Wednesday, November 30, 2011

SAY WHAT?!! Short film portrays Black father molested by son


Here is a short film thesis project that is sure to ruffle some feathers...The Strange Thing About The Johnsons and it is definitely strange!!

The American Film Institute thesis film is directed by Ari Aster, is being described as "a film about the ties that bind, and the ties that really bind." The plot revolves around The Johnsons, a well-to-do, upper middle class African-American family, with a disturbing secret. Check this out...the son, Isaiah, has been molesting the father, Sidney, since he was 15-years-old. Years later the father writes a memoir revealing the unlikely father-son relationship. The memoir could possibly destroy the family's wholesome reputation forever.

Now the question that is on everyone's mind is why a white director cast an all-black cast. Aster's response to this concern is... "The color of the Johnson family's skin is totally incidental. It's of no consequence to the story or its execution," Aster said. "We certainly assumed that casting black actors in a film that tackles such transgressive themes would create something of a stir, and it would be a lie to say that we weren't hesitant, especially as many people were advising us against the decision. There is no intended commentary on the black experience and I would never claim to have any insight into that."

Hmmm....sounds real sketchy to me...Something just not quite right with this film, can't quite put my finger on it. This takes twisted drama to a completely different level!! 



TRAILER: The Strange Thing About The Johnsons from Alejandro De Leon on Vimeo.

For more information about the film go to The Strange Thing About The Johnsons website.

Your Thoughts?!!

Indie Doc "Soul Food Junkies" Twitter Chat Tonight 9 PM/EST

 
Soul Food Junkies...
140 Characters At A Time!
www.twitter.com/byronhurt
 
Byron Hurt To Host a Soul Food
Twitter Chat TONIGHT!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
9:00 - 10:00 pm EST
 
   Login to your Twitter account tonight and get interactive 
with award-winning filmmaker Byron Hurt (@ByronHurt) as
he tweets about the making of his new documentary
film Soul Food Junkies, the food justice movement, and
what he discovered about this beloved African American
cuisine. Questions and comments about the film, living and eating healthy, and other topics are all welcome TONIGHT at 9pm EST.
 
(or search the #SoulFoodJunkies hashtag)
 
 
A little bit about the film...
"Is African American culture a culture of soul food junkies?"
 
Food traditions are hard to change, especially when they're passed on from generation to generation. In this PBS documentary, award-winning filmmaker Byron Hurt shares his journey to learn more about the African American cuisine known as soul food.

Baffled by his dad's unwillingness to change his traditional soul food diet in the face of a health crisis, Hurt sets out to learn more about this rich culinary tradition and its relevance to Black cultural identity. He discovers that the love affair that his dad and his community have with soul food is deep-rooted, complex, and in some tragic cases, deadly.
 
Through candid interviews with soul food cooks, historians, scholars, as well as doctors, family members, and everyday people, Soul Food Junkies blends history, humor, and heartwarming stories to place this culinary tradition under the microscope. Both the consequences and the benefits of soul food are carefully addressed. So too is the issue of low access to quality food in Black communities, which makes it difficult for some Black people to eat healthy. In the end, Hurt determines whether or not Black people are addicted to this food tradition that has its origins in West Africa and the Black south, yet is loved all over the world.

Indie Alert!! Turning Point Pictures Presents "Ties That Bind"

I have another goodie for you!!

After several months of waiting, Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi's biggest budgeted movie, which brings together stars from Hollywood, Nollywood, and the Ghana movie industry, will be screened to the residents of Ghana (where the story all begins). Ties That Bind has been screened in US, Canada, and a few other countries and has already received thumbs up from international movie moguls.


Ties That Bind tells the story of Adobea (Omotola Jolade Ekeinde), Buki (Ama K Abebrese) and Theresa (Kimberly Elise), three women from three different backgrounds bound together by a similar pain – the loss of a child.

In a destined meeting in a small village in Kroboland, the women journey together to redemption, love, life and forgiveness as they renovate a dilapidated clinic for the villagers.

"I see a good number of independent films each year and "Ties That Bind" is one of the most gripping movies I've screened in a long time," says Rick Berman, Executive Producer of Star Trek.

Ties That Bind will premiere at the National Theatre in Accra, Ghana on Dec 30th.

Check out the trailer to get a glimpse into this powerful story!!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving Box Office Weekend Numbers 11/25-11/27


Hope you ate all the turkey, dressing, sweet potato pie, and collard greens that you could stuff!! And you probably figured instead of sleeping it off you would rather go to the movies...well maybe not (lol)...but someone did! Check out the numbers below...

