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[bananafactory]

http://gawker.com/heres-whats-missing-from-straight-outta-compton-me-and-1724735910

Three years later—in 1991—I would experience something similar, only this time I was on my back and the knee was in my chest. That knee did not belong to a police officer, but Andre Young, the producer/rapper who goes by Dr. Dre. When I saw the footage of California Highway Patrol officer Daniel Andrew straddling and viciously punching Marlene Pinnock in broad daylight on the side of a busy freeway last year, I cringed. That must have been how it looked as Dr. Dre straddled me and beat me mercilessly on the floor of the women’s restroom at the Po Na Na Souk nightclub in 1991.

That event isn’t depicted in Straight Outta Compton, but I don’t think it should have been, either. The truth is too ugly for a general audience. I didn’t want to see a depiction of me getting beat up, just like I didn’t want to see a depiction of Dre beating up Michel’le, his one-time girlfriend who recently summed up their relationship this way: “I was just a quiet girlfriend who got beat on and told to sit down and shut up.”

But what should have been addressed is that it occurred. When I was sitting there in the theater, and the movie’s timeline skipped by my attack without a glance, I was like, “Uhhh, what happened?” Like many of the women that knew and worked with N.W.A., I found myself a casualty of Straight Outta Compton’s revisionist history.

Just stumbled on this article and found it captivating and also incredibly sad.

I guess "true stories" skimping on details is nothing new but it sounds like this one in particular left out some gruesome details. I'll admit I'm not very familiar with the group the film is about and haven't seen it, but this article has certainly turned me off from it.

I think biopics like this often place their subjects on too much of a pedestal and are afraid to touch on the more ugly side.

Perhaps those of you who have seen it can comment on whether or not the movie is irresponsible in its depiction of history and the events that took place? Should these facts be addressed in it?

 

[Seesaw15]

Biopics 101

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Did anyone really think that would make the movie though

 

[Toxi]

Considering Dre was one of the producers, the omission isn't surprising.

 

[norm9]

Glossing over the bad things to emphasize a mythic quality to the subjects that are also the producers? No way.

 

[stufte]

Biopics 101

Pretty much. No one should be shocked that it was left out of the movie. No one.

 

[old manatee]

Yeah I'm tired of hearing about Dr. Dre right now. He's a pretty gross, hateful person and his flow is tired as fuck.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Biopics 101

Yup, why on earth would those responsible put that in there when they're trying to sell an image, history, etc? These things will always be heavily curated if those involved are responsible with the production.

 

[Stet]

Who goes to see a biopic just to see if their assault is mentioned?

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

Who goes to see a biopic just to see if their assault is mentioned?

Someone who knows this was probably the normal way he treated his girlfriends.

 

[Majine]

I don't see these types of movies as documentaries anyway.

 

[Stet]

Someone who knows this was probably the normal way he treated his girlfriends.

I just can't imagine wanting to see a movie about someone who treated me that way.

 

[hodayathink]

Biopics 101

The worst you'll generally see biopics portray their subject (especially if the subject is involved in the movie) is usually as a drug addict.

One of the instances that really made me notice this is in Walk the Line, when the family of his first wife came out and said that the completely misrepresented her in the film. Which they had to do for him not to look like a complete jackass when he left her for June.

 

[ScatheZombie]

I just can't imagine wanting to see a movie about someone who treated me that way.

Who is also one of the producers.

Imagine that you went to a movie about someone you hate, made by that same person, and then were upset that they weren't completely honest about the thing they did that you hate them for.

It's like ... no shit.

 

[Discotheque]

I don't think people should produce their own biopics tbh

Objective ones are much better

 

[braves01]

It's basically tribute movie, so I understand why it's not included and why fans wouldn't want to hear about it.

 

[Koppai]

I'm tired of all this revisionist shit. Now stuff based off a true story or is the true story has lost its credibility with me. While it would be horrifying to see it happen in the film, it still should have been at least mentioned.

:/

 

[Rockyrock]

Its a mainstream movie not a documentary.

athey want the audience to do no thinking what so ever outside of the "wow that was so awesome!!"

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Did anyone really think that would make the movie though

She didn't. I believe she begins the piece saying she didn't think a dramatization of it (or any of the assaults) should be in the movie, either.

 

[ScatheZombie]

I'm tired of all this revisionist shit. Now stuff based off a true story or is the true story has lost its credibility with me. While it would be horrifying to see it happen in the film, it still should have been at least mentioned.

You know what happens you don't leave stuff out of a movie?

19 hours of The Hobbit.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Isn't this a movie Dre made about himself? In that case it isn't surprising.

 

[entremet]

I don't think people should produce their own biopics tbh

Objective ones are much better

Who is floating that money, though?

The only reason this movie got made was because the commitment--time and money--of the surviving members.

 

[stufte]

I'm tired of all this revisionist shit. Now stuff based off a true story or is the true story has lost its credibility with me. While it would be horrifying to see it happen in the film, it still should have been at least mentioned.

:/

It's a movie, not an archive of history.

 

[Socreges]

American Sniper didn't get a pass. Are we forgiving Dre's movie because he was a producer? It gives us an explanation, but we're never without explanations as to why movies are revisionist.

 

[enzo_gt]

The biopic is about NWA, not Dre. Even if you wanted to depict the ugly side of NWA there's so much group-centric stuff of that sort before you get started on Dre in particular. Kind of an odd thing to expect in general.

