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Arts
Monday, November 27, 2017 — 5A
NETFLIX
The 1986 film hits the small screen of Netflix.
Lee revamps for TV his
hit ‘She’s Gotta Have It’
The director’s 1986 debut recieves a refreshing makeover
Love yourself, even if society
doesn’t want you to.
That seems to be one of the
many
underlying
messages
of “She’s Gotta Have It,” the
refreshing television adaptation
of Spike Lee’s (“Oldboy”) 1986
debut. For Nola Darling (DeWanda
Wise,
“Underground”),
the
show’s striking protagonist, self-
love comes at the price of being
fetishized by her romantic suitors,
objectified by male strangers and
traumatized by her own demons.
But toward the end of the first
episode, Nola rejects the negative
labels attached to her identity.
She stares down the camera and
says with fierce conviction that
she’s “not a freak, a sex addict and
damn sure nobody’s property.”
Though this show may not be
for everyone, Nola’s unrelenting
confidence and exuberant charm
in moments like these make “She’s
Gotta Have It” worth watching.
While it shares the same
premise as the original film — an
independent Black woman from
Brooklyn entangles herself in a
love quadrangle — the TV version
of “She’s Gotta Have It” explores
much more than its tantalizing
plot suggests. From polyamory
to sexual fluidity, psychotherapy
to
self-acceptance,
sexual
assault to feminism, the show
juggles an array of heavy topics,
creating both a stimulating and
disorienting viewing experience.
But by focusing on one specific
theme at a time in each episode,
“She’s Gotta Have It” dedicates
a healthy amount of attention to
how these complex topics propel
Nola’s character arc.
Particularly during the third
episode (so far my favorite),
Nola faces her biggest challenge
when she buys a skimpy black
dress to boost her self-esteem
and subsequently draws mixed
reactions from the three men she’s
dating — thoughtful businessman
Jamie Overstreet (Lyriq Bent,
“Saw IV”), playful biker Mars
Blackmon
(Anthony
Ramos,
“White Girl”) and narcissistic
photographer Greer Childs (Cleo
Anthony, “Transparent”). On a
fancy dinner date, Jamie becomes
overprotective of Nola, telling her
dress is too “night-clubby” for a
nice restaurant and shielding it
from strangers with his sports
coat. Mars gives Nola flak for
provoking an aggressor at a
reggaeton concert because of how
sexy her dress looks. But perhaps
the most effective damage on
Nola’s ego comes from Greer,
when he photographs her while
commenting her dress and looks
in a lecherous, Terry Richardson-
type manner.
Each of these encounters leaves
Nola deeply uncomfortable, but
also empowered to turn her
suffering into art. She takes
the dress and pins it to a blank
canvas, signifying how the dress
doesn’t define her and that she
has the willpower to control
how she responds to what people
think of her. Wise’s impeccable
performance
also
perfectly
captures the emotional intensity
and gravity in these scenes. She
channels
anger,
frustration,
happiness and longing with such
nuance that it’s almost hard not
to recognize and empathize with
her character’s pain.
For all of its enchanting
acting and mesmerizing social
commentary, “She’s Gotta Have
It” is by no means a conventional
watch.
The
show
frequently
breaks the fourth wall without
warning, a technique Lee has
employed in the original film and
in his other 1989 classic, “Do the
Right Thing.” In some moments,
having characters address the
viewer directly benefits the
dynamism and urgency of the
show’s monologues. In one brief
but stunning scene from episode
five, Nola’s boss Raqueletta Moss
(De’Adre Aziza, “The Breaks”)
tells both Nola and the audience
about how she conquered the
traumas of her past to make it
as an elite elementary school
principal for at-risk students
of color. It doesn’t necessarily
propel the plot in any way, but the
power of Moss’s words speaks
volumes of the level of depth Lee
and his team of writers imbue in
each of the characters, no matter
if they are secondary to the story.
That being said, other scenes
that break the fourth wall
can elicit an entirely different
reaction, such as when Nola
ends a speech about her defiance
against a man who assaulted her
in the pilot episode by saying,
“Black
Lives
Matter.”
