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https://blacknerdproblems.com/nope-and-the-legacy-of-race-based-horror/
*Puts on fake pretentious academic film Blerd hat* Nope feels like Jordan Peele’s departure from referential Black symbolism and entry into contemporary Black existentialism. Or a precise mix of both. Or neither. *Removes fake pretentious element* It gives us another layer of Peele’s view of the world. Where Get Out was a story about how racism plays out and where Us examines what the Black condition is in relation to trauma; Nope puts a lens on the role of Black erasure. Not just the historical machinations behind said erasure, but the role knowing the erasure happened plays in motivating non-whites to persevere and make a name for themselves against all odds. *Takes film Blerd hat off and replaces with sad boy Blerd hat*
It’s a jarring and sober reminder to remember that the United States is a broken country built on broken promises and sustained by selling broken dreams. Especially when there are so many creature comforts to hold our attention from those very real conditions. The divide in this country is so intense that it feels physical. There has never been a reconciliation for the dissonance that the ‘land of the free’ has never been that. At all. Ever. You can see it in all aspects of American society. That lingering feeling of dread is why race-based horror has always been a hit. For reference, movies like Tales From The Hood, Bones, His House, Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight, Vampires Vs. The Bronx and the first and last entries of Candyman all fall under the umbrella of race-based horror. Whether they are a box office smash, a new Criterion entry, a sleeper hit, or a cult classic – the genre always makes waves. The reality is, as long as there are divisive race politics at play in the places these films are made, there will always be a place for this kind of horror.
Wild enough, even James Baldwin weighed in on this dynamic. When The Exorcist dropped in 1976, he wrote a piece in response titled “The Devil Finds Work.” Wherein Baldwin implies that because white audiences rarely experience genuine fear in their daily lives, horror thrives as a film genre. Going to see fear in a controlled environment is fun in that way. There’s a distance, a resolution. Unlike the daily list of recurring fears that are normalized in the Black experience. So, when Black creatives explore horror (the fearful), what they really do is transmute terror (the traumatic) into something digestible for those who do not experience it.
Where earlier race-based horror pieces shifted, shook, or shattered stereotypes for acceptance; newer entries investigate the true monsters: the ones who made the stereotypes. Take Peele’s Get Out, which forces white audiences to confront how they are complicit in racism, especially when they believe they are not. Or Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, which cites the elitism of the art world (vis-a-vis the white gaze) as a catalyst for gentrification and displacement in Black and Brown communities. All of which is to say, there’s enough injustice, violence, inequity, and dehumanization in American society to fuel the horror genre in perpetuity.
Nope enters the race-based ‘horror’ conversation in a far more understated way: erasure. If you erase the contributions of Black people from history, does that change the value of Black people in the future? By exploring erasure, Peele addresses the devaluation of Black people across time. The true horror of Nope is in the postulate. Can we exist in a future where we have no history? The true terror is in the ways it recounts how excluded Black people are from American history (a surprise to no one keeping track of the political debates around critical race theory). Black ‘cowboys’, Black farmers, Black animal wranglers, Black stunt people, Black actors, Black filmmakers. Each one of these is addressed in some form or another in Nope. One clever turn in Nope examines a lingering question; what do Black people have to do to get credit for the ingenuity we’ve cultivated to survive systemic racism and disenfranchisement?
We get to see that question play out with on-point performances from the whole cast. The gravitas and interplay between real-life erasure and fictional references to it go off in Nope. Keke Palmer’s range is on full display as the energetic Emerald Haywood and it plays perfectly off of Daniel Kaluuya’s understated intensity as OJ Haywood. Kaluuya and Palmer could be the only two cast members and this movie would be damn good. Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea round out the main cast and bookend the ‘awkward and strange’ element that is Peele’s lifeblood. We are blessed with turns from Keith David and Michael Wincott that just elevate the movie in the best ways possible. [Note: Peak Blerd imagery was achieved with Keke doing the Kaneda motorbike slide from Akira (which Peele was once attached to direct the live-action adaptation of)!]
