Fury
Film Review by Kam Williams
It is April of 1945, and the Allies are making major inroads across the European theater. However, Adolf Hitler has responded to the attrition in the ranks of his army by exhorting women and children to take up arms in a desperate fight to the death.
This is the state of affairs awaiting Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) when he reaches Germany after engagements in Africa, Belgium and the Netherlands. Sergeant Collier is the commander of a Sherman tank that is part of a battle-hardened armored division being dispatched deep into enemy territory to help deliver the coup de grace to the Nazis.
We meet Wardaddy during a brief pause in the action taken to refuel, to restock ammo and to replace his recently-deceased “best damn gunner in the 9th battalion.” Now, he must make do with Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman), a private with no fighting experience just plucked out of the typing pool.
The other members of Collier’s motley crew include tank driver Trini Garcia (Michael Pena), Bible-thumping Boyd Swan (Shia LaBeouf) and a good ol’ boy who goes by Coon-Ass (Jon Benthal). Their next mission is to rescue some stranded GIs urgently in need of assistance.
But prior to shipping out, Collier wants to make sure his greenhorn is ready for the front. So, he forces him to shoot a captured SS officer in the head to show he has no qualms about killing.
That is the premise established at the outset of Fury, a fairly gruesome adventure written and directed by U.S. Navy veteran David Ayer (Training Day). Fair warning: this is a film you don’t so much watch as endure. Picture the sheer intensity of Saving Private Ryan coupled with the visual capture of The Thin Red Line, the harrowing claustrophobia of Das Boot, and the utter insanity of Apocalypse Now.
Brad Pitt exudes an endearing combination of confidence and charm as a calm leader who proves himself quite capable of generating a genuine camaraderie among his men despite the cramped quarters and constant close brushes of death. Moreover, he exhibits an uncanny ingenuity when forced by circumstances to survive by his wits as their resources dwindle.
The meat grinder that was World War II convincingly portrayed from the point-of-view of a band of brothers who were like sitting ducks stuck in a sardine can.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for sexuality, graphic violence, grisly images and pervasive profanity
In English and German with subtitles
Running time: 134 minutes
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
To see a trailer for Fury, visit:
Dear White People
Film Review by Kam Williams
The academics are tough enough at Winchester University, a mythical Ivy League institution. It’s too bad that black students there also have to worry about making themselves comfortable socially.
That’s precisely the predicament we find a quartet of African-American undergrads facing at the point of departure of Dear White People, a sophisticated social satire marking the directorial and scriptwriting debut of Justin Simien. Earlier this year, the thought-provoking dramedy won the Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the Sundance Film Festival.
The picture’s protagonists are as different from each other as night and day. Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams) is gay and uncomfortable around his own people because blacks teased him the most about his sexuality back in high school. So, he lives in a predominately-white dorm where he’s ended up being bullied anyway.
Then there’s Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P. Bell), a legacy admission to Winchester courtesy of his father (Dennis Haysbert), an alumnus and the current Dean of Students. Troy’s dating an equally-well connected white girl, Sofia Fletcher (Brittany Curran), the daughter of the school’s President (Peter Syvertsen).
Political activist Samantha White (Tessa Thompson) sits at the other extreme, being a militant sister who lives in the all-black dorm ostensibly serving as a refuge for the “hopelessly Afro-centric.” She also hosts a talk show on the college’s radio school’s station, “Dear White People” where she indicts Caucasians about everything from their racism to their sense of entitlement.
Finally, we have Coco Conners (Teyonah Parris) who just wants to assimilate into mainstream American culture. In fact, she’s more concerned with whether she might make the cut for the reality-TV show conducting auditions on campus than with challenging the status quo, ala rabble rouser Samantha.
So, the premise is set by establishing that the four lead characters have little in common besides their skin color. And the plot subsequently thickens when Pastiche, a student-run humor publication, decides to throw a Halloween party with an “unleash your inner-Negro” theme.
Now they share the prospect of being stereotyped by white classmates cavorting around in blackface dressed as pimps and gangstas, and as icons like President Obama and Aunt Jemima. En route to a surprising resolution, director Simien pulls a couple of rabbits out of his hat while lacing his dialogue with pithy lines (“Learn to modulate your blackness up or down depending on the crowd and what you want from them.”) and touching on a litany of hot button issues ranging from Affirmative Action to Tyler Perry.
