The Cult of Black and white Cinematic Symbolism (Part 18)...Why Ryan Coogler isn't directing "Creed 2", and what Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Ryan all have in common...

To the readers of this Blog: Many of you I suspect, might be getting a bit weary of my last several posts focusing on Marvel’s “Black Panther” movie or you've noticed that I’m staying in the cozy confines of the “Cult of Black and white Cinematic Symbolism” series.

Now, the reason I’m doing this, is cause like it says on my page, “More about me and this Blog”, movies have a way of telling us things about the human condition, that other mediums can’t quite match. And I feel that at no other time (at least that I can remember) has this been more evident, than with Marvel’s Black Panther movie.

And what this film is telling us, especially in terms of a place like “Wakanda”, is that indigenous Black men and women are not only more technologically advanced than any other ethnic group (remember, it was Black people who were at the genesis of every art and science, and you can find that out if you’re willing to do the research), but how we’re more spiritually advanced, than any other group of people on earth.

And to make it even plainer, Marvel’s Black Panther is telling us that we, the earth’s indigenous Black people, are the greatest CIVILIZING force in the world—that’s why in this movie, we have the world’s most advanced civilization.

Mind you, when I went to see this film, I didn’t wanna’ like it.

Mentally, I had my Black Nationalist guards up, and I was bound and determined to make sure I saw every subversive and sublime message this flick threw out. But I’ll admit, half way through the film, I did let my defenses down, cause I genuinely liked what I was seeing. Mind you, there’s a lot of subtext in this film, especially dealing with the dichotomy of indigenous Africans, and indigenous Black americans. But the movie even resolved that at the end, when T’Challa agreed to lift the vail off Wakanda and offer his resources to the ‘hood.

Beyond that, cultural events like Marvel’s Black Panther movie, and the abundance of prideful energy it’s filling our nationalist sensibilities with, is the reason I originally started writing these posts. Thus, I named this space, the “Cinematic Symbolism Blog”. So, pardon me if I indulge every whimsical aspect of this movie’s success—cause as a self-professed cinephile, I can’t help but bask in the glorious glow of Ryan Coogler’s film-making ingenuity.   

But what I really wanna’ say is this: right now, the Black “Conscious” Community (BCC), in regards to this film, need to act more like conscious “occultists”, than “woke” Black Nationalists.

And that means what?

It means that instead of just being entertained by what we’ve seen in the Black Panther movie, or debating about it, we should be about the work of harnessing the boatloads of energy this flick is giving to our people. And once we do harness this energy, we should channel it to do something positive in our individual lives, and/or, we should take and use it to do something that’ll unify our Diaspora.

And that’s regardless of whether you liked the movie or not.

So, if you see the “spiritual”, as well as the cultural phenomenon this movie has created, let it inspire you to go write that book, play, or short story. Go orchestrate that song or build that music studio. Go make that film or write that screenplay. Go create that fellowship or open that business. Or even better—go build that Black Nationalist homeschooling collective or give your time and money to one.

Point being, it’s time to start producing (more) tangible results with the conscious energy being generated by flicks like the Black Panther, or documentaries like “Hidden Colors”.

Conversely, what I also need to state emphatically, and what the BCC should be proudest of itself for, is the fact that OUR energy made it possible for Ryan Coogler to put this film out. whitey saw the cultural (and spiritual) currency that the BCC had generated, and was eager to capitalize on it, and on Black Street Cred (i.e. Black “cool points”) at the same time.

Now, a lot of brainwashed Black folks will still say, not only ain’t that true, but the BCC only talks a good game—they (we) never do nothin’.

And to that, I say this: we should all be inspired by brothas like Darial Clewis, who created the social networking site, “Blaqspot”. And, we should all go visit (and shop at) the “We Buy Black” website, so we can see all the stellar things happening there. Also, check out the “National Black Home Educators” website, that links Black families with Black homeschooling collectives in america (*Note: I’ll leave a link for that site at the end of this post). So, there's plenty of work being done by the BCC, if you’re willing to look for it.

And in the spirit (and this phrase is where the word, “inspiration” comes from) of the BCC, or even the Black Panther movie, let’s be motivated to be and do better. For our children’s sake, if for no one else’s. Cause now that we’ve been enthralled and entertained by this film, the onus is one us to maintain the level(s) of excellence that this film represents to and for us.

The ancestors are smiling on us y’all—let’s not let them down.

--MontUHURU Mimia 

Steven Caple Jr. is a 29-year-old movie director, who was born in the Tremont township of Cleveland, Ohio. And Steve's supposedly bi-ethnic, meaning he’s the product of parents who’re Black and latino. Now, I know someone’s probably gonna’ say, wait a minute, the term “latino” refers to culture, not ethnicity. I understand that, but latinos don’t identify themselves as Black, so I’ll let them use their illusion, and say they’re of a different ethnic group.

And truth be told—I don't wanna' claim “latinos” anyway, ‘cause they ain’t our friends no how.

