This week in the trailer round-up we’re leaving the movie theaters and heading to our living room for two new sneak peaks from HBO. The first is the much-anticipated new show from The Wire creator David Simon and the second is the much-anticipated show from the writer of The Sopranos and Martin Scorsese.
I for one couldn’t be more excited for both, even though one of these trailers is a step above the other. More
I never really had a desire to go to Harvard but news that they are now offering a class solely on David Simon's The Wire means that might have to change. The class, according to African American studies chair Professor Evelyn B. Higginbotham, will use the show to illustrate poverty in America.
"‘The Wire’ has done more to enhance our understanding of the systemic urban inequality that constrains the lives of the poor than any published study” Sociology Professor William J. Wilson said."
I couldn't agree more. The Wire was more than smart, entertaining television, it shed light on a world too often kept in the dark, too often ignored by most people. Watching, in detail, the inner workings of city life in Baltimore, from the dealers on the street to the Mayoral candidates, it isn't hard to see that we have of work to do on all levels to stop violence, support education and make sure we have politicians that are working for us and not for money and lobbyists.
The Wire made sure everyone knew that everything was connected, that everyone is responsible for the world we live in. It also never let you escape from the reality of its characters. One of the most telling moments of the show [SPOILER ALERT] came in Season 5. More
I've always been outspoken of my love for The Wire and even Bill Moyers. So I could I keep it to myself that I found video of David Simon, creator of The Wire, on Bill Moyer's The Journal. The video may be from April but it is still so relevant.
The two discuss politics, crime, drugs, the street and more. Watching the interview might be the best thing you could do today--or at least the most informative.
Chemical pollution from agricultural runoff along the Mississippi river has created a "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, where algae flourish then die and drastically deplete oxygen for all other marine life. The problem is as serious as the name suggests, and renowned National Geographic filmmaker and writer John Bowermaster has documented the devastating phenomenon as part of his upcoming film, SOLA, Louisiana Water Stories.
The documentary examines the relationship between Southern Louisianans and the water that surrounds them – creeks, rivers, bayous, the Gulf, the Mississippi, as well as the terrible environmental threats the region faces. The "Dead Zone" threatens to destroy not only the remarkably diverse ecosystem of the area, but also the region's economy and rich cultural heritage. More
If you were on The Wire chances are high you are going to get a happy birthday post from me.
Clarke Peters played the always awesome Lester Freamon on the Baltimore drama - and added some class to the Baltimore police force.
You can currently catch Clarke on Damages (although the Season Finale was last week - you can catch older episodes on Hulu) where instead of catching the corrupt folks in society he actually is one of the corrupt folks.
In honor of Clarke's birthday give a watch to a classic scene from The Wire below and also takepart with The Ella Thompson Fund of the Parks & People Foundation which supports recreation and after-school programs in West Baltimore,
The Arabbers of Baltimore, fruit and vegetable vendors unique to the city who work off ornately decorated horse drawn carts, have found a new home. The Arabbers (pronounced A-Rabbers, like Day Crabbers) have been without a permanent stable for their horses, carts and prduce since the beginning of the 21st Century having experienced bad luck, a fire that destroyed a historic former stable and institutional resistance within the city government in recent years.
But hopefully fortunes have finally changed for the better for these hardworking business owners in Charm City. For starters the current administration within the city has been much more interested in preserving the occupation of Arabbing, a trade nearly 200 years old that used to be common in all East Coast cities amongst peddlers of varied ethnic backgrounds, but now is practiced solely in Baltimore by African-American vendors. After years of different city governments regarding the Arabbers as little more than a public nuisance that got in the way of automobiles during rush hour, Baltimore's City Hall now seems to be seeing the virtues of the tradesmen as something uniquely Baltimorean that could even help enhance tourism to the city. More
You all know how much I love The Wire (and if you didn't, I do!) - which is why I am very excited that the entire Wire (all 5 seasons) can be picked up at Amazon.com for only $81.99 (apparently it is normally $250.00!!!)
takepart to get caught up on The Wire today and check out my favorite scene from the entire series below:
After returning late to a Las Vegas hotel room the other night I caught the fascinating documentary "Operation Filmmaker" playing on cable. The film by Nina Davenport (an interview with whom TakePart reported on last summer) shows what ensues when a young, aspiring filmmaker from Iraq, Muthana Mohmed, is brought by an American production company to the set of "Everything is Illuminated" in the Czech Republic in 2003 after the onset of the Iraq War. The extraction of Mohmed out of a war zone and into the strange world of film production is the idea of the film's director, actor Liev Schreiber, who sees Mohmed in a brief segment on MTV talking about his dream of becoming a filmmaker after seeing his country torn apart by both Saddam Hussein and the war, and is moved to help the young man make his dreams a reality. However things don't exactly go to plan.
