New Times?

[davetheanalyzer]

Started the semester for Final Portfolio. The writing project will involve me writing around four pages for six days a week, with one day to write fanfiction or take a break. I already took two days off because I fell behind or wanted a break and will probably use two more of those days to catch up again. I hope I can keep up to this pace. I’m at the last reread chapters stage for We Will Hold On Forever, which means I would soon get around to rewriting the next chapters to be posted but I feel the changes might be more involved, since there are scenes there that I might want to edit down in light of editing similar scenes down in the following chapters. I don’t know when the next chapters would be posted but I hope it’s not until the semester is over. And the summer break might not give me more time. I’m going to keep on writing the project during the semester. The feedback I will receive intermittently might change how I handle future material but I would hold off rewriting the existing material until over the summer. So this year in general might be a lull in fanfic writing and I hope I at least could finish We Will Hold On Forever, though some views of a certain person have made me uncomfortable to continue at times. I guess I will see how that goes.

Maybe I should be more assertive on that matter, because my birthday passed and I’m 31. You could consider 30 the beginning of my thirties but for some reason, I consider the start of any set of numbers must include a one. I surmise I should try to be more talkative and assertive online, as I like to just observe and not take chances in interacting, in case I screw up. I know I talked about this before but maybe at least beginning in February, I should interact at least with someone online once a day, maybe more. Maybe that way, I would get used to and like interacting with others. I just often get obsessed with watching and reading other things to the point that it could suck up all the socializing time. Ah well, if all things go well, maybe I can talk to a therapist about this. I had an unexpected live interview last week while in the middle of other stuff, giving honest answers about what issues I struggled with and didn’t have. It didn’t take too long and they called today for an appointment. I should have consulted to make sure it didn’t clash with any other dates in the household but it can be worked around. I look forward to what it’s going to be like.

I only saw one film this month, Just Mercy. I hadn’t heard of it until I saw a trailer for it as an Internet commercial. That is one of the few points a commercial was beneficial. I did put off watching it distracted by other interests and it had being awhile since I went to the theaters with my helper, so I thought I wouldn’t see it before it left theaters. So I was surprised I was able to see it, on Martin Luther King Day in fact, as being a holiday I thought that day was off limits. It was very good. The film is centered on the true story of one defense attorney and the man who he tries to free from death row from a false murder accusation. The introduction of Walter McMillian’s arrest and how the news presumptuously reinforces that he was the guilty sets up well the central conflict of the film.

Then we are introduced to Bryan Stevenson, the green Harvard graduate from New Jersey who moves to Alabama to start a firm to help with death penalty defendants. It took a bit but I remembered I saw Stevenson in real life on news programs, probably related to a piece on the slavery museum. In this depiction of this part of his life by Michael B. Jordan, he comes across as a nice, slightly reserved lawyer willing to go to Alabama despite warnings to do the right thing. He assures his clients despite some of their cynicism, determined to do right to the point he met McMillian’s family and used any legal maneuver to get evidence. It was horrible how he was strip-searched and then stopped on the road by cops as an intimidation tactic and he had to suppress his rage about it. He doesn’t hesitate to point out any laws broken when he is being stymied. The hypocrisy was apparent a few times when the racist and stonewalling cops and prosecutors say Stevenson should visit the To Kill A Mockingbird museum. We are also introduced to Eva Ansley, a white Alabamian who is also passionate for justice and when they couldn’t find a place for their firm, allows Stevenson to stay at her home and isn’t wavered much when someone calls a bomb threat to her house for their work. It took a bit for me to realize that she was played by Brie Larson, Captain Marvel’s actress. She supports Stevenson with law work and emotionally when he is low, and fortunately, they find a place to set up their firm.

And there’s Walter McMillian, who’s understandably doubtful of getting out, having done his best to be law-abiding and not rock the boat and the white justice system still targeted and jailed him . Yet he was kind to his fellow death row inmates, being funny and supportive with the also wrongly convicted Anthony Ray Hinton and Herbert Richardson, someone who did kill someone but by accident, with his PTSD from Vietnam playing a part in that and he is very remorseful. Stevenson and others try to argue for him but his death penalty is upheld. The dread, grief, and resignation as the death date comes and when Stevenson tells and comforts him was moving, as was his slow escort to the electric chair. Even a few prison staff seem sad for him but I don’t know how much of that is applicable to what actually happened. After Hidden Figures had the sequence with the white boss knocking out the white only bathroom sign, only to later learn that didn’t happen in real life, I’m a bit suspicious of such scenes. Was this also in Stevenson’s book which this film was adapted from? From what little I read of the director, I don’t think he would just insert those moments but I don’t know enough to say either way.

The moment of struggle that are shown do a good job to show the great forces Stevenson is working against, that he could put so much work in for his clients only to be overruled. Aside from Richardson, another example is Stevenson doing all he could to have McMillian’s accuser Ralph Myers recant his coerced testimony that had put McMillion in prison in the first place, only for the court to label Myers a general liar. Fortunately, Stevenson’s determination and evidence takes him to the Alabama Supreme Court, which overturns the denial of a retrial. This same determination also makes him confront the prosecutor Chapman at his home to join him in dismissing the charges and to actually look at the evidence. I’m unsure of the legality of visiting rival lawyers at their homes but it seems to have had the effect – the evidence the prosecutor finally read and Stevenson's arguments overweighed the community pressure of having the “security” of a falsely accused man locked up and McMillian was freed. The relief and joy were palpable, after all the hard work and setbacks shown. In the credits noting what became of the real life people, I was happy that Hinton came to also be freed from the death penalty. This film was excellent in showing the negatives of the death penalty and aspects of the justice system in general. Maybe it swayed some views on if the death penalty should continue to exist.

That’s all for now. Editing this after having gone to a doctor’s appointment. Until the end of February, see you!