With little to none of the cryptic symbolism of Us or the overt microaggressions of Get Out, Nope is a lean thriller with horror pacing and a sci-fi twist that sees Peele finding his stride. Audiences well-versed in Peele’s subtextual subject matter will definitely rock with it. Folks brand new to his work will be enthralled by this genre-flexing movie that will leave a memorable mark on something they thought they knew so well. Nope is a streamlined and focused film that looks cut and dry on the surface but digs into deep sociopolitical territory without ever letting you know. Unless you’re Black, then you might know. The rub with Nope is the same as the very thing that sets it apart from the rest of Peele’s work. It is not exact in anything but the main plot, which means there’s so much a viewer can “read” from it. The number of things I interpreted from this movie could fill a soon-to-be-banned high school history book. That said, Nope is a well-made movie that will land differently with every viewer and have you looking at the skies a little differently.
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The post ‘Nope’ and the Legacy of Race-Based Horror appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
*Puts on fake pretentious academic film Blerd hat* Nope feels like Jordan Peele’s departure from referential Black symbolism and entry into contemporary Black existentialism. Or a precise mix of both. Or neither. *Removes fake pretentious element* It gives us another layer of Peele’s view of the world. Where Get Out was a story about how racism plays out and where Us examines what the Black condition is in relation to trauma; Nope puts a lens on the role of Black erasure. Not just the historical machinations behind said erasure, but the role knowing the erasure happened plays in motivating non-whites to persevere and make a name for themselves against all odds. *Takes film Blerd hat off and replaces with sad boy Blerd hat*
It’s a jarring and sober reminder to remember that the United States is a broken country built on broken promises and sustained by selling broken dreams. Especially when there are so many creature comforts to hold our attention from those very real conditions. The divide in this country is so intense that it feels physical. There has never been a reconciliation for the dissonance that the ‘land of the free’ has never been that. At all. Ever. You can see it in all aspects of American society. That lingering feeling of dread is why race-based horror has always been a hit. For reference, movies like Tales From The Hood, Bones, His House, Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight, Vampires Vs. The Bronx and the first and last entries of Candyman all fall under the umbrella of race-based horror. Whether they are a box office smash, a new Criterion entry, a sleeper hit, or a cult classic – the genre always makes waves. The reality is, as long as there are divisive race politics at play in the places these films are made, there will always be a place for this kind of horror.
Wild enough, even James Baldwin weighed in on this dynamic. When The Exorcist dropped in 1976, he wrote a piece in response titled “The Devil Finds Work.” Wherein Baldwin implies that because white audiences rarely experience genuine fear in their daily lives, horror thrives as a film genre. Going to see fear in a controlled environment is fun in that way. There’s a distance, a resolution. Unlike the daily list of recurring fears that are normalized in the Black experience. So, when Black creatives explore horror (the fearful), what they really do is transmute terror (the traumatic) into something digestible for those who do not experience it.
Where earlier race-based horror pieces shifted, shook, or shattered stereotypes for acceptance; newer entries investigate the true monsters: the ones who made the stereotypes. Take Peele’s Get Out, which forces white audiences to confront how they are complicit in racism, especially when they believe they are not. Or Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, which cites the elitism of the art world (vis-a-vis the white gaze) as a catalyst for gentrification and displacement in Black and Brown communities. All of which is to say, there’s enough injustice, violence, inequity, and dehumanization in American society to fuel the horror genre in perpetuity.
Nope enters the race-based ‘horror’ conversation in a far more understated way: erasure. If you erase the contributions of Black people from history, does that change the value of Black people in the future? By exploring erasure, Peele addresses the devaluation of Black people across time. The true horror of Nope is in the postulate. Can we exist in a future where we have no history? The true terror is in the ways it recounts how excluded Black people are from American history (a surprise to no one keeping track of the political debates around critical race theory). Black ‘cowboys’, Black farmers, Black animal wranglers, Black stunt people, Black actors, Black filmmakers. Each one of these is addressed in some form or another in Nope. One clever turn in Nope examines a lingering question; what do Black people have to do to get credit for the ingenuity we’ve cultivated to survive systemic racism and disenfranchisement?
We get to see that question play out with on-point performances from the whole cast. The gravitas and interplay between real-life erasure and fictional references to it go off in Nope. Keke Palmer’s range is on full display as the energetic Emerald Haywood and it plays perfectly off of Daniel Kaluuya’s understated intensity as OJ Haywood. Kaluuya and Palmer could be the only two cast members and this movie would be damn good. Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea round out the main cast and bookend the ‘awkward and strange’ element that is Peele’s lifeblood. We are blessed with turns from Keith David and Michael Wincott that just elevate the movie in the best ways possible. [Note: Peak Blerd imagery was achieved with Keke doing the Kaneda motorbike slide from Akira (which Peele was once attached to direct the live-action adaptation of)!]
