Entertainment Wire Online

A Blast From The Past
By ETEditor

Passin Many African Americans have heard the tales of those that used their light skin to pass for white. It’s usually a story about the past but Karen E. Quinones Miller resurrects the “practice” and gives it a modern day spin in her new book, “Passin’.”

The book centers on Shanika Ann Jenkins, the pride of her African-American family-smart, beautiful, and born with blue eyes and blonde hair. When Shanika gets turned down for a job at an esteemed New York PR firm, she changes her name to Nicole, reapplies for the position, and secures it with the help of the firm’s soon-to-be retiring personal assistant.

She eventually finds that letting people assume she's white has numerous advantages, from getting respect at work to accompanying high society people to exclusive parties. She even starts dating a successful white coworker, continuing the lie, despite the guilt she feels at disappointing her mother and denying her heritage. After falling for a handsome African-American business man, she must finally face who she is, what she has done, and where her ancestral loyalty really lies, even if it means losing everything and everyone she loves.

Vantage Point
By ETEditor

Vantage Point
☺☺☺ Somebody Stop the Clock
When I saw “Vantage Point,” the audience laughed at least twice. That would be fine, except there was no joke or comedy routine. The unintended humor came from the repeated replay of a presidential assassination attempt. This happens in the movie at least 5 times. Although it becomes clear that the purpose is to tell the story through different characters, it does look like a comedy of errors in the editing department.

After getting past the movie’s constant déjà vu affect, the story slowly unfolds, revealing an intricate plot far beyond what was expected. On the surface, it looks like a view into Thomas Barnes’ (played by Dennis Quaid) return to secret service duty after taking a bullet for the President. However, the “Point” enters the hotbed of today’s biggest political issue - the War on Terrorism. The film picks up when you realize that there’s a full organization behind this sinister plot to murder the President. From that moment on, “Vantage Point” becomes one long, action-filled ride.