MMT February 2017 Netflix Picks

Happy Oscar Sunday MMT Fam! I must admit, since I’ve only posted an award schedule previously this year, that I’m a bit disinterested in the Academy Award area – but not for lack of something to celebrate! I am very much aware, and proud to say, that this year we’ll witness a record six black actors – Denzel Washington, Ruth Negga, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis – represented throughout each acting category, and Dev Patel as only the third actor of Indian descent and 13th of Asian descent to receive a nomination (Best Supporting for Lion).

It’s also worth noting that the Best Supporting Actress nominations of Viola Davis, Naomie Harris and Octavia Spencer is the first time multiple black nominees have been in that category since 1985 – when both Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey were nominated for The Color Purple. And the nomination of Ms. Viola also makes her the most nominated black actress in the history of the Oscars!

There are a couple of other areas that I’ll be noting, like the Best Documentary Feature category – where first time nominee Ava DuVernay is being recognized for her work 13th – the first African American female director nominated for feature film – along with directors Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated), Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) and Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America) – and the one I’m most anticipating, Best Cinematography, where Bradford Young is the first African-American to receive the nomination for Arrival.

If you’re not familiar with Young’s cinematography, and you have a Netflix account, you’re in luck because there are several listed on the service. I’ve reviewed a few of them on this site previously, so I will put up trailers and hyperlink titles (if there’s a prior post) below for convenience. There are also two of his works – Mother of George and A Most Violent Year – that are no longer streaming on Netflix, but are available if you have the DVD plan. But if you can find them somewhere else, and haven’t viewed already, they’re worth the find. I’ll never forget watching Mother of George at Blackstar one year, and the collective gasp the audience gave at the twist! It was truly a gut-punch moment.

Let me know if you’ll be watching the Oscars tonight, and what you’re most interested in seeing in the comments below. And let me know if you’ve seen any of the recommended films!

PS – you know I wouldn’t mind seeing Davis, and Mr. Washington especially as writer/director/actor, take the gold for Fences! If you missed it, check out the MMT chat with stars Russell Hornsby and Jovan Adepo from the film here.

Until next thought, Thomasena

Middle of Nowhere

Mississippi Damned

Pariah

MMT March 2016 Netflix Picks

In honor of Women’s History Month, I thought it would be appropriate to share Netflix selections that highlight significant creative achievements by women in history and contemporary times.

My first selection is a definite fave, the critically acclaimed documentary WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? tells the story of the late, legendary singer, musician, and civil rights activist Nina Simone – using recordings/interviews/ performances by Ms. Simone, rare archival footage, and interviews of those who knew her, including daughter and one of the film’s producers Lisa Simone Kelly.

And with the recent April 2016 release date announcement of the film “Nina,” in which Zoe Saldana was awkwardly cast (with pretty much blackface) in the title role, I believe it’s fitting to watch this story of the accomplished musician – who also battled colorism with her music – being told while including Ms. Simone’s voice.

But I must admit, I hard a time viewing the interview scenes with her former manager/ex-husband Andrew Stroud. Described by Ms. Simone as abusive, I wasn’t comfortable with his take on the events and essentially director Liz Garbus’ decision to allow an abuser to paint his description of the victim’s experience.

Otherwise, I thought the documentary was insightful, and the performances displaying the late performer’s musical genius – especially the finale with Ms. Simone brilliantly playing one tune on piano while singing another, her hit song “My Baby Just Cares for Me” – were spellbinding. See what’s in store by viewing the trailer here:

My next selection, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, is the second feature film directed by acclaimed filmmaker, and #blackgirlmagic champion, Ava DuVernay. It tells the story of Ruby (Emayatzy Corinealdi), who puts her medical school dreams on the back burner to focus the needs of her incarcerated husband (Omari Hardwick), who’s been sentenced to 8 years.

Also co-starring are the brilliant David Oyelowo (Red Tails,The Help) as Ruby’s love interest and the remarkable veteran actress Lorraine Toussaint (Any Day Now, The Soloist) who plays Ruby’s “no holds barred” mother Ruth.

“Middle of Nowhere” is a remarkable portrait of one woman’s journey, through overwhelming circumstances, back to herself. And it’s a poignant social commentary on the experiences of loved ones when people are incarcerated. The movie won the U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival – making Ms. DuVernay the first African-American female director to win the coveted award.

