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maniapolh · 2 years

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The running time of the film is very short, at only 78 minutes, making it challenging to completely establish the complexity of the characters and their relationships - but, regardless of this limited time frame, Queen of Glory effectively provokes the emotions that Mensah was intending to capture and successfully accomplishes what she was aiming to achieve. It is an impressive writer-director debut for Mensah, and it was recognised as such when it premiered at Tribeca 2021, where it won Best New Narrative Director. In this way, Queen of Glory is an important step in representation and making sure that the experiences of the Black community are accurately portrayed on the screen. She also similarly felt that Hollywood movies about the black experience did not properly capture the conflict of identity that she felt as she navigated America as a Ghanian woman. This perspective is an important one to champion, with Mensah herself acknowledging that, while growing up, she was unable to identify with Nollywood films, a term that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry but was later extended to include Ghanian films made in English as well. Mensah writes with a unique style of dark comedy that runs throughout the film, which will likely resonate the most with people who have felt out of place within the community they grew up in due to culture clashes, just as her protagonist does. Queen of Glory effectively provokes the emotions that Mensah was intending to capture and successfully accomplishes what she was aiming to achieve The film is written and directed with a deeply personal touch, with many elements of the main character's story following the experiences of Mensah herself - allowing the challenges that immigrants may face growing up in this area to be accurately represented. Offer detailed reviews of movies and DVDs including amount of blood and gore, character attitude and violence. Despite residing in a place that differs vastly from her family's culture, as the story progresses, we see Sarah reconnecting with and embracing her roots. Mensah depicts Sarah as a woman who has, up until this point in time, kept her heritage at a distance while navigating growing up in the Bronx with Ghanian parents. She takes over the bookstore, while organising both an American funeral and a Ghanaian ceremony for her mother, for which her estranged father travels from Ghana to America to attend. He may be an ex-convict, evident from his prison tattoos, but he is actually a real softie, who teaches Sarah a lot throughout their relationship. Sarah inherits the store, and meets Pitt, its sole employee. These plans are interrupted when her mother, who runs a Christian bookstore called King of Glory in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx where Sarah was raised, suddenly passes away. Written by, directed by, and starring Nana Mensah, Queen of Glory follows the story of Sarah Obeng, the child of Ghanaian immigrants, who is planning to quit her Ivy League PhD program in molecular neuro-oncology at Columbia University to travel to Ohio with her colleague, a married man with whom she is having an affair, because he has landed a new job there.

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Join our official telegram channel for free latest updates and follow us on Google News here.Starring: Nana Mensah, Meeko Gattuso, Adam Leon Contact the external publisher for answers to questions regarding its content. Car Blog India bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, and/or content of the external site or for that of subsequent external videos/ external content. One must never play with fire unless every safety measure has been put in place.ĭisclaimer- The embedded videos/ external content is/are being used as a convenience and for informational purposes only they do not constitute an endorsement or approval by Car Blog India of any of the products, services, and /or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. This could easily go wrong and prove to be fatal. Hence, you should NOT try to imitate this. Screenit goes on to identify (with unintentionally hilarious precision) the following profanities: At least 75 'f' words (9 used sexually as is the word. The YouTuber also mentions that they have taken multiple precautions behind the scenes to create an extremely safe environment to perform this mad stunt. We would like to direct the attention of our readers to the safety hazards associated with such a stunt.

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onaf · 3 years

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Of Dogs and Children

Believers in Christ have their hang-ups, their own theological baggage when it comes to the faith. This doesn’t always come in the form of outright denial of the core tenets of the Christian religion. But it can mean there are teachings that are quick to be absorbed mentally, yet slow to penetrate the heart.

For me, one of the most difficult things to understand at heart about Christ is how He condescends to sinners like myself. When I read Matthew 11: 28-30, Christ’s character takes on a peculiar timbre:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

To some, this may be an inconsequential passage. But I wonder how one can think that! What is easier for me to understand is that Christ - the One through whom the universe was created - has authority to judge the living and the dead. It isn’t hard for me to accept how He performed miracles, for what is difficult for the Christ? Theophanies? Old Testament prophecies about Jesus? Awesome!

But a Christ that is lowly? A savior that is gentle when with but one word He could annihilate all that is unholy (namely myself)? A King to whom I am - by rights - condemned forever, but gave Himself as a ransom for me? More food for thought from Hebrews 4:14-16...

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I think many of us can understand that God would be a righteous judge against ungodliness, that He has wrath against sin, that He wields great power, and that He is holy. But I hope I’m not alone in finding His closeness to the downtrodden, the fallen, and the broken as being really hard to wrap my mind around!

This is a deeply practical problem. You can’t divorce theological conviction from how you live your daily life. Finding Christ’s meekness a difficult concept to absorb, I sometimes lean toward an imbalanced life. Without meditating enough on Christ’s mercy and sympathy to the struggles of a wicked man like myself, I gravitate more toward what I believe I do understand: my wretchedness.

