by Kam Williams
Headline: Top Ten DVD List for January 11th 2011
The Social Network
Piranha
Alamar
The Great Debaters [Blu-Ray]
Heartbreaker
Soul Kittens Cabaret
Alpha and Omega
Love Hurts
The Temptations
The Narnia Code
with Kam Williams
Headline: Dr. West’s Prognosis for the Country’s Prospects
Dr. Cornel West is a prominent and provocative public intellectual dedicated to democracy. Currently the Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton University, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton.
Since then, he has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard and the University of Paris. He has written 19 books and edited 13 others. He is best known for his classic “Race Matters,” as well as “Democracy Matters,” and his recent memoir, “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.”
He appears frequently on the Bill Maher Show, Colbert Report, CNN and C-Span as well as on Tavis Smiley’s PBS-TV Show. And since last fall, he can be heard regularly on The Smiley and West radio program.
He has also appeared in over 25 documentaries and recorded 3 spoken word albums. In short, Cornel West has a passion to communicate in order to keep alive the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.
Here, he discusses his participation in “America’s Next Chapter,” a forum hosted by Tavis Smiley where a panel of luminaries will wrestle with the question, “How do we make America as good as its promise?” The event is set to take place on Thursday, January 13th at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, and will air live on C-SPAN from 6-9 PM ET/3-6 PM PT, and will be rebroadcast on PBS on the Tavis Smiley Show on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday January 18th, 19th and 20th (Check Local Listings)
Kam Williams: Hey, Dr. West, thanks for the time.
Cornel West: It’s a blessing! Happy New Year to you, brother!
KW: Thanks! And the same to you. By the way, a mutual friend of ours, Rhea Kinnard, asked me to say hello to you for her.
CW: Yes, a lovely sister, indeed.
KW: I have so many questions for you from my readers that I want to get right to them. FSU Grad Laz Lyles says: I love that America’s Next Chapter is a multi-ethnic forum. Why aren't there more forums of this type?
CW: I think it has to do with the vision of my dear brother, Tavis Smiley. There ought to be more forums like this which are concerned with informing folks about some of the painful realities of our country. It would be wonderful for them to be multi-cultural and multi-racial but, most importantly, they have to be willing to speak to those truths.
KW: Laz’s follow-up is: Given our cultural history, is there more of an onus on African-Americans to be more inclusive with social and national discourse?
CW: I think that’s certainly the case, because there’s no doubt that many of the mainstream white institutions tend to be cosmetic and symbolic when it comes to including African-Americans, whereas we black folk tend to be much more sensitive about embracing others, and we have a long history of that.
KW: Sister Patrice Muhammad says: After the State of the Black Union, some people said it was just a bunch of talk. Then “The Covenant with Black America” was published. Haven't heard much about that lately. Where does The Covenant stand today? Any work being done in our communities based on that document?
Has “The Covenant" been upheld in your opinion? What do you hope this conversation will produce?
CW: I don’t think talk is just talk. I firmly believe that talk can change people’s lives. Each life is precious. Talk can’t change a whole society, but it is not to be degraded or devalued. Talk is very important and not to be trashed. As for “The Covenant,” we had volume two, “The Covenant in Action,” which built on volume one in conjunction with local activists all across the country. And volume three, “Accountability,” was a call to keep track of all the promises that President Obama made. So, I think that what was originated by The Covenant is still ongoing. But unfortunately, when you look at the Obama administration, it hasn’t done that good a job at all in terms of poor and working people. It has been much more beholden to Wall Street oligarchs, and to pharmaceutical and private insurance companies.
KW: Teri Emerson asks: At the point where President Obama is now, what would be your view on what he would need to do improve his chances for reelection? And would focusing more on the African-American community's problems help or hinder his reelection?
CW: Reelection ought not to be the primary preoccupation of any politician. It ought to be standing up for truth and justice. If he is to be a statesman, he would act like Lincoln, and stand up for something that might be unpopular but not allow the right-wing to dictate the agenda, meaning Fox News, the Tea Party and others.
