Ray Rice and #YesAllWomen

Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in The Projector's online edition on June 9th, 2014 as part of my ongoing 'Nitsky's Notes' series for the student newspaper.

I’ve felt like my Y chromosome has been under attack this past week. If you don’t follow the Internet, or watch any type of news at all, the #YesAllWomen hashtag has been trending in response to #NotAllMen, which hit Twitter as thousands of men felt as though they were being lumped in with a mass murderer from California.

A 22-year-old-man killed Cheng Yuan “James” Hong, George Chen, Weihan “David” Wang, Veronika Elizabeth Weiss, Katherine Breann Cooper and Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus on May 23 before killing himself. This much we know.

Reports say he committed the crime because of his mental illness, because of his hatred of women, because he was a deeply disturbed young man. He was known to follow misogynist websites, and he publicly posted a video displaying his hatred of women and his frustration with being a virgin at 22.

The reports of why the killer chose to go on his rampage led to some men feeling the need to say that #NotAllMen are misogynistic and mistreat women. While this is probably true, it doesn’t really matter. The point has become that #YesAllWomen do experience demeaning behaviour from men.

So when the #YesAllWomen tweets started coming in (I’ll spare quoting the tweets here, articles with tweets are just the worst), I got defensive. While I bit my virtual tongue, inside my head I was thinking, “I don’t do that, that’s not me, I’m not that guy.” It took me a couple of days to realize that this wasn’t about me. This was about #AllWomen and what a lot of men put them through.

In February, Ray Rice beat his then-fiancée, now wife, in an elevator. Ray Rice knocked her unconscious and dragged her on the ground. Ray Rice held a press conference where he said of the incident, “failure is not getting knocked down, it’s not getting up.” Ray Rice’s wife, Janay Rice, apologized for “her role in the incident” at the same press conference. This much we know.

We can assume that this sort of thing might have happened before. We can assume it might happen again. Ray Rice has yet to be punished in any capacity by the NFL, a league that prides itself on “protecting the shield” and handing out harsh discipline to players that hurt its image.

In a world where women feel the need to start an online hashtag to show everyone how poorly they’ve been treated by men, what does it say when a sports idol — in the biggest league in the world — can knock his fiancée unconscious on camera and may not suffer any punishment? What does it say when that same woman apologizes for her role in the incident?

I think it says that it doesn’t matter if #NotAllMen are “like that.” Clearly, enough of them are. So go ahead #YesAllWomen. If you can put up with misogyny, violence, and sexism on a daily basis, my Y chromosome can deal with a hashtag.

A Few Thoughts on the New Godzilla Movie

I had the chance to check out a premiere screening of Godzilla in advance of its wide release Friday. I was pretty excited for this movie, which kicks off the summer blockbuster viewing season for me (I still haven't gotten around to checking out The Amazing Spider-Man 2).

I should lead with the fact that I love Godzilla. Or rather the fact that I love the idea of Godzilla. The Lizard King has one of the best origin stories of all time. His entire creation is a parable for the dangers of humans using nuclear energy for weapons after Hiroshima in 1945.  This always added depth of character to a monster that never speaks and destroys cities that allowed me to simply respect the creation of the character, as well as showing exactly what Godzilla mean to Japanese culture.

The image I have of Godzilla has always been one of a "monster" that wears a grey hat. He's terrible because he tears down cities, but he also fights off other monsters that threaten us as well. This duality kind of represents the good/evil that nuclear energy can provide to humans, and how we have to be responsible with it.

That's always been one of my favourite themes in the Godzilla franchise, and it's one of the reasons I hated the 1998 version so much. Godzilla was the only real monster in that one, trying to have some baby Zillas in New York. It took away from that depth.

(A few spoilers for the 2014 Godzilla from here on out. Although, it's a Godzilla movie, so there's not much to spoil).

This version of the movie did better in that department. The nuclear testing and the dangers of nuclear weapons played a big part in the movie, and Godzilla also got to fight a couple giant bugs. It balanced out the movie and gave it a little bit of weight.

That's a good thing, because this version of Godzilla is lighter, and campier than I was expecting. Every monster movie trope was hit: The father separated from his wife and young son, the lost little asian boy that doesn't say a word, military HALO jumps — they were all in there.

