Human Interest
‘Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo’ Documentary Covers His Rise From Prison To Hollywood
January 7, 2017
The video above is not the trailer for actor Danny Trejo’s upcoming documentary, but its interesting to provide you all an appetizer for the upcoming documentary ‘Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo’. There was another documentary on Danny Trejo called “Champion” that we posted the trailer to after the jump.
“The big screen tough guy is currently in production on Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo, a documentary that will chronicle his life and career — from his early days on the streets that led him to prison, to getting clean and working with directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez and appearing in films such as Heat, Con Air and Machete.
Today, Danny Trejo is temperate, benevolent and likely one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. But he wasn’t always this wayâ€, says producer Adam Scorgie in a statement. “Growing up in the mean streets of Pacoima, California, he was raised and mentored by his uncle, a drug addict and armed robber. By the age of 12, he had tried heroin. By age 15, he was introduced to his first jail cell. At 23, he was sentenced to San Quentin for selling a $30,000 bag of heroin to an undercover agent.”
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo is expected to be released in 2018.
James Baldwin: ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ (Official Trailer)
January 6, 2017
“In his new film, director Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished – a radical narration about race in America, using the writer’s original words. He draws upon James Baldwin’s notes on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. to explore and bring a fresh and radical perspective to the current racial narrative in America.”
“One of the best movies you are likely to see this year.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
In theaters February 3rd
IAMNOTYOURNEGROFILM.COM
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Human Interest, Interview, Trailer, Videos | 
Tags: Documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson, Trailer | 
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NYFF: ’13th’ Documentary Film Panel Discussion (Video)
January 5, 2017
The day after Ava DuVernay’s new film, 13TH, opened the 54th New York Film Festival, subjects interviewed in the film came together for an extended conversation exploring the many issues explored in this powerful documentary about race and criminal justice.
From the portrayal of black men in popular culture, dating back to D. W. Griffith’s 1915 Birth of a Nation, to the progression from slavery to mass incarceration and the persistent demonization and killing of black men by police in our cities today, the discussion will consider how the past connects with our present reality. Participants will include Ashley Clark (BFI), Jelani Cobb (The New Yorker, The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress), Malkia Cyril (Center for Media Justice), Kevin Gannon (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), and Khalil Gibran Muhammad (Harvard Kennedy School; former Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture). 13TH is a Netflix original documentary.
PREVIOUS: 13TH DOCUMENTARY TRAILER (VIDEO)
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Posted in Activism, Cover Story, Education, History, Human Interest, Interview, Investigation, Politics, Progressive, Videos | Tags: 13th, 13th Documentary, Documentary, New York Film Festival, NYFF | No Comments »
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America (Festival Trailer)
December 27, 2016
I never set out to convert anybody. In my quest, some of them ended up converting themselves.
– Daryl Davis
So, go on and plan on watching the trailer above TWICE, because the first run will likely leave you breathless. This is the award-winning documentary about a Black musician, Daryl Davis, who befriends and engages members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists in an extended dialog about race, hate, and how we can get past it. Turns out this all started as a bold an simple measure to get the KKK’s answer to this question: “How can you hate me if you don’t even know me?”
(Davis’ dialogs with Klan members have been so powerful that several members ultimately left the organization. You MUST watch!)
“Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America” comes to PBS on February 13, 2017.
Posted in Activism, Cover Story, Film, Human Interest, Relationships, Television, Trailer, Videos | Tags: Accidental Courtesy, America, Daryl Davis, Ku Klux Klan, Race, Race & America, Racism, White Supremacy | No Comments »
Now He’s Here: Golden State Warriors’ Lawyer Started Out As An Underground Rapper (Video)
December 26, 2016
(Check out the expo piece above, and hit the jump for some Capital D throwback footage.)
– @ojones1
Posted in Business, Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Performance, Throwback, Videos | Tags: All Natural, Capital D, David Kelly, DJ Tone B. Nimble, general counsel and vice president, Golden State Warriors, National Basketball Association, NBA, Rapper, Stony Island, Tone B. Nimble, underground rapper | No Comments »
Pusha T Reads The Words Of Norman Brown (Video)
December 24, 2016
A true story. The words of Norman Brown, read by Pusha T. Powerful testimony on what a second chance can mean to a person and to society. A quick watch, but a good one!
