This Week in Netflix :
"Children of Men"

As I am pretty much watching at least one DVD rental per week lately, I have decided to start a new feature called "This Week in Netflix" with periodic reviews of my DVD of the week. I may even go back and review some past DVD rentals, but for now let's stick to this week's selection: "Children of Men," based on a P.D. James science fiction novel and starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine and directed by Alfonso Cuaron.

For those not familiar with the story, the premise is basically this: The movie is set in England in 2027. Society faces extinction because women have lost the ability to reproduce, with no child having been born since 2009. We never really find out why or how this has become the case, it just is. Martial law has been implemented, with refugess being caged and/or deported and a revolutionary group called the Fishes at war in the streets with the government with bombs going off and random gunfire. Probably a lot like Baghdad is now, only without the unwanted U.S. military presence.

The always good Clive Owen plays Theo Farron, a former activist who is pulled back into that world by a former lover Julian (Julianne Moore). Julian and some members of her group kidnap Theo and present him with a proposition: Help them transport a pregnant teenage refugee named Kee out of the country to the (perhaps) mythical "Human Project," a place where scientists and doctors are working to solve the infertility problem that threatens to wipe out society as they know it. For some reason, also not fully explained, the Fishes do not want this to be a successful mission.

I was kind of envisioning a "Blade Runner" type story where you have an intelligent action-thriller set in the bleak, dirty, colorless, anarchic future that seems to be the standard for all such stories not starring the Jetson family or directed by George Lucas. Maybe even something along the lines of the recent futuristic actioner "V for Vendetta" which I did not expect to like but actually enjoyed quite a bit, Natalie Portman's shaved head and all. Heck, even if it was as brainlessly entertaining as "Total Recall" I would have been happy. Suffice it to say that is not what I got.

Technically and visually the movie is quite impressive. Cuaron really has a flair with the camera and his use of documentary style gives the film a gritty look and feel that serves this material well. In particular, there is a breathtaking sequence where Cuaron and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki somehow get the camera to swing around the inside and outside of a speeding car while it is being attacked by terrorists. I read that the scene has been dissected by film school students and aspiring filmmakers alike trying to figure out just how it was pulled off.

However, the story and tone of the film is just so relentlessly grim and depressing that I couldn't take it after a while. In addition, Cuaron asks more questions and presents more ideas than he is able to adequately answer and develop. How did women become infertile? Why is Britain the only country still (barely) alive and kicking in 2027? Why are the Fishes trying to stop Kee from getting to the Human Project, where she conceivably could help save society from extinction? And what the hell is the deal with Michael Caine's hair?

On a positive note, my buddy Michael in North Carolina will be happy to know that his longtime nemesis Julianne Moore's character meets a rather early and bloody demise in the film. While we're talking about Moore, she seemed miscast and her character kind of superfluous to the story. In his review of the film, Chicago Tribune movie critic Michael Phillips noted that "Moore's apparently immobilized forehead is proof that a good actress is not improved by a lack of expressivity." I imagine that Moore's early end would put a smile on my friend Mike's face. Unfortunately, this movie did not put much of a smile on mine.

Rating: 2.0 stars out of 4

Rating Scale:

0 - I read that Rob Schneider passed on the script

1 - Slightly more entertaining than a "Simpsons" rerun

2 - I like you, but can we just be friends?

3 - So good I would have paid Netflix extra for shipping

4 - Not even Jack Bauer could prevent this movie from world domination

Justice Served?

I never had a chance to weigh in on the Duke Lacrosse scandal, and with yesterday’s development in the case - all remaining charges of kidnapping and sexual assault against the three players were dropped by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper – felt like now would be as good a time as any. As a former resident of Durham, NC from 2001-2006 and student at North Carolina Central University (the school attended by the accuser), this event literally unfolded in my backyard and I have been following it closely over the last year.

http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/563248.html

Let me first say that I am not a legal expert and do not have any law background other than the fact that my mom is a legal secretary, my sister once worked as a lawyer, I once dated a lawyer and I was an "Assistant Legal Assistant" at my mom's firm one summer back in college. OK, so maybe I do have some legal background. Despite my just realized abundance of legal acumen, I am not going to bore you with the minutiae of the case. Rather, I wanted to give an overview of the events and look at how fascinating the case is as a reflection of issues of race, class and the workings of the legal system in this country.

Dave Evans, 24, Reade Seligmann, 21, and Collin Finnerty, 20, all members of the lacrosse team and all white, were initially accused of raping Crystal Gail Mangum, an African American escort service dancer, at an off-campus party in Durham on March 13, 2006. The Durham District Attorney, Mike Nifong (who was up for re-election at the time), came out swinging and insisted that a racially-motivated gang rape had occurred. The black community in Durham was up in arms and Nifong's words only served to stoke the fire. Many faculty and students at Duke spoke out in comdemnation of the three accused players, with students even putting up "Wanted" posters with their pictures and comparing them to Hitler.

