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Shattered
Book
It was never supposed to be this close. And of course she was supposed to win. How Hillary Clinton...
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A Short History of Lithuania to 1569
Book
Why did Lithuania’s dictator in the 1920s (the pro-Nazi Augustinas Voldemaras, who aligned himself...
history bookbuzz
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Adam Green recommended track This Springtime by Turner Cody in 60 Seasons by Turner Cody in Music (curated)
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Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire
Book
How did we get here? In this sweeping, eloquent history of America, Kurt Andersen shows that...
History Politics
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In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History
Book
"There is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence for it." When Mitch Landrieu...
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How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays
Book
From the author of The Queen of the Night, an essay collection exploring his education as a man,...
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Alternative War
Book
In Alternative War, former police officer turned investigative journalist James Patrick tackles...
Politics International Relations
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated BlacKkKlansman (2018) in Movies
Oct 1, 2018 (Updated Oct 2, 2018)
The movie worked in several different ways, it definitely worked as a comedy and had me laughing raucously at certain points and then it would drop an important and relevant point on you and suddenly things wouldn't seem so funny any more. All of a sudden, these laughably ignorant racists suddenly became a very real threat, which I don't think was an accident in paralleling how Lee feels about a good amount of modern day Americans like Donald Trump. Remember when he first announced that he was running for office and everybody, (including the current president at that time,) laughed at him? Now he is the most powerful man in the world and poses a very real threat to minorities in the US. I thought that this was a very clever, subtle way to take a shot without being too blatant.
Then there was a slightly more obvious shot at him when characters are discussing a man filled with hate potentially working his way into power and getting the majority of the American public on his side and how awful that would be. Although this particular dig is way more obvious, it still didn't bother me too much and I accepted it as a filmmaker using his platform to send a message to someone that he morally disagrees with.
The final dig was a step too far for me. During a phone conversation between David Duke and Ron Stallworth, Duke says something about getting rid of non-whites to "make America great again." It was so heavy handed that the characters onscreen might as well have turned around and winked at the camera. Please don't get me wrong, I think that Donald Trump is a scumbag and am totally fine with Lee taking a couple of shots at him, but I much preferred the more subtle undertones that he sent his way earlier in the film to this blatantly obvious, slightly cringey callout.
I did enjoy Lee's references to Blaxploitation films of the 70's and I liked the whole aesthetic that this movie had. The score was brilliant and the cast did a great job, the performance that stayed with me the most after the film, was Corey Hawkins monologue as Kwame Ture. He only appears in one scene in the film, but his speech, (in which I felt he strongly channelled Denzel,) was mesmerising and electrifying to watch.
The way that Spike Lee chose to end this movie has stirred some controversy, but I found it to be incredibly powerful and moving. It really sent home the message that this kind of intense, despicable hatred isn't just something that was around in the 70's and 80's, it is something that is still sadly prevalent and happening in today's society and we have people in power, like Trump, who is willing to defend and stand by these people and their violent, hateful behaviour. It was also a fitting tribute to Heather Heyer who was killed when a car crashed into a crowd of people who had been peacefully protesting the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia one-year prior to this film's release.
Overall, this is a funny, entertaining, uncomfortable and anger-inducing film and all of these emotion are equally relevant. I also feel that this movie does exactly what it intends to on a moral level, whether you agree with the ideals portrayed or not, Lee does a terrific job in turning a period piece movie into a painfully relevant message for modern audiences.
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What I Learnt: What My Listeners Say - And Why We Should Take Notice
Book
Jeremy Vine has been presenting a BBC Radio 2 show since 2003 that attracts more than seven million...
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The Clintons' War on Women
Book
"This book on Hillary - really tough." - President Donald Trump Hillary Clinton is running for...