White People Won't Save You

Amistad (Feat. Ben Passmore)

Ten episodes! To thank you for putting up with our nonsense for this long we have a very special episode for you. We're joined by the incomparable Ben Passmore (Your Black Friend & Other Stories, Bttm Fdrs) to discuss Stephen Spielberg's 1997 epic, Amistad.
Boy oh boy...this movie. Why is it so long? Why is it so historically inaccurate? And is Spielberg the real white savior? We also discuss Debbie Allen's slave school, Cameron shares a story of unwanted white guilt in public, and we reimagine Amistad from the perspective of the Mende people. 
Movies recommended: The Underground Railroad, Roots, Unchained Memories. 
Find more of Ben at @daygloayhole on Twitter and Instagram as well as at The Nib
Also look out for his new upcoming book These Black Arms To Hold You Up coming out in 2022!
As always, subscribe, leave a review, and tell a friend! Find us at @white_pod on Twitter and write to us at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com 
Thanks for sticking with us for 10 episodes, here's to many more! 

Dangerous Minds (Feat. Rhayne Coleman)

"We've been spending most our lives..." well, you know the song. This week we go to the principals office with special guest Rhayne Coleman (Carefree Black Nerd) as we discuss the 1995 hit film, Dangerous Minds. 
As maybe the preeminent white savior film, what is it that makes Dangerous Minds so...dangerous? Is it the myriad of stereotypes? Is it that random Black grandma that doesn't want her grandchildren to read? Is it how the real life story was totally changed to make it more palatable for a white audience? But still, Gangsta's Paradise though...
Movies to watch instead: Coolie High, High School High, To Sir With Love. 
Be sure to check out everything Rhayne has going on. You can follow Rhayne at @carefreeblerd on Twitter and @carefreeblacknerd on IG. And of course check out the Carefree Black Nerd podcast and YouTube Channel for much more great content. 
Follow us @white_pod on Twitter and write us your thoughts at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com 

The Matrix Trilogy (Feat. Ernie ”Blerd Without Fear” Carothers

We got a big one (but still under 2 hours, so improvement?) as we plug into The Matrix with our special guest Ernie "The Blerd Without Fear" Carothers! 
It's a lot to unpack. Where to begin? The potential casting of Will Smith? The whitewashing of Keanu? The many muddled metaphors? Zion? The orgy scene? 
We talk through it all as well as give flowers to the many talented Black actors in the franchise. Finally we look forward a bit to The Matrix 4 and what could be done to help correct some of the past missteps. 
Follow Ernie on his wonderful Youtube channel, Blerd Without Fear as he gives you the latest on comics and pop culture with a special spotlight on characters of color. You can also find him on Twitter @blerdminusfear and on Instagram @Blerdwithoutfear. 
As always, rate and review us wherever you podcast and tell your friends about us. We're cool. Hit us up @white_pod on Twitter and write us with your thoughts at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com 

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Feat. Stephanie Williams)

Come on a deep sea journey with our special guest, Stephanie Williams (@Steph_I_Will) as we try to decipher the 2001 Disney film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. 
A risk in a lot of ways for Disney, Atlantis tells the story of Milo (Michael J. Fox), a white dude from the surface who somehow knows more about Atlantean culture than...actual Atlanteans.
We discuss how the hell that's possible, why Milo's "nice guy energy" makes him more of an insidious white savior than others, and how to fix this movie to give the Atlantean people some actual autonomy. 
Our movie recommendations for this week are Fast Color and Kirikou and The Sorceress. 
Find more of Stephanie's work at whysteph.com and But What If Though  
And be on the look out for Nubia and the Amazons available October 5th, wherever comics are sold! 
Find us @white_pod on Twitter and write to us at Whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com 
R.I.P. Michael K. Williams, your work and your spirit will live on forever.

