There are bad takes, and then there’s DC McAllister of the convservative and libertarian site The Federalist. As the conversation continues to swirl about the commercial success and cultural impact of “Black Panther,” McAllister pondered thusly on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/McAllisterDen/status/966731689706868743
For context, here’s what Michelle Obama posted:
Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 19, 2018
So, is McAllister saying that Michelle Obama should’ve spoken up about “Catwoman” in 2004? Or that “Catwoman” — a box office and critical disaster that had zero relevance to any audience, anywhere — should’ve been been celebrated simply because it had an African-American lead character. The ways in which this line of thought is muddled, at best, is fairly astounding. That’s not to mention that McAllister is clearly unaware (or ignoring) that the film is being so warmly embraced because of its powerful messages and themes of embracing black identity and female empowerment.
Anyway, there are few authorities with more expertise on the terribleness of “Catwoman” than those who made it, and screenwriter John Rogers responded on Twitter, confirming what we already knew: “Catwoman,” like McAllister’s opinion, is “shit”:
Also full disclosure: I’ve never watched the movie all the way through in one sitting. I skipped premiere night to shoot @jenni_baird audition footage for GLOBAL FREQUENCY. And they’d fired me anyway for, y’know, snark.
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) February 24, 2018
Anyone else got a #hottake about “Black Panther”? [via io9]
