2018

Just two weeks before the hotly contested midterm elections, 14 pipe bombs were sent out to politicians, media personalities, and other vocal opponents of the President. All of the bombing targets have been outspoken about their opposition to Trump. Each one actively uses their platform to ensure that the Republican party is beaten in the midterms. One of the targets stands out, however. Veteran actor, director, producer and founder of Tribeca Enterprises, Robert De Niro became a part of the 14 targets when a bomb was intercepted at the Tribeca offices in New York City. 

De Niro’s position in the group is a bit ambiguous. He has publicly said, “F#$k Trump” on a national stage at the 2018 Tony Awards. However, nighttime television hosts regularly skewer the President in even worse ways. Then, there’s the weekly smearing put on by the Saturday Night Live cast. These actors and commentators were left out of the potential target list.

So why De Niro? Trump, continues to deny a connection to the incidents. He tweeted, and shouted this week about how his vitriolic speech was not the motivating factor behind the bombs. He was adamant that he had no tie to the suspect. A tweet by Ava DuVernay may explain De Niro’s connection to the group. She is the director of A Wrinkle in Time and the writer, producer, and marketer of many other projects. DuVernay is currently working with De Niro on an important new film, and she offered a little more information about the connection between Trump and the bomber. 

fThe aim was murder. To kill Trump opponents. Bob De Niro is a producer of our CENTRAL PARK FIVE film. We prepped in his building. Still casting there. This isn’t about packages. This is about people. Killing people who disagree with Trump. His finger pointing can’t change that. https://t.co/uWsGW5q9U8

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 25, 2018

Duvernay is referring to the film in development Central Park 5. The film is about five men convicted of rape and bludgeoning a white woman who was jogging in Central Park. The 1989 case that was overturned later and the men exonerated. Raymond Santana Jr., Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise, and Antron McCray were teenagers when they were accused of raping Trisha Ellen Meili. Meili was a white 28 year old executive, wife, and mother–which played heavily against the Black teens in the media. It was probably one of the things that swayed Trump on their guilt. It definitely fueled the harassment campaign that Trump has engaged the men in for the last 20 years. 

Trump used every platform he had at the time to rail against the teens and call out for conviction. He infamously bought a full page ad in the New York Times and other major papers, which condemned the teens  and was not the last time they would encounter his harassment. Santana Jr. recently called Trump out for continuing to call for their punishment after their exoneration.  In fact, the city of New York paid the men $41 million in the face of a wealth of evidence that led to finding the actual rapist.

Despite credible DNA evidence and a confession by another man, Trump still continues the dogging the men. His followers have also taken up this misguided vendetta, leading to the targeting of Tribeca, The Central Park 5 movie, and De Niro.

Trump’s issues with De Niro are thus of a personal nature, one that has nothing to do with politics. So the inclusion of this target in the 14 who received bombs is a clear sign that the bomber was motivated by Trump and his rhetoric and not just by “fake news” as he claims. This connects Trump and the bombing incidents, despite any of the man’s tweets and sputtering protests to the contrary. Had the bomber stuck to political and media opponents, then a connection could be dismissed as coincidental or simply political.

But, the Central Park 5 is “smoking gun” of sorts. Those five men are the thorn in the old billionaire’s side, one that for some reason, he really gets stirred up about. It is personal. And so are the bombs sent out to all 14 of the targets this week.

Today, Florida Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc was arrested for making and sending out  the bombs. The last set that he sent out included packages to California Senator Kamala Harris and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. He was found when DNA from the packages match samples that Sayoc had on file from previous offenses. 

As the story unfolds, and the motivation for these crimes is explained, the President’s vendetta against five Black teenagers in 1989 will be in the news again. As it should.

I can’t wait for the movie, coming from Netflix in 2019.

Can you?

The post Ava DuVernay Tweet Exposes Personal Trump Connection to Bombs appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

The following recap contains spoilers for the Doctor Who episode “Arachnids in the UK.”

Doctor Who has a long history with scary episodes. At their best, they’re famous for driving generations of British children diving behind the couch cushions from Daleks, Weeping Angels, or other less infamous monsters of the week. At their worst, they leave us with wooden mothers in the attic, or whatever those eye gunk monsters were supposed to be in “Sleep No More.” Still, with Halloween around the corner, it’s the perfect time for this new Who crew to do their best attempt to scare us. And what better way than with “Arachnids in the UK,” bringing us a story all about one of the most utterly terrifying things in the world: family.

Okay, yes, also spiders. Giant, killer spiders. They’re around too.