Wow, 20+ years… on the way to much more in the pen… But freedom granted by President Obama gave the brother a chance to write a new ending to the book of his life. Maybe he can help others with their ‘rewrites’ too.
WWE Superstars Took Offense At Conor McGregor’s Comments And Clapped Back! (Video)
December 24, 2016
Everyone knows professional wrestling is fake, but I still respect them because they are still athletes. With Conor’s comments he forgot that at the end of the day they are still men.
Hit the jump for more, including what @ojones1 has to say about it.
Marcus Garvey Inspired MLK & Mandela; Today His Son Is Asking President Obama To Pardon Him (Video)
December 23, 2016
“Today we look at another request for a presidential pardon, this one from the family of Marcus Garvey, a pioneering figure in the Black Freedom struggle in the early 20th century who inspired generations of civil rights activists around the world. In the 1920s, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover targeted Garvey for his political activity as a leader of the Pan-African movement. Garvey was convicted in 1923 on a charge of mail fraud and sentenced to five years in jail. His charges and conviction effectively ended Garvey’s political movement and eventually led to his deportation back to Jamaica. We speak to Marcus Garvey’s son, Dr. Julius Garvey, who is leading the Justice4Garvey effort.”
JUSTICE4GARVEY.COM
PART 2 OF THIS INVERVIEW AFTER THE JUMP BELOW…..
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The World’s First Male Sex Doll (Video)
December 20, 2016
Ooookay. VICE’s Karley Sciortino is taking girls “playing with dolls” to a whole other level! Getting mighty cozy with the concept in this documentary episode exploring the making of male sex dolls for women.
Because, you know, gender equality.
(Hahaa! Karley, though. Got an undeniable sexy about her, right? Just saying, she probably does not need to go the doll route. Surely there is a real ‘plaything’ out here that will gladly play with her… Errr… Just watch.)
Posted in Alternative, Film, Human Interest, Interview, Investigation, Product, Relationships, Series, Videos | Tags: Karley Sciortino, Making The World's First Male Sex Doll, Male Doll, Male Sex Doll, Sinthetics, Slutever, Synthetics, VICE | No Comments »
The Boyfriend Experience: In Japan, A Woman Can Even Rent A Man That Will Come Sit & Cry With Her (Video)
December 19, 2016
So the ‘Boyfriends For Hire’ business is still strong in Japan. We hipped y’all to it over three years ago on here. This is a next step. Sure, you can rent a boyfriend in Japan, but what about the elements expected of a longer-term bond? What if Japanese women could experience feelings usually borne of deeper bonds… without the being bound to a partner part? And do it a la carte? Would that be worth something?
Yeah, about $65 per hour. Yep, at least that’s what a ‘Handsome Weeping Boy’ will cost in Japan.
Watch.
(Full disclosure: VICE finds some cute correspondents. Like this Karley Sciortino. Them legs, too. Just saying.)
Posted in Alternative, Business, Film, Human Interest, Interview, Investigation, Lifestyle, Relationships, Series, Travel, Videos | Tags: Boyfriends, Boyfriends for Hire, Boyfriends for Hire in Japan, companionship, Handsome Weeping Boy, host, Karley Sciortino, Men for Rent, on demand, on demand companionship, Single Japanese Women Are Buying the Boyfriend Experience, Slutever, The Boyfriend Experience, VICE | No Comments »
The Birth of Saké (Documentary)
December 19, 2016
Incredible! This documentary is about a tradition, an art, craftsmanship, a lifestyle, a family business, a journey of self-discovery and appreciation and so much more brought to us by Japanese-American documentarian Erik Shirai. Turns out that Saké is waaaay more than fancy rice wine. The story’s telling – in “The Birth of Saké” – does involve a lot of cups of it though. The best!
Check out the trailer above. Catch it on Netflix. More on the documentary at NBC News online.
Posted in Art, Business, Film, Food, Human Interest, Investigation, Lifestyle, Trailer, Travel, Videos | Tags: brewery, brewmaster Yamamoto Toji, craft, daiginjo, Erik Shirai, fermented rice, hand-crafted, Ishikawa, Japan, Japanese alcoholic beverage, migrant farmers, NBC, NBC Asian America, NBC News, Palm Springs International Film Festival, rice wine, saké-making, Sake, Tedorigawa, Tedorigawa Yoshida, Tedorigawa Yoshida Sake Brewery, The Birth of Saké, The John Schlesinger Award, Yamamoto Toji, Yasuyuki Yoshida | No Comments »
Woman Undergoes Procedure To Become A Sex Doll (Video)
December 17, 2016
Actually… that music wasn’t creepy enough! You know how folks (okay, dudes mainly) get sex dolls, right? How they get them and use them as though they were women.
