FORWARDEVER MEDIA CENTER
Writer Alex
Haley writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Brother Malcolm.
"The
media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make
the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.
Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
Mission
The Forwardever Media Center is 100% committed to providing unconventional writing workshops and media literacy training to "at-risk" Black youth, particularly males, ages 14 through 24. Working in partnership with The Mentoring Center in Oakland, CA., the Center's writing workshops, website internship, and film forums, help students develop critical thinking skills and discover their creative talents. We recruit youth for our programs from the California Youth Authority (the state's largest prison for youth) as well as from universities and high schools. This cross-pollination of young minds creates dynamic shared experiences.
Programs
Whatchusay Cinema–A monthly film forum hosted at schools or community centers in Northern California that explores issues such as race, class, gender, and society. Students are joined by a panel of activists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. to rate the films and convene roundtable discussions about corresponding relevant issues in society. For info about film screenings and schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Writing Workshops–We offer intensive seminars in journalism, creative writing, cultural criticism, new media, film production, etc. These seminars are taught at the center, located at 1224 Preservation Park, Oakland, CA, 94612. They are also available on location, at schools, community and detention centers, churches, etc. For info about class schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Internships–Whatchusay.com offers competitive internships to young writers who have clearly demonstrated a passion for the craft of writing or media production. The 3-month internship covers news writing and reporting, feature writing, creative writing, media literacy and new media. Working in partnership with community based organizations, universities and international and national media outlets, we produce a pipeline of informed journalists of color who will go on to create their own independent media organizations or work for major media organizations.
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Inside Man
By A. L. "Toni" Anderson
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars in Inside Man (2006), the latest, very highly anticipated Spike Lee Joint. The film can be classified as part heist, part mystery, and all riveting. It is the fourth project on which these two wizards of the modern film world have collaborated. The musical score is once again composed by the acclaimed New Orleans native, trumpeter Terence Blanchard.
Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) is a wise-ass brother with a less-than-perfect home life. He is under suspicion at work for a check cashing scheme, but when the Manhattan Trust Bank is literally taken over by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and crew, Frazier is the man. He deftly matches wits with the criminal mastermind in rapid-fire, point-counterpoint fashion.
Madeleine White (Jodie Foster), whose function is never clearly defined, is called in for her "special skills" by the bank's CEO Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), and suddenly one wonders "what is really going on!?" There are more twists than a salted pretzel, and the balance of power keeps shifting as the tables are turned and turned again. Both the audience and Detective Frazier are kept guessing until the somewhat surprising conclusion.
The cast is capably rounded out with major roles played by Willem Dafoe (Spiderman I and II) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Four Brothers) and lesser roles by Peter Gerety (Syriana) as an NYPD captain, Cassandra Freeman (Numb3rs) as Frazier's girlfriend Sylvia, and newcomer Carlos Andrés Gómez.
The dialogue is witty, for starters, and the multi-layered plot is unveiled in small slices, as it should be in any good thriller. The evidence of Denzel's talent becomes more apparent with each successive performance, and here he is at the top of his game. Lee's directorial talents are likewise improving with time and experience, although he still clings to certain of his trademark devices. The film's action is constant, sometimes moving so quickly that a momentary blink may cause one to miss something crucial.
The social commentary that is so much a part of all of Lee's work since the beginning is evident, but more subtly exhibited than in past works. Lee is never short on opinions, but he has become adept at displaying them in a less blatant manner.
Inside Man works on many levels, and it is certainly worth the price of admission. Judging by reactions in the packed theater where I saw the film, I'd say Spike has a hit on his hands. I could easily see this film again, just Denzel and me, alone in the dark
Posted on March 26, 2006 1:37 AM
