As a first generation Danish American, I feel a very, very close kinship with Norwegians, the language is practically the same, and great pride in that country's long established tradition in standing up, and standing out internationally, for peace in this troubled world. It has been with great sorrow and grief as I have looked on as one lone and exceptionally evil madman personally murdered and executed 76 innocent and primarily very young victims.
Pride in the good things that ones own people have accomplished across the generations is one aspect that defines true patriotism and love of ones people as opposed to blind nationalism, actually its polar opposite.
Standing up against hatred and evil is one thing that Americans pride themselves for as well, often going back to our part in the Second World War. Its what brought my young parents across the ocean in the first place, wanting some of that Americanized Red, White and Blue for their own.
Someone get the lights, plz, and join me as we try to remember some of that good RW&B hoping the projector doesn't get cut off passed any upcoming intermission....
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Red Tails
"Red Tails" staring Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Cuba Cooding Jr, Method Man, Ne-Yo and Nate Parker tells the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen who fought with the Allied forces in World War II and distinguished themselves as the most accomplished fighter pilots in protecting vulnerable Allied bombers. When the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group painted the tails of their P-47's red, the nickname "Red Tails" was coined. The Tuskegee airmen of the 332nd were segregated black pilots who were given second-rate planes and missions after they were shipped off to combat, but when providing safe escort to bombers in broad daylight, these pilots stepped forward and stepped up to the challenge in order to fight for their countrymen and even against the racial discrimination that had been holding them all back. Sixty-six pilots were killed in action or accidents, and thirty-two fell into captivity as prisoners of war
The film is directed by "Treme's" Anthony Hemingway though "Red Tails" has been something of a passion project for George Lucas, who began developing the idea back in 1988. It wasn't until 2007 that John Ridley came on board to write the screenplay for the movie, the year before Hemingway signed up as director. The trailer, which was just released this week online, certainly implies that the George Lucas brand of film making will make for some unparalleled and spectacular areal combat scenes.
At long last Red Tails finally has a release date issued by Lucasfilm, the film is scheduled to open Jan. 20, 2012 just after what might more logically be a standard pre-Christmas debut. This is a story of the depth of love and sacrifice that even our most oppressed minorities are willing to make for all the promises that this country still holds for them. The film comes at a pertinent time, just as the American Armed Services is scheduled to fully implement the repeal of the discriminatory Don't Ask Don't Tell policies of its past and move into a much more open embrace of LGBT service members with the full equality and dignity due them.
"This is one of the proudest days in my life. It’s time for the policy to be gone,” Herrera said. “I’m a soldier no matter what..."
NOW SHOWING
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Marvel Comix Film Universe has lately been busy with one box office success after another though with typically poorly appealing entries like Thor, and The Green Lantern making their splash already this summer, but this most recent movie I found to be surprisingly good with all the fantastic CGI light shows and even echoes from earlier Hulk expeditions but also a surprisingly good message: Watch out for the little guy.
Captain America promises to bolt to the top of the list for moviegoers still well behind Harry Potter but well enough in the chase to make it one of the top few that folks will flock to see, and a good thing that is too. This comes at a time when cuts to the country's safety nets of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will most likely be a part of any deal that lawmakers are able to come together on in order to avoid a total default of our government thanks to Tea Party Jihadists. This film reminds us that "the little guy", although he may be small and feeble on the outside has a huge heart and a fighting spirit that we should not dismiss.
“Captain America,” based on a character that first appeared in Timely Comics, a precursor to Marvel, in the early 1940s — the era of Batman, Superman and other old-growth, popular-front superheroes — has a winningly pulpy, jaunty, earnest spirit...
“Captain America” is hardly groundbreaking in its mining and mixing of old pop culture motifs and real-life history — its hero fights Nazis in the shadow of not only his own earlier incarnations but also Indiana Jones — but its goal seems to be refreshment rather than reinvention. It is enjoyably preposterous, occasionally touching and generally likable.
From the New York Times film review.
Although the film focuses on the wonders that "just an ordinary kid from Brooklyn" is capable of, we should not discount the depth of love and the precious gifts that we receive when we behave as a family that values all our citizens equally; the elderly, the disabled and disadvantaged. Only by reducing the obstacles to our most vulnerable might we be able to give and receive abundantly our selves, but perhaps I'm going a little too far out in reviewing what is over all a pretty hilarious depiction of Good fighting Evil. Any decent Good vs. Evil story needs a really horrible bad guy and this film has it in Schmidt, he is played by the reliably sinister Hugo Weaving, a character that even makes Nazis uncomfortable. The guy looks like an evil
James Carville and an overly tanned
John Boehner on Meth.
“Captain America is a reminder, at once successful and self-defeating, of the kind of fun that comics used to be", the NY Times. It is a reminder of the kind of place America used to pride itself on being.
A Better Life
Released June 24th, 2011, A Better Life tells the story of the American Dream currently being played out in South Central LA where minority and Latino youth have been struggling to free themselves of gang violence but with the emphasis on joining into the larger community, this great, on-going experiment in democracy and social justice where opportunity for tomorrow remains the strongest allure. Hispanic gang violence has been on par with African American gang violence between the Crips and Bloods and so this film brought to mind immediately the story of Tookie Williams for me who would go on to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and win the Noble Peace Prize for Literature while on death row. The message is still the same, violence against one another is ultimately a loosing proposition and will close the door to hope forever.
Nothing stops a bullet like a job....
I'm looking forward to catching this one at the theaters soon whatever comes down the pike from Washington on this GOP inspired starve the people even more campaign.
Happy Movie-Time, everyone! The real world is waiting just beyond this red carpet ride.
End Credits / Closing Remarks:
Given that the greater part of our site's purpose here on the Street of Prophets is to provide a place where people who might describe themselves as faithful progressives can come together to explore not only faith but the larger questions that revolve around it and our hopes of impacting the world in a positive, progressive way, I am providing these sometime weekly film reviews (whenever). I thought that submitting reviews of controversial or off-the-beaten-track films that often nudge this kind of thought and discussion might be a plus. I'll be offering this each week on Fridays (as the Spirit moves me) and would happily entertain recommendations for future reviews. Feel free to post comments about the films reviewed here today as well as your own recommendations of films you feel may fall along these lines.
My religion is to seek for truth in life and for life in truth, even knowing that I shall not find them while I live. Miguel de Unamuno