Saturday, February 14, 2015
The Butler
No wonder it's called the White House: It's an emblem of liberty. But, as a new film reveals, the White House - built by slaves - has a shameful
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Glory
Glory
Glory is a 1989 American drama war film directed by Edward Zwick and starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman. The screenplay was written by Kevin Jarre, based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, and the novels Lay This Laurel, by Lincoln Kirstein, and One Gallant Rush, by Peter Burchard.The story is based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry,
the first formal unit of the US Army to be made up entirely of African
American men, as told from the point of view of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, its commanding officer during the American Civil War.The film was co-produced by TriStar Pictures and Freddie Fields Productions,
and distributed by Tri-Star Pictures in the United States. It premiered
in limited release in the US on December 14, 1989, and in wide release
on February 16, 1990, making $26,828,365. It was considered a moderate
financial success taking into account its $18 million budget. The
soundtrack, composed by James Horner in conjunction with the Boys Choir of Harlem,
was released on January 23, 1990. The home video was distributed by
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. On June 2, 2009, a widescreen Blu-ray version, featuring the director's commentary and deleted scenes, was released.The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won three,
including Denzel Washington for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal
of Pvt. Trip. It won many other awards from the British Academy, the
Golden Globes, the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, and the NAACP, among
others.
Glory” – This American Civil War film follows the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, remaining one of the best African American history movies ever made. The unit was one of the first to be almost solely African American men. Matthew Broderick stars as the man asked to lead them on an apparent suicide mission.
Glory” – This American Civil War film follows the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, remaining one of the best African American history movies ever made. The unit was one of the first to be almost solely African American men. Matthew Broderick stars as the man asked to lead them on an apparent suicide mission.
Friday, April 19, 2013
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen
The true story of how a group of African American pilots overcame racist
opposition to become one of the finest US fighter groups in World War
II
The Tuskegee Airmen
In looking through history books detailing America’s World War II
Army Air Force ‘aces’, one thing stood out: the Tuskegee Airmen had
absolute no impact on the course of the Allies winning the war over the
Axis Powers. Not one of the famed Red Tails earned the honorific of
‘ace’ (meaning five or more confirmed aerial kills), compared to a list
of more than 1,200 white American fighter pilots who
earned that title during World War II. Aces like Chuck Yeager, who
would go on to be the first person to break the sound-barrier, an
arbitrary record in Black-Run America (BRA), a world that only honors
those who were the first to break the much more important color-barrier.Contrary to contemporary claims, the involvement of the Black fighter
pilots was inconsequential to the overall war effort. Yes, 72 members of the Tuskegee Airmen shot down 109 enemy aircraft, but when you consider America’s great World War II ‘ace’ Richard Bong shot down 40 planes himself,
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African-American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Corps (United States Army Air Forces after 20 June 1941).
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces. During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states were still subject to the Jim Crow laws. The American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination, both within and outside the army. Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction. All black military pilots who trained in the United States trained at Tuskegee, including five Haitians.Although the 477th Bombardment Group trained with North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, they never served in combat. The 99th Pursuit Squadron (later, 99th Fighter Squadron) was the first black flying squadron, and the first to deploy overseas (to North Africa in April 1943, and later to Sicily and Italy). The 332nd Fighter Group, which originally included the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons, was the first flying group. The group deployed to Italy in early 1944. In June 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group began flying bomber escort missions, and in July 1944, the 99th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, which then had four fighter squadrons.The 99th Fighter Squadron was initially equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks fighter-bomber aircraft. The 332nd Fighter Group and its 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons were equipped for initial combat missions with Bell P-39 Airacobras (March 1944), later with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts (June–July 1944), and finally with the aircraft with which they became most commonly associated, the North American P-51 Mustang (July 1944). When the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group painted the tails of their P-47s and later, P-51s, red, the nickname "Red Tails" was coined. Bomber crews applied a more effusive "Red-Tail Angels" sobriquet.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces. During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states were still subject to the Jim Crow laws. The American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination, both within and outside the army. Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction. All black military pilots who trained in the United States trained at Tuskegee, including five Haitians.Although the 477th Bombardment Group trained with North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, they never served in combat. The 99th Pursuit Squadron (later, 99th Fighter Squadron) was the first black flying squadron, and the first to deploy overseas (to North Africa in April 1943, and later to Sicily and Italy). The 332nd Fighter Group, which originally included the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons, was the first flying group. The group deployed to Italy in early 1944. In June 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group began flying bomber escort missions, and in July 1944, the 99th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, which then had four fighter squadrons.The 99th Fighter Squadron was initially equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks fighter-bomber aircraft. The 332nd Fighter Group and its 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons were equipped for initial combat missions with Bell P-39 Airacobras (March 1944), later with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts (June–July 1944), and finally with the aircraft with which they became most commonly associated, the North American P-51 Mustang (July 1944). When the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group painted the tails of their P-47s and later, P-51s, red, the nickname "Red Tails" was coined. Bomber crews applied a more effusive "Red-Tail Angels" sobriquet.
