Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station is based on the true story of Oscar Grant III. I am embarrassed to say that I did not remember this story until my manager brought up wanting to see the movie. I was living in California when this incident occurred in 2009. I heard here and there about a white cop shooting a young African American but that's all I remembered.

As so many horrible things do in our society, as soon as the next horrific thing happened, I forgot about this story. But, as soon as I saw the preview for the movie I knew I had to see it. I knew it was an Indie film, and if you haven't learned already, I love watching Indie films. According to Wikipedia.org this movie was filmed in 20 days which is incredible. I am unsure whether or not that fact is accurate, but if it is, wow.

I have done a great deal of research about the true facts of this movie and what actually happened. When it comes to true stories I like to find out just how much is actually truth. The underlying point to this story is that justice needs to be served. Oscar Grant was not a "stand up citizen," he had many problems which are documented all over the wonderful world wide web. He sold drugs, went to jail, cheated on his girlfriend (mother of his daughter), and was unable to retain his job. Some of these things are depicted in the movie, there is an added scene which appears to be added to make you feel a sense of connection to the character in a positive manner. But despite who Oscar Grant was or the mistakes (big and small) he made, what happened was unacceptable.

In the movie and through interviews from those who recorded the incident on their phones it appears that Oscar was involved in a scuffle. A fight, is what the police called it, but someone who witnessed it said it seemed to be no more than two guys wrestling. Despite what the fight was or wasn't, cops showed up on the scene. It all lead to Oscar being forced to the ground by a couple cops, face down on the ground, unarmed, a cop pulls his gun and shoots Oscar in the back. This is the fatal shot that (eventually) ended Oscar's life. The officer was charged with manslaughter.

This is a personal side note based on my research, but the officer was given 2 years including time already served, which is LESS than the minimum for manslaughter. However, the officer was let out after 11 months served. To me that is absolutely unacceptable. This is where the justice system failed. I think this movie is completely worth renting. Not only because it is a real life story but because it may cause us to look at the discrepancies within our justice system.

Lee Daniels' The Butler

The Butler, what can I say? I'm going to be honest, I had absolutely no want to see this movie. I have a hard time tolerating Oprah Winfrey (I know I'm the minority) so the fact that she is a lead in this movie made me want to steer clear. On the opposite end of the spectrum I have a great amount of respect for Forest Whitaker and I think he is a brilliant actor.

This is the true life story of Eugene Allen. A lot has happened throughout this man's life and I cannot imagine what it would have been like to recap what it was like to serve under multiple presidents. I understood this film to be the story of a man working as hard as possible to give his family everything.

It is painful to watch at certain points when you watch his eldest son say horrific things to him or learn about his younger son going to war. Watching as Eisenhower talks about how he doesn't necessarily agree with desegregation in schools and knowing that he is that man's butler.

I cannot imagine what it was like to be Mr. Allen and live this life. It was hard for me to watch because at some points I felt like he was doing so much at that time eventually being honored by President Reagan but at the same time having to deal with Presidents who still saw him as just the butler. I know that this is a man's life story and deserves to be respected, however I felt as if the movie was a little long. I wouldn't say that that warrants a "don't watch." I would say if you are interested in the movie go ahead and RENT it, it is worth a view.