Perhaps Schreiber's biggest mistake in the ordeal is approaching MTV about making a documentary on Muthana's saga, a film that will end up showcasing almost everyone involved in the ordeal looking somewhere between bad and really bad. Once in the Czech Republic, Muthana doesn't turn out to be the Cinderella story that Schreiber and the production company had in mind. For starters, he doesn't like the duties assigned to him of being a Production Assistant on the set of the film (which in all fairness to Muthana, having PA'd myself, is perfectly normal). He's also not particularly motivated and doesn't have anything resembling the sense of direction possessed by the successful, driven people surrounding him on set like Schreiber or producer Peter Saraf. Like many young people in their early twenties, Muthana seems to be in the throes of the clumsy, mundane process of finding himself, which does not endear him to those who thought they were giving him the opportunity of a lifetime, yet don't see him taking advantage of it. Muthana's personal political views also seem jarring to the production company. He declares that he "loves George Bush" for freeing his country and describes "Everything is Illuminated", a film about a Jewish American writer traveling to Europe to walk in the footsteps of his family members in the holocaust as "a Jewish movie, defending the Jewish theory." More
It's that time of year when everyone reflects on their favorites. My pal Dana posted her top albums of the year, I went to NPR to learn about some of the top books of 2008 and I of course came up with my top movies and performances of the year. But while TakePart appreciates culture, what really gets us all excited is that place where social action and entertainment meet. We like movies, but we really really like movies that inspire us to get involved in the world and that teach us about places, ideas and issues. With that in mind I created a list of my Top 10 Movies That Inspired People to TakePart.
Let me know if I missed a film that inspired you and be sure to take note that each film comes with it's own TakePart link - so you can get involved and learn more about the issues in the film.
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Standard Operating Procedure (Errol Morris) : For me this was the movie we needed to see in 2008. It took something we all assumed we understood and showed us how we didn't. By examining the photographs from Abu Ghraib, Errol Morris allowed us to question who was to blame for the torture that happened there and how the military works - specifically when it comes to females. I can't think of something more important for us to be thinking about.
takepart with the social action campaign for Standard Operating Procedure and take a stand for human rights.
by Bryan StampDoes art imitate life, or does life imitate art?Sometimes our political candidates act like actors and celebrities, and sometimes they actually are. But often we are only left with our imagination to explore the landscape of a country led by politicians as portrayed in the movies and TV. During this time of national politicking, I am inspired to write a little something about of my favorite election films" for two reasons: The first is by the films SWING VOTE and the upcoming DVD release of Participant Media's own documentary CHICAGO 10, and the second is by an All Thing's Considered segment called, In Election Movies, Playing By A Rule of Three.Bob Mondello keenly observes this genre of films as a sub-genre of political films with it's own sub-set of three types of electoral manipulation:
... movies with a generically political bent come in all shapes and styles, election movies are almost always about process specifically, about efforts to manipulate either (a) the media, and thereby the public, (b) the candidate or (c) the process itself.
The most famous examples are THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, BOB ROBERTS, PRIMARY COLORS, THE BEST MAN and THE CANDIDATE. Bob Mondello and Michelle Norris discuss these and others, including the lesser known Capra/Tracy/Hepburn film STATE OF THE UNION. And WAG THE DOG, which doesn't really follow and election or candidacy, but it's a damn fine movie (smartly adapted by David Mamet from a more ambitious book). Nothing about THE CONTENDER though, which isn't a perfect film and not exactly about an election/campaign, but certainly worth a mention (especially in this post-Hillary era). All of these films intersect with real life (by imitating it or influencing it) either at the time of their making or later. More
This week in the trailer round-up we’re leaving the movie theaters and heading to our living room for two new sneak peaks from HBO. The first is the much-anticipated new show from The Wire creator David Simon and the second is the much-anticipated show from the writer of The Sopranos and Martin Scorsese. 
I never really had a desire to go to Harvard but news 
The 
After returning late to a 
