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As the parent of a toddler who watches Mary Poppins at least once a week, there are a few things I know.

(1) The 1964 Mary Poppins film is indeed practically perfect in every way, and (2) Mary Poppins herself is not a nice person. Now, it’s debatable whether Mary Poppins is a person at all. She could be some ancient, eldritch being sent to spread chaos and madness among mortals. She might be an ange—or a Time Lord.

What’s clear is that Mary Poppins is a manipulative, lying, gaslighting jerk. It’s highly possible you haven’t realized this if you haven’t, like me, seen Mary Poppins eighty-seven times in the span of fourteen months, but trust me, I know what I’m talking about.

Get your spoons full of sugar ready; it’s time for some medicine.

Mary Poppins’ modus operandi (popperandi?) is that she makes the most peculiar things start to happen around her and then acts like they aren’t happening. She uses that confusion and consternation to do whatever she wants and steamroll everyone around her into her idea of correct behavior.

She forces her way into a job then makes poor Mr. Banks think he’s going nuts. She does blatant magic in front of Jane and Michael and then acts like they’re delusional and rude for mentioning it, or worse, that it’s a tiresome distraction from whatever errand they’re on. It’s highly ironic that the sequel (which we’ll get to, believe me) has a lamplighter as a main character, because this is classic gaslighting.

Mary doesn’t inspire imagination or creativity; she inspires paranoia, mania, and self-doubt. She’s the worst kind of adult: one whose actions are directly contradictory to their words and supposed beliefs, and the poor Banks family is lucky they had a real hero around to bring them some joy and help them learn important lessons.

That’s right: Bert.

Despite Dick Van Dyke’s less-than-great “cockney” accent, this jack-of-all-trades is the true heart of Mary Poppins. He’s honest with the kids, he’s fun, he’s hard-working and innovative, and most importantly, he’s there to dispense some candid, good advice to the Banks family when they need it.

When Jane and Michael are upset with their father, who’s there to explain to them that Mr. Banks is a slave to the capitalist system? Bert. When Mr. Banks is at his lowest and needs reminding that it’s his family where the real riches come from, who’s there to sing to his heart? Bert! But does this hero of the proletariat get any credit? No! Mr. Banks quits his job singing a song he wasn’t even onscreen to hear and gives Poppins all the credit.

It’s no wonder the family doesn’t even say goodbye to their nanny at the end; they’ll have a happier and much less abusive time without her!

Now, all of this isn’t to say that Mary doesn’t have her charms. I used to buy into the story that Julie Andrews won the Oscar for Mary Poppins as a consolation prize for being denied the chance to repeat the role she created on Broadway in the film version of My Fair Lady, in favor of Audrey Hepburn. But really, it was through a true feat of acting and charm that Andrews made Mary Poppins likable at all, when she’s really a terrifying creature bent on sewing discord and doubt among all she encounters.

Andrews also had the help of some of the greatest Disney songs of all time, including Walt’s (and my daughter’s) personal favorite, “Feed the Birds.” It’s a perfect piece of music, and its theme—to pay attention to the little wonders, the things that aren’t magical at all—is the best message of the film. It’s the nicest and least heartless thing Mary Poppins shares with the children. You may not have thought of it this way, but since I get to sing this song every single night, I’ve had some time to meditate on it.

Since my child is, to put it mildly, obsessed with Poppins, it was a logical choice for us to make Mary Poppins Returns her first movie in a theater. She spent the entire twenty minutes of previews (dear god, why) asking, “Where’s Mary Poppins?” and I spent it hoping that this new outing would make Mary herself a little kinder and a little less prone to convincing people they’ve gone insane.

While my kid deeply enjoyed it any time people were singing (except for Meryl Streep, which she found as baffling a cameo as I did), I was a bit disappointed. This version of Mary was explicit in hyping up the joys of “imagination,” yet was still adamant that the extraordinary things she did, and that people saw, were just ordinary, or didn’t matter.

Many children’s movies walk a fine line between making it explicit that all the magic is in the minds of the characters or that it’s real. Both Mary Poppins films try to have it both ways, to the psychological detriment of the Banks family and their friends.

At least the original Mary took her charges on age-appropriate outings, while Emily Blunt’s version takes them to a bawdy burlesque hall, where she gets so caught up singing with Lin-Manuel Miranda (which … understandable) that she loses track of the children in the magical dreamscape she created, and they end up in mortal peril! For all her faults, Andrews’ Mary Poppins was a semi-competent caretaker, while Blunt’s lets them wander off every other.