Even
though the statement emerges
may seem jarring in the moment,
Black identity is part of who
Nola is and mentioning the
BLM movement doesn’t negate
that whatsoever. This is Lee’s
attempt to emphasize how Black
solidarity is always an intrinsic
part of being Black in America,
regardless of the context. And
however the message is intended,
Lee’s portrayal of modern-day
Black life through Nola Darling
is undeniably admirable and
remains a testament to his acute
storytelling style and inclusion of
actors of color in primary roles.
As meticulous as the show may
be about identity and art, “She’s
Gotta Have It” isn’t without
its faults. The pacing of each
episode is slightly sluggish and
other ongoing subplots — Nola’s
friend Shemekka (Chyna Layne,
“Precious”) receives butt implants
to enhance her burlesque dancing
— don’t hit the same emotional
beats as the main story.
But part of what makes the
updated version of “She’s Gotta
Have It” so enthralling is how it
portrays Nola’s many layers as an
autonomous Black woman. The
show’s selection of hip hop and
R&B music — some include The
Roots, Solange, The Isley Brothers
and Prince — both shape Nola’s
cultured aesthetic tastes and
evoke the spectrum of emotion
she carries throughout the show.
Nola’s relationship to Brooklyn
also enhances the core aesthetic
of “She’s Gotta Have It”; the
show itself is also a love letter to
Brooklyn, incorporating images
that portray the borough’s rich
past and present in its collage-like
opening title sequence.
For Nola Darling, the only way
to navigate through the scary,
intimidating
male-dominated
world is by finding the beauty in
it.
SAM ROSENBERG
Daily Arts Writer
TV REVIEW
“She’s Gotta
Have It”
Series premiere
(5 episodes
watched)
Netflix
WALT DISNEY
Pixar succeeds in the thoughtful, touching animated feature
Pixar’s new ‘Coco’ is the
studio’s best film in years
Culturally cognizant and nuanced, Pixar’s latest makes waves
To say that Hollywood has
struggled with representation of
minorities would be a bit of an
understatement. It seems that every
few months moviegoers are treated
to a fresh controversy concerning
casting choices and depiction
of cultures in film, such as the
decision to have Scarlett Johansson
(“Rough Night”) play the Japanese
heroine of 2017’s “Ghost in the
Shell.”
Moreover,
Hollywood’s
most prominent directors and
writers are overwhelmingly white
men.
When Pixar’s latest release,
“Coco,” was announced in 2013
under the title “Dia de los Muertos,”
it seemed like the film would be
yet another example of tone-deaf
Hollywood drivel as Disney moved
to trademark the name of the
Mexican holiday, stirring outrage
from the Southern Californian
Latino community. Learning from
its mistakes, Pixar changed the
name to “Coco” and recruited
several experts on Mexican culture
and history to consult throughout
the creative process concerning the
studio’s depiction of the culture.
The result is one of the most
thoughtful,
nuanced
and
all
around gorgeous depictions of
Mexican culture ever to come from
mainstream Hollywood. “Coco”
follows a young boy named Miguel
(Anthony Gonzales, “Imagination
of Young”), an aspiring musician
facing his family’s generations-
old ban on music. When Miguel
attempts to steal a guitar from the
tomb of his favorite musician, he
is transported to the Land of the
Dead and must find his way home
before sunrise lest he be trapped
there forever.
The film’s story could perhaps
be
one
place
for
complaint.
Thematically, it’s color-by-numbers
Disney; so long as characters
follow their hearts and believe, all
their dreams will come true. It’s a
formula that the studio has done
to perfection, and it follows an
emotional arc that will feel very
familiar to Pixar fans, from its main
character’s hopeful optimism to
its tear-jerking emotional climax.
Some plot points felt predictable;
some would-be big reveals could
be seen coming. That said, there’s
nothing inherently wrong with
sticking to what works, especially
when the film’s true strengths lie in
its details.
The
film
brings
together
numerous details about Mexican
culture,
from
the
glowing,
patterned alebrijes (spirit animals)
that live in the Land of the Dead
to an appearance from the spirit
of Frida Kahlo. These details
never once feel like a contrived
token for diversity, but instead
combine to make “Coco” one of
the most immersive animated
experiences of the year. While
“Coco” does have a story to tell —
and a heartwarming one at that
— it feels like part of the film’s goal
was simply to write a love letter to
Mexican culture and heritage, a
goal it achieves in spades. The film
is a vibrant, beautiful portrait of a
people and their culture.
