ny times review all eyez on me

Review: ‘All Eyez on Me’ Is Uninspired. Tupac Shakur Was Anything But.

ALL EYEZ ON ME

 

• Directed by Benny Boom
 
• Biography, Drama, Music
 
• R
 
• 2h 20m

By GLENN KENNYJUNE 15, 2017

 n

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Demetrius Shipp Jr. as the rapper Tupac Shakur in “All Eyez on Me.”CreditQuantrell Colbert/Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment

During his brief fireball of a career, the rapper Tupac Shakur was a galvanic, frequently confounding figure. “All Eyez on Me,” a fictionalized film biography of Shakur, directed by Benny Boom and starring Demetrius Shipp Jr., is not only a clumsy and often bland account of his life and work, but it also gives little genuine insight into his thought, talent or personality.

That missed opportunity resonates particularly at the movie’s end, when text lists an impressive number of statistics concerning his record sales and motion picture appearances. Viewers are also reminded that Shakur was only 25 when he died in September 1996 after being fatally injured in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. His killing has never been solved.

From the opening, Mr. Boom’s direction is uniformly uninspired: A reporter’s prison interview with Shakur frames the movie’s first half, and Mr. Boom blocks and shoots his scenes with dismal stolidness. Few sequences last longer than a couple of minutes; the movie plods along with a “and then this happened” dutifulness, occasionally cutting back to the prison interview to have the reporter ask a pointed question or two. This almost invariably allows the film to excuse Shakur for bad actions that the reporter brings up during the interview. (Speaking of which, the movie is genuinely distasteful in its casual misogyny when depicting the sexual abuse case for which Shakur was convicted in 1994.)

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But the intriguing, politically minded people he grew up among, as well as those he later made music and did business with, are portrayed in conventional, clichéd ways. “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees,” Shakur’s stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, proclaims at a meeting of a black community group

“Your stepdaddy is a revolutionary,” Afeni, played by Danai Gurira, tells the young Tupac. “I’m gonna be a revolutionary,” he replies.

Almost all the dialogue is that flat-footed. (Jeremy Haft, Eddie Gonzalez and Steven Bagatourian wrote the script.) It’s a stark contrast to the almost always vivid power of Shakur’s own words, which could be profoundly empathetic and pettily profane. Not enough of them are heard here, but when Mr. Shipp has some of them at his disposal, or is given enough space in a scene to maneuver into an actual characterization, he is very impressive. This movie fails his considerable talents; I hope that he is soon afforded a better vehicle for them.

 

By LIONSGATE 2:31

Trailer: ‘All Eyez on Me’

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Trailer: ‘All Eyez on Me’

A preview of the film.

 By LIONSGATE on Publish DateJune 15, 2017. Image courtesy of Internet Video Archive. Watch in Times Video »

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Mr. Boom has genuinely good reason to chronicle Shakur’s eventful life even before his birth. Shakur’s mother, Afeni, who died last year, was a civil rights activist and a Black Panther; an early scene shows her emerging victorious from a conspiracy trial a month before giving birth to him.

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bam east. st. louis--eugene redmond and daughter treasure shields redmond poetry reading

prison radio

Hi Marvin X-  we just sent our newsletter to you. It includes beautiful postcards including the image shown above. Keep and eye out for it, and take action by sending the postcards inside. You'll find a hand-written letter from Mumia, beautiful postcards to demand that Jaan Laaman is released from the SHU, and important updates from Prison Radio. Today, we're asking that you take action by sending those postcards, and by pitching in to help us build on the success of 25 years amplifying prisoners' voices. Will you pitch in today to turn up the volume on journalism from inside? Order 100 postcards to demand justice for Jaan Laaman by clicking here! Your solidarity and support is a reason why 300 people in prison in Pennsylvania are being treated for hepatitis C, a reason why Mumia Abu-Jamal is alive today, and the reason we can hear incarcerated individual's audio journalism 24/7. That's why I'm asking if you will be one of the first to jump-start our campaign to amplify prisoners' voices. We need your help in this moment to resource prisoner journalism at full steam ahead. Will you chip in today to help us reach $5,000 in 5 days? By the end of the week, we need to raise $5,000 to bring prisoners' voices into the media. $5K in 5 days is a bold challenge, but I know we can do it together. Contribute Now to Amplify Prisoners' Voices As Mumia says, "the battle ain't over... with your love we shall prevail again." Marvin X, will you join us today to continue prevailing by making a gift of $35, $75 or even $100 today? Cuando luchamos ganamos! When we fight, we win! Noelle Hanrahan Prison Radio

