Among movies about race in America, how many great films have been made about slavery? We’ve seen gentle drivers ("Driving Miss Daisy"), sisterhoods of maids ("The Help") and pizza places going up in smoke for our sins ("Do the Right Thing"). Most of these films focus on the sixties or the modern day. Even Lincoln barely touches on slavery as more than legal theory. This enormous, shocking gap ... more >
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12 Years a slave
The story that needs to be retold
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael Fassbender
Directed by Steve McQueen
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: THE STIRRING LESSON OF "ENDGAME"
By SAÏDEH PAKRAVAN - September 3, 2010As today Middle East peace talks (does one dare still call it that?) start once more in Washington, no doubt to quickly get mired in the usual sands of recrimination and rigidity of all participants, one could do worse than watch the sober and remarkably thrilling 2009 “Endgame” by Pete Travis about the secret negotiations that led to the release of Nelson ... more >
Salt
An action hero worth her ...
Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Liev Schreiber
Directed by Phillip Noyce
Here we go again. This summer has been so bad for movies that they’re now starting to look alike. “Salt” is another one that comes down to one big long chase and yet it can’t come up with nearly enough intrigue, suspense, or decent action sequences to help you get rid of the blah feeling. Angelina Jolie plays CIA agent Evelyn Salt, who is accused by a Russian defector of being an assassin for ... more >