Movie theaters have opened up locally, after being closed for about a year. So it was with a little trepidation that we ventured out, last night, to an honest-to-god movie theater, one of our favorite places to go.
A month or so ago I noticed a New York Times review of Judas and the Black Messiah, and knew that this was one to watch. But with theaters closed, what to do? It was available for streaming on HBO Max, but I don’t subscribe to that. However, yesterday afternoon my wife did a Google and found that the movie was playing locally, and an evening showing would be the last time it would be here before moving to a theater about 20 miles away.
But I had to think about it. Not about whether or not I wished to see this, but would we feel safe? Would it still be a worthwhile movie-going experience?
I looked at the theater website and found that there had been no tickets sold to the showing. “Well,” I thought, “if nobody else is in the theater, it doesn’t get any safer than that!”
With Ms. Unoball buying the tickets, I volunteered to get our food and drink, and off we went.
Tickets ordered online, we arrived to scan in the tickets and then off to the food stand. So far, so good.
There were no tables in front to sit and eat, but the ticket guy said we could stand at the bar area to eat, or could take the food into the theater. No cash allowed at the concessions, but credit/debit card only.
Food service was mostly as in the old days, with a couple of exceptions: No fountain drinks were available, but only soft drinks and water in bottles. But my favorite thing was no longer available, of that nice free refill on the large popcorn bucket. Oh well, sacrifices must be made…
Off to our seats, two in the middle of the very back row. We had gotten to the theater a bit early and we were, indeed, the only two people there. “Maybe nobody else wants to go to a movie?”
We chatted, ate popcorn, watched the usual pre-movie stuff on the screen. Eventually a few others did arrive. A couple down in the lower section. One couple in the row in front of us, and one other couple at the far end of our row.
When ordering the tix, the theater blocked out the seats on both sides, so that you do not end up sitting right next to someone. That was comforting and, with just a handful of people there, I felt safe enough in the theater. Of course we had masks off while eating, but did keep them on otherwise. In the darkness I have no idea if others kept their masks on, but I hope so.
With all that, it was time for a movie! Man, just the excitement of doing this one thing, in an almost normal situation, was something so cool!
The film is the story of Fred Hampton, the leader of the Chicago branch of the Black Panther Party, and of a young black man, William O’Neal, who was coerced by the FBI into becoming an informant within the Chicago branch.
Hampton is played brilliantly by British actor Daniel Kaluuya, and if he does not get the Oscar for Best Actor I would be astonished. He is mesmerizing in every scene; you cannot take your eyes off him when he’s on-screen.
I was surprised, when doing research on this, to find that Kaluuya is British. His accent was perfectly believable. And so was everything else in the movie. All of the performances are excellent, and the sets and scenery recall what the lower working class neighborhoods in Chicago in the late 1960s would have looked like. (And why don’t more people wear Afros anymore? What a great look that was!)
But more than just a movie based on historical events, it can’t help but call to mind current events. Yes, Chicago cops were noted back then for corruption and violence. But was their killing and abuse of black men and women in 1969 any different than the killing and abuse of black men and women today?
Let’s let Fred Hampton himself have the last word:
Here’s a couple more reviews:
From The Wall Street Journal
From Rolling Stone