sf juneteenth 2017, sat., june 17, berkeley juneteenth, sunday, june 18

;

   marvin x will autograph books at both events

be sure to visit the berkeley flea market when you attend berkeley juneteenth

the flea market needs your support

in the era of gentrification

the flea market is at the north end of the juneteenth festival

ashby bart station

philadelphia museum celebrates black arts movement

 PhilAesthetic explores local Black Arts Movement

Ayana Jones Tribune Staff Writer Jun 13, 2017

Helen Haynes, left, Patricia Wilson Aden and James Claiborne of the African American Museum in Philadelphia speak about PhilAesthetic events scheduled through August. — PHoto by ABDUL SULAYMAN/TRIBUNE CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Philadelphia Dance Company, one of four collaborators in the weeks-long cultural event, is scheduled to perform July 18 at the Dell Music Center. — SUBMITTED PHOTO

“One of the objectives of our project is to tie generations together,“ said Helen Haynes, PhilAesthetic producing director. — SUBMITTED PHOTO

Kulu Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble will put on a show in helping to launch PhilAesthetic during a reception on Thursday at the African American Museum of Philadelphia. — SUBMITTED PHOTO

The African American Museum of Philadelphia is marking its 40th anniversary by curating PhilAesthetic: A Celebration of Philadelphia’s Black Arts Movement, a multimedia, pop-up

exhibition that opens this week.

The celebration is an unprecedented collaboration between four cultural institutions: The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, Philadelphia Dance Compay, the New

Freedom Theatre and AAMP.

“PhilAesthetic is a shared celebration amongst Philadelphia’s African-American legacy cultural organizations,” Patricia Wilson Aden, AAMP president and CEO, told The Philadelphia Tribune.

“All of these organizations, for the first time, are offering programs with a shared theme. PhilAesthetic is all about the Black Arts Movement,” she said. “The Black arts movement is that

time between the late ‘60s and early ‘70s where we had a lot of creative energy percolating up

not only from neighborhoods in Philadelphia, but also nationally and internationally.”

“What we wanted to do is highlight the fact that these legacy organizations very often had their genesis during that time period and those legacy organizations have associated with them artists that have had impact not only here in Philadelphia but across the globe For so long we believed

that these legacy organizations haven’t been celebrated collectively as they could and should be, “ Aden said.

“We really want people to appreciate the fact that they have had this fantastic, immeasurable and invaluable imprint. The culture community is changing, the neighborhoods in which they exist are changing and very often their impact is under appreciated,” she added.

PhilAesthetic is anchored by a two-gallery exhibition showcasing four decades of works by some

of the top Black visual artists. It also features community workshop performances and pop-up exhibits at the three partner institutions where visitors can explore the stories, history and work of each of community cultural organizations.

“One of the objectives of our project is to tie generations together,“ said Helen Haynes,

PhilAesthetic producing director. “We talk about the Black Arts Movement and we talk about

what the boomers’ experience with it, but a lot of the millennials and the Xers haven’t had that

same experience with these institutions.

“We want to attract younger people to these institutions. This programming is really designed to attract younger people to the institutions to really get them more involved with them and also different cultures to these institutions,“ she said.

PhilAesthetic launches Thursday with a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the AAMP, 701 Arch St. The reception features live performances by the Clef Club Ensemble, Ursula Rucker and Kulu

Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble.

Through August, each partner institution will host a series of performances showcasing the

diversity of artwork created by the Black Arts Movement artists and their influence on

contemporary performers.

A performance titled “Fierce! Three Generations of Jazz, Funk and Hip-Hop” will be held June 24

at 8 p.m. at the Philadelphia Clef Club, 738 S. Broad St. The event features Jamaaladeen Tacuma

and his band, soul-singer Lady Alma as well as rapper, singer and songwriter Hezekiah.