Now I was fortunate enough to interview Ava DuVernay, and lead actress Emayatzy Corinealdi, back in October 2012 prior to the film’s début – and her pivotal 2014 work SELMA. You can click the hyperlinks to get the MMT reviews and interviews for both films.

And how many folk, like myself, are excited and waiting for the release of OWN’s DuVernay-helmed “Queen Sugar?” Well along with “Middle of Nowhere,” you can watch Ms. DuVernay’s first feature début I WILL FOLLOW on Netflix and get your fix until the OWN series debuts.

“I Will Follow” is another female character study, with Salli Richardson-Whitfield portraying Maye – a woman mourning the loss of her beloved aunt, while preparing to move out the home they shared. It also stars Omari Harwick (Power, Sparkle) and Michole Briana White (Lila & Eve, 25th Hour).

The movie is an understated drama, so if character-driven stories aren’t your cup of tea you most likely won’t dig it – but I really enjoyed it and, similar to Ruby in Middle of Nowhere, was moved by the journey the lead character experienced from beginning to end.

Alright family, that’s it for this month. Would love to hear your thoughts if you watch any of the recommendations, and if you’ve already seen them please share your comments for others to review.

Until next thought, Thomasena

PS – are you following MMT on Facebook? Some great things coming up – mumbles Batman vs Superman under breath, so make sure you are. I’m inviting one lucky person to be MMT guests with (2) reserved seats at the Philly screening, so join us over on Facebook!

And just FYI, if you’re on Twitter or Instagram, you can find me @musicfilmdiva!

MMT Quick Review of SELMA

Merry Christmas MMT Family! I am so excited to this share this review for SELMA, which opens Christmas Day limited release in NY, LA, ATL and D.C. – and nationwide on January 9. I am not exaggerating when I say I believe this film to be the best film of 2014.

For me it is cinematic perfection from start to finish – the story well-written, the acting superb, a wonderful all-star cast, and the film itself visually stunning. The latter adjective courtesy of cinematographer Bradford Young, who also worked with “Selma” director Ava DuVernay on her highly acclaimed film “Middle of Nowhere.” Both DuVernay and Young’s names are in the running as early award season favorites – DuVernay being the first female African-American director to receive the Golden Globe Best Director nomination, with “Selma” receiving three additional Globe nods, and two films Young worked this year “Selma” and “A Most Violent Year” getting AFI Best Film listed and named National Board Review’s Best Picture respectively.

For those not familiar, Selma is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leading the historic marches to secure voting rights for African-Americans – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. DuVernay also serves as an uncredited writer, and executive producer along with Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey also appears in the film as civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper.

Two of the many things I enjoyed very much about Selma were the film’s depiction of the female involvement in the civil rights movement and the nuances displayed in King’s personal relationships. DuVernay does not shy away from the documented extra-marital affairs that plagued King’s marriage to wife Coretta, and chooses instead to show Dr. King in his first big-screen depiction exactly as he was – both a flawed and selfless human being who achieved and sacrificed greatly for the sake of the masses. To read more about DuVernay’s choice to depict King in a nuanced fashion, and what some of the King family members thought about the film, check out my Celebrity Examiner article here.

And with the aforementioned Winfrey, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Lorraine Toussaint,Tessa Thompson, and a great cameo with actress/comedienne Niecy Nash, the female power in this film was outstanding.

My favorite cameo in film was the vocal powerhouse Ledisi, who depicts gospel great Mahalia Jackson. DuVernay was involved in selecting the entire cast and described to MMT how she came to offer Ledisi the role, “I’m just a huge Ledisi fan! I saw her at a party in LA and asked if she ever acted. She hadn’t, but stated she would be interested. I told her I might have (a role), and about a month later we called her.”

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t take time mention David Oyelowo (pronounced o-yellow-o) in the lead as Dr. King. To say he is mesmerizing would most certainly be an understatement. While she discussed her taking on the challenge of re-writing some of King’s speeches for the script, I shared with DuVernay how powerful I believed the speech in a eulogy scene was – with Oyelowo delivering words that paralleled the calls to action with current civil rights/police protests. Ava quickly responded, “David Oyelowo is 90% why the speeches worked. He is incredible, and people must learn his name – it’s just yellow with two O’s!”