Without getting into too much detail, it would be safe to say that Nifong's case had more holes in it than a paper target at an NRA rally. First, the DNA tests came back negative for all the players. Second, the accuser's story seemed to change each time she told it and could not be corroborated by anybody else at the party including a fellow dancer there with her. It was also suggested that perhaps Nifong was not as forthcoming with evidence for the players' defense teams as he could have been.

http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/563242.html

In an unprecedented action, the North Carolina State Bar removed Nifong from the case when it filed ethical and professional misconduct charges against him in December. Nifong ceded control of the case to Cooper's office in January. Basically this was the equivalent of Nifong saying "My bad, Duke lacrosse players. Sorry about the whole "making your life a living hell and dragging your name through the mud for a year" thing. No hard feelings, OK?" The Attorney General's office launched an investigation and found that there was no merit to Nifong's case and that the remaining charges against the players be dismissed immediately.

Having lived in Durham, I can say that racial tensions do indeed run high in the city. For example, Board of Education meetings were notorious for devolving into shouting matches between black residents and white members of the Board over issues of racism in their decision making. Also, there is definitely a latent hostility that exists between Duke University - perceived as a privileged, rich, white institution - and the poorer black communities in Durham that surround the campus.

Listening to radio coverage on NPR today a student at Central, a historically black university, expressed her disappointment with Wednesday's decision. To paraphrase, she said "I wonder if it had been three black players accused of raping a white girl if the outcome would have been the same." Though one cannot excuse the ugly racial slurs that were reportedly used towards the dancers at the party, it is one thing to utter some hateful words and entirely another to rape someone. Maybe the players are guilty of being boorish jerks, but it appears from an evidence standpoint that they were not guilty of rape.

That being said, one can't help but wonder if there is a nugget of truth in what the student said. If the roles were reversed and the players were black and the accuser white, would the result have been the same? Clearly, legal history has shown that the American justice system is not colorblind nor blind to the influence of wealth and power (see the O.J. Simpson trial for an example of each). Unlike the Simpson case this one will never actually go to trial. However, with the possibility of civil suits being filed by the players against Nifong this story is far from over.

Weekend at Uncle Grant's

For the last several weeks I had been eagerly anticipating the first visit to the city of Chicago by my three nieces, Caroline, Meredith and Erica. My sister informed me earlier in the year that my brother-in-law, Ken, would be having his annual rotisserie baseball draft here the last weekend of March and that the whole family was flying out for the weekend. I immediately started to think of fun and educational things I could do with them. After all, we were not going to pitch a tent at American Girl Place and let the girls run wild for two days.

One of my first ideas was going to the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier. I thought it would be enjoyable for the girls and that my sister would like it as well since there would be an opportunity for them to learn something along the way. Sure enough, my sister liked the idea so I decided that would be our primary activity on Saturday. For me, the museum went along with animated movies in the “places/events intended for children that I also like but probably wouldn’t go to without a child” category.

So, tired from a night of babysitting at the hotel the evening before with my friend Monica, Uncle Grant arrived at the hotel Saturday morning ready to entertain. However, my first assignment of the day was of the less ambitious variety: Get the girls to finish their breakfasts while my sister got ready in the bathroom. I employed the oft used “eat what you can and Uncle Grant will finish the rest” strategy which resulted in a fine breakfast of eggs, blueberry pancakes, potatoes, toast and orange juice for your truly.

To say that the girls enjoyed the Children’s Museum would be an understatement. They loved it. Caroline (age 8) and Meredith (5) hit the climbing ropes that started on the ground floor and extended up to the second floor of the museum, ending with a walk along a bridge with wooden planks. There was also the Water Works area with big sinks of water and tubes for the kids to play (and get wet) with, and the Kid’s World exhibit by Jewel-Osco (a grocery store for those non-Chicagoans) with a pretend grocery store for the kids to role-play in.

For some reason Caroline decided I was the President and then began bringing baskets of groceries to me, apparently in an homage to my power and greatness. The first one was all milk, then fruits and vegetables and I said “Thanks” and pretended to eat and drink them much to her satisfaction. Among other activities, Meredith pretended to be a bus driver in a miniature Chicago Transit Authority bus complete with actual bus seats and steering column. Even little Erica (almost 2) found plenty of things to climb on, slide down and pull on, so she was quite pleased as well.

Next, it was on to the Navy Pier ferris wheel, or “fairy tale” as Meredith called it in a funny slip of the tongue. We were told that it was designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and is the fourth largest ferris wheel in the world. I had been on it before but was once again blown away by the breathtaking view of Lake Michigan and the beautiful Chicago skyline. After we got off, my sister – who was watching on a bench with Erica – said that Erica was saying “careful, careful, careful” which is apparently what their nanny Sri says around the house when the girls are in potentially harmful situations. Very cute.

I haven’t even mentioned that Saturday night we went on a tour of Wrigley Field hosted by one of my brother-in-law’s friends, who is an employee of the Chicago Cubs. We got to sit in the Cubs dugout, walk on the field and go into the owner's box, all of which was very cool for a sports junkie such as myself. All in all it was a very nice visit and when I talked to my mom - who is visiting my sister for Easter this week – last Thursday she said the girls were still talking about it. Chalk one up in the success column for Uncle Grant.