We’re just shy of halfway through series 11, and with the arrival of the TARDIS back in Sheffield on the day our team originally left, we’ve officially come to the close of the “lost in space and time” mini-arc of the first three episodes. We’re introduced to Yaz’s (Mandip Gil’s) family, Ryan (Tosin Cole) gets a letter from his dad, Graham (Bradley Walsh) returns to his Grace-less home, and the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) sadly ponders the prospect of returning to the universe in her empty TARDIS. Sure, there are creepy cobwebs everywhere and something is up with an equally creepy rich guy (Chris Noth), but these are the beats that ground our story.

Despite the rather large supporting cast, including Noth in a comedic turn (as a clear Donald Trump stand-in masquerading as a fictional Trump rival),  this episode felt the most solid so far of the season for giving all of its main cast presence on screen. A huge reason for this is that The Doctor and her friends all are getting used to the ‘mucking about and helping out’ parts of the show. As the mystery elements of the episode unfold, our trio of new companions slides almost seamlessly into their tasks, freeing up time for dialogue that focuses instead on their relationships to each other and their blood family around them.

For the most part, these story threads really work. Graham’s lingering grief issues really landed, as Sharon D. Clarke’s return as the echoes of Grace in his memory is used just enough to tug at the heartstrings without feeling too over the top or distracting from the narrative. Ryan’s mysterious letter from his father only makes a few appearances, but his attempt to express his distaste for the term “proper family” when talking about it with Graham says more about their bonding than any scene between then so far on the show.

I had hoped this episode would be the one to really give Yaz some focus, but I have to say that I again feel like she’s not as well served by the writing as the rest of her team. Yaz pulls her weight when it comes to the adventuring part of things, and Gil’s chemistry with the rest of the team has a lot of charm, but the depth of her character is by far the most lacking, and most of what we do get seems to be more telling than showing. Yaz brings Ryan and the Doctor home to meet her father and sister but leaves before spending much time with either. We get a lot more of her with her mother Najia (Shobna Gulati), but while she asks a lot of questions about who this “Doctor” is and why Yaz knows her (tossing a little bone to the Yaz/Doctor shippers as well), none of them seem all that unreasonable. On a show with a history of mothers like Jackie Tyler, Francine Jones, and Sylvia Noble, the things about Yaz’s family that drive her crazy seem fairly tame. Yaz is dissatisfied and restless, but so far the reasons she’s cited for that — her job and her family — haven’t led us to see why.

As to our eight-legged freaks of the week, the spiders of the episode’s title are legitimately scary, and not just for those with actual arachnophobia. The episode slowly teases them, shots of cobwebs here or there, tense music from new composter Segun Akinola working hard to rachet up the tension until finally we’re introduced to the crawlies in their frighteningly large form. In true Who fashion, though, that’s not where the story ends. Yes, giant spiders are scary; yes, moments like discovering human beings held in cocoons of webbing is very chilling; but on this show, monsters are frequently not truly evil or even malicious. Like our characters, they’re a family. A legion of baby spiders working with a giant, terrified mother. The Doctor, and by extension the audience, genuinely find reasons to feel for them. This revelation of babies following a mother could have felt ham-fisted, but was used with a gentle enough touch that it fit nicely into the episode’s…yes, I’m doing it.. web. 

We’re four episodes into Jodie Whittaker’s era, and it really feels like she has found her footing. It occurred to me after viewing “Rosa,” that there was never a sensation during the episodes of feeling like we’re still waiting for the new actor to feel fully at home in the Doctor’s skin. She’s just here. While we can often point to exact moments in other Doctor’s runs where they became the Doctor, Jodie instead just quietly settled into the role as effortlessly as throwing on her already iconic jacket.

“Arachnids in the UK” might have done something better with that, though. As the episode wraps up, and the Doctor’s friends make the collective decision to continue traveling in the TARDIS despite making it home, we get a Doctor moment. Jodie’s Doctor doesn’t immediately smirk and welcome them aboard, begging them to run away with her. She checks on them, she makes sure they understand the gravity of what it actually means. When she looks at them and tells them she doesn’t know what’ll happen to them if they travel with her, we’re seeing a direct link to the Doctor who sat in his TARDIS afraid to regenerate because he was tired of losing people. Her concern for them at that moment carries the weight of the experiences of the faces that came before hers, and we can see them clearly. Her glee when they agree and her immediate desire to call them her “fam” is palpable.

And when Yaz tells her she’s the greatest person she’s ever met, it feels real for us too, because we’ve known her for over 50 years.

Images: BBC

Despite being filled with ice dragons, undead wights, and possible mermen, Game of Thrones is a series heavily inspired by historical events. Just ask George R.R. Martin about the real story behind the Red Wedding. It was based on a few different events from Scottish history, including the Black Dinner in which the King James II of Scotland invited the Earl of Douglas and his brother to dine at their court, only to turn around and execute them before the main course was served. Long story short, Scottish history was absolutely brutal, full of grisly melees, protracted wars, and bloody battles, the likes of which will soon be seen in Netflix’s excellent new historical drama Outlaw King.

