October 31, 2025 • 45 mins
Just in time for Halloween, we sit down with author, filmmaker, and cultural critic Brooke Obie to talk Sinners—and why this film has had the culture in a chokehold for over six months. From vampires and fairies to faith, grief, and sensuality, this conversation dives deep into what it means to feel seen, turned on, and spiritually awakened all at once. We also talk about Black excellence in film—with Sinners holding strong at 97 % Certified Fresh and earning a rare “A” CinemaScore (the first horror film to do that in 35 + years). Brooke’s Club Juke event in L.A. brought all this energy to life—movie discussion, dinner, dancing, and raising funds for Project 43—and though we missed it this time, we’re bringing her voice straight to Royal Fetish Radio so none of us miss the message again. Vampires, sensuality, spirituality, and a little righteous rebellion—perfect Halloween vibes.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh yeah, yellow, you have to be quiet.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yeah, magic hour, Yeah, that's what I feel like. People
who stare flat light happening, and then the US morning
people wake up to the ship and like, what are
you thinking? Why didn't you just go.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
To That's true wild females.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
Like what would you think?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
No, I scheduled now now.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You can, now you can schedule be responsible. Yeah the
day now, I love a Yeah, he just comes in room.
I had an idea, like I have to be I'm
not gonna remember. I'm just I'm just kidding. I'm not remembering.
He's like, I'll text it to you. Didn't come down
(00:54):
all right? Where else?
Speaker 5 (01:04):
Jasmine does not like any violence or like horror movies.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Or any shit like that.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
So like, either I really would love if you if
you saw it, but I know how you like.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I know how it is with certain jones, like I
gotta be like, look, this shit is gonna be d
you know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (01:24):
Yeah, But so I don't like horror movies either, Like
I don't like to be scared. I don't like Gore,
I definitely don't. I don't like gun violence is like
a hard no for me. I just can't do it.
At this point, like ever since, like you know, Black
Lives Matter started popping off. Yeah, I cannot see gun
violence on television movies.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I'm just done.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
So I was not scared in this movie. So I
was just like, oh, it's not scary, and then so
many people have been like, yes, it was, you fucking lied,
And then I'm like, oh, shoot, I mean I'm a
big scaredy cat, and I was not scared in the movie.
And there's some like jump scares, but I guess I
don't know if you if you don't like vampires or
like you the thing, like my mom has a thing
about vampire specifically, and somebody biting her neck.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
So she was very disturbed and upset. Was she No,
don't I don't.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Think I'm scared of anything in particular. You know what
it is. I'm scared of not knowing. I don't care
about no spoiler alert because I'm gonna know, and so
I'm going scare.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
I think, like, yeah, there's there's some jump scares, but
it was the thing that I loved about it. Like
for me, of any genre, I love a good it
has to have a good story, it has to have
something that's like there has to be some substance beneath
the surface that I'm gonna fuck with. And there was
(02:42):
a lot of substance. I mean it's there's substance in
all his films. So it's just like, Yo, how are
you about to flip this vampire ship?
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Bruh?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
Like I've seen you do some street ship, see you
do some super aero shit.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
You know what I'm saying, Like how you gonna flip this?
And it was masterful? Like masterful?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I have a question, is a like you're doing an
event to discuss you've been on like a press tour
really about people want to know, like what does Brook
think about this movie? And I want to share my
thoughts with Brook so bad, which I'm gonna let you,
but before you do, Like, is a culture gonna come
out of this movie? Are we like this event? Is
(03:18):
it gonna wind up being like an annual thing where
y'all have to get together and talk about how it
changed you?
Speaker 6 (03:23):
I mean, I feel like definitely the movie is having
a cultural impact. Like we see you know, it's been
trending for over a month that just doesn't really happen anymore.
So the movie itself is absolutely having a cultural moment
because it's having such a cultural moment online, and I've
seen so many people who are like, I want to
talk about this movie or you know, I've written four
(03:43):
different pieces on the movie already, deep Dives. I got
a Center syllabus to go deeper into all the themes
and all of that. And so there's so many people
who want to do that, but they don't have people
to do it with. They don't have people in their vicinity,
their friends, whatever, are not interested in doing that. So
I'm doing a live event on Sunday called Club Juke.
(04:03):
It's the Center's movie discussion dinner and dance party. So
we're gonna talk about the movie and we're gonna dance,
and we're gonna eatgo food and it's going to be great.
And I do I want that, you know, because that's
for my platform, my film TV criticism criticism platform, Black
girl watching. So I do want to do more things
like that because a big part of you know, my
work as a film critic, as a critical thinker is
(04:26):
to help other people do that as well, you know,
just like regular everyday people like just going deeper into
the art that they watch, like not being passive consumers
of it. That's really important to me to like create
the space so that people can do that. So you know,
if there's no space for people to do that with
their friends, you know, I'm like, okay, well and I'll
create a community event. And fortunately this event is going
(04:47):
to benefit Project forty three, which is this black nonprofit
community center in Hyde Park.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It does so many wonderful things for the.
Speaker 6 (04:56):
Community, community garden, they've got a community pantry, they've got
was back riding for the kids. The urban Cowboys bring
the horses out there, and it's a it's a great
it's a really really amazing center. They've got a music
production team as well to help you know, people learn
music production. There's a lot of great stuff at that
at that community center. So all the proceeds are gonna
(05:18):
benefit that, and that's kind of, you know, the point
for me, Like, you know, this is a movie that
brings people together. It's a movie that you know, it
has so much in it to explore and and talk about.
And yeah, that's what I've literally been talking about it
for over a month now and I'm not tired yet.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
So yeah, can I ask you when was the first
time you fell in love with film.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Can you remember the hmm, I can't.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
Let I mean, it was a long time ago because
I I wanted to be I was a child actor
for a while, so like I mean anything Raven Simone,
Jason Weaver, Summertime Switch.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
That was my movie on the Disney Channel.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Like Disney Channel had the best movies, Pocus Pocus. I
feel like The First Wives Club was very formative for
me from my like just like my political worldview. As
a kid, I was just like fuck these niggas from
like eight years old. So I definitely remember like that
having a serious impression on me. All the movies that
used to just play on HBO on a loop, Tou Wong.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Fu that was that was very formative. Yeah, it really
really was, and it still holds up, it.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Does You might have seen it with Patrick Sweethey, Okay, so.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, I would probably say.
Speaker 6 (06:37):
But I mean, I feel like I didn't really understand
that it could be a career or something serious or
something powerful. Even though as I look back over my life,
I see the way like film and TV like has
impacted the decisions that I've made.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Like I thought I was moving to DC.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
You know, because it become well, I.
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Was in law school, and so Obama I was you know,
I was working on the Obama campaign and then you know,
he won, and I was really over the law and
I'm like, I'm gonna move to DC and like work
for Obama because this is what lawyers do. Anyway, I
saw that on the West Wing. So it wasn't Obama.
It was literally the West Wing that was like making
(07:18):
me think that this was going to be the thing.
And so of course I get to d C. It sucks,
and you know, everything kind of just goes downhill. I
get very disenchanted with Obama in probably like two years.
By twenty ten, I was done, and in twenty twelve,
I'm like moving to New York and trying to be
Samantha Insects and the city.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
You know. So I just I feel like all.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
Of my like major life choices have been around you know,
movie and film, and even when I wanted to be
an entertainment lawyer. I just remember people in law school,
especially during the Obama campaign, they were just like, that's
so frivolous, that's so you know, you don't want to
do anything important. And so now being able to like
move out to LA and focus on film and TV
(07:59):
full time writing it, making it and criticizing it as well,
and just breaking it down and seeing the art of
it and seeing the power of it.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I'm like, this is this is where you move people.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
This is you know, where you get the collective consciousness, Like,
this is how you educate people. Like you see a
show like and Or on Disney Plus, which is a
Star Wars show. I mean, it's just it feels just like,
you know, this is this is Disney this is Star Wars.
It's literally an anti fascist guide to resistance so political
late and people are listening to, you know, the manifesto
(08:34):
in that show by the character Remic or Nymic and
they're like, yeah, I you know, this makes.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Sense to me.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
You can move people with media, and so yeah, and
there's you know, there's a reason why Hollywood has been
in partnership with the United States government, with the United
States military, because they know how.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Powerful media is. As well.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
There's a reason why black stories, you know, black people
have not been at the forefront of Hollywood because they
know that that has power and that travels, and you
can radicalize people through the media, and they don't want
to do that. So yeah, I mean again, it took
me a really, really long time before I understood how
powerful it was and that it could be a career
(09:18):
and that I could be a part of it. After
my acting career dwindles, my childhood start dreams, you know,
faded away.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
When we my parents.
