MMT Quick Review of SHOT CALLER

A successful businessman is incarcerated for a horribly unintentional, and completely irresponsible, crime. In order to survive, he must reinvent himself completely and go beyond any moral barometer he’s ever lived, for the safety of himself and ultimately his family. This is the basis of the film SHOT CALLER, which opened in select theaters (unfortunately the Philly market was changed/cancelled last minute) and video on-demand on August 25.

Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) in the lead, and Omari Hardwick (Power, Middle of Nowhere) as a tough as nails detective trying to bring a prison related crime ring to justice – yes, the opposite of his beloved Ghost/James St. Patrick character on the Starz crime drama “Power” – “Shot Caller” is a flashback fueled, violent, and intense journey that deviates from the standard crime saga and offers some unexpected takes – but we’re spoiler free, so I’ll leave it there. 😉

What I will say is lead actor Coster-Waldau’s – although I question how believable the actions of his character (this is one prepared former businessman) would be in reality – gripping performance allows the audience to suspend disbelief and invest in witnessing his rise in a crime-ridden world and the disheartening choices he chooses for survival.

And for those who after last night’s season finale are experiencing “Power” withdrawal, like myself for approximately the next nine months, here’s an option for that “Hardwick in the crime world” fix.

Streaming now at online providers, including iTunes and Amazon, “Shot Caller” was both written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh and distributed by Saban Films.

Let me know what you think when you watch it family.

Until next thought, Thomasena

Synopsis:

SHOT CALLER follows the harrowing, often heart-rending journey of successful businessman Jacob Harlon (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) who is transformed into Money, a stoic, ruthless prison gangster after a DUI sends him down the rabbit hole of the American prison system. As he navigates the brutality of his new home, adapting to its violent codes of ethics and rites of passage that will ensure his survival, he slowly loses his previous identity and his relationship to his former life, including his wife and son. The grip of his new family, the prison gang, extends beyond the prison walls. Upon his release, chased by the law enforcement, threatened by his incarcerated “protectors,” Money must orchestrate one last dangerous crime. All is not what it seems. The ruthless process of fulfilling his obligations also becomes his path to sacrifice, retribution and self-definition.

Written and Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh

Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal, Emory Cohen, Jeffrey Donovan, Evan Jones, Benjamin Bratt, and Holt McCallany

MMT Quick Look: Power season 3 episode one CALL ME JAMES

Happy Sunday MMT Fam! Today is the day that all of us POWER fans have been waiting for – the première of the new season! We had to wait an extra month (what happened to those June premieres?) for this third season, and it’s also on a new night – Sunday versus its original Saturday slot.

Now for those who aren’t hip to the show, and have no clue why the rest of us are so addicted, all I can say is tune in to Starz tonight – but if you don’t happen to have that channel, for $8.99 a month you can stream the Starz app online or any streaming service/device instantaneously. And if you’re in the latter category, I recommend you catching up on the first two seasons before you jump into three – this show packs so much into an hour, and it’s soooo good, you need to be on point with all the players before you digest this third season.

With that being said, episode one picks up where episode ten of season two left off (slight spoilers for newbies): James (Omari Hardwick)with bruised face still from THAT last fight, wants to start over with a clean slate and dismiss any remnants of “Ghost” from his life, Tommy (Joseph Sikora) is caught between a rock and hard place with Lobos’s (Enrique Murciano) order to kill James while trying to rebuild the syndicate for distribution, Angela (Lela Loren) is trying to believe that James is reformed and out the game but trust is long broken, and Tasha (Naturi Naughton) is trying to mourn the loss her marriage, Shawn and believe that Ghost/James had nothing to do with his death.

New players are introduced – and um, a new Korean group in the syndicate looks like Trouble (capital T for real) – and role reversals are highlighted – can’t wait to see what happens to the Andre (Rotimi) character, who is now Jamie’s right hand man at Truth. And pay attention to the opening scene and tell me it doesn’t remind you of Season 1, episode 1 – just with Angela, not Tasha!

I screened the first episode with a theater full of true “Power” fans, who were so hyped that thunderous applause was given before the show started, and most definitely when it ended. “Call Me James” doesn’t disappoint, and nicely sets up what is sure to be a high energy season where the stakes are raised much higher than the previous two.

I want to say so much more, but you know I don’t do spoilers so check back and let’s chat in the comments after you’ve watched the show! Season three of POWER premieres tonight on the Starz channel at 9pm – but it’s available now on Starz on demand and on the app!

Until next thought family! Thomasena

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!

Save the best for last: a recap of MusicMoviesThoughts 2013 highlights

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Well MMT Family, this is the last post of 2013. Can you believe how fast this year went? And what a great year it has been! I was able to share some really great interviews, including Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler, The Sapphires director Wayne Blair, The Purge producer Jason Blum, The Best Man Holiday writer/director Malcolm D. Lee, and interviews with Lee Daniels’ The Butler cast Yaya Alafia, Cuba Gooding Jr. and director Lee Daniels himself. I also met several of my faves and “mentors in my head” including Cathy Hughes, Smokey Robinson, and Berry Gordy.

And don’t even get me started with the cool Twitter mentions and thanks received from major films/companies, independents and several of my industry faves, including Debra Lee, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Anika Noni Rose, Omari Hardwick, Lisa Lisa, and Will Downing! In addition, I’ve received feature promotion on Examiner.com for several of my stories, which helped to introduce MusicMoviesThoughts to a whole new audience. It has indeed been a great year, to say the least! 😉

I am so very thankful for all of the support, comments, and thank-you emails sent to me for the giveaways, promo items and screening passes received. It is my absolute pleasure to share my passion with you and I look forward to sharing even greater things in 2014. And lastly, but certainly not least, thanks so much to Michael Tozzi of ijazzglobal.com and Monica Lyons of Sista Pics for their wonderful contributions and support.

Well that’s it for me family! Until 2014, Thomasena 🙂

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! 🙂

GIVEAWAY – Win Passes to Screen “Sparkle” Wednesday August 15th (Philly, PA)

What’s new Music Movie Lovers! I am very excited to announce that MusicMoviesThoughts has partnered with Allied-THA to offer you a chance to win a pair of passes to see Sony Pictures Sparkle starring Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, and Derek Luke. The film also stars the very talented Mike Epps, and features Tika Sumpter, Carmen Ojogo, Omari Hardwick and Cee-Lo Green. For a chance to win, make sure you’ve signed up to follow this blog (and look for the confirmation email to complete the sign up process). You can increase your chances by also following me on Twitter @ledfarr. I will randomly select and post names of winners on Friday, August 10th to receive passes to attend the Philadelphia (PA) screening on Wednesday August 15th.

I will post a review after the movie’s national release date (August 17th); but those who follow me know that the original 1976 version of Sparkle is my ALL TIME favorite movie, so you can check out my initial thoughts (from last October) about the remake at this link Sparkle Remake Ready To Start Production. You can also check out the official website for a synopsis and to view the new movie trailer at http://www.sparkle-movie.com/site/. Good luck family! 🙂

Until next thought, Thomasena

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