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 $42,000,000
2. The Muppets $29,500,000
3. Happy Feet 2 $13,400,000
4. Arthur Christmas $12,700,000
5. Hugo $11,350,000

Gobble...Gobble...

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Another Excellent Film to Support & Put on Your Radar, "KINYARWANDA"



If you missed this year’s Bronze Lens Film Festival in Atlanta, GA then you missed out on a plethora of goodies. One in particular was the film that won Best International Film KINYARWANDA, directed by Alrick Brown (Rwanda/USA). 

AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, is pleased to announce that it will open its second film, KINYARWANDA, in theaters on Friday, December 2 in eight cities nationwide. 

During the Rwandan genocide, when neighbors killed neighbors and friends betrayed friends, some crossed lines of hatred to protect each other.

At the time of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the Mufti of Rwanda, the most respected Muslim leader in the country, issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims from participating in the killing of the Tutsi. As the country became a slaughterhouse, mosques became places of refuge where Muslims and Christians, Hutus and Tutsis came together to protect each other. KINYARWANDA is based on true accounts from survivors who took refuge at the Grand Mosque of Kigali and the madrassa of Nyanza. It recounts how the Imams opened the doors of the mosques to give refuge to the Tutsi and those Hutu who refused to participate in the killing.

KINYARWANDA interweaves six different tales that together form one grand narrative that provides the most complex and real depiction yet presented of human resilience and life during the genocide. With an amalgamation of characters, we pay homage to many, using the voices of a few.

Writer/director Alrick Brown’s compelling feature directorial debut garnered the Sundance Film Festival 2011 Audience Award in the World Cinema Drama category this year, and captured the Grand Prize at the lauded Skip City Film Festival in Japan last week.

KINYARWANDA definitely needs your support once it hits the mainstream theaters. Just like there was a huge success with AFFRM’s inaugural release the award-winning film, I WILL FOLLOW, (which opened March 2011 in more than 20 cities during its seven week run.) The same energy and some needs to go into this film as well!!

If you don’t believe me check out the trailer…



KINYARWANDA will be released in AFFRM’s founding markets: New York (AMC Empire 25), Los Angeles (LAEMMLE Music Hall), Atlanta (AMC Phipps Plaza), Philadelphia (AMC Franklin Mills) and Seattle (Uptown Theater).  In addition, three new opening week cities have been added: Chicago (AMC River East), Washington DC (AMC Hoffman) and San Francisco.

"KINYARWANDA brings the victims and killers together as they seek to find a place of forgiveness in their hearts so that their country can survive and move forward.  This film, although dealing with an intense subject, is not graphic with violence, but full of emotional depth and hope as a country seeks to heal."

To find out more about this engaging and mesmerizing film please check out the website at http://www.kinyarwandamovie.com/ . You will not be disappointed at all!!



Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Teaser Poster for "The Last Fall"

No words need to be said about this "HOT" poster from director Matthew Cherry's upcoming film The Last Fall...


This one is for the ladies!! Go ahead and marinate on this folks!

Friday, November 18, 2011

You can catch me in 2 places now!!




Alrighty Good People!! Just wanted to let you know there is another spot where you can keep up with me!! Just recently I was added to the staff of  Medium Rare as one of their TV and Film Commentators. This is another awesome opportunity that has been presented to me and I am truly grateful!

Medium Rare is dedicated to highlighting the achievements of women and people of color in the television, film, and gaming industries. It is our mission to bring to the public dynamic interviews and review works by directors, writers, designers/developers and producers who may have been overshadowed and/or overlooked. Furthermore, Medium Rare believes that the visual arts suffer from mediocrity on occasion. As a result we act as a platform for other faces, voices, and viewpoints to be seen and heard as commentary on the state of the media industry both in content and delivery.

So far I have done reviews on the television shows "Whitney" and "2 Broke Girls" !! And there is more to come!! Make sure to check me out on  www.mediumraretv.org .

Thursday, November 17, 2011

INTERNATIONAL BLACK MAN FILM FESTIVAL November 19th, 2011


INTERNATIONAL BLACK MAN FILM FESTIVAL
Saturday Nov. 19
Shrine of the Black Madonna
946 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW
Atlanta, Ga. 30310
10 am to 6 pm
All-day pass $10 advance on sale Shrine Bookstore; All-day pass $12.00 at door
SPECIAL: $5 all-day pass at door for arrivals 10:00 am -10:30 am

www.blackmanfilmfest.net
 
This year IBMFF will be showing the same films in both Atlanta and Accra, Ghana at the same moment! That way, the two audiences can share the same experience, and talk to each other over the Internet after the films! 
 
Check out the film line-up...
 
