Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 8 august 2018
Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman' is daring and essential

By LINDSEY BAHR because of his race. His
Associated Press black student union girl-
In 1979, a man named Ron friend, Patrice, asks if he's a
Stallworth who was the first pig (i.e. a cop). At work, he
African-American police seems extreme — a rookie
officer and detective in the suggesting a dangerous
Colorado Springs Police undercover operation to
Department also became infiltrate the KKK. In life, he
a card-carrying member seems compliant. As Pa-
of the Ku Klux Klan and the trice (a brilliant Laura Har-
leader of the local chapter. rier) tells him, meaningful
He would send a white co- change is impossible when
worker to play him for in- working within the struc-
person meetings as part of tures of a racist system.
the wild undercover opera- But Ron has a plan to in-
tion, but Stallworth was the filtrate The Organization,
one on the phone, insisting and a few around him like
his hatred for non-white the police chief (Robert
races with everyone from John Burke), and two de-
the local chapter members tectives, Flip Zimmerman
to the KKK's "grand wizard" (Adam Driver) and Jimmy
David Duke himself. Creek (Michael Buscemi)
It's Stallworth's story that are at least willing to go
provides the framework for along with it for a while.
Spike Lee's blistering new This image released by Focus Features shows John David Washington, left, and Laura Harrier in a Flip draws the card to be
film, "BlacKkKlansman ," scene from "BlacKkKlansman." in-person Ron, which turns
but hardly the full picture. Associated Press out to be a headache of its
Deceptively epic in scope, own when one of The Or-
in "BlacKkKlansman" Lee lution that will leave you tion out of the dreaded re- to throw labels and make ganization's members, Felix
has made an immensely craving another viewing. cords room and into under- assumptions about what (Jasper Paakkonen), starts
entertaining film about ev- John David Washington cover work. he can and can't do. His to suspect that he might
erything — love, friendship, (Denzel Washington's son) Many around him are quick co-worker calls him a toad, actually be Jewish.q
ambition, civil rights, the plays Ron Stallworth, a
power of words and imag- composed and deliberate
es to uplift and destroy and man who isn't afraid to ask LeBron James adds Showtime doc
the various shades and ide- for what he wants, whether
ologies of racism and revo- it's a job or a quick promo- to his small-screen portfolio

Ingraham made to James
in February when she
sought to rebuke him for
talking politics during an in-
terview.
James is the executive pro-
ducer of the series along
with his business partner
Maverick Carter and his
agent Rich Paul. Gotham
Chopra, who directed
Showtime's "Kobe Bryant's
Muse" in 2015, helmed the
project. The series traces
the modern history of the
league and its players start-
ing with the 1976 merger of
the freewheeling American
In this Monday, July 30, 2018, file photo, LeBron James speaks at Basketball Association and
the opening ceremony for the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio. the National Basketball
Associated Press Association, how the top
players have expanded
Associated Press Showtime. their notoriety off the court
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) Set to debut in October, in fields such as business
— LeBron James has yet the same month James and fashion while becom-
to play a minute for the suits up for his new team, ing icons in the process.
Los Angeles Lakers, yet the the series looks at the James has another show,
NBA superstar is already changing role of athletes "The Shop" debuting Aug.
busy in Hollywood. in the current political and 28 on HBO in which he
James is behind the three- cultural climate against the leads conversation and
part documentary series, backdrop of the NBA. debate among his guests
"Shut Up and Dribble," Its title comes from a com- in barbershops around the
announced Monday by ment Fox News host Laura country.q