Reviews

George W. Bush (son of George Bush Sr, grandson of Prescott Bush and great-grandson of Samuel Bush) comes from a long line of very rich and powerful white Americans.

His father was the president from 1988-1992. His grandfather was big Wall Street executive and his great-grandpa was a tycoon with the U.S. steel company.

He also dabbled in the oil business and baseball before he stole/bought the election from Al Gore in 2000.

This movie chronicles his life as it was paved by his fathers connections.

"W." accomplished nothing in his life on his own. Everything was handed to him because of his family connections, his admission to Yale, to Harvard. His appointment into politics, everything.

Ultimately, he found himself in the position of POTUS which was something he was severely under qualified for.

As a result the nation was destroyed and millions of lives were lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, which this film correctly identifies as solely for purposes of greed for oil and gas in the middle east.

George W. Bush is worse than any leader in world history. Worse than any terrorist or mass murderer the world has ever seen.

The true tragedy is that he will never be held accountable for it.

`John, if this case goes before the Supreme Court. . . I'm gonna need you'

It's the early 1950's, in America. The governor of South Carolina (James Francis Byrnes), in his 70's at the time, pays a visit to his friend, the famous John W. Davis. Davis had argued 138 cases in front of the Supreme Court. Byrnes was turning to him for help.

Byrnes was determined to show that discrimination and segregation of public schools were not the same thing. He wanted black school children to have equal schools. He was ashamed of the terrible condition the black schools were in, in his state of South Carolina. He even levied a three percent sales tax to fund the improvement of black schools. He was prepared to spend 75 million dollars to improve the public schools for black children in his state.

But he knew, that the small case that a few courageous people (Harry Briggs, Reverand J.A. Delaine) had started in Clarendon county, SC, was too big of an issue for his efforts alone. The case was on it's way to the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (the NAACP), had become involved. Their head lawyer, Thurgood Marshall had combined this case and 4 other similar cases (from Delaware, Kansas, DC and Virginia) into one called 'Brown v. Board of Education', and made it his mission to strike down segregation in public schools in America.

The great thing about this movie is how it makes each side look respectable. The movie does not make this a 'bad evil white men against poor suffering black people' type of story. But rather, the film, portrays the white men as being highly respected, educated and willing to do the right thing. But at the same time, very concerned and perhaps even afraid of the consequences of their decisions.

I also loved the humor in this film. For example when Byrnes is conversing with Davis and says 'I admit to past sins, our colored schools are a disgrace'. Or when one of the lawyers at the NAACP legal defense fund says about the South Carolina case "If we win this one, we'll only have 11,172 school districts left"

The heart of this film is the uncommon courage of the people. Courage among so many involved. Of course, first from the blacks from those small towns, who risked their jobs and safety, and faced the hate of the Ku Klux Klan, by taking these complaints to their local lawyers. Then, to the NAACP, for climbing this long and expensive uphill battle. But also, to the judges on the Supreme Court, and in particular the Chief Judge Earl Warren.

Warren was quoted as saying 'Everything that I did in life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for'. What a difficult decision, but what a remarkable effort on his part to unite the nine members of the Supreme Court to conclude the case with a unanimous decision to end segregation in public schools in America.

It took a lot of brave people on both sides, to end separation of black and white school children in public schools. Perhaps Thurgood Marshall summed it up best, when he mocked the thinking of people in the south by saying 'you can have them attending the same State Universities and Graduate schools, but if they attend the same elementary and high schools together, the world would fall apart.'

A wonderful treasured movie. Must see for all.

LAGAAN

Amair Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne, 2001



Synopsis

Set in rural India in 1893, a young man inspires the people in his poor village to show their courage against the British empire, who ruled the country at the time. Through sports, he unites the community and shows them the value of determination and teamwork toward a common goal. Which eventually leads to the removal of the British from their province.

My Review

A refreshing and heartwarming new type of Indian film. Aamir Khan stars as a poverty stricken, but highly spirited "Bhuvan". The British characters are well developed, and the team of 11 'pseudo-athletes' that represent the village are possess an unforgettable set of idiosyncrasies. Humour, emotion and an excellent underlying message, all make this movie a very entertaining experience.

HOOP DREAMS

Arthur Agee, William Gates, Isaih Thomas, 1994

Synopsis

Documentary, by three film makers who closely followed the lives of two inner city black boys from the age of 14 to 21. The two intensely athletic boys both have the dream of one day making it to the NBA (National Basketball Association).

My Review

The best film about American life I have ever seen. It took seven years to make this film. The reality of this film is brilliant as it captures all the elements of hope, determination, success, disappointment and love that the two boys and their families and friends face during this developmental time. Magnificent and marvelous.

At the start of the film they write on the screen: 'In 1937 a Muslim from Pakistan came to England to find work'. This is an ERROR because there was no such thing as Pakistan, as that country did not arise until August 14, 1947!"

Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles S. Dutton 1992

Synopsis: An Indian family (husband, wife and 6 yr old daughter Mina) are expelled from Uganda under the reign of dictator Idi Amin. The family eventually moves to the U.S. When Mina grows up she finds herself caught between cultures (Africa, India, America etc), and considers herself a "mix masala". She later falls in love with a black carpet cleaner (Denzel Washington) only to stir up a whole heap of trouble among her family, culture and community.

My Review: I love it!! Written by Sooni Taraporevala, and directed by Mira Nair, this movie came out in '92, but I did not see it until 2000. It was so well done, there should be more films like this. The romance was very nicely scripted, and the story was very accurate in its depiction of what happens when an Indian girl has an affair with a non-Indian in America, how the family reacts etc. Also, certain scenes are so funny, you half to stop the tape to finish cracking up! Interesting, fun, and heartwarming. Excellent!!!