Anonymous wrote:Movie sounds depressing - will skip it.

Not at all depressing. So well done. In the end uplifting.

Would you recommend this movie for kids younger than 13?

I liked it right up until the third march where suddenly they felt the need to add what sounded like a Dave Matthews song. (I can't find any info about the soundtrack on imdb or anywhere other than the Common/John Legend song on the closing credits.) Those two songs were jarring to me. It had been a really accurate period piece until then, with period music, and then being jolted to "now" music felt like a gimmick. I bet that part feels really dated in a few years.

I get that Common was great in the movie, and that Hollywood feels the need to add a new song or two to move sound units and add to the revenue stream. I also get that the movie speaks powerfully to present-day issues. But that felt more powerful with the simple in-period depictions in the movie (like everyone kneeling with their hands up, or the lack of accountability for police who beat and killed the unarmed), without a modern-day rap to spoon-feed it to me.

I agree that Eyes on the Prize was great and I need to watch it again, but this was a good two-hour distillation, and it's good to have some historical awareness up on the screen. It's an important American story that hasn't been told by Hollywood.


I loved Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams. It was too bad there wasn't time/room to flesh out the roles of others. Other than "oh, Common is James Bevel, and that guy with the glasses is Ralph Abernathy, and they called that guy James Orange," there wasn't much reference to their roles and interactions. Lorraine Toussaint was great just with her face, even though she barely had any lines and it wasn't really clear who she was playing.

The portrayals of MLK and CSK were of course outstanding. The meeting with Malcolm X was a nice piece. The awful episode at the beginning (trying not to insert a spoiler) was appropriately jarring. It felt like, "got your attention now, MF?"

Anonymous wrote:Wow, so it only took until page 2 for this thread to go all DCUM.

LOL. Yes, I'm the one they apparently said the wrong thing that got the thread off track. As I was writing my last response, I actually thought the same thing. It's sad really how innocent posts can get the thread to go off into another direction. This is the first time that I caused it though.

I really wanted someone else to discuss the movie, other than the LBJ inaccuracies. Guess not.

Wow, so it only took until page 2 for this thread to go all DCUM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

I do not believe that you are black, but whether you are not, you sound as ignorant as one can be. You cannot believe that all or most black kids are illiterate and/or undereducated. If so, I guess you are one of only 3 that have a college degree. Do you really believe that the millions of black americans live, work, think alike in one big black community??
SMH!

Oh My!! Where did I say "ALL"? I was only stating that we are still behind as a group, even with equal rights and access to education. The movie just prompted me to consider what I can do to try and make a difference in my community, more specifically, my neighborhood. No need to get angry.

"Black Community" and "we" suggests all Einstein. I am not angry, just frustrated at your ignorant, trollish post.

Not a troll. Fine, I used the wrong term. Shoot me already! People on DCUM are unbelievable sometimes! Why is it ignorant to want to reach out to my neighborhood and try to help?

So most of the black folk in your neighborhood is less educated than you and you feel obliged to pull them up out of their ignorance and underacheivement?

I don't know if most are less educated than me, I didn't go around and do a poll. What I do know is that the DC CAS scores in the neighborhood elementary school are poor. I just want to tutor the kids and try to get them on the appropriate reading/math level. You people are trying to make this into so much more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

I do not believe that you are black, but whether you are not, you sound as ignorant as one can be. You cannot believe that all or most black kids are illiterate and/or undereducated. If so, I guess you are one of only 3 that have a college degree. Do you really believe that the millions of black americans live, work, think alike in one big black community??
SMH!

Oh My!! Where did I say "ALL"? I was only stating that we are still behind as a group, even with equal rights and access to education. The movie just prompted me to consider what I can do to try and make a difference in my community, more specifically, my neighborhood. No need to get angry.

"Black Community" and "we" suggests all Einstein. I am not angry, just frustrated at your ignorant, trollish post.

Not a troll. Fine, I used the wrong term. Shoot me already! People on DCUM are unbelievable sometimes! Why is it ignorant to want to reach out to my neighborhood and try to help?

So most of the black folk in your neighborhood is less educated than you and you feel obliged to pull them up out of their ignorance and underacheivement?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

I do not believe that you are black, but whether you are not, you sound as ignorant as one can be. You cannot believe that all or most black kids are illiterate and/or undereducated. If so, I guess you are one of only 3 that have a college degree. Do you really believe that the millions of black americans live, work, think alike in one big black community??
SMH!

Oh My!! Where did I say "ALL"? I was only stating that we are still behind as a group, even with equal rights and access to education. The movie just prompted me to consider what I can do to try and make a difference in my community, more specifically, my neighborhood. No need to get angry.