What do you get when you have a believer who understands that he is a sinner deserving of eternal judgement but struggles to accept that he is a recipient of mercy? Though his heart yearns for Christ and His righteousness, a lie makes the honest truths seem beyond reach. The lie is: your redemption is insignificant.

A heart in this condition is divided. The honest hope of this man is truly in Christ, and his salvation has been secured already by the grace of God. But a pernicious untruth has craned the neck of this believer to look inward at the remaining filthiness of sin and to believe this to be the most accurate representation of his state. The Spirit-led part of his heart hopes for the Kingdom of God, but - since his focus has been on the irredeemable sin of his flesh - he has been convinced that the honest hopes of his heart are actually born of self-deception. It is a confusion of the highest order, one that prevents a Christian from living out his true calling with his undivided attention - and a confusion with which I am well-acquainted.

In short, instead of believing that I am a child of God by grace, a fallen part of me condemns me as if I was not. So, in my weaker moments, my heart resorts to an unholy compromise: that perhaps I am welcome in the house of God, but only as a dog. I may be in the dining room, but I only lay on the floor and eat the crumbs from the table while others more worthy garner God’s more rapt attention.

Matthew 15:24-28 says...

“He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And He answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”

There’s a theme there that I grabbed onto a long time ago. I knew that I had been bought with a price, the Lord wouldn’t let me forget that. But my heart refused to unfocus from my sinful nature. It instead used this passage in Matthew and keep me where I didn’t belong. The mistake in my thinking was that Christ redeemed me who was dead in my trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) and made me a dog - a second rate, quasi-Christian. For the hopeless, going from being dead to being a dog isn’t that bad of a deal. Unless you know better, it’s a great deal. From being cast into outer darkness to at least being in your gracious masters’ dining room is a worthy trade! Everyone knows, however, a dog has no share in the inheritance of the master's children.

But this falls short of what the Bible teaches. To settle for being a dog is a tragedy when, in reality, you’ve been adopted as a son or daughter! The obsession with relegating oneself to the station of a cur is to, in reality, choose to disbelieve the promises of God. It is a tacit allegation of dishonesty on God’s part - saying that He is either not that mighty to save or that your sin makes you an exception to the redemptive rule. This is faithlessness hidden under the veil of fake piety.

Consider the following:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

But most importantly, this:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39

To say to your own soul that the best God did for you was to bring you from death to a grudgingly-awarded spot on the floor in His general vicinity (with the unspoken threat of expulsion for the slightest mistake) is to do violence to His mighty ability to bring about your salvation (Zeph. 3:17). Why does my heart insist on its own harm by attempting to shackle God’s redemptive work?

One of the greatest resources I’ve encountered lately in dealing with this struggle is found in The Bruised Reed, by the Puritan Richard Sibbes. A great quote here:

“If Christ should not be merciful to our weaknesses, He should not have a people to serve Him. Suppose therefore we are very weak, yet so long as we are not found amongst malicious opposers and underminers of God’s truth, let us not give way to despairing thoughts; we have a merciful Saviour.” (pg. 58)

Even to those who are in Christ but find themselves in sin - as we do all too often - there is hope. Sibbes continues:

“What course shall such take to recover their peace? They must condemn themselves sharply, and yet cast themselves upon God’s mercy in Christ, as at their first conversion. And now they must embrace Christ the more firmly, as they see more need in themselves; and let them remember the mildness of Christ here, that He will not quench the smoking flax.” (pg. 60)

Through these struggles, I have learned some things:

Christ is indeed lowly enough in heart so as to understand our weakness and not despise it.

The redemption that true believers find in Him is no lie, it is not done by half measures - since it is with the death and resurrection of Christ’s whole body that we have been purchased. Thus, the redemption is total, to be fully seen in due time.

To doubt one’s standing with God after being redeemed by Christ is to accuse Him of being less than He is. Do you believe Him to be an effective Savior? Then you must trust that He is qualified to save!

When a sinner is saved by grace, it is to no small and insignificant station. Consider the following:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:15-17

Where, then, is there room for God’s children to act as though they are just dogs at the dining room table?

#Christianity church puritan puritans salvation doubt bible scripture dogs children despair hope Jesus Christ

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caitsbooks · 5 years

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Caitsbooks Reviews: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Overall: 5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: The Gilded Wolves is an atmospheric, lush novel with characters you will immediately adore and an adventure you won’t forget.

“Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.”

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// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Torture (Mention), Self Harm Mention, Child Abuse, Animal Death, Murder, Racism //

“Fear grew in places unlit by knowledge”

- Premise -

The Gilded Wolves is, at its heart, a treasure hunt with a unique ensemble cast. Severin is determined to win back the inheritance robbed of him when his father died. When everything he wants is offered to him, all he must do in return is steal a heavily protected magical artifact. Luckily, his friends are around to help. There’s Laila, a dancer with a mystery of her own to solve, Zofia, an engineer who understands science better than people, Enrique, a historian who always has a joke at the ready, and Tristan, a botanist with an adorable pet tarantula.