While I wasn't expecting that, I didn't hate it. This movie knows what it is. It's a mega-blockbuster where people are coming to see a giant monster smash up some well known landmarks. It's gonna have some cliches. And that's totally fine.

Godzilla does have some serious action in it. The roar is great. It's phenomenal. The single most important thing about the Godzilla you show on screen is the roar, and this one was spot one. Buildings get smashed, nukes get stolen, helicopters blow up — it's a summer action movie with a high budget, so you'll be fine.

I thought the characters and the main plot that was followed was pretty weak. When (spoiler) Bryan Cranston's character's wife dies seven minutes into the movie, I didn't care. I'd barely gotten to know who these people were, never mind feel anything for them emotionally. The same was true when Cranston himself dies not much later, I just didn't care at all. And I felt nothing about whether or not our main character (whose name I can't even remember now, just to prove my point) would ever find his family.

That's fine, though, because the movie is called Godzilla. It's not about our main characters. It's about the monster, and also about all of human kind.

At one point, our token wise Japanese doctor says "man is often foolish for thinking her can control nature, when it fact it's the other way around", or something of the sorts. Godzilla not only works as a decent parable for nuclear war in a day and age when North Korea is just lurking in the shadows, but also as an image for what we're doing to the planet. The scene at the end of the movie, where all of San Francisco's citizens are seeking their families, is darkly familiar. We see it every few months, after a tsunami in Japan or a hurricane in New Orleans. We're currently destroying our planet because we refuse to believe that we're not in control. And the planet's starting to fight back.

So I went through a few phases with this movie. I was expecting it to be dark, and when it wasn't and I though it was campy, I was disappointed at first. But after watching the credits role and thinking about it for a while, I realized that the movie knows exactly what it is, and it captures that summer-movie fun while still adding a good amount of depth.

Silver's decry marks the beginning, not the end, of Sterling saga

Adam Silver made a name for himself yesterday. The NBA commissioner delivered a Silver-tongued lashing to Los Angeles Clippers owner and noted bigot Donald Sterling, fining him 2.5 million dollars (the maximum allowed under the league's constitution) and banning him for life from any activities related to the Clippers or the NBA.

We rejoiced. Justice had been served. This despicable man had been stripped of one of his prize possessions.

Except he hasn't been — yet.

To truly banish Sterling from the league, the NBA requires 75% of its owners vote to force Sterling to sell the team. While Silver seems confident that he will get the numbers, it seems clear that yesterday was not the triumphant end of an embarrassing moment for the NBA, but the beginning of what could be a long and ugly process to remove Sterling entirely.

The 80-year-old Sterling has apparently declared that the Clippers — who won game 5 of their first-round series with the Golden State Warriors last night to take a 3-2 series lead — are not for sale. While many owners, including the Charlotte Bobcats' Michael Jordan have publicly said that Sterling has no place in their league, Dallas Mavericks owner has called the process of forcing an owner to sell a team a "very, very, very slippery slope."

It's easy to imagine fellow owners wringing their hands nervously. Forcing Sterling to sell against his will sets a precedent, and could end up coming to bite other billionaires' behinds.

I hope you enjoyed yesterday. It was cathartic to see Silver lay down his decry with fire and brimstone and justice. But that was far from the end of what might might turn into a legal battle of biblical proportions, if Sterling decides he doesn't want to sell and 25% of the leagues' owners feel their future may be in jeopardy. Buckle up, because I have a feeling we're just getting started.

Sex, lies, and videotape — Trailer Reviews for April 18

Spring —  a time of rebirth, renewal, and hope. It's upon us again, and with it, some new movie trailers that are hoping to convince you to part ways with the $12 in your wallet to spend two hours inside a movie theatre instead of outside enjoying the fresh air.

Under the Skin

I wrote a little bit about the 53 second teaser that was released for this film a few months back. We know a lot more about this movie know — Scarlett Johansson plays an alien life form that seduces horny men from around Scotland to kill them, or something.

I'm not usually a fan of super-imposed quotes in trailers — it's usually a sing to me that the movie didn't have enough footage to promote itself, or it's just lazy editing. This trailer features some pretty bold words in its text ("a grand statement on what it means to be a human being"... really?) but I'm gonna give it the benefit of the doubt. The trailer is beautifully made, featuring some great shots at different locations, and Scarlett Johansson looks absolutely gorgeous in it.

