https://vimeo.com/97284525 American Moai is an exploration of the prison industrial complex and its similarities to the ‘moai’ of Easter Island. The moai are huge statues built to stand guard over the people of Easter Island, but the dedication to their construction would contribute greatly to the collapse of the island’s economic and political system. Prisons are having a similar impact on American society. Watch American Moai to find out why.
https://vimeo.com/90189265 There was a funny twitter beef a few weeks ago between Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian and comedian Marlon Wayans about emasculation or feminization in hip hop culture. What’s interesting about the debate to me is that what many are calling emasculation or feminization is really just another manifestation of something author Thomas Franks called the ‘commodification of dissent’. There are political or social claims at the core of hip hop that many relate to. It’s in the voice of the outsider, the ignored, and the misunderstood. Tupac alluded to this in his reference to a ‘rose that grows through the concrete’, it will be beaten, battered, and not quite as pleasant to look at as others, but its struggle lends it a kind of transcendent beauty. So, in the minds of many, the uglier side of hip hop hid deeper and more urgent claims. To judge it solely…
“Django Unchained” leaves me in the odd position of contributing to a problem while I propose a solution to it. Django’s not a serious film about slavery or race or anything really and does not warrant the attention or the controversy that it has created. It’s both a blood-soaked, action-packed romp and a rescue revenge story. It’s also a kind of thought experiment akin to gun rep Larry Ward’s claim that if slaves had had guns they could have shot their way to freedom. Nothing about Django as an idea is offensive or inspired or controversial, but that seems to be a problem for Tarantino. Django’s lack of the kind of depth and complexity that spawns real debate seems to have spurred the filmmakers to manufacture dissent by manipulating the press and pundits, which explains Tarantino’s criticism of Roots, his use of “niggers” and his pretend outrage at critics who question his…