WHAT WOULD BIG BIRD SAY ABOUT PROPOSITION 8?

Follow that Bird was the first bootleg movie that I ever owned.  Before hustlers got enough gall to take camcorders into movie theaters there was VCR recording from television. I didn’t know any better in 1985 but was I ever thankful for learning that little trick.  You’ll never find me purchasing a copy of Maximum Overdrive any time soon!

Follow that Bird is the story of Big Bird’s cross-country journey back to Sesame Street after a group of social workers determine that he would be more comfortable living with a family of birds.    Miss Finch, the placing worker and a bird herself,  paints a lavish picture of Big Bird flourishing in a home with a feathered mother, father, and siblings that can better appreciate him in all of his birdly glory.  Initially excited about the possibility of leading a new life-though to the dismay of his friends- Big Bird half-heartedly agrees that leaving is the best option and parts ways with Oscar, Cookie, Grover, and his human friends on Sesame Street for new adventures.

Lest I spoil the other plot twists that lie ahead Big Bird later discovers that all that glitters is not gold.  His new parents’ style of parenting is not even close to providing the love and attention that he received on Sesame Street and life in the house becomes unbearable.  As Big Bird escapes and makes his way back home his Sesame Street friends set out on their own journey to find him.

Awww…can’t you just feel the love?  Even as a four-year-old I could tell you that the moral of Bird is that people-or muppets for that matter- don’t have to be of the same species to be considered a family.  Cookie Monsters and Grouches can live together as quarreling cousins and humans can adopt Big Birds as sons or daughters.  Come to think of it, is Big Bird a boy or a girl?

The subtle and negative messages about “meddling social workers” notwithstanding, Follow that Bird is a winner because it redefines family.  Leave it to Sesame Street to teach messages about tolerance.  Though Miss Finch and her cohorts theorized that Big Bird would be better off with his (her?) own kind they find that the best home is the one where love is taught even if between species.  One can not help but liken this film to today’s political climate where same sex couples are prohibited from adopting.  There are thousands of children who are waiting for someone to simply validate their existence, much less love them, and who would ever want to deny that?  Big Bird didn’t care if s/he had a human mother figure and a Count for a brother.  The need for love and acceptance was all that mattered.  It really makes you think.  How would Big Bird vote?

The Quantum of Solace Review

In the words of Mad TV’s “Vancome Lady”, “Chaa….you know what?  Uh uh!”  Quantum of Solace just did not do it for me and I’m a bit disappointed by what was presented.  The action sequences were awesome and almost as good as those in Casino Royale but mid way though the film I lost interest as the story was confusing in parts and just plain forgettable.  Seeing Daniel Craig’s indestructible Bond crash through everything he touched was enough to keep me in my seat but not enough to make me want to write a glowing review.  Sorry.

In this installment Bond is reeling from the death of Vesper and out for revenge-though he is in vehement denial about his grief.  What follows are scenes in which  Bond lets his unresolved anger get the best of him resulting in his killing of person after person much to the dismay of M and other British Intelligence officials.  My social worker antennae perked up when M and other colleagues staged an intervention of sorts, demanding that Bond cease work on the case and take time to heal.  I guess they should have known better than to ask such an obvious task of Bond.  James Bond.

Without going too much into the who did what of the story-because again, it was forgettable- Bond’s capture of Mr. White in Royale leads him on the trail of Dominic Greene, a mysterious character behind the organization that offed Vesper.  He kicks butt all over Haiti, London,Italy, and South America before discovering the truth about Greene’s plot to control the world’s natural resources.  In the end the story takes on a surprising plot twist as 007 does get closure about Vesper’s death and confronts the character that set her up (and it ain’t Greene).

The expectations that I had for this film were extremely high and sadly, even Alicia Keys’ and Jack White’s theme song could not give life to the sucky story line.  I liked this film a lot but I did not leave the theatre as excited as I was at the end of it’s predecessor.  I guess the best thing I can say about Quantum is that the precision of the stunts were everything that I hoped Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would offer.  Ouch.

Grieve This: The Funny Side of Loss

This won't hurt a bit

 

Just when I’m fed up with all of the crying, anger, and sadness associated with the stages of grief I’m reminded of a movie that continues to help me ease through the transition of loss and gives me more than a few chuckles along the way. 

