Tuesday, September 7, 2021

02 Sept 21 - Candyman (2021)

…I am the writing on the wall, the sweet smell of blood. Be my victim… 

Say his name, blogspot readers, if you dare …not once but five times if you dare. 

It’s another adventure around town and this time SouthSide took in a movie at the famous Logan Theatre to see Jordan Peele’s Candyman (2021). Before she begins the review, let’s get a few things straight. Let’s NOT call this a “spiritual” sequel to the 1992 original version of the same name. However, there’s a slight difference between the original and this version, blogspot readers. Besides the horror side this storyline, Jordan Peele and his writing team also incorporated real life horror that effects inner city residents on a daily basis – police brutality, residential re-development/gentrification of a ghetto neighborhood and closet as well as open racism. Throughout this movie, many truths were exposed, blogspot readers, especially when one of the characters expertly noted how real estate developers entice White renters to rent in the low income neighborhoods like Cabrini Green with promises of trendy shops and cafes if they stay for a couple of years or so. 

Don’t believe SouthSide? This reviewer can remember the days when Cabrini Green was infamously known for gangs violence and generational welfare/public assistance/low income working class families. She can even remember a time when Mama SouthSide frantically told young SouthSide and her friends to roll up the windows and lock the doors while visiting the neighborhood as a church youth group for the first time. Yes, blogspot readers, middle-class Black Americans never dared venture anywhere near Cabrini Green out of fear of being robbed and or shot …perhaps murdered. Former (now deceased) mayor Jane Byrne as a publicity stunt live inside an apartment at Cabrini Green …of course with armed police security just to prove it was safe to live there. Another interesting fact, Candyman is loosely based on a real life murder (it happened in 1987) in which the murderers did come through the bathroom mirrored medicine cabinet. 

 That was Cabrini Green then.

 …Candyman is a way to deal with the fact that these things happened to us, are still happening… 

Cabrini now – the neighborhood has been gentrified, blogspot readers, and is a little safer these days. The infamous high rise apartment buildings have been demolished thus paving the way for newer and more modern mix-income buildings, single-family homes and condos …trendy shops and coffee cafes …a selective enrollment magnet high school named after a famous American football player and a Target – built on the site where the original Candyman was filmed. SouthSide sometimes get a weird feeling that it’s haunted whenever she shops there. Yes, gentrification is a real “horror”. So is the hive mind of police officers today and the brutality they bring against innocent people of color to which Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta terrifyingly bring to this sequel …especially towards the end of the movie. 

As always, blogspot readers, NO SPOILERS here. SouthSide highly recommends checking out Candyman (2021). 

SouthSide does advise viewing the 1992 Clive Barker original before seeing Jordan Peele’s version …solely for reference because theref are mentions about the original woven throughout the storyline. In case you don’t remember, the original was about a graduate student Helen Lyle who was researching her thesis about urban myths and legends. Her subject …then turned obsession – Daniel Robitalle aka Candyman. Now, it’s decades later baby Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is all grown up and a struggling artist living in the gentrified Cabrini Green area with his girlfriend – Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), art dealer/curator. Currently lacking any inspiration for an upcoming art exhibition, Anthony one day explores around the vacant row houses of Cabrini and becomes intrigued by the story of Candyman told to him by a Laundromat owner William Burke (Coleman Domingo …Victor Strand of Fear the Walking Dead) who by unfortunate chance met a Candyman as a young child. One tiny change here to the story about Candyman, blogspot readers, there were others besides the original Tony Todd character. And just like Helen Lyle, Anthony’s interest soon turns into obsession to which things gradually begin to happen to Anthony as well as people associated around him …some facing terrible, horrifying fates after saying his name. 

The one question on SouthSide’s mind while reviewing this movie – does Tony Todd make an appearance? 

Well …sorry, blogspot readers. SouthSide’s lips are sealed tight. She’ll have to shed innocent blood before revealing that surprising tidbit to you. 

Besides the rumored appearance of Tony Todd, this reviewer was happy to see the return of Vanessa Williams reprising her original character role though briefly as Anne-Marie McCoy, Anthony’ mother. Her brief appearance solidifies the urban myth (or legend) about the Helen Lyle story …she went crazy during her research about Candyman thus kidnapping Anthony as a baby to be used as a sacrifice. Not entirely true, if you have seen the original Clive Barker movie. This reviewer liked the artistic approach to this sequel by showing the beauty and the horror which traps the Cabrini Green neighborhood …seen both fictionally and in real life. She like the use of shadow puppets throughout the movie (and during the credits) to tell the tales of other Candyman incarnations. Want to know an interesting fact? Those row houses in the movie are still much there, blogspot readers, however this reviewer believes not inhabited. She does appreciate Jordan and his writing for truly capturing the horror narrative to which many people of color face today when confronted with police authority. The narrative sent dark chills down SouthSide’s spine during that one particular scene towards the end. It certainly had this reviewer cringing in her seat …heat pounding hard despite experiencing the intense swell of anger when the undercover officer ran his spiel for which story Brianna was to choose to admit. Many probably won’t understand what and why he was doing that. However that, blogsot readers, was racism and horror at it’s worst yet a reality faced by many like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tamir, Rice, Laquan McDonald, Emmett Till and many more. You see, blogsport readers, horror doesn’t have to be all blood, guts and gore. It can be every day occurrences most turn a blind eye to. 

SouthSide highly recommends checking out Nia DaCosta’s Candyman in theatres. She’s looking forward to the day when it’s out on DVD to run a Candyman movie marathon

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide