Jersey Shore Massacre
Film Review by Kam Williams
Weekend Getaway Turns Gory in High Body-Count Slasher Flick
When Teresa (Danielle Dallacco) and her girlfriends arrive at their rental house on the Jersey Shore, they’re shocked to learn that their sleazy stoner landlord (Ron Jeremy) already let someone else have the place for the weekend. Luckily, Teresa’s mobster Uncle Vito (Dominic Lucci) happens to have a summer home sitting empty in the nearby Pine Barrens, since he’s stuck in Staten Island under house arrest with an ankle bracelet.
After picking up five hot-looking guys on the beach, the six cute coeds get back into their convertible and make their way to a clearing in the godforsaken the forest. Turns out Uncle Vito has a pretty posh mansion with a built-in pool.
The bimbos slip into their bikinis and begin flirting with the buff boy-toys, blissfully unaware that a couple of Mafia hit men were just murdered in the same neck of the woods by a deranged maniac. If you’re familiar with high body-count slasher flicks, you have a good idea what’s in store for the unsuspecting revelers.
The killer soon starts picking them off one-by-one, dispatching each victim in very grisly fashion, whether that death be by baking in a tanning bed, by decapitating with a bicycle chain, by stabbing in a shower Psycho-style, by whipping, hanging, wood chipper, or run through by sword. Much of the violence is highly eroticized ostensibly to satiate the bloodlust of fans who like their slaughter with a little titillation on the side.
Written and directed by Paul Tarnopol, Jersey Shore Massacre is a gruesome horror flick not for the faint of heart. And the picture also paints a pretty pathetic picture of Italian-Americans, since the principal players are the sort of vapid, vain characters featured on the reality-TV series Jersey Shore.
While the film fails to break any new ground in terms of the splatterflick genre, it’s still entertaining enough to recommend, provided you have a strong stomach for vivisection and Italian stereotypes.
ood (2 stars)
Rated R for sexuality, nudity, profanity, drug use, ethnic and homophobic slurs, and graphic violence
Running time: 88 minutes
Distributor: Attack Entertainment
To see a trailer for Jersey Shore Massacre, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDcw8L_M3S4
If I Stay
Film Review by Kam Williams
A Life Hangs in the Balance in Adaptation of Bittersweet Best-Seller
Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz) is a bright 17 year-old full of the bloom of youth. Between playing the cello purely for pleasure and dating the doting boy of her dreams (Jamie Blackley), the happy high school senior considers herself truly blessed.
She is even lucky enough to have the perfect parents (Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard) who support the idea of her majoring in classical music, whether she gets into Juilliard or simply sticks around Portland to attend Lewis & Clark College. Mia is also very close to her only sibling, Teddy (Jakob Davies), a cute kid who absolutely adores his big sister.
However, fate intervenes, or so it seems, one snowy day during a family outing when a car coming in the opposite direction veers across the highway’s double lines. Right then, in the blink of an eye, their fortunes are irreversibly altered by an unavoidable head-on crash.
By the time the ambulances and paramedics come to the rescue, all four are in grave condition, and there is a chance that none might survive the tragic accident. Mia, who has suffered a collapsed lung, a broken leg and internal bleeding, slips into a coma.
At that instant, her spirit miraculously separates from her body, and she is suddenly able to observe situations and eavesdrop on conversations like an invisible ghost. While a team of doctors struggle to stabilize her vital signs in the hospital, she watches a nurse (Aisha Hinds) lean over and whisper that “Living or dying is all up to you” into her ear.
This suggests that Mia, ultimately, must choose between ascending to Heaven and returning to Earth to face a host of challenges on the road to recovery. And suspended in this state of limbo, she’s afforded the unusual opportunity to reflect and reminisce during the critical next 24 hours before making a decision.
That is the surreal setup of If I Stay, a bittersweet flashback flick based on Gayle Forman’s young adult novel of the same name. Although this unapologetically sentimental tearjerker will undoubtedly resonate with teens in the target demographic, the film’s surprisingly-sophisticated, thought-provoking exploration of such themes as family, friendship, love and spirituality ought to readily endear it to audiences in general.
Directed by R.J. Cutler, the movie basically revolves around introspective Mia’s contemplation of her future while factoring in her family’s grim prospects, nostalgia, and the bedside manner of visitors like her grandfather (Stacy Keach), boyfriend and BFF (Liana Liberato). Although reminiscent of The Lovely Bones (disembodied teen narrator), The Notebook (love story with a syrupy finale) and Twilight (star-crossed romance set in the Pacific Northwest), If I Stay is nevertheless a unique adventure with a tale to share all its own.
