Marc on movies, politics, and more

I am heading to the movies today to see Cadillac Records. I got on the internet to find out where it is playing in the metro area. All of the locations from here to Annapolis and up to Harford were in multiplexes with large Black populations. I get so tired of all the marketing geniuses that segregate our life in small and large ways. This is supposed to be an incredible movie. Why aren’t they playing it everywhere?! It reminds of when the great documentary Hoop Dreams was in theaters. This film followed inner kids who played basketball. Some made to the NCAA and some ended up on the streets. It was a powerful social statement of a film, well done cinematically and won best at Sundance and film festivals around the world. Did it end up a the Charles or even Hunt Valley? No, it languished briefly at the Security Mall. Sure, play it there but play it elsewhere too! Marketing geniuses in Hollywood and their Neolithic understanding of race and culture in America, I am just sick of them.

 

Speaking of movies, don’t miss MILK starring Sean Penn. It is at the Charles. Penn is just a brilliant actor. He dives so deeply into the heart of his characters. His soul, as any great actor, is that of a chameleon. He lives and breathes Harvey Milk. He changed his body and his voice. He became that gay man who loves younger men, who breathed the fire of human rights and justice. The director Gus Van Sant, known as a gay man who does a lot of movies with gay themes. He brought a certain sensitivity to this film that few could. All of the acting was superb Emile Hirsch, James Brolin was Dan White, and he even looked like Dan White. Alison Pil, James Franco. Wonderful performances. It is perfect timing that this film premieres on the heels of Proposition 8 winning in California. It is an important story in the history of human rights in America. It is also a damn good movie.

 

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In local politics, I must give kudos to President of the Senate Mike Miller for appointing Robert Neall to the commission that will determine who is awarded the contracts for slots parlors in our state. Now, I was a real agnostic on this referendum. People will gamble and should have the right to gamble without going to jail for it. However, the way they waged the slots campaign was dishonest from the wording of the referendum to its false promises of funds for education. It is still a bunch of wealthy gambling interests making money off of the rest of us. Given all that, Bobby Neall, former State Senator and Anne Arundel County Executive, Republican turned Democrat, fiscal conservative will have only one thing on his mind and that is the best interests of the citizen of Maryland. He will be our watchdog on this.

If you do not get or read the New York Times on Saturdays then go on line to read the op-ed by William Ayers. Remember he was the one they said was a terrorist and friend of Barack Obama’s. He stayed quiet during the campaign to avoid becoming more of a lightening rod in the efforts of right wing swiftboaters determined to sink Obama’s campaign.

At any rate, check what Ayers wrote. I think he lays out interesting facets of all this while raising some troubling ideas about the Weather Underground that generates an interesting moral ethical social political debate in 2008. What do you think?

-Marc