by Kam Williams
Headline: Top Ten DVD List for June 15th
HawthoRNe: Season One
When in Rome
Unthinkable
Lewis Black: Stark Raving Black
Supernatural: The Complete First season
Circle of Pain
Control>>Alt Delete
World Cup Soccer in Africa: Who Really Wins?
Sanctuary: The Complete Second Season
The Book of Eli
Film Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Cancer Researcher: Total Quack or Medical Pioneer?
In the 1970s, Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski discovered Antineoplastons, a family of pharmaceuticals which soon met with amazing success in treating cancer patients. One would think that the phenomenal results of the M.D./Ph.D.’s oncological research would be eagerly embraced by both the medical and drug manufacturing communities in the wake of such a groundbreaking discovery.
Unfortunately, this was not the case, ostensibly because cancer is big business, and there are billions of dollars to be made in its treatment. So, even though Dr. Burzynski’s life-saving, alternative gene therapy had better survival rates than conventional treatment with chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiation, he found himself ostracized by his colleagues and accused of being a quack by everyone from the National Cancer Institute to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Consequently, by 1995, he found himself charged with 75 counts of fraud which imperiled his practice and liberty, since he could have ended up in prison and saddled with $18 million in fines. Ironically, while Burzynski’s time was then consumed with defending himself in a 14-year legal battle, competitors filed copycat patents in an effort to take credit for his miraculous discovery.
Is Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski a shameless charlatan or a genius being denied his rightful recognition for coming up with a non-toxic cure? This is the issue addressed by Burzynski, an eye-opening expose’ by Eric Merola. Mr. Merola makes a most-impressive directorial debut with this documentary featuring offsetting testimonials by his grateful patients with ones by avaricious detractors perhaps hiding financial agendas.
So, what’s the truth? This critic is not inclined to draw scientific conclusions based on a movie which might be biased. Suffice to say that the jurors who heard the expert testimony and examined all the evidence at Burzynski’s trial are pretty persuasive when they call the FDA’s case against him little more than a witch hunt.
A bio-pic of Biblical proportions featuring a showdown of Dr. David versus a government Goliath!
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 106 Minutes
Distributor:
OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam's Kapsules:
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening June 18, 2010
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Jonah Hex (Unrated) Screen adaptation of the DC Comics series about a scarfaced bounty hunter of last resort (Josh Brolin) who cuts a deal with the U.S. military to track down his archenemy (John Malkovich), a frightening terrorist threatening to unleash hell. With Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Thomas Lennon and Aidan Quinn.
Toy Story 3 (G) Revival of the animated franchise finds Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang in a daycare center after being accidentally thrown away by the mother (Laurie Metcalf) of their now college-bound owner, Andy (John Morris). Voice cast includes Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt and Jeff Garlin.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
45365 (Unrated) Droll, slice-of-life documentary, co-directed by siblings Bill and Turner Ross who paint a matter-of-fact portrait of their humble hometown of Sidney, Ohio, the nondescript city with the zip code 45365.
8: The Mormon Proposition (R for profanity and sexual references) Homophobia-themed documentary outing the Mormon Church’s secret funding of the anti-LGBT movement, including its spearheading the opposition to the passage of California’s Proposition 8 outlawing gay marriage.
Cyrus (R for profanity and sexuality) Dysfunctional family comedy about a divorced guy (John C. Reilly) who thinks he’s met the woman of his dreams (Marisa Tomei) until he has to deal with her 21 year-old son (Jonah Hill) still living at home. Supporting cast includes Catherina Keener, Matt Walsh and Zosia Mamet (daughter of David).
I Am Love (R for nudity and sexuality) Bittersweet love story, set in Milan at the turn of the millennium, revolving around a Russian socialite (Tilda Swinton), married to an Italian industrialist (Pippo Delbono), who embarks on an ill-advised affair with a chef (Edoardo Gabbriellini) she’s introduced to by her son (Flavio Parenti). (In Italian, Russian and English with subtitles)
The Killer inside Me (R for bizarre sexuality, graphic nudity and disturbingly-brutal, eroticized violence) Grisly crime thriller set in a sleepy Texas town with a serial killer for a deputy sheriff (Casey Affleck). Cast includes Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba and Ned Beatty.
Let It Rain (Unrated) Character-driven drama about the sibling rivalry which bubbles back to the surface when a feminist (Agnes Jaoui) with political ambitions returns home to the family manse in the South of France to help her unhappily-married sister (Pascale Arbillot) put their recently-deceased mother’s affairs in order. (In French with subtitles)
The Nature of Existence (Unrated) Multi-disciplinary documentary seeks to answer the question “What is reality?” with the help of pearls of wisdom shared by scholars, scientists, mystics, artists and short-order cooks.