Speaker 6 (09:27):
Were in my dad was in the military, so we
moved to Nebraska, and then it was a wrap from
my acting career from that point and I gave up
on it. But yeah, I'm like, when I as an adult,
I'm like, yeah, this is this is how you move people,
this is how you can reach people.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Oh no, I kind of wanted to build off with
something that you had just said about the film industry
being working with the United States military. So a lot
of people it's not a conspiracy theory, you know, if
you looked, there was a book that was written all
Quiet on the Western Front about the trenches in World
War One, and then after that people had a lot
(10:04):
of problems with how wars depicted. So like during World
War Two, that's what they had, Like everybody know John
Wayne and Audie Murphy and they made all these movies
that was like has to be good. And Vietnam people
started breaking off from that. So, like we see when
it comes to specifically to black stories, they put out
(10:26):
that were violent, They put out that, you know, all
the most trauma upon horrific things in order to justify
how we're treated here in America to the world and
how we treat ourselves and so on and such.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Bart do you see.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Any shift in that within the last five to ten years,
maybe in independent films or in people making films like
Sinners or of the like that might be shifting the
paradigm at all.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
I mean, so I think there's always going to be
independent filmmakers who can just do more and say more
and be more liberated in their art. You may not
get to see it because it's going to be released
in a smaller scale, but I mean, you know, the
biggest the biggest movie of twenty eighteen period, but also
you know, the biggest Black movie, Black Panther. They had
(11:26):
the CIA and Wakanda, you know what I'm saying. So
I'm like, I still see it. You know, they had
you know, Ryan same director, Ryan Coogler, you know, had
a CIA agent who they gave a gun to and
let him shoot down their fellow Wakandan citizens.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
You know, there's a lot of stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (11:50):
So even when you get to these you know, beautiful
dark skinned black people on screen in Black Panther, which
you know we never get to see in this like regal, beautiful,
glorious way, you still got to slide something else in
something like Marvel. I don't know how much control Ryan
has over something like that when it's a Marvel project,
(12:11):
which it absolutely works with the United States Military intentionally
and has you know, for since its inception. All of
these superhero movies are cop movies, and so they work
with the government on that.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
But yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Think we ebb and flows as always.
Speaker 6 (12:28):
You know, there's people that's pushing us forward, you know,
and yeah, we just got to keep celebrating the people
that are pushing us forward, and you know, allowing Ryan
to have, you know, the space to make original movies
where he's not you know, beholden to the United States
Military and whatever deal that you know, Disney and Marvel have,
(12:50):
you know, and can make his own stories.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
And yeah, you see a difference.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
That's two shows with Black Captain America that came up.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Yeah, it's all different.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
So okay, I'm super like you know, other people's films
and your reaction and your response to that. That's like
really interesting. We get to actually read, like when this
film came out of like oh we're gonna have something
to say. I don't even have to watch the film,
even when albums dropped, like when Renaissance came out, which
I had to wear my Compton Cowboy jacket for this
(13:27):
because I was like, Okay Brooks coming. So but even
when the album dropped, like hearing your critique of each song,
like when I hear church Girl, now I actually you
come to mind, Yeah, when she did it at the concerts,
it's on the setlist and and like, I mean, that's
really so beautiful, and so it's so important, like I
(13:48):
want to hear what you're thinking to balance what I'm
thinking about this piece of artwork, which is just really
nice when you're talking about community that you're building and
for people to have these experiences with like minded or
elevated minds if you will, or minds that we want
to explore more. So, thank you for doing the work.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
That you do.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And although we won't be here for the event on
purpose because yeah, it's okay, your your virtual the work
that you do in the virtual space, like it really
it's tangible. It really is tangible. So I appreciate that.
But nobody gets to hear your critique of porn though.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
We don't know we have the inviter to one of
our screenings.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
You know, we don't have.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Time for that because she has an event and we
have and all that kind of stuff, and there's not
a particular film that have in mind, right, But you know,
it's like like the person you know that we talked
to earlier, they're in a particular genre of music, but
I really really want to hear within their you know,
like the guilty Pleasure playlist. You know, it's like, yeah,
like we know you look at art in this really
(14:55):
amazing way, and yeah, but like what do you like?
What is your your your naughty list? Like what do
you look for in a good adult adult entertainment? And
it doesn't even have to necessarily be porn. It could
even be media that pushes the limit if you will, Okay,
because I just mentioned girl, It's like this interview can
(15:19):
go really far, and they teacher I don't know, but
Dirty dancies to have.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
A bombay me and a well.
Speaker 6 (15:34):
Sinners is actually a very horny movie for straight people. Okay, okay,
I mean is it too forward for you?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Is it?
Speaker 6 (15:43):
It's not too forward for me? Not the people, Okay,
it's not too forward for me. I think it's very straight.
I feel like it's what a straight man thinks is Yeah, ed, definitely,
it's like, oh, you know, oral sex, you know, like
that's that's the height honestly the height of like, you know,
(16:03):
the sin.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Is it sweaty or because everything was sweaty in that movie?
Speaker 6 (16:07):
It was sweaty because she this character Pearline, she walks
to the club, you know, which is probably you know
what I'm saying, and so yeah, and so you know,
the main character Sammy, he's like, oh, I want to
taste you, and she's like, I walked here, let me
wash up first, and he was like, no, it's all good,
you know. So, I mean it's a little sweaty, okay.
(16:30):
And there's a lot of there's a lot of spit,
I know, y'all like spit. Spit is not my thing.
But yeah, there's a lot of like drool into the
mouth in a sexual way and then also like a
really violent way at the end, which was really that
part was sad. But yeah, the other part, I'm like, yeah,
I mean I feel like, yeah, that is the the edgiest,
(16:51):
like straight man idea of horniness.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
So I'm gathering that you like your porn like maybe
not as straight.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
I like love, I like, you know, embracing, I like,
you know, I mean, I feel like it kind of depends.
It depends, but sometimes like I really do. I mean,
I really appreciate y'all's work because there is, you know,
this desire and mission to not you know, have all
(17:22):
the misogyny that and you know, racism also that just
permeates the porn industry.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
So like y'all are leading the.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
Way and just you know, it can be rough and
sexy and all of these great things, but still like
there's so much care, you know, like you can tell
and the work that y'all do that like there's a
caring atmosphere and so like if I see somebody who
looks like they're probably not having a good time or
(17:53):
this is and I feel like that actually happens a lot,
you know, just from the like the front page, you know,
you're seeing all the samples. Just like some of these
people are like like incest.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I don't know why that is. That's just stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
I'm just like, what, Yeah, you know, so I like,
I like age appropriate, you know, I don't like, Yeah,
I don't like somebody who looks twelve.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Like that is very concerning to me.
Speaker 6 (18:22):
And apparently there's a huge you know, uh, audience and
appetite for.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
For stuff like that. So like, yeah, I like, I.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
Don't mind an age gap, but like, really people who
just look young And I'm just like what why?
Speaker 3 (18:38):
So yeah, I like.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
It reflects your values.
Speaker 6 (18:43):
Yeah, I mean honestly, I feel like, you know, consent
is really really important, and I do think that, you know,
a lot of people watch porn and they get ideas
that are not great, and then they bring them into
their actual lives as well, and like that's what I
literally I direct people.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I'm like, can you please, can you please watch World?
Speaker 6 (19:06):
Like because I just I I'm like, I just I
don't want to have to deal with somebody who has
been conditioned in the way that you know, the typical
porn video goes.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Like it's just not interesting to me, And it's.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Just I really appreciate that. And you know, earlier you
said that you saw this character on TV and decided
to live your life that way, like real Dale, you
moved to these cities really like I'm just gonna like
my shooes and fuck yeah and save the government here.
(19:46):
But we do, we see things and then we inspire.
It's powerful. It is powerful. So to think that the
work that we do doesn't have, you know, the same
type of impact. And so when you're saying, like I
direct people here because I want to make sure that
what they're envisioning of, like a sexual reality is at
(20:07):
least based on this, whether character scene or this yeah flow, okay,
yeah cool, because we yeah, mix it up.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I don't I don't mind, you know, a mix, but it.
Speaker 6 (20:18):
Needs to be within the these values like this at least,
like I want to feel the way y'all make it
feel like this is a safe place and like yeah,
we're gonna do all kinds of stuff, but it's gonna
be with you know, consent, and especially like as a
dom too, like you just there's a safety.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
I just I just love it. I just love it. It's
good stuff.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I like clean.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
We were about that.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
That was very clean.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
I know. I was like like we're doing okay, we're
doing okay, don't worry. She's gonna say.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
That I was.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
I was gonna actually I was going to ask you
what a what is a film that inspired you in
your life to do, to do something, to do, to
do something. And I'm not gonna say they didn't make
you move anywhere or anything like that, but something that
might have.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I actually like a lot of musicals. Looking back, I
really do like a good musical, and and I think
that it has always inspired me to kind of think about,
like what is the choreo? What's going on? Like even
in this room, it's like, Okay, how are we going
to dance around these chords in this table? And where's there?
