Slam Dunk

I usually get a kick out of Geico's recent strand of commercials...it take two to tango, living under a rock, and how much wood can a woodchuck chuck. Their latest commercial shows a white, suburban, middle-class couple complaining about how expensive it is to save for their son's college fund. Their solution? To teach the five year old how to dunk a basketball. "Scholarship!" exclaims the mom.

Some might still find humor in the commercial and the scenario it depicts, especially when the wife cues the husband to help their son down from the net. But what if the family was African American? How many times have we heard criticisms of African American families who orient their children toward athletics and not academics, in hopes of a college athletic scholarship- as if playing ball is the only way to make it to college? And while college costs continue to rise, the type of family portrayed in the commercial hardly has anything to worry about... especially since the suburban lifestyle that is portrayed almost guarantees access to good schools, a good education, and, let's face it, scholarships out-the-wazoo in the kid's future. So what does this do in terms of framing the discussion around saving for college, preparing young children for college attendance and financing, and for aspirations of youth?

Coming Soon: Larry Crowne

Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts star in Larry Crowne, which opens July 1st. Hanks plays a middle-aged man who returns to college after being laid off. Roberts plays his speech teacher at East Valley Community College.

Check out the trailer:



Just from the trailer, the story brings to mind the growing number of non-traditional (aged) college students, individuals returning to college during economic downturns in lieu of working, and the important role community colleges play- a topic that usually doesn't get a lot of air time in Hollywood.

More to follow once it comes out!

Ball of Fire (1941)

Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper shine in the 1941 classic, Ball of Fire. Co-written by Billy Wilder, of the Some Like It Hot-fame, Cooper plays college professor Bertram Potts, who lives with seven other professors, conducting research for the Totten Foundation. The professors are charged with a 12-year project of writing an encyclopedia. Miss Bragg, their housekeeper, is the only woman they allow in, so as not to be distracted from their scholarly pursuits.

One of their regular contacts from the outside is the garbage man. By talking to him, Potts realizes that as a professor of language, he is out of touch with the latest slang. He decides to venture outside of the house- much to the objection of his peers- to gather data from everyday people in order to improve the quality of his research.

His efforts eventually lead him to a nightclub, where he meets Sugarpuss O'Shea, played by Stanwyck. Engaged to a gangster who is wanted for murder, she is trying to keep a low profile and avoid the police. When Potts recruits her to be an informant for his slang study, she invites herself to stay at the Totten Foundation House. She feigns illness to convince Potts and his fellow colleagues to make an exception of their no-girls-allowed rule, and becomes their house guest.

She charms the professors so much that Potts falls in love with her, even though she is really trying to schedule a rendezvous with her fiance. Potts eventually wins her over after a wild goose chase and the gangster is carted off to jail while the nightclub singer and professor live happily ever after ...

From the perspective of someone inside the ivory tower, the degree to which the professors are out of touch, and their strict no-girls rule for producing the best scholarship possible for the encyclopedia make for a good laugh. Being distracted by women, particularly of the likes of Sugarpuss O'Shea, would be most detrimental to the encyclopedia...but Potts is able to make a few sacrifices, all in the name of scholarship, of course.

Here's a clip from the movie:

Doubt (2008)

Doubt (2008), featuring a wonderful cast, is a tense story set in a Bronx Catholic school in 1964. Meryl Streep plays Sister Beauvier, the principal of the school; Amy Adams plays Sister James, a younger, less experience teacher; Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the controversial Father Brendan Flynn; and Viola Davis plays Mrs. Miller, the mother of Donald Miller, a student at the school.



Doubt - Trailer
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Donald Miller is the first and only African American student in the school. His parents enrolled him at the Catholic school after he had been beaten at his former (public) school. Father Flynn takes an interest in Donald, but his actions are questioned by Sister James, who in turn, alerts Sister Beauvier to her concerns. Their suspicions of Flynn's inappropriate relationship with Donald are without evidence, yet something does not seem right to them. Sister Beauvier, who disapproves of Father Flynn's more modern approach to the Catholic faith, begins an "investigation" which is based more on assumptions and intellectual tricks than on facts.

In terms of conducting her investigation and deciding upon an appropriate action to take as Principal, Sister Beauvier appears to defy the rules of the Catholic order. She informs Father Flynn that she contacted his past parish, to ask why he had left the school. Flynn is furious at her for not following the proper channels and for going outside the established Catholic hierarchy and school policies. Although she did not actually contact his past parish, she leverages her supposed discovery of his past against him, pressuring him to leave. Aside from the issues pertaining to her defiance for the Catholic hierarchy, there is obvious issues of gender and power operating here. As a female principal, she finds a way to overpower him through a series of intellectual tricks, and attempts to destroy his career.

Donald's mother provides an interesting twist on parental involvement and decision making in education. Confronted with the possibility that her son is being molested by the school's priest, she questions the evidence and likelihood that this could even happen to her son. Even if it is true, she states that her son only needs to stay in the school until the spring, when he can graduate and move on to high school. This raises the question of what length parents will go to for their child's education, and at what cost? Mrs. Miller viewed the possibility of her son being the victim of a priest's sexual misconduct as only temporary, and was willing to risk the well-being of her son for the educational gains that could be made by remaining in the Catholic school. While some may question her reaction and request to leave things as is, others may understand her decision to better her son's education at all costs.