Neither Mary acts at all emotionally invested in these kids, so it’s understandable.

The problem with Mary Poppins Returns as a movie is that it attempts to ape the original in all the wrong ways, while adding some of the worst Disney tropes. (A dead mother! A useless love story! A powerful man saves everyone!) It’s nearly a beat-by-beat retread of the 1964 film’s structure, down to a disaster at a bank followed by a dance number from charming working fellows of a bygone era.

Mary Poppins herself is still haughty and almost cruel, but this time, instead of Julie Andrews’ soprano charms elevating her to a mischievous diva, we’re left with Blunt singing alto, trying to bring life to a character who might not even be human and has no clear personality beyond her own smug practical perfection.

The greatest asset Disney had in their arsenal for this film was the original score, and it’s squandered. While we hear a few bars of the familiar tunes, we never get a reprise of any of those iconic songs, and instead, we’re saddled with derivative, repetitive numbers that sag under the weight of trying too hard. Again, the highlight of the film is the working-class sidekick, and Miranda does a great job with a character that’s about as poorly sketched as Poppins, but having such a genius in the movie still feels like a wasted opportunity.

The original Mary Poppins, it turns out, remains a wonder of a movie because it caught lightning in a bottle—perfect music, a perfect cast, and a deft touch that made a character who isn’t really a very nice person into an iconic heroine. Even though Mary is a tool, I don’t mind watching it over and over (and over) because it’s bursting with sincere joy and lightness.

Mary Poppins Returns feels like a pale copy that had all the elements, but none of that spark. Even so, I’m sure I’ll be watching it again. And again. And again.

(images: Disney)

Jessica Mason is a writer and lawyer living in Portland, Oregon passionate about corgis, fandom, and awesome girls. Follow her on Twitter at @FangirlingJess.

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The film Green Book follows the story of two men — Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class Black pianist, and Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from the Bronx.  The two men couldn’t be more different, yet somehow during a journey in the 1960s deep south — in spite of their differences, they form a tight bond. When Universal Pictures premiered the first trailer, fans of Mahershala Ali were excited to see him take on this new role, where it appears to be a depiction of Driving Miss Daisy in reverse.

However, as more information exposes the back story of Dr. Don Shirley, as well as accusations from his family about the film’s inaccuracies, the support for the film waned. What was once one of the most highly anticipated films of the holiday season, slowly became a trending topic on social media for the wrong reasons.

While some critics enjoyed the film and its leads, others found it glib and reinforced racial stereotypes.  (I enjoyed the fried chicken scene myself, but to each is own.)

And although many people on social media were judging the film before its premiere and delivering hot takes based on a select group of opinions, Mahershala Ali and executive producer Octavia Spencer remained silent about the adverse reaction to the motion picture. Mahershala Ali did apologize to the family of Dr. Don Shirley, as they referred to the film as “a symphony of lies”.

During Sunday night’s Golden Globes, Mahershala Ali walked away with a win for Best Supporting Actor.  The film also earned an award for Best Motion Picture Comedy.  Actress and executive producer Octavia Spencer graced the stage along with the rest of the production team to accept the award.

In the press room, both Ali and Spencer had a lot to say about the film, winning and addressed some of the bad press the film has received.

On the varied roles he’s played, and how he decides on them, Mahershala Ali says:

“I think about that a lot. I have so much anxiety about that I have to manage once I say yes that I only say yes to something that makes me uncomfortable. When I get the script, something comfortable, that’s the job I say no to, so I only say yes to the job that scares me to some degree.”

On the controversy about the family of Dr. Don Shirley not liking the film: “I will say this. My job is always the script. I’ve got to look at what I am responsible for, and all the prayers and time and the energy and the work, I’m not one who is necessarily going to throw that all away over things that I have no control over.

I respect the film. I respect Don Shirley and his family, and I have a job to do, and I have to continue to do my job as well as my next project and treat everyone that I work with, with respect.

I have made contact with the family, and I have to move on but do wish them (the Shirley family) well, and I think they wish everybody was happy. In any situation, you don’t want anybody to be upset…so I wish them well, send them my love, and I hope they respond.”

Octavia Spencer had a message for Don Shirley’s family who disagree with the film:

“What I will say in lieu of directing it to the Shirley family is what it meant to me. I have been a part of four films from this era, and this is the first time I saw a person of color with agency. I thought, ‘Well this is a guy I want to know, and this is a guy whose story needs to be out there for the young people who are still in the resistance.’