With little to none of the cryptic symbolism of Us or the overt microaggressions of Get Out, Nope is a lean thriller with horror pacing and a sci-fi twist that sees Peele finding his stride. Audiences well-versed in Peele’s subtextual subject matter will definitely rock with it. Folks brand new to his work will be enthralled by this genre-flexing movie that will leave a memorable mark on something they thought they knew so well. Nope is a streamlined and focused film that looks cut and dry on the surface but digs into deep sociopolitical territory without ever letting you know. Unless you’re Black, then you might know. The rub with Nope is the same as the very thing that sets it apart from the rest of Peele’s work. It is not exact in anything but the main plot, which means there’s so much a viewer can “read” from it. The number of things I interpreted from this movie could fill a soon-to-be-banned high school history book. That said, Nope is a well-made movie that will land differently with every viewer and have you looking at the skies a little differently.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram!
The post ‘Nope’ and the Legacy of Race-Based Horror appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
MARVEL’S MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR,’ FROM DISNEY BRANDED TELEVISION,
ADDS STELLAR GUEST AND RECURRING VOICE CAST, INCLUDING ALISON BRIE,
ANDY COHEN, DAVEED DIGGS, MAYA HAWKE, JENNIFER HUDSON, CRAIG ROBINSON,
CLIFF ‘METHOD MAN’ SMITH, COBIE SMULDERS AND WESLEY SNIPES
A multitalented lineup of guests and recurring stars are lending their voices to “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” the highly anticipated series from Disney Branded Television, which centers on 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur. Slated to premiere in 2023 on Disney Channel and Disney+, the stellar guest cast includes Alison Brie (“GLOW”), Andy Cohen (“Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen”), Daveed Diggs (Broadway’s “Hamilton”), Maya Hawke (“Stranger Things”), Jennifer Hudson (“Respect”), Cliff “Method Man” Smith (“Power Book II: Ghost”), Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Wesley Snipes (“Blade” trilogy). Recurring stars include Omid Abtahi (“The Mandalorian”), Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts”), Michael Cimino (“Love, Victor”), Indya Moore (“Pose”) and Craig Robinson (“The Office”).
The news, a first-look clip and exclusive artwork was revealed today during a “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, featuring the series cast and creative team.
Additional guest cast for the series includes Gideon Adlon (“Pacific Rim: The Black”), Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”), Anna Akana (“Youth & Consequences”), Ian Alexander (“The OA”), May Calamawy (Marvel Studios’ “Moon Knight”), Wilson Cruz (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Asia Kate Dillon (“Billions”), Luis Guzmán (“How to Make It in America”), astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, Josh Keaton (“Marvel’s Spider-Man”), June Diane Raphael (“Grace and Frankie”), Paul Scheer (“The League”) and Tajinae Turner (“Meet the Voxels”).
“Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” stars Diamond White as Lunella (aka Moon Girl); Alfre Woodard as Lunella’s grandmother, Mimi; Libe Barer as Lunella’s best friend and manager, Casey; Sasheer Zamata as Lunella’s mom, Adria; Jermaine Fowler as Lunella’s dad, James Jr.; Gary Anthony Williams as Lunella’s grandfather, Pops; and series executive producer Laurence Fishburne in the recurring role of The Beyonder, a curious and mischievous trickster.
Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series is executive produced by Fishburne and Helen Sugland’s Cinema Gypsy Productions (ABC’s “black-ish” and “mixed-ish,” Freeform’s “grown-ish”) and Steve Loter (Disney’s “Kim Possible”). Rodney Clouden (“Futurama”) is supervising producer, Kate Kondell (“The Pirate Fairy”) and Jeffrey M. Howard (“Planes”) are co-producers and story editors, and Pilar Flynn (“Elena of Avalor”) is producer.
*COPYRIGHT ©2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of Disney Branded Television. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed. Photos posted for Web use must be at the low resolution of 72dpi, no larger than 2×3 in size.
The post Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Guest and Recurring Voice Cast w/ First-Look Clip and Exclusive Artwork appeared first on The Nerd Element.
On the Friday of Comic Con 2022 in San Diego, moderator Paul F. Tompkins welcomed panelists Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios’ head of streaming television and animation; Ryan Meinerding, head of visual development; Bryan Andrews, director of What If…? and executive producer of Marvel Zombies; AC Bradley, writer and executive producer of What If…?; Beau DeMayo, writer and executive producer of X-Men ’97; Kirsten Lepore, writer, director and executive producer of I Am Groot; and Jeff Trammell, writer and executive producer of Spider-Man: Freshman Year to Disney’s Marvel Studios Animation panel.
