James P. Brown

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Joined March 11th 2010

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Reel Time Reviews

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Unity of Faith

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Siblings By Faith

February 16th 2011 02:19

I was reading a news article the other day about a Michigan man who was arrested for carrying explosives near a Mosque. This Mosque is where my sibling by faith has visited in the past and prayed. It was a sobering reminder that we as a society still have a long way to go when it comes to tolerance or the lack thereof.

So how does this former alter boy and Irish Catholic cross paths with a Muslim woman originally from Queens, New York who now lives in Canada? Easy, through her brother and my best friend.

I remember the day as if it was yesterday. It all started innocently enough with an email sent to the both of us from her brother. I made a joke, she laughed. Perhaps the old saying that laughter is the best medicine is true. At least it was in our case. But I digress.

Before we could ever be friends however, a disclaimer needed to be made. She wanted me to know that she is a devote Muslim. My immediate reactions, “ok, but are you cool”. Call me naïve, call me clueless, or call me a fool but I never cared what someone’s religious denomination was. Never did, never will. I appreciated her concern and I certainly understood the how and why she felt the need for such a disclaimer. Post 9/11 has only made it worse for individuals like her even though we all lost something that day. Because in her everyday world being a Muslim sadly becomes a big deal for so many. It becomes an issue for those who can’t get past the hijab (headscarf) that a female wears. This is where I make the argument against Muslim women being oppressed. Respectfully, men of the Islamic faith can walk freely without much notice. Muslim women who chose (and it is a choice) to be more modest in their appearance put themselves out there for the entire world to see. If that isn’t strength or unwavering faith of the highest order than maybe I am clueless.

As we talk or rather email each other, I’ve come to learn quite a bit about the beauty of Islam and at the same time have a greater appreciation for my own religion. I’ve also come to learn how similar she and I are. All that truly separates us is our religious beliefs. Religious beliefs that share more in common than any anti-Islam individual or group could ever comprehend.

Did you know that Adam, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus himself are mentioned prominently in the Koran? Of course not, this is because fear handcuffs and paralyzes a society. I say embrace it. My life’s journey and thirst for knowledge has cost me some “friends” and some physical confrontations along the way. But that’s a small price to pay to walk a mile in her shoes (thank God she wears flats).

She shares her religion freely and openly with me without judgment and without fear of being judged. I try to do the same with her. It is a beautiful thing to share such experiences. And it is this bond that we both share that I pray will last a lifetime. The power of tolerance will always trump fear. That is my belief.

I look forward to every Friday (Juma'a Mubarak, Arabic for Happy Friday) when I receive my weekly Nasiha or advice from her. Every now and then I send her an Irish blessing or Irish quote which she seems to appreciate.

Where she and I differ, is whether or not our children’s future will be better than the world we currently live in. I optimistically say yes. She realistically says no but remains hopeful, we both ‘LOL’ on this opinion. I don’t win too many battles with my sibling which I‘m sure she’ll be happy to confirm but this is one battle that I plan on winning or die trying. John Lennon once said, “You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one."

Alas, I wish I could take credit for the title of this piece but that needs to be given to my sibling, my sister by faith.

Peace Be Upon You or Assalamu alaikum. Either way you say it, it’s a beautiful sentiment.

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Frost/Nixon

March 11th 2010 03:14

Frost/Nixon (***1/2)
With renewed hope and change the first thing that came to mind after watching Frost/Nixon is the old saying ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.’ It’s been over 30 years since the infamous interview which felt more like a boxing match between a aging and seasoned champion, Richard Nixon and a novice David Frost and yet it felt relevant to today’s America. You have an unpopular President at that period of time defending his record on war and improprieties in regards to his abuse of power. Sound familiar? This is a very well done film by Ron Howard. Both Frank Langella (as Nixon) and Michael Sheen (as Frost) own the scenes they are in. If you are a political nut or a student of history this becomes a must see film. A great study in journalism and politics and (at least for me) a greater appreciation for the office of the President and the amount of stress that the office shoulders. We tend to forget that our elected officials are flawed human beings first and foremost. They are neither gods nor the devil and even the most “well-intended” of individuals can be blinded by power if not held accountable for their actions.

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The Top 10 Baseball Films of All-Time

March 11th 2010 03:13

With hundreds of films to choose from, to list ten best, is almost impossible and highly subjective. But here they are:

10. A League of Their Own (1992)
Yes Virginia, women did play organize baseball. They are even recognized in the Baseball Hall of Fame. This look at baseball’s history deals with the true story of the formation of the All American Pro Girls League. Their creation made possible because of the outbreak of World War 2 that took many male ballplayers away to fight in the war. A fine tribute to those young ladies who kept our national pastime alive and well in a time America needed it most.

9. The Rookie (2002)
Based on a true story, Jim Morris is a Texas high school teacher and baseball coach. As a way to motivate his team, Jim agrees to a professional tryout should they win the championship. Sure enough this 39 year old father of three finds himself at camp for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Despite his ability to throw a 98 mph fastball, Jim spends most of his time languishing in the minors. As fate would have it, he gets called to the majors in time to face the Texas Rangers in his hometown.

8. The Natural (1984)
Roy Hobbs is possibly the greatest fictional hitter in cinema history. As an unknown middle-aged batter, Hobbs takes a losing baseball team to the top of the league with the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree. A lot of fluff but magical just the same.

7. Major League (1989)
It’s been 34 years between division titles for the Cleveland Indians. When their team owner dies, and his former showgirl wife Rachel takes over, she hatches a plan to break the team lease by fielding the worst team of misfits money can buy. The only problem with her plan, the team is not in on it. From voodoo practicing outfielders to ex-convict pitchers, Major League is one of the funniest sports films of all-time.