“Nothing but a symbol? People die for symbols. People have hope because of symbols. They’re not just lines. They’re histories, cultures, traditions, given shape.”

- Setting -

Roshani Chokshi shines a light on all that makes Paris in 1889 great, and the darkness lurks in the corners. Let’s be real, it wasn’t a great time for a lot of people (aka everyone but white men) and Chokshi makes a point to highlight all of its flaws. This book also has a lot of fantasy aspects, with the Order of Babel, a powerful organization that practically rules society, and Forging, an ability that allows the wielder control of either mind or a specific matter (liquid, solid, or gas). There are so many unique Forged creations in this book that were absolutely fascinating, from hidden weapons to elaborate traps to protect secret treasures.

“I think the greatest power is belief, for what is a god without it?”

- Writing -

So I loved Roshani Chokshi’s writing style in The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, with its flowing prose with gorgeous metaphors, but I think she truly mastered it in The Gilded Wolves. The metaphors were never too heavy and confusing and only added to the already great story. It could be a little dense at times, with a lot of mythology, puzzles, and history, but the witty banter and entertaining dialogue was perfect in breaking up the exposition and puzzles.

“Half of winning, my dear wallet, is simply looking victorious.”

- Plot-

The Gilded Wolves is basically Six of Crows meets National Treasure and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Due to how dense it is, it can be a little hard to jump in to, but it never really is slow. From the first chapter, you’re thrown into the action and mystery of these character’s lives. There are constant heists, adventures, and puzzles to be solved, with not a single dull moment. There is more action than you could possibly imagine in a book just under 400 pages.

”Don’t capture their hearts. Steal their imagination. It’s far more useful.”

- Characters -

What really makes this book unique are the main characters. While every character is well developed and interesting, the main six are what will make you fall in love with this book. Roshani Chokshi created such fantastic characters, with great representation too (which I explained below)!

Severin - Severin is the owner of L’Eden, the hotel our main group lives in. He’s an incredible leader and is determined to get everything he wants for himself and for his closest friends. However, his first goal is always to protect those he holds close. Except, that isn’t always easy in his line of work. (French and Algerian)

Laila - Laila is a baker and dancer, but her main job is being the mom friend of the group. She and Severin have some history, but she can’t let herself be distracted from her true goal: finding an ancient book before it’s too late. (Indian)

Tristan - Tristan is Severin’s brother in all but blood. They were raised together by six different foster fathers (all horrible in their own way) and came out of it determined to protect each other no matter the cost. Tristan is kinda the baby of the group, beloved by everyone and an absolute sweetheart, even if he doesn’t understand why no one wants his Tarantula, Goliath, in the room with them.

Zofia - Zofia is was recently expelled from school, where she was studying Forging, but Severin takes her in as an engineer. She doesn’t quite understand people, but she has a gift for number, patterns, and puzzles. (Jewish, possibly autistic)

Enrique - Enrique acts like me when I see someone touching my books, whenever Severin plays with one of the ancient artifacts they acquire. He is a historian, incredibly smart and witty, and always brightens every scene he’s on. (Filipino and Spanish, bisexual)

Hypnos - Listen, Hypnos just wants friends and honestly? Same. He’s charismatic, flirty, and a little manipulative. He’s constantly underestimated due to the color of his skin and his seemingly pampered background, but he can definitely hold his own. (French and Haitian, queer)

“Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.”

- Conclusion - Pros- Amazing characters, great setting, beautiful writing Cons- A little dense, making it hard to get into at first (but it’s so worth it) Overall- 5/5 stars. The Gilded Wolves is an epic heist novel with constant twists and turns, and a cast of characters that will sear themselves into your heart.

“When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you’re furious, let it be fuel.”

#the gilded wolves #tgw #roshani chokshi #Séverin Montagnet-Alarie.#severin montagnet-alarie #books #book #booklr #bookblr #bookish #bookstagram #book aesthetic #aesthetic #caitsbooks pics #review #book review

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mybukz · 5 years

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Review: At Night We Come Out by Yanna Hashri

Title: At Night We Come Out Author : Yanna Hashri Genre: Poetry Format: Paperback, 24 pages Price: RM10 Released: August 20, 2018 Reviewer: Jeremy Chin

First, a disclaimer from me. In her poem, Wondering, You Wander, Yanna Hashri speaks of “the soul, looking for/whichever god will/house its needs”. Reality bends itself to our biases, and we all have a mesh over our eyes that lets through only that which we want to see. What follows is my take on Yanna Hashri’s collection of nineteen poems, through a lens that is entirely my own. A fair bit, I reckon, I’ve interpreted differently from was intended, but poetry is beautiful in that way; its cryptic nature leaves it open, invites you to give meaning to it, to make of it what you need it most to be.

