Best Posts in Forum: Movies and Shorts

I real like animation especially shorts that tell their stories real well like this



and this


and this one

 

Barry Jenkins (writer/director):

I don’t believe in tidy resolutions. I do think he’s more himself than he ever is in the film we see ― that, I’m absolutely, 1,000 percent sure of. Whether that’s married to Kevin, I can’t say. He’s a person who had a very difficult childhood and doesn’t have a lot of experience in relationships, so imagine trying to come home to that person seven days a week. What a fucking mess. But I do think, at heart, he’s a good dude, and I think this reconciliation with [Paula, his mother] and Kevin and their story is going to set him on the path toward being the good dude that he is.

Mahershala Ali (Juan, the neighborhood drug dealer who becomes a surrogate father to Chiron):

I see him having softened. He’s had to put on a lot of armor to make it through the crucible of adolescence, but the world, in some ways, is a lot safer as an adult. Being lonely as a child turns into you having the capacity to choose moments of being alone. It shifts as an adult. Once you mature and come to terms with who you are in a different way, you are empowered. As a young person, you really need a lot of help. You need people to usher you through and tell you that you’re OK. If you can make it through that time, as an adult you can begin to understand and have the capacity to take personal responsibility. You can still be victimized as an adult, no doubt ― it’s just a little easier, and I think Kevin has the last relationship or element or piece of information that he needs to finally open up to become who he actually needs to be. I think he will have softened and relaxed and lightened and come to terms with who he is, and for the first time know who he is. I have a lot of hope for him.

Janelle Monáe (Teresa, who becomes a surrogate mother to Chiron):

“Hopefully he and Kevin, hopefully they’re together. Hopefully they don’t have to hide their love for each other and they’re comfortable enough in their own skin that everyone who is also trying to deal with their own sexuality and whether or not to embrace it, especially if they’re gay, will look to them as examples of a positive union.”

Trevante Rhodes (adult Chiron):

I think about love on a scale from 1 to 10. Most of us find a 6 or a 7, and that’s why we have divorce. It’s the truth. We settle for that 6 or 7. But I like to think Kevin is Chiron’s 10. He’s found that and he realizes that there’s no reason to settle for a 6 or a 7 because, “I know this person is my 10. Whether or not this person believes I’m his 10, I’m going to devote my life to this person entirely.” That’s why the line where he says, “You’re the only man that’s ever touched me,” for me, was the most amazing, most beautiful thing I’ve seen in cinema, period. Because that’s what we strive for as people, to find that one person because they’re there. If Kevin doesn’t feel that they should be together, Chiron is just going to die a miserable person because that’s his person and he won’t settle for anything else. But I like to think they’re together, walking in Central Park hand-in-hand when they’re 90 years old.

André Holland (adult Kevin):

In my mind, I don’t know whether they’re going to end up as a couple, but they’re going to live authentic lives. I have this image of them walking along with Kevin’s son and teaching him, either overtly or experientially, about what masculinity is and what it means to be a man, in all the variations that are possible. That, to me, is the magic of it, that there’s a young boy in the world who will grow up with a different idea of masculinity than either of them had.

What Becomes Of Chiron After 'Moonlight' Ends, According To The Film's Cast | Huffington Post

 

This is a pretty good interview.


Years ago when playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote the deeply personal "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" as a drama school project, little could he have imagined that it would one day be turned into a major Hollywood movie, let alone one that would be generating serious 2017 Oscar buzz. Drawn from McCraney's memories of his own search for identity as a queer youth in Miami's poor and tough Liberty City neighborhood, "Moonlight" tells the story of young Chiron, who despite painfully losing his mother's attention to crack, is ironically taken under the protective and nurturing wing of a local drug dealer and his girlfriend (played by Janelle Monáe). The film also follows the arc of Chiron's relationship with his childhood friend Kevin, a powerful and sexually charged bond that shifts dramatically over the film's three chapters, following them from age 10 to age 16, then jumping ahead to their early 30s.

