Birth of a Nation

(Newser) - Its namesake released in 1915 has become synonymous with racism for its veneration of the Ku Klux Klan. Nate Parker's Birth of a Nation aims to tell a very different story, focusing on Nat Turner, leader of an 1831 slave rebellion in Virginia—though the media focus lately has...

(Newser) - Nate Parker hoped his drama about an 1831 slave rebellion would generate Oscar buzz. But talk about The Birth of a Nation—which Fox Searchlight bought for a record $17.5 million after its Sundance premiere—has suddenly taken a turn. As the New York Times recounts, the first-time director...

(Newser) - The new Steven Spielberg-Tom Hanks series The Pacific got the folks at New York magazine's the Vulture blog wondering which war has produced the best movies. They looked up every one they could think of at Rotten Tomatoes, then averaged the scores. The winner: the Civil War. Here are the...

(Newser) - DJ Spooky is not your average turntabilist. The sci-fi-writing, French-lit-and-philosophy-studying 39-year-old has created arguably the greatest remix ever with his trip-hop soundtrack for the controversial 1915 film Birth of a Nation, the Stimulist reports. Next on the list for this soon-to-be household name? Showing his Rebirth of a Nation at...