The lights dropped and Ballroom 20 of the convention center was pitch black as the notorious voice of the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) began narrating the What If…? episode introduction. Suddenly, audiences were transported into the world of everything Marvel animation.
Big Announcements
Black Girl Nerds got an exclusive look at the latest projects that the studio has in store — and that includes some multiverse-shattering Marvel animation updates.
One of the gems that Marvel shared was an episode of the upcoming Disney+ series I Am Groot, featuring everyone’s favorite powerful dancing tree taking a bath that goes somewhat awry. They also dropped the official trailer for the series and dished that in addition to the episodes releasing on August 10, the creators are developing five more episodes.
Creators Bryn Andrew and AC Bradley revealed the Season 2 trailer for Emmy-nominated series What If…? and shared that there will be a Season 3.
Bryan Andrews invited panel attendees to delve into the upcoming Marvel Zombies series and some of the zombie characters that they can expect to see, including: Hawkeye, Captain America, Abomination, Ghost, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Okoye, and more.
Some of the non-zombie team members include: Kate Bishop, Red Guardian, Death Dealer, Shang Chi, Jimmy Wu, a skrull biker gang, a team of Black Widows and Ms. Marvel (panelists teased that Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, will be a major player in the series). There will be even more comic book characters on the roster as well.
There was also some exciting concept art from Spiderman: Freshman Year, created by Jeff Trammell. He presented the cast of characters, and Ryan Meinerding provided the audience with a first-look at the new Spiderman suit for the series. Trammell explained that the suit reflects an early Spider-Man Peter Parker that was his own DIY costume. The suit itself is a blend of casual and techy. The image showed the teen in tennis shoes and a backpack paired with high tech accessories, most likely crafted by Peter himself.
They also shared some of the characters that fans can expect to see, including: Peter’s friend Nico Minoru, Lonnie Lincoln, Dr. Strange, Daredevil (who will be voiced by Charlie Cox), Unicorn, Chameleon, and more.
It was also announced that there will be a Season 2 entitled: Spiderman: Sophomore Year. This will be Marvel’s first animated Spiderman series under Disney.
Finally, fans were treated to a first peak at X-Men ‘97, which included a sizzle reel with the cast and creators from the original 1990’s animated show. Executive producer and head writer Beau DeMayo revealed an animatic AC piece that showed off an early concept rendition of an action sequence with the original X-Men theme music playing in the background. Winderbaum also shared that the series is already confirmed for a Season 2.
He recommends that followers of the show rewatch the classic episodes to prepare for the new season, as they will have some connections.
Get to Know Marvel Studios Animation Creators
Without a doubt, each creative was glowing with pride as they spilled the tea on their upcoming Marvel projects.
Winderbaum reflected on how watching cartoons when he was growing up made animation hold a special place in his heart. For him, animation always seemed like the “logical” approach to creating a series with such a large number of Marvel characters and their multiversal dimensions.
However, Winderbaum noted that this mission would be impossible without the help of the entire visual development department that designs characters, looks, and the feel of film, animation, and live action projects.
Another key player that Tompkins introduced is Ryan Meinerding, who received a video homage noting everything he does to ensure Marvel projects look exceptional. Meinerding draws from comic book styles, develops concepts, magic, fire, and other unique visuals. A Marvel project veteran, Meinerding told fans that the process for live-action and animation visuals aren’t much different.
Speaking to the connection between animation and live-action, Lepore explained that I Am Groot will take viewers along for Groot’s coming of age days. His childhood will be similar to many other kids: he’ll get in trouble, experience things for the first time, and even experience some bathtime woes. However, it will also embrace the unusual and special experience that it is to be Groot. Still voiced by Vin Diesel in the Disney+ series, Groot will reflect the same charming character from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies fans know and love.
When asked if there will be any specific easter eggs from the Guardians of the Galaxy, Lepore dodged providing answers. It would seem that audiences are going to have to stay tuned.
I Am Groot launches exclusively on Disney+ August 10, with all five shorts available for viewing. Season 2 of What If…? launches exclusively on Disney+ in early 2023. X-Men ’97 begins streaming on Disney+ in Fall 2023. Spider-Man: Freshman Year arrives exclusively to Disney+ in 2024.