LUMUMBA TELLS THE TRUE STORY ABOUT CONGELESE INDEPENDENCE The English are inveterate gardeners, proud of turning adverse soil into lush and manicured panoramas of color. Based on a true story, Greenfingers focuses on Colin Briggs (played by Clive Owen), who has spent most of his life in prison for petty vandalism. One day he is […]
LUMUMBA TELLS THE TRUE STORY ABOUT CONGELESE INDEPENDENCE On June 30, 1960, King Leopold II of Belgium granted independence to the Congo (Zaïre from 1971), and Patrice Lumumba was named Prime Minister. Two months later Lumumba was out of power. Western news accounts identify Lumumba as a reckless pro-Soviet leader, but the truth has a
Political Film Review #109 Read More »
A STRAIGHT MAN SAVES HIS JOB BY TELLING HIS CO-WORKERS HE IS GAY IN THE CLOSET To come out or not to come out. That is the question for many gays and lesbians at work. The consequences could be no laughing matter. Accordingly, Le Placard (The Closet) is perhaps the most refreshingly therapeutic gay comedy
A STRAIGHT MAN SAVES HIS JOB BY TELLING HIS CO-WORKERS HE IS GAY IN THE CLOSET To come out or not to come out. That is the question for many gays and lesbians at work. The consequences could be no laughing matter. Accordingly, Le Placard (The Closet) is perhaps the most refreshingly therapeutic gay comedy
Political Film Review #108 Read More »
GOOD AND EVIL PRESENT CLEAR CHOICES IN ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE Atlantis: The Lost Empire, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, is yet another Disney cartoon story for kids, with fantastic beauty and a simple story, though the plot is aimed at teenagers more than toddlers. When the film begins, a quote from Plato
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BABY BOY NOMINATED AS AN EXPOSÉ ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES Baby Boy begins with a voiceover that quotes a psychological theory that racism has made black men into babies, citing three reasons: (1) They call their spouses “mama.” (2) They call each other “boy.” (3) They call their home “the crib.” However, no such terminology
BABY BOY NOMINATED AS AN EXPOSÉ ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES Baby Boy begins with a voiceover that quotes a psychological theory that racism has made black men into babies, citing three reasons: (1) They call their spouses “mama.” (2) They call each other “boy.” (3) They call their home “the crib.” However, no such terminology
Political Film Review #107 Read More »
DIVIDED WE FALL IS NOMINATED FOR BEST FILM ON PEACE During the wartime occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis, many tragic and many subtle happenings kept the population on edge. Divided We Fall, directed by Jan Hrebejk, peaks into the window of ambiguity and inhumanity and emerges with considerable healing for the country, quite a
DIVIDED WE FALL IS NOMINATED FOR BEST FILM ON PEACE During the wartime occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis, many tragic and many subtle happenings kept the population on edge. Divided We Fall, directed by Jan Hrebejk, peaks into the window of ambiguity and inhumanity and emerges with considerable healing for the country, quite a
Political Film Review #106 Read More »
FORMULAIC PEARL HARBOR ADMITS TO RACISM, BOMBS A JAPANESE AMERICAN, AND PERPETUATES A MYTH Pearl Harbor has the distinction of having more advance publicity than any film in recent memory, but of course the $140 million project commemorates events exactly sixty years ago and doubtless will be re-released on December 7. Although the trailer may