Both of the first two films were fascinating but left me feeling irritated at the ludicrousness of it all - especially at the white privilege that protected many of these so-called revolutionaries, whereas members of the Black Panther Party [1] faced a decidedly different fate. Calcutta My Love, which played at the San Francisco International Film Festival, was a tad over-dramatic but it also captured a radical movement that was waylaid by student revolutionaries who couldn't quite get their shit together. Then, this weekend I watched Alfonso Cuaron's brilliant Children of Men [2] again, which features a radical group called The Fishes - and who are mostly the bad guys in the film, but maybe also the good guys.

But there are still a few radicals around who did not renounce what they did and will talk your ear off about why they did it. I got the chance to meet and interview Black Panther Field Marshall Richard Aoki [4] back in 2001 and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. So, I highly recommend coming out on May 30th to Eastside Cultural Center in Oakland (2227 International Blvd at 23rd) at 7 p.m. for a free screening of rough cut of Richard Aoki -- a documentary by Ben Wang and Mike Cheng. Check out a preview:

.