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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
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S eattle
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Page 2 The Seattle Skanner January 25, 2012
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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.