After creating his original project, McCraney headed to London for a writing residency with the Royal Shakespeare Company and nearly forgot about it, until it was discovered by director Barry Jenkins. While searching for ideas to follow up his 2008 film festival hit "Medicine for Melancholy," Jenkins came across "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" — and while not himself gay, Jenkins was strongly moved by Chiron's story, especially since it otherwise mirrored Jenkins' own difficult Liberty City upbringing (McCraney and Jenkins even went to the same elementary and middle schools, though they never met as children). With McCraney's blessing, Jenkins converted the story into "Moonlight," and the rest is now cinematic history in the making. Masterfully directed by Jenkins, flawlessly acted by a fantastic cast, and giving an unprecedented glimpse into what it means to be young and poor and black and gay in America, the film is also powerfully universal as the story of one man's quest for identity.

NBC OUT spoke to McCraney — who's also the writer of the acclaimed "Brother/Sister Plays" trilogy, as well as a Steppenwolf Theatre member and the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant — about the phenomenal "Moonlight" on the eve of its Friday opening.

Did you ever envision anything like this when you were writing "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue?"

No. I always knew that it would be better served as a film than a play, but I always thought that it would be something kind of small and independent. Let's just say I could not have expected this to happen. But after Barry showed me one of his first cuts of the film, I did know that there was something beautiful about it. And I also knew Barry could bring to it something that I just could not. I love the art of collaborating, especially with someone as talented as Barry.

I'd been hoping to read your original play before we talked, but I'm told it was never actually published or performed. With the movie's buzz and imminent success, are there any plans for it to be performed or published now?

Absolutely not. First of all, it was never a play [despite rampant reports to the contrary]. It was always scripted in a way that was about the visual life of it. So for example, there are no "Lights up on" or "Curtain opens on" or "Enter stage left" sort of instructions. All of the instructions in the original script "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" are like "CUT TO: Black washing his face," and "CUT TO: Little standing in the middle of a field." So to try to put that on stage would be — crazy, I think. (Laughs) And would probably have some theaters not ever wanting to work with me again. So one of the reasons I think Barry had such a good time turning it into his own screenplay is that there were things he could just kind of unfold right there. The circular nature of the original script didn't lend itself to the kind of open storytelling that I think Barry wanted, or as clearly as he managed to do so well. So he put it in a narrative linear form, still keeping the same three-part structure, just adding in acts.

So your original work jumped around in time more than the film does?

Yeah, it was simultaneous. So you saw pretty much a day in the life of each character at the same time. But that's why I say it's not a play, because you kind of can't do that on stage. You realize halfway through the script that it's the same life of the same person, but it moves at a swiftness you couldn't do on stage. It was just me trying to figure out moments of my life, and watching how, in very different portions of my life, I was still doing the same things. And you can see a nod to that with Barry's work. There are parts where they [Chiron at different ages] all get in the bathtub, they all rinse themselves in a certain way, they all do this thing in the mirror with water over their face with ice. And there are these moments that reflect — in each section — the other sections, and yet they're three different actors who are playing the same character, doing the same things.

I've seen a lot of gay movies in my day, and honestly, "Moonlight" is one of the most powerful gay-themed stories I've ever seen put to film. But of course it's also an incredibly powerful black-themed story, too. Do you think it does the story a disservice to focus solely on one or the other?

I think whatever way you have into it is valid and right. I think it diminishes something if we only make it one thing, for sure. Because it is not, it's just not. Whether or not it does it a disservice, it's more about what the truth of it is. It is a queer story, it is a gay story, it is a poverty story — you know what I mean? It is a story about drug addiction. Those things existed, and if we try to take them out or just make it about one of those things, I think it's more disingenuous to do that than anything.

Does Barry's film still feel like your own story?

Yep, even more so I think. To see it on the page is one thing, but to see it actually happen is kind of terrifying.
What's it like then to suddenly know that so many people are so moved by your story?

Hmm, I don't really know. I don't know if I've actually taken that part in.

