of knock-offs when it was released including Jet Li’s The One, Swordfish, and Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever.  This particular film follows Sever, a female assassin as she’s being chased by Ecks, a hardened former FBI agent.  I’m not even going to get into the story, because there isn’t much of one.  This is one dull, plodding, and weak-sauce film.  The one thing I can absolutely say that this film has going for it is that there isn’t a lot of CGI.  The explosions, stunts and fight sequences are all done in camera.  So, there’s that.  You also have Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu in the lead roles, except they’re not given much to do except collect a paycheck.  Ironically, what we have here is yet another final battle, only this time it’s between Lucy Liu and Ray Park(yes, THAT one).  Ray Park is an exceptional martial artist as he is an expert in Wushu Kung Fu, and it’s on display in this fight.  There’s a problem though:  This fight sucks.  The choreography is amateurish and slow, and it doesn’t have any impact.  It’s just lame.

Matt Damon vs. Marton Csokas – The Bourne Supremacy

The first three Bourne movies are some of my favorite action/espionage movies ever.  Matt Damon just crushed it as Jason Bourne.  The first film was fantastic, and you could tell what was going on in the action scenes, but when Paul Greengrass took over as director for the second and third movies, all that went out the window.  Greengrass prefers the “gritty and realistic” look of the shaky cam technique.  I fucking hate the shaky-cam, especially in close-quarters combat.  You can’t see a thing.  Look at the clip I posted.  Can YOU see what’s going on?  No?  Neither can I.  The only real reason that shaky-cam is used in these fight scenes is to hide bad choreography.  That’s really the only reason.  The third movie wasn’t as bad as the second, but it still got on my nerves.  The constant use of shaky-cam gives me a head-ache.

Tony Jaa vs. Marrese Crump – The Protector 2

The Protector 2 was supposed to be Tony Jaa’s big comeback after his meltdown on Ong-Bak 2 and 3.  Instead of being a comeback vehicle for Mr. Jaa, The Protector 2 ended up being a complete disaster.  It has its moments, but those overshadowed by the fact that this film was intended to be in 3D.  It’s PAINFULLY obvious that there were certain scenes that were shot with 3D in mind.  The obvious green-screen effects are embarrassing, and this fight on the train tracks is nothing short of atrocious.  Ignore the fact that a lot of it is shot on a green screen.  The mere physics of the fight are wonky as hell.  Both Marrese and Tony’s feet are soaking wet, so what do they do?  They have a fight on an electrified track…..that would’ve fried them both within seconds.  Also, the sound effects used for this fight are lightsaber sounds.  Yeah, the film-makers used lightsaber sound effects to “enhance” the electrical effects of the scene.  This scene also commits the biggest sin:  Having Tony Jaa on wires.  He made his name on movies where he didn’t need wires to be flying around.  Here?  Wires are constantly being used.  The first film was a hard-hitting action-fest of a movie, and was incredibly fun.  This?  Don’t bother with it.

Zai vs. The Guardian – Highlander: The Source

Highlander: The Source is, in my humble opinion, the worst film on this list and the worst film in the Highlander franchise.  Say what you will about Highlander: Endgame, but that film had some really great fight sequences, especially the ones with Donnie Yen.  Highlander 3 was goofy fun, and the second film….well…it exists.  The problem with The Source is the writing and the fight choreography.  Holy shit, this is some of the worst of both that I’ve ever seen.  The fight sequences involve a supernatural character called The Guardian, who supposedly guards the source of power for the Immortals.  This first fight scene with the Guardian isn’t the worst in the film, but it does set the tone for the rest of the picture.  It’s also the only fight the shows the Quickening, which is the transfer of power from the dead Immortal to the surviving one.  Not only that, the constant shift of speed between slow-motion and super-fast motion is ridiculous.  Between the fight scenes and the horrendous dialogue and acting, Highlander: The Source has earned its place in the dust-bin of history.  There’s a reason this one went straight to the Sci-Fi Channel.

