Fruitvale Station Critique:
Keyaira Doughty Critique:
Directed By:
Ryan Coogler
Cast:
Michael B Jordan
Melonie Diaz
Octavia Spencer
Kevin Durand
Chad Michael Murray
Ariana Neal
So what is “reasonable” when it comes to police brutality? Through the media, police brutality has caught huge attention from the public eye and still remains to be one of the most serious and controversial issues we face today. We have witnessed multiple examples of this for decades including, Rodney King, Patrick Dorismond, Sean Bell, Steve Biko,and more. Through Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler poses the idea of whether or not we should gear our fear towards common criminals or to those who are employed to protect us from them.
Fruitvale Station, directed by Ryan Coogler, is based on a true story of twenty two year old Oscar Grant, played by Michael B Jordan. Oscar Grant was a young man who recently got out of jail and was trying to better his life for not only himself but his daughter. After losing his job two weeks prior to New Years Eve he decides that for New Years he’s going to go out with his friends the night before to see the fireworks and have a good time. Unfortunately, while on his way home from seeing the fireworks Oscar was shot and killed at Fruitvale Station by an police officer in the early morning of New Years Eve 2008.
The opening of Fruitvale Station begins by showing real live footage of Oscar Grant’s altercation with the BART police taken by witnesses on the train. The footage starts with Oscar being pinned down to the ground by two office and abruptly ends after the audience hears Oscar getting shot in his lower back. By displaying the live footage before showing Michael B Jordan’s acting of the events that led up to Oscar’s killing, Mr. Cooper forcefully captured his audience and made them subconsciously analyze the harsh treatment of police brutality and reflect on the seriousness of this issue.
Throughout the movie Ryan Coogler did an extraordinary job of using his camera work to help the audience follow the storyline and highlight Michael B Jordan’s emotions,body language and conflicts by transitioning the camera from close ups to full body shots taking place in each scene leading up to Oscar’s death. When transitioning between characters he uses cut-to shots to rapidly go from one character to the next causing the movie to stay at a quick but steady pace, building anticipation and keeping the audience on their toes for what's going to happen next.
Along side Ryan Coogler, Michael B Jordan did a phenomenal job of making it nearly impossible for the audience not to feel for Oscar as they approached the scene of his altercation with the BART police. In order for Ryan Coogler to get his message across about how police brutality is a huge issue in our society that although is portrayed in the media still gets overlooked, Michael B Jordan had to deliver raw acting to rear in the audience and make them connect to Oscar Grant on a personal level.
This was shown in many scenes throughout the movie. The most connected we feel to Oscar Grant due to Michael B Jordan’s body language and facial expressions can be seen once Oscar begins to get harassed by the police.
Ryan Coogler
Cast:
Michael B Jordan
Melonie Diaz
Octavia Spencer
Kevin Durand
Chad Michael Murray
Ariana Neal
So what is “reasonable” when it comes to police brutality? Through the media, police brutality has caught huge attention from the public eye and still remains to be one of the most serious and controversial issues we face today. We have witnessed multiple examples of this for decades including, Rodney King, Patrick Dorismond, Sean Bell, Steve Biko,and more. Through Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler poses the idea of whether or not we should gear our fear towards common criminals or to those who are employed to protect us from them.
Fruitvale Station, directed by Ryan Coogler, is based on a true story of twenty two year old Oscar Grant, played by Michael B Jordan. Oscar Grant was a young man who recently got out of jail and was trying to better his life for not only himself but his daughter. After losing his job two weeks prior to New Years Eve he decides that for New Years he’s going to go out with his friends the night before to see the fireworks and have a good time. Unfortunately, while on his way home from seeing the fireworks Oscar was shot and killed at Fruitvale Station by an police officer in the early morning of New Years Eve 2008.
The opening of Fruitvale Station begins by showing real live footage of Oscar Grant’s altercation with the BART police taken by witnesses on the train. The footage starts with Oscar being pinned down to the ground by two office and abruptly ends after the audience hears Oscar getting shot in his lower back. By displaying the live footage before showing Michael B Jordan’s acting of the events that led up to Oscar’s killing, Mr. Cooper forcefully captured his audience and made them subconsciously analyze the harsh treatment of police brutality and reflect on the seriousness of this issue.
