Black History Month Treat: Lincoln and Douglass

Posted on February 4, 2011 at 3:59 pm

My very favorite series for kids, the Scholastic Storybook Treasures, has a new gem out for Black History Month and President’s Day. It’s a collection of DVDs based on four superb history books for children including Lincoln & Douglass: An American Friendship, adapted from the book by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier, and narrated by Danny Glover. It is the story of an historic friendship between two great American leaders, the President of the United States and the man who was born a slave and came to lead the fight for freedom for all slaves.

The DVD also features “The Pilgrims of Plimoth,” “John, Paul, George, & Ben,” the story of five boys who grew up to become the Founding Fathers of the United States, and “The Journey of the One & Only Declaration of Independence.”

The Real Story: The Cave Expedition That Inspired ‘Sanctum’

Posted on February 4, 2011 at 8:00 am

“Sanctum” begins, “Inspired by a true story.” That story was the 1988 Nullarbor cave expedition that had 13 people trapped underground. Unlike the high-tech equipment used by the characters in the film, the Nullarbor cave-divers trapped 80 metres underground had to make do with radio communications. They had gone into the cave to make a documentary and were trapped by a rock slide. Fifteen explorers were trapped for two days, including Andrew Wright, a producer of “Sanctum” and a documentary about the incident called “Nullarbor Dreaming.” Fortunately, the real-life explorers had a better outcome than the movie’s characters.

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The Real Story

Sanctum

Posted on February 3, 2011 at 4:00 pm

Lowest Recommended Age:	Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating:	Rated R for language, some violence and disturbing images
Profanity:	Constant very strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking, drug reference
Violence/ Scariness:	Characters in peril with many injured and killed, disturbing graphic violence, mercy killing
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	February 4, 2011

The stunningly beautiful cave scenes are breathtakingly realistic in this James Cameron-produced 3D “inspired by a true story” saga of a cave-diving expedition gone wrong.

The plot and characters, not so much.

It’s the basic “and then there were none” plotline. Foolish humans take big risks, get into trouble, and have to find their way out — literally. At first the group is hard to tell apart, but soon those who are least differentiated either escape or get killed and we are left with the core group. And it isn’t enough that they have to escape from a whole series of life-threatening perils (too wet, too high, too cold, too deep, too far); the experience also has to serve as family and couples therapy as a reluctant young cave-diver has to confront his tough old boot of a father (the expedition leader) and the arrogant, impulsive adrenaline junkie of a funder has to deal with his date on her first-ever cave experience.

Cameron’s use of 3D is splendid on this real-world Pandora. The film conveys the cathedral-like spaciousness, the claustrophobic passageways, and the vertiginous drops of the cave very well. But the structure of the film is so predictable and the characters so thin and unengaging that it feels more like watching people at a theme park than anything with any sense of peril or involvement. The best thing about the dialogue is that the actors’ Australian accents sometimes make it unintelligible. And a painful series of complicated moral choices are deployed for sensation, rather than depth — just like the hubristic expedition itself.

The New Superman: Henry Cavill

Posted on February 3, 2011 at 3:53 pm

English actor Henry Cavill has been cast as Superman in the new movie to be directed by Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”). This is fourth-time lucky for Cavill, as he reportedly was an almost-choice for Edward in “Twilight,” James Bond, Batman and even the most recent Superman movie. Viewers may know him as Charles Brandon in television’s “The Tudors.”

Superman was the creation of then-teenagers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #1. Look in your attic and see if you can find a copy — in excellent condition, it’s worth at least one million dollars.

He is probably the most popular comic book character of all time and one of the most recognizable characters in the world. Superman has appeared on radio, television, and movies. Cavill’s predecessors in that role include George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Tom Welling, and Brandon Routh.

Any suggestions for Lois, Jimmy, Perry White, Lex Luthor, and Ma and Pa Kent? Which is your favorite version of Superman?

Night Catches Us

Posted on February 3, 2011 at 2:58 pm

Writer-director Tanya Hamilton and two of today’s most gifted actors have produced a sensitive drama with a powerful conclusion. Night Catches Us takes on some of the most complicated and painful issues of the era that saw the struggle for civil rights shift from “We shall overcome” to “Burn, baby, burn.” It is rare that we see those issues portrayed, rarer still that we see them explored with any recognition of complexity and nuance, and just about unheard of that we see how much more complicated and nuanced the issues were for the women.

It is 1976, and the United States is celebrating its 200th birthday. Some Americans are still feeling marginalized, neglected, or locked out.

Marcus (Anthony Mackie) who returns to his home in Philadelphia following the death of his preacher father. He seems rootless and restless. But it is immediately clear when he sees Patricia (another exquisite performance by Kerry Washington), a lawyer and single mother, that they have some history and that he wants to know whether they might have a future.

No one else seems happy to see Marcus, even his brother. It is apparent that the people he left behind feel abandoned and betrayed by him. Everyone seems to think he is the one who gave the police information that led to the death of one of the leaders of the Black Power movement. But it is also clear that he is a good man. Could he be protecting someone?

This is a sincere, thoughtful exploration of complex issues and complicated people. Washington and Mackie, who appeared together in “She Hate Me” give performances of great depth and dignity, spare but endlessly compelling and evocative. The story’s ambitions at times outstrip the ability of first-timer Hamilton, but it is those very ambitions that give the film its exceptional power. At its conclusion, we have to confront our own assumptions to recognize that it is really not Marcus’ story after all, and the whole movie opens up to deepen our appreciation and insight.

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Drama Neglected gem Romance