"Black Community" and "we" suggests all Einstein. I am not angry, just frustrated at your ignorant, trollish post.

Not a troll. Fine, I used the wrong term. Shoot me already! People on DCUM are unbelievable sometimes! Why is it ignorant to want to reach out to my neighborhood and try to help?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

I do not believe that you are black, but whether you are not, you sound as ignorant as one can be. You cannot believe that all or most black kids are illiterate and/or undereducated. If so, I guess you are one of only 3 that have a college degree. Do you really believe that the millions of black americans live, work, think alike in one big black community??
SMH!

Oh My!! Where did I say "ALL"? I was only stating that we are still behind as a group, even with equal rights and access to education. The movie just prompted me to consider what I can do to try and make a difference in my community, more specifically, my neighborhood. No need to get angry.

"Black Community" and "we" suggests all Einstein. I am not angry, just frustrated at your ignorant, trollish post.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

I do not believe that you are black, but whether you are not, you sound as ignorant as one can be. You cannot believe that all or most black kids are illiterate and/or undereducated. If so, I guess you are one of only 3 that have a college degree. Do you really believe that the millions of black americans live, work, think alike in one big black community??
SMH!

Oh My!! Where did I say "ALL"? I was only stating that we are still behind as a group, even with equal rights and access to education. The movie just prompted me to consider what I can do to try and make a difference in my community, more specifically, my neighborhood. No need to get angry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully you discussed the glaring inaccuracies shown in the movie. Thankfully we can "go to the tape".

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/12/what-selma-gets-wrong-113743.html

Calfiano is full of s****
To purport that the Voting Rights was a LBJ's idea is a true distortion of history and a slap in the face to the people of the movement and it's organizations(SCLC, SNCC) that put their lives on the line every day. LBJ definitely had something to do with it, but LBJ was a person of more ambition than compassion, it suited his needs and he was going to see it thru. His primary agenda was the war on poverty and he wanted to get MLK on board with it and MLK was not having it.
Geez and old coot says something and it has to be the gospel truth...read a history book for goodness sake.

Author of the Politico article:
"Mark K. Updegrove is a presidential historian, the author of Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency, and the director of the L.B.J. Presidential Library and Museum."

Historians do not use a single individual as an exclusive source.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

I do not believe that you are black, but whether you are not, you sound as ignorant as one can be. You cannot believe that all or most black kids are illiterate and/or undereducated. If so, I guess you are one of only 3 that have a college degree. Do you really believe that the millions of black americans live, work, think alike in one big black community??
SMH!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watch Eyes on the Prize.

Eyes on the Prize is a much better choice. I am in the minority on this but I found Selma to be wooden and tedious. I thought it condescended to the SNCC activists and while it was great that Diane Nash was included, the actress playing her barely said a word and mostly sat around looking pretty. Overall too many speeches or dialogue that sounded like speeches and not enough showing how things happened.

But lots of people love this movie so don't let my criticism stop you from seeing it. Decide for yourself. But I do recommend checking out Eyes on the Prize for a very moving portrayal of the civil rights movement. I believe Diane Nash is interviewed in the section about the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville and she's smart and interesting and worth hearing from.

This is exactly what what my teen DD said. But, I enjoyed the speeches; loved hearing the words. They inspired me!

Anonymous wrote:LBJ is misrepresented. See the WaPo. (Sunday ed. I think).

This may be true, but I saw the movie last night and it was still very powerful. It didn't make me think any less of LBJ, although it was a bit surprising (almost glad the movie wasn't 100% accurate). I wish I would have taken all of DDs friends with us to see it. What the movie did for me, was raise up a sense of responsibility and accountability to help my community get to a better place. I just feel a sense of urgency in trying to get AA's on an even educational ground. I can't tackle all the dysfunction that is occuring in the AA community, but I can help these children get even with their white peers. I felt sad and angry that for everything that those early civil rights activist did, many of us(AA) are still so "lost". I have to do something!!

Anonymous wrote:Watch Eyes on the Prize.

Eyes on the Prize is a much better choice. I am in the minority on this but I found Selma to be wooden and tedious. I thought it condescended to the SNCC activists and while it was great that Diane Nash was included, the actress playing her barely said a word and mostly sat around looking pretty. Overall too many speeches or dialogue that sounded like speeches and not enough showing how things happened.

But lots of people love this movie so don't let my criticism stop you from seeing it. Decide for yourself. But I do recommend checking out Eyes on the Prize for a very moving portrayal of the civil rights movement. I believe Diane Nash is interviewed in the section about the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville and she's smart and interesting and worth hearing from.