Superman vs. Nuclear Man – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

There’s bad.  There’s stupid.  Then, there’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.  The Canon Film Group, probably the most notorious movie studio to ever exist, managed to get the rights to produce more Superman movies.  They didn’t just stumble out of the gates, they face-planted.  On the surface, Superman IV had some interesting ideas, it’s just too bad that Canon slashed the budget for the movie to help produce Masters of the Universe.  As a result, story elements and visual effects were the first casualties.  This movie was such a disaster that even the late Christopher Reeve hated it.  Everybody knows that Superman IV is the worst comic-book film ever made.  But most people don’t go into the why it’s so bad.  Well, the final battle between Superman and Nuclear Man says it all.  The entire “fight” is in slow motion, and even then you have two grown men basically wrestling each other.  It’s unintentionally homo-erotic and hilarious at the same time.  Suffice to say, Superman IV was the final nail in the coffin for Canon as the studio shut down and filed for bankruptcy a few years later.  The 1980s were home to many a classic film.  THIS wasn’t one of them.  It doesn’t even enjoy cult status.  Also:  Moving the moon from its orbit?  That would have apocalyptic results.  But then again, the writers of this film didn’t really care…..about anything.

I could go on forever and ever and ever about the worst fight scenes in the world.  Sadly, there’s not enough time in the day for that and there are other things that I would certainly like to write about, but I figured it was time to go over some really awful fight scenes.  Some of them are fun to watch, mostly in a “point-and-laugh-at-it” kind of way.  But it also goes to show that if you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all.  That could also be said for the movies that contain said fight scenes.  C’est la vie.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Best list involving action movies and fight scenes.  I’ve done a number of lists involving the best martial arts actors/actresses and the best action movies, but I’ve never gotten to the point where I would actually discuss the fights themselves, at least not to a great degree.  So, I figured NOW is a good time as any to start describing some of my favorite fight scenes.  In every action movie, there’s usually a ramping up of action to the point that a final battle has to ensue between a hero and a villain.  This is particularly true in movies that involve a lot of martial arts and other forms of hand-to-hand combat.  The final battle is generally supposed to be the most spectacular and executed battle of the entire movie.  It’s not always the case, however, and some action flicks don’t even have a final battle which weakens that particular film in many ways.  So, for this post, I’m going to focus on the films that actually HAVE a final fight that is satisfying and brings the story to a decent conclusion.  Be warned, there will be spoilers.  If you haven’t had the chance to watch these films, I would suggest that you do so.  With that out of the way, let’s have a look at some of my favorite final battles.  These are going to be actual fights, not philosophical beat-downs.  I’ll save that for another time.

Inigo Montoya vs. Count Rugen – The Princess Bride

So, yeah, I’m starting this list off with a genuine classic: The Princess Bride.  I’ve always loved this movie.  It is one of the most perfect and enjoyable swashbuckling adventure movies ever made.  The character of Inigo Montoya is a world-class swordsman that’s been searching for his father’s killer for 20 years.  This fight scene is where Inigo confronts the ruthless Count Rugen.  Despite getting caught off-guard when Rugen throws a knife at him, Inigo battles through the pain while uttering the words, “Hello.  My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die.  Finally he has Rugen cornered and demands that the count give him anything he asks for.  “I want my father back, you son of a bitch,” as he finally kills Rugen.  While I wouldn’t say it’s the most well-choreographed fight scene of the film, what sets it apart is the emotional aspect of the fight.  Mandy Patinkin, who played Inigo, did an interview years ago where he described what he was feeling while doing the fight.  Mandy lost his father to cancer several years prior, so in his mind while he was fighting Rugen, he was fighting the cancer that killed his father.  So, when he kills Rugen, he killed the cancer that took his father.  He said that was his fairy tale.  When you put that in context with the actual fight scene, it packs an even more emotional punch.