Stonewall Uprising (Unrated) Out-of-the-closet documentary revisits the events surrounding the 1969 riot in Greenwich Village in response to an NYPD raid which sparked the Gay Revolution. Includes contemporary interviews with pivotal figures on both sides of the showdown at the homosexual hotspot.
Wah Do Dem (Unrated) High seas saga about a slacker from Brooklyn (Sean Bones) who goes on a very eventful Caribbean cruise to Jamaica alone after he’s dumped by his girlfriend (Norah Jones) just a couple of days before they’re supposed to set sail.
by Mark A. Noll
Princeton University Press
Paperback, $18.95
224 pages
ISBN: 978-0-691-14629-4
Book Review by Kam Williams
“Together, race and religion make up, not only the nation’s deepest and most enduring moral problem, but also its broadest and most enduring political influence. Yet, how race and religion have interacted to shape politics has differed dramatically over time and by community… An earnest moral concern for how governments should conduct themselves, a compulsion to sermonize about the duties of citizens and the state, and a frequent recourse to Scripture for grounding or garnishing political positions have been consistently present in American history...
Before the Civil War, religion drove abolitionist assaults upon slavery even as it undergirded influential defenses of slavery in both the North and the South. After that conflict, Christianity… played a major part in sanctioning systematic white discrimination against African-Americans. In turn, the racially defined polity that religious forces helped to create became a fixed reality of American politics…African-American religion helped spark the civil rights movement… but also keyed a politically conservative countermovement inspired by a different kind of religion.
In other words, rather than any specific configuration of race and religion, it has been the general interweaving of race with religion, along with a discernibly religious mode of public argument, that have pervaded the nation’s political history””
-- Excerpted from the Introduction (pgs. 1-2)
During the tempestuous decades leading up to the Civil War, both plantation owners and abolitionists relied primarily on Christianity to rationalize their diametrically-opposed positions on slavery. As the debate intensified, you had firebrands like Nat Turner and John Brown using the Bible as inspiration for insurrections. Meanwhile, self-righteous slave owners forced their slaves to memorize passages from catechisms based on a perverted interpretation of the Good Book.
For instance, African-Americans were expected to recite the following blasphemous responses to questions posed by their white ministers: “Q: Who gave you a master and a mistress? A: God gave them to me. Q: Who says I must obey them? A: God says I must. Q: What makes you lazy? A: My wicked heart. Q: What book tells you these things? A: The Bible.”
Given that religion served such different functions for the Founding Fathers and the slaves upon whose backs this nation was built, is it any wonder that it has continued to divide the country along color lines? As Don King would say, “Only in America!” Let’s face it, blacks and whites in general have very different sets of Christian beliefs, which explains why Sunday morning at 11 continues to be the most segregated hour in the United States.
This fact was never more graphically illustrated than during the last Presidential campaign when then candidate Barack Obama had the good sense to throw the minister who had married him and baptized his children under the bus, rather than risk alienating the white majority shock by Reverend Wright’s sermons. Yet, not much was made in the press of Steven Anderson, a white minister who was leading his lily-white congregation in prayer for Obama’s death.
God and Race in American Politics is an eye-opening book by Mark Noll which points out how again and again, from generation to generation, Christianity has been the most effective political tool employed by both the left and the right to appropriate the moral high ground. Which side is really right or who God would agree with is less the author’s focus here than his argument that the dependency on religion to legitimate political positions is a peculiarly American phenomenon.
A most curious, enduring state of affairs in a nation supposedly based on the separation of church and state.
Film Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Ex-Con Seeks Job & Dignity in Depression Era Drama
Just paroled after doing a couple years on a chain gang, Homer Hobbs (Tyson Beckford) is eager for a fresh start. This is easier said than done, since he has several strikes against him, being an unskilled black man with a record. This dilemma is compounded by the fact that it’s the State of Georgia during the height of the Great Depression, so the unlucky ex-con is definitely dependent on the kindness of others for help until he can get on his feet.
He is fortunate enough to cross paths with a street hustler named Benny Potter (Reginald T. Dorsey) who brings him to a rooming house run by Gracie (Lynn Whitfield), a Bible-thumping landlady with the proverbial heart of gold. She, in turn, directs Homer to the local fashion hall where each Sunday evening brothers don their finest threads to compete in a men-only fashion ball with the $5 grand prize going to the best-dressed gent.