(21:32):
And then I'm going to be looking at you for
a little while and then I'm going to change my
gaze over here. And it's like in a good musical,
like so many things are happening, and but there's but
it's telling you where to look, you know, and everybody
and if everyone is doing the right thing and the
same thing at the same time, it'll look like a
beautiful like picture within a picture within a like a
(21:54):
story with a story.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
I might.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
So all of those musicals, like I can't I walk
into a space and I'm just like, you know, like Okay,
I'm like the pink lady.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I'm definitely Sandy.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
And this is like the end of Active Breathe and
I'm walking in. Look, everybody's moving. So it's like, I
really envision myself as always the main character.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
As you should sing too.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
No, I'm not a lig Even when I get excited
and my voice starts trump, I'm like, oh.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
No, it's gonna it's gonna start singing.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
No, I can't. I cannot sing. I enjoy dancing. I
like performance art. I like for things to be visually
it's you know, like really esthetic. I like for things
to move well together in concert. So I think any
of those films really replicate or sorry, I really inspired
how I like to see my day go just like
(22:58):
everybody moving along nicely. We have a problem to solve.
We're going to do it together.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
About you, uh, Spike Lee. Yeah, which from when I
from when I was a kid.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
From when I was a kid, I first saw do
the right thing, and not only was it reflective of
things that were happening in my life and my environment,
you know what I'm saying. Like it and it's not
a it's not an easy watch, but parts of it
(23:33):
are also funny parts of it are also you know, beautiful,
there's some sexy parts.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
It's like the full gaming of life.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
And that's what I've always wanted to do with art
and then also just every Spike film, but especially stuff
that he worked with, like on Mobeta Blues, like with
like Malik Sai, Like I've always wanted to be a
director of photography, always wanted to work with lighting because
I loved, like, you know that classic seen in Mobeta
Blues when he's got the two women and he's trying
(24:04):
to make this choice between them and they split the
red and the blue down the side of his face.
If you look at Royal Fetish films, you see a
whole lot of that type of lighting because like him
and on Roger Degan's I think is how you say
his last name. He did stuff like sky Fall and
Blade Runner twenty whatever, whatever, but like the use of
like color to put in feeling ocean and all of that,
(24:30):
and I felt like, especially in our line of work,
porn is whack when it comes to lighting. It's like
we wanted to die as bright as possible so you
can see insertion. And I get that there are people
who really want to see insertion. I'm not knocking it,
but if you're not painting like a whole picture to
show like this person there's passion going, you don't even
(24:53):
need to have the bullshit plumber dialogue.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
You could literally just light the shit.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
In a way we will see these people emote or
the light brings out emotion in people, right, And that's
what like when we started, I was like, that's what
I want to do, you know, because like a beautiful film,
like kind of like how you were saying, when everything
works in harmony, I'm such a film Like I love cinema.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
I think it's such a great expression because you could
you have the sound, you have the movement, you have
the colors, you have so many different things that go
to make it. And like going back to Sinners, like
one of the things I love about the film is
like when you look at what everybody's wearing, the colors
(25:39):
that represent them as people, it's so evident in the shit,
like it's without giving away too much, but like especially
with the brothers, like oh yeah, you cool as fuck,
you hot headed, you know what I'm saying. And he
give you that shit, but he gives it and it's
not subtle, like it's very obvious, but because it's done
(25:59):
in such a dope way, it doesn't it's not like
he pushing it on you.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
It's just it's there. It's there.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
And like I tell you, I love that ship, and
I'm a vampire person. I love vampire movies and I
wish there was more that had us besides, like you know,
Blade is an action movie. He's a vampire, but it's
an action movie. And then like, what was it Queen
of the Damn Yeah, and it's Aliah. Yeah, but it's like, yeah,
they used you to, they baited us.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Yeah, they did us with that ship.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
They made it seem like it was an Allea movie
and it was not like a lad A movie.
Speaker 6 (26:35):
Yeah. But Leah in the Vampire yeah, and it was
just not so like to really get a film, like
what's the show that they do now for interview.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
With the Interview with the Vampire is amazing.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Yeah, they took a break though, right they did.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (26:53):
So season three, I guess is coming out next year
instead of this year. It should be this year, but
it's all so going to be focused on the white character,
which Lestatt, which I'm just because they actually they race swapped.
They made Louie black, which was like wait, wait for
the show.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
For the show, yeah, the brad Pig character. Yeah, and
so mad about it. I don't know that people were
mad about it.
Speaker 6 (27:21):
I mean I don't They're always mad about something, but like,
it was so brilliant the way that they did it,
because Louie was an enslaver in the book. The book
is also hella racist, it's so so racist and Rice girl,
but so making Louie black was just like the perfect
way to bring and making Louis a pimp. So yes,
you are in a situation where perhaps you are exploiting
(27:44):
people still, so you can still use some of those
same you know principles and the like the foundation of
of Louie and his evolution, you know, getting out of
exploiting other people who have less power than him.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
You know. It was just brilliant.
Speaker 6 (27:59):
It was just really, really really and again we don't
have black vampire stuff, so which we had two. So
because they made Louis black, they made Claudia black, his daughter,
and so we get two black vampires in major roles
and it's brilliant and so yeah, moving from those two
seasons to season three, where the main vampire is white.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I'm kind of like, this may be my last time watching.
Speaker 6 (28:23):
But it was beautiful television cinematography, like dialogue, I mean, directing.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
There, everything, Yeah, wow, gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
What is it about vampires for both of you?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Why?
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Why is it interesting?
Speaker 6 (28:41):
I mean, so, and this is my problem with Sinners
if I'm being honest again, I think it's a straight
man telling a story. But I'm like, vampires are very
sexual beings and they're also freaking fluid, like they're going
for everybody's neck and they're enjoying it and they're and
like you don't really in Sinners, like you see the
vampires like devouring people, but there's like not there's it's
(29:04):
not sensual. It's not like the seduction is not about
sex at all, which I'm just feel like this is
just main like undercurrent a vampire lore is just this
is you know, some really really sexy shit, Like that's
that's the kind of appeal of it. And so yeah,
I mean, and just the idea of being able to
(29:26):
not die and not like all of the things that
you worry about, all of the pressures of the world,
all those things like they just don't matter. Like you're
in just like this elevated state, Like all of these
human issues they're.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Just like IV.
Speaker 6 (29:44):
Yeah, yeah, you're just in a different You're in a
different space. But I mean, I do one of the
things that I did really like about Centers is the
way that it portrays a disconnection because yeah, like if
you're no longer worried about human things, you're no longer
worried about humanity, like you are cut off from something
that's really really crucial and important. And so the way
(30:04):
the interview with the vampire like explores that is just
like no nobody else is doing that. It's just it's
very very spiritual, very smart, very I mean like yeah,
it's a it's a conversation with God essentially, it's a
it's an argument with God, like, you know, are we
doing the right things?
Speaker 2 (30:23):
You know?
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Why? Why did you make us this way?
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Like?
Speaker 6 (30:26):
You know what what comes after this? Like all these
philosophical questions about life. A vampire kind of encompasses all
those things and open up opens up the door for
you to like actually start asking yourself those kinds of questions.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, what is it about vampires for you?
Speaker 5 (30:41):
There's a huge juxtaposition with it, like whereas just like
you said, like you're now immortal and you are in
a you're in that state wherever you were turned into
a vampire. Like most monsters, like if it's a werewolf,
they turned into a werewolf, they don't know what the
fuck they did while they're a werewolf. Like as a vampire,
(31:02):
you're still.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
In your head. You still like are making these decisions.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
One of those decisions is if I'm gonna if I'm
gonna live, I gotta drink people's blood. So like some vampires,
like an interview with the vampire, like at a certain
point where they're like I'm a more elevated vampire, you know,
I keep people alive.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
I just drink what I need.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
And ship, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
And then there's the other vampires that are like out
there just tear the motherfuckers up. But like I think,
like even though you have to invite a vampire in,
you know what I'm saying, Like, there's a certain whole
like subtlety to the vampire ship where it's like some
of it is like people are enamored.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
With vampires engagement that's that you don't let me in
of course.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
Yeah, but you said, you know, I was a vampire.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
They move, they move at night. I'm a very nocturnal person.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Like. But but I also think, like the lore of
all of it is just it's dope to me. Like
I think it's it is some sexy shit too, it's sexyes.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Listening to y'all talk about how vampires and sexyes are
actually making me think that fairies are really sexy.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Oh yeah, but I didn't.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Never. I never really consider myself like a fairy person.
But if I had to pick between living in the
lure of a vampire and like a fairy who's like
that human stuff, it's beneath me. It's just like I.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Operate in the daytime.
Speaker 6 (32:27):
Yeah all right, So yeah, you do miss out on
something like you're missing something as a vampire.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
You know, you can never see the sun.
Speaker 6 (32:34):
That's why I also with like shows like The Vampire
Diaries where they had like a special spell where they
could go out.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
To be daylight.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
And you just need good writers.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
As a vampire, you don't even make good lord.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Yeah you can. You can do everything you want to do.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
I love that.
Speaker 4 (32:52):
I wanted I was gonna switch it up so you
have if.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
You won't say I am curious. Have you ever thought
about writing erotic film an adult? Is that something? Or like,
are there some like pages like in the back of
the the closet that we're going to find when we
go looking for the papers of no.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
I mean I want to I want to do all.
So when I was over at ex Nicole when I
was their editor in chief, we were like we were
coming up with the podcasts, you know, network, and I
pitched a bunch of ideas for a podcast and one
was just like somebody with a really sexy voice reading
erotic stories. I mean, like that's very popular, and I
(33:36):
feel like it's probably an easy made way to make money.