The Life of David Gale (2003)

I'm not ashamed to admit...I have a huge crush on Kevin Spacey. I loved him in The Usual Suspects, The Shipping News, and L.A. Confidential. But it wasn't until recently that I had the pleasure of seeing him in The Life of David Gale (2003), where he plays the lead role. It is not his most recent portrayal of a college professor, but we'll save the discussion of 21 (2008) - admittedly not his best movie - for another post...

Co-starring Laura Linney and Kate Winslet, David Gale is a professor from the University of Texas at Austin, and a well-known activist working to end the death penalty in the State of Texas. Linney plays Constance Harraway, a fellow academic/activist, who Gale is accused of murdering. Summoned by Gale to uncover the truth of the murder, Winslet plays an investigative reporter, Bitsey Bloom, and has only 4 days to prove his innocence before he is executed. Through a series of interviews with Gale, a bit of investigative journalism, and the well-timed discovery of new pieces of evidence, she begins to piece together just how Gale was involved in Harraway's death.

Bloom's assistant, played by Gabriel Mann, points out that Gale must be innocent simply because he is too intelligent to have committed a crime in such a clumsy manner. His claim is supported by the fact that Gale graduated at the top of his class at Harvard, and that he has two (yes, two!) books published. Gale's level of activism prior to his incarceration might be considered high-profile for the average academic. But through the support of his colleagues, particularly Harraway, he is portrayed as being able to balance his desire to overturn the use of capital punishment in Texas, as well as fulfill all of his professorial duties, including teaching. It is interesting to see how the role of the professor is viewed as multi-dimensional, and how his activism plays off his teaching, and vice versa.

As Gale's involvement in Harraway's death is revealed, and the scope of his actions and motivations are fully understood, the label of "genius" seems appropriate- not just in the sense of his intellectual capabilities- but in the sense of his crafty ability to manipulate the penal system to successfully overturn the death penalty policy, even at his own demise.

Watch the trailer here:

Lewis Black: On Education

Lewis Black's take on the state of education in America:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Back in Black - Education Crisis
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Remember the Titans (2000)

Remember the Titans, starting Denzel Washington, is based on the true story of Herman Boone, who, in 1971, became the first African American football coach at Virginia's T.C. Williams High School. The movie focuses on Boone's experiences as a head coach, and his attempt to integrate the team under difficult circumstances in a formerly segregated state. The power struggle between the white and African American communities is central to the movie, with whites seeing the black coach as a threat to their "way of life" and the black community viewing Boone as a symbol of what they can achieve.

Early in the movie, Julius, a white transfer student who "has no people," joins the football team and befriends a number of black players, resulting in his white classmates calling him a traitor. His aspirations of going to college are dim, stating that he is "not a braniac like Rev [a black player]". Julius not only befriend black players and students at school (and in doing so sees past "the other" that many of his white teammates see), but he also recognizes their academic abilities and talents. Although Julius lacks academic confidence, Boone begins monitoring his course progress every week, and works with him to improve his grades. By the end of the year, Julius' grades are high enough that he can attend college. Boone's outreach and mentoring to Julius represents one of the many ways in which athletic coaches can and should emphasize their students' academics, and encourage college-going.

Boone, along with Assistant Coach Bill Yoast (played by Will Patton), are integral in the team's progress toward integration. The role of the two coaches in helping the team integrate brings to mind Gordon Allport's foundational work "The Nature of Prejudice," published in the early 1950s. Allport outlines the four necessary conditions under which integration can be achieved:

1. The groups are desegregated
2. The group members have equal status
3. The groups are working toward a common goal
4. The groups have the full support of the authorities (i.e., adults, law, etc.)

Boone's policies with regard to the team reflect demand for respect and inclusion. For instance, during training camp, each team member is required to spend time with a teammate of a different race, until each person has met all of their teammates. Boone also insists on a no-cut policy, allowing all interested students--regardless of race--an opportunity to play football. While his role is integral in helping transform his team during camp, his insistence on respect and inclusion become even more important when they return home, where prejudices, biases, and discrimination are apparent. The reality of racism that exists in their community is apparent, even though they have begun to integrate as a team. For instance, when the players attempt to eat a restaurant in town, the owner refuses to serve the black players. Meanwhile, white residents throw a rock through a window in Boone's house, hoping to intimidate him and his family.

The team's record speaks for itself and by winning game after game, the team wins the town over. As a police officer says, the team has the best defense he has seen in 20 years. Not long after they prove themselves on the field, does the town begin to turn around and support them. They end the season undefeated (13-0), as state champions, and as runner-up to the national champion.

The friendships created on the field last long after the football season ends. Two of the players who become close friends, talk about their futures--living in the same neighborhood and growing old as friends--and imagine a different world--one that they have the power to create. In this one season, the coaches learned as much from the students as the students learned from them--much more than just the game of football but about each other, discrimination, acceptance, and tolerance. By extension, the communities surrounding them learned as well.

Today, the T.C. Williams High School student body is comprised of 43% African Americans, 7% Asian/Pacific Islanders, 27% Hispanic, and 21% white.

Watch the trailer here.