By Da CogNegro & Khalil Hamiduddin
Synopsis: Chris is invited, by his girlfriend, to spend a weekend, with her affluent parents, in a remote and exclusive community.
Director: Jordan Peele
Release Date: February 24th, 2017
CogNegro's Take: The chills and thrills can come off a bit too conventional at times. But what Jordan Peele's debut film ,Get Out, lacks in original approach to horror, is made up for in its strong social commentary. Each conversation, interaction and revelation acts to remove the veil of acceptance, expose the underbelly of racial patronization, and defines the nefarious purpose such tactics serve. Furthermore, the humor, which is sprinkled all through out the film, never acts as a deterrent or device to dilute the overarching theme. This can also be said about Peele's music selection. The most impressive fact about the movie though has to be the use of its horror tropes in creating logical reasoning for the existence of the paradoxical dichotomy of admiration and hatred! In closing, Get Out is relevant viewing! Especially, in these racially divided times! (B+)- CgN
Mr. Hamiduddin 's Take: From the mind of Jordan Peele, one half of the comedic duo known as Key and Peele...think of them as Chappelle Show light or what Pepsi One is to Pepsi, comes one of the most controversial movies about interracial dating since Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. Get Out is quite successful in using tried and true horror tropes. This results in Peele creating genuine tension by focusing on real life situations as oppose to cheap jump scares. In addition, he also succeeds at blending social commentary with humor! To say that I was a bit skeptical on viewing this film would be an understatement. Let's just say that I shared the sentiment as one of the sketch comedy's original characters, Luther (Obama's translator), when he vehemently pronounced " NO, I DON'T THINK I CAN"! Nevertheless, Get Out's humor, effective use of tropes and common sense approach proves that you still can experience a breath of fresh air in the horror genre. This is a must see! (A)
Whooaaa...I love a good (non-gory) horror flick. Also, humor and social commentary. Your reviews made me really want to watch this. Pretty cool it was done by someone who's so well known for comedy, too.
ReplyDeleteOk...I'll go see it.
ReplyDeleteI saw GET OUT on Sunday, and viewing with a full house--usually my least favorite thing and the reason I generally avoid opening weekend--was a highlight of my experience. Finally, a horror movie protagonist who does exactly what you yell at the screen for him to do! What some may see as a lack of originality I saw as Peele being true to the conventions of the genre, which is smart for a first-time director. I also couldn't help but notice (and wonder) just how useful laughter is in terrifying situations. Maybe humor and horror are closer than I realized. - OM
ReplyDeleteThat was my favorite part him doing things that were common sense
DeleteI didn't know Key and Peele was the diet version of Chapelle show;I have been missing out!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised you were skeptical about this movie. When I saw the trailer summer 2016 I couldn't wait for it to drop! Fortunately I have found a Pity date and will be viewing the movie this Friday! LOL
I loved the movie. it movie had a loooooot of metaphors About racism, the experiences that many of us go thru in mostly white settings, those of us brainwashed by racist idealogies and what a hinderance they can be toward the progress of Black people
ReplyDeleteProud of you two.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to push back: What you call a lack of originality I see as creative genius. I was struck by how simply Peele was able to convey a complex topic like racism and all of its micro and macro glory in a horror film. By using conventional tropes, however, he avoided losing even the most hard-hearted skeptics. I think any attempt to "be original" would have been a distraction from the message. Consequently, no one can say they didn't understand the movie's premise. That is an amazing accomplishment when exploring such a sensitive, but pressing, social issue. Brilliant.
ReplyDelete