A 26-page chapbook, At Night We Come Out is a light book with a heavy message. I found a few recurring themes in this body of work, and have sectioned my review accordingly.

ENTRAPMENT

Every time we get caught in an eddy of anxiety and depression, we create a prison for ourselves. The walls, as they become more stifling, induce reflection and expression, and have compelled many to push pen to paper, which perhaps is why entrapment shows up as a common theme in many poems, including Yanna’s.

In her poem The Weight of Her Light, she writes, “only blindness of self/ could make the night’s sky a cage” and “When she could take no more/the night begged me to let her go/ but all that flew out of my mouth was a bird the shape of death/tumbling down a black hole/its wings cutting deep into the edges of a universe”.

In her next piece, Three Paths, she speaks of the “map of the human heart/with no side doors or exits?”. In the Oldest of Ghosts she unleashes this line, “Time is a ponderous jest/under which I cup my tears”.

The outcome is a little different in Shhh, a poem on physical abuse, breaking out of the silence, and payback, which she artfully brings to life using the concept of shapes. Often it is the aggressor who entraps, smothers the voice of the weak, but in this instance, the victim refuses to stay down, and violence finds its way back to its owner.

LOVE

A few poems of Yanna’s touch on love. The one titled Tempest depicts the destructive nature of flare-ups in a relationship, how they sometimes come from a place that escapes reason, manifesting as “a one-eyed tempest/ howling up a fire from nothing/ until everything is wet ash”. Yanna goes on to describe how the cycle is renewed, her poem tapering off with the following verse: “She rages on and on/seeking answers to questions she doesn’t know/and in the morning, spent and shrunk/she wrecks herself, as always,into/ the moor of your battered arms”.

In her next poem, Curtain Call, she speaks of a house that had retained memories of its tenant: the blooming of her relationship with another, the “early tiptoe/of maybes and why nots”, the inevitability of rapture, the way their “hearts began to howl from the force/of collisions too violent to heal”.

“The song ends like so many sad things do -” Yanna writes, “sputtering to a stop as it drags/its last notes across the finish line.”. The house still stands, except the walls that once trapped in all the joy now cradles the emptiness that comes in the wake of love lost.

WAR

In many instances, we inherit the sins of our fathers. Yanna Hashri touches a fair bit on war and its implications, the way violence gets propagated from one generation to the next. In one of her pieces she opens with “The history of my people/is a history of madness”. In another she claims that there are only three paths to freedom: “To wade through decades of blood/To go mad from the silence of martyrs/To leap headfirst into the/ beast’s crepuscular belly”.

“Go look a mad man in the eye and ask/ how the flames wolfed down his heart/ and then tell me what you know of war”. In Neither Dream Nor Fable, she addresses the fire of violent conflict, the way it consumes everything in its path, how it makes us do the unthinkable: “We were hungry and desperate you see/ so we dug up the graves and sucked /the old pain from our grandmothers’ bones”.

The Dead Men Go Singing tells of the young who are exposed to war propaganda, who “gobble these songs up in their dreams like/hot fat dripping down their tongues/and into the proud swell of their chests”. Our youth are recruited into the violence and slain before they can understand its futility, “piling up mountains of useless regrets/ on the tips of blades they never learn to wield/until their bodies succumb to that last fall”.

DEBAUCHERY AND FALSE PERSONAS

In her poem Taste, Yanna brings to light how society is lost to gluttony, fakery and drunkenness, pointing to the idiots who could “drink/their weight in excess/and plop down to the earth,/sated and singing to each other/ in a language only beasts/ could understand”.

In her next poem, Hassia and the Fools, she speaks of a group of brutes, intoxicated by wine, wealth and lust. They fail in their pursuit of Hassia, who, to elude capture, “swam with swans in the day/and sang with wolves in the night”.

This theme of donning different personas trapezes into her next poem, Natural Disasters, where she writes: “Here comes Father in his suit and tie/choosing a face from the wall/to wear with care for the day”.

Final Words

Yanna’s Hashri’s collection feels like a walk through a gloomy cave with dripping fangs. But to my surprise, and delight, she concludes her collection with a piece that lights up the darkness, this turn-around brought on by the arrival of a child, her own, perhaps.

“You may have your father’s eyes/but you don’t have to look/at the world through them”, she writes in her concluding poem, One Day I’ll Love Yanna Hashri. “Gaze past the ramparts./It doesn’t matter what came before/or whose skin you were born into/… Lift your little boy into your arms/and wear his joy like armor/Leave all the bodies behind/and cross the moat/into the soft light of the morning”.