A delightful dissection of the Ivy League that stirs the pot in the way most folks mean when they a call for a national discussion of race.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, ethnic and sexual preference slurs, sexuality and drug use
Running time: 106 minutes
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
To see a trailer for Dear White People, visit:
Addicted
Film Review by Kam Williams
I’m not sure whether in these more enlightened, politically correct times I’m allowed to call a movie a “chick flick” anymore. But when I went to see Addicted, the only other guys in attendance were the couple of buddies I invited to join me at the advance screening.
Furthermore, all the women were African-American. And as they exited the theater afterwards, out of curiosity, I polled about a dozen sisters to see what they thought of the picture. They all loved it. But we men had found it sheer torture, from the tame sex scenes showing precious little skin, to the Puritanical moralizing, to the over-the-top melodrama.
That being said, since the estrogen-laden ladies uniformly enjoyed the film, I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume that testosterone heavily influenced my viewing experience. Therefore, fellow males might want to take anything positive I have to say here with a ton of salt.
At the point of departure, we’re introduced to Zoe Reynard (Sharon Leal). The attractive wife/mother/career woman has a thriving business and a sprawling house in the suburbs where she lives with a couple of cute kids and a doting husband (Boris Kodjoe) who just adores her. Jason showers her with affection and little reminders of his devotion like “I love you more than life itself,” and “Our love is forever.”
Trouble is he can’t satisfy her sexually, despite being a handsome hunk and giving it his best efforts between the sheets. Consequently, after they’ve made love, she remains so aroused that she slips out of bed to finish herself off with a huge dildo.
But she’s somehow still horny the next morning and, despite making mild protestations (“This isn’t right!”), easily succumbs to the seductive charms (“I just love the way your lips move.”) of Quentin (William Levy), an ardent Latin lover with an unintelligible accent that just screams “Subtitle this!” Meanwhile, the indiscriminate adulterer also indulges her illicit urges with a buff biker named Corey (Tyson Beckford).
All of the above unfolds flashback-style as recounted by the regretful protagonist in therapy sessions with Dr. Marcella Spencer (Tasha Smith). Unfortunately, the ineffective shrink comes off as more of a voyeur than a psychologist, given her vapid, incongruous responses (“We need to talk about your childhood,” and “We need to talk about your past.”) to Zoe’s couch confessions.
Long ago, I learned Newton’s law that bodies at rest stay at rest, and bodies in motion stay in motion. But what about a body hit by a speeding car at about 70 mph? You’ll have to see the movie to get that laughable lesson in cartoon physics.
Far be it from me to totally trash a seemingly-silly soap opera males (0 stars) might find laughable to the same extent it moves females (4 stars) to tears. Go figure! Consequently, with the wisdom of a modern day Solomon, permit me to play it safe by splitting the difference.
Good (2 stars)
Rated R for nudity, profanity, graphic sexuality and brief drug use
Running time: 105 minutes
Distributor: Lionsgate Films / Codeblack
To see a trailer for Addicted, visit:
The Judge
Film Review by Kam Williams
Downey and Duvall Square-Off in Character-Driven Courtroom Drama
Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a very successful, criminal defense attorney with a good reason to hide his humble roots. After all, he was a rebellious kid who frequently landed in trouble with the law while growing up in tiny Carlinville, Indiana.
That juvenile delinquency only served to alienate him from his father, Joseph (Robert Duvall), who just happened to be the town’s only judge. In addition, one of Hank’s more egregious missteps left him permanently estranged from his older brother, Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio). And since their only other sibling, Dale (Jeremy Palmer), was mentally handicapped, Hank hadn’t been back in ages when he received word that his mother (Catherine Cummings) had died.
So, he only planned to make a perfunctory appearance at the funeral before quickly returning to Chicago where he had his hands full, between his high-flying career and a custody battle with his estranged wife (Sarah Lancaster) over their young daughter (Emma Tremblay). However, everything changes when Judge Palmer is suddenly arrested in the hit-and-run killing of a creepy convict (Mark Kiely) he’d publicly castigated in court before releasing back onto the street.
This shocking development conveniently forces Hank to stick around to represent his father, and simultaneously affords him the opportunity to mend a few fences. Plus, it gives him time to unwittingly seduce a woman he meets in a bar (Leighton Meester), who is not only the daughter of his high school sweetheart (Vera Farmiga), but might be the love child he never knew he had.