A poignant portrait of a life precipitously hanging in the balance which pushes all the right buttons to open the emotional floodgates.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality and mature themes
Running time: 106 minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers
To see a trailer for If I Stay, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH6PNeTy6Nc
Abuse of Weakness
Film Review by Kam Williams
Catherine Breillat is a feminist filmmaker famous for shooting sexually-explicit films bordering on porn, although arguably from a woman’s perspective. Romance (1999), Fat Girl (2001) and Anatomy of Hell (2004) are among her highly-controversial offerings . Abuse of Weakness marks a bit of departure for the controversial iconoclast, as it is a semi-autobiographical drama revisiting an unfortunate chapter in her own personal life.
In 2004, she suffered a stroke which left her partially paralyzed on the left side and in that very vulnerable position soon fell prey to a notorious charlatan. While pretending to be her knight in shining armor, the creep proceeded to pressure Catherine to write him checks totaling over a million dollars.
The experienced thief was such a smooth operator that he managed to drain all the cash out of her bank account before what was transpiring came to the attention of any of her children. The philanderer simultaneously toyed with Catherine’s affections for over a year, seducing her despite his having an expecting wife and then a newborn at home.
All of the above is recounted in heartbreaking detail in Abuse of Weakness, a fictionalized screen version of director Breillat’s book of the same name. The poignant, character-driven drama co-stars Isabelle Huppert as Maud (aka Catherine) and Kool Shen as her duplicitous Casanova, Vilko.
The picture paints a plausible picture of how a patient attempting to recover from a life-threatening illness might be easily exploited by a conniving con artist without a functioning conscience. In this case, the arrogant Vilko never exhibits the slightest contrition, even when a humiliated Maud confronts him after finally facing up to the truth. He’s more worried about his wife (Laurence Ursino) finding out about their affair than about leaving his victim in such dire financial and medical straits.
A cautionary tale depicting a shocking example of man’s inhumanity to (wo)man.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
In French with subtitles
Running time: 104 minutes
Distributor: Strand Releasing
The Giver
Film Review by Kam Williams
Despite being born in the same year and enjoying overlapping enduring careers, Oscar-winners Meryl Streep (for Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady) and Jeff Bridges (for Crazy Heart) never made a movie together prior to The Giver. Such a long overdue collaboration proves well worth the wait in this haunting, sci-fi adventure set in a deceptive dystopia masquerading as heaven on Earth.
The film is based on the Lois Lowry best-seller of the same name which won the Newbery Award as America’s best children’s book of 1994. This author-approved adaptation was directed by Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games) who tapped fellow Aussie Brenton Thwaites to portray the young hero, Jonas.
The picture’s point of departure is the young protagonist’s graduation day, when he participates in a coming-of-age ritual during which 18 year-olds are assigned a profession by the elders of their idyllic community. Jonas’ BFFs Asher (Cameron Monaghan) and Fiona (Odeya Rush) soon learn that they’ll be trained as a drone pilot and a nurturer, respectively.
Jonas, however, long recognized as special, because of an uncanny ability to see things differently, is designated the “Receiver of Memories,” the protégé of the “Giver” (Bridges). In that capacity, he quickly becomes aware that the whole society is a charade which shields its citizens from the fact that there is suffering in the world by injecting them once a day with a drug which keeps them naïve, obedient and blissfully content.
Truth be told, evil does exist in their midst, though invariably veiled, such as how the sick and the old are “Released” in a fashion that gives no hint that they’re actually being euthanized. And Jonas experiences a crisis of conscience in choosing whether to obediently follow in the Giver’s footsteps or to upset the apple cart by letting the cat out of the bag about how everybody’s mind is being controlled.
Among the factors influencing his critical decision is the unexpected pleasure associated with the “Stirrings,” the formerly-suppressed pangs of sexual awakening he suddenly feels for Fiona. Another involves the impending euthanizing of a baby with a birth defect (Alexander Jillings) he’s already bonded with.
Besides the historic pairing of Streep and Bridges, the film features sterling performances by the trio of emerging thespians playing the leads, as well as by Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift in support roles. A thought-provoking meditation on mind control offering a valuable lesson about the virtue of challenging any totalitarian authority.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for action, violence and mature themes
Running time: 94 minutes
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
To see a trailer for The Giver, visit
Congressman James Clyburn
The “Blessed Experiences” Interview
with Kam Williams
Gentleman Jim Clyburn
James Enos Clyburn made history in 1993 when he became the first African-American to represent South Carolina in the House of Representatives since Reconstruction. Over the course of his tenure, he has served as Majority Whip and as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is currently the third-ranking Democrat in the House as the Assistant Minority Leader.