10 AM
"Wind of Change"

The movie shows how one Kenyan man and his family are fighting against climate destruction in East Africa. The family works together to keep the drought from defeating them, and we see them fight to save their crops and their home. We see the human face behind the drought.
Documentary / Kenya / 45 mins 
Director: Julia Dahr

**Live discussion between USA and Ghana after the film**
 
11 AM
"A Bridge, Not A Barrier"

Live discussion across the Atlantic between audiences in Accra Ghana and Atlanta USA. Filmmakers in both countries tell of their current work, and film lovers tell of their likes and dislikes about films in Ghana and USA. Come join in this live interactive time. [Not a film.] We will help break down the barriers between peoples and nations.
 
**Live discussion / Ghana and USA / 45 mins  
 
12 PM
 "Pumzi"

In a futuristic East Africa, world war has forced people to live underground. The environment is high-tech, but water is scarce. Freedom is scarce. One woman escapes, and carries a single plant up to the surface to rekindle hope in a barren land. This film is our praise to Black women from our Film Festival.
Sci-Fi / Kenya / 22 mins 
Director: Wanuri Kahiu / With: Kudzani Moswela /
 
**Live discussion between USA and Ghana after the film**

12:40 PM
"African Palestinian"

Did you know there are Black people born and raised in the Middle East? We journey to this world hot spot, also known as Palestine. We visit the ancient city of Jerusalem, and see where Africans live, to talk to community leader Ali Jiddah. He explains what it's like being a Black man in the "Middle East", and how Africans resist Israel's occupation.
Documentary / Palestine / 25 mins 
Director: Andrew Courtney / With: Ali Jiddah

**Live discussion between USA and Ghana after the film*
 
1:20 PM
"Native Sun"

We follow the life of an imaginative little boy who goes from a small village to the big city in search of his father. He is befriended by a woman living on the street, and they bond together for survival and friendship. A highlight is the music by Blitz the Ambassador, including Afrobeat, old-school hip-hop, highlife and kora music.
Drama / Ghana / 22 mins 
Directors: Terence Nance and Blitz the Ambassador

**Live discussion between USA and Ghana after the film**
 
2 PM
"From Fatherless to Fatherhood"

We explore the problems, but emphasize the solutions, to absent fathers. Interviews with fathers, their children, and experts. We include talks to children whose fathers - whether absent or present - have impacted them in a major way. We offer hope among the difficulties.
Documentary / USA / 25 mins 
Director: Kobie Brown / With: Fathers, their children, experts.

**Live discussion between USA and Ghana after the film** 

2:40 PM
"Black Love Lives"

Real-life couples share their strategies for making love work. We especially hear the insightful, yet often-unheard voices of men in loving relationships.
Documentary / USA / 21 mins 
Director: Nisa Ra / With: Black couples.

**Live discussion between USA and Ghana after the film**
 
3:20 PM
"Permanent Bond"

We celebrate and conclude our time of live, international interaction between our Ghana and USA audiences. We discuss our favorite films, and our two audiences vote for the Audience Award favorite film. We share resources for ongoing relationships between our people. [Not a film.] We say good-bye to our friends across the Atlantic.
 
**Live discussion / Ghana and USA / 40 mins**
 
4 PM  
Atlanta only  
"Wolf Call"

It is 1956, the year after 14-year-old Emmett Till's mutilated body was found in a river. Two whites have been acquitted of his murder. In this film, a Black man plays the role of a white reporter, and he also plays the role of Klansmen, to give us insight into how those two white men could be freed.
Drama / USA / 15 mins 
Director: Rob Underhill / With: Mike Wiley
 
4:30 PM
**Atlanta only**
"Keeper of the Flame"

In New Orleans, the Black leader of a prominent Native American nation dies unexpectedly. He passes the leadership on to an unlikely candidate: his young grandson Michael, who has the heart of a warrior but the appearance of a sheep.
Drama / USA / 30 mins 
Director: Brian Nelson / With: Big Chief Alfred Doucette, Kenneth L. Brown, Harold Sylvester, Mykel Shannon Jenkins
 
5 PM
**Atlanta only**
"Beyond the Bricks"

Film offers solutions for the low performance of Black males in public schools. The film follows two tough and inspiring students as they struggle to stay on track in the Newark, New Jersey school system.
Documentary / USA / 35 mins 
Director: Derek Koen / With: Shaquiel Ingram, Erick Graham, Mayor Cory Booker, Pedro Noguera, John Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ivory Toldson.

"Things Never Said" Trailer Alert


I got a little treat for you all and it's HOT!!

Things Never Said is a a 'Love Jones' for the new millennium, this story explores a young woman’s quest for self worth and purpose as she struggles to find the meaning behind her choices and her voice through spoken-word poetry.