Bonus: Candyman Roundtable with Valerie Complex and Charles Pulliam-Moore

We've got a very special bonus episode for y'all! Last week, the newest installment in the Candyman series dropped and it's basically the whole thesis of our show. What if a white savior movie got remade by Black people? So we absolutely had to talk about this one. 
Helping us break things down are film critics, Charles Pulliam-Moore (@CharlesPulliam) of iO9 and Valeria Complex (@Valeriecomplex) also of iO9, Deadline, Den of Geek and more. 
We discuss the differences between the 1992 original and the newest film, the many themes layered throughout, what works, what doesn't, and the future of Black horror. 
Check out their individual reviews here:
Charles - https://gizmodo.com/candyman-review-nia-dacosta-film-1847501789
Valerie - https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/candyman-review-horror-movie-update-is-a-missed-opportunity/ 

Cool Runnings

Feel the fiction, feel the lies, get on up, it's white savior time! This week we're riding solo as we discuss the 1993 sports comedy classic, Cool Runnings.
The nostalgia was strong with this one, but we push through and talk about those accents, Disney's original vision for the film, and if John Candy was even necessary at all. 
We also talk about how Jamaica felt like it was being pronounced with a hard "R", the true story the Jamaican bobsled team, and imagine a movie closer to the truth. 
As always, you can follow us on Twitter, @white_pod, and write to us at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com 
Please rate, review, and subscribe if you get the chance. We really appreciate your support! And be on the lookout for a special Candyman episode coming this weekend! 

Hidden Figures (Feat. Amanda Meadows)

Break out the ceiling high blackboards, it's time to run the numbers on Hidden Figures. Released in 2016, it was the feel good Oscar movie of the season. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, and fictional white man, Kevin Costner. 
We're joined by the wonderful Amanda Meadows (Oni Press, Limerence Press) who helps us get to the bottom of who this movie was for (not Black people). We discuss white acceptance as a character arc, "racism-lite", and the fact that someone's grandmother 100% spit on Ruby Bridges. 
We sadly forgot to recommended movies to watch instead this week, but we all agree you should watch Summer of Soul if you haven't yet. There's surprisingly poignant space stuff in there. 
Follow Amanda at @Amandonium on Twitter and @Megamanda on Instagram. Also check out the newest book she's editing for Oni Press, Orcs in Space by Rick and Morty Co-Creator Justin Roiland, as well as (deep breath) Abed Gheith, Rashad Gheith, Michael Tanner, Francios Vigneault, DJ Chavis and Dave Pender. 
Follow us @white_pod and write to us at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com to give us your own thoughts and revisions on Hidden Figures, AKA Whitey on the Moon, The Movie. 
 
 

Breakin' (Feat Shawn Pryor)

Time to hit the floor with the JCS crew (That's Jordan, Cameron, and Shawn) as we talk about the 1984 Hip-Hop smash hit, Breakin'. We've all known Kelly was trifling but we needed a special guest to help us...break it down (sorry). Shawn Pryor (Author of the forthcoming graphic novel Fast Break) joins us and talks seeing Breakin' in theaters as well as pitching us a movie with Ozone and Turbo as the stars. 
Follow Shawn @Shawnrpryor and visit his website https://srpryor.wixsite.com/website to see more of his work. 
As always, you can follow us at @white_pod and write us at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com.
Be sure to also leave a review an rate us if you'd be so kind. We'll be back next week with Hidden Figures and special guest, Amanda Meadows! 
 

White Man's Burden

A movie so bad, we could only find it on DVD. 
 
Jordan and Cameron desperately try to make sense of the 1995 train wreck, White Man's Burden. The film stars John Travolta fresh off his Pulp Fiction come back and Black icon Harry Belafonte (yes, that Harry Belafonte) in a world in which the "roles are reversed." Hang on for one of the most questionable plots (and blaccents) ever put on film. 
 
Follow us on Twitter @White_pod and write to us at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com 

Green Book Part 2

We're back with part two of our oversized premiere episode! 
Last time we broke down the unyielding caucacity that is Green Book. This episode, we dive into it's critical reception. The awards, the glowing reviews, and what was that Viggo Mortensen said on the press tour? 
And last but not least, we imagine a Green Book that actually stars Dr. Don Shirley and explores his incredible life. 
Thanks for joining us as we start this wild ride. Check us out on Twitter @White_pod, email us at whitepeoplewontsaveyoupod@gmail.com and give us some stars and reviews wherever you listen! 
See you next time for White Man's Burden...