Black Holocaust for Beginners (1995)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	Book

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Despite being absurdly anti-capitalist, this is a very good introduction to the Maafa. It is angry, yet highly accurate historically; while fully understanding the mentality of the slaves and their enslavers.

Written in an overly-emotional style, the book tries too hard to tell its readers what to think and what to feel, when a more sober retelling of events would have had a far more profound emotional and intellectual impact.

What is interesting about this book is what frightens Whites most about their own enslaving past, the belief that telling the truth about what Whites did to Blacks will make Blacks vengeful. Yet Blacks could not be more vengeful than they already are and, in any case, true histories of Black oppression make Blacks - more than anything - distrustful and suspicious of Whites; primarily because Whites are frightened to write (or read) books like this.

Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Deliverance (1972)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

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Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.

A very well-made film that goes to show that those bred to the city are better off staying there rather than going backwooding and ending up in a mess of trouble.

Man’s nature is seen as the enemy here not the more spontaneous flora and fauna humans often refer to as dumb. Interestingly even the rural folks are unable to live fully at peace with the natural world around them and one comes to see the impossibility of escape into some rural idyll of one’s fantasizing.

Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Frost/Nixon (2008)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

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What could have been a fully-compelling account of an historical event with momentous political implications becomes a struggle between two rather flaccid male egos. The one, a superficial playboy utterly lacking in gravitas (David Frost); the other a disgraced former US president (Richard Nixon) trying to live down the reputation afforded him by the Watergate scandal. The former tries to change his reputation for superficiality by engaging in a heavyweight interview with Nixon that the interviewee thinks he can use to excuse his political failings because Frost is not as good as Mike Wallace.

Frost is initially very much out of his depth but comes to realize that Nixon wants to confess his sins for the entire world to see and thereby achieve some kind of expiation. This will make great television and Frost moves in for the kill as his subject finally realizes his political career can never be revived.

The screenplay conveys the essence of the moral struggle, yet the characters remain rather flat and lifeless. The drama relies heavily on the fact that we are familiar with the history behind it while offering few insights into that history save that Nixon was never loved as a child.

Shakespeare would have made a far superior drama, as flawed politicians were his specialty. But the quality of the acting is what strikes one most with this production, especially Frank LANGELLA as a man haunted by many personal demons and his guilt and shame over the reasons for his resignation from office as 37th president of the United States.

The too-many deleted scenes here could have added to the depth of the final film.

Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.