The music in this trailer was huge for me too. Often time 'horror' trailers come off as cheesy and lame, but the music combined with the shots in this trailer were enough to give me an actual creepy sense of foreboding. I'm pumped for this movie now.

Trailer: 4 Stars

See It

God's Pocket

Philip Seymour Hoffman died in February of a heroin overdose. No matter what you think about his lifestyle choices, or the fact that he left his family without him because of his addiction, you can't deny that he was a talented actor. He's one of my favourites, and I'll watch pretty much any movie he's in. He stars in "God's Pocket" alongside Richard Jenkins and Christina Hendricks (who will forever own a little piece of my heart for her role as Joan in Madmen).

After seeing that cast list, I was excited to watch this trailer. Unfortunately, I just didn't get the trailer. I have no idea what this movie is about. Hendricks' son dies? Is it gang related? Just a working-class town thing? Supernatural?

I'm confused. But I'll still go see the movie.

Trailer: 2 Stars

See it

Kid Cannabis

Drugs, sex, money, youth, glory blah blah blah blah. This seems horribly written. "You know who has the sweetest, dankest, green on the — " shut up. Nobody talks like that.

Trailer: 1 Star

Skip It

 Authors Anonymous

Okay, this can be summed up by the movie poster.

Look, guys! We're wearing glasses! We're smart! We're clever writers! Come see our movie.

Not buying it, Kaley and Chris. Not. Buying. It.

The movie looks like a typical three act rom-com set in the the world of struggling writers (probably in LA). Rejection letters! Agents! I'll pass. Nice job on the callback question to Cuoco's character at the end, though.

Trailer: 2.5 stars

Skip It

Sex Tape (Red Band, NSFW)

First off, let me just say that I can't stand Cameron Diaz. I think she's talentless, I don't find her attractive, and I've always been confused about how she's famous.

On the other hand, Jason Segel is a beauty. Love that guy. I'll watch him in anything.

I can't say I believe, or like them as a couple, but I'll deal with it for this movie. With a July release date, "Sex Tape" clearly has eyes on being the "big comedy" of the summer (kind of like "We're the Millers") was last year. It should do pretty well, with a recognizable cast, "edgy" name, and this red band trailer getting around the Internet.

The trailer itself is awesome. I'm particularly partial to the cloud-based services joke. I love the cloud, man, but I have no idea how it works. It's a fucking mystery!

One thing that's stuck with me after watching the trailer a few times though.... Who gives out iPads to that many people? Rich people man. #FirstWorldProblems

Portmanteau

Yes, this is a thing that's happening.

Moral Decay in the West End: Sargent & Victor & Me

I had a chance to go check out Theatre Projects Manitoba's presentation of Sargent & Victor & Me Tuesday night at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film at the University of Winnipeg. This blog post is an assignment for my Journalism class.

Some background information on the play: It's a one-woman show, written and performed by Debbie Patterson (and directed by her husband, Arne MacPherson). Patterson, who has multiple sclerosis, plays a number of different characters congregating around a food bank near the West End cross-street of Sargent and Victor.

The play centres around Gillian, a woman based on Patterson. Gillian is bitter about having MS, and spends a lot of time reminiscing about what the disease has cost her. Along the way we meet a pastor, two senior citizens, a 7-year-old-girl, and Gillian's brother Bob, all played by Patterson. We also meet a 15-year-old aboriginal girl named Theresa, who is a member of the 'Gangster Crips'.

Patterson uses the setting of the food bank to explore different attitudes surrounding the beat up West End neighbourhood. Not surprisingly, most of these attitudes are negative. The people there either feel persecuted unfairly by the police (Bob), they're giving away chocolate to volunteers but not the no-good-homeless-folks (Fred), they're incredibly racist and old-fashioned (the senior citizens Tom and Sharon), or they're a seven-year-old that somehow manages to come off as bitchy.

I was repulsed by all of these characters. They had few, if any redeeming qualities. I don't say this as a criticism. The fact that Patterson was able to fully inhabit all of these persona's and get me to hate them was remarkable.

