CHEVALIER FEATURES WHITE SUPREMACY Historical information about Joseph Bologne has been pieced together, and the film Chevalier has a lot of interesting subplots that are doubtless fictional. But the message of the film is one of the most fascinating of 2023 and seems very timely indeed, with White males infuriated by an upstart Black whom […]
SWEETWATER REMINDS FILMVIEWERS OF THE EARLY DAYS OF CIVIL RIGHTS PROGRESS In 1990, a man by the name of Nathaniel Clifton (played at age 78 by Everett Osborne) is driving a Chicago taxi. After his rider asks to increase the volume of an ongoing basketball game, a discussion begins, and the driver reveals that he
88 IS A FILM ABOUT “DARK MONEY” Many political messages are poured into the film 88—perhaps too many. The spotlight is on the financing of a presidential campaign of African American Harold Roundtree (played by Orlando Jones) for the year 2024. His SuperPAC, OneUSA, is chaired by Agatha Frost (Amy Sloan), with Fred Fowlkes (Michael
WOMEN TALKING RECOUNTS SEXUAL ABUSE IN BOLIVIA Mennonite “colonies” exist in Canada, the United States, and Bolivia. Women perform household chores and are not allowed educational opportunities. Such asymmetry evidently provokes the view of some men that they are superior, while women are mere objects. Between 2009–2009, about 150 women were raped, ages 5 to
CAIRO CONSPIRACY EXPLAINS HOW EGYPT IS NOW GOVERNED The Grand Imam of Egypt is in bad health, so the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government is concerned that 2 of the 3 possible successors might provoke civil war. Colonel Ibrahim (played by Tares Tares) of the Security Services is assigned to ensure that the favored Sheik becomes
FREE SKATE EXPOSES RUSSIAN EXPLOITATION OF FEMALE SPORTS Russians believe they are strong, while Westerners are effete. They also believe men are stronger than women and, in Free Skate, men are determined to show their prowess. The film depicts a father who cultivates his daughter to be a top ice skater in Russia. At a
FREE SKATE EXPOSES RUSSIAN EXPLOITATION OF FEMALE SPORTS Russians believe they are strong, while Westerners are effete. They also believe men are stronger than women and, in Free Skate, are determined to show their prowess. The film depicts a father who cultivates his daughter to be a top ice skater in Russia. At a young
KOMPROMPOT REVEALS WHY DANCING CAN BE DANGEROUS A Frenchman, Mathieu Roussel (played by Gilles Lellouche) is a French arts ambassador who heads the Alliance Française mission in Irkutsk, Siberia. A homoerotic dance is performed one night on the stage. Afterward, some of those involved go to a local bar to dance. One of the Russians
BROKER EXPOSES AN UNDERGROUND ADOPTION RACKET IN SOUTH KOREA Adoptions in South Korea are a big business. American families seeking to adopt children pay less for adopting Korean than American-born children. South Korean couples also adopt children so that they will be viewed as having normal families. Those not adopted end up in orphanages until
ON SACRED GROUND TELLS THE TRUE STORY ABOUT THE DAKOTA PIPELINE PROTEST Directed by Josh Tickell, Joshua Tickell, and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, On Sacred Ground (subtitled It’s Time to Take a Stand) starts with a series of titles to provide filmviewers some background information, including the lawsuit filed against the Dakota Access Pipeline project by