Throughout the movie Ryan Coogler did an extraordinary job of using his camera work to help the audience follow the storyline and highlight Michael B Jordan’s emotions,body language and conflicts by transitioning the camera from close ups to full body shots taking place in each scene leading up to Oscar’s death. When transitioning between characters he uses cut-to shots to rapidly go from one character to the next causing the movie to stay at a quick but steady pace, building anticipation and keeping the audience on their toes for what's going to happen next.
Along side Ryan Coogler, Michael B Jordan did a phenomenal job of making it nearly impossible for the audience not to feel for Oscar as they approached the scene of his altercation with the BART police. In order for Ryan Coogler to get his message across about how police brutality is a huge issue in our society that although is portrayed in the media still gets overlooked, Michael B Jordan had to deliver raw acting to rear in the audience and make them connect to Oscar Grant on a personal level.
This was shown in many scenes throughout the movie. The most connected we feel to Oscar Grant due to Michael B Jordan’s body language and facial expressions can be seen once Oscar begins to get harassed by the police.
"C'mon man I got a daughter"
One example of Michael B Jordan’s raw acting was shown in this scene. A fight breaks out between Oscar and a rival he made while in jail on the train ride home from seeing the fireworks. After the fight ended the train came to a complete stop at Fruitvale Station and officers pulled Oscar and his friends off of the train throwing them to the ground, beating on them to keep them quiet.
Coogler thought about which angles would give the viewer the most jaw dropping and intensifying experience when capturing this single moment of police brutality. He strategically zoomed in and out of the scene from mid body shots, head shots, to full body shots, forcing the viewers to pay attention to specific character movements, and facial expression a specific character was given. Ryan Coogler also strategically positioned the actors in this film a certain way causing the viewer to focus their attention on Oscar and the way that the police were taking advantage of the limited amount of power given to them. Therefore emphasizing the police brutality that was taken place.
Overall, although Fruitvale Station focuses on a single character and his family who suffered from police brutality this movie represents all families who have gone through these same situations. Ryan Coogler used his camera work to emphasis police brutality,and give the idea of how power can be taken advantage of in certain situations. While Michael B Jordan used his acting to get the audience to connect with Oscar Grant’s story. Together they both helped pose the question of who is to truly be feared, the criminal, or those employed to protect us from them?
Coogler thought about which angles would give the viewer the most jaw dropping and intensifying experience when capturing this single moment of police brutality. He strategically zoomed in and out of the scene from mid body shots, head shots, to full body shots, forcing the viewers to pay attention to specific character movements, and facial expression a specific character was given. Ryan Coogler also strategically positioned the actors in this film a certain way causing the viewer to focus their attention on Oscar and the way that the police were taking advantage of the limited amount of power given to them. Therefore emphasizing the police brutality that was taken place.
Overall, although Fruitvale Station focuses on a single character and his family who suffered from police brutality this movie represents all families who have gone through these same situations. Ryan Coogler used his camera work to emphasis police brutality,and give the idea of how power can be taken advantage of in certain situations. While Michael B Jordan used his acting to get the audience to connect with Oscar Grant’s story. Together they both helped pose the question of who is to truly be feared, the criminal, or those employed to protect us from them?
Juan's Critique:
Director:
Ryan Coogler
Cast:
Michael B Jordan
Melonie Diaz
Octavia Spencer
Chad Michael Murray
Ariana Neal
Police brutality is a common thing that goes on in america when it comes to them abusing their authority and power. There have been many cases of this especially to the african american community in which many cops have beaten the citizens to death causing speculations as to if we are safe or being mistreated by the ones that are due to protect us. In the movie Fruitvale Station this same act is shown in which a young man named Oscar Grant (Played by Michael B Jordan) who was struggling to keep himself out of trouble and trying to get his life together. The way the director Ryan Coogler put the story together was engaging to the audience watching because it shows how it all led up to the day in which he was eventually shot and killed. In the beginning of the movie he shows the real video of in which the people on the train had recorded then transitioned into the movie showing the story behind Oscar Grant’s life and what he was going through at the time to then come up short of life.