Analyze That (2001), the sequel to Analyze This (1999), is director Harold Ramis’ take on the comedic side of the gritty underworld of organized crime.  In this flick Billy Crystal is Dr. Issac Sobel, a psychiatrist who is given custody of the imprisoned, former New York crime boss Paul Vitti (Robert DeNiro).  The FBI certifies Sobel as a temporary federal institution in hopes that Vitti will keep tabs on his former associates’ organizations and testify against them in exchange for an early parole.  Hilarity ensues when the newly-released Vitti brings his womanizing and foul-mouthed bravado into Sobel’s home, enters the legitimate work force for the first time, and struggles to suppress his urges to give a knuckle-sandwich to those who rub him the wrong way.

The funniest scenes in the movie take place when Sobel, grieving the recent loss of his father, becomes entangled in Vitti’s mob dealings and is forced to break from his straight-laced character and get scrappy with the bad guys.  Throughout the movie he frequently states, “I’m grieving. It’s a process” and breaks into sudden crying fits during moments when bullets are whizzing by his ear and even while pummeling a henchman in the face.  In these moments he is very present  with his grief, allowing himself the space to cry no matter how inappropriate the environment.  Likewise, Vitti who is also grieving the loss of his father, breaks from his tough guy persona to show emotion as well. 

The first time I saw Analyze This and Analyze That I instantly fell in love with both films and chalked them up as proof that Robert DeNiro could be as equally comedic as thuggish in his movies.  I’d always had a strange obsession with quoting movie lines and incorporating them into my everyday talk with my friends and family.  For a long time “Why do you say this to me when you know I will kill you for it?” (a la Superman 2) was a household favorite but that’s neither here nor there.  The first time I saw Analyze That I had no idea how therapeutic those four words, ”I’m grieving.  It’s a process” would become in my life.  It is my mantra and my way of telling folks, “Look.  I’m going through something right now and you couldn’t possibly understand what it feels like on the inside.”  Sometimes I cry so unexpectedly that my friends and family simply give me a nod of acknowledgment and let me be.  Thanks.

Grief sucks.  When loss occurs there is no way to avoid the inevitable stages of denial, isolation, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance.  These stages are in no way linear and the emotional suffering and stress can at times feel like riding a roller coaster with inadequate seating restraints.  The only way that one can recover from the process in a balanced way is to feel the feeling, seek outside support from family, friends, and professionals, and practice excellent self-care techniques.  It’s that simple and yet that hard.  Be well.

What Obama’s Election Really Means…

If you’re looking for speculation on who should be cast in the roles of Hollywood’s inevitable Obama biopic you will be sorely disappointed. Let’s get sociopolitical for a moment.  This is the portrait of America’s new history books.  Not only is this moment extraordinary because Barack Obama-a Black man- has been elected to the highest position in the country, this portrait in itself is historic because the first woman and first children look like me 20 years ago and 20 years from now respectively.  I am speechless.  While this is a time for all Americans to celebrate democracy in action no one can deny the symbolism of yesterday’s election. Lest we get beside ourselves with euphoria and emotion about finally becoming “one people” we must never forget that the election of Barack Obama was a culmination of events that African  Americans suffered and died for.  Non-Blacks will never experience the sweetness of this moment in the same vein as Blacks.

The election of Barack Obama as president means that now is the time for Black people in particular to eliminate the word “can’t” from our vocabulary.  There are simply no more excuses to throw pity parties about what we wish we could do and complain about how we can’t get a break because of skin color and/or economic hardships.  Personal responsibility for ones successes and growth has always been a factor in the history of Black America.  We are owed nothing by anyone.  Barack Obama did not become the 44th president because of his skin color.  He did it because he sacrificed a mediocre life to pursue higher education, had a vision, and dedicated himself to bringing it to fruition.

More importantly, this election is a call for Black men to reclaim their greatness.  If you grew up in a family like mine you probably heard that we are the original Kings and Queens.  Now is the time to act like it.  Black man, if you did not have a role model in your father or any other Black man in your community, with Obama in office you now have something to aspire to.  There is no reason for you to kill each other just for bragging rights.  There is no reason for you to sire children and not actively participate in setting the foundations for them to lead productive lives.  There is no reason to not take pride in who you are.  There are no more excuses.  Enough already!