BAYAREASHOWS.today.com

Book Review: Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Part 1: Origins pp. 1-129

By Barack Obama (Autobiography)

Copyright 1995 Three Rivers Press: New York

Dreams from My Father: Origins traces Obama’s childhood years in Hawaii and Indonesia and his undergraduate years in Los Angeles and New York. The recollection is from the perspective of Obama following his tenure as the first black president of Harvard Law Review (prior to his election to the Illinois State Senate).

President or not, Barack Obama is a genuine perspective and a breath of fresh air to the juggernaut that is American politics. In Part 1 of his autobiography, Obama illustrates the identity struggle that many multiracial Americans face. His struggle is exacerbated by the revolving door of father figures involved in his upbringing.

There was Lolo, who was Barack’s stepfather in Indonesia. A rugged veteran, Lolo served as emotional guidance. After getting beat up, it was Lolo who bought boxing gloves, and instilled values of strength and protection into a youthful Obama.

There was Gramps, who was Barack’s white grandfather. Gramps was not the breadwinner of the family, it was his wife Toot—Barack’s grandmother. Although gramps and Toot showed unconditional love to their live-in grandson, Obama discerns that they repressed racism, rather than confronted it.

Barack Obama Sr. is perhaps the most elusive figure in Barack Obama’s life. Like Jr, he was Harvard educated. Sr. had many children living around the world. One thing that I have not yet understood, which perhaps is a premise of the novel, is Obama’s readiness to respect his father, who was detached from him throughout his youth. It appears Barack Sr. was too busy with Kenyan politics to perform as a father. In any case, Barack Sr. died in a car crash in 1982, and it is perhaps the mystique of his father that drives Obama to finding himself.

Origins ends with Obama abandoning a posh opportunity working at a New York consulting firm to become a community organizer. This is arguably the beginning of Obama’s political career because he is getting involved in the collective action and grassroots that are necessary to make things happen in a political system.

Review By Jason Alyesh

Movie Review

Iron Man

Directed by Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges

PG-13 Paramount Pictures 2008

The flashy special effects were expected, but what makes Iron Man superb is the womanizer-turned-humanitarian protagonist Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. Why? Perhaps it is the conflicted man that Downey appears to be. Perhaps it is the improvisation freedoms that Director Jon Favreau allowed Downey. For any or many reasons, Downey hit the character of Tony Stark on its head. Tom Cruise and Nicholas Cage, who also expressed interest in the film, could not have captured the character of corporate superhero nearly as well.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, a child prodigy who inherited the weapons corporation Stark Industries from his father. On his way back from a weapons demonstration at an American army base in Afghanistan, Stark’s caravan is attacked by terrorists, who order him to build a sophisticated missile for them or die. Instead, Stark creates the prototype for the Iron Man exoskeleton and escapes. This experience changes Stark’s attitudes about Stark Industries’ mission, and his decision to dissolve the weapons manufacturing division of the company creates new enemies back in the States.

I especially liked the incorporation of the War On Terror into the film. Favreau’s decision not to do a period piece—the Iron Man comic book originated around Vietnam—brought a sense of realism that I think hit more close to home. The movie deals with real-life issues, and at no point is the audience compelled to question the practicality of the plot, which is a good sign, especially for superhero films.

When asked about his motivation, Downey explained, “What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you’re supposed to buy into all his ‘Let’s do some good,’ that Eliot Ness-in-a-cape type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he’s unrecognizable. When someone used to be s schmuck and they’re not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor.”

I’ve always enjoyed Robert Downey Jr., more because of his personality than his acting ability. The delivery and context of his wit has always entertained me (see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). The flaws of Downey fit well with the flaws of Tony Stark. Only time will tell if this proves true in the sequels, as Marvel Entertainment, Paramount, and the original actors have all signed on to a trilogy. The Iron Man 2 sequel is scheduled for release on April 30, 2010.

Book Review––Dateline: Troy (2006) by Paul Fleischman

Publisher: Candlewick

I haven’t read Homer’s Iliad since the 7th grade, and with frankness, I can say that I was more likely reading Cliffs’ account than Homer’s. Eventually, my memories from this exposure to the Iliad more or less combined with Hollywood’s blockbuster and disappointment Troy, which was released 10 years later. In Fleischman’s juxtaposition Dateline: Troy, he reformed my understanding of the Trojan War––which happened over 2 thousand years ago––while also refreshing United States history over the past half century. Fleischman does this by juxtaposing the Iliad storyline with American newspaper headlines.

While reading, I was skeptical at first. What implications was Fleischman trying to make? I kept a vigilante eye for American historical inaccuracies and signs of political leaning. However, upon further reading, this auditing transformed. I became more interested in recognizing the author’s connections between the American ethos and Greek mythological events. In one account, the Greeks failed to storm the vast walls of Troy and resort to years of pillaging ally cities in the region. Fleischman contrasts this event with a headline about how hostile territory is undermining efforts to capture Osama Bin Laden. In his next described account, 8 years pass, and the Greeks point their spears at each other, which offers an iconoclastic tale of Odysseus––one not taught in today’s public schools. After reading such accounts and others, I thought to myself, who symbolized Troy, the United States, Agamemnon, or the Gods?

Movie Review

Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

Directed by Christopher Bell

2008 Rated PG-13

As I settled into my seat, I wondered what to expect. The preview poster adorned figures of Barry Bonds, Arnold as Governor, and Hulk Hogan. I certainly did not want to see a documentary vilifying steroids. Nor did I want to be barked at by proponents claiming the drug is harmless. The three gorilla-sized heads sitting in front of me brought fears of the latter. But what transpired was a documentary that was surprisingly objective, and very informative.

The film follows the lives of director Christopher Bell, himself conflicted about using steroids, and his two brothers, admitted beneficiaries of the drug. Throughout his sojourns, Bell uncovers a double standard in American culture: the negative spin that is the propaganda, and the don’t ask/don’t tell politics that is the reality. At one point Bell alludes to the issue of immigration. He hires “illegals” to help him concoct his own weightlifting supplement, in an effort to expose the lack of regulation in the industry. Whether Bell intentionally juxtaposed the issue of steroids with that of immigration, which suffers a similar propaganda-reality disparity, is unknown. What is known is that many musclemen of the 80s that Bell idolized were and may still be taking steroids, yet for whatever reasons, keep it taboo. Bell’s jokes resemble the antics of a Michael Moore Film: the tragic humor is often in the blithe ignorance and folly that comes from unsuspecting interview questions.

One criticism is that Bell may be too much like Michael Moore—–right down to his voice overs and the USC cap he wears in almost every scene (Moore wears a Michigan cap). However this does not diminish the message of the film, nor the public service that it provides. I simply could not shake off the similarities between Bell and Moore’s styles.

Review By Jason Alyesh