But if you're fiending for that stuff, there's a skit of him shooting at a woman (which he did to his ex-wife) on the soundtrack and pretty much every media outlet is running this story to coincide with the movie's release. And Dre recently did an interview about his past domestic abuse in a magazine as well.

 

[Dude Abides]

American Sniper didn't get a pass. Are we forgiving Dre's movie because he was a producer? It gives us an explanation, but we're never without explanations as to why movies are revisionist.

We're forgiving it because we like Dr. Dre. The last thread on this was truly embarrassing to read.

 

[Stet]

American Sniper didn't get a pass. Are we forgiving Dre's movie because he was a producer? It gives us an explanation, but we're never without explanations as to why movies are revisionist.

American Sniper didn't get a pass?

 

[hodayathink]

Who is also one of the producers.

Imagine that you went to a movie about someone you hate, made by that same person, and then were upset that they weren't completely honest about the thing they did that you hate them for.

It's like ... no shit.

She saw it (and wrote the article) because Gawker paid her to.

Barnes agreed to watch F. Gary Gray’s just-released film about N.W.A, Straight Outta Compton, and reflect on it for Gawker.

 

[timetokill]

It might be entertaining, but let's not pretend like Straight Outta Compton isn't straight up hagiographic.

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

I just can't imagine wanting to see a movie about someone who treated me that way.

I don't know, maybe she wanted to see if there's a chance he felt remorseful. I haven't seen this movie but I'm guessing all of his personal relationships with women are revised to make him easier to like.

Edit:hodayathink explained it above.

 

[stufte]

American Sniper didn't get a pass. Are we forgiving Dre's movie because he was a producer? It gives us an explanation, but we're never without explanations as to why movies are revisionist.

Isn't the beef with American Sniper that is was a fabrication? This movie does omit things from the full story, but it's a story about NWA, not about how Dre treats women. It was left out for obvious reasons.

Spoiler

Also, I'm shocked that Gawker isn't a banned site yet. It's fucking awful.

 

[Stet]

She saw it (and wrote the article) because Gawker paid her to.

Gawker: actually attempting to trigger someone for news.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Dre hasn't been relevant since the 90s, and his latest album is shit.

that being said, if you're going to make a biopic film that covers a person(s), and not just their professional life, but also their personal life, I think something like the beating of women should be touched upon.

 

[BadAss2961]

Did anyone really think that would make the movie though

Nope. You already kinda get the picture in the lyrics anyway.

 

[Oersted]

Guys, I don't think the point of the article is that the omission is surprising.

 

[Socreges]

American Sniper didn't get a pass?

Certainly not on GAF, which is what I'm speaking to.

 

[out0v0rder]

Its also missing the scene where Ice Cube is daydreaming about starring in the hit movie "Are we there yet?"

 

[NYCmetsfan]

American Sniper didn't get a pass?

It was blasted for its mythologizing, less people trotted out the dismissive "why did you expect!?"

 

[John Kowalski]

hagiographic

TIL

 

[Socreges]

Isn't the beef with American Sniper that is was a fabrication? This movie does omit things from the full story, but it's a story about NWA, not about how Dre treats women. It was left out for obvious reasons.

"Biopics 101" and those that agreed.

 

[see5harp]

I feel like if it's a single artist like James Brown, Jim Morrisson, etc. where there's ups and downs, but generally accepted that the dude was/is a genius then you probably show everything. They do that with the Amy documentary where you literally watch her waste away. Straight Outta Compton doesn't really seem like it's trying to do that at all.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Certainly not on GAF, which is what I'm speaking to.

The world is larger than Gaf, not to mention the circumstances/content being somewhat different

 

[NYCmetsfan]

TIL

Its an amazing word, that you should use (but not overuse there's a distinction between that and mythologizing and other forms of whitewashing)

 

[Stet]

It was blasted for its mythologizing, less people trotted out the dismissive "why did you expect!?"

I wish I could be blasted by getting nominated for several Oscars.

 

[Manmademan]

Was anyone under the impression that Dre and the rest of NWA were somehow fine, upstanding citizens?

 

[The Faceless Master]

American Sniper didn't get a pass. Are we forgiving Dre's movie because he was a producer? It gives us an explanation, but we're never without explanations as to why movies are revisionist.

iirc wasn't that movie straight fiction?

 

[commedieu]

Its significant if dre was beating up women. But its just as significant as America finds domestic abuse to be significant.

Survey says....

..


..


.

.

Those NFL players are doing ok right.. that beat the hell out of women.. still?

Any way.

Well, I saw a cop with a bumper sticker that said "Stop Elderly Abuse." So well.. thats something.

Important issue. But, gawker is just trying to get hits and isn't the messenger to have this discussion. But good on them for bringing it up, even if trolls. No, I didn't assume Dr.Dre beat women. I'm a LA Native. Didn't catch that.

I'm not going to downplay it with "Well they all seemed like scumbags anyway so who cares?" Its important, but the world and its 24 hour news cycle won't make this an important issue to gain traction from. Just something to rile up facebook posters for a few minutes.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I wish I could be blasted by getting nominated for several Oscars.

Wait, we're now using the academy as the be all end all of public reaction to a film?

iirc wasn't that movie straight fiction?

No (there were invented/merged characters though)

 

[B!TCH]

1. There were a lot of things that they didn't include or reinterpreted in the movie and it already has a 147 minute run time.

2. Gawker Media is absolute and total shit.

 

[DietRob]

It's just like Gwaker to shit on a person just for the sake of doing it.

Fuck that site err company, whatever. They are terrible. Worse than TMZ