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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2012)
local news S p o t l i g h t WWii Saga Recounts heroic exploits of Famed airmen T he Tuskegee Air- men is the nick- name given the 332nd Fighter Group, the first squadron of African- American aviators ever trained by the U.S. Air Force. Formed in 1940, the historic unit had to be stationed at a base on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute in Macon County, Alabama, since the Armed Forces were still racially segre- gated at the time of its creation. Even after America entered World War II, the government initially remained reluctant to deploy these pioneering pilots overseas, out of a concern that the presence of black officers in the midst of white soldiers might have a negative effect on military morale. Consequently, the Tuskegee Airmen lan- guished stateside for several years, seeing no action until they were finally cleared for combat in the European theater of opera- tions. Very Good III Rated PG-13 for violence and profanity. Running time: 125 minutes Distributor: 20th Century Fo x Upon arriving in Italy, their 2nd rate air- craft were upgraded from junky jalopies to state-of-the-art, P-51 Mustang fighter planes, thereby enabling them to escort B- 17 bombers on dangerous raids behind enemy lines deep into Germany territory. The untested pilots proceeded to perform admirably on over 1,500 successful mis- sions, demonstrating an unexpected combi- nation of competence and valor in the process. Red Tails is an eye-popping, special-f/x driven adventure which recreates these belatedly-appreciated veterans’ daring exploits in the skies, while chronicling their simultaneous, uncompromising quest for dignity in the face of the incessant humilia- tion mandated by Jim Crow. The movie marks the feature film debut of Anthony c o m Hemingway, who is pre- viously best known for m Ovie having shot episodes of a r evieWS host of TV series, includ- ing The Wire, True Blood, Treme, The Clos- by Kam er, and CSI: NY. Williams The picture was pro- duced by Lucasfilm where it has been a pet project of the studio’s leg- endary founder, George Lucas, for the past quarter-century. And it features an ensemble cast topped by Academy Award-winner Cuba “Show me the money!” Gooding (for Jerry Maguire) and Oscar-nominee Ter- rence Howard (for Hustle & Flow). Aside from raising the question of the arbitrary color line, the plot reads like a typ- ical, cliché-ridden war flick revolving around a tight-knit, motley crew of colorful characters. Each is based on a simplistical- ly-drawn archetype, like the ill-fated pilot you know isn’t long for this world the moment he’s shown sitting in his cockpit gazing fondly at a picture of his fiancée right before takeoff. Another familiar figure is the cigar- chomping Major (Gooding), a paternalistic pontificator given to delivering inspira- tional speeches about God, mom and apple pie. He cares about each of the men under his command, including alcoholic “Easy” Julian (Parker); daredevil “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo); class clown “Joker” George (Elijah Kelley); and “Junior” Gan- non (Tristan Wilds), a youngster who yearns to be taken seriously by his teasing col- leagues. Meanwhile, back at the Pentagon, we find exasperated Colonel A.J. Bullard (Howard) tirelessly lobbying the military brass to put an end to racial discrimination in the ranks. In the end, the film proves more memorable for its eye-popping, action sequences than for its corny dialogue which ranges from preachy (“We’re on the side of God Almighty!”) to trite poster-speak (Let’s give those newspapers something to write about!). Nonetheless, Red Tails amounts to a wor- thy, overdue tribute to a group of intrepid, World War II heroes who never let their sec- ond-class status diminish their patriotism even one iota. m u n i t y S eattle B ulletin B oard if you have an event you want to share with the community, email it two weeks in advance to The Skanner at info@theskanner.com Page 2 The Seattle Skanner January 25, 2012 c a l e n d a r 2012 Saturday January 28 excalibur’s, 400 Ne 45th St. DiSCOVeRiNG DiSCOVeRy PaRK: The early years! Join us on a journey to the “early years”. For adults and families with children 12 and older. Free. 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Discovery Park environmental learning Center, 3801 Discovery Park Blvd. Friday February 3 monday January 30 GeT a Real JOB STaRTuP JOB FaiR: This is an evening for designers and technologists. This is a job fair for developers and designers to add passion to the work they do. 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. FiRST FRiDay NiGhT FRee: The first Friday night of every month is free at KidsQuest Children’s museum. Come explore, play and learn with us. KidsQuest Children’s museum, 4091 Factoria mall Se, Bellevue Saturday February 4 SummeR CamP FaiR: Camp Fair, Summer Camp enriches children’s lives. Come check out some of this year’s camps being offered. Free.