I guess once the film's released it'll be even more apparent.

Well, I've watched the film again and again. I've gone into a kind of meditative state trying to figure out — I mean, these are large questions in my life that I myself haven't figured out. So I think the comfort, if there is any, is that other people are having the same moments of introspection, I'm hoping. And that feels right. It doesn't feel necessarily like a happy thing, because I don't want anybody to have to suffer through stuff. But I think it does feel necessary that other people are having a chance to wrestle with some larger issues, or at least issues that are less simple. When Chiron decides that he wants to become Black, what is that decision-making process like, and why? And what is he actually after, and where are the wrong turns we take? And what does it mean to wait for the touch of a person that also betrayed you — without giving too much of the film away.

Have you heard any reactions from other gay people who grew up in Liberty City?

Yeah. I think everybody in Liberty City, regardless of sexual identification, feels proud to have a movie that's about where we live, and that deals with the issues that we deal with, but doesn't kind of make a miserable portrait of it. I mean, it still looks like a beautiful place. You still see that there are good people there, and people who may do things that are less desirable, but who also have good hearts. I think that's very important.

Was there a Kevin in your own life?

Yeah.

Did the real story mirror pretty closely the Kevin in the movie then?

Well, the third chapter doesn't, for sure. But there are portions of it that are exactly like our interactions, yeah.

And have you been in touch with him? Does he know that the film is about to come out?

Nope.

Do you expect to hear from him?

(Laughs) Nope.

Do you have a favorite gay-themed film?

Most recently I loved "Tangerine," that's sort of a favorite of mine. But my all-time favorite movie is "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

What are you working on now?

I mostly teach at the University of Miami. I started a summer program for young high school women in the arts. I've been doing that mostly, just trying to create more opportunities for young storytellers to really get involved and engaged in the arts as early as I did.


Have you had offers to write more original screenplays?

Yeah, but right now my focus is mainly on "Moonlight" and hoping we can reach as wide an audience as possible. It's thrilling to get that chance. To be able to tell this very intimate story on such a large canvas feels really great, and it's really exciting.

Do you plan to continue to tell gay stories in your work, or do you even think of it in those terms?

I mean, I think my record speaks for itself. I don't think I've created any play that doesn't have at least one queer character in it.

Tarell Alvin McCraney: The man who lived 'Moonlight'

 

23/24 out of 25. Never seen The Best Man (althought I saw Best Man 2, so that kinda counts) and Bluehill Avenue. What say you, CA?

 

In the documentary “Shape Up,” gay filmmaker Derrick L. Middleton explores an oft ignored issue in the Black community, homophobia and hyper-masculinity in barbershops. This documentary has not only been winning film festivals, it even had its’ premiere at the White House last month.

Back when I used to get regular professional haircuts, I often heard the Black barbers make casual homophobic jokes and comments. They seem either oblivious to the possibility that gay men were in the shop waiting for haircuts, or they just didn’t care.



In an interview with OUT Magazine about the film, director Derrick L. Middleton added:

“No matter what black neighborhood you go to, any black neighborhood, you’re going to find two things—a church and a barbershop,” he says. “And the barbershop for black males is about as sacred as the church. It’s one of the only safe spaces for black men today, where they can talk about politics or sports and speak completely openly. But these same black men just don’t realize they have gay men in those spaces—that we’ve always been in those spaces. We’ve been there in silence, and we want to be a part of this space as well.”

No word on when the full documentary will be released to the general public, but for now you can view the trailer here:

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I FUKING LOVE THIS MOVIE. I can talk about it for 15 hrs. What are your thoughts and reactions?

 

Southside With You, a movie about the early days of Michelle and Barack Obama's relationship, premiered at Sundance earlier this year to widely positive reviews. Now, anyone who didn't get the chance to attend the exclusive film festival can get their first look the Richard Tanne-directed movie, with the release of its first trailer.

