The rapper K’naan has a song that begins: “Until the lion learns to speak/the tales of hunting will be weak” It implies an empathic view of history. And a simple one, too. The perspective of the hunted would, of course, be far different than the perspective of the hunter. But what if the lion could speak? What tale […]
It is difficult to say anything about Steve Jobs that has not already been said. Unless, perhaps, you are Steve Jobs. And you are talking to us from 1995. That’s the unintended premise of Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview, which screened this week in select theaters around the country. The story of the project goes like this: […]
We open on a large, oak conference table parked in the center of a board room in Chicago. Black and Brown faces huddle around it in a series of stern circles. They are the Interrupters, a group of civilian activists who fight to curb violence on the streets of the Windy City. These men–most of them are […]
(image via Woodland Trust) 1995 offered numerous options for the American kid who preferred outrage over sloth. There were corporate scumbags in America to loathe. There were faceless Communist tyrants in China to defeat. There were political prisoners everywhere to be freed. And there were precious resources of an abused planet to save. It was a time […]
Will Ferrell has a new movie out. It’s not very funny but it is pretty good. The goodness of it is derived, in significant measure, from a supporting character who is a junior high-aged kid. The actor who plays the kid, if you’re not already aware of who he is, should look very familiar: he’s Biggie’s son. […]
(image via AllMoviePhoto.com) On the weekend that Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seal Team Six, Fast Five roared into American movie theatres to collect $86 million from US consumers. At the big, nameless cineplex in my neighborhood, Fast Five played on three screens that weekend. Next to one of those massive auditoriums, The Conspirator […]
It was nine o’clock. The movie started at 9:20. I was at least 15 minutes away from the movie theatre. I’d have to move very quickly if I wanted to see every frame of Pom Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. I squeezed some Crest Pro-Health onto my Oral-B toothbrush. Scrubbed my unsponsored teeth. Rinsed and […]
Fans are fans. They will do what fans do. They will gush. (Sometimes they will grumble.) Critics are critics. They will do what critics do. They will criticize. (Sometimes they will praise.) All of which is to say that whatever you’ve heard about Scream 4 is absolutely true. It’s doesn’t matter what you’ve heard, it’s true. It’s […]
Two months ago, the Liberian Girl and I were lying in bed trying to fall asleep. The TV, which was trying to watch us, spit out a 60-second spot for a movie called Hanna. After the ad concluded, I mumbled something to the effect of: “I may be half sleep, but I’m pretty sure I just saw […]
The Liberian Girl and I were running 20 minutes late for a late Sunday Brunch on U Street with our favorite lesbians. After the light at 12th Street turned green, I whipped into a parking spot. We tumbled out of the car and stumbled into Creme. Our favorite bartender had already poured our drinks. The brunch was […]