An event titled “The Ultimate Supa Sisters!” featuring Ursula Rucker, Sonia Sanchez and Jessica Care Moore will be held July 14 at 8 p.m. at AAMP.

Other events include a Philadanco performance at 7 p.m. July 28 at the Dell Music Center, 2400 Strawberry Mansion Drive, and a theatrical production at 8 p.m. Aug. 11 at New Freedom Theatre, 1346 N Broad St. The production explores major Black Arts Movement headlines connected to Philadelphia’s Broad Street.

PhilAesthetic has received a $75,000 grant from the PNC Arts Alive initiative and is supported

by the King Foundation and PECO.

“Through PNC Arts Alive, we continue to help invigorate local arts organizations while bringing

new and exciting programs to our community,” Joe Meterchick, PNC regional president for Philadelphia, Delaware and New Jersey, said in a news release.

“The creativity and collaboration demonstrated by the local arts community is evident in the programs that will be introduced, while enabling new visitors and residents alike to experience a diverse range of exhibits and performances, “ Meterchick said.

For ticket information, visit www.aampmuseum.org/philaesthetic or call (215) 574-0380.

Level the Playing Field--Everybody Pack!

•  Marvin X 
•  July 20, 2012 

Police: Suspect stockpiled arsenal

Violence is as American as cherry pie!--H. Rap Brown, aka Imam Jamil Al Amin


The murder of my child will not make your child safe.--James Baldwin





The recent mass shooting in a Colorado cinema is an essential part of American culture, a culture steeped in violence, genocide and a plethora of psycho pathologies too numerous to catalog. In short, America is a society rooted in mental illness. The very idea of claiming equality of all men, yet practicing chattel slavery of kidnapped Africans is schizophrenia of the most morbid kind.

Furthermore, the very idea of a free market economy is not based on fairness or social-economic justice but to obtain the cheapest labor possible and the acquisition of raw materials at the lowest price, including at the point of a gun, hence the trillion dollar US military budget to kill, maim and dominate people around the world.

So how can we imagine living in a peaceful society when we are in permanent war around the world with hundreds of military bases throughout the globe to insure political/economic domination? How can we be so delusional to think there shall be no blow back for American behavior around the world? Surely, we know what goes around comes around!

We need only look at the violence in the hoods of America, aided and abetted by gun sellers often working in conspiracy with government agents, e.g., Fast and Furious, although this was across the border sales, but do not think these same gun sellers do not operate in the hood, spreading their wares to people so desperate from economic deprivation they can only rob and kill each other. We rarely hear of ghetto youth crossing the line into the white side of town to kill white people. If anything, it is most often white police officers (sometimes black officers as well) who act as an occupying army in the hood. White police have a long history (originating with slave catchers) of executing justice upon North American Africans and other minorities.

As Baldwin noted, the murder of my child will not make your child safe, so violence appears in the suburbs from time to time, a reminder that when one child or adult is not safe, no child or adult is safe anywhere in the world.

There is no way America can murder with drones in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere, yet
harbor the thought that there shall be peace at home.

As we look for options to stem this violence that is American as cherry pie, we think the only option is to level the playing field by making everyone pack arms at all times, yes, as in the Wild Wild West days. No persons should find themselves in a situation where some crazy fool is armed and we are not.

In the hood, even black bourgeoisie parents have been known to allow their children to arm themselves if they happen to live in or near the hood where there is rampant gang violence. Some parents urge their children to dress down so they do not incur the wrath of poor ghetto youth who may be jealous and envious of them parading in the latest high priced hip hop gear. Here, we see the economic motive that leads to violence. Only when we address the economic inequities and social psychology of American culture wIll we be able to solve this problem. Until then, it is only sensible to practice self defense at all times and never get caught naked or unarmed. The South learned this lesson long ago. I have friends in the "dirty South" who never go out unarmed, especially down those southern roads.