Luke Vs. Vader – The Empire Strikes Back

As a huge fan of Star Wars, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up this particular fight scene.  There are a number of reasons why I picked this one of the one from Return of the Jedi.  That one’s a great one and also packs an emotional punch, but that fight requires that we know about the revelation at the end of THIS ONE.  For most of the fight, Luke is battling Darth Vader as if he’s just another bad guy in the Empire.  Vader is obviously toying with him like a cat toys with a mouse.  It’s during the final arc of the scene in which Vader drops all pretense and puts Luke down by cutting off his hand.  Luke was obviously in over his head.  But what comes next is a one-two punch, not just for Luke, but for the audience: “No, I am your father.”  How would you react to the idea that the man standing in front of you, the man responsible for the destruction of the Jedi Order, and a Sith Lord, is your father?  Even the audiences were thrown for a galaxy-sized loop.  It went down in history as one of the greatest twists in cinema, but it also set the stage for the final confrontation between the two in Return of the Jedi.  The other reason I brought this battle up is to show you that the good guys don’t always win.

Queen Bavmorda Vs. Fin Raziel and Willow – Willow

Here’s ANOTHER one from my childhood: Willow.  I consider this film to be one of the most underrated fantasy films of all time and it still holds up today.  What I really like about this particular battle is that it’s not just Willow going up against the evil queen.  You’ve got another powerful sorceress in the mix along with the queen’s own daughter turning against her.  After Sorsha is knocked out, Raziel and Bavmorda engage in a battle of magic for the life of the infant princess, Elora Danan.  It’s spectacular, but it ultimately comes down to Bavmorda and Willow.  As powerful as Bavmorda is, she completely underestimates Willow’s knowledge of sleight-of-hand.  Because of that, Bavmorda ends up destroying herself using the spell that was designed to kill Elora, in a wonderful bit of irony.  Bavmorda’s arrogance allowed her to be outsmarted by someone who really had no experience with sorcery.  It just goes to show you that matter your size, you can overcome any adversary if you’re a little bit smarter than they are.

Maximus Vs. Commodus – Gladiator

A great final battle has to be written like a story.  It has to have a beginning, a middle, and a conclusion.  Essentially, it’s kind of a story within a story.  Gladiator is set in ancient Rome during the time of Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus.  Basically, Aurelius’s most trusted general, Maximus is betrayed by Commodus when he finds his wife and son murdered.  He’s then sold into slavery to become a gladiator for the entertainment of Rome’s citizens.  Eventually, he is sent to Rome itself to fight for the Emperor in the Coliseum.  Another reason what makes a final battle great is how emotionally invested an audience can get in a battle like this.  I have to be honest, the conclusion to this fight pretty much has me in tears every time I watch it.  It’s not just because he succeeds in killing such a wicked human being, but that he succeeded in what he set out to do and he ultimately reunites with his family on the other side.  It’s an emotionally powerful scene that shows how incredible this movie is and how wonderful a director Ridley Scott has proven himself to be.  Also, credit has to be given to Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix for their outstanding performances here.

Casey vs. Nakabara – Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

Now we come to a more traditional martial arts confrontation.  This one is between Scott Adkins’ Casey and Kane Kosugi’s Nakabara.  Ninja: Shadow of a Tear is a film that would fit right in with the ninja films of the 1980s.  Revenge, hand-to-hand combat, and sword fighting are par for the course here.  Like I said before, any good final confrontation is always going to have an aspect to it that feels personal.  In this case, Casey’s wife was murdered by Nakabara to convince him to go on a killing spree that would eliminate Nakabara’s competition in the drug trade.  Casey doesn’t realize this until he sees a knife bearing the same symbol on a similar weapon that was used in an attempt to mug him earlier in the movie.  It’s only then that he realizes that he was betrayed by the person that he thought was an ally.  The story is pretty traditional as far action movies go, and it does feel like it comes from the 80s, only with better fight choreography.  The fight sequences in this movie are amazing, thanks to choreographer and co-star Tim Man.  This final battle pretty much has it all.  Hand-to-hand, bo staffs and swords.  It’s hard-hitting and it’s done without wires.  It’s absolutely one of the best final fights that I’ve seen in an action movie of this sort.  It’s definitely worth checking out.

