Jay and Silent Bob Again?

I had been struggling to come to terms with the news that Kevin Smith dropped a couple of weeks ago that he is in the process of writing another Jay and Silent Bob movie.  Another one!  As one of my Twitter followers said... "Didn't Jay and Silent Bob say enough"?

Jay and Bob to Return

In the article, Kevin Smith stated that one of the participants of Clerks is not going to participate so that killed the idea of doing Clerks 3( another bad idea).  I think we all can guess that actor,Jeff Anderson, who plays Randall in Clerks is the non participant.  He and Kevin Smith have had a rocky relationship since Clerks and it probably fell out again and you cannot do Clerks anything without Randall.

So instead of working through that or creating new characters, or something else, Kevin Smith falls back to Jay and Silent Bob.  Now look, his non View Askew stuff has been more misses than hits.  I liked Jersey Girl probably more than most people, but his most recent offerings have been way off the radar for me and most of the mainstream population.  I mean movies about people turning into a seal, Nazi hotdogs, and cheap knock off horror movies ain't gonna break any box office records.

But those are his movies.  His non-movie related stuff has been doing well. I do not watch Comic Book Men but I know alot of people that do.  His work on directing episodes of the Flash and SuperGirl have gained raved reviews.  And when he can stick to a schedule, his comic book writing has generally been on point.

So why keep coming back to Jay and Bob? I know they are familiar and family, but the characters are relics of a time gone by.  Stoners and dudes who sale drugs( well white dudes) is not cutting edge anymore.  You can buy pot legally in many states now and getting pot illegally ain't really that hard.  Plus by age, Jay is in his 40's- Are we really gonna pretend that a 40 year old spewing obscenities and vulgarities and humping the ground isn't more sad than funny at this point?

The characters of Clerks should continue to live in comic book form and maybe a reboot of the criminally  underrated cartoon series.  But more live action Jay and Bob.... No thanks!

The Producer

We feel you Gambino

The first set photo's from the totally unnecessary Han Solo movie leaked today. In the photo, you can see the main characters of the movie in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.  I honestly don't even know which white dude is actually playing Han Solo.  You also see Chewbacca because of course! You also notice there are some white women in the picture and Woody from Cheers.  What you do not see is any Black Women but that is an article for another time.  What you also notice is Donald Glover, who is playing Lando in this movie.  I have dubbed the face Glover has as emotionally uncomfortable.  I mean it could be the way he is stretched out for the picture is awkward.  Dude is also crazy busy, maybe he was just tired from ruling television and music in 2016. Maybe this photo shoot was taking forever due to technical difficulties. Maybe Chewie's fur is rubbing him the wrong way!  Possibly, like me, he just hates having his picture taken.  Any and all of these are real possibilities.  However, there is another possibility that must be considered.  Possibly he was uncomfortable being the only Black person there.

You see most of us Blerds grew up recognizing this uncomfortableness. Before the days of Twitter and Facebook, if you were Black with Nerdy habits, there were often places you would go to that put your Blackness on display for white folks to see and often criticize.  The comic book store was often that place for me.  The store was on the "other side" of town and to get there, I needed to take a bus and walk a few blocks to get there.  Upon entering, it was if I was Tupac because All Eyez was on Me. Those looks of, "Why is he here? Or Is he going to steal something". Or Do they read comics"? It made me feel uncomfortable in my nerdom. Comic Book Conventions can often feel the same way. Whether you Cosplay or not, often times white eyes are on you and there may or may not be any other Black folks or POC for you to hang with and its a weird feeling.  A feeling that most white people NEVER have to deal with because they are most often the majority in these situations. And even when they are not, Black people are more open to giving respect to the only white dude in the club or the only white dude at the basketball court( if he can play). That feeling of mutual respect is often not reciprocated when you are the only Black person in a place white people don't think you belong. This is not a comfortable feeling and can often change how Black people react in social situations in how we walk, talk, and exist.

But its not just in Blerd life Black folks feel this way.  How about when you are the only Black person as your job.  Office spaces can be weird without the racial tension, but when you are the only Black person there, white people are quick to make sure you know it( like you didn't already know). But their sly ass jokes and privileged attitudes can make the work environment toxic( NO you can't touch my hair!). Or being the only Black person at a restaurant.  Black people know this feeling- the feeling of having people watching your every move and emotion- hoping they catch you in their version of Blackness( SEE! I knew he would order the chicken!)

I look at Gambino in that picture and he has that look to me.  That, man there are no Black people here besides me and now I have to be on guard about the things I say and do.  Been there, done that!

So I feel you Gambino!  I played tennis in high school and at a predominantly white college and was very often the only Black Dude in places.  I know that look and lived it for years!  Hopefully you can bring some of your boys on set with you to try to even things out.  Just tell them they are your cousin since their President thinks we all related anyway!

The Producer

White feminism on steroids

The good people over at I-D vice got an article from Marie Clare where Scarlette Johansson finally spoke out about her leading role in the Ghost in a Shell adaptation.  Her point in the article below was basically that she took the role for feminist purposes.  Look, men should not be speaking on too many issues regarding women.  Its not our place to talk. Its our place to listen.  However, this is some bullshit from her.  This is the epitome of white feminism.  White feminism leaves out women of color as well as Gay/Lesbian women as well.  Often times, white feminist want this sisterhood with women but then fail to back Black women up on issues that matter to them.  

I was never going to see this movie anyway. But this article pretty much cemented that thought!

The Producer

http://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/scarlett-johansson-discusses-the-whitewashing-in-ghost-in-the-shell?utm_source=idtwitter

Last year Scarlett Johansson was caught up in a conversation about whitewashing following her casting in Ghost in the Shell, the film adaptation of Masamune Shirow's classic Japanese anime. Johansson was brought on to play Major Motoko Kusanagi, despite the fact that she is not Japanese.

At the time, Johansson kept quiet about this controversy. Director Rupert Sanders defended the choice saying, "I think whenever you cast someone, someone's going to be critical of it. To me, I stand by my decision... She's the best actress of her generation, and I was flattered and honored that she would be in this film." He later referred to her "cyberpunk aesthetic" as being central to the decision.

READ: Why is hollywood whitewashing lead asian roles?

But now, in a conversation with Marie Claire, the actress has weighed in. "I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive."

She explained that she approached the role with a focus on gender, not race. Adding, "having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that — the weight of such a big property on my shoulders."

Later in the chat she touched on Hollywood's wage gap problem, and her decision to speak out about the issue last year. While it's great to see someone with such a high profile shedding light on gender inequality, it's a bit of a bummer that she failed to see how those issues are compounded by giving diverse roles to white actors.