Thus unfolds The Judge, a character-driven drama which is half-whodunit, half-kitchen sink soap opera that pulls another rabbit out of the hat every five minutes or so. A potentially farcical film remains rather well grounded thanks to Robert Duvall who plays the Palmer family patriarch with a sobering, stone cold gravitas.
Both Robert Downey, Jr. and Billy Bob Thornton turn in inspired performances, too, as the opposing attorneys matching wits in a classic courtroom showdown. And the rest of the ensemble more than holds their own as well in service of a script that has a tendency to strain credulity.
A fanciful, thoroughly-modern variation on the parable of the Prodigal Son!
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated R for profanity and sexual references
Running time: 141 minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers
To see a trailer for The Judge, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TA5Y86yAo4
Boris Kodjoe
The “Addicted” Interview
with Kam Williams
Kodjoe Aglow!
From his big screen and television roles to his theater and entrepreneurial skills, Boris Kodjoe has proven to be one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. He is probably best known for his role as Damon Carter on the TV series “Soul Food.”
He can currently be seen opposite Kevin Hart, Nick Cannon and JB Smoove on another hit sitcom, “The Real Husbands of Hollywood,” and will soon be starring in the upcoming series “Members Only” which will premiere this fall on ABC. And on the big screen, Boris was recently seen reprising his role as Luther West in the box office hit Resident Evil: Retribution, as well as in Baggage Claim opposite Paula Patton, Derek Luke and Trey Songz.
He was born in Vienna, Austria to Ursula Kodjoe, a psychologist from Germany, and Eric Kodjoe, a physician from Ghana, West Africa. They raised Boris, his brother Patrick and sister Nadja in Germany where he became one of the best tennis players in the country before earning an athletic scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University.
While studying in Richmond, he was approached by a talent scout for Ford Modeling agency which he joined after earning his marketing degree in May of 1996. Immediately, he booked a dozen campaigns such as Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis, Yves Saint Laurent, and The GAP. His career skyrocketed as he quickly became one of the most recognizable male supermodels.
Hollywood soon took notice. While studying with acting coach Janet Alhanti, Boris started guest starring on sitcoms such as “For Your Love,” and landed a supporting role in the feature film Love and Basketball. He also starred in Brown Sugar, alongside Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, for which he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. His other screen credits include Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion, The Gospel, Surrogates and Resident Evil: Afterlife.
Onstage, Boris made his Broadway debut in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, opposite James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose. Previously, he toured the country in the play Whatever She Wants with Vivica A. Fox and Richard Roundtree.
Boris and his brother Patrick have launched the clothing company ALFA (Affordable Luxury For All), bringing the luxury of custom-made clothing to every man and woman in America at affordable prices. The line can be accessed at www.worldofalfa.com. But his primary personal interest is to raise funds for Sophie’s Voice Foundation (www.sophiesvoicefoundation.org), a charity he started with his wife in honor of his daughter Sophie, who was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth.
Here, Boris discusses his new movie, Addicted, the screen adaptation of the steamy best-seller by Zane.
Kam Williams: Hi Boris, thanks for another opportunity to interview you.
Boris Kodjoe: Thank you, Kam.
KW: You know, I recently met Nicole at a charity function here in Princeton after one of her performances of Antony & Cleopatra.
BK: Wow!
KW: That was a lot of fun after having interviewed her several times over the years. She’s even more beautiful and gracious in person. Now, let me ask you about the movie. What interested you in Addicted? Were you already a Zane fan?
BK: I wasn’t as aware of her before I read the script. That’s when I began to find out more and more about Zane, her tremendous fan base, and all of her books.
KW: How did you like the idea of playing the aggrieved party instead of the hunk the female lead is after?
BK: It was interesting to me, because he went from being a victim to being a protagonist, in a way, once he found out that his wife had been leading this parallel life. So, the character had to deal wiith all kinds of obstacles, and ups-and-downs that I found intriguing.
KW: Tell me a little about what it was like making this movie.
BK: It was great. It was almost like a family affair. I’ve known [director] Bille Woodruff for years, as well as [fellow cast members] Tyson [Beckford], Sharon [Leal] and everybody. So, it was quite easy to trust my director. My job was basically to make Sharon feel comfortable and protected. She was so courageous and vulnerable, and did such an amazing job. And I was sort of the safety net for her to do all that.
KW: Was there any tension on the set between Zane, the author of the novel, and Bille in terms of their vision for the screen adaptation?
