FS #280: Precious / When Father Was Away on Business / Top 5 Bad Screen Parents
Also on the show: Listener Feedback, music by The Almighty Defenders and Massacre Theatre -- presented by Pixar Talk. This week's winner will get the Pixar DVD of their choice.
Filmspotting #280
:13-15:44 - Review: "Precious"
Music: The Almighty Defenders, "Bow Down and Die"
16:46-22:57 - Voicemail, Polls
22:58-34:54 - Feedback (Nostalgia Movies)
Music: The Almighty Defenders, "She Came Before Me"
35:59-39:56 - Mass. Theatre (Winner: Lance St. Laurent)
39:57-54:50 - Cannes Marathon #1: "When Father Was Away"
Music: The Almighty Defenders, "Cone of Light"
55:52-1:03:59 - New DVDs / Donations
1:04:00-1:16:26 - Top 5: Bad Parents
1:16:27-1:18:59 - Close /Next Show / Outtakes
NOTES
- Jeff Goldsmith's Creative Screenwriting Podcast can be accessed through iTunes here.
- Follow more notes and corrections at http://twitter.com/filmspotting.
- Suspense films mentioned in poll: Wait Until Dark, The Others, The Silence of the Lambs, Vertigo
- Romanian movie at TIFF: Tales From a Golden Age
- Government quashing dissent: The Lives of Others
- Another Cannes winner from Emir Kusturica: Underground
- Other "Neo-neo realism" films like Ballast: Shotgun Stories, Sugar, Wendy and Lucy, Chop Shop
Labels: Mo'Nique, Precious, Top 5 Bad Screen Parents, When Father Was Away on Business
posted by Candace @ 8:18 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
YES! The Almighty Defenders!
love'em, nice pick.
a collab of two other awesome bands...
Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ Show
Amen, Jared, King Khan is amaaaaazing, especially live! May I suggest another band for the show:
http://www.myspace.com/whyanticon
Actually, Oprah and Tyler Perry DID NOT bankroll "Precious." The $10 million budget was provided by Gary and Sarah Magness, the billionaire couple. Oprah and Tyler Perry came onboard after the film debuted at Sundance in January, and slapped their names on as exec producers, to help extend its reach, given how influential both of them are.
As for the film, which I saw about 3 months ago, at the New York Film Festival, elicited not much than a shrug from me afterward. As bleak and raw as it wants to be, it's not - certainly nowhere near as gritty as the book.
There's also some character evolution in the novel that wasn’t entirely translated to film, making it feel rushed and lazily adapted and directed. The translation to film doesn't have to be verbatim, but, as I see it, if one is going to make a film about a book like this, it seems counterproductive not to go all the way with it, as it was written… unless of course, the intent is to make it as accessible as possible, for fear that audiences might shy away.
Also, Lee Daniels made some unfortunate, significant casting choices that ignore the characters as they are defined in the book. The character of Blue Rain (the savior teacher) in the book is considerably darker, and she has dreadlocks. This may not seem so important on its surface; but it is extremely so. The character of Precious is so full of self hatred, displaying her "color consciousness" throughout the entire book. In short, she worships fairer-skinned people in general, and whites most of all, believing that if she were white, her life would be better.
The movie briefly shows this by having Precious look in a mirror and seeing a white girl, a scene that felt ham-fisted to me.
In the book, Blue Rain, as written, is a model of self love and acceptance for Precious, and, eventually, through her, Precious is able to see that dark skin and natural hair can be beautiful, because the woman she starts to admire doesn't look so unlike her. Whereas, having someone of Paula Patton's physical type (skin color, figure, hair, etc) in the role, ultimately kills that crucial revelation, as Patton, yet again, represents an ideal Precious would see as unattainable for herself.
Overall, I had several issues with the film - too many to give it a passing grade. However, I won't discourage others from seeing it; this is a story of lives we rarely get to see portrayed on screen, and I applaud the effort and intent.
Agreed Almighty Defenders are the bestest!
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