The film chronicles what is apparently Michelle and Barack's first date in Chicago. Parker Sawyers plays the future POTUS and Tika Sumpter plays a young Michelle Robinson. John Legend serves as an executive producer.

Southside With You hits theaters on August 19th.

 

MILES AHEAD (2016)

This looks like its going to be a good movie and one I actually would like to see. I also cant wait to listen to the movie's soundtrack its going to be dope. Its produced by Robert Glasper who Im a big fan of. Glasper also has an another album coming out at the end of March that will also feature songs inspired my Miles Davis and the movie with Bilal , Badu, Phonte, Illa J (J Dilla's lil Brother) Steve Wonder and more. Its all going to so dope. What a time to be alive lol.

 

SAY WHAT?! Now listen word on the internet streets is that the Queen Ava Duvernay is in talks about making a Sci-Fi Thriller Film titled "Intelligent Life"! Also it is being said that Lupita Nyong'o is in talking about starring in the film so i wanna know from y'all who would you like to see in the black sci-fi thriller film?
Me personally i would love to see Golden Brooks, Elise Neal, Paula Jai Parker, Countess Vaughn, Mo'Nique, Omar Epps, Boris Kodjoe, Morris Chestnut, Tommy Ford, Mike Epps, and so many more!

ava by BlackOnyx1 posted Feb 8, 2016 at 10:08 PM

Straight from the source IGN: "
BY LUCY O'BRIEN Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 12 Years a Slave actress Lupita Nyong'o is reportedly in talks to star in sci-fi thriller Intelligent Life, with Selma director Ava DuVernay circling to direct.

Intelligent Life will come from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, from a script penned by Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow and collaborater Derek Connolly. THR reports that Nyong'o is currently in negotiations to star in the film, while DuVernay will receive an offer an offer to direct in the next 24 hours.

This isn't the only major offer DuVernay is currently fielding. Deadline reports that the director has also been offered the adaptation of Madelein L'Engle's classic book A Wrinkle in Time from Disney, from a script written by Frozen writer and co-director Jennifer Lee.

Intelligent Life centers on a U.N. worker in a dystopian future who falls in love with an alien. According to THR, its tone will be similar to Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed." Link: The Force Awakens' Lupita Nyong'o in Talks for Ava DuVernay Sci-Fi Thriller - IGN

 

If you're black and you don't know who Nat Turner is but you know all about Django...please open up a new tab and educate yourself immediately.

First Look at Nate Parker's Nat Turner Film, 'The Birth of a Nation'

 

There are so many things wrong here...the biggest is how Hollywood continues to white wash and turn Egypt into Europe. Fuck you Gods of Egypt!

 

I've watched this trailer a dozen times already!



I got my tickets!!! IMAX 3D!!! Opening Day, baby! The nerd in me is happy!

Just gotta get cuffed before December 17th up so I can have someone to see it with me!

 

“I just want to be happy in this life. If I’m telling this to you, you will think that…I am some sort of beast or devil. I am all of these things…but I also had a mother, father, brothers and a sister once. They loved me” – Agu

Over the last couple of years, Netflix has become a power house in how scripted media is consumed. The streaming service continues to build on its critically acclaimed original series such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. Now Netflix has entered into original feature film territory with Beasts of No Nation…and it absolutely doesn’t disappoint.

The film is based on Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala’s novel of the same name and shows how easily captured young boys are initiated and indoctrinated into becoming a child soldier. Beasts is beautifully directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective S1), who reportedly had been working on the adaptation since 2006. I almost felt like I was “cheating” by not seeing this film in theaters.

Beasts’ starts off innocently with the introduction of 11 yr old Agu (played by newcomer Abraham Attah) and his group of neighborhood friends. We see them going around town attempting to sell a shell of an old television as they act out marital arts and dramas from behind the missing screen. We go onto see the day to day life for Agu and his family sprinkled with humorous moments. There’s a subtle nod to the influence of hip hop as Agu’s brother dances to the old school “Wild Style” theme. Their childhood imagination and innocence is still abundant within the confines of the Nigerian / UN peace keeping buffer zone.