I felt as though Ryan Coogler didn’t a well job in showing the struggle of Oscar Grant having us as the audience connect with the character because at the end of the movie it would add up for us to have a opinion in what happens to him. Oscar Grant was released from prison and felt as though he was on a verge of improving as a father, son and boyfriend. He was trying to make all the right choices and changes in his life, getting his job back from being fired, building up the relationship he has with his mom once again and raising his daughter the best he can keeping her happy at all times.
In many cases though we don’t know the background story of the innocent citizens in which makes us think as to why the ones that are suppose to protect us kill us without knowing the story behind the person. Amadou Bailo Diallo was a 23 year old immigrant from guinea who has a similar story. He was shot and killed by 4 cops with a total of 41 shots with only 19 striking him. The question is, was 41 shots really necessary for a man who was unarmed and not a threat to them at any particular moment? It was said to be that he fit a police description of a man who was raping victims in the state of New York but it turned out it wasn’t him, to late to be considered he was already dead.
In this scene he is laying on the ground with a bullet in him saying “Come on man I got a daughter” also making the audience feel some type of pity and sadness because of how connected the director made us with the character that he played. He was a young man who was trying to get his life together and was so connected with his daughter that it was a shame to see him go down so innocently. It was the main focus of what the movie was about but the way the director did the plot was to have us focus on what type of person he was, how he was trying to get his life together and making a good choice for once, but it all ended that one night
Ryan Coogler
Cast:
Michael B Jordan
Melonie Diaz
Octavia Spencer
Chad Michael Murray
Ariana Neal
Police brutality is a common thing that goes on in america when it comes to them abusing their authority and power. There have been many cases of this especially to the african american community in which many cops have beaten the citizens to death causing speculations as to if we are safe or being mistreated by the ones that are due to protect us. In the movie Fruitvale Station this same act is shown in which a young man named Oscar Grant (Played by Michael B Jordan) who was struggling to keep himself out of trouble and trying to get his life together. The way the director Ryan Coogler put the story together was engaging to the audience watching because it shows how it all led up to the day in which he was eventually shot and killed. In the beginning of the movie he shows the real video of in which the people on the train had recorded then transitioned into the movie showing the story behind Oscar Grant’s life and what he was going through at the time to then come up short of life.
I felt as though Ryan Coogler didn’t a well job in showing the struggle of Oscar Grant having us as the audience connect with the character because at the end of the movie it would add up for us to have a opinion in what happens to him. Oscar Grant was released from prison and felt as though he was on a verge of improving as a father, son and boyfriend. He was trying to make all the right choices and changes in his life, getting his job back from being fired, building up the relationship he has with his mom once again and raising his daughter the best he can keeping her happy at all times.
In many cases though we don’t know the background story of the innocent citizens in which makes us think as to why the ones that are suppose to protect us kill us without knowing the story behind the person. Amadou Bailo Diallo was a 23 year old immigrant from guinea who has a similar story. He was shot and killed by 4 cops with a total of 41 shots with only 19 striking him. The question is, was 41 shots really necessary for a man who was unarmed and not a threat to them at any particular moment? It was said to be that he fit a police description of a man who was raping victims in the state of New York but it turned out it wasn’t him, to late to be considered he was already dead.
In this scene he is laying on the ground with a bullet in him saying “Come on man I got a daughter” also making the audience feel some type of pity and sadness because of how connected the director made us with the character that he played. He was a young man who was trying to get his life together and was so connected with his daughter that it was a shame to see him go down so innocently. It was the main focus of what the movie was about but the way the director did the plot was to have us focus on what type of person he was, how he was trying to get his life together and making a good choice for once, but it all ended that one night
“I got a daughter man, c’mon.”
“Why you shot me?”
