Just had the opportunity to watch the first
day release (Jan 14) on Red Box, The Butler with Forest Whitaker and Oprah. We
made sure to get it before all rentals were unavailable. It is one of
the BEST, soul-wrenching, life-joggling films I have ever
seen. Not only does it tell the story of a black man who was a devoted
Butler for 20+ years serving many presidents but it captures the world
as it was in a time of racial indifference, hatred, violence, and the
evolving movement of the US. Starting from his youth as a slave all the
way throughout his life as a husband and father, the paths his sons
took, the struggles of his wife (Oprah), and his own self-realizations
from what he knew as a young man trying to find a way to survive and
live in a world that rejected him to a well-lived man seeing the world
change before his eyes and seeing the progressive results of the fight
many blacks lived and died for so that one day we could see a man of
color be our nation's president. It's a story that you will be engrossed
in and once you're done you'll feel glad and proud to have seen it.
After watching and turning back to "normal" tv it was like coming out of a trance. I was back in reality again...and what do I witness on tv, the same ole bullshit we all see on an everyday basis, reality tv, drama, falseness, and delusion (because before poppin in the movie we were watching Bravo). And it made me think again how so much involved we are in our imaginations and stories we made up for our leisure entertainment. We may have forgotten about where this country has evolved from... We're still in a rough place but in no comparison to what our ancestors went through- all of us. It's not just black history it's all our history. Whether we were the opposers or the ones being opposed. Movies like this allow us to re-think many aspects of our lives: what we have, what we want, how we treat each other, how we feel about ourselves....understand the importance of humility and humbleness. It touched me; what I'm trying to say, and I wouldn't recommend a movie unless I felt it was important to pass along. I need to do my duty (as we all do) by letting others know about work of art that is mind-turning and valuable, not just because I'm black but because as an American citizen it affects all of us.
Rent or BUY The Butler on DVD. It is available today!
After watching and turning back to "normal" tv it was like coming out of a trance. I was back in reality again...and what do I witness on tv, the same ole bullshit we all see on an everyday basis, reality tv, drama, falseness, and delusion (because before poppin in the movie we were watching Bravo). And it made me think again how so much involved we are in our imaginations and stories we made up for our leisure entertainment. We may have forgotten about where this country has evolved from... We're still in a rough place but in no comparison to what our ancestors went through- all of us. It's not just black history it's all our history. Whether we were the opposers or the ones being opposed. Movies like this allow us to re-think many aspects of our lives: what we have, what we want, how we treat each other, how we feel about ourselves....understand the importance of humility and humbleness. It touched me; what I'm trying to say, and I wouldn't recommend a movie unless I felt it was important to pass along. I need to do my duty (as we all do) by letting others know about work of art that is mind-turning and valuable, not just because I'm black but because as an American citizen it affects all of us.
Rent or BUY The Butler on DVD. It is available today!
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