Films
Celebrities Urge Congress to Keep ‘Promise’ to Protect Dreamers, Pass DACA Amnesty
Dozens of Hollywood biggest stars sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) a..
Dozens of Hollywood biggest stars sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urging the top Democratic lawmakers to provide legal protection for the illegal immigrants (or DREAMers) benefiting from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty program.
“We respectfully urge you to listen to members of senior party leadership, who have insisted that there must be no final spending bill that does not ensure that the Dreamers have a secure future here in the United States,” reads the letter, signed by Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Jennifer Lawrence, and actors Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, and Chris Evans.
“This is a moral issue that demands action, without further delay. Dreamers and DACA recipients are an integral part of our country, so we are urging you to make sure that you use your power to get this done before leaving to spend the holidays with your own families,” the letter says, according to The Hill. “We understand that Democratic votes will be needed to pass a spending bill or continuing resolution to fund the government.”
Republican and Democratic lawmakers signaled this week that a bipartisan amnesty bill, which would grant legal status for some 3.5 million illegal aliens, could be finalized within weeks.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) said last month that he would vote to shut down the federal government at the end of the year if a Republican spending bill does not include DACA amnesty legislation.
“We value your promise to hold all the members of your caucus to vote on a clean Dream Act without harmful amendments, like a costly border wall, border militarization such as an increase in Border Patrol agents, additional immigration detention funding or increases in [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents, or other measures that undermine the spirit of this bill,” reads the letter, which was also signed by Josh Gad, Cynthia Nixon, Ilana Glazer, Ellen Page, and Shailene Woodley.
“We ask you to uphold your promise to these Dreamers and the majority of the American people, who support these young people who are living in the worst kind of limbo, by ensuring that Dreamers are protected before Congress leaves for holiday recess this December.”
In September, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ officially announced the end of the Obama-era program that had granted temporary legal status to nearly 800,000 thousand people who illegally entered the U.S. with their parents as children.
However, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said Wednesday that he believes Congress could vote on some form of a DACA deal as early as January.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
The post Celebrities Urge Congress to Keep ‘Promise’ to Protect Dreamers, Pass DACA Amnesty appeared first on News Wire Now.
Films
‘Antebellum’ has a ‘Get Out’ vibe, but doesn’t live up to its twist
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definite..
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definitely shouldn’t be spoiled even a little. Once that revelation is absorbed, however, the movie becomes less distinctive and inspired, reflecting an attempt to tap into the zeitgeist that made “Get Out” a breakthrough, without the same ability to pay off the premise.
Originally destined for a theatrical run, the movie hits digital platforms trumpeting a “Get Out” pedigree in its marketing campaign, since there’s an overlap among the producing teams.
More directly, the film marks the directing debut of Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz, who have championed social-justice issues through their advertising work. The opening script features a quote from author William Faulkner, whose intent will eventually become clearer: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
If that sounds like a timely means of drawing a line from the horrors of slavery to the racism of today, you’ve come to the right place.
The story begins on a plantation, where the brutal overseers carry out grisly punishments against those tilling the fields. A few have just tried to escape, led by Veronica (Janelle Monae), and they pay a heavy price for their resistance, which does nothing to curb her defiance.
Also written by Bush + Renz, the script take too long before revealing what makes “Antebellum” different, but the middle portion — a “The Twilight Zone”-like phase when it’s hard to be sure exactly what’s going on — is actually the film’s strongest. (Even the trailer arguably gives away too much, so the less one knows, the better.)
The final stretch, by contrast, veers into more familiar thriller territory, and feels especially rushed toward the end, leaving behind a host of nagging, unanswered questions. That provides food for thought, but it’s also what separates the movie from something like “Get Out,” which deftly fleshed out its horror underpinnings.
Although the filmmakers (in a taped message) expressed disappointment that the movie wasn’t making its debut in theaters, in a strange way, the on-demand format somewhat works in its favor. In the press notes, Bush says the goal was “to force the audience to look at the real-life horror of racism through the lens of film horror. We’re landing in the middle of the very conversations that we hoped ‘Antebellum’ would spur.”
“Antebellum” should add to that discussion, so mission accomplished on that level. Monae is also quite good in her first leading film role (she did previously star in the series “Homecoming’s” second season), but otherwise, most of the characters remain underdeveloped.