Yanna Hashri has produced an insightful, artistic and frighteningly real representation of the human condition, of a world lost to greed, violence and foolery. In her poem, The Garden, she writes, “The stories you cradle/in the dark palm of your hand/can serve you well if you/learn how to wield them”. I don’t know how autobiographical her poems are, but from what I’ve read, they appear to have been penned by one who has emerged from the fire a little scathed, a little scarred, but a whole lot stronger.

Yanna Hashri is a writer and editor with a degree in English Language and Literature. Her poetry takes inspiration from the complexity of human nature, surrealism and the magic of everyday things.

Jeremy Chin is a Malaysian-born author best known for his book FUEL, a story of a novice long distance runner who, fueled by sadness, wins the New York marathon. His book has developed a cult following amongst runners globally, and has been read by coaches, ultrarunners and Olympians worldwide.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy, you may do so at: https://www.amazon.com/Jeremy-Chin/e/B018LXOJJA/

#Yanna Hashri #At Night We Come Out #poetry #chapbook #Malaysian poetry #malaysian literature #Jeremy Chin #Fuel #book review

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theaddictedwatcher · 6 years

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Hey guys !

I know that it is a little unusual for me to post twice in the same week but I saw a post last week that made me want to write this review earlier than I had planned. This post was about the lack of Blacks representation in main roles in movies and TV shows and I instantly thought about this new little show that is being broadcast on the CW called Black Lightning. So that is what I will talk about today.

And to start, as usual, a little summary : Jefferson Pierce -now a father to two daughters and a charter highschool principal- made the choice to hung up the suit and hide his secret identity during a decade. But with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he will have no other choice than dust up his old suit and get back into the fight as the wanted vigilante called Black Lightning.

And now a little technical presentation:

- Character created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden with the comics Black Lightning (1977).

- Developed by: Salim Akil, Greg Berlanti and Mara Brock Akil.

- Music by: Kurt Farquhar.

- Main cast: Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, James Remar, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Damon Gupton.

So the reasons that made me want to push up the writing of this article is simply because the one I had read dealt with Blacks representation in main/leader roles and well, this show is composed at 97% of black actors and actresses so I found the counterbalance quite interesting. It is true that the number white people and the number of black people that succeed in landing a main role -whether in a movie or a TV show- are not equal yet things are slowly evolving. However, it is too often -yet not always- true that Black people who land a main role are chosen because the character is necessarily dark skinned (works about segregation, slavery, colonialism, social injustice are just examples of this). I really wanted to show that despite the representation issue being a main topic lately -whether it is about skin color, sexual orientation or disabilities-, Black Lightning tackles subjects that transcend those boundaries and explore all their characters, even the villains.

First and foremost, I would like to talk about the cast. The cast of this show is -as I said before- mainly composed of Black actors and actresses and have only ONE white main character, Gambi, -who is a sort of Alfred Pennyworth to Jefferson Pierce and who is portrayed by the great James Remar- and I think that it is a great change. I only knew one of the actresses when I started watching the show -China Anne McClain- but that is not the reason that made me want to watch the show. I like superheroes but lately I have been quite fed up with them, especially those on the CW. However, when I saw the trailer for the show on Netflix, I was surprised by the fresh aspect of the show and decided to give it a try. I want to say that they could not possibly have picked a better cast. Cress Williams is absolutely amazing as Jefferson Pierce, he is very charismatic and is a great lead figure for the show. He is an energetic person and that allows him to bring in his wake all the strength both the show and the embodiment of the character required. Over the first episodes, we get to discover more about each character’s personalities and especially the three leading ladies -China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams and Christine Adams- who gave me such a wide span of feelings, I was literally shook. I really like this cast, I think they are very believable and we feel that they care about one another, like a real family would do.

They as well casted Marvin “Krondon” Jones III as Tobias Whale. Both are African American albinos so they remained faithful to the comics description of that part. Krondon’s portrayal is really enforcing the frightening aspect of the character and this gives depth to the story as well. Indeed, Whale -who hates Pierce and his father- is trying to take over the town and destroy Pierce and his reputation. He is resentful because Pierce’s father destroyed Whale’s career, his reputation and also because Pierce inherited the popularity Whale used to have. However, I believe that there may be another reason enforcing this hatred yet it might be a little far-fetched. I am talking about their skin’s color. Even if Whale’s -and Krondon’s- faces have African American features, the fact that they are albinos have them presenting pale skin and light hair and this might make Whale feel that people do not consider him as much of a Black person as they would if he was not albino. Yes I had told you it was far-fetched but this could be an hypothesis as to why he wishes even more than to destroy Pierce, he wants to obliterate him, his family, his reputation and his influence on the people of Freeland.