6. Field of Dreams (1989)
“If you build it, he will come.” That’s the message Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears from his corn field. Ray sets out to build a baseball field. When he does, the ghostly appearances of Shoeless Joe Jackson and members of the 1919 Black Sox arrive, leaving Ray in surreal wonderment. But when the voices continue, Ray seeks out a radical and reclusive author to help him understand its true meaning. A meaning, that will help him reconnect with his dead father.

5. Bad News Bears (1976)
Morris Buttermaker is a former minor leaguer and a lazy, beer drinking bum. He agrees, for a price, to coach a bunch of misfits with no talent called the Bears. With the help of a girl pitcher and a motorcycle riding punk, Buttermaker and his band of misfits set their sights on the little league championship.

4. Bull Durham (1988)
When career minor-leaguer Crash Davis gets assigned to Class A Durham Bulls he becomes mentor to the brash and naïve Calvin ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh. But when both are romanced by team groupie Annie Savoy, that’s when the real game of teacher and student begins. Great supporting cast mixing two of our favorite pastimes, sex and baseball.

3. Brooklyn Dodgers: Ghosts of Flatbush (2007)
The Brooklyn Dodgers were America’s team long before the Dallas Cowboys coined that phrase. From the day Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier to their 1955 David versus Goliath win against the hated uptown Yankees to their move to LA, Ghost of Flatbush is a fitting tribute to fan base and a borough that continues to live on fifty years later.

2. Pride of the Yankees (1942)
This biopic traces the life of Lou Gehrig. From childhood to his Hall Fame career we watch Gehrig’s rise and eventual fall to the deadly nerve disease that would bear his name at the age of 37. Much more than a baseball film, this story is what the human spirit is all about. You will consider yourself lucky to have experience it.

1. Eight Men Out (1988)
Eight Men Out is a based on the true story of the infamous “Black Sox” scandal of 1919. When a labor dispute between members of the White Sox and their powerful owner comes to a head, in enters mobster Arnold Rothstein who hatches a plan for the White Sox to throw the World Series. It is as relevant today as it was 90 years ago.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

March 11th 2010 03:09

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (***1/2)
If Forrest Gump was an ordinary man living an extraordinary life, than Benjamin Button (played brilliantly by Brad Pitt) is an extraordinary man living an ordinary life. Spanning nearly 90 years, the story of Benjamin Button (loosely based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald) is a study on the human spirit and how we can find much beauty in the ordinary. Born in 1918 New Orleans, Benjamin is born an old man with wrinkles and advance arthritis. As he grows younger and ages in reverse he sees over time the people around him grow older and die. When he meets Daisy (Cate Blanchett) the love of his life, she is just a little girl and he is an old man. As time goes by their lives repeatedly intersect one another until eventually they meet in the middle of lives. This is where their love flourishes but not without consequences. As great as the acting is by the ensemble cast which includes Taraji P. Henson as Benjamin’s adoptive mother, Queenie, the true standout of this romantic drama is the technology in both the CGI and makeup. Perhaps a bit longer than it should be at 167 minutes. It is still worthy of our time just the same.

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The Reader

March 11th 2010 03:08

The Reader (***)
While most films that deal with the Holocaust focuses understandably on the victims, THE READER (based on the novel by Berhard Schlink) shifts views and instead its main focus is on the perpetrator. Kate Winslet in an Oscar worthy role plays Hanna Schmitz, a woman who has an affair with Michael (played by David Kross) a 15-year old boy in 1950’s Germany. Ralph Fiennes plays the adult Michael and is told from his perspective. When their not making love on the screen, their time is spent enjoying classic literature as Michael reads to Hanna every afternoon. Call it literary foreplay. Soon thereafter, Hanna disappears without notice, shattering Michael as he returns to “normal” life. A decade would go by before Michael, who is now a law student sees Hanna again under very different circumstances. Hanna, along with several other German women is put on trial for their crimes as an S.S. guard during WW2. Michael is now torn between the justice that he seeks and the knowledge of a secret that may save Hanna from certain persecution. A complex film to be sure, we the audience much like Michael is also torn between what we know of Hanna, who is quite human and fascinating and the hindsight of what we later find out about her and the guilt that follows it. It beckons the question about when does one lose or show humanity under the most inhumane situations.

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Slumdog Millionarie

March 11th 2010 02:59

Slumdog Millionarie (***)
Karma, karma is the one word that comes to mind after watching British director Danny Boyle’s underdog tale SLUMDOG MILLIONARIE. The film starts with Jamal Malik (played with great maturely by Dev Patel) as the aforementioned "slumdog" being interrogated by a police inspector after Jamal exceeds expectations when he appears on India's version of the hit TV game show WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? This is when the story of Jamal’s journey along with his brother Salim and the love of Jamal’s life Latika begin to take shape. It is through flashbacks, some funny but mostly horrific images of poverty (not indigenous to Mumbai or India in general as some unfortunately would believe) and brutality that help explain Jamal’s success at answering the game shows questions. We follow Jamal and the others through three different ages and witness how their lives intertwine with one another even after they are separated. Madhur Mittal plays the older Salim, a cowardly thug who chooses a different path of easy money and violence from that of his brother working for a gangster whose “girlfriend” turns out with irony to be Latika (the beautiful Freida Pinto).
As good as the performances are and they are, it is the way director Boyle woven together Jamal's life experiences with the questions and subsequent answers on the game show that brings the audience in and makes us experience the full range of universal emotions from growing up, to being in love, to dealing with poverty and death that makes this film come to life. Karma, as it is written brings it all together

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