Up South in the North, the situation is approaching the dirty south. Many of us dare not go out at night, some stay locked inside their homes except for necessary trips outside. Long ago, ancestor Ray Charles told us about the danger zone, "The danger zone is everywhere...." So be aware of your surroundings and as the Boy Scouts taught us, "Be Prepared!" The old Arab adage is, "Trust in God but tie your camel!"
--Marvin X
7/20/12

www,blackbirdpressnews.blogspot.com

www.bambd.org

cover art by emory

MAJOR TILLERY Fighter for Freedom and Human Rights Mumia Abu-Jamal describes Major Tillery as a “jailhouse lawyer who shook the prison walls,” then held in solitary confinement for twenty of his 33 years in prison “because of something prison administrators hate and fear above all things: prisoner unity; prisoner solidarity.” Messing With Major [col. writ. 8/14/15]   Shakaboona Marshall, co-editor of The Movement, was sentenced as a juvenile to life imprisonment without parole. He describes Major Tillery as “a highly respected man, Revolutionary, Prisoners’ Rights Activist, Religious Leader and Human Rights Advocate.” Major Tillery, the Man, Fall 2016   June 14--Major Tillery, now 66 years old, continues to advocate for all prisoners while fighting for his own his freedom. He filed a federal pro se lawsuit against the Pa Department of Corrections (DOC) because of retaliation against him for demanding medical treatment for Mumia and all prisoners. At SCI Frackville he has succeeded in obtaining services for aging prisoners.   Major Tillery filed a pro se Pennsylvania state post-conviction petition in June 2016 to overturn his 1985 conviction. It is based on his actual innocence, with new evidence of police and prosecutorial misconduct.   Nine years after a 1976 Philadelphia poolroom shooting of two men, Major Tillery was tried and convicted for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The surviving victim identified other men as the shooters. There was no evidence against Major, except the testimony of two career jailhouse informants. Those prosecution witnesses have now given sworn declarations that their lying testimony was entirely manufactured by the police and prepared by the prosecutors.   Major Tillery’s new legal action exposes a favorite police modus operandi in the early 80s to get false convictions. Jailhouse informants were coerced with threats of prosecutions for murders they did not commit and induced to lie with private time in police interview rooms for sex with their girlfriends. Prosecutors provided plea bargains, and dismissal of pending criminal cases that could have resulted in decades of prisontime.   Just three months later the judge dismissed the petition without even allowing a hearing, stating that it was “untimely.” The judge ignored corroborating evidence of the “sex for lies” scheme and the videotaped statement of the chief jailhouse snitch Emanuel Claitt.   Major Tillery’s case in now on appeal in the Pennsylvania Superior Court. The key legal issue is the preemptory dismissal of pro se filings, challenging as unconstitutional the “timeliness” restrictions used to deny prisoners a day in court when, after years of continued efforts, they obtain new evidence.   Major Tillery now has the pro bono representation of PA criminal defense attorney Stephen Patrizio, but financial help is needed to cover the expenses of the appeal process and continuing investigation.   Major Tillery is continuing his 33-year fight for his freedom, challenging the injustice of false convictions through state coercion, and the denial of the rights of appeal. Please help! Make your support to Major Tillery known to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. Make a financial contribute to help with the costs of Major’s appeals.     How You Can Help   Financial Support—Major Tillery needs funds for a lawyer in his appeal to overturn his conviction.   Go to PayPal   Go to JPay.com; code: Major Tillery AM9786 PADOC Or send a check/money order to: Major Tillery or Kamilah Iddeen, U.S. Post Office, 2347 N. 7th St., PO Box 13205, Harrisburg, PA 17110-6501   Tell Philadelphia District Attorney: Free Major Tillery! He is an innocent man, framed by police and and prosecution. Call: 215-686-8711 or  Email: DA_Central@phila.gov   Write to: Major Tillery AM 9786, SCI Frackville, 1111 Altamont Blvd., Frackville, PA 17931   For More Information, Go To: JusticeForMajorTillery Kamilah Iddeen (717) 379-9009, Kamilah29@yahoo.com Rachel Wolkenstein (917) 689-4009, RachelWolkenstein@gmail.com   www.JusticeForMajorTillery.org

SURVEY FOR THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT BUSINESS DISTRICT

Take a moment to complete online survey   http://bit.ly/2qBwqqA  Your answers will help us in creating a proposal for technical assistance from Carmel Partners the developer of the high rise at the Merchant Parking lot site. This is a opportunity created as a part of a Community Benefit Agreement between BAMBD, CDC and the developer. Your answers to the survey questions will help us ascertain the best use of this resource. If you have not done so please send the request to your networks as appropriate so that they may participate in this important step. Thank you, BAMBD Team