Representative Clyburn is an alumnus of the HBCU South Carolina State College, where he majored in history and was active in the civil rights movement. During his junior year, he was arrested and convicted as a member of the Orangeburg Seven, a group of student leaders who had organized a non-violent demonstration against segregated lunch counters.
Congressman Clyburn has been married to his wife, Emily, since 1961, and they have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. Here, he talks about his life and career, and about his autobiography, “Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black.”
Kam Williams: Congressman Clyburn, thanks for the interview. I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
James Clyburn: Yes, sir. How are you, Kam?
KW: Great! I loved your autobiography. It really gave me a chance to get to know you in so much more depth than your appearances on C-Span and other cable news networks. I really knew next to nothing about your rich civil rights background and lifelong commitment to the underprivileged.
JC: Oh, you’re so kind, Kam.
KW: I’ll be mixing in my questions with some from readers.Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says: I am from Canada and thank you for taking the time to share your experience and knowledge in your autobiography. What is the main message you want people to take away from the book?
JC: The memoir’s main lesson is grounded in that old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I lost three times before I got elected. There’s no limit. Stay in pursuit of your dreams. That’s what this book is about. I hope young people get a lesson out of every chapter and are motivated by the notion that the next time might be “the” time that they succeed.
KW: Patricia also says: Warren Buffett wrote about your book that you are the most significant African-American member of Congress who broke many barriers. What does it take for a visible minority to shatter the glass ceiling and enjoy longevity in a career in politics?
JC: First, get yourself prepared, not just in terms of education, but mentally. A question I often get is, “How do you maintain your sanity with so much happening all around you?” I think I developed a certain mental toughness that is required in this business. You have to have a thick skin and a brass bottom, because you’re going to kicked a lot.
KW: It also seems that the higher you go, the more they come after you.
JC: You’re exactly right. All you have to do is achieve a modicum of success.
KW: Patricia finishes by saying: Older females are among the most vulnerable individuals in the economic crisis. They are twice as likely as elderly males to be living near or below the federal poverty threshold. What needs to be done to secure a reasonable retirement for this segment of the population?
JC: Patricia is correct that it’s a very vulnerable population. But I don’t know that anything additional needs to be done outside of sensitivity to the fact that these issues are unique for this demographic, and that we ought to be aware of that uniqueness. We need to make sure that they are aware of and are able to gain access to what’s available for them. That’s why I was so concerned about the Affordable Care Act. A big part of it is the expansion of Medicaid, which includes not only low-income people, but senior citizens in nursing homes, the disabled and children who are vulnerable.
KW: Environmental activist Grace Sinden says: As a Democratic leader in the U.S House of Representatives, you must often feel frustrated by the destructive resistance of the House Republican majority to move forward on any of President Obama's programs such as job creation, much-needed infrastructure improvements, including unsafe roads and bridges, and the impingement of voting rights in many states. How do you deal with the frustration that results from the blockage of necessary progress, since the opposition has made this their prime strategy in terms of the President's programs? An appeal to reason does not seem to work, because this is a blanket strategy.
JC: Sure, it’s frustrating at times, but you keep going at it. It took me seven years to create the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which failed to pass for a long time. All of a sudden the break came, and I was ready to pounce, as soon as I saw that opening. It’s now law. And it turned out to be one of the most popular things I’ve ever done. Often it depends on your not being hung up on getting the credit, since the best way to get legislation that you’ve proposed passed sometimes is to let another Congressman put his or her name on the bill.
So, I think stick-to-itiveness and a little humility can go a long way.
KW: So, an ability to compromise is important, right?
JC: Absolutely! That means stepping back and getting the ego out of the way in order to accomplish what you want to get done.
KW: Grace also says: While you have a commendable voting record, you support nuclear power concluding that wind and solar power are too expensive. How do you respond to the legitimate fears of nuclear accidents, such as happened in Russia and Japan, and of acts of terrorism, as well as concerns about the safety and adequacy of the storage of highly radioactive spent fuel?
JC: Well, I’m very concerned about the storage of nuclear waste, but I’m not worried about it. That’s one of the reasons why I’m so supportive of what we’re doing down at the Savannah River Plant. I think the technology’s there. All we need is the funding to turn the waste into additional energy. And I’m a big supporter of research. My wife, Emily, has had five bypass surgeries. She’s alive today because of nuclear medicine. You ought not be afraid of nuclear, but respectful of it. Yes, it has dangers, but it also has benefits. If not for nuclear, much of the medicine that’s saving lives today would not be in existence.