While gearing up for the contest, Homer makes a couple of other friends in flophouse neighbors Clarence (Glynn Turman), a suicidal alcoholic close to bottoming-out, and Lucy (Linara Washington) a pretty seamstress hiding a host of personal problems. Needless to say, none of these black folks is exactly flourishing, which is why the guys look forward to the title of swank with the most swagger in the weekly beauty contest.
So unfolds Kings of the Evening, a “historical” drama written and directed by Andrew Jones which was ostensibly inspired by The Swenkas, a South African movie released in 2004. Although this flick claims to have been “inspired by real events,” it appears that those events actually took place in an impoverished Zulu Township outside Johannesburg in the 1990s, in the wake of the fall of apartheid, not in the U.S. back in the 1930s. For that is when The Swenkas, which features a suspiciously similar plotline was set.
Sorry, it’s hard to get enthusiastic about an anachronistic rip-off which fails to credit its source, and seeks to imply that the idea of male beauty pageants originated with African-Americans way back when. Is the film otherwise worthwhile? Yes, it’s earnest, entertaining and well meaning, but it still weirded me out, to be honest, since I’d seen the original.
Not your grandfather’s Jim Crow South.
Good (2 stars)
Rated PG for mature themes, violence, smoking and mild epithets.
Running time: 99 Minutes
Studio: Picture Palace Films
Distributor: Indican Pictures
with Kam Williams
Headline: The Many Shades of Jada, from TV Nurse to Karate Kid’s Mom
Besides playing the title character on the TNT series HawthoRNe, which is starting its second season, Jada Pinkett Smith executive-produces the show through her production company, 100% Womon. With her husband, Will Smith, she is serving as producer of The Karate Kid, starring their son, Jaden, and also of Fela!, the Broadway musical nominated for 11 Tony Awards. Jada’s recent film credits include Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, as the voice of Gloria, and director Diane English’s remake of The Women.
In the past, she’s teamed up with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in Reign Over Me, and enjoyed a pivotal role opposite Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx in Michael Mann’s Collateral. However, she perhaps remains best known as the take-charge Niobe of Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions fame.
Here, Jada reflects on the challenge of balancing career and family when each member is a showbiz celebrity in his or her own right.
Kam Williams: Thanks for the time, Jada. It’s nice to have an opportunity to speak with you again.
Jada Pinkett Smith: Oh, thank you!
KW: Well, first of all, let me say congratulations! You’re blossoming on every front. Let’s see, HawthoRNe’s starting its second season, you’re going t be on the cover of the July issue of Essence magazine, your Broadway musical has been nominated for 11 Tonys, and Jaden is starring in The Karate Kid, a picture you and Will produced. How does it feel?
JPS: It feels good. These are the moments that you keep in your back pocket to remember, “All of those were good times!” [Laughs]
KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you, and I think they often come up with better questions than I do. So why don’t I start right of with some of them. Lester Chisholm says, “Thank you for the production of Fela,” and asks, “What would suggest as a lifestyle to keep young entertainers focused?”
JPS: Wow… Whew! Man, that’s a hard one, because part of the challenge of being young is finding what to be focused on. It’s a time of exploration when you have to discover who you’re not, in order to know who you are. I would say being deeply involved in the art world would help keep a young artist on track. Doing what you love, so that your focus is your artistry.
KW: Reverend Florine Thompson and filmmaker Hisani Dubose had the same question: What is the key to balancing motherhood, marriage and such a successful career?
JPS: Staying true to yourself, and being able to prioritize. It’s very important to prioritize. I know, for me, my family comes first. That makes every decision very easy.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls Are there any arenas left for you to conquer?
JPS: [LOL] Definitely! And I’m always looking for them. But as I’ve gotten older, and now that my kids are starting to do what they do, I am now really focusing on sharing my knowledge and insights with them to help guide them on their journeys.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman observes that you and Will come across as down-to-earth and very family-centric. She wants to know, how you keep your family values intact with the children becoming stars themselves? Do they have chores and an allowance?
JPS: [Laughs] They definitely have chores, and they get an allowance from money they make, believe it or not. I think that critical to keeping them balanced is giving them purpose, and part of giving them purpose is allowing them to do things that they love to do, which is being part of this industry. And as wacky as that might seem, it allows them to contribute to the family, and it allows them to develop their own self-worth. And I feel that when a child has self-worth and purpose, that’s what keeps them grounded.
KW: Cinema Professor Mia Mask asks, do you think the roles for women of color -- black women in particular -- have improved?
JPS: I’d say they’ve improved, but there still aren’t enough. And I’d say that’s the case, not only for African-American women, but for all women in the Hollywood game. It’s just slim pickings, and a very challenging time for us. I think that’s why more of us need to work our way behind the camera in order to create roles that really illuminate who women are. We still have room for growth in that area, without a doubt.