Captain Jack Sparrow vs. Barbossa – Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

It’s hard to believe that this movie came out 17 years ago, yet it still holds up.  That’s more than I can say for some of the sequels.  Pirates of the Caribbean, despite the fact that it’s based on an amusement park ride, is one of the best pirate movies ever made.  It’s epic, it’s well-written, and it has great characters.  This was back when the character of Jack Sparrow was an actual character and not a caricature of one.  He was unpredictable, charming and funny all at the same time, while also coming across as a serious threat to the people around him.  Johnny Depp’s performance here is one for the ages.  It’s just a shame that the character would end up being a one-note joke in later movies.  The final battle here is epic.  Like I keep saying, final battles have to have an element where one of the main characters has been wronged at some point and is looking for retribution.  In this case, Sparrow’s going after Barbossa after marooning him on an island and stealing his ship 10 years prior.  This fight takes place in a cave and all around it.  The sword-fighting here is top-notch and it’s accompanied by an epic score by Hans Zimmer.  The visual effects and CGI are still amazing and the constant transitioning between the two is outstanding.  This movie is a whole lot of fun, and I keep coming back to it time and time again.

Ripley vs. Queen Alien – Aliens

The original Alien by Ridley Scott was one of the most terrifying sci-fi/horror films ever made.  It also catapulted Sigourney Weaver into superstar status.  While the film is an absolute classic, James Cameron’s follow-up is no slouch, either.  Aliens, released in 1986, would pick up 57 years after the events of the original film.  Ripley, while initially looked at as some lunatic, is told that Weyland Yutani lost contact with a colony on LV-426, the same planet that her original crew encountered the xenomorph on.  So, along with a squad of heavily armed marines, they investigate, only to find out that the colonists found that derelict ship.  The rest, as they say, is history.  This movie is full of iconic moments.  The most iconic being the final confrontation between Ripley and the alien queen.  “Get away from her, you BITCH!”  Honestly, what more can I say about this scene that hasn’t been said before?  It’s absolutely amazing.  Aliens is how you take a sequel, make it a different kind of movie, and still have it be one of the greatest movies of all time.  Great characters, great story and amazing atmosphere make Aliens one of the greatest sequels ever.

Toby Wong vs. Advanced Model – Drive(1997)

If you’ve made it this far, and you’ve been following me for a while, you’re probably wondering why I don’t have more Kung-Fu movies on this list.  Well, here’s one.  A little movie from 1997 called Drive ended up being one of the best American-made martial arts movies ever made.  I’m not kidding.  It’s been referred to as the best Hong Kong film that wasn’t made in Hong Kong.  Mark Dacascos stars as Toby Wong, a super-soldier on the run from the company that created him.  On the run from the company, he essentially kidnaps Malik Brody, a down-on-his-luck wannabe musician.  Together, they travel to Los Angeles because a rival company is willing to pay Toby a hefty sum of money for the module that powers him.  Yeah, the story’s as silly as it gets, but you really come to a movie like this for the story.  You come for the action, and this movie delivers on all counts.  Not only is the fight choreography STILL some of the best I’ve seen in an American action movie from 1997, but the characters here are absolutely fantastic.  Mark Dacascos has great chemistry with Kadeem Hardison, who plays Malik.  The late Brittany Murphy also shows up in a really bizarre performance, but it works.  The real highlight of the film is the final battle between Toby and the advanced model sent to bring him back.  That’s some really outstanding on-screen fighting.  The film’s exciting, it’s funny, and it moves really fast.  This is something that you really would see out of a traditional Hong Kong action flick.

There are a lot of movies out there that have outstanding final battles.  I’m barely scratching the surface here, but these are some of the ones that stood out to me.  What are some of your favorite final battles that you’ve seen?  Comment below, I may add them to a future list.  On the topic of Best Fights, I’ve got some ideas moving forward, so you might see something in the next few days.  Hopefully.  This has been The Best Fights: The Final Battle and I will catch you all on the next one.  This is Major Tom, signing off.