KW: Publisher John Zippert says: There are many Black farmers who were still left out of the Pigford/USDA lawsuit settlement. Do you see Congress acting again to complete the process and make sure everyone who is eligible receives the settlement?
JC: Well, I’m satisfied that we’ve done all that’s going to be done on that issue. That’s not to say that everyone who should’ve gotten in on the settlement got in on it. Remember, we’ve done not just one Pigford, but Pigford II because a lot of people, through no fault of their own, were left out. That’s why we went back and did Pigford II. I suspect that some people might still have been left out, but I’ve been working very closely with the advocates, John Boyd [Founder of the National Black Farmers Association] and others who seem to be satisfied that we have done as well as we can do on that issue.
KW: Mr. Zippert also says that less money was appropriated under the Farm Bill for the Section 2501 Outreach Program for minority farmers in Fiscal Year 2014 than previously when "veteran" farmers, a whole new category was added to the program.
JC: I think what he’s asking for is outreach to make sure that farmers who qualified did get contacted. Sure, there probably was less money this year than in the first round. But these are the sort of programs you phase out. You just don’t set aside the same amount of money as you did for 5,000 people, if there are only 2,000 left to be searched for. These moneys do get phased out, and they will eventually be phased out altogether.
KW: What do you think about Attorney General Eric Holder’s recent statement that he believes there is a racial animus behind much of the criticism of him and President Obama?
JC: I was glad to see him finally getting there. I’ve felt that way a long time. I’ve even said it publicly and been chastised for it, but I’ll say it again, a lot of it is racial animus. I ask anyone who disagrees with me to just read some of the hate mail that comes into my office. Or listen to some of the phone calls. I’ve had college student interns working for me who arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed hang up the phone crying after taking calls because people are so racist and cruel. So, don’t tell me that it’s got nothing to do with race. With some people, it’s got everything to do with race.
KW: What do you think of the Republicans suing President Obama?
JC: I think they’re playing to their base. These guys know full well that even if the lawsuit had any merit, which I don’t think it does, he’d be out of office before it worked its way through the courts. But this is their way of sending a signal to their base. There are a lot of people who have endorsed the narrative that there are certain things people of color aren’t supposed to be doing, and one of those things is running the United States of America as President. These are people who are going to work hard all day, every day, trying to make factual this narrative that there are certain areas of our society and of our economy that ought to be shut off from people of color.
KW: Since you’re from South Carolina, I need to ask you about the 2010 Democratic primary for the U’S. Senate when this unknown black man named Alvin Greene, ostensibly a Republican plant, miraculously won the nomination by a landslide over a credible candidate. I suspected computer tampering. What did you think?
JC: I always felt that, too.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
JC: [Laughs] I can’t think of one, but that’s a good question.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
JC: Grits.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
JC: Kindergarten.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
JC: A 74 year-old who is not disappointed with his life.
KW: How frightening was it for you to be arrested and even convicted, when you were a college student activist, just for trying to integrate a lunch counter?
JC: Those were very trying times with a great deal of apprehension, although I don’t think we ever operated out of fear. We knew that segregation was unfair, and that we were going to challenge it, and that’s just what we did.
KW: Well, I salute you for service in the Civil Rights Movement, because you could’ve very easily been beaten, blacklisted, imprisoned or even slain.
JC: Thank you. And some people were martyred, and some, like Congressman John Lewis, did get hurt. But we never thought about those things.
KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you spend the time?
JC: Reading and in contemplation.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
JC: “The Warmth of Other Suns” was the last one I read cover-to-cover. That was a great book.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679763880/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: Let's say you’re throwing your dream dinner party—who’s invited… and what would you serve?
JC: I would love to sit at a table with Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Warren Buffett and Matthew Perry, the great civil rights attorney and judge mentioned in my book quite a bit.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?
JC: Omniscience.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
JC: Perseverance.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
JC: Like I said before, get yourself prepared, educationally and emotionally, and develop mental toughness. Don’t ever give up.
KW: Lastly, what does family mean to you?
JC: Oh, it means a whole lot. Not a day goes by when I don’t communicate with one or all of my daughters. My wife and I already exchanged several emails today. And I spoke to my brother John on the phone this morning, and to my brother Charles last night. We are a pretty closely-knit family.
KW: Thanks again for this opportunity, Congressman Clyburn, I really appreciate your taking time from your extremely busy schedule to speak with me.
JC: Thank you, Kam. I think it’s important for me to communicate with the public at-large, even on those occasions when I know it’s not going to be pleasant.
To order a copy of Blessed Experiences, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/161117337X/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20