Viewing the teaser and extended trailers, you know doom is on the way. After the rebels bring chaos death to Agu’s community, he escapes to the jungle to survive while mourning his losses. Agu begins his journey as a child soldier after he is eventually captured by a group of rebels lead by the charismatic Commandant (Idris Elba). The Commandant has a compelling leadership and sway over the group, which may be influenced by a connection to tribal roots and customs. This sets the contrast between Agu’s Christian influences and traditional African culture that exists through out the film.



I’m sure most have seen or heard about the horrors of children forced into fighting in paramilitary troupes and caught up in a region’s civil war. Even though Beasts graphically shows many of these horrors (killings, executions, rapes, drug use), surprisingly it strongly hints at the trauma of molestation and sexual assault that typically is inflicted upon the younger soldiers by the older boys or men higher in the ranks.

Fukunaga’s cinematography is part of the reason I felt like I was “cheating” while watching the film. Another reason is the score by Dan Romer which is haunting in parts and makes some of the more active sequences seem surreal. Many of the scenes throughout the film feel like they need to be shown on the big screen. In one scene we see a tiny, almost invisible Agu in comparison to the overall vastness of the large encompassing jungle, providing a sense of bewilderment and loss. Even though there are numerous violent scenes throughout, to me what pushes the emotional conflict is the continued focus on Agu’s facial expressions (or sometimes a lack thereof) and body language. Initially he obviously doesn’t want to commit these atrocities and he goes from being forced, to becoming a desensitized. We see a boy transformed into a killer along with how drugs are used as attempts to empower, ease distress and cope.



I strongly feel the viewer should examine the similarities between child soldiers and inner city youth as it relates to the psychology of violence and within environment. Although it is not the same type of violence, there are parallels to the atmosphere that exits not only in war torn countries throughout the world but also within the landscapes of cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Baltimore. Many boys and young men go through a process of becoming disenchanted with life and desensitized to death and murder. Just like in the film, many young black and brown boys are not giving a proper opportunity to grow and evolve constructively without disorder once they find themselves in dysfunction.



I was emotionally caught off guard by Abraham Attah’s break out performance of Agu and the way Fukunaga brought his turmoil to screen. In addition to Attah, on should also take note of the other young actor Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye for his performance as Strika, fellow child soldier and Agu’s friend. As the story unfolds, I found myself questioning – even with all his vileness – was the Commandant fighting on the side of an oppressed people that were being slaughtered by the government? Was he once in Agu’s position and used the unfortunate circumstances to his advantage to become Commandant? Maybe not, but could not the same be said for 2 I-C (Commandant’s young second in command played by Kurt Egyiawan)? I think that is the beauty in Elba’s performance; he is very convincing. This film gives a sense of deflated humanity similar to Schindler’s List, Hotel Rwanda or Sometimes in April (also starring Idris Elba).



Beats of No Nation has captivated audiences and critics and is generating Oscar buzz for Fukunaga’s directing/cinematography and Attah’s performance. Given the make-up of the voting body of the Academy, I think this may be a weak possibility and wishful thinking. The Hollywood spin machine has already labeled Beasts a flop due to only making around $51,000 its opening weekend, showing in only 31 theaters nationwide. It should be noted that most theater operators boycotted the movie and have threatened to do the same with other upcoming Netflix films. Something tells me there are elements in Hollywood that fear Netflix’s model and growing success.

Netflix continues to charm network and cable television audiences with series like Narcos and the upcoming Marvel series Daredevil S2 along with Jessica Jones. Now it looks like they may start a trend of keeping some folks home instead of partaking in an expensive night at the movie theater. Netflix has announced that they will be releasing the sequel to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on the same day of its release in China and in select IMAX theaters. They also have announced War Machine starring Brad Pitt but have not given a release date. If Netflix continues to bring their customers exclusive films that are as good as if not better than Beasts of No Nation, they may change the game and continue to freak out Hollywood.

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