So like, yeah, I would totally tell my parents to unsubscribe.
So like yeah, I mean, so I have a rom
com feature film and there is you know, a very
very I mean it's intended to be anyway.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
And I've literally written in the script to the actor's comfort.
Speaker 6 (34:00):
Because I want the convers they have a whole conversation first,
you know, because I want to normalize having a conversation
and you know, finding out what your boundaries are and
all those kinds of things and making that really sexy.
But yeah, hopefully, I mean, and the stars that we
have attached are super sexy. So I feel like, you know,
we're not in production yet, so you know, you just
(34:23):
it's a whole different movie, as y'all know, once you
actually shoot it and then when you edit it and
all that, that's just like three different movies.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Absolutely fucking that's a hard line.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
You know.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
I try to collaborate.
Speaker 6 (34:35):
I try to not have you know, ride of authorship,
but absolutely not cops.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
All cops are bastards. Like that's just you know, oh
my god, and King didn't say it this time.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
As you said, we are going through people I follow
on my instagrams I have on for this season. I
only follow people that say the posing that's it.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Like my guess speak for me, my question.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
For you as we are.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
You know, they're for people who don't know we've let
them know, like you are the person that they need
to go follow to find out what they need to see,
what they need to read, what they need to hear.
Are there like three films that have moved you maybe
over like let's say, I'll just give it for your
(35:27):
whole lifetime that you are, Like people have to go
see this movie.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Oh okay, well, I'm going to give you a moment
while you thank you, because I feel like she's gonna
say like these like you know, like prolific films and
don't if you don't and you were just like the
cinematography and Spike Lee's and I was like.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Any musical will do.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
And I was airy and I also are amazing they.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Are, But I just really need to ground myself in
this particular for branding purposes. I need to ground myself
in this podcast right now. But the Women of Brewster's
Place is probably would make me a social worker.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Oh yeah, I was when I saw that.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
But I was like, oh no, like each woman, each
one of these stories, like I have to fix this
for them in real life. And yeah, so I was
thinking a little bit more.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
But three films.
Speaker 6 (36:13):
So I just turned in a list of my top
ten films for there's a top ten Black films. There's
a Black Film Critics uh list that's coming out, and
so we all had to contribute. And I'm really upset
that I completely forgot about the Women of Brewster Place.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
That's okay, that's okay, it had its own moment, right.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
Yeah, yeah, Okay, Moonlight is a you just have to
and I've met way too many people who've never seen
it and you just have to see that, Like that
is a that's a foundational movie. Yeah, I want to
(36:53):
try to pick people stuff that like people should have
seen and they haven't seen. On the Lights is so underrated.
This is Gina Prince by the wood Google about the raw.
She's doing everything that Actually that was that made something
click for me, not just like the movie is great
and I really enjoy it's a musical. The Dream writes
(37:14):
all the songs and Google the Ra like performs them,
and she's like doing everything, and she got nothing for
that movie. Like it really just did not do what
it what it should have done for all of the
I mean it was mgk's like film debut, Like nobody
paid any attention to this movie. And what it did
for me was like, let me know you could do
(37:34):
your best work because she did that Google and both
the Ra did Beyond the Lights and Bell in the
same year, both completely different phenomenal films and got nothing.
And I was like, you can do your best possible
work and it may not hit. And I just had
this masterclass with Robert Rodriguez on Tuesday, and he was
(37:59):
just saying, commit yourself to a body of work, and
that's how you keep going, okay, because it doesn't matter
if these things flop or anything.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
But that was midway.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
Yeah, that was that was foundational for me because I
was just starting to get into like trying to do
film as a professional career, and I was just like,
oh shit, you could fail at this. You know, you
could do your best work and you can fail. Like, yeah,
you just keep going. And Google's done ten million things
since then, and that's it. You commit yourself to a
body work.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Number three.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
The thing is I made I don't want to talk
about Sinners again because I've talked about it so much,
but I literally made Sinners, And I feel like this
is maybe recency bias, but I made it number one
on this list that I turned in, I did feel like,
with all my criticism of it, because I do have,
I have criticisms of it job, yes, yes, but like
(38:51):
the way I feel like it opened up a porter,
Like it felt like when you put your spirit into
like your creative spirit goes into the work and you
send it out into the world, then my spirit receives
that and we're in conversation, and that's just a very
rare thing. Like I hadn't felt like that since Moonlight,
(39:15):
which was twenty sixteen. Yeah, so that was almost ten
years ago, and so I feel like it is a
very rare thing. Like, yes, it's a very popular movie,
and that's great, but you know, there's a reason, like
everything that's popular, you know, it doesn't mean that there's
no like substance in no power in all these things.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
You know.
Speaker 6 (39:37):
My little cousin reached out to me after watching the
movie because our great grandmother was a root worker, and
she was like, well, what books should I read? That's
why I created my center syllabus so I could have
all those kinds of things. And I'm like, yeah, like,
let's let's get this book and let's read it together.
So We've been reading this book Mojo Workin, which is like,
you know, an academic text on like the history of
(39:58):
Whodo and the South and all of those kinds of things,
and I'm like, stuff that makes me want to not
only do my own work, which is what you need.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Like that is the goal I.
Speaker 6 (40:10):
Think when you're creating beautiful artist, to like make other
artists feel like I need to get my ass at
home and put that pen to the paper or pick
it up that camera, all those kinds of things. But
also it just feels like like a hug or something
like it, like I felt at the end of that movie.
I've seen it eight times now, and I feel like
(40:32):
I keep going to see it because like Ryan wrote
this movie and directed this movie to say goodbye to
his great uncle who he didn't get a chance to
say goodbye to, who loved the Blues, who was from Clarksdale,
who's you know, was around in the nineteen thirties.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
Which is where the movie takes place. And I just
feel like you can feel that because.
Speaker 6 (40:51):
I felt my my cousin, my big cousin. I'm like Sammy,
you know, like I had my two you know, he
was he was bo Smoke and stack the twins in
one person as far as being a protector but being
really fun at the same time and all these kinds
of things. And he passed away when he was thirty
and I was twenty five, and so I felt like
(41:11):
he was alive again for a couple of hours. And
so I feel like people are responding to it in
that way, like it feels like your grief is being
seen like you're being held by a movie. And so yeah,
I just it's I don't want to keep talking about it,
but like, yeah, if I'm doing three movies, I feel
like people have to see. And I literally called all
(41:33):
my cousins, I called my parents, I called friends across
the country, and I was like, have you seen it?
Speaker 3 (41:40):
Have you seen it? Have you seen it?
Speaker 6 (41:41):
Because I'm like, you need to see it, like you
need to have this experience. And some people loved it,
and some people didn't like it, and some people didn't
understand what the big deal was at all, But like,
you have that experience.
Speaker 3 (41:52):
And it's gonna come to you later. I feel like
it's gonna come back to people.
Speaker 6 (41:55):
It's gonna it's gonna come back around, and you know,
at least you will have seen it and experienced it.
So a jasmin asap hit on this movie, you.
Speaker 5 (42:05):
Know what will make you also Like I got one
a great compliment from a friend of mine.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
Nelson hit me up like have you seen Sinners?
Speaker 5 (42:14):
And I was like yeah, he said, the dance scene
and the juke joint made me think of you because
I used to do these lectures called from the spirituals
to hip hop, and he was like, Yo, I thought
of you as soon as I saw it and had
to text.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
You, and I was like, that was the dope because
I was like, Yo, that was like one of the.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
That part that shit blew my fucking mind watching that
shit love that ship.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
So I was just like, Yo, that's dope.
Speaker 5 (42:37):
And I feel like there's there's a lot of parts
in that movie that you will resonate with you. And
then when I know there's gonna be some wild ship,
I'll just be like, I'll bring the cards with me.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
Brook has already given me like the upgrade on this
experience that like, I can't wait to report back to you.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
Yeah I can. I can't wait.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
Thank you so much for being here with us.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
You gave you already gifted us before with what has
still been my favorite interview of us.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
Oh yeah, yeah, you've given us like the digital Baby
book for our Yes, you have given us the gift
of capturing something so special between both of us that
has probably nothing to do with the where it where
(43:29):
it landed. You've since been gone, the people who wrote
it have probably gone on to do, but like that
is it captured something so important for our relationship, our family,
our business. So thank you.
Speaker 6 (43:43):
I mean it was my pleasure, like for one, because
I'm just like, there's so many things that you all do,
and I really everywhere I go I do again I'm
pointing people to y'all. But also you know when I'm
talking about, you know, things to produce and all, like
I'm pitching y'all all the time because there's just I
just don't know anybody who is doing what y'all are
(44:05):
doing in all the different ways that you're doing, and
you know, using sex as a form of liberation, like
I just it's so taboo. I feel like in the
black community in general, like this is unlike y'all are
over here waking people up, You're like giving people tools, you're.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
You know, just it's just beautiful.