So for me, it was about the idea that there were people like Don Shirley in the sixties and we never saw them on film, so that’s what I took from it. That’s what I still take from it. And Mitch and Mahershala and Theo and all of the filmmakers were putting their hearts into it, so that’s what I say to the Shirley family. He meant a lot to a lot of people, and I am glad I got to share that story.”

Viggo Mortensen on his racist character’s chant of heart in Green Book:

“What I’m saying is that it is the job of every generation to learn, hopefully, to be less ignorant, to beat ignorant with experience. You can look at that as oppressing or you can look at that as a challenge.

I think it’s a positive thing. I think it’s just like physically you need to work on yourself, also mentally, also psychologically, also socially. Every generation learns the language of racism and prejudice. Behavior evolves, harbors thoughts that are similar to other times, I agree, but it’s simply now or never.

So when people say there’s a lot of antagonism; everybody’s in their corner and nobody’s listening and so this is a perfect time for a movie like this. Yeah, it’s a perfect time but anytime, any generation with a movie this well made, that is also entertaining but also about profound issues, timeless issues. Unfortunately, however, you want to look at it. It’s always going to be a good time for a movie like this.”

The press room applauds soon after that.

And while the criticism to some extent may be warranted, it still hasn’t brought down the momentum the film has received in the awards circuit. From Critics Choice to Directors Guild of America — the film is on its way to compete for more coveted awards.

The post Mahershala Ali and Octavia Spencer Respond To The ‘Green Book’ Backlash appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Shamael Lataillade, a former employee at a Moschino boutique in West Hollywood, California, filed a lawsuit against the Italian luxury clothing company for racial discrimination against her and shoppers of color. In the suit, Lataillade claims that employees at the store were instructed to racially profile black patrons who didn’t appear to be wealthy and classify them using a racist codename.

Lataillade says a store supervisor would call black clientele “Serena” and ordered employees to follow and watch them closely if they weren’t wearing diamonds or name brand clothing, according to documents obtained by TMZ. Associates were also told to tell so-called “Serenas” that certain items were out of stock. The female supervisor even went as far as sometimes recording the license plate numbers of black clients. In one instance, she purportedly called the police to report a “suspicious” customer who Lataillade says turned out to be a high-profile rapper.

In addition, Lataillade, who is a Haitian-American woman, claims that the supervisor stereotyped her as someone who practices voodoo. Lataillade argues that she was then fired for speaking out about the “Serena” code word and other forms of racism she faced.

Ironically, the code word “Serena” seems to be a reference to iconic tennis star Serena Williams, who boasts a net worth around $180 million.

In response to the suit, which seeks unspecified damages, Moschino denied Lataillade’s charges and told TMZ the company “complies with applicable equal employment laws and values and respects all customers and clients regardless of their race or background.”

Nevertheless, this lawsuit points to the notorious phenomenon of “shopping while black,” an epidemic that dates back to the 20th century, when department stores prohibited black shoppers from using their main entrance and trying on clothes in fear their skin would tarnished items. Oprah Winfrey even fell victim to the “shopping while black” stigma back in 2013, when a Zurich store clerk snubbed the billionaire and suggested that she could not afford a $38,000 purse.

The post Former Black Employee Files Suit Against Moschino for Racially Profiling Black Shoppers appeared first on Black Enterprise.

This week a new series on CBS is scheduled to premiere called Fam, bout a woman whose vision of a perfect life with her adoring fiancé and his wonderful family is radically altered when her 16-year-old, out-of-control half-sister unexpectedly comes to live with her. Sheryl Lee Ralph plays the role of Nick’s mother Rose.  Sheryl Lee Ralph has a long career that has spanned over many years in TV, film, and theater.

Film editor Joi McMillon has worked with director Barry Jenkins on the film Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. Her film Moonlight won the Best Picture Oscar and actress Regina King won a Best Supporting Golden Globe win.

Segment 1: With an illustrious career in film, TV, and theater, acting veteran Sheryl Lee Ralph joins us to chat about her new CBS series ‘Fam’ which makes it debut this week.

Segment 2: Film editor Joi McMillon who worked on one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2018 ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ chats with us about working on the movie which earned Regina King a Best Supporting win during the Golden Globes telecast.

Hosts: Jamie and Jonita

Editor: Jamie Broadnax

Music: Sammus