Moreover, “Coco” may very
well be one of the most technically
impressive and visually stunning
animated films ever made. This is
visible from little details, like the
way leaves on the ground pulse
and glow when Miguel strums a
guitar, to big, ambitious settings
like The Land of the Dead, depicted
in the film as a sprawling, glowing
metropolis that’s built atop itself
and is impossibly tall. The character
design is delightfully unique, and
each character has a liveliness and
rhythm to their movements that
helps to build their character, from
the skeleton-esque limp of Héctor
(Gael García Bernal, “If You Saw
His Heart”) to the comedic flailing
of Dante, a stray Mexican Hairless
Dog and Miguel’s sidekick.
The film’s story may not be
terribly unique, but everything else
about the film is, and is done with
such virtuosic attention to detail
that it completely silences whatever
issues one may take with the plot.
“Coco” does more than paint a vivid
picture, it invites audiences to step
through the looking glass into a
stunningly beautiful world teeming
with creativity. What’s more, the
film’s lovingly nuanced depiction
of Mexican culture should be the
benchmark for respectful depiction
and
minority
representation
in
Hollywood
going
forward.
Shattering box-office records in
Mexico within days of opening,
“Coco” is not only a great movie,
it’s also a great example of what
happens when big studios take the
time to ask questions, learn about a
culture and do it right.
MAX MICHALSKY
Daily Arts Writer
FILM REVIEW
“Coco”
Rave Cinemas,
Quality 16
Walt Disney
Studios Motion
Pictures
WHO HAD THE MOST
FASHIONABLE BREAK DOWN?
A. LINDSEY LOHAN
B. AMANDA BYNES
C. BRITNEY SPEARS
D. TAYLOR SWIFT
E. NOT TAYLOR SWIFT
JOIN DAILY STYLE TO LEARN THE
ANSWER
E-mail arts@umich.edu for
information on applying.
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ACROSS
1 The “m” in
E = mc 2
5 Put into force
10 Wood-shaping
tool
14 Severely
damaged sea
15 Morning show
featuring Al Roker
16 Drubbed or
whipped
17 Calf-length skirt
18 Lady’s canine
love
19 Omar of “The
Mod Squad”
20 Seaside shade
provider
23 Bone: Pref.
24 Second person
25 Grammy category
28 “Don’t play”
music symbols
32 “I’ll do that!”
34 Opposite of pos.
37 Philatelist’s
volumes
40 Soothing
succulent
42 Inclined
43 Sitter’s nemesis
44 Practice that
develops a variety
of employee skills
47 Letters after ems
48 “Not __!”: “Quiet!”
49 Macho guy
51 Not agin
52 Musician’s gift
55 Curriculum __:
résumé
59 Kid’s imaginary
companions, and
what’s literally
found in this
puzzle’s circles
64 Remove a rind
from
66 “Ask me if __”
67 Pigeon banter
68 Drops the ball
69 Country south of
Egypt
70 French I verb
71 Path behind a
ship
72 Poet’s muse
73 Taken in, as a
movie
DOWN
1 Cuban dance
2 Spring zodiac sign
3 ’70s-’80s
Egyptian
president Anwar
4 Deli machine
5 Caesar’s ides-of-
March words
6 Good name for
an average guy
7 Not much (of)
8 Top-selling
Toyota
9 Blood bank spec
10 Second son
11 Act of leaving
12 Microwave
13 Sci-fi beings
21 Long-handled
garden tools
22 Break in the
action
26 Capital of Jordan
27 Annoying types
29 “Now!” in the OR
30 Brit’s sign-off
31 Northampton
women’s college
33 Flow back
34 City south of
Baghdad
35 Wed on the wing
36 Lose it big-time
38 Ballet dip
39 Tiny physics bit
41 Poetic palindrome
45 Oil gp. that
includes Iraq
46 “Avatar” race
50 Nephews’ sisters
53 Come to light
54 Happen multiple
times
56 Govt. security
57 Love dearly
58 German steel
city
60 Beyond that
61 “Look what I did!”
62 Group with
pledges
63 Nevada gambling
city
64 Church bench
65 Notable time
By Mark McClain
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/27/17
11/27/17
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE– Monday, November 27, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
xwordeditor@aol.com