KW: Ilene Proctor wants to know whether, given the bleak economic outlook due to corporate malfeasance, global outsourcing, and a decline of empire, and with the U.S. facing challenges that were never as pervasive, there is any cause for optimism that American ingenuity and can-do spirit will help turn the country around. CW: That’s a deep question. I don’t think there are any grounds for any sentimental optimism. But black folks have never really been optimists. We’ve been prisoners of hope, and hope is qualitatively different from optimism in the way that there’s a difference between The Blues and Lawrence Welk. The Blues and Jazz have to do with hope while the other is sugarcoated music which has to do with sentimental optimism.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: What does “America's Return to Greatness” mean? Has America been great to and for all groups in this country?
Is greatness domination or collaboration? Can American greatness permeate the class structure and have a multi-ethnic approach?
CW: So much hangs on your definition of “greatness.” I’m a Christian. I believe that greatness has to do with the quality of love shown to the least of thy brethren and the quality of service to those who are catching hell. When you look at it in that sense, I’d say America has had great moments, but I wouldn’t call it a great nation. I don’t think there have been any great nations in the history of the world, because in every nation you find poor people being subjugated. So, I see the term “great nation” as a contradiction, as an oxymoron.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: Do you think that an increase in grassroots activism by the political left will counter the activities of those on the right? It seems that the Tea Party and their ilk have had an impact, based on the last election.
CW: That’s a very good question. Sister Bernadette’s absolutely right. The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working people.
KW: Filmmaker/Author/Professor Hisani Dubose says: I’d like to know what you think of the movement to pay teachers based on merit. Children, urban children specifically, come to school with a lot of issues that prevent them from learning or even being in the frame of mind to learn. Do you think merit pay might simply push troubled kids further behind?
CW: For one, I feel that the recent demonizing of teachers and the teachers’ union is nothing but scapegoating. Therefore, all the talk of merit pay is part of that kind of mentality that wants to view the teachers as somehow the culprit, especially in our urban centers and rural pockets of poverty. Finland is the #1 country in the world in terms of education, and 98% of their teachers are unionized, and their students don’t take standardized tests at all. What they do have is an average class size of just 14 students, with 2 teachers in each classroom. That’s what exclusive prep schools like Andover, Exeter, Lawrenceville and the school that Barack Obama’s kids go to do. Until we reach the point that we treat our precious poor children the same as we treat our rich children, all this scapegoating of teachers is just an excuse to not confront the real issue.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: Since "America Matters," how can we re-define ourselves as a nation if as the 20th Century belonged to the United States, the 21st Century might belong to China? In other words, perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave future generations is a reframing of our national consciousness. How can we learn to still take pride in ourselves knowing that, in the 21st Century, America must be an eminent nation among other eminent nations and not the dominant, pre-eminent nation?
CW: I think that every empire suffers from hubris, arrogance and condescension, and therefore a moral blindness. That’s true of the American empire, it was true of the British Empire in the 19th Century, and it will certainly be true of the Chinese Empire in the 21st Century. When we talk about America mattering, I take very seriously what the great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel had to say in 1965 when he said that the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. will serve as the major means by which the best of America can be preserved. If that legacy wanes, America wanes. And that’s what we’ve seen since the death of Martin.
KW: Harriet also asks: How can the panel discuss 'The Next Chapter' on the Smiley show if we continue to be stuck in this chapter, economically, socially, politically and internationally? It sounds discouraging, but maybe we can't leave as glorious a future to the next generation.
CW: That’s a wonderful question. For one, when Brother Tavis and others talk about “The Next Chapter,” they’re really talking about dealing with the present chapter, because there will be no next chapter unless you deal with the present chapter. And if you don’t deal with the present chapter in the way that one ought, the next chapter might very well be the last chapter.
KW: Legist/editor Patricia Turnier says: During segregation, the U.S had signs reading: ''No Colored” and “Whites Only.'' Now we hear: ''You're not a good fit for the organization.'' What can be done to help African-Americans enter the job market and break the glass ceiling?
CW: Again, so much has to do with going beyond treating black people as cosmetic and symbolic items, as opposed to genuine personalities and human beings. And that is a deep moral and spiritual issue, which can of course be backed up by Civil Rights Commissions which enforce the laws against any form of discrimination.
KW: Patricia also says: about 4.2% of all physicians are black, 3.8% of all lawyers are African-Americans, barely 5% of all college professors are black, and the majority of them are in HBCUs. Only 3.7% of all engineers are African-Americans. Given those statistics, do you think that Affirmative Action is effective enough? What can be done to correct this situation?
