Jean Luc

Beaudette 1 Jean-Luc Beaudette Mrs. Kemp AP Language and Composition 18 May, 2012

Hustlin’ Harlem Entertainment: Cinema Reviews Casablanca (November 26, 1942)

While I may be enjoying much of my time with my brothers

in Lansing, informing them of the city life, I’ve been keeping tabs on the happenings back in Boston. Apparently, my good friend Shorty and some other hipsters found this film to be amazing, and I can honestly say, they were right. Me and my brothers were impressed with the film’s story and characters, and we were especially amazed by the music. Whitey may have outdone himself here, as I have never seen, nor expect to see, any film that can equal, or even surpass, this.

One thing my brothers agreed on was our admiration for

Sam, a Negro who played the piano throughout the film. We were

Image 1: Reprint of Warner Bros.

1942 movie poster of Casablanca and the main cast (Warner Bros.).

all impressed, and surprised, that whitey had let a Negro into the film, no matter his talent. I swear that cat could play the piano like Duke Ellington. Okay, well, not quite as good, but I know that my friend Shorty, and a good many Boston hipsters, could appreciate that kind of talent in film, especially by one of our own kind.

All in all, Casablanca impressed me and my brothers with its impressive story,

characters, and music. If every flick turns out as well, our friend Hollywood is in for a pleasant heyday.

Beaudette 2 In Which We Serve (December 23, 1942)

I can’t believe I watched this. Better yet, I can’t believe how

I let myself be convinced by my brothers to watch whitey’s propaganda in the first place. For your sake, I’ll tell you the whole story of this film, right here, right now. German whitey upsets British whitey, so Britain sends her navy to attack Germany’s navy. It does not end well. British whitey’s ship sinks, and the survivors remember their reasons for their selfless, mindless devotion to their country. The only source of inspiration comes from the music, and it’s purely government propaganda for American and British whitey’s military benefit.

Whitey expects his propaganda to impress cats like us?

Image 2: Poster for Noel Coward’s patriotic film for WW-II (MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.).

The characters are only proud Navy soldiers, all white, all pure, all ‘right.’ Yet, their call to arms only encourages the American government to draft Negroes to fight. Whitey’s ship sinks, and they want us, as Americans, as Negroes, to avenge it? Me and the gang will not fight whitey’s battles, nor will other cats lose their blood over whitey’s problems. As me and my friend Shorty have said, Whitey owns everything, so let him fight his own ‘Great War.’

In Which We Serve is terrible in its narrative and its presentation. If any of you

cats want to avoid whitey’s ‘patriotic’ propaganda, then ignore this flick and spend your time elsewhere.

Beaudette 3 Laura (October 11, 1944)

I have never been able to get the hype on mystery flicks.

There’s not enough action, nor physical motion, just mental twists that leave my mind worse off than it already was. Still, some hip cats managed to convince me to watch this ridiculous flick. The suspense is there, but there’s no action, no motion, just the ‘wonders’ of the mystery. Whitey failed himself by showing this to America, and you can disregard any praise you may hear from other cats about its story. The plot is awful, if not for its poor display, then certainly for its lack of continuity. The film is full of loopholes and loose ends that will leave any cat confused trying, and suffering, like my poor friend Shorty, to follow the plot.

Image 3: Movie poster displaying the characters for the classic film noir, Laura (20th Century-Fox).

Though I must say, Laura is one of the finest white chicks I

have ever laid eyes on, the only exception I know of being my own lovely lady. Yet, me and the gang found it disturbing that the main cat actor loved Laura as a ghost, admiring her through her portrait in the room where she was murdered. It is true that everyone in the film loved her as she was alive, since her charm and wit attracted many potential lovers. Yet, it seemed unlikely, for both me and Shorty, that any cat would fall for a chick with her head off her shoulders, literally. Especially since a cat such as the detective could have found many other chicks in his city just as lovely as she was.

Overall, Laura was a disappointing flick, focusing on the ‘twists’ of its mystery

without caring for the plot. The film’s only true quality would be its main actress, who steals the show with a genuine charm as she turns to the screen for the first time and every time after.

Beaudette 4 Works Cited Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. In Which We Serve. Digital image. The Internet Movie Database. IMDb: The Internet Movie Database, 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 May 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4059609600/tt0034891>.

20th Century-Fox. Laura. Digital image. The Internet Movie Database. IMDb: The Internet Movie Database, 25 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 May 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3012135936/tt0037008>.

Warner Bros. Casablanca. Digital image. The Internet Movie Database. IMDb: The Internet Movie Database. Web. 27 May 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1788712960/tt0034583>.