“Why you shot me?”
As the director tried to show the relationship between the daughter and the father Oscar Grant, it was to catch the emotions of the audience. It was the little things that was shown that made us feel something. When it came to them racing back to the car as a way of competition that they had or even when it was her trying to convince him to not go because she was scared something was going to happen to him while he was out all night. It shows that we think that the ones in the streets are the ones that we are suppose to watch out for but it be the ones that have the most power that will take a innocent man's life.
In this link you can use the original footage of what happened to Oscar Grant and the cop that was the blame for his death. In the beginning of the movie the director shows the original version of the video so that we was able to understand what the story was going to be about and that he wouldn’t have to leave the audience guessing what the story was going to be about.
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h-IEg8c6uI ]
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h-IEg8c6uI ]
FRUITVALE STATION CRITIQUE
WRITTEN BY: RAEVEN MADDOX, DESHAWN MCLEOD, AND TAYLOR VEASLEY
Michael B. Jordan plays Oscar Grant, a young twenty-two year old man who was shot and killed at Fruitvale Station in San Francisco, CA on New Years Day in 2009. This movie which, is also based on a true story is commenting on America’s perception of the black man.
The film was a phenomenal representation of discrimination against young black males in America. The event with Oscar Grant spearheaded an independent movie that was worth watching. Michael B. Jordan embodied the struggling “thug” America is afraid of. He was able to command the space he was in although many of the shots ranged from full body to medium. He walked the walk and talked the talked enough to show the issue he was representing was even personal to him. Toward the beginning, we see Grant and his “girlfriend” getting ready for the day with their daughter. He wore the baggy white shirt, hoodie, and jeans with shell top Adidas. He had the universal hood car and drove leaned back with one hand on the steering wheel. He played a character that viewers could relate to and be able to internalize his troubles and turned over leaves. He returned to the job that he was fired from for being “irresponsible” and tried to get back on good terms with his boss. The movie gets you to feel for Grant when he begins to try and turn his life around. As his relationships with his daughter and his girlfriend grow we begin to feel empathy for Grant. He picks the daughter Tatianna up from daycare everyday and drives his girlfriend to work. When Grant loses his life the death is even more tear-jerking because of the image that was portrayed of him. As he repeated his last few words “ I have a daughter, man” we really begin to feel for the character and despite his rough past feel bad for him. Jordan’s eyes have done wonders to show the depth of the reality we unfortunately have to live in.
WRITTEN BY: RAEVEN MADDOX, DESHAWN MCLEOD, AND TAYLOR VEASLEY
Michael B. Jordan plays Oscar Grant, a young twenty-two year old man who was shot and killed at Fruitvale Station in San Francisco, CA on New Years Day in 2009. This movie which, is also based on a true story is commenting on America’s perception of the black man.
The film was a phenomenal representation of discrimination against young black males in America. The event with Oscar Grant spearheaded an independent movie that was worth watching. Michael B. Jordan embodied the struggling “thug” America is afraid of. He was able to command the space he was in although many of the shots ranged from full body to medium. He walked the walk and talked the talked enough to show the issue he was representing was even personal to him. Toward the beginning, we see Grant and his “girlfriend” getting ready for the day with their daughter. He wore the baggy white shirt, hoodie, and jeans with shell top Adidas. He had the universal hood car and drove leaned back with one hand on the steering wheel. He played a character that viewers could relate to and be able to internalize his troubles and turned over leaves. He returned to the job that he was fired from for being “irresponsible” and tried to get back on good terms with his boss. The movie gets you to feel for Grant when he begins to try and turn his life around. As his relationships with his daughter and his girlfriend grow we begin to feel empathy for Grant. He picks the daughter Tatianna up from daycare everyday and drives his girlfriend to work. When Grant loses his life the death is even more tear-jerking because of the image that was portrayed of him. As he repeated his last few words “ I have a daughter, man” we really begin to feel for the character and despite his rough past feel bad for him. Jordan’s eyes have done wonders to show the depth of the reality we unfortunately have to live in.