CW: I think we need much more Affirmative Action across the board. There’s no doubt about that. But Affirmative Action is not the primary issue in and of itself. The primary issue is that we need for more young black people to fall in love with the life of the mind and to become voracious readers and writers. And we also need institutions of higher learning to be more receptive to black, brown, red and yellow talent.
KW: Felicia Haney wants to know your thoughts on Islamophobia. She asks: With nearly 7,000,000 Muslims living in the U.S. now, how do you see Islam fitting into America's next chapter?
CW: Islam has always been a crucial part of America, and it is becoming even more crucial to America as a whole as more Islamic brothers and sisters come here and as more citizens convert. Islam has a rich, prophetic tradition. We need more prophetic Islam figures like Malcolm X. If we could understand and try to grasp Malcolm after Mecca, we’d have the greatest example of what it means to be a prophetic Muslim who loves the people, especially the poor and working people across color and across culture, and who has the courage to stand up.
KW: Ryan Davis asks: Do you still believe that President Obama is, as he said a year ago, "The friendly face of the American Empire?"
CW: Oh yes, absolutely, although in some ways he’s becoming less friendly.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
CW: I just finished Griftopia by Mike Taibbi. That brother lays it out, man. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385529953/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
CW: Ummm… Probably just playing with my brother and spending time with mom and dad when I was about 2½.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: What do you want your legacy to be?
CW: I don’t think about my legacy too much, Kam, because I’m still very much alive. Every day has to do with how much love, how much decency, how much compassion, how much kindness, and how much tenderness one is able to enact vis-a-vis others. So any legacy, for me, has to do with: How deep was your love? What were you willing to sacrifice? What were you willing to give up? What price were you willing to pay for others?
KW: Is there a good question that reflects your consciousness that you could give me to ask everyone I interview?
CW: Yes, what price are you willing to pay for a cause that is bigger than your own self interest?
KW: Much appreciated! I’ll be sure to call it the Dr. West question. Thanks for another excellent interview.
CW: Thank you so much, Kam. Stay strong, and Happy New Year!
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Damning Bio-Pic Recounts Rise of Ruthless Facebook Founder
This damning bio-pic portrays Person of the Year and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as less a computer genius than a ruthless fraud who deliberately stabbed everyone close to him in the back en route to becoming the world’s youngest billionaire. The seeds of Zuckerberg’s success were sown back in 2003 when the internet wunderkind was still an undergraduate at Harvard University.
That Fall, after hacking into the school’s database for photos of coeds, he relied on an algorithm developed by his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), to run a website called Face Mash where guys could rate female classmates based on their looks. At 10,000 hits per hour, the misogynistic blog generated enough traffic to cause Harvard’s server to crash.
And while the sexist stunt landed the sophomore on academic probation, it also attracted the attention of a trio of upperclassmen who had already been developing a social networking website of their own. Identical twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Armie Hammer), along with Divya Narendra (Max Minghella), enlisted the assistance of the disgraced Face Mash creator for his expertise as a programmer, suggesting that he might simultaneously repair his reputation on campus by being associated with their relatively-benign project.
Zuckerberg agreed verbally, but secretly proceeded to steal their idea, giving his partners the shock of their lives a few months later when he not only launched Facebook but excluded them from ownership. Directed by David Fincher (Panic Room), The Social Network chronicles the site’s meteoric rise from an exclusively Ivy League diversion to the daily online destination of over a half-billion users.
Thanks to a nonpareil performance by Jesse Eisenberg as the paranoid Zuckerberg, the character-driven drama remains relentlessly-riveting for the duration. Again and again, this despicable misanthrope exhibits a chilling malevolence in his quest for control of the burgeoning internet empire, subtly resorting to chicanery and criminal behavior to eliminate anyone he perceives as a threat: his collaborators, investors, friends and foes alike.
The scariest screen villain since Psycho’s Norman Bates.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, and drug and alcohol use.
Running time: 120 Minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
2-Disc DVD Extras: Audio commentary with director David Fincher, and an audio commentary with the cast and scriptwriter.