Moreover, and this we know in the first minutes of the first episode so it is not a real spoiler, the show features amongst its main characters a black lesbian militant who dares to fight for what she believes in and tries to help her community by defying what those closest to her tell her what she should do. Nafessa Williams -the actress who plays this part- said about her character : “ I'm just really grateful to tell the story for young lesbians — and black lesbians in particular ... My hope is that when you watch Anissa, a young lesbian is inspired to walk boldly as who she is and to love herself and to love herself exactly how she looks.”. Nafessa Williams makes a great performance as a woman, a daughter, a sister but more than that as a fighter. She brings a strong figure to the show as well as a support to those seek it. I cannot wait to see what will become of her and of her sister – China Anne McClain’s character.

The show also focuses a lot on gun violence and drugs. An important part of the plot, the reason which makes Pierce get back into his old suit is to protect his town -and his family- from a gang, named the 100, that is destructing the city and its citizens through violence and drugs. I do not want to spoil the show so I will just say that episode after episode we see how easily these two things can destroy many lives. Yet the “bad guys” are not the only one to use violence to survive. The heroes of the show and their superpowers are also violent but under the pretext that they are trying to bring justice to Freeland, many consider that it is justified when it shouldn’t always.

The last aspect I briefly wanted to talk about is the music. Kurt Farquhar -who is in charge of the soundtrack of the show- is doing a great job as far as I am concerned. Indeed, the soundtrack is for the main part composed of urban music which reinforces not only the rebellious gang aspect of the show but it also accentuate the violence of the fighting scenes. It implements a certain energetic strength to the progression of the storyline as well as to the evolution of the characters’ depth. Here you can check it out : Black Lightning Soundtrack.

Here you have it folks, my article as to why and how Black Lightning quickly became one of my favorite and also a revolutionary one in some respect. I hope you will try the show and as always, let me know what you think about it!

Take care,

Kisses,

Eli.

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chaplainamerica316us · 4 years

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THE COURAGE TO SAY NO

By Chaplain Paul July 22 2020

America have we truly lost the courage to say “NO”?

The Founding Fathers had the courage to say, “NO”!!! to the British Empire back in 1776. The King of England taxed and taxed and taxed the colonies to such a point that the only solution was to have a revolution. The Founding Fathers proclaimed,

“Taxation without representation will not be tolerated in a free country, My fellow countrymen it’s time to stand up and fight for the sake of freedom and liberty.”

In the words of Benjamin Franklin "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God" (proposed by Franklin for the motto of the Great Seal of the United States).

"Every man…is, of common right, and by the laws of God, a freeman, and entitled to the free enjoyment of liberty."

"Our cause is the cause of all mankind…we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own."

"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

And then there was Harriet Tubman who was born a slave and who escaped leaving her family and making it to freedom in the north. But she did not stop there she devoted her life in helping other slaves to escape by being a Conductor on the Underground Railroad to Canada. Harriet Tubman had the courage to say, “NO”!!! to slavery and oppression and, “YES” TO FREEDOM AND LIBERITY. Harriet Tubman helped over 300 slaves make it to freedom in the north.

President Lincoln had the courage to say, “NO”!!! to slavery and oppression and say YES TO FREEDOM AND LIBERITY.

In President Lincoln’s own words,

This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.

Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving Grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

Abraham Lincoln

Davy Crockett along with all the other brave men and women at the Alamo had the courage to say, “NO”!!! General Montezuma and his invading army. They fought to the death fighting for freedom.

And when women were refused the right to vote Susan B Anthony had the courage to stand up and say, “NO”!!! NO TO INEQUALITY IN AMERICA!!!

Susan B Anthony spearheaded the American Suffrage Movement for woman’s right to vote.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had the courage to say “No”!!! to the Depression, “NO” to poverty, “No” to hopelessness, “NO” to homelessness, “No” to unemployment, “NO to inequality, and “NO”!!! to fear itself!!! As in NO MORE!!!!!!

Rosa Parks had the courage to say, “NO”!!!! to sitting in the back of the bus, “NO” to bigotry, “NO” to inequality, “NO” to prejudice, “NO” to injustice and “NO” to Oppression in America. As in NO MORE!!!!!

In her own words, “I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free, so other people could be also free.” Rosa Parks

Reverend Martin Luther King had the courage to say, “NO”!!! As in NO MORE!!!!! Racial inequality in America. “NO MORE!!!!” poverty, homelessness, prejudice, disparity, NO MORE!!!!! Hopelessness, bigotry, racism, and NO MORE OPPRESSION IN AMERICA!!!!!

In MLK’S own words, “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” –MLK, Jr

President John F Kennedy had the courage to say, “NO” to stagnation, “NO” to segregation, poverty, inequality, injustice, “NO to having missiles in Cuba. “NO” to the war in Vietnam. “NO” to The New World Order. “No” to tyranny and oppression. As in, “NO MORE”!!!!!!!

My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“If freedom is to survive and prosper, it will require the sacrifice, the effort and the thoughtful attention of every citizen.” JFK

Robert F Kennedy had the courage to say, “NO” to poverty, “NO” to inequality, oppression, “NO” to crime and the Italian Mafia, “NO” to segregation, homelessness, “NO” to the injustices of this world.