But back to Steve…

After graduating from Ohio’s John Marshall High School, Steve attended Baldwin Wallace College. There, he received a B.A. in Film Studies and another in Marketing. Thereafter, he went to the University of South California’s, School of Cinematic Arts (This was also Ryan Coogler’s Alma Mater, by the way). And Steve received an MFA from there in 2013. While at USC, the oeuvre of short films he created, reads as follows: Process of Elimination (2011), Prentice-N-Fury’s Ice Cream Adventure (2012), Directing Sample (2013), A Different Tree (2014), Land of Misfits (2014), and Engage the Vision (2014).

In 2016, Steve’s crime drama, “The Land” was screened at the “Cannes Film Festival” via IFC (Independent Film Channel) distribution, and this flick was later acquired for international distribution rights, by the “Film Constellation” company. And behind the film garnering praises pretty much across the board, Steve got the offer to direct the movie, “Creed 2”, starring Michael B. Jordan.

It should be noted that this year, Steve is also working on a Netflix “Docuseries” about Emmett Till. And for those who don’t know, Emmett was the 14-year-old young Black man, who was brutally murdered for the crime of “whistling” at a white woman. And this happened back in 1955. Mind you, this craptastic project is being produced by Will Smith, Casey Affleck and Jay-Z. Now understand, that with the release of Black Panther, whitey’s tasked with getting us back in and keeping us in, a self-hating mind state. So, expect to see more Black horror/slave flicks (more like slave porn) coming down the pike from “Hollyweird”.

Moving on…

The film “Harlem Nights” was produced, directed and written by Eddie Murphy, and it was released in theaters on November 17^th, 1989.

Now, I doubt there’s anyone reading this post that hasn’t seen this movie, but for those who haven’t, basically the narrative goes like this: Richard Pryor (Sugar Ray) and Eddie Murphy (Mr. Quick), run an after-hours spot called “Club Sugar Ray” in Harlem, New York City.

The problem comes when some local white mobsters feel that Club Sugar Ray is pulling in too much money for their taste. So, the gangster “Bugsy Calhoune” (played by Michael Lerner), sends his main henchman, Officer Phil Cantone (played by Danny Aiello), to shake the club down.

Seeing that they’re outgunned and outnumbered, Sugar Ray devises a plan to make it look like he’s fixed a championship fight, so he could win some extra money, and that’ll help him, and his organization, split Harlem. But when Bugsy has Club Sugar Ray firebombed, Sugar decides to “kick him in his nuts…” before they leave.

So, they lure Officer Cantone to a closed bank, and take him out of the picture by locking him in its vault. Then, they rig Bugsy’s house to explode when he opens his front door—which he does. Thereafter, Sugar Ray’s crew take one last look at Harlem, before they get the freak outta’ Dodge.

Now, besides this movie being laugh-out-loud funny, it feeds the prideful Black Nationalist sentiment that lies in every Black man and woman. And that’s what Eddie intended. See, Ed had decided to put out movies with his own production company, that were empowering to Black audiences.

With flicks like this one, “Coming to America”, “Boomerang”, and especially the “Distinguished Gentlemen”, he was putting Hollyweird on notice, that he was done just being whitey’s comic relief. But what I loved most about this movie is Eddie’s masterstroke of putting three generations of ingenious comedians (i.e. Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, Della Reese and himself), into one movie. Mind you, Eddie is the darker-skinned of all these people. So, according to white fascists, he shouldn’t of been smart enough to do something that revolutionary.

And that point leads me to this: have you ever seen a “white” solar panel?

Of course not. Know why?

Cause the color Black is the best conductor of light, heat, and electricity. And here’s another question: what are our thoughts? Answer: they’re electrical impulses. Thus, the darker your skin, the more likely you are to be able to think more quickly. Meaning, the average Black person has the potential to be smarter than the average pale-skinned, genetic dead-ender, cause with a more melanated body, you can have a quicker transference of cognitive thought. Meaning, you can make better decisions under pressure—and that’s the truest definition of being smart.

Now, you might be a brotha or sista reading this thinkin’—ya’ know, I was wit’ you, ‘til you started saying Black people are smarter than everyone else. Remember, what I said was, we have the potential to be smarter. And, we must also remember, our melanin makes us more civilized than other “hue-mans”. So, at this point you might be thinkin’, how could you say we’re more civilized, when we treat each other the way we do?

Welp, for that answer, you’ll have to consider the white fascist social orders we live in, and how we’re bred to hate ourselves and each other more than any other kind of person on the planet, cause we have the most genetic power to breed whitey out of existence.

And even with that said, you might still be like: c’mon bruh—we can’t just blame white folks for our problems.

Okay, consider this: white jews/people in america, got 90 billion dollars in reparations money from Germany alone, and fair-skinned asians literally got billions of dollars in reparations under america’s (Ronald) Regan administration. And this was supposedly for the one or two years asians spent in “internment camps”, here in america. Mind you, asians were thrown in these concentation camps, after the bombing of “Pearl Harbor”. Now, is it any wonder why these are said to be the two ethnic groups who’re doing better financially than anyone else.