BK: No, they got all of that out of the way before we started shooting. They had numerous meetings, and made sure they were on the same page. To make a movie like that, you really have to trust your director, and they were on the same page.
KW: What message do you think people will take away from?
BK: It’s about communication, weathering the storms, and making sure you really understand each other. In a situation like that, especially where addiction is involved, that lines of communication are open for the spouse not only to understand but to be ready to jump in and help. In the film, you see how difficult it can be because there’s guilt, there’s blame, there’s doubt, and therapy comes into play, as well. And it encourages the audience to engage in conversation after seeing the movie, which is great, too.
KW: You’re really busy on TV nowadays, between Real Husbands of Hollywood and Members Only.
BK: Yeah, Husbands starts up on October 14th, that’s when Season Three premieres. And I just finished the first episode of Members Only, which takes a unique look into contemporary life at a country club, at a lot of scandal and other ridiculousness that transpires there. So, it’s been exciting for me to do both shows, and a diverse selection of work overall.
KW: Do the series’ shooting schedules overlap?
BK: No, it worked out perfectly, which things usually do when you relinquish control and give it to God.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How do you and Nicole balance your busy careers with being the parents of young children?
BK: It’s not about balance. It’s about priorities, and we make family our priority, and everything else sort of falls into place around it. When you do that, you don’t have the stress of trying to make things happen. They happen organically. Our kids are more important to us than any movie or TV show. So, we want to make sure they have what they need, and mostly that’s quality time with us.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
BK: An amazing book I read with my kids about the life of a child with a very rare and severe facial disfigurement, and about how his environment responds to him, and how he makes his life, his community, friends and school. It’s phenomenal. We’re reading it right now. The book is called “Wonder” and the main character’s name is August. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375869026/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you at this point in your career?
BK: Anything that’s new and different.
KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
BK: Our new clothing line, World of Alfa [ www.worldofalfa.com ]. That’s our company.
KW: Let's say you’re throwing your dream dinner party—who’s invited… and what would you serve?
BK: My wife, my father, my brother, my mother, James Earl Jones, Sidney Poitier, Rupert Murdoch, Desmond Tutu, J.J. Abrams, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, John Stewart, Bill Maher, Chris Rock and Banksy. A big table.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
BK: In Vienna, when I was a year-and-a-half or two years-old. I remember it because I remember the little blue raincoat I used to wear, and how the buttons felt. I liked to walk on the street in front of our house when it was raining, and jump into all the puddles. That’s weird, but that’s my earliest memory. I’m going to have to go to therapy to figure out what that means.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Isthere anything that you promised yourself you’d do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
BK: No, I never dealt with fame. It was never a goal of mine to become famous. So, I never projected any goals associated with that. But I did have a bunch of goals I wanted to achieve when I was financially able to do so, but they had nothing to do with fame. When I set goals, they’re more tangible than becoming famous. You don’t build a company or a foundation for fame. By the way, October is Spina Bifida Month, so that’s a big deal for us.
KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question:How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?
BK: I had to make a decision about whether it would impact how I felt about trusting people, and I decided I wasn’t going top allow it to impact my outlook on trust, because I believe trust is a choice. And I’ve always given people the benefit of the doubt until they prove me otherwise. So, it just made me stronger in my conviction about that, but it also taught me never to put anything past anyone.
KW: Ausgezeichnet!
BK: danke sehr.
KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
BK: Just the way I dress. [Laughs] Otherwise, I’m the same person. I don’t put on a face. I’m the same guy every time you see me. I like to laugh, I like to smile, and I don’t take myself too seriously. I can be a goofball. When I come home, the only thing that changes is that I take off the suit and put on tennis shorts and play with the kids.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
BK: I’m always an entrepreneur, but I’d probably be a teacher. I like teaching kids, whether that’s tennis on the courts or history in the classroom.
KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?
BK: American Gigolo.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
BK: Conviction. Belief in yourself. What it really says is that we are willing to weather the storm of multiple failures to achieve a goal. We’re so convinced in the destination that we are able to let go of the reins and give it to God.
KW: The Pastor Alex Kendrick question: When do you feel the most content?
BK: When I’m with my family.
KW: The Pastor Alex Kendrick question: What defines who you are?
BK: My actions.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
BK: Abort the mission, and build your own.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Boris, and best of luck with Addicted.
BK: No problem, thank you, Kam.
To see a trailer for Addicted, visit: http://www.lionsgatepublicity.com/theatrical/addicted/