Speaker 6 (44:26):
And so I'm like, yes, if I can, if i can,
whatever platform I have.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Y'all have. So I really appreciate y'all inviting me here, Like.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
You know, all this stuff was taboo. Reading and reading.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
Soliciting exactly.
Speaker 6 (44:48):
Happen.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
It doesn't take but everything at the same time, thank you, thank.
Speaker 4 (44:53):
You so much.
Speaker 6 (45:02):
Yeah,
Oh yeah, yellow, you have to be quiet.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yeah, magic hour, Yeah, that's what I feel like. People
who stare flat light happening, and then the US morning
people wake up to the ship and like, what are
you thinking? Why didn't you just go.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
To That's true wild females.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
Like what would you think?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
No, I scheduled now now.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You can, now you can schedule be responsible. Yeah the
day now, I love a Yeah, he just comes in room.
I had an idea, like I have to be I'm
not gonna remember. I'm just I'm just kidding. I'm not remembering.
He's like, I'll text it to you. Didn't come down
(00:54):
all right? Where else?
Speaker 5 (01:04):
Jasmine does not like any violence or like horror movies.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Or any shit like that.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
So like, either I really would love if you if
you saw it, but I know how you like.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I know how it is with certain jones, like I
gotta be like, look, this shit is gonna be d
you know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (01:24):
Yeah, But so I don't like horror movies either, Like
I don't like to be scared. I don't like Gore,
I definitely don't. I don't like gun violence is like
a hard no for me. I just can't do it.
At this point, like ever since, like you know, Black
Lives Matter started popping off. Yeah, I cannot see gun
violence on television movies.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I'm just done.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
So I was not scared in this movie. So I
was just like, oh, it's not scary, and then so
many people have been like, yes, it was, you fucking lied,
And then I'm like, oh, shoot, I mean I'm a
big scaredy cat, and I was not scared in the movie.
And there's some like jump scares, but I guess I
don't know if you if you don't like vampires or
like you the thing, like my mom has a thing
about vampire specifically, and somebody biting her neck.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
So she was very disturbed and upset. Was she No,
don't I don't.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Think I'm scared of anything in particular. You know what
it is. I'm scared of not knowing. I don't care
about no spoiler alert because I'm gonna know, and so
I'm going scare.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
I think, like, yeah, there's there's some jump scares, but
it was the thing that I loved about it. Like
for me, of any genre, I love a good it
has to have a good story, it has to have
something that's like there has to be some substance beneath
the surface that I'm gonna fuck with. And there was
(02:42):
a lot of substance. I mean it's there's substance in
all his films. So it's just like, Yo, how are
you about to flip this vampire ship?
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Bruh?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
Like I've seen you do some street ship, see you
do some super aero shit.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
You know what I'm saying, Like how you gonna flip this?
And it was masterful? Like masterful?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I have a question, is a like you're doing an
event to discuss you've been on like a press tour
really about people want to know, like what does Brook
think about this movie? And I want to share my
thoughts with Brook so bad, which I'm gonna let you,
but before you do, Like, is a culture gonna come
out of this movie? Are we like this event? Is
(03:18):
it gonna wind up being like an annual thing where
y'all have to get together and talk about how it
changed you?
Speaker 6 (03:23):
I mean, I feel like definitely the movie is having
a cultural impact. Like we see you know, it's been
trending for over a month that just doesn't really happen anymore.
So the movie itself is absolutely having a cultural moment
because it's having such a cultural moment online, and I've
seen so many people who are like, I want to
talk about this movie or you know, I've written four
(03:43):
different pieces on the movie already, deep Dives. I got
a Center syllabus to go deeper into all the themes
and all of that. And so there's so many people
who want to do that, but they don't have people
to do it with. They don't have people in their vicinity,
their friends, whatever, are not interested in doing that. So
I'm doing a live event on Sunday called Club Juke.
(04:03):
It's the Center's movie discussion dinner and dance party. So
we're gonna talk about the movie and we're gonna dance,
and we're gonna eatgo food and it's going to be great.
And I do I want that, you know, because that's
for my platform, my film TV criticism criticism platform, Black
girl watching. So I do want to do more things
like that because a big part of you know, my
work as a film critic, as a critical thinker is
(04:26):
to help other people do that as well, you know,
just like regular everyday people like just going deeper into
the art that they watch, like not being passive consumers
of it. That's really important to me to like create
the space so that people can do that. So you know,
if there's no space for people to do that with
their friends, you know, I'm like, okay, well and I'll
create a community event. And fortunately this event is going
(04:47):
to benefit Project forty three, which is this black nonprofit
community center in Hyde Park.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It does so many wonderful things for the.
Speaker 6 (04:56):
Community, community garden, they've got a community pantry, they've got
was back riding for the kids. The urban Cowboys bring
the horses out there, and it's a it's a great
it's a really really amazing center. They've got a music
production team as well to help you know, people learn
music production. There's a lot of great stuff at that
at that community center. So all the proceeds are gonna
(05:18):
benefit that, and that's kind of, you know, the point
for me, Like, you know, this is a movie that
brings people together. It's a movie that you know, it
has so much in it to explore and and talk about.
And yeah, that's what I've literally been talking about it
for over a month now and I'm not tired yet.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
So yeah, can I ask you when was the first
time you fell in love with film.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Can you remember the hmm, I can't.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
Let I mean, it was a long time ago because
I I wanted to be I was a child actor
for a while, so like I mean anything Raven Simone,
Jason Weaver, Summertime Switch.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
That was my movie on the Disney Channel.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Like Disney Channel had the best movies, Pocus Pocus. I
feel like The First Wives Club was very formative for
me from my like just like my political worldview. As
a kid, I was just like fuck these niggas from
like eight years old. So I definitely remember like that
having a serious impression on me. All the movies that
used to just play on HBO on a loop, Tou Wong.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Fu that was that was very formative. Yeah, it really
really was, and it still holds up, it.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Does You might have seen it with Patrick Sweethey, Okay, so.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, I would probably say.
Speaker 6 (06:37):
But I mean, I feel like I didn't really understand
that it could be a career or something serious or
something powerful. Even though as I look back over my life,
I see the way like film and TV like has
impacted the decisions that I've made.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Like I thought I was moving to DC.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
You know, because it become well, I.
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Was in law school, and so Obama I was you know,
I was working on the Obama campaign and then you know,
he won, and I was really over the law and
I'm like, I'm gonna move to DC and like work
for Obama because this is what lawyers do. Anyway, I
saw that on the West Wing. So it wasn't Obama.
It was literally the West Wing that was like making
(07:18):
me think that this was going to be the thing.
And so of course I get to d C. It sucks,
and you know, everything kind of just goes downhill. I
get very disenchanted with Obama in probably like two years.
By twenty ten, I was done, and in twenty twelve,
I'm like moving to New York and trying to be
Samantha Insects and the city.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
You know. So I just I feel like all.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
Of my like major life choices have been around you know,
movie and film, and even when I wanted to be
an entertainment lawyer. I just remember people in law school,
especially during the Obama campaign, they were just like, that's
so frivolous, that's so you know, you don't want to
do anything important. And so now being able to like
move out to LA and focus on film and TV
(07:59):
full time writing it, making it and criticizing it as well,
and just breaking it down and seeing the art of
it and seeing the power of it.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I'm like, this is this is where you move people.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
This is you know, where you get the collective consciousness, Like,
this is how you educate people. Like you see a
show like and Or on Disney Plus, which is a
Star Wars show. I mean, it's just it feels just like,
you know, this is this is Disney this is Star Wars.
It's literally an anti fascist guide to resistance so political
late and people are listening to, you know, the manifesto
(08:34):
in that show by the character Remic or Nymic and
they're like, yeah, I you know, this makes.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Sense to me.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
You can move people with media, and so yeah, and
there's you know, there's a reason why Hollywood has been
in partnership with the United States government, with the United
States military, because they know how.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Powerful media is. As well.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
There's a reason why black stories, you know, black people
have not been at the forefront of Hollywood because they
know that that has power and that travels, and you
can radicalize people through the media, and they don't want
to do that. So yeah, I mean again, it took
me a really, really long time before I understood how
powerful it was and that it could be a career
(09:18):
and that I could be a part of it. After
my acting career dwindles, my childhood start dreams, you know,
faded away.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
When we my parents.