Then you might say, well, in the case of asians, these people immigrate from other impoverished countries, and are still able to do better than Black people. Well, I can tell you first hand, that the neighborhood I grew up in, was one where almost every retail store was owned by a Black person. But after about a decade, all those Black owners were replaced by asians and latinos. And you might say, see, that proves that these people must be smarter than us. Well, then you have to look at the fact that stats prove how whites, asians, and latinos, are three times as likely to get a business loan, simply based on the color of their skin. And don’t take my word for it, do the research (matter of fact, I compiled some of those stats, and I’ll leave a link for that post, at the end of this one).

And Black men and women reading this may still be thinking, oh well, you're just making excuses for Black folks. Now, when stats bare out these advantages, or these cases of affirmative action initiatives, that are based strictly on skin color, you can’t say these people are just smarter than us. You have to acknowledge how the chips are unfairly stacked in their favor. Now, do Black people have a responsibility to change that?

Absolutely.

But please don’t tell me that these ethnic groups have toiled and labored more than us, cause they haven’t. They’re clearly getting economic stimulus packages, that we don’t.

Lastly, on the point of being educated vs. being smart, if you were to go to any corporate office, take out a gun, and shoot off three rounds in the air, you’d quickly see which of those whites, asians and latinos are smart, as opposed to just being educated.

Moving on…

At this point in the post, you might be thinkin’—bruh, what’s all this got to do with what Ryan Coogler, Eddie Murphy, and Lawrence Fishburn have in common?

Well, here’s the answer…

Ryan, Ed, and Larry wouldn’ve looked too much like father figures to the young Black men who're in these movies with them.

Now, you may be thinkin’, sorry bruh, that just don’t make no kinda’ sense.

Okay, then let me show you what I’m talkin’ about in Ryan Coogler’s case…

Marvel’s Black Panther has almost reached a billion dollars in box office receipts—and that flick was just released two months ago. So, with that kind of phenomenal success, you’d think Ryan, who directed that flick, would be a shoe-in to direct Creed 2. Cause he also directed the original movie, Creed. Instead, Hollyweird chose to have Steven Caple Jr. direct Creed 2.

And here’s why…

Ryan and Mike B. Jordan, have been a part of 3 successful film endeavors. Fruitvale Station (2013), Creed (2015), and lastly Black Panther (2018). Now, the movie Creed wasn’t really about Apollo’s son, Adonis (Mike B. Jordan), pursuing a boxing career. What it’s really about is showing america, and the world, that the only way a young Black man can be successful, is through the “mentorship” of an adult white male.

Hell, the movie “Rocky”, and that franchise, is really about white men dispelling the myth that they’re physically and sexually inferior to Black men.

PERIOD.

So white fascists can’t have Creed 2 be as successful as the first movie with Ryan and Mike. Lest their pairing disprove the message of the movie. Now, in Eddie’s case, his discovery of comedians like Chris Rock, and his leadership role with other comics like Martin Lawrence, and his ingenuity in terms of putting 3 generations of comics in one film, makes him look like a patriarchal role model to the actors in his films. And, Eddie’s also a dark-skinned brotha compared to Richard Pryor and Red Foxx. So that disproves the stereotype of lighter-skinned Black men, being smarter than darker-skinned brothas. And because of this, Harlem Nights was universally panned by white critics—just like the other films Ed made during this time. Cause what these flicks told whitey is: you’ve done your best to make me hate myself for being Black, but I know who I (and my people) truly are, so you’re not gonna’ take away my “hue-manity”, or my pride—cause those are still very much intact.

And lastly, the reason I mentioned Larry Fishburne, is ‘cause Will Smith was originally slated to play “Neo” in “The Matrix”. And whitey couldn’t have both “Morpheus” and Neo being Black. Cause again, that would look too much like a successful father/son relationship.

So, I said all that to say this: Ryan Coogler not being picked to direct Creed 2, represents the tried and true technique, of taking the Black man out of the house to destroy the Black family. Cause remember, celebrity is a white fascist construct used as a means of population control. Meaning, whitey’s gotta’ make sure Ryan and Mike don’t cause the reuniting of too many young Black men with their fathers via their celebrity. Cause that might rebuild too many Black families.

Hell, they’re still pissed that they couldn’t stop that happening with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his father.

So, as a Black man or woman, you need to be very mindful of this, if and when you decide to see this flick.

This is NOT the Black Panther movie.

This flick is coming with a whole different energy, and it should be viewed accordingly. Forewarned is forearmed.

And like Sam L. Jackson said in the Spike Lee movie, “Do the Right Thing”: “That’s the double truth, Ruth”.

Later…

MontUHURU Mimia

P.S.

The promised link to the National Black Home Educators website, is HERE.  

 And the post I wrote about banks favoring other ethnic groups for loans is HERE.

And, here's the trailer for Steve Caple Jr.'s movie, “The Land”, so you can get a feel for his cinematic stylings.