Morning Musing on Films and the Gen-X Mind
Luvlies, Good morning. I have a confession to make. I played hookie and went to the movies for back-to-back screenings two days ago. Once a month, I have it in my calendar to head to Imagine Cinema and watch whatever I want for $5. I know, I know… I’ll never become a millionaire with such frivolous spending, but I needed a reward for enduring such a miserable recovery (Update on yesterday’s appointment coming soon). What movies did I chose to spoil myself with? Two stellar blackity Black films filled with Gen-X energy: I Love Boosters and Michael.
I loved them both. Boots Riley is a creative mastermind. He’s that communist-adjacent, unconventionally raised Gen-X radical, who’s rarely invested in, so he bets on himself. He’s the Artist’s Way manifested as a person. In his films, you think you might know where the story is going, but them BAM… you’re in the craziest blunt rotation of your life. In I Love Boosters, he had Demi Moore and Keke Palmer looking cute and fighting for their balance on a 45º raked set. He created g-u-n carrying skinless people out of claymation. I can’t even begin to explain to you what I Love Boosters was about without sounding like I’m having a manic episode – it’s that kookie. It was a feminist movie, reminding us we are on the same team. But let me be clear: Boosters was made for Black people.
Mr. Boots makes innovative work and relies on manual creativity, rather than CGI to tell the films narrative. Classic green screen and in-camera work where you could see this film was fun to make. I felt so charged when I left the theatre, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not watching it after Michael to give I Love Boosters time to sink in. Guess I’ve got to go back and watch it again 😉
Do you remember where you were when Michael passed? I do. I was in Zurich with my best friend (who’d come to visit me for a few days) and we wept, danced and listened to his catalogue until the next day started. I genuinely love Michael and, no it’s lost on me that this film was released at a time when the conversation of PDFiles, finally steered away from him and towards other people in his wealth bracket. It’s all suss to me, but for two hours I was lost in that world.
Colman Domingo and Nia Long portrayed Joe and Katherine Jackson beautifully, but Jafaar Jackson stole the show. I don’t know anything about Jafaar because he transformed himself into his uncle Michael so completely. Sometimes when an actor is playing a real character, you’ll still recognize elements of that actor in the character. BAYBEE, when I tell you Jafaar vanished from the screen, I mean VANISHED and we were left with the spirit of Michael. Ignore the times where Michael felt like a made for TV movie special, MJ was present even down to the smile.
To give you context, I was 5 turning 6 when I watched MJ moonwalk at a watch party, hosted by my mom and neighbours (and no, you didn’t watch TV alone back then. It was a community event). We were hooting and hollering, trying to get our parents to do the splits, and imitate the dance moves on screen. But it was Michael’s performance that gave us rug burn in our socks and the ability to pass on his electric energy through our little fingers. *CRACKLE POP*.
…and that’s time. Again a bit over pomodoro time today because I loved these films and got distracted but watching Michael videos. Did you see either of these movies? Share your thoughts below.
See you tomorrow Luvlies!
xoxo Luv Laney Luv
*psst… Don’t forget to like and subscribe to my channel.
Morning Musing is a pomodoro-timed, free thought experiment to get back into the swing of things. No Ai added.