Speaker 6 (09:27):
Were in my dad was in the military, so we
moved to Nebraska, and then it was a wrap from
my acting career from that point and I gave up
on it. But yeah, I'm like, when I as an adult,
I'm like, yeah, this is this is how you move people,
this is how you can reach people.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Oh no, I kind of wanted to build off with
something that you had just said about the film industry
being working with the United States military. So a lot
of people it's not a conspiracy theory, you know, if
you looked, there was a book that was written all
Quiet on the Western Front about the trenches in World
War One, and then after that people had a lot
(10:04):
of problems with how wars depicted. So like during World
War Two, that's what they had, Like everybody know John
Wayne and Audie Murphy and they made all these movies
that was like has to be good. And Vietnam people
started breaking off from that. So, like we see when
it comes to specifically to black stories, they put out
(10:26):
that were violent, They put out that, you know, all
the most trauma upon horrific things in order to justify
how we're treated here in America to the world and
how we treat ourselves and so on and such.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Bart do you see.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Any shift in that within the last five to ten years,
maybe in independent films or in people making films like
Sinners or of the like that might be shifting the
paradigm at all.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
I mean, so I think there's always going to be
independent filmmakers who can just do more and say more
and be more liberated in their art. You may not
get to see it because it's going to be released
in a smaller scale, but I mean, you know, the
biggest the biggest movie of twenty eighteen period, but also
you know, the biggest Black movie, Black Panther. They had
(11:26):
the CIA and Wakanda, you know what I'm saying. So
I'm like, I still see it. You know, they had
you know, Ryan same director, Ryan Coogler, you know, had
a CIA agent who they gave a gun to and
let him shoot down their fellow Wakandan citizens.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
You know, there's a lot of stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (11:50):
So even when you get to these you know, beautiful
dark skinned black people on screen in Black Panther, which
you know we never get to see in this like regal, beautiful,
glorious way, you still got to slide something else in
something like Marvel. I don't know how much control Ryan
has over something like that when it's a Marvel project,
(12:11):
which it absolutely works with the United States Military intentionally
and has you know, for since its inception. All of
these superhero movies are cop movies, and so they work
with the government on that.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
But yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Think we ebb and flows as always.
Speaker 6 (12:28):
You know, there's people that's pushing us forward, you know,
and yeah, we just got to keep celebrating the people
that are pushing us forward, and you know, allowing Ryan
to have, you know, the space to make original movies
where he's not you know, beholden to the United States
Military and whatever deal that you know, Disney and Marvel have,
(12:50):
you know, and can make his own stories.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
And yeah, you see a difference.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
That's two shows with Black Captain America that came up.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Yeah, it's all different.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
So okay, I'm super like you know, other people's films
and your reaction and your response to that. That's like
really interesting. We get to actually read, like when this
film came out of like oh we're gonna have something
to say. I don't even have to watch the film,
even when albums dropped, like when Renaissance came out, which
I had to wear my Compton Cowboy jacket for this
(13:27):
because I was like, Okay Brooks coming. So but even
when the album dropped, like hearing your critique of each song,
like when I hear church Girl, now I actually you
come to mind, Yeah, when she did it at the concerts,
it's on the setlist and and like, I mean, that's
really so beautiful, and so it's so important, like I
(13:48):
want to hear what you're thinking to balance what I'm
thinking about this piece of artwork, which is just really
nice when you're talking about community that you're building and
for people to have these experiences with like minded or
elevated minds if you will, or minds that we want
to explore more. So, thank you for doing the work.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
That you do.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And although we won't be here for the event on
purpose because yeah, it's okay, your your virtual the work
that you do in the virtual space, like it really
it's tangible. It really is tangible. So I appreciate that.
But nobody gets to hear your critique of porn though.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
We don't know we have the inviter to one of
our screenings.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
You know, we don't have.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Time for that because she has an event and we
have and all that kind of stuff, and there's not
a particular film that have in mind, right, But you know,
it's like like the person you know that we talked
to earlier, they're in a particular genre of music, but
I really really want to hear within their you know,
like the guilty Pleasure playlist. You know, it's like, yeah,
like we know you look at art in this really
(14:55):
amazing way, and yeah, but like what do you like?
What is your your your naughty list? Like what do
you look for in a good adult adult entertainment? And
it doesn't even have to necessarily be porn. It could
even be media that pushes the limit if you will, Okay,
because I just mentioned girl, It's like this interview can
(15:19):
go really far, and they teacher I don't know, but
Dirty dancies to have.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
A bombay me and a well.
Speaker 6 (15:34):
Sinners is actually a very horny movie for straight people. Okay, okay,
I mean is it too forward for you?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Is it?
Speaker 6 (15:43):
It's not too forward for me? Not the people, Okay,
it's not too forward for me. I think it's very straight.
I feel like it's what a straight man thinks is Yeah, ed, definitely,
it's like, oh, you know, oral sex, you know, like
that's that's the height honestly the height of like, you know,
(16:03):
the sin.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Is it sweaty or because everything was sweaty in that movie?
Speaker 6 (16:07):
It was sweaty because she this character Pearline, she walks
to the club, you know, which is probably you know
what I'm saying, and so yeah, and so you know,
the main character Sammy, he's like, oh, I want to
taste you, and she's like, I walked here, let me
wash up first, and he was like, no, it's all good,
you know. So, I mean it's a little sweaty, okay.
(16:30):
And there's a lot of there's a lot of spit,
I know, y'all like spit. Spit is not my thing.
But yeah, there's a lot of like drool into the
mouth in a sexual way and then also like a
really violent way at the end, which was really that
part was sad. But yeah, the other part, I'm like, yeah,
I mean I feel like, yeah, that is the the edgiest,
(16:51):
like straight man idea of horniness.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
So I'm gathering that you like your porn like maybe
not as straight.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
I like love, I like, you know, embracing, I like,
you know, I mean, I feel like it kind of depends.
It depends, but sometimes like I really do. I mean,
I really appreciate y'all's work because there is, you know,
this desire and mission to not you know, have all
(17:22):
the misogyny that and you know, racism also that just
permeates the porn industry.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
So like y'all are leading the.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
Way and just you know, it can be rough and
sexy and all of these great things, but still like
there's so much care, you know, like you can tell
and the work that y'all do that like there's a
caring atmosphere and so like if I see somebody who
looks like they're probably not having a good time or
(17:53):
this is and I feel like that actually happens a lot,
you know, just from the like the front page, you know,
you're seeing all the samples. Just like some of these
people are like like incest.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I don't know why that is. That's just stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
I'm just like, what, Yeah, you know, so I like,
I like age appropriate, you know, I don't like, Yeah,
I don't like somebody who looks twelve.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Like that is very concerning to me.
Speaker 6 (18:22):
And apparently there's a huge you know, uh, audience and
appetite for.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
For stuff like that. So like, yeah, I like, I.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
Don't mind an age gap, but like, really people who
just look young And I'm just like what why?
Speaker 3 (18:38):
So yeah, I like.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
It reflects your values.
Speaker 6 (18:43):
Yeah, I mean honestly, I feel like, you know, consent
is really really important, and I do think that, you know,
a lot of people watch porn and they get ideas
that are not great, and then they bring them into
their actual lives as well, and like that's what I
literally I direct people.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I'm like, can you please, can you please watch World?
Speaker 6 (19:06):
Like because I just I I'm like, I just I
don't want to have to deal with somebody who has
been conditioned in the way that you know, the typical
porn video goes.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Like it's just not interesting to me, And it's.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Just I really appreciate that. And you know, earlier you
said that you saw this character on TV and decided
to live your life that way, like real Dale, you
moved to these cities really like I'm just gonna like
my shooes and fuck yeah and save the government here.
(19:46):
But we do, we see things and then we inspire.
It's powerful. It is powerful. So to think that the
work that we do doesn't have, you know, the same
type of impact. And so when you're saying, like I
direct people here because I want to make sure that
what they're envisioning of, like a sexual reality is at
(20:07):
least based on this, whether character scene or this yeah flow, okay,
yeah cool, because we yeah, mix it up.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
I don't I don't mind, you know, a mix, but it.
Speaker 6 (20:18):
Needs to be within the these values like this at least,
like I want to feel the way y'all make it
feel like this is a safe place and like yeah,
we're gonna do all kinds of stuff, but it's gonna
be with you know, consent, and especially like as a
dom too, like you just there's a safety.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
I just I just love it. I just love it. It's
good stuff.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I like clean.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
We were about that.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
That was very clean.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
I know. I was like like we're doing okay, we're
doing okay, don't worry. She's gonna say.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
That I was.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
I was gonna actually I was going to ask you
what a what is a film that inspired you in
your life to do, to do something, to do, to
do something. And I'm not gonna say they didn't make
you move anywhere or anything like that, but something that
might have.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I actually like a lot of musicals. Looking back, I
really do like a good musical, and and I think
that it has always inspired me to kind of think about,
like what is the choreo? What's going on? Like even
in this room, it's like, Okay, how are we going
to dance around these chords in this table? And where's there?
(21:32):
And then I'm going to be looking at you for
a little while and then I'm going to change my
gaze over here. And it's like in a good musical,
like so many things are happening, and but there's but
it's telling you where to look, you know, and everybody
and if everyone is doing the right thing and the
same thing at the same time, it'll look like a
beautiful like picture within a picture within a like a
(21:54):
story with a story.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
I might.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
So all of those musicals, like I can't I walk
into a space and I'm just like, you know, like Okay,
I'm like the pink lady.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I'm definitely Sandy.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
And this is like the end of Active Breathe and
I'm walking in. Look, everybody's moving. So it's like, I
really envision myself as always the main character.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
As you should sing too.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
No, I'm not a lig Even when I get excited
and my voice starts trump, I'm like, oh.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
No, it's gonna it's gonna start singing.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
No, I can't. I cannot sing. I enjoy dancing. I
like performance art. I like for things to be visually
it's you know, like really esthetic. I like for things
to move well together in concert. So I think any
of those films really replicate or sorry, I really inspired
how I like to see my day go just like
(22:58):
everybody moving along nicely. We have a problem to solve.
