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FILM REVIEW: John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Keanu Reeves as Wick is 30% a punching bag and 70% an aggressive warrior. Martial arts. Gunplay. Reeves convinces you completely that Wick is the professional all other killers look up to. There is no franchise, as we know it, without him. He dominated The Matrix, and now this.

Published

5 years ago

May 28, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire Film Critic

Keanu Reeves And Halle Berry In John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum

Should the glorification of gun violence, as depicted in this action/thriller, become a thing of the past? Is that notion worth a discussion? Think on it.

John Wick is back. In Chapter 3 of this ultra-violent franchise, this assassin digs deeper and deeper into an underworld of hit men and women who are greedy for conquests and money.

Stunt double (The Crow, Matrix) turned director Chad Stahelski (John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2) starts this tale of lawlessness and adjudication with Wick knee-deep in action. He’s running pigeon-toed down rain-soaked streets, across Times Square, through traffic. Before you can take a breath, a hit is put on him with a $14M bounty. What did he do? He knocked off a member of an assassin’s organization, The High Table, in the wrong place.

That kind of loot brings more killers out of the woodwork than roaches scoping out a piece of cake on a kitchen counter. The dude is “excommunicado.” He’s the prey, and the hunters want him dead, not alive.

Hopefully the Stuntman’s Association and Stuntwoman’s Association demanded bonus payments for the 90 body doubles in this movie. Whatever the lead stars can’t do, they do with a verve and athleticism that is astonishing to watch.

Asia Kate Dillon and Lance Reddick in John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum

The action in this crazed ode to human destruction, whether it’s on horseback or motorcycles or in a hotel or souk, is some of the most mind-boggling and kinetic that’s ever been displayed on-screen. The level of carnage is startling—if not overwhelming. Gunshots pierce bodies, heads, knees and throats. Again, and again.

Keanu Reeves as Wick is 30% a punching bag and 70% an aggressive warrior. Martial arts. Gunplay. Reeves convinces you completely that Wick is the professional all other killers look up to. There is no franchise, as we know it, without him. He dominated The Matrix, and now this.

Ian McShane is back as Winston, the haughty proprietor of the Continental Hotel. He runs his business but is under the thumb of a syndicate that calls the shots and enforces their rules. His right-hand man Charon is played with stern conviction by Lance Reddick (The Wire). Add into the mix: The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon, Orange Is the New Black), who implements consequences. The stealth killer Zero (cult icon Marc Dacascos, lately of Hawaii Five-O) and his deadly ninjas. A local NYC neighborhood leader, Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). And a Belarusian ballet master named The Director (Anjelica Huston).

Halle Berry in John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum

The biggest surprise, in a perfectly cast movie, is Halle Berry as Sofia. She plays an old acquaintance of John’s and he needs her help. Initial scenes between the two sitting at a coffee table are dull, like a second-rate acting class. But oh heavens, when the fighting begins Berry pulls out her A-game and is more vicious than a rabid dog. Speaking of which, her performance is enriched greatly by the appearance of two Belgian Malinois. That canine breed was reared to be herders but are now used for policing and protection. Berry and her two four-legged weapons are integral to this chapter and help make it more unique that the other two. In fact, if Sofia gets a spin-off, a legion of fans will follow her.

Tip your hat to: Cinematographer (Dan Laustsen, The Shape of the Water), for his dynamic camerawork, rich lighting and saturated colors. The musical score (Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard), it punches up the frenzy with every note. Spot-on editing (Evan Schiff, John Wick: Chapter 2), footage is cut so tight it doesn’t give you time to gasp for air. Evocative production design (Kevin Kavanaugh), art direction (Ian Bailie, Teddy Setiawan, Chris Shriver) and set decoration (Letizia Santucci, David Schlesinger) that collectively give the film a masterful look and feel.

Laurence Fishburne And Ian McShane In John WIck Chpater 3 Parabellum

Chad Stahelski creates a world all his own, taking style hints from filmmakers like John Woo (A Better Tomorrow), Chan-wook Park (Oldboy) and Sam Peckinpah (Straw Dogs). Few directors are this deft at creating a wall of violence that intensifies right up to the end. It’s stunning, relentlessly vicious, soulless and well-planned. The script (Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams) dishes it out, and Stahelski shovels it to the audience, as John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum builds to a chaotic ending. Fight after fight. Gun battles in rapid succession. And more climaxes than a couple on a honeymoon.

You have to admire the spectacle, the rampant, grotesque brutality. If you can’t, at least the target audience of action/thriller/martial arts fans will. They’ll be euphoric.

But questions arise. “Should impressionable tweens and teenagers be allowed to see this mind-numbing violence?” “How will they process it if they do?” “Is an ‘R’ rating (parents must accompany anyone under age 17) appropriate? Would an “NC-17” rating (no one under 17 can see this film) be more fitting?

After weary adult filmgoers stumble out of the theaters, those issues may arise as they chat over a stiff drink, try to calm their frayed nerves and say to themselves: “WTF?”

Visit NNPA Newswire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.