As in NO MORE!!!!!!

In his own words, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” ― Robert F. Kennedy

“Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted, when we tolerate what we know to be wrong, when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy or too frightened, when we fail to speak up and speak out, we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice.” ― Robert F. Kennedy

“We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization - black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion and love.... What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.” ― Robert F. Kennedy

Moses had the courage to say, “NO” to Pharaoh by saying,

“LET MY PEOPLE GO”

David had the courage to say “NO” to Goliath who was a giant with sward and shield. David had only a few smooth stones and a sling and he struck Goliath in the head for the glory of God.

Christ Yeshua had the courage to say “NO” to satan and the powers of darkness, sin and death itself. He said “NO” to the money changers in the Temple. Christ Yeshua had the courage to say, “NO” to suffering, poverty, hatred, unforgiveness, and all unrighteousness as in saying, “NO MORE”

Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted to proclaim Liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan

And behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him saying,

“Teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

He said to him, “what is written in the law, what is your reading of it?” So he answered and said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself and He said to him,

“you have answered rightly, do this and you shall live.”

But he wanted to justify himself said to Yeshua, “And who is my neighbor?” And Yeshua answered and said, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who stripped him of his clothing wounded him and departed leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down the road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side, likewise a Levite when he arrived at the place came and looked and passed by on the other side but a certain Samaritan as he journeyed came where he was and when he saw him he had compassion so he went to him and bandaged his wounds pouring oil and wine and he set him on his own animal bought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day when he departed he took out two pieces of silver gave them to the innkeeper and said to him, “Take care of him and whatever more you spend when I come again I will repay you.” So which of these do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves and he said, “He who showed mercy on him. Then Yeshua said to him,

“Go and do likewise,”

John 8:12 And Yeshua speaking to them said, “I am the light of the world he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the Light of Life

John 14:6 And Yeshua spoke to them saying, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life no one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 8:36 Who the Son sets FREE is FREE indeed.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty…Amen

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mrmichaelchadler · 6 years

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Thumbnails Special Edition: Women Writers Week 2018

Women Writers Week has been an outstanding success in every respect. I am so proud of all the amazing female writers who have contributed their voices to our site over the past five days. For this special edition of Thumbnails, I am celebrating all of them, while highlighting a handful of excerpts showcasing their talents. For our official table of contents, click here. You can also find my personal introduction to #WomensWritersWeek here. And please know that each of our contributors write powerful articles and reviews either here, or at their own websites and print media all year long. A hearty thanks to all!—Chaz Ebert

"It Takes an Army": Carrie Rickey takes a close look at the disparity between male and female directors and the people fighting to correct it. See also: Jennifer Merin's optimistic take on the future for women in the industy; Olivia Collette's reflections on the documentary "Searching for Debra Winger"in light of the #MeToo movement; and Joyce Kulhawik's conversation with legendary burlesque queen Tempest Storm.

“Since 1998, Martha Lauzen, professor at San Diego State University, and head of the Center for Women in Television and Film, has published the annual Celluloid Ceiling report tracking film employment, the ‘Boxed In’ report, that does the same for women’s employment in TV, and ‘It’s a Man’s World,’ tracking representation of women on the big and small screens. In the 1990s, she read newspaper articles about how women were doing better in film and TV. The reports were anecdotal—they were about the unicorns, or exceptions—and had no correlation with what she was seeing on the big and small screens, and in the credits. ‘I started conducting research on an annual basis to accurately document women’s underemployment, and to build industry awareness,’ she wrote in an email. It didn’t occur to her that it would take decades to build momentum and ‘for the demographics of the country to help push it along.’ The Center tracks employment for women in all areas behind the camera, from cinematographer to screenwriter. (Lauzen was the first to provide statistics showing how a woman director boosts the number of women on the set: on films with exclusively male directors, women accounted for only 15% of editors and 5% of cinematographers. On films with female directors, the percentages of women editors rose to 35%, and cinematographers to 26%.)”

"How to Create Sex Scenes That Women Will Enjoy as Much as Men": An undervalued topic is given a wonderful analysis by Olivia Collette. See also: Violet LeVoit article on the representation of C-sections in American movies; and Kristen Lopez's two excellent articles, "On the Representation of Disabled Women in Cinema" and "Disability Theater Access in 2018."

“When critics focused on Lena Dunham’s body during her sex scenes in ‘Girls,’ they often missed how much women enjoyed watching those scenes. It wasn’t just the comedic awkwardness of some of it; it’s that we were seeing women with developed sexual appetites enjoying sex on their own terms. Marnie runs to the bathroom to masturbate after an artist speaks to her commandingly. Jessa wears her sexuality like armor. And Hannah loves to experiment, even if it garners mixed results. They govern their sex lives, and they have fun doing it. Elsewhere, ‘Basic Instinct’ is a fucked-up film, and though it ultimately equates Catherine’s murderousness with her ravenous bisexuality, it also has the balls to show us a woman who loves sex and is in complete control of the sex she’s having. Not only is it hot to watch, the movie makes it quite clear that sex with Catherine is amazing.”