KW: Marcia Evans says that she’s a true fan of yours because she really respects the mature manner in which you approach being a wife and mother. She wants to know whatever happened to your TV sitcom "Good News."
JPS: I never had a show by that name, but I did have one called “M.I.L.F. and Cookies,” that got picked up and was set to air until the network and I had a disagreement at the last minute. They wanted to change the concept a bit in a way I wasn’t in agreement with, so we had to go our separate ways.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
JPS: I’m sure there is, but I really can’t think of one right now.
KW: Larry Greenberg says Richmond, Virginia is a beautiful and unique choice for the setting of Hawthorne. Were you involved in that decision?
JPS: We felt like Richmond was an area that’s growing, but hasn’t really been explored on television at all, in the way that New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have. So, we decided it would make a great location.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
JPS: Yes.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
JPS: I am happy. I have my moments when I’m not, but I am. I’m very happy.
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
JPS: Oh, I’m listening to so much right now. I looooove Alicia Keys’ new song, “Unthinkable.” I’m blasting that all over the place, but I’m also listening to Sade’s new album, and I always have my Heavy Metal, Mastodon. [LOL]
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
JPS: I’m reading a book right now by John Dewey called “Art as Experience.”
That has been a very interesting read for me. And I’m also reading one called The Heart of Sufism, which is about a more esoteric approach to Islam.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
JPS: Oh, man, when I look in the mirror, I see about a thousand different Jadas... Yeah…
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
JPS: I don’t really cook much. I’m more of a baker. My favorite things to bake that everybody loves, and I can only keep in the house for about ten minutes, are 7-Up cake and Pineapple Upside-Down cake.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
JPS: Oh, I laugh hard every day. I mean, my husband is Will Smith! [Shrieks] I’m telling you, that’s one of the joys of being married to him. My life full of laughter. Thank God I have him. My life is full of laughter because of that man.
KW: How do you want to be remembered?
JPS: I don’t know yet. I have no idea.
KW: Well, thanks for another great interview, Jada, and best of luck in all your endeavors.
JPS: Thank you, Kam.
Film Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Aspiring Filmmaker Tries Porn Industry in Steamy Sitcom
Dartmouth grad Jody Balaban (Leelee Sobieski) has just finished her masters in filmmaking at NYU and is headed west fully expecting to launch a promising Hollywood career. But despite her having won an award for the best student film, she subsequently has a hard time getting a studio exec to take a serious look at the script she’s written and is ready to turn into a full-length feature.
In fact, the only directing job she manages to land in L.A. is directing traffic, so, against her better judgment, she decides to accept a position in the porn industry, no, not as an actress, but as the protégé of skin flick director Jeff Drake (Matthew Davis). However, Jody’s hasn’t given up hope of producing a legitimate picture entirely. Rather, her thinking is that she’ll be able to use the facilities at Grind Productions afterhours to shoot and edit her script at night.
It goes without saying that the previously prudish preppie’s plans go awry once she starts find herself not only falling in love with the boss, but even secretly enjoying salacious scenes she has to edit from his latest opus, Charlie’s Anals. And, as it turns out, Jeff is also an NYU alum who disappointed his family by not following in his father’s footsteps by becoming a doctor.
Will Jody and Jeff couple-up, or will she develop cold feet over the fact that most folks consider his profession sort of scummy? That is the pivotal question begging to be addressed in Finding Bliss, a romantic comedy written and directed by Julie Davis. No stranger to controversy, you may remember Ms. Davis’ previous picture, the equally-iconoclastic Amy’s Orgasm.
My primary issue with this new offering has to do with her casting so many actual porn stars, such as Ron Jeremy and Mr. Marcus. That sort of makes you scratch your head and wonder exactly what type of movie we’re dealing with here. Even comedian Jamie Kennedy gets into the act, appearing totally nude, sporting a semi-erect penis for a lingering full-frontal sequence. Yikes!
As unsavory as the setting probably sounds, Finding Bliss is otherwise a fairly-conventional and convincing, given how earnestly leads Leelee Sobieski and Matthew Davis throw themselves into their roles. They create some credible screen chemistry while Denise Richards and Kristen Johnston turn in decent support performances. A steamy sitcom which could have benefitted immeasurably from less carnality in favor of character development.
Finding flesh!
Good (2 stars)
Rated R for full frontal nudity, profanity, graphic sexuality and explicit dialogue.
Running time: 95 Minutes
Studio: Phase 4 Films