If you live in or near NY, LA, ATL, D.C., I urge you to support this film over the Christmas holiday this weekend. For everyone else, the film will open January 9 – 10 days before the national observed King holiday. Selma’s 2015 release also occurs in the same 50th anniversary year of the 1965 Voting Rights Act – serving as a timely reminder of how far we have and have not come collectively as a nation within the past half of a century.

You can watch the trailer for SELMA below, and checkout the official website here for additional info and ticket sales.

Until next thought family, Thomasena

Lee Daniels’ The Butler: a quick review and discussion with Lee Daniels and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Back in July I had the distinct privilege of sitting at a round-table interview with Academy Award nominated director Lee Daniels (Precious, Monster’s Ball) and Academy Award winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr (Jerry Maguire, Red Tails), who were in town to promote the upcoming movie Lee Daniels’ The Butler. This “inspired by a true story” film has been widely received and garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. I’ve personally received several emails, from last night’s screening giveaway winners, and each one of them was filled with emotionally charged statements that sang praises for this film.

As I was preparing to screen the movie a few weeks ago, I was still coping with the recent Zimmerman verdict, and the racially charged reactions that ensued, and appreciating the timeliness of a movie like Fruitvale Station being released. And my spirit was still in “fighting mad” mode. How appropriate it was for me then to view the story of Cecil Gaines; who in the Daniels’ film is portrayed by Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). Cecil Gaines is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, who served in the White House under seven presidential administrations as a butler. His position, and its corresponding demeanor, puts him at odds with his eldest son, portrayed in the movie by actor David Oyelowo (Red Tails, Middle of Nowhere); and his commitment to his job/role helps to introduce conflict into the Gaines family dynamic in more ways than one.

Lee Daniels’ The Butler serves as a pertinent reminder of those whose contributions to the struggle aren’t as frequently discussed or highly regarded. The film is powerful in its display of the quiet resiliency of the main character, and in Daniels’ remarkable ability to help the audience connect to each character’s truth. I can’t readily name one film, of recent memory, that took me through various emotions while viewing, and this film accomplished that feat with ease. There were several persons who left the press screening I attended with tear-filled eyes; some joyful, some with pride. It is definitely that kind of film.

(l to r, standing) Lee Daniels, Alex Gibson, Le Anne Lindsay, Thomasena Farrar, (l to r, seated) Cuba Gooding Jr., Yaya Alafia. Photo courtesy: Le Anne Lindsay (Tinsel & Tine)

What a pleasure it was then to sit with both director (Daniels) and one of the stars of the film (Gooding Jr.), who were also joined by talented co-star Yaya Alafia (see her full interview in August 13 post), at the posh Rittenhouse Hotel to ask a couple of signature questions. When you’re part of a round-table time is of the essence, we were only given approximately 15 minutes combined, hence the couple of questions! So listen to the audio below (warning some profanity), and take note of Lee Daniels’ response to my sharing my favorite Lee Daniels’ film! Shout out to my co-panel Le Anne Lindsay of Tinsel & Tine, and Alex Gibson of the Philadelphia Film Society, and to Brian Chacon for helping with the audio edit.

Lee Daniels’ The Butler opens this Friday, August 16 nationwide. The film is rated PG-13 and I highly recommend it for ages teen and above (and maybe those tweens who can process mature language and violence). Stop back and share your thoughts after you see it.

Until next thought family, Thomasena

Lee Daniels & Cuba Gooding - part 1

Lee Daniels and Cuba Gooding - part 2

All Things Point To “Nowhere”: Middle Of Nowhere Debuts 10/12/12

What’s happening Music Movie Lovers! If you happen to live in my local area, one possible response might be “this dreary Monday, that’s what!” The sun did not shine much today here in Philly, but no worries it hasn’t dampened my spirit. And, oh how excited I am to encourage everyone to go out this weekend and support Ava DuVernay’s 2nd directorial feature film Middle Of Nowhere; which is opening in select theaters on October 12th (go to http://www.affrm.com/middle-of-nowhere/ to find theaters near you). In case you haven’t heard, Ms. DuVernay won this year’s Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival, and was the first African-American woman to achieve this feat. You can also check out the overwhelming press response for Middle Of Nowhere at the following: http://www.affrm.com/news-middle-of-nowhere/. And I’m sure many of you watched BET last Friday and Saturday for the Making Of special and the TV début of I Will Follow respectively, right? Alright, you saw Ms. DuVernay’s Don Lemon interview? Her appearance on Don’t Sleep? Well, in addition to reading this post, you can catch up tonight by checking out Ava DuVernay’s interview with Tavis Smiley (check your local listings for showtimes).

