Fruitvale Station

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/12/13 at 11:38pm

Saw this tonight, and it was quite intense. I felt like there was going to be a riot in the theater just from all the vocal comments in the final act.

Michael B Jordan gives a terrific performance, and Oscar will not have amnesia when it comes to nominating him for Best Actor.

The film begins with the actual cell phone footage, and then goes back to the beginning of the his day. It creates such a sense of doom that continues to grow so strong until you're ready to scream at the screen, "Don't get on that train!!"

Octavia Spencer is fairly restrained throughout, although she's given a nice little Oscar clip near the end.

If you're only going to see one movie this weekend I would recommend this one.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 7/12/13 at 11:56pm

I have heard nothing but praise for this film so my expectations are very high at this point. Really looking forward to it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 12:41am

Saw it tonight and was pretty much blown away by its emotional power and Jordan's mesmerizing performance. If he isn't nominated for an Oscar, I will go crazy! What a fantastic performance...he has a long, healthy career ahead of him if this performance is any indication of what he can do.

The movie is a slow burn that takes its time to dig deep under your skin as it builds to its climax, which is absolutely enraging, intense, and heartbreaking. I do think its hard for it to ever meet the expectations set by some critics who are hailing it as the second coming, but it is a very impressive film. I'd absolutely recommend it. It has an important story to tell and some even more important morals and messages. This is great, powerful filmmaking, with a stunning lead performance.

Any film that sparks the reaction and conversation I heard from my fellow moviegoers as I walked out is something pretty damn special.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 10:29pm

Saw it this evening, Michael B Jordan was stunning. What a powerful film.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 10:37pm

I was living in Alameda, CA at the time (the island in between Oakland and San Francisco) this all went down, though I think on New Year's itself, I was further east at my parents' house. I was, however, home when the actual Oscar Grant protests and vandalism happened in downtown Oakland. One of my old high school friends is SFPD and specializes in crowd control -- he was there for that. My roommate had to drive by flaming dumpsters to get home. Downtown Oakland was my transfer point to get on BART from my apartment, so I saw Oscar's face on posters almost every weekday.

I kinda want to see this, but I'm kinda afraid it'll make me homesick. We'll see. It does look REALLY good and I've only read great things about it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/14/13 at 11:38pm

Lizzie, it's definitely a very visceral experience, that I would imagine would be a bit difficult to sit through for anyone with has some kind of personal tie to the story. It was difficult for me to sit through, and I hadn't heard of Oscar Grant until this movie premiered at whatever film festival it started at. The last half hour is undeniably tough to watch and deeply enraging & upsetting, but I think it's well worth it. If you do go, please post and let us know your thoughts!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 8:00am

"Any film that sparks the reaction and conversation I heard from my fellow moviegoers as I walked out is something pretty damn special."

I heard one lots of interesting comments walking out of the movie too. A woman in front my friend said, "Social justice in this country is fvcked!"

The timing with the Zimmerman verdict is certainly going to add fuel to the fire.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 10:26am

Thanks, Wicked. I think I might opt to see if it's playing somewhere next time I'm visiting my parents, or just wait for DVD. (It's interesting to get another perspective on this because I wasn't sure how national a story it was.)

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 12:28pm

Michael B. Jordan is such an amazing young actor... he was phenomenal in Friday Night Lights (tv series)... glad that he's getting praise for his work here... I will have to rent this since I can't really watch dramas in the theaters...

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 12:41pm

Apologies for my ignorance but is this about the young teen who was shot waiting for the train because a cop "suspected" him of having a gun? Or was it something about mistaken identity?

I do remember watching security footage from a California rail station of cops opening fire on a young black man, and the subsequent outrage and fallout. I'm assuming this is what the movie is about?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 12:52pm

That's the footage you're thinking of. The cop insisted he meant to grab his taser but grabbed (and fired) his gun instead.

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 4:24pm

I moved to San Francisco a few months before this occurred and I followed the story pretty closely. I didn't think I needed to see the movie though, until I read the reviews on Jordan's performance.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/15/13 at 5:18pm

An important film...though not necessarily a great one. A fine performance from Jordan, though.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 5:05pm

I saw it this morning and I have some mixed reactions to it. I thought the performances were all very good and the last act was as intense as anything I've ever seen. BUT I feel like the rest of the film was so heavy handed in the "This is the LAST time he's ever going to see his daughter. PAY ATTENTION!" and "This is the LAST time he's ever going to see his Mother. PAY ATTENTION!" that I really started to wish they would just tell a story instead of telling me how to feel.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/14/14 at 6:20pm

*sigh*

I was rooting for him.


"In a recent interview with Glamour magazine, Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan shared his thoughts on dating, what he looks for in a woman, and whether or not sex on a first date is a good idea.

The 27-year-old actor, who is single and describes himself as “old school,” said he’s attracted to women with a sense of humor and who are “comfortable in the kitchen.” When asked if could he respect a woman who had sex on a first date, Jordan differed from his That Awkward Moment co-stars Zac Efron and Miles Teller, and said no. Sorta.

Glamour: So let me ask you the eternal “are you going to respect me if we have sex on the first date?” question.

Miles: Yes.

Michael: No. No. Maybe…but a little less.

Miles: Well, I will.

While I respect Jordan’s opinion, and his honesty, I wonder how many women who choose to engage in casual sex with a man even care if they “respect” them in the morning.

Using sex to turn a hookup into a relationship is one thing (and probably a very bad tactic), but if a woman is just trying to get hers, then I doubt she cares if her partner wants to take her home to mama. I also wonder why women aren’t ever asked this question. Like, do WE respect men who “give it up to soon”?

link

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/15/14 at 1:46pm

There's a difference between respecting someone and wanting to take him or her home to meet your parents.

And anyone who doesn't respect someone because they had sex with him (or her for that matter) on the first date, doesn't respect him (or her) self. It takes two to tango! And any man who applies a different standard to women than he does to himself has no respect for women in general (the converse, although as you said, Mr Midwest, that question is rarely if ever on anyone's radar, would also be true).