We're going to do it together.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
About you, uh, Spike Lee. Yeah, which from when I
from when I was a kid.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
From when I was a kid, I first saw do
the right thing, and not only was it reflective of
things that were happening in my life and my environment,
you know what I'm saying. Like it and it's not
a it's not an easy watch, but parts of it
(23:33):
are also funny parts of it are also you know, beautiful,
there's some sexy parts.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
It's like the full gaming of life.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
And that's what I've always wanted to do with art
and then also just every Spike film, but especially stuff
that he worked with, like on Mobeta Blues, like with
like Malik Sai, Like I've always wanted to be a
director of photography, always wanted to work with lighting because
I loved, like, you know that classic seen in Mobeta
Blues when he's got the two women and he's trying
(24:04):
to make this choice between them and they split the
red and the blue down the side of his face.
If you look at Royal Fetish films, you see a
whole lot of that type of lighting because like him
and on Roger Degan's I think is how you say
his last name. He did stuff like sky Fall and
Blade Runner twenty whatever, whatever, but like the use of
like color to put in feeling ocean and all of that,
(24:30):
and I felt like, especially in our line of work,
porn is whack when it comes to lighting. It's like
we wanted to die as bright as possible so you
can see insertion. And I get that there are people
who really want to see insertion. I'm not knocking it,
but if you're not painting like a whole picture to
show like this person there's passion going, you don't even
(24:53):
need to have the bullshit plumber dialogue.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
You could literally just light the shit.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
In a way we will see these people emote or
the light brings out emotion in people, right, And that's
what like when we started, I was like, that's what
I want to do, you know, because like a beautiful film,
like kind of like how you were saying, when everything
works in harmony, I'm such a film Like I love cinema.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
I think it's such a great expression because you could
you have the sound, you have the movement, you have
the colors, you have so many different things that go
to make it. And like going back to Sinners, like
one of the things I love about the film is
like when you look at what everybody's wearing, the colors
(25:39):
that represent them as people, it's so evident in the shit,
like it's without giving away too much, but like especially
with the brothers, like oh yeah, you cool as fuck,
you hot headed, you know what I'm saying. And he
give you that shit, but he gives it and it's
not subtle, like it's very obvious, but because it's done
(25:59):
in such a dope way, it doesn't it's not like
he pushing it on you.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
It's just it's there. It's there.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
And like I tell you, I love that ship, and
I'm a vampire person. I love vampire movies and I
wish there was more that had us besides, like you know,
Blade is an action movie. He's a vampire, but it's
an action movie. And then like, what was it Queen
of the Damn Yeah, and it's Aliah. Yeah, but it's like, yeah,
they used you to, they baited us.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Yeah, they did us with that ship.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
They made it seem like it was an Allea movie
and it was not like a lad A movie.
Speaker 6 (26:35):
Yeah. But Leah in the Vampire yeah, and it was
just not so like to really get a film, like
what's the show that they do now for interview.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
With the Interview with the Vampire is amazing.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Yeah, they took a break though, right they did.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (26:53):
So season three, I guess is coming out next year
instead of this year. It should be this year, but
it's all so going to be focused on the white character,
which Lestatt, which I'm just because they actually they race swapped.
They made Louie black, which was like wait, wait for
the show.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
For the show, yeah, the brad Pig character. Yeah, and
so mad about it. I don't know that people were
mad about it.
Speaker 6 (27:21):
I mean I don't They're always mad about something, but like,
it was so brilliant the way that they did it,
because Louie was an enslaver in the book. The book
is also hella racist, it's so so racist and Rice girl,
but so making Louie black was just like the perfect
way to bring and making Louis a pimp. So yes,
you are in a situation where perhaps you are exploiting
(27:44):
people still, so you can still use some of those
same you know principles and the like the foundation of
of Louie and his evolution, you know, getting out of
exploiting other people who have less power than him.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
You know. It was just brilliant.
Speaker 6 (27:59):
It was just really, really really and again we don't
have black vampire stuff, so which we had two. So
because they made Louis black, they made Claudia black, his daughter,
and so we get two black vampires in major roles
and it's brilliant and so yeah, moving from those two
seasons to season three, where the main vampire is white.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I'm kind of like, this may be my last time watching.
Speaker 6 (28:23):
But it was beautiful television cinematography, like dialogue, I mean, directing.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
There, everything, Yeah, wow, gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
What is it about vampires for both of you?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Why?
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Why is it interesting?
Speaker 6 (28:41):
I mean, so, and this is my problem with Sinners
if I'm being honest again, I think it's a straight
man telling a story. But I'm like, vampires are very
sexual beings and they're also freaking fluid, like they're going
for everybody's neck and they're enjoying it and they're and
like you don't really in Sinners, like you see the
vampires like devouring people, but there's like not there's it's
(29:04):
not sensual. It's not like the seduction is not about
sex at all, which I'm just feel like this is
just main like undercurrent a vampire lore is just this
is you know, some really really sexy shit, Like that's
that's the kind of appeal of it. And so yeah,
I mean, and just the idea of being able to
(29:26):
not die and not like all of the things that
you worry about, all of the pressures of the world,
all those things like they just don't matter. Like you're
in just like this elevated state, Like all of these
human issues they're.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Just like IV.
Speaker 6 (29:44):
Yeah, yeah, you're just in a different You're in a
different space. But I mean, I do one of the
things that I did really like about Centers is the
way that it portrays a disconnection because yeah, like if
you're no longer worried about human things, you're no longer
worried about humanity, like you are cut off from something
that's really really crucial and important. And so the way
(30:04):
the interview with the vampire like explores that is just
like no nobody else is doing that. It's just it's
very very spiritual, very smart, very I mean like yeah,
it's a it's a conversation with God essentially, it's a
it's an argument with God, like, you know, are we
doing the right things?
Speaker 2 (30:23):
You know?
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Why? Why did you make us this way?
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Like?
Speaker 6 (30:26):
You know what what comes after this? Like all these
philosophical questions about life. A vampire kind of encompasses all
those things and open up opens up the door for
you to like actually start asking yourself those kinds of questions.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, what is it about vampires for you?
Speaker 5 (30:41):
There's a huge juxtaposition with it, like whereas just like
you said, like you're now immortal and you are in
a you're in that state wherever you were turned into
a vampire. Like most monsters, like if it's a werewolf,
they turned into a werewolf, they don't know what the
fuck they did while they're a werewolf. Like as a vampire,
(31:02):
you're still.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
In your head. You still like are making these decisions.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
One of those decisions is if I'm gonna if I'm
gonna live, I gotta drink people's blood. So like some vampires,
like an interview with the vampire, like at a certain
point where they're like I'm a more elevated vampire, you know,
I keep people alive.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
I just drink what I need.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
And ship, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
And then there's the other vampires that are like out
there just tear the motherfuckers up. But like I think,
like even though you have to invite a vampire in,
you know what I'm saying, Like, there's a certain whole
like subtlety to the vampire ship where it's like some
of it is like people are enamored.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
With vampires engagement that's that you don't let me in
of course.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
Yeah, but you said, you know, I was a vampire.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
They move, they move at night. I'm a very nocturnal person.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Like. But but I also think, like the lore of
all of it is just it's dope to me. Like
I think it's it is some sexy shit too, it's sexyes.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Listening to y'all talk about how vampires and sexyes are
actually making me think that fairies are really sexy.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Oh yeah, but I didn't.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Never. I never really consider myself like a fairy person.
But if I had to pick between living in the
lure of a vampire and like a fairy who's like
that human stuff, it's beneath me. It's just like I.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Operate in the daytime.
Speaker 6 (32:27):
Yeah all right, So yeah, you do miss out on
something like you're missing something as a vampire.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
You know, you can never see the sun.
Speaker 6 (32:34):
That's why I also with like shows like The Vampire
Diaries where they had like a special spell where they
could go out.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
To be daylight.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
And you just need good writers.
Speaker 5 (32:45):
As a vampire, you don't even make good lord.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Yeah you can. You can do everything you want to do.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
I love that.
Speaker 4 (32:52):
I wanted I was gonna switch it up so you
have if.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
You won't say I am curious. Have you ever thought
about writing erotic film an adult? Is that something? Or like,
are there some like pages like in the back of
the the closet that we're going to find when we
go looking for the papers of no.
Speaker 6 (33:14):
I mean I want to I want to do all.
So when I was over at ex Nicole when I
was their editor in chief, we were like we were
coming up with the podcasts, you know, network, and I
pitched a bunch of ideas for a podcast and one
was just like somebody with a really sexy voice reading
erotic stories. I mean, like that's very popular, and I
(33:36):
feel like it's probably an easy made way to make money.
So like, yeah, I would totally tell my parents to unsubscribe.
So like yeah, I mean, so I have a rom
com feature film and there is you know, a very
very I mean it's intended to be anyway.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
And I've literally written in the script to the actor's comfort.