Film Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Kidman and Eckhart Co-Star in Adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play
How long does it take to get over the death of a child? Maybe forever, suggests Rabbit Hole, a poignant meditation on mourning based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), the film revolves around the crumbling relationship of a grief-stricken couple struggling to find meaning in their shattered lives after the loss of their four year-old son. They both blame themselves for Danny’s (Phoenix List) untimely demise even though he was hit by a car after impulsively chasing his dog out into the street.
The point of departure is eight months after the accident, which is where we find once happily-married Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie Corbett (Aaron Eckhart) not only still inconsolable but now emotionally estranged to boot. The Corbetts’ problems start with their incompatible coping mechanisms, as her desire to eradicate any painful trace of Danny’s existence flies in the face of his inclination to take some solace in nostalgic, if bittersweet reminders.
Consequently, Howie is bothered by Becca’s removing Danny’s photos from the fridge and by her donating his clothes to charity. Furthermore, he’d like to have another baby, but she has no interest in intimacy. In fact, she’s ready to sell the house.
Even the bereavement support group they join just drives another wedge between them. For, as an atheist, Becca can’t stand the organization’s holier than thou moderator’s presumptuous references to religion. Embittered, she believes that, if there is a God, then he must be a ”sadistic prick.”
So, she stops attending sessions, oblivious to the fact Howie has developed the hots for the married member (Sandra Oh) whose shoulder he’s been leaning on. But Becca has her own secret liaison, an unlikely friendship blossoming with the teen driver (Miles Teller) of the auto which killed Danny.
As strange as the above scenarios must sound, credit Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and their talented support cast for handling such potentially melodramatic material in an appropriately subdued fashion. Though relentlessly-grim and given to the undeniably bizarre, this character-driven drama does convincingly convey a real sense of how easily a rock-solid marriage might be irreversibly ripped asunder by an unthinkable tragedy.
A plausible portrait of what transpires when bad things happen to good people without faith in God or a lucky rabbit’s foot.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, drug use and mature themes.
Running time: 92 Minutes
Studio: Lionsgate Films
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Sibling Rivalry and Salsa at Center of Dysfunctional Family Dramedy
Jamie Lesser (David Rhein) is a nearsighted nerd with two left feet who has wanted to learn to Salsa dance since he was child. Now an adult, he regrets never pursuing that dream and merely leading a lonely existence in New York City where he works as an accountant.
Finally feeling his oats after receiving a promotion at work, he summons up the courage to attend a Salsa party at a Manhattan dance studio. Inside, the terminally-awkward wallflower is approached by Elissa (Laneya Wiles), a gorgeous Latina.
The two hit off and, at the end of the evening, leave together for his apartment. Thus begins a whirlwind romance which unfortunately ends as abruptly as it began when Elissa disappears and stops answering his text messages.
Heartbroken and depressed over the loss of this his first love, Jamie loses his job, and then his home. With nowhere to go, he grudgingly turns to his estranged sister for help.
He and Lianne (Marlene Rhein) haven’t seen each other in over a decade, basically because they’re polar opposites. He’s an atheist. She believes in God whom she refers to as The Big Shot-Caller. He’s boring, she’s a vivacious dynamo. He can’t dance. She’s quite accomplished, having frittered away what should have been her most productive years in nightclubs.
So, despite the fact that Lianne is a struggling bartender, Jamie is now dependent upon her for charity. He moves in, and has to eat crow as the two of them start sorting out the source of their deep-seated sibling rivalry.
Their resurrected relationship is at the center of The Big Shot-Caller, a sibling rivalry dramedy marking the impressive writing, directing and acting debut of Marlene Rhein in the lead role of Lianne. Curiously, she cast her real-life brother David to play Jamie which explains why the execution of her semi-autobiographical script comes off as absolutely authentic.
A most-appealing indie flick made on a modest budget.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
In English and Spanish with subtitles.
Running time: 90 minutes
Studio: Vanguard Cinema
DVD Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette and the theatrical trailer.
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Headline: DVD Features Fourth Installment of Zombie Franchise
More campy than creepy, Resident Evil: Afterlife is one of your classic “Take the Money and Run” rip-offs, being a badly-acted, poorly-scripted and sloppy-edited B-flick shot on the cheap. Just about the only thing going for it is an attractive ensemble that’s easy on the eyes, starting with supermodel Milla Jovovich.
She reprises her starring role as Alice, a gun-slinging, genetically-altered mutant who represents the last hope for humanity. The cast features other accomplished models-turned-thespians in Ali Larter, Sienna Guillory and Boris Kodjoe. But unfortunately, movies are not made by eye candy alone.