Directed by David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water), Outlaw King tells the story of Robert the Bruce (played by Chris Pine), one of Scotland’s national heroes and a warrior famous for waging a guerilla war against the King of England to win Scotland’s independence. But while Robert the Bruce has achieved mythic status in Scottish history, the events that happened were very real, and the reality of warfare during the 14th century was bleak, horrifying, and visceral. These are qualities that Mackenzie and his collaborators sought to highlight on the big screen in all their uncomfortable glory. The clash of steel, the crunch of bones, the sprays of blood–they aren’t glamorous in Mackenzie’s portrayal of medieval warfare; rather, they induce the same stomach-churning dread and discomfort that I felt during Game of Thrones‘ Battle of the Bastards. The result is a lot of grueling, grisly sequences that hammer home just how harrowing this experience must have been.

In order to find out how Mackenzie and company brought it to life, I traveled to Scotland where I sat down with him and stars Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tony Curran, and Billy Howle at Borthwick Castle, which dates all the way back to the 15th century. In addition to doing some casual archery and falconry, I chatted with the film’s stars about how they approached these brutal battle scenes, how they pulled off the film’s insanely ambitious 9-minute-long opening tracking shot (which makes True Detective look like Babytown Frolics), and much more.

Outlaw King comes to Netflix on November 9.

Images: Netflix

Whew lawd! This episode of Doctor Who I was anticipating and dreading at the same time. Now that “Rosa” has aired I am still on the fence.  What was good about the episode? What was considered missed opportunities? Here are my thoughts on the matter.

The Good

Writers Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall gives us a reminder of how far we have come as a society.  They also showed we still have work to do.  I like that Jodie Whitaker has the opportunity to continue the Doctor’s ability to call out BS.  The scene where Ryan (Tosin Cole) voiced his frustration to Yasmin (Mandip Gill) was heartfelt.  I loved that Ryan got to be part of the pow wow at Rosa’s house and witness history happening in real time.

It was subtle, but I also appreciated the importance of education.  We should never forget the specifics of how and why the civil rights happened.  Accurate history is even more important.

Guest star Vinette Robinson gave a quiet dignity to Rosa Parks.  I loved all of the moments she had with the Doctor and the companions.  Tosin’s reaction to meeting Martin Luther King (Ray Sesay) was adorable!  I probably would have been speechless meeting both Parks and MLK!

The episode did not shy away from the harsh realities of 1955.  From Ryan getting punched, to the policeman hunting him the struggle was real.  There was sense of tension and danger that has not been felt before pertaining to the theme of the episode.  At least for Doctor Who. I think it was important given Ryan is so young, and from England, that he learned just what it was like in the US.

I liked that a new potential villain was introduced.  Guest star Josh Bowman of “Revenge” and “Time after Time” fame plays a jerk well as Krasko.  Yay that the actor gets to use his real-life accent! I am sure we will be seeing him again but wonder if he’s working for someone else or if he is on his own?  I enjoyed the chemistry between Whitaker and Bowman during their scenes.  It is always awesome seeing the Doctor trash talk and outsmart the baddie.

Missed Opportunities

While they did a decent job with Ryan’s and Rosa’s experience on the bus, Yasmin’s was glossed over. Having Yasmin say, “let’s see what happens,” was taking the easy way out. It would have been nice to at minimum emphasize another minority struggle in the south.  Ryan experienced it first-hand but Yasmin’s experience was in collateral situations.  I think it could have been tastefully done without taking away from the story.

The Absence of Nan

One of the things that still irritates me is the fact that Nan/Grace died in the premiere episode.  This episode features a historical black female that jump started the Civil Rights movement.  To not have Nan play a role in maintaining it is a disservice.  Yes, Ryan gave a shout out.  Past companions Martha and Billy were never part of an episode of this magnitude.   Ryan almost makes up for it but it was very disappointing that Nan could not be physically be part of it either.

The song during the final moment

I thought the song “Rise Up” by Andra Day was okay. My guess as to why “Rise Up” was chosen; it is a recognizable modern song.  Also maybe it emphasizes how much work we still need to do in modern time.  Also, there was an older song in the beginning of the episode so maybe the decision was to not overdo it?

However, to give the moment even more punch I felt another spiritual would have been a better choice.  For example, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” or go with a classic, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

It would have shown consistency if anything else. Plus given that Ryan sent Krasko away so Rosa could succeed also would have given the song more oomph.

Overall the episode hit most of the right emotional spots. With some improvements the episode could have been even better.

What are your thoughts? Sound off below in the comments!

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