Speaker 6 (34:00):
Because I want the convers they have a whole conversation first,
you know, because I want to normalize having a conversation
and you know, finding out what your boundaries are and
all those kinds of things and making that really sexy.
But yeah, hopefully, I mean, and the stars that we
have attached are super sexy. So I feel like, you know,
we're not in production yet, so you know, you just
(34:23):
it's a whole different movie, as y'all know, once you
actually shoot it and then when you edit it and
all that, that's just like three different movies.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Absolutely fucking that's a hard line.
Speaker 5 (34:33):
You know.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
I try to collaborate.
Speaker 6 (34:35):
I try to not have you know, ride of authorship,
but absolutely not cops.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
All cops are bastards. Like that's just you know, oh
my god, and King didn't say it this time.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
As you said, we are going through people I follow
on my instagrams I have on for this season. I
only follow people that say the posing that's it.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Like my guess speak for me, my question.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
For you as we are.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
You know, they're for people who don't know we've let
them know, like you are the person that they need
to go follow to find out what they need to see,
what they need to read, what they need to hear.
Are there like three films that have moved you maybe
over like let's say, I'll just give it for your
(35:27):
whole lifetime that you are, Like people have to go
see this movie.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Oh okay, well, I'm going to give you a moment
while you thank you, because I feel like she's gonna
say like these like you know, like prolific films and
don't if you don't and you were just like the
cinematography and Spike Lee's and I was like.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Any musical will do.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
And I was airy and I also are amazing they.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Are, But I just really need to ground myself in
this particular for branding purposes. I need to ground myself
in this podcast right now. But the Women of Brewster's
Place is probably would make me a social worker.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Oh yeah, I was when I saw that.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
But I was like, oh no, like each woman, each
one of these stories, like I have to fix this
for them in real life. And yeah, so I was
thinking a little bit more.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
But three films.
Speaker 6 (36:13):
So I just turned in a list of my top
ten films for there's a top ten Black films. There's
a Black Film Critics uh list that's coming out, and
so we all had to contribute. And I'm really upset
that I completely forgot about the Women of Brewster Place.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
That's okay, that's okay, it had its own moment, right.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
Yeah, yeah, Okay, Moonlight is a you just have to
and I've met way too many people who've never seen
it and you just have to see that, Like that
is a that's a foundational movie. Yeah, I want to
(36:53):
try to pick people stuff that like people should have
seen and they haven't seen. On the Lights is so underrated.
This is Gina Prince by the wood Google about the raw.
She's doing everything that Actually that was that made something
click for me, not just like the movie is great
and I really enjoy it's a musical. The Dream writes
(37:14):
all the songs and Google the Ra like performs them,
and she's like doing everything, and she got nothing for
that movie. Like it really just did not do what
it what it should have done for all of the
I mean it was mgk's like film debut, Like nobody
paid any attention to this movie. And what it did
for me was like, let me know you could do
(37:34):
your best work because she did that Google and both
the Ra did Beyond the Lights and Bell in the
same year, both completely different phenomenal films and got nothing.
And I was like, you can do your best possible
work and it may not hit. And I just had
this masterclass with Robert Rodriguez on Tuesday, and he was
(37:59):
just saying, commit yourself to a body of work, and
that's how you keep going, okay, because it doesn't matter
if these things flop or anything.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
But that was midway.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
Yeah, that was that was foundational for me because I
was just starting to get into like trying to do
film as a professional career, and I was just like,
oh shit, you could fail at this. You know, you
could do your best work and you can fail. Like, yeah,
you just keep going. And Google's done ten million things
since then, and that's it. You commit yourself to a
body work.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Number three.
Speaker 6 (38:30):
The thing is I made I don't want to talk
about Sinners again because I've talked about it so much,
but I literally made Sinners, And I feel like this
is maybe recency bias, but I made it number one
on this list that I turned in, I did feel like,
with all my criticism of it, because I do have,
I have criticisms of it job, yes, yes, but like
(38:51):
the way I feel like it opened up a porter,
Like it felt like when you put your spirit into
like your creative spirit goes into the work and you
send it out into the world, then my spirit receives
that and we're in conversation, and that's just a very
rare thing. Like I hadn't felt like that since Moonlight,
(39:15):
which was twenty sixteen. Yeah, so that was almost ten
years ago, and so I feel like it is a
very rare thing. Like, yes, it's a very popular movie,
and that's great, but you know, there's a reason, like
everything that's popular, you know, it doesn't mean that there's
no like substance in no power in all these things.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
You know.
Speaker 6 (39:37):
My little cousin reached out to me after watching the
movie because our great grandmother was a root worker, and
she was like, well, what books should I read? That's
why I created my center syllabus so I could have
all those kinds of things. And I'm like, yeah, like,
let's let's get this book and let's read it together.
So We've been reading this book Mojo Workin, which is like,
you know, an academic text on like the history of
(39:58):
Whodo and the South and all of those kinds of things,
and I'm like, stuff that makes me want to not
only do my own work, which is what you need.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Like that is the goal I.
Speaker 6 (40:10):
Think when you're creating beautiful artist, to like make other
artists feel like I need to get my ass at
home and put that pen to the paper or pick
it up that camera, all those kinds of things. But
also it just feels like like a hug or something
like it, like I felt at the end of that movie.
I've seen it eight times now, and I feel like
(40:32):
I keep going to see it because like Ryan wrote
this movie and directed this movie to say goodbye to
his great uncle who he didn't get a chance to
say goodbye to, who loved the Blues, who was from Clarksdale,
who's you know, was around in the nineteen thirties.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
Which is where the movie takes place. And I just
feel like you can feel that because.
Speaker 6 (40:51):
I felt my my cousin, my big cousin. I'm like Sammy,
you know, like I had my two you know, he
was he was bo Smoke and stack the twins in
one person as far as being a protector but being
really fun at the same time and all these kinds
of things. And he passed away when he was thirty
and I was twenty five, and so I felt like
(41:11):
he was alive again for a couple of hours. And
so I feel like people are responding to it in
that way, like it feels like your grief is being
seen like you're being held by a movie. And so yeah,
I just it's I don't want to keep talking about it,
but like, yeah, if I'm doing three movies, I feel
like people have to see. And I literally called all
(41:33):
my cousins, I called my parents, I called friends across
the country, and I was like, have you seen it?
Speaker 3 (41:40):
Have you seen it? Have you seen it?
Speaker 6 (41:41):
Because I'm like, you need to see it, like you
need to have this experience. And some people loved it,
and some people didn't like it, and some people didn't
understand what the big deal was at all, But like,
you have that experience.
Speaker 3 (41:52):
And it's gonna come to you later. I feel like
it's gonna come back to people.
Speaker 6 (41:55):
It's gonna it's gonna come back around, and you know,
at least you will have seen it and experienced it.
So a jasmin asap hit on this movie, you.
Speaker 5 (42:05):
Know what will make you also Like I got one
a great compliment from a friend of mine.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
Nelson hit me up like have you seen Sinners?
Speaker 5 (42:14):
And I was like yeah, he said, the dance scene
and the juke joint made me think of you because
I used to do these lectures called from the spirituals
to hip hop, and he was like, Yo, I thought
of you as soon as I saw it and had
to text.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
You, and I was like, that was the dope because
I was like, Yo, that was like one of the.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
That part that shit blew my fucking mind watching that
shit love that ship.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
So I was just like, Yo, that's dope.
Speaker 5 (42:37):
And I feel like there's there's a lot of parts
in that movie that you will resonate with you. And
then when I know there's gonna be some wild ship,
I'll just be like, I'll bring the cards with me.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
Brook has already given me like the upgrade on this
experience that like, I can't wait to report back to you.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
Yeah I can. I can't wait.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
Thank you so much for being here with us.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
You gave you already gifted us before with what has
still been my favorite interview of us.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
Oh yeah, yeah, you've given us like the digital Baby
book for our Yes, you have given us the gift
of capturing something so special between both of us that
has probably nothing to do with the where it where
(43:29):
it landed. You've since been gone, the people who wrote
it have probably gone on to do, but like that
is it captured something so important for our relationship, our family,
our business. So thank you.
Speaker 6 (43:43):
I mean it was my pleasure, like for one, because
I'm just like, there's so many things that you all do,
and I really everywhere I go I do again I'm
pointing people to y'all. But also you know when I'm
talking about, you know, things to produce and all, like
I'm pitching y'all all the time because there's just I
just don't know anybody who is doing what y'all are
(44:05):
doing in all the different ways that you're doing, and
you know, using sex as a form of liberation, like
I just it's so taboo. I feel like in the
black community in general, like this is unlike y'all are
over here waking people up, You're like giving people tools, you're.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
You know, just it's just beautiful.
Speaker 6 (44:26):
And so I'm like, yes, if I can, if i can,
whatever platform I have.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Y'all have. So I really appreciate y'all inviting me here, Like.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
You know, all this stuff was taboo. Reading and reading.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
Soliciting exactly.
Speaker 6 (44:48):
Happen.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
It doesn't take but everything at the same time, thank you, thank.
Speaker 4 (44:53):
You so much.
Speaker 6 (45:02):
Yeah,
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