Based on true events, Just Mercy tells the story of Walter “Johnny D” McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a man who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Ronda Morrison and sentenced to death in Alabama. Adapted from the book by Johnny D’s attorney, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), Just Mercy is a hard-hitting look at racism in Alabama in… [Read More]
1on1 with director Andrew Heckler (BURDEN)
I recently had a chance to talk by phone with Andrew Heckler about his film Burden. The film recounts the story of a man (Mike Burden, played by Garrett Hedlund) who was heavily involved in the Ku Klux Klan. When he chose to leave the Klan, he was taken in by a black Baptist minister… [Read More]
Burden – Only Love Can Replace Hate
Jesus told us “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27f, NRSV). We revere those words, but probably in our heart of hearts we say, “yeah, right.” In Andrew Heckler’s film Burden, we see… [Read More]
Blinded By the Light – Words Matter
“Mister, I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man, and I believe in the promised land” (Bruce Springsteen, “The Promised Land”) In Blinded by the Light, Javed (Viveik Kaira), a Pakistani young man growing up in a town outside of London, struggles to find his place in the world. He wants to be a writer,… [Read More]
Don’t Be Nice – Powerful Words
Words have power. We often affirm that, but we don’t always see how that power unfolds. Don’t Be Nice is a documentary about people who are seeking to speak with power. It follows the Bowery Slam Poetry Team for several months in 2016 as they struggle to prepare for the national championship. The team consists… [Read More]
Neither Wolf Nor Dog – American Journey
“Ýou got a lot of words, but you don’t say nothing. You gotta learn to listen before you can see. Listen to this old man here.” A white writer is summoned by a Lakota elder to visit him on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The elder wants him to take his various notes about life and… [Read More]
Best of Enemies- A Conversion Story
“Non silba sed anthar (not for self, but for others)” [Ku Klux Klan motto] Based on a true story, Best of Enemies tells the story of Durham, NC, in 1971. When a school for blacks has a fire, the students need to be moved. But where, to a white school? That certainly gets everyone’s attention…. [Read More]
Oscar-Nominated Short Documentaries
When it is time to award the best in films each year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences include three categories of short films in their Oscar presentations. Most people don’t get to see many shorts. They play at festivals, and occasionally in front of a feature film. But short films are an… [Read More]
A Dangerous Idea – Social Darwinism vs. The American Dream
The American Dream is that there are no limits to what someone can be. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [sic] are created equal….” But does science, especially genetics, put that into doubt or even undermine it? A Dangerous Idea: Eugenics, Genetics and the American Dream takes a look at the… [Read More]
BlacKkKlansman – Spike Lee Brings It
The film would be entertaining if all it did was reflect back on that time and see the battle against racism at that time. But the parallels with our own time are so strong that we can’t ignore them.