Given the issues that have been happening over the past month or so, I believe a discussion needs to happen.  I’ll be honest:  I spent a couple of days deciding whether or not I should actually write this, but given the current events that are happening across the United States as well as the world, I believe that something needs to be said.  Given that this website focuses on movies and the entertainment industry, I feel it’s best to try and focus on those aspects.  I’m not trying to take away from the Black Lives Matter movements that have been occurring across this country.  Far from it.  As a matter of fact, some of the issues that I’m going to discuss here are relevant to what’s happening today.  The issues of racism and police brutality need to be at the forefront of these social movements, because it’s something that’s plagued African American communities for decades, if not centuries.  With all these protests going on, some companies and movie studios have tried to take a pro-active approach with some of their films.  About a week or so ago, it was announced by HBO Max, a new streaming service for Warner Bros. that they would be removing the 1939 epic, Gone With The Wind from their library because of racial depictions within the film.  People were quick to pounce on the announcement as a form of censorship.  Here’s the thing, though, according to sites like The Hollywood Reporter, HBO Max was only removing the film temporarily with every intention of bringing it back with an added discussion about the film and a denouncement of those depictions.  The film was very much a product of its time, but that never excused the fact that the film glorified the antebellum South.  The issue here is that people jumped to conclusions before reading the articles.  They assumed by the headline that it was going to be a permanent move.  It was not.

Celebrities like Queen Latifah have come out and said that films like Gone With The Wind and 1915’s The Birth of a Nation should be relegated to the dust bin of history.  While I can definitely see their point of view on the matter, I would personally disagree with such an action.  First of all, The Birth of a Nation is far more racist than Gone With The Wind could ever hope to be, yet it’s public domain so everybody can see it.  Getting rid of these films would do a real disservice to the preservation of film history.  These are important films for very different reasons.  Now, I’m not saying that people should agree with what these films have to say.  Not at all.  What I’m saying is that these films need to be preserved to show how far the film industry has come and how much further it has to go in terms of racial equality.  You don’t tackle the issue of racism by sweeping it under the rug or burying your head in the sand, as some of our politicians have a tendency to do.  No, you tackle the issue by shining a light on it and educating newer generations on why these depictions are wrong.  It’s a discussion that’s been waiting to happen, but people are afraid of talking.  I get it.  It’s an uncomfortable issue for anybody to talk about.  However, in order to deal with the situation, you have to see it.  The first step in solving any problem is acknowledging its existence in the first place.  That’s the point from which we start.  Now, over the past few decades, we’ve seen more and more movies attempt to tackle the issues of slavery, racism and police brutality in an honest fashion.  Movies like 12 Years A Slave shine a lot on one of the darkest periods in American history.  It’s an unflinching look at the brutality of slavery and racism.

A recent film, The Hate U Give, is a look at the consequences of a police shooting of a black man by a white cop.  It’s a fantastic film that offers a fairly honest look at not only how cops can essentially get away with murder, but in how some people can twist a movement to their own advantage.  But by the end of the film, it also leaves the audience with a feeling of hope that things can and should change.  Racism is an ugly stain on human history.  It’s fueled these police shootings and other violent acts against minorities.  The question is:  How do we make changes that don’t bring people down?  I fully admit that I’m not smart enough or qualified enough to answer that question, but it has to be asked.  Burying movies that many consider to be racist is not the answer.  In fact, it will have the exact opposite effect.  That I know for a fact.  I took a look at online retailers like Walmart and Amazon for copies of Gone With The Wind and it’s sold out.  The copies that are still there on Amazon saw the prices skyrocket into the hundreds of dollars.  That’s panic-buying.  That’s people being afraid of losing a film that they may rightfully enjoy, even though it’s not going to happen.  This is why I want people to understand that you need to read an article in its entirety before jumping to conclusions.  With what’s happening in our world right now, between the protests and the pandemic, we can’t afford to be ignorant on these problems.  I do see a glimmer of hope that things will start changing for the better in the coming years.  It’s not going to be easy.  It’s going to require effort on our part to make sure things change.  We have to get out and vote in these elections.  We have to stand up against tyranny, cynicism and racism.  But above all, we need to have hope and we need to give people hope, because we all need it.  Now, more than ever.