For anyone just tuning in for the first time, who might be reading this particular essay without a greater understanding of me, let me introduce myself. I am David Walker, the captain of the ship, the commander and chief and all-around HNIC of BadAzz MoFo. I am, for all intents and purposes a black man. Technically speaking, I am bi-racial—the product of a white Jewish mother and a working class black father—but I consider myself to be black (light skinned though I may be). What you are reading right now is the fourth installment in a series of essays I am writing that deals with race and racism in America. I am explaining all of this because there have been some new people coming to this party of mine, and many of these people have some preconceived notions about David Walker, and about who or what David Walker is. (more…)
Archive for March, 2008
Race Matters, Part 4: The Hate that Hate Makes
March 28, 2008dvd review: CONSPIRACY
March 26, 2008
There can be a fine line between a movie paying homage to another film, or simply being a shameless rip-off worthy of a copyright infringement lawsuit. Sometimes the difference between the two is nothing more than the talent exhibited behind the camera, and the audience’s willingness to excuse a rip-off and accept it as homage. Unfortunately for director Adam Marcus, whatever negligible talent he may convey behind the camera, it is not enough to make up for the fact that his “homage” to John Sturges’ seminal 1955 film Bad Day at Black Rock is really a pathetic rip-off; so much so that Marcus and co-writer Debra Sullivan should be sued, and the names of Black Rock’s original writers, Mildred Kaufman, Don McGuire and Howard Breslin, should be added to the credits of Conspiracy. (more…)
Race Matters, Part 3: Propaganda and the Media
March 22, 2008
On July 4, 1910, in the city of Reno, former boxing heavy weight champion of the world Jim Jeffries came out of retirement in an attempt to win back the title. Jeffries was called “the great white hope,” because he was taking on a challenger that the media of the time described as an inhuman brute. The man Jeffries was squaring off against was Jack Johnson, a black man born in Texas, who had won the title when he defeated Tommy Burns in Australia two years earlier. Johnson knocked Jeffries out in the 14th round of the historic fight, retaining his title as the first black heavy weight champion of the world. Johnson’s stunning defeat of Jeffries touched off race riots across America, leaving hundreds injured (mostly black), and at least 23 dead (mostly black). Though described at the time as riots, what was really going on was more like a race war declared by whites who worried that in the wake of Johnson’s victory, black people would forget their place. The day after the fight, the Los Angeles Times—one of the biggest newspapers in the country—ran a piece entitled “A Word to the Black Man.” This is what it said: “Do not point your nose to high. Do not swell your chest too much. Do not boast too loudly. Do not be puffed up. Let not your ambition be inordinate, or take a wrong turn. Remember, you have done nothing at all. You are just the same member of society you were last week. You are on no new higher plane, deserve no new consideration, and will get none. No man will think a bit higher of you because your complexion is the same as that of the victor at Reno.” (more…)
dvd review: 13: GAME OF DEATH
March 21, 2008
There are films with a great premise that are compelling and entertaining enough to hold your attention in the moment, but once it is over you’re left with a feeling of not quite being satisfied. It is as if you were watching the film, hoping it would deliver just a little bit more to have warranted all the attention you’ve given it; but in the end it never quite gives you what you were looking for. These movies are not bad, so much as they are forgettable, which in some ways is just as bad as being bad, because if a film fails to make a lasting impression, it’s almost as if it never existed. And that’s pretty much the case with director Chookiat Saveerakul’s 13: Game of Death, a grim psychological thriller with a side helping a dark comedy. (more…)
Race Matters, Part 2: Baseball, Obama and a Better America
March 21, 2008
“Ethnic prejudice has no place in sports, and baseball must recognize that truth if it is to maintain stature as a national game.”– Branch Rickey
When Branch Rickey brought Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947—effectively breaking the segregation color barrier that kept blacks from playing Major League Baseball—he knew it would not be easy. At the time there was tremendous opposition to a black player in MLB, and it was a widely held belief on the part of many Americans that colored players simply could not compete on the same level as white players. Rickey felt otherwise, but at the same time he knew there was a lot resting on both his shoulders, and even more on the shoulders of Robinson. Rickey told him, “Jackie, we’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. No owners, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I’m afraid that many fans will be hostile. We’ll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I’m doing this because you’re a great ballplayer, a fine gentleman.” (more…)
Ivan Dixon: REST IN PEACE
March 19, 2008
It is with great sadness that I must report that Ivan Dixon has passed away. Dixon is probably best known for his role as Kinch on the television series Hogan’s Heroes. The truth is that Dixon was an incredible actor and an accomplished director. His starring role as Duff Anderson in 1964’s Nothing But a Man (pictured above with co-star Abbey Lincoln) will go down in cinematic history as one of the single greatest portrayals of a black man ever committed to film. The film is brilliant, and Dixon is equally amazing. He also had key roles in such films as A Raisin in the Sun, A Patch of Blue, Car Wash, and an incredible number of television shows, including The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
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Barack Obama for President
March 18, 2008
Just in case some of you have not figured it out yet, I officially Support Barack Obama for President of the United States. Some of you may disagree with my decision, and that’s your prerogative. Just keep in mind that I don’t care to hear any negative or disparaging comments about Obama—especially posted as comments on this site. Keep that shit to yourself, or post it somewhere else. I was going to write something detailing my decision to support Obama (although I already have written quite a bit), but I think that Rolling Stone’s endorsement pretty much says most of what I have to say (at least for now). Rest assured that I will weigh in on this topic more at a later date.
dvd review: I AM LEGEND – 2 disc Special Edition
March 16, 2008
WARNING: This review contains spoilers!!! Having already been adapted to the screen twice, first in 1964’s The Last Man on Earth and then in 1971’s The Omega Man—both with mixed-to-bad results—Richard Matheson’s seminal novella I Am Legend spent many years trying to see if the third time would be a charm. Fans of Matheson’s book cynically rolled their eyes over the years as several very bad screenplays made the rounds in Hollywood, various directors became attached, and a revolving door of actors that included Tom Cruise, George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all rumored to play vampire hunter Robert Neville. When it was finally announced that I Am Legend was to be a reality, starring Will Smith, directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine), and co-written by Akiva Goldsman—the man responsible for garbage like Batman & Robin and Lost in Space—it seemed like a done deal that this new version would be nothing short of terrible. But somehow, miraculously, I Am Legend turned out to be an entertaining film that works more often than not. (more…)
T-Shirt of the Week: WEEK 28
March 16, 2008
Some people believe you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear. I believe you can tell more about a person by the t-shirts they have worn. This is the story of my life, as told by the t-shirts I have worn. (more…)
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