Okay, okay! The dolls are their women, and they have sex with them. There it’s out there.
As hard as that was to say, wrap your head and vocal chords around this: A woman undergoing a procedure to become a sex doll!! Aw hellllll no! That’s what we say. And yet, there she is above doing it!
Posted in Alternative, Human Interest, Lifestyle, Relationships, Videos | Tags: Sex Doll, Super Deluxe, Woman Transforms Into A Sex Doll | No Comments »
The Step Team Building an Unbeatable Legacy (Mini-Documentary)
December 16, 2016
Wow. The brother said he and his team destroy their bodies preparing for a show they’ve won 11 years running! Wow…Â No let up, no chill! You can see why this is part of ‘The Greatest Homecoming On Earth.’ And you can see the rest of the ‘Great Big Story’ above.
The art of stepping—choreographed stomping and clapping—has been practiced by historically Black fraternities and sororities for decades. It’s a performance of skill and precision. And every year at North Carolina A&T’s “Greatest Homecoming On Earth,†Greek organizations hit the stage to compete for a coveted title. The brothers of Phi Beta Sigma have won the step show 11 years in a row. This year, as pressure to maintain their legacy mounts, step master Byron Hannah tries to lead his brothers to another victory.
– @ojones1
Posted in Dance, Education, Human Interest, Investigation, Videos | Tags: Byron Hannah, Fraternities, GHOE, Great Big Story, Greatest Homecoming On Earth, Greeks, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina A&T University, Phi Beta Sigma, Sororities, step master, Step show, stepmaster, Stepping, The Step Team Building an Unbeatable Legacy | No Comments »
Gentrified – Ethnic Cleansing: American Style (Film Trailer)
December 16, 2016
“Is it ‘redevelopment’ . . . or ethnic cleansing?
‘Gentrified’ is the first documentary ever to take an in-depth look at the effects of gentrification and provide statistical and social evidence that it targets the Black community in particular. When big business and big govt conspire to create so-called “redevelopment” it always leaves a richer, all white neighborhood in its wake. The old, Black residents are left to their own devices which include poverty and homelessness.
In ‘Gentrified’, we travel across the United States and interview activists, entrepreneurs and academics to give a brutally honest look at the way the entire country, and even the world, is being reshaped by the process of gentrification. In the 21st century the ‘haves’ are removing the ‘have-nots’ and it’s time we saw who they were.
They’re rich. They’re white . . . and they’re coming for everything you’ve got.
A special UK screening will be followed by a panel discussion in London on February 18th at 6pm at the Hackney Attic.“
PREVIOUS: BLACK CHANNEL FILMS PRESENTS ‘GENTRIFIED – POLICE, MONEY, & ETHNIC CLEANSING’ (VIDEO)
Facebook Isn’t “Free” (Video)
December 14, 2016
If you’re not paying, you’re not the customer–you’re the product.
You gotta know this. Whether you know already, or not, you GOTTA know this. So, since College Humor put together a palatable way to tell you so, I’m gonna share and let you know…
FACEBOOK ISN’T FREE!
Watch and see how you ‘pay’ for it, because you are not willing to pay for it otherwise. Hey, everything has it’s price. How do you think Zucks got so damned rich? And you could quit Facebook, but good luck escaping Google!
– @ojones1
Posted in Comedy, Human Interest, Investigation, Mobile App, News, Technology, Videos | Tags: Adam Ruins Everything, College Humor, Facebook, FACEBOOK ISN'T FREE, GOOGLE, privacy, Right to Privacy, truTV | No Comments »
History Of Social Dance (Video)
December 10, 2016
You know, we really ought to be smiling (at least on the inside) when the babies are going hard with the dances they do. May not be WHAT we used to do, but you KNOW we used to go just as HARD with the moves.
Turns out that there is a reasoning and history behind it all. And it’s all good. Now, excuse me while I get my Whip-Nae-Dab on!