In an interview I read before seeing the play, Patterson says that she was trying to use her MS as a metaphor for the decline of the neighbourhood in which the play is set. While this is effective, I found the moral decay of her characters to be a better parallel for the neighbourhoods struggles. Maybe it's not the aboriginals or the child gangs or the crooked cops that's ruining the West End. Maybe it's the cynicism and hatred spewing from the "good" residents that's the problem.

The most interesting character in the play is definitely the 15-year-old Theresa. Theresa was raped, beaten, left for dead more than once. She lived with a mother who sniffed gas instead of collecting welfare to feed her children. Theresa became addicted to drugs and fell into a gang.

While on the surface, this type of person might seem to be the problem in an impoverished neighbourhood, Theresa is the only character that displays any redeeming qualities. She shows compassion to Gillian, helping her up off the concrete in a moment of need. We hear about the mistakes that she's made, but we see why she's made them. She's a fully developed, complex character, but her and "her kind" are painted out to be nothing more than lazy gangbangers.

The juxtaposition between Theresa and her neighbours works beautifully to illustrate Patterson's point that there's more to people than what one see's on the surface.

The only problem I had with the play was with those other people. They're presented in only one dimension, as ugly, racist, vile people. They're painted with black hats. In a play that seems to tell us that people are complex and we don't know their entire story, I felt as though these characters were too one-dimensional. Patterson writes that we all have broken minds or broken bodies — her characters seem to have broken souls.

While I've seen tons of plays over the years, this was the first time I've ever been to a one-person play. I was expecting little-to-no movement, basically a series of monologues that would be broken up noticeably. I was pleasantly surprised when the play started. Patterson makes seamless transitions from character to character without missing a beat. In order to keep the audience aware of who exactly is speaking, Patterson uses distinctive mannerisms and voices to clue us in, and the lighting changes depending on the character were wonderfully done.

I've never thought much about the West End. When I hear news stories about shootings or gang violence in that area it doesn't phase me. I expect that from the area. I had my eyes opened up a bit, because I could relate to what some of the characters that repulsed me were saying. I might never make some of their statements out loud, but I can't say I haven't thought them before. I felt ashamed, especially after hearing Theresa's story.

I really enjoyed this play, even if it made me feel uncomfortable at times. It's an unflinching look at attitudes towards poverty, and manages to use a number of beautiful metaphors to express that.

Oscar Predictions

I love the Oscars. Even though the Golden Globes are a bigger party, and the Grammys have better musical performances, the Oscars have always been my favourite awards show. Tonight's Academy Awards will be celebrating what was a really great year for movies, so let's go through the list and make a couple of predictions.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees

John Ridley — 12 Years a Slave

Steve Koogan and Jeff Pope — Philomena

Billy Ray — Captain Phillips

Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater — Before Midnight

Terence Winter — The Wolf of Wall Street

Who I Think Will Win: John Ridley — 12 Years a Slave

The script has been the frontrunner for this award since the movie premiered early in award season. Nothing has really emerged to challenge it as the favourite.

Who I Want to Win: Billy Ray — Captain Phillips

I really enjoyed Captain Phillips. It ran over two hours, but didn't feel too long, and told a great story about a really interesting subject. I feel like Tom Hanks fully deserved a nomination for Best Actor, and I can't see Phillips winning any other category. So even though this movie might not have the best script, I'd like to see it walk away with something

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees

Woody Allen — Blue Jasmine

Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russel — American Hustle

Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack — Dallas Buyers Club

Spike Jonze — Her

Bob Nelson — Nebraska

Who I Think Will Win: Spike Jonze — Her

Spike Jonze's script managed to take home both the Golden Globe and the Writers Guild of America trophies. Add that to the fact that I think Academy voters will want to reward this wonderful little movie, and Her should be a favourite in this category.

That being said, 20% of the Academy is made up of members of the acting community, which could lead to strong support for the actor heavy American Hustle. That script is an actor's dream.