LUMUMBA MAYOR OF JACKSON MISSISSIPPI

Jun 14 at 8:51 PM

JUSTICE INITIATIVE Mayor-elect Lumumba: Jackson 'to be the most radical city on the planet'   Anna Wolfe June 12, 2017 The Clarion-Ledger    "The Wednesday after the election I woke up in Jackson, Mississippi, and what that means is, no matter whether our country has experienced great boons or busts, in Mississippi, we've always been at the bottom," Mayor-elect Chokwe Antar Lumumba said. "We have to decide that we're going to rescue ourselves. That in places like Jackson, we won't allow it to be havens of oppression which endangers all of us." Chowke Antar Lumumba on March 11, 2014. Photo by Trip Burns.     Mayor-elect Chokwe Antar Lumumba talked about making Jackson "the most radical city on the planet" Friday at the People's Summit in Chicago.   The word "radical" is not unfamiliar to the 34-year-old attorney and son of late-Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, whose agenda, which he has adopted, is built on economic democracy.   The mayor-elect talked about that very term - the misconceptions and truths tied to it - with The Clarion-Ledger editorial board in April before the primary.   "Chokwe Lumumba is a pretty tough name. And people don't know what that means," he said lightly. "I'm confronted with people, 'He's Muslim! He's this!' Not to disparage anyone's faith, but I'm Christian. Lumumba is a Christian African name. There are things that people are concerned about based on the history of when my father was here in the 70s. Guess who was not here in the 70s? I wasn't thought of at that time. And it was a different time. We can all agree that people on both sides of some of the friction can admit that things should have been taken care of in a different fashion. That has no reflection on who Chokwe Antar Lumumba is."   A young Lumumba Sr. came to Jackson in the 1970s alongside the Republic of New Afrika with goals of creating a separate nation through black liberation and self-determination. The history evokes a particular scene in which Jackson police officers, tear gas and a tank in tow, attempted to raid a house where RNA members lived, prompting a shootout. Lt. William Louis Skinner was killed. Lumumba Sr. was not at the house. He eventually helped found the New Afrika People's Organization, from which grew the Malcolm X Grassroots movement. The mayor-elect is a "proud member" of MXGM. "I'm not trying to push people away from anything. I'm passionate because I'm passionate about people's lives. I believe in human rights for human beings," Lumumba told The Clarion-Ledger board. "l'm critiqued for things just because of my background that if you think about it really intently, you would find that it's nothing that pushes anybody away. When I say 'People's Assemblies,' or I say 'we want to put people before politics,' I've had people ask me, 'Well, who are the people?' Well, if you're living, breathing, need water and food like I do, then I'm talking about you."   "I believe that's what people should understand about me, that I'm an inclusive person," Lumumba continued. "Beyond that, I'm not afraid of the term 'radical.' I'll embrace the term radical. Because when I look in history and I see all the people who have been called radicals - Martin Luther King was called a radical. Jesus Christ was called a radical. I believe that a radical is someone who cares enough about circumstances that they want to see a change, and if you look outside of these walls, and you see a need for a change in this community, in this city, then we all need to be prepared to be as radical as the circumstances dictate we should be."   The People's Summit is a conference focused on social, racial and economic justice and supported by National Nurses United and other progressive groups.   Lumumba was met with loud cheers from the People's Summit audience when he announced his victory in Jackson in a field of 16 candidates and with 94 percent of the vote in the general election. "More important than that, we did so on a people's platform," Lumumba said. "From the moment we announced, we did so saying that we were running on an agenda of social justice, of economic democracy and working with people, making sure people had a voice. And that's our story, and we're sticking to it."   Lumumba also talked about living in "Trump times" in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, where "we have all kinds of questions about what that means."   "The Wednesday after the election I woke up in Jackson, Mississippi, and what that means is, no matter whether our country has experienced great boons or busts, in Mississippi, we've always been at the bottom," Lumumba said. "We have to decide that we're going to rescue ourselves. That in places like Jackson, we won't allow it to be havens of oppression which endangers all of us."   "So we've made the decision that we're going to be the most radical city on the planet," he said. "We're going to make certain that we change the whole scope of electoral politics."