'Twas Better All Around

"See, you are what you are in this world, that's either one of two things: either you're somebody, or you're nobody."

American Gangster is one of those films that peaked my interest on such a high level upon viewing the trailer that the instinct to rush to the theater upon opening would build inside me, but as time went by and other obligations arose, the need to see such a film was pushed for the next week, and then the next, until finally the interest disappeared for a temporary moment. Well, three years and one trip to the library later, we pulled it from the DVD shelf, and the high level of interest that once plagued me throughout my junior year of college grew back in small increments in those minutes between the departure from the book brothel and the arrival at the chapel.

For a brief yet knowledgable glimpse, it is a given that I would be interested in such gangster flicks, for I have thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography of Goodfellas and the first two Godfather films. There is also another seed of budding obsession that began to poke its head out of the ground after watching the controversial ending of the now halted series of The Sopranos which serves as a side note to start watching the show in order to make sense of what these past six years have meant to build up to such a finale. Is this an inherent liking expected from the Italian in me? Maybe, but there was something very intriguing in this movie trailer about a man who could build up such a name for himself without the white man bringing him down, not to mention Jay-Z's "Heart of the City" sounds kind of amazing.



One of the most amazing things about this movie is the fine line between good and evil. It is not a black and white film (pardon the metaphor), for there are so many gray areas in these characters lives that although the viewer knows what is good and what is bad, there is no clarity as to who the hero of the movie is, who the viewer should be rooting for. One of the taglines is "There are two sides to the American dream" and it couldn't be portrayed more truly. Yes, I checked this movie out for free, save the gas money to drive, but I would have gladly paid to go to the theater or rent it from the nearest Blockbuster. Do I regret not watching this movie upon it's theatrical release? I would only have regrets if I had allowed a few more years to pass before seeing it.

And then there was Song of the South. Only a few hours after my eyes had seen the glory of American Gangster, and a few more miles of driving, we beheld the wonder of this delightful Disney gem. The only disappointment about this movie is the unfortunate direction it has taken by diving into oblivion after the criticisms of civil rights groups. I can see why it is accused of being racist, yet it is a movie that clearly takes place in a time and location that somewhat accurately depicts the way of life as it was, whether or not it is politically incorrect (which it is obviously not).

The earliest depictions I had of this movie came from the sing-along videos of my early childhood that kept me entertained on many lonely evenings, where I would sing and ponder the source of these tunes, for I was educated on every Disney film that encompassed every other song in these videos that I should have known better to have seen this movie as well. Sure enough, the times were against me, because as of a recent discovery, this movie has been banned for the last fifteen years or so. It is unfortunate, because Disney has tried to avoid trouble by locking this beauty in the vaults for all too long, but as Uncle Remus said, "You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far."



And one of the best parts about finally seeing Song of the South is that now whenever I go to Critter Country at Disneyland, especially if I can build up the gumption to ride on Splash Mountain in the cold and rainy weather, every movie reference will make complete sense to me. And Br'er Bear will continue to make me laugh every time I see him hobble through the park followed by a mob of oblivious children who may never be granted the opportunity to see him in his cartoon form. It is a shame, but I am fortunate to no longer wallow in such a shameful state myself. And thanks to Youtube, I can relive the memory of this diamond in the rough.

If I look really hard, I might just find my laughing place.