Who I Want to Win: Spike Jonze — Her

Her was easily one of my favourite movies of the year, and the script was a big reason why. Jonze managed to craft a world that seemed familiar yet foreign, and told a traditional love story while also commenting on our relationship with technology. It was the most human movie of the year, and it dealt with a man in love with an operating system.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees

Jared Leto — Dallas Buyers Club

Jonah Hill — Wolf of Wall Street

Bradley Cooper — American Hustle

Michael Fassbender — 12 Years a Slave

Barkhad Abdi — Captain Phillips

Who I Think Will Win: Jared Leto — Dallas Buyers Club

Leto did a phenomenal job transforming himself into Rayon for Dallas Buyers Club, but I think the most powerful scene he had in the movie was when he dressed up in a suit to go talk to his father. It was a great performance that required a massive change in a movie about a serious topic. All of those things lead to Oscar gold.

Who I Want to Win: Jonah Hill — Wolf of Wall Stree

Jonah Hill was great in this movie. He had so much fun, but managed to play a convincing character across from Leo. He ate a live goldfish. And he did it all for $60,000, the minimum amount a member of the Screen Actors Guild is allowed to be paid, simply because he wanted to be in a Martin Scorsese movie. 

Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees

Sally Hawkins — Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence — American Hustle

June Squibb — Nebraska

Lupita Nyong'o — 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts — August Osage County

Who I Think Will Win: Lupita Nyong'o — 12 Years a Slave

The narrative is too good for the Academy to pass up. Mexican born, Kenyan raised, Yale educated Lupita Nyong'o plays a beaten slave in a Picture of the Year favourite. It doesn't hurt that she's phenomenal in it.

Her biggest competition is Jennifer Lawrence, who won in this category last year. The Academy won't want her to win back-to-back Oscars before she's 25. Sorry JLaw.

Who I Want to See Win: June Squibb — Nebraska

This Vine is why she deserves to win.

Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Matthew McConaughey —Dallas Buyers Club

Leonardo DiCaprio — Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor — 12 Years a Slave

Bruce Dern — Nebraska

Christian Bale — American Hustle

Who I Think Will Win: Matthew McConaughey — Dallas Buyers Club

See the reasons I listed for Jared Leto as to why McConaughey will win. Combine that with the fact that Hollywood is going crazy over the McConnaisance and he's pretty much a lock.

I really liked his performance. I though Dallas Buyers Club was a flawed movie that oversimplified a very complicated issue. The movie gave everyone a white hat or a black hat, but McConaughey managed to wear a variety of hats (literally and figuratively).

Who I Want to See Win

Leonardo DiCapri — Wolf of Wall Street

This is my favourite Leo performance ever. He gives a controlled insanity at all times, and brings the audience along for a wild ride. This movie is incredibly divisive, which means it probably won't win anything, and that's too bad.

Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Amy Adams — American Hustle

Cate Blanchett — Blue Jasmine 

Judi Dench — Philomena

Sandra Bullock — Gravity

Meryl Streep — August Osage County

Who I Think Will Win:  Cate Blanchett — Blue Jasmine

I haven't seen this movie yet, I was trying to before today, but it'll have to wait. But apparently she's the lock of the century, so, yep.

Who I Want to See Win: Amy Adams — American Hustle

I loved American Hustle. It was probably the most fun I had at the movies all year. Amy Adams, and her sideboob, was a big part of that.

Her energy throughout the movie is off the charts, and the fact that she's basically playing two characters helps.

Best Director

Nominees:

Alfonso Cuarón — Gravity

David O. Russel — American Hustle

Alexander Payne — Nebraska

Martin Scorsese — Wolf of Wall Street

Steve McQueen — 12 Years a Slave

Who I Think Will Win: Alfonso Cuarón — Gravity

This movie, much like James Cameron's Avatar, has changed the rules for what is possible in the world of filmmaking. I saw this in IMAX 3D, and held my breath the entire time. It was visually astounding.

Who I Wants to See Win: Alfonso Cuarón — Gravity

Gravity was remarkable bit of filmmaking, and it deserves to be recognized here.

Best Picture

Nominees:

Dallas Buyers Club

Nebraska

Her

American Hustle

Wolf of Wall Street

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

Gravity

Captain Phillips

Who I Think Will Win: 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave is a hard movie to watch. It's a brutal look at slavery, and an important film. The Academy will reward it with a Best Picture statuette tonight.

Who I Want to See Win: Her

My favourite movie of the year, but it doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell at winning tonight. I'm glad to see it was recognized with a nomination, and I'll be rooting for Spike Jonze's incredible little film tonight.