Review: Dear White People

Verdict 3.5/5 Death by Under Developed Characters

    I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie. I remember seeing previews of it ages ago but I never noted the release date.
    Most of the characters in this movie can be broken down into types: the social justice warrior, the wannabe white girl (the movie calls them "nose jobs"), the one who's avoiding stereotypes, the one who naturally isn't a stereotype and can't fit in (ok that doesn't really sound like a type. He was the roundest character in this movie).
    I didn't really understand what point they were trying to make with the 1/2 white, 1/2 black girl (Sam, don't know how I remember that). The dean said to her she was just having trouble choosing sides/ fitting in and that her black power stance (idk what to call it) was just an act. At the time he came off at ignorant and hypocritical, but in the end it turned out to be true, which is a huge bummer. Were all of the things she said about race relations false? She said some great stuff...
     Also, I didn't care for the "romance" between her and the white guy. The first scene they were arguing then randomly had sex. From this I assumed he was just a side dish and she would end up with her fellow activist. The second conversation he accused her of being fake and that she preferred "white things" (Taylor Swift) over the politically black things she publicly supported. One part I specifically remember is that  he said he's not buying the "tragic mulatto story" and she asked him not to call her a mulatto to which he responded "mulatto, mulatto, mulatto, mulatto, mulatto". As if she's being an unreasonable, uppity, social justice bitch? This was right after she found out her dad was in the hospital and wasn't sure if she wanted to continue to her goal of "randomized housing". How the hell is this guy the romantic lead. (Also there was one point where he said "How long does it take for you to do your hair?" as if he was making a point. I guess the movie was implying that she was trying to "look black". By doing what? Wearing an up-do? That hair style was probably faster than her wash-and-go.)
    The ending was disappointing. I remember (because  I thought it was so interesting and true) that reality show producers egg on people in reality shows just to film them. Of course she berated this, but in the end it was exactly what she ended up doing; exploiting people and racial tensions to make a film so she wouldn't flunk out of college.
    I really feel like in the end she was dumbed down and turned white and she got the guy. But really if this what she's really like, then he doesn't even know her. Earlier he said he liked arguing with her. Well that's over now.
    I do have to give this movie credit, what other movies are there with a black cast that aren't made by Tyler Perry? What other movies actually talk about race in a non-flippant or clinical way? I just felt like they tried to do too much at one time and the character development fell by the wayside.

Some Sort of 'Interstellar' Review

     Now that's a title that inspires confidence. Yeah, it's no secret that I don't really know how to write reviews, so this is just my usual collection of thoughts related to the item, in this instance Nolan's latest "Interstellar".
     This morning I randomly happened to be looking through my bookmarks and rediscovered Kevin Dart's art blog. A couple of posts down he mentions that if you saw "Interstellar" on opening day (Friday) you could have gotten a free poster he designed. I was so bummed I missed it because obviously I like him. I went to his store and he sells prints for like $100. But then after the movie there were ushers handing out posters. At first I thought they were handing out random space photography for some reason, but I took one any way. Then I stepped out into the daylight and was able to behold the poster:

Oh man I was so (and still am) so happy.
    As for the movie; I liked it. I'm not sure what other people thought of it, but I liked it, it may turn out to be something like "The Giver" idk. This is a movie that I make have to see again because I have a lot of questions still.
     I really liked the robots in this movie. Really unique design.
     I read a blog post complaining about the audio and some people have reported different quality in different theaters. There were some scenes where the sound effects were louder than the dialogue, so I missed some parts, but those were action scenes and I think they added to the chaotic feel. There was one part where there was peaceful music playing and it was really too loud and it was buzzing. Related: I'm not sure if I would want to see this movie outside of IMAX. There were parts, like during the rocket launch where there was so much bass that my seat started vibrating, which was really immersive. I also really enjoyed that when they cut to shots in space there was total silence.
     Matthew McConaughey's acting was really good in this movie, though I'll admit I'm not the best at judging things like that. I thought he was convincingly emotional.
     One of the themes was parenting and missing your child's life and I admit I didn't really appreciate that part because I don't have kids. Not like it bogged the movie down, like some people complain about.
     All in all I really appreciated that this was a smart, meaningful, plot driven movie. Movies that come to mind that lack this would be Thor 2, The Hobbit or The Avengers; all of which I saw in the theater.
4/5