So, Middle Of Nowhere chronicles the story of Ruby Sexton (Emayatzy Corinealdi in her début big screen performance) as a woman fighting to maintain her identity, while supporting a husband who is serving an 8 year prison sentence. As mentioned earlier, this is the second feature directed (and written) by Ava DuVernay, the first film being the critically acclaimed drama I Will Follow. Another thing both films have in common is the incredibly talented (and did I mention fine?) Omari Hardwick (Sparkle, For Colored Girls), who plays Ruby’s husband Derek. Also co-starring in this film is the brilliant David Oyelowo (Red Tails, The Help) and the remarkable veteran actress Lorraine Toussaint (Any Day Now, The Soloist) who plays Ruby’s “no holds barred” mother Ruth.

Middle of Nowhere Independent Press Photo — (l to r: Thomasena Farrar, Le Anne Lindsay of Tinsel & Tine, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ava DuVernay, Isis Tha Saviour of Philly Word magazine)

I recently had the pleasure of joining a round-table discussion (see photo on right courtesy of Sharvon P. Urbannavage), hosted by Reelblack Presents and PhillyCAM, with both Ava DuVernay and lead actress Emayatzy Corinealdi, who were in Philly promoting the film. During the conversation, Ava described how she setup a private screening of the film for Emayatzy and Omari’s first viewing. David Oyelowo chose to view the film with an audience at Sundance. When I asked her how it was to see herself on-screen in her first feature-length film, Ms. Corinealdi said it was overwhelming at first, because when she was filming it is was just her and the other actors, but fun to finally see how it all came together. And the coming together made for quite a story, as Ava described the editing process (which took 14 weeks) as being her favorite. She stated that being able to look at all the shots and piece together the parts that end up in the final version is like retelling the story again, a process she very much enjoys.

When I asked Emayatzy what attracted her most to the Middle Of Nowhere script, she explained that she’d never seen this kind of story told and personally knew others that had similar experiences (significant others in prison) to her character Ruby. She also was excited about coming across a lead role, written for a woman, that displayed what she termed a “full and complete journey,” which she states doesn’t happen a lot.

Okay, so sidebar ladies. Now, I was going to use you as an excuse to ask both Ava and Emayatzy about working with Omari Hardwick (wasn’t he just dreamy as Levi in Sparkle?); but I had to tell the truth, shame the devil, and confess that the question was for me! Emayatzy described both Omari Hardwick and David Oyelowo as gentlemen, and said having both of them flanked on her side as co-stars was sort of like “you can’t tell me nothing!” (and she drew laughs around the room with that one 🙂 ). Ava described him as a great actor, who balanced bringing both strength and vulnerability to the Derek character, which she said is not an easy feat to accomplish.

I did not get a chance to see Middle Of Nowhere in its entirety, but I did get to see an approximately 20 minute preview and I am positive that this is a must see. The reviews are not just hype; as I was drawn in so deep by the end of that 20 minutes that it was hard to accept I wouldn’t immediately see more. I cannot stress enough Music Movie Lovers how important it is to not only support independent film, but to make sure you attend the Friday or Saturday showings on opening weekend. Those opening box office numbers speak volumes. If you are one of the persons who complain about not seeing enough positive characters/stories on the big screen, especially characters that are persons of color, then make your voice heard with your purchasing power this weekend. So, let’s get to it people! Middle Of Nowhere is opening this Friday, October 12th. Again, you can go to http://www.affrm.com/middle-of-nowhere/ to find out where it is playing near you and purchase tickets. I know I’m excited and I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks about the film, so stop back by and leave a thought or two ;).

Until next thought family, Thomasena

PS – for those who didn’t catch I Will Follow on BET, or don’t have BET, if you’re a Netflix subscriber you can find it! 🙂

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