– @ojones1
Posted in Dance, History, Human Interest, Investigation, Lifestyle, Recreation, Videos, Youth | Tags: A visual history of social dance, Camille A. Brown, history of social dance, social dance, TED, Ted Talk | No Comments »
U.S. Veterans Deliver Powerful Apology To Native Americans At Standing Rock (Video)
December 9, 2016
Someone is probably going to find a way to be mad at these vets about this, but oh well. I salute these troops who likely served proudly with reverence, demonstrated humility and purity of heart. They still serve, in a different way here, with this bold, sincere, and timely formal apology. On bent knees at Standing Rock. Watch and be moved.
“We fought you, we took your land, we signed treaties that we broke…we beg for your forgiveness.”
– Wesley Clark Jr.
Note the chosen pronoun ‘we’… not shirking the legacy (good & not-so-good) they joined when they joined to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. And they were granted forgiveness in front of those assembled. A largely symbolic ceremony to be certain; but still very powerful!
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, Cover Story, History, Human Interest, Speech, Videos | Tags: apology, Chief Leonard Crow Dog, First Nations, forgiveness, Forgiveness Ceremony, Lakota Sovereign Nation, Military Veterans, Native Americans, Standing Rock, Standing Rock Forgiveness Ceremony, U.S. Military, U.S. Veterans, Veterans, Wesley Clark Jr. | No Comments »
South Asian Emcee Anik Khan Touring In & Around Astoria (Video)
December 8, 2016
Daily VICE gives us an up close look at Anik Khan from Bangladesh (the country, not the producer) as the emcee takes a look and see around his Astoria neighborhood in Queens, New York. Anik came from overseas at age four, and now he is ready to wreck and rep for South Asia like none he has ever known.
Posted in Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Travel, Videos | Tags: Anik Khan, Asia, Astoria, Bangladesh, Brooklyn, Daily VICE, New York, VICE | No Comments »
Cuba’s Generational Divide (Documentary Short Film)
December 7, 2016
Three generations of Cuban women, three different opinions of Castro.
For some Cubans, the leader's death has highlighted a divide. pic.twitter.com/wXWI5sVE97
— Fusion (@Fusion) December 7, 2016
Incredible video expo… and incredibly short. Maybe ongoing interest will drive development of a fuller doc or short. The impact of the life, and recent passing, of Cuban revolutionary dictator Fidel Castro can be debated from various angles including regional vs. global and overall positive vs. overall negative. But we do know there was an impact, and it apparently resonates throughout the ages.
Case in point: Above you see three generations of Black Cubans – Esperanza Caridad Martinez (Grandmother), Margarita Beatriz Nicholas (Daughter), and Leyssy O’Farrill Nicholas (Granddaughter) speak on three views of Cuba; in effect, Castro’s legacy. Thing about it is that while the views could have (and maybe has already) sparked fiery discourse among them, the discourse is very calm and deliberate. Each generation speaking on what they know and feel about living in Cuba and prospects for Black Cubans like them moving forward there and abroad. But what’ll really get you at the end… is that one tear Grandma shed for her Leyssy. Whether or not Leyssy has what it takes to eat off her art (caution: NOT a given, anywhere) by leaving, she ought to know she has LOVE in Cuba. 100,000%.
Posted in Activism, Human Interest, Investigation, Opinion, Politics, Relationships, Travel, Videos | Tags: Black Cuban, Cuba, Cuba's Generational Divide, Esperanza Caridad Martinez, Haitian, Haitian Cuban, Haitian descent, Havana, Leyssy O'Farrill Nicholas, Margarita Beatriz Nicholas | No Comments »
Dutch Christmas Celebrations Still Include Blackface (Video)
December 6, 2016
With minor cultural considerations, Christmas is the same worldwide right? Well, that depends on what you call ‘minor’ (or translated… HELL NO)! Especially not in the Dutch tradition. Watch the Zox expose on Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) in the Netherlands. Blackface! They are still pushing the use of blackface and human caricature as a part of the Winter holidays; dissing Black people over there in the worst ways while totally oblivious (yeah, right). But the times, they are a-changing…slowly.
Posted in Activism, History, Human Interest, Investigation, Politics, Travel, Videos | Tags: Black Pete, blackface, Dutch Christmas, Netherlands, Stereotype, Vox, Why blackface is still part of Dutch Christmas, Zwarte Piet | No Comments »