Cast (in credits order) verified as complete
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Monday, April 15, 2013
Lean on Me
Lean on Me
Lean on Me is a 1989 dramatized biographical film written by Michael Schiffer, directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Morgan Freeman. Lean on Me
is loosely based on the story of Joe Louis Clark, a real life inner
city high school principal in Paterson, New Jersey, whose school is at
risk of being taken over by the New Jersey state government unless
students improve their test scores. This film's title refers to the 1972
Bill Withers song of the same name.
Joe Louis Clark
Joe Louis Clark (born May 7, 1938 in Rochelle, Georgia) is the former principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, one of New Jersey's toughest inner city schools. He is also the subject of the 1989 film Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman. Clark gained public attention in the 1980s for his unconventional and controversial disciplinary measures. He also partly inspired Denzel Washington's character in the film Hard Lessons about contemporary Los Angeles high school principal George McKenna.[citation needed]
Clark is also the father of the Olympic track athletes Joetta Clark Diggs and Hazel Clark Riley, and the father-in-law of Olympic track athlete Jearl Miles Clark.
Morgan Freeman
(born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, film director, and narrator. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby. He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Unforgiven, Glory, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and March of the Penguins.
Joe Louis Clark (born May 7, 1938 in Rochelle, Georgia) is the former principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, one of New Jersey's toughest inner city schools. He is also the subject of the 1989 film Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman. Clark gained public attention in the 1980s for his unconventional and controversial disciplinary measures. He also partly inspired Denzel Washington's character in the film Hard Lessons about contemporary Los Angeles high school principal George McKenna.[citation needed]
Clark is also the father of the Olympic track athletes Joetta Clark Diggs and Hazel Clark Riley, and the father-in-law of Olympic track athlete Jearl Miles Clark.
(born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, film director, and narrator. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby. He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Unforgiven, Glory, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and March of the Penguins.
Shaka Zulu
Shaka Zulu
Shaka Zulu is a 1986 television serial directed by William C. Faure and written by Joshua Sinclair for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It is based on the story of Shaka, king of the Zulu nation from 1816 to 1828, and the writings of the British traders who dealt with him. It aired in the U.S. in syndication. Harmony Gold USA partly funded Shaka Zulu in spite of economic sanctions. The series consisted of 10 episodes approximately 50 minutes each in length. The series was based on Sinclair's novel of the same name.
Shaka Zulu
1787 – c. 22 September 1828),
1787 – c. 22 September 1828),
(Henry Cele 30 January 1949 – 2 November 2007)
was a South African actor famous for his chilling performance as Shaka Zulu in SABC's Shaka Zulu miniseries. Born in Durban, South Africa, he landed the role of Shaka in the miniseries after acting out the same role in a South African stage production of Shaka Zulu. Henry also had a minor role in The Ghost and the Darkness. After Shaka Zulu, he acted out various minor roles in such action films as Point of Impact and The Last Samurai.
He also appeared in major roles in South African movies and television
series programmes. He was married to Jennifer "Jenny" Hollander.Prior to acting in Shaka Zulu, Cele, nicknamed "Black Cat," was a football (soccer) goalkeeper. He coached a professional soccer club in South Africa until his death.After his acting career, Cele moved from his suburban home in Glenmore, South of Durban and went back to Kwamashu township. At the time of his death he had been in hospital for two weeks after being admitted with a chest infection.His last name is pronounced with a dental click (similar to the English click "tsk-tsk" used for disapproval).
Sunday, April 14, 2013
MALCOLM X
MALCOLM X
Malcolm X was distributed by Warner Bros. and released on November 18, 1992. Denzel Washington won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Trailer for Spike Lee's film starring Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett,
Delroy Lindo, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Spike Lee, Kate Vernon,
Lonette McKee, Roger Guenveur Smith, Theresa Randle, Debi Mazar,
Christopher Plummer, Peter Boyle, Tommy Hollis,
MALCOLM X
(January 19, 1931 – July 25, 2006)
(January 19, 1931 – July 25, 2006)
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr.
(born December 28, 1954)
Is
an
American actor, film director, and film producer. He has received much
critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his
portrayals of real-life figures such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin
"Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone.
Washington is a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer and was a frequent collaborator of the late director Tony
Scott.
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