The play-by-play of this needlessly over-plotted, sci-fi tale is narrated by Alice in a no-nonsense manner. At the outset, she reminds us, ostensibly for the benefit of the uninitiated, that mankind has been decimated in the wake of the lab accident at Tokyo’s Umbrella Corporation which unleashed a highly-contagious, lethal virus gone wild. Trouble is, the infected don’t remain dead, but reanimate as man-eating zombies who now outnumber people a million-to-one.
At fault is Albert Wesker (Shaw Roberts), Umbrella’s slimy CEO, a stock Hollywood villain now intent on killing Alice in order to harness the powers of the gene-altering T-virus for his own nefarious purposes. However, our hardy heroine eludes his grasp, flying by plane, in fast order, from the company headquarters in Tokyo to a safe haven in Alaska to a prison in Los Angeles, where she crash-lands on the roof.
There, she finds an arsenal of weapons and a motley crew of survivors to team up with. Too bad, we’ve seen each of these stale caricatures countless times before, from the macho black dude (Kodjoe) who usually dies first, to the cowardly Asian (Norman Yeung) afraid of his own shadow, to the backstabbing, rich snob (Kim Coates), to the brave, battle-hardened soldier (Wentworth Miller), and so forth.
Yet, more insulting than the stereotyping and the horrifying horror clichés is the fact that the formulaic tale even has the nerve to end on a cliffhanger, setting us up for yet another sequel. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me five times? I don’t think so.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for profanity and graphic violence.
Running time: 97 Minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Filmmaker commentary, “Band of Survivors: Casting Afterlife,” and “Fighting Back: The Action of Afterlife.”
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Art Imitates Life in Intriguing Political Potboiler
Angelina Jolie has always delivered in her high-octane action adventures, and Salt is no exception. This espionage thriller about a Russian mole strategically planted in the U.S. couldn’t be more timely, given the recent arrest of Anna Chapman, the flamboyant NYC realtor deported after confessing to being a Soviet spy.
Art imitates life in this political potboiler revolving around the exploits of Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), an orphan programmed to kill by the KGB during her childhood. After the Cold War, she emigrated from Moscow to America where she successfully infiltrated the CIA without arousing any suspicions.
At the point of departure, we learn courtesy of flashback that Evelyn is so tough that she never cracked while being water-boarded and beaten by interrogators who disbelieved her claims that she was in North Korea on business. She was subsequently freed only after her fiancé, Michael (August Diehl), pressured the CIA into making a prisoner exchange.
Fast-forward to the present where we find the couple settled down in Washington, DC and planning to celebrate their wedding anniversary. With her cover blown, Evelyn now has a quiet desk job at the Agency, while her arachnologist husband has just published a book about spiders.
But their state of marital bliss is irreversibly altered the day a Russian defector (Daniel Olbrychski) walks into CIA headquarters announcing that he wants to spill the beans about an elaborate plan to destroy the United States. He is questioned rather reluctantly by a cynical Agent Salt with help from a couple of equally-skeptical colleagues, Winter (Liev Schreiber) and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
However, everyone takes Mr. Orlov seriously when he passes a lie detector test and starts sharing some startling information about the existence of a sleeper cell of Manchurian Candidates led by an assassin named Evelyn Salt. At this juncture, the outed double-agent asserts her innocence before bolting from the heavily-fortified building in the first of a series of death-defying escapes.
Thenceforth, the chase is on, although it remains unclear whether Evelyn is on the run to clear her name or to follow orders from the Kremlin. And as much as the premise might sound like a cross of The Fugitive (1993) and No Way Out (1987), the balance of Salt unfolds less like a cerebral mindbender than an implausible display of acrobatic stunts dependent on patently-preposterous, cartoon physics.
Nevertheless, this bombastic, bells-and-whistles spectacular featuring a fetching, two-fisted femme fatale offers a riveting roller coaster ride that remains recommended.
Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated .
In English and Russian with subtitles.
Running time: 100 Minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Deluxe Unrated Edition DVD Extras: Filmmaker’s commentary, radio interview with the director, “The Ultimate Female Action Hero” and “Spy Disguise: The Looks of Evelyn Salt.”