"'Phantom Thread,' Jane Eyre and the Power Dynamics of the Hetero Romance": An amazing, in-depth exploration of the literary legacy of Paul Thomas Anderson's latest Oscar-winner. See also: Jessica Ritchey's case for how "Night of the Living Dead" destroyed Hammer films; Elena Lazic's impassioned defense of "The Greatest Showman"; and the 30th anniversary of "Working Girl," as commemorated by Christy Lemire, Sheila O'Malley and Susan Wloszczyna.

“While this resolution has the thrill of the unexpected within the context of the film’s narrative, it also had a ring of familiarity, recalling another great story of a man’s domestication: Jane Eyre. Jane is a small, poor young woman who works for the rich, overpowering Mr. Rochester. They fall in love, though their relationship is an ongoing battle of wills, as strong-willed Jane attempts to remain her own master while Rochester both loves her strength and treats her as something of a possession, expecting the ease and subservience his maleness and wealth and power have always afforded him. Jane leaves Rochester (mad wife in the attic—you know how it is), grows, turns down a proposal from a man who doesn’t love her, and conveniently inherits her own wealth. When she returns to Rochester, she finds him scarred, blind, and short a hand (that mad wife, again!). Rather than harming their relationship, this development—which has calmed him, made him meeker, less certain, more dependent—is the linchpin that finally makes their relationship tenable. Like Alma and Reynolds, it allows them to settle into an ideal and idealized marriage, complete with baby.”

"Return of 'Roseanne' Marked by Notable Highs and Lows": The popular TV reboot is given a sublime review by Allison Shoemaker. See also: Shoemaker's review of FX's "The Americans"; and Jana Monji's essays on ABC's "The Good Doctor" and Netflix's "Lost in Space".

“If the show has a weakness outside of its off-putting ‘topical’ moments, it’s Barr’s portrayal of the still-compelling central figure. She’s as charismatic as she ever was, with great timing and that terrific laugh, but there’s a hesitancy to her performance, particularly in the first episode, that was rarely, if ever, in evidence the first time around. That’s a quality that does eventually seem to fade—in the second episode, she’s back in fine form—but whether due to nerves, a little rustiness, or some other factor entirely, the spark is somewhat diminished. The same can be said of both Goranson and Fishman, though like Barr, Goranson seems more at ease as the series progresses. And while you couldn’t call the newest Connor kids rusty, the young actors recruited for this go-round lack the relaxed quality that made the young Goranson and Gilbert’s performances so memorable. Still, they all have a quality that’s essential to the show’s DNA: they can layer in the world-weariness, sorrow, or slight touch of bitterness that allow the jokes to land all the harder, because they feel so real. These characters are funny. They find life funny. But the reality isn’t funny at all.”

"King in the Wilderness": A must-read four-star review penned by Arielle Bernstein. See also: Monica Castllo's review of "Acrimony"; Tomris Laffly's review of "Birthmarked"; Tina Hassannia's review of "The China Hustle"; Susan Wloszczyna's review of "Finding Your Feet"; Jessica Ritchey's review of "First Match"; Justine Smith's review of "Gemini"; Sheila O'Malley's reviews of "God's Not Dead: A Light in the Darkness" and "The Last Movie Star"; Nell Minow's review of "Love After Love"; Allison Shoemaker's review of "Outside In"; and Christy Lemire's review of "Ready Player One".

“‘King in the Wilderness’ is a quiet and understated film, which lingers lovingly on its subject. We see Dr. King’s famous sermons at the pulpit, and also see him sitting quietly with family and friends. Regardless of whether King is performing to a crowd or sharing a private moment with someone dear to him, his gentle and determined spirit permeates every scene. This is true in the actual found footage, as well as moments that capture his friend’s recollections about the kind of man he was. These interviews convey King’s private hopes, as well as fears, frustrations, and doubts. We learn that King had a great sense of humor, worried about his ability to be a good father and husband, and wrestled with his ability to lead under the threat of violence to his own person. At one point, he develops a tic when he speaks, which eventually resolves on its own. When his friend asks about it, he explain ‘I made my peace with death.’”

Image of the Day

Filmmaker Andrew Haigh chats with Tomris Laffly about his acclaimed, beautifully shot new movie, "Lean on Pete."

Video of the Day

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The Life of a Woman, Directed by Women from emma piper-burket on Vimeo.

I absolutely love Emma Piper-Burket's new video essay, "The Life of a Woman, Directed by Women," spanning 122 years and containing clips of trailblazing artists on every content.

from All Content https://ift.tt/2IgokZ4

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