Month: June 2020

13th Shows Exploitation

13th

13th

Directed by Ava DuVernay
Written by Spenser Averick, Ava DuVernay

The review:

DuVernay lays out a convincing case that exploitation of a phrase in the amendment that abolished slavery (except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been convicted) has continued to enslave Black people in the US since the amendment was adopted. It’s a stylish documentary, with great graphic design* and camera angles of talking heads that aren’t just static head shots. But it also packs a repeated punch** and leaves a lot of room for thinking.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It looks like old-timey posters
**For me the dialog of the current occupant of the White House overlaid with footage from the Civil Rights Movement was particularly striking. Also, the point that was made that you can talk about the lives of many white leaders without discussing the FBI, but this is impossible to do for Black leaders.

Questions:

  • What needs to be dismantled or rebuilt first?
  • What was something that struck you in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The filming locations and production design of the interviews, with brick walls and industrial equipment represent labor that, according to DuVernay, “has been stolen from black people in this country for centuries.”

(I was particularly taken with the building where Angela Davis was interviewed. What was that gorgeous decaying space? I watched the Oprah/Ava conversation (available on Netflix) and learned it was an abandoned train station in Oakland, California.)

Other reviews of 13th:

13th

Lions Wearing Masks? And Other Signs of the Times

I’ve been taking afternoon bike rides (which are lovely) and enjoyed finding these two figureheads setting a good example for the neighborhood.

I like how stylish their masks are.

The bridge on Willamette right before the turnoff to Fred Meyer has been a landing place for signs.

While every death like George Floyd’s is heartbreaking, Breonna Taylor’s murder hit me hard.

Unemployment Checks Arrive!

What I learned today: when the state needs to pay out seven weeks of unemployment at once it does not issue one check. It issues seven checks.

And when the state has to pay an additional $600 a week due to enhanced unemployment benefits, they do not issue one check for those seven weeks, or combine it with the normal unemployment.

No, when you get seven weeks of benefits, fourteen checks arrive in the mail on the same day.

And then, you get to take a very happy trip to the bank!

The checks wouldn’t have come on this day without the help of AmyBeth, Speaker Kotek’s legislative aide. She was invaluable at giving me information about the process, telling me about a trick (calling rural unemployment departments) and putting me on Speaker Kotek’s coronovirus-specific mailing list.

I really appreciate the help of my representative, her staff, and the people of the Canyon City unemployment department, especially Sunshine, who used the Big Post-It Method to ensure someone called me back.

After this first run of checks, my weekly benefit will be deposited electronically into my bank account.

See You Yesterday is a Balance

See You Yesterday

See You Yesterday

Directed by Stefon Bristol
Written by Fredrica Bailey & Stefon Bristol

The review:

It’s a delicate balancing act, this movie, what with trying to have a fun caper (two teenagers build time machines!) and also addressing police shootings (they are trying to save a family member).* It succeeds at this task, managing to balance the wonder of time travel with the horrors unnecessary death.** Plus, it’s always good to see a determined girl who loves science on screen.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*This week has been an heightened one for watching depictions of police interactions on screen.
**While watching, I was cataloging the number of swears, because this would be a good film to show in school. The level of swearing sunk that, but in hindsight, I’m guessing most schools wouldn’t show a movie depicting police shooting and unarmed man, no matter how much fun the science stuff is.
***There’s a fun cameo in this film too!

Questions:

  • How would you end this film?
  • What did you think of the clothing choices of C.J. and Sebastian?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

In the school scene, Mr. Lockhart is reading Kindred by Octavia Butler, a book about an African-American woman who travels back in time to pre-Civil War America and has to deal with the injustice and oppression of slavery.

I have read Kindred and it’s great! Highly recommended!

Other reviews of See You Yesterday:

See You Yesterday

SKS Postcard: White Eagle

Sara found this postcard and decided to send it to me. She had been using it as a bookmark and it was among her bookmarks.

She reports that the day she sent the card was both her mother’s birthday and a Friday.

The White Eagle is just down the road from my house, and it’s fun that a postcard from there came all the way from California. And probably did a stint in Minnesota, too!