Hoop dreams

Bell Hooks seems like she has some personal issues toward any black cinema in my opinion. Hoop Dreams was praised for being an accurate portrayal of young black youth and basketball, yet Hooks finds a way to say that the film portrayed the black youth (well, their bodies) as "commodities" for whites. I understand it's Hooks' job to pick apart films and find the underline issue with them, but I would say she over-analyzes just a tad bit.

Hoop Dreams

In my opinion, the trailer doesn't necessarily frame the film in a way to correctly demonstrate its cultural significance. From the uplifting, gentle tone of this trailer, one might assume that it is about triumph and victory, about success and winning. While both players in the film experience victory on the basketball court, they ultimately experience failure when it comes to their dreams. Arthur Agee and William Gates both went on to play Division I ball, but neither reached their goal of playing in the NBA. This trailer doesn't really communicate that at all.

As for bell hooks' view of the film, I strongly disagree. I don't think of the film as a triumphant look at the American dream, but rather a deep, two lane character study. Arthur Agee and William Gates weren't symbols of any problems or issues in society. They were young men with hopes and wishes and families along with them.

I believe any player, despite racial distinctions, would've qualified for coverage in the film if that player could've shown more drive and desire than Agee or Gates. bell hooks entered the theater with a bias. She even talks about how uncomfortable she is watching the film with a white audience. Its a bit unfair to write off the trials of these two athletes as a gimmick or as something laced with an ulterior agenda. If you've seen the film, you know how compelling it is, how heartbreaking certain scenes are. Arthur Agee's interaction with his younger siblings and William Gates' tears after a loss come to mind. There is a scene in the film where Arthur Agee's father plays basketball with him and then buys crack on the same court he just played on. These types of images, contrary to what some might believe, are not synonymous with any race or nationality. All human beings are subject to this type of behavior and by showing this, the filmmakers effectively portray the obstacles standing between the two athletes and their dreams.

Hoop Dreams

Unsurprisingly, Hooks found fault in "Hoop Dreams", but she also had some positive things to say. She liked the portrayal of the mothers but claimed that while the film is attempting to get away from some stereotyped, it ends up upholding and reinforcing many of them. She is critical of the idea presented that if you work hard (are good at a sport) you can escape your circumstances. I tended to disagree with her analysis of this because I thought the film showed the two boys/men in a positive light and that their determination and focus on the sport of basketball was admirable. They worked hard and did escape their circumstance, but I think that's great and I find no fault in that idea.

Transformative films

Using women as sexual objects while remaining transformative can be very difficult although it's doable. To do so effectively there must be some sort of subliminal message or a few moments of insight into the characters consciousness. The women cannot just perform the demeaning acts, they must show glimpses of good moral character throughout other scenes in the movie for it to work.

God Sleeps in Rwanda

The images shown in the short clip of God Sleeps in Rwanda were sometimes jarring and uncomfortable. After watching the video, I felt a highly respectable attitude toward the filmmaking and photojournalism that went into the film’s production for its commitment to show a side of reality as depicted by black women in Rwanda and their intention of giving these women a voice/sense of empowerment to the things happening around them. I think the film presents black female subjectivity because its a production by women reporters who frame the storyline through the lives of five women. 

“Big Lie”

The "big lie" of romance films is the way the films frame love and relationships to be viewed at as better than being alone. Although I didn't necessarily like "The Break-up" starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, I thought it was more satisfying when the couple didn't get back together in the end. It was a real representation of real relationships and presented an alternative to the "happily ever after" narrative. 

Hoop Dreams

I appreciate hooks’ honesty in all of her critical film reviews/assessments. In her critical analysis of Hoop Dreams, she examines the role viewers play when watching images of race and defines viewers who are critically aware as "enlightened witnesses.” I support Hooks' argument and the notion that people should be more critical and open minded when viewing any form of media on screen. Also, I like her counter argument on the narrative in Hoop Dreams as showing a form of institutionalized racism as it exists in the film because it reflects a completely different representation of the film than the trailer's framework of the documentary.