Will Smith Took The Spotlight Off Of Two Amazing Movies And Stole It For Himself Like A Selfish Prick Last Night
I felt this way last night when this circus was going down and playing out on social media, and I felt it even more so today seeing it be the top news story all day long. Ahead of actually important shit.
But let’s not continue to give these assholes all the attention like the media has and will continue to do all week.
Instead, let’s direct the attention where it should have been last night. And that’s with the two movies possibly most overlooked and forgotten about in all the chaos.
For starters, the award Rock was actually up to present, for best documentary, went to the man, the myth, the legend Questlove and his team for their awesome job with “Summer Of Soul”.
The doc was actually “produced” by Jefferey Laurie, but the vision was all The Roots’ drummer’s.
The documentary already won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award when it premiered at Sundance in February 2021, and, more recently, won Best Documentary at the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards.
It’s also up for “Best Music Film” at this year’s Grammys.
For those keeping score at home, we had a Philly prince rapper turned movie star, slapping a guy and taking the spotlight off another Philly music legend and a movie produced by the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lesson learned? Don’t invite Philadelphians anywhere.
Moving on, the documentary was a 10. And deserved the win.
Without spoiling it for those who haven’t seen it, “Summer of Soul,” is about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that took place the same summer as Woodstock and featured Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, and Stevie Wonder, just to name a few.
I think one of the coolest things about the doc is it’s backstory.
NYT- Thompson (Questlove) explained that his initial conception was something closer to a conventional concert documentary. “I was like, ‘I got 40 hours’ worth of footage and this has to be 90 minutes,’” he said. “I automatically know, after 25 years of doing shows, that if we got 90 minutes, that’s 14 songs. And there’s way more artists than there is space for songs, so now I’m thinking in terms of a cool mix tape.
“I’m not saying I would have gone cut-and-paste traditional documentary,” he continued, “but I would have probably told the story of a Harlem festival, then expanded it to Spanish Harlem and other cultures, and then opened it to the worldwide setting, the African artists that were there, and that would have more or less been the story.”
But when covid hit, the team was forced to pivot and change the entire thing top to bottom.
They scrapped a bunch of the interviews from attendees and performers, and Questlove took an entirely different approach to the film’s concept.
Beyond its incorporation of local and global events in 1969, what’s different about “Summer of Soul” was Thompson’s approach to editing, which was based in his background as a musician and especially as a D.J. “When I was stuck, my producer and editor would say, ‘If this was a D.J. gig, what would you do next?’” Thompson explained, adding, “If this movie were my favorite Public Enemy album or a D.J. set I was doing, how would I cut and scratch and go to the next thing?”
Powers agreed that this construction is ultimately what distinguishes the film from a traditional concert documentary: “He’s doing this tremendous job of mixing commentary and music. You’re getting the concert, but you’re also getting this layer of music history so expertly woven into the discussion.”
If you’re looking for something to watch, are a fan of Motown, are a fan of well done documentaries, or are just a fan of music whatsoever you have to watch “The Summer of Soul”.
Next up, and what got me even more fucking pissed off, was the movie Smith actually won for- “King Richard”.
When Smith won, which was well deserved and fully expected, I was hoping and praying for an all star apology and call for the spotlight to be shined on the Williams family.
What we got was not even close.
(Sidebar - For the record, I've hated the Oscars for a long time now.
And last night was the perfect reminder why the hate is just.
These people, aka Hollywood narcissists, live in fucking la-la-land.
But they want to talk down to the rest of us, pontificate, and "educate" us like they all know what's best for us all, and like they're here in the trenches with the common folk.
The phrase "out of touch" or disconnected doesn't do them justice because its so much more. It's straight lunacy.)
What we actually got was Smith mumbling a bunch of incoherent, run on platitudes, never apologized to the guy he slapped, never thanked the woman he made a fool out of himself (again) defending, and gave a half-assed tribute to Richard Williams- the man whose depiction earned Smith an award which cements his name among the legends.
It was fucked.
But it was also so 2022 it hurts.
The saddest part is the irony of the whole thing.
Smith went out of his way during his “speech” to remind us that “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family”.
True story.
But you want to know what else Richard Williams was?
A man of self-discipline.
A man of integrity.
A man of character.
Williams notoriously held his daughters back from professional competition and the MILLIONS of dollars in endorsements and purses it would have provided his family because he didn't want the spotlight to corrupt or negatively impact his young girls. He was too focused on instilling incredible work ethics, indelible character, and lessons that would carry them through life than he was to chase the quick dollar.
Without giving away spoilers, there's a standout scene in the movie where a bully, much larger and stronger than Smith's character, is bullying his daughter and being sexually inappropriate towards her.
Williams (Smith) valiantly stands up to the bully, never using force, getting knocked down and the shit beat out of him as a result. Beaten to a pulp with a cocked gun to his forehead as a result.
But he never wavers or backs down.
How Smith managed to invoke the part about Richard Williams being a fierce defender of his family, while leaving out the part about being a peaceful dissenter was mind-blowing.
And from there it only got worse.
The entire speech should have been about the Williams sisters' story.
Something that we as a society DESPERATELY need more of today.
It has everything. It's a true modern-day fairy tale.
Two girls (of four) growing up in one of the roughest parts of Compton with a mother and father who dedicate their life to ensuring their children have better ones than they did.
They do this through militant-like regimens. Schoolwork is a primary focus and number one ahead of everything.
After that came tennis which was also strictly practiced.
The movie didn't show the lack of a social life the girls experienced growing up, but it also got the family's blessing and full support. And with neither Venus nor Serena ever really having any complaints about how they got to where they are today, (and with their other two sisters also extremely successful in their fields) its safe to say they would do it all over again.
The acting in the movie was exceptional.
From Smith and his portrayal of the ornery old man whose tough love for his daughters trumped everything in the world, despite seeming at times a tad over the top and excessive.
To the two young girls who played tennis stars.
It was an awesome movie and deserves more recognition than it's getting today.
As Eminem said it so profoundly years ago, Fuck Will Smith and Fuck You Too.
P.s.- I don’t want to think that two people could be this self-centered to hatch a plan like this, but at the same time, I can absolutely see Chris Rock being the brains behind this. Offering Will the chance to play white knight, defend his lady’s honor, make her feel like an even bigger piece of shit than she already is for being disloyal to her man. All the above. And making himself the center of the media universe in addition to it. And of course Will, wounded and in a glass case of emotions for the past year and a half, taking the bait.
The first things I thought seeing the replay was
1- why did the producer jump to a wide-angle when Smith got to the stage? Why not cut to a side view or stay on the center shot they’d been focused on Rock with the whole time? Fishy.
2- why did Rock just plant his feet and stand there? He almost actually leaned in to the slap.
Wouldn’t somebody caught off guard put their hands up, address the person stomping their way up to them, or at least defend themself just out of natural human reaction? Who the fuck just stands there with their hands behind their back and takes it?
3- why wasn’t Smith escorted out immediately? How did he end up the victim?
4- oh, there’s also this close up flying around now showing Chris Rock with what looks to be a pad covered in makeup.
Whole thing stinks like fish.
p.p.s. - lol