KALINDRA STEPNEY (Kal) is an emerging spoken-word poetess, someone who willingly speaks her thoughts, but she’s an artist who has yet to find her voice.

A native of California, Kal has dreams of taking her poems to New York and the infamous Nuyorican Cafe stage. Haunted by a miscarriage and saddled with RONNIE, a husband who’s angry and without direction – he uses his fists as a form of speech, Kal tries desperately to find an outlet for her struggling voice.

Adding to her distress is best friend and poet compatriot DAPHNE, also grappling with love liabilities. Her boyfriend STEVE is a lout who willfully and regularly takes advantage. Kal doesn’t approve. These scenarios, coupled with the surprise and uncertainty of new love CURTIS JACKSON, hit Kal where she’s most vulnerable. Just as she helps Curtis with unchallenged perceptions about a past relationship and his estranged young daughter, Curtis’ influence leads Kal to dig deeper, to find her voice, confidence and sense of self worth.


Things Never Said is writtend and directed by Charles Murray and stars Shanola Hampton, Elimu Nelson, Omari Hardwick, Tamala Jones, Dorian Missick, Michael Beach.

To see the trailer check them out on http://www.facebook.com/ThingsNeverSaid !

The Next Great Indie Film That SHOULD be on your Radar... "PARIAH"


 “Wherever the bird with no feet flew, she found trees with no limbs.” ~Audre Lorde


Wow…Powerful…Deep…Major Impact!!

These are all words that describe the 2011 Focus Feature film Pariah.  I had the pleasure of being able to take part in an ATL screening of this Sundance winning film, and I so thankful and appreciative of the opportunity. It is not often that you come across a film that just rocks your soul, and writer/director Dee Rees hit the jackpot with this beautifully composed film. Now let me provide you with this disclaimer, I will do my best to provide you with a synopsis that will not spoil the film. Pariah is the type of movie that can stand on its own…loud and clear!! I promise you that there will no spoilers just enough to get your palette wet enough that you will go purchase a ticket!!

Pariah is SO NOT HOLLYWOOD and guess what…it does not need to be either. I love the fact that it is so RAW, this was a great example of a “truth serum” film. And I emphasize Pariah is not a “PSA” film, its not a “preachy or messagy” film, it is movie sexual expression and the reality that exists in the LGBQT community along with partnering issues of sexism, race, the black family, love/heartbreak, friendship. As a heterosexual female it is easy for me carry on with my “normal” life, but that is not everyone’s reality. Even with all the glitz and glamour after the dust settles, everything comes to the light. Pariah takes us on a journey with Brooklyn teenager, Alike aka Le (Adepero Oduye) who is struggling to live up to her mother's expectations and at the same time come to terms with who she is. If nothing else she is definitely certain about her sexual orientation, yet there is this insecurity about where she fits in as a young lesbian woman and a blossoming writer in search of her authentic voice.



In addition to a great plot/storyline you have to make sure you have a cast that will reinforce the message via their character’s performances. And Dee Rees brings together a phenomenal cast that brings out the complexity and fearlessness of the character’s personalities. Rees does an admirable job of relying on her cast to shine a light through small gestures to convey the fears of Alike's archetypal father Arthur (Charles Parnell), who at the same time is as gentle, loving and sensitive as he is dominating. Then you have Alike’s mother, Audrey, (Kim Wayans) who is confused and trapped in a fantasy world all by her lonesome self. Now a character who stands out just as much as Alike is her younger sister Sharonda (Sahra Mellesse) who is best described as the “voice of reason”, she supplies a level of courage that within a blink of an eye it will sneak up on you, bite you and gone in a flash. Finally, Alike’s best and closest friend Laura (Pernell Walker) who delivers a stunning performance of another lesbian trying to fight past her own demons and come out on top. Caught up between a controlling, disappointed and worried mother (Kim Wayans) and a disillusioned, tired and caring father (Charles Parnell), Alike along with her parents and sister are all stuck in this smothering web of lies that is somehow keeping the family together, but at the same pulling them apart, they are stuck in a tug of war battle. However, what is unique about each of these characters is that they all share a common theme, a struggle to get just a piece of the “ultimate freedom”. Rees and her cast must be commended for their courageousness to fill the shoes of these real life situations. When it is all said they may be actors and actress, but characters that are being portrayed are actual people, they are your friends, your co-workers, your family. “Each of the main characters is a pariah,” Rees asserts. “They all have their fears, desires, strengths and weaknesses.”




Throughout the film, everything is about a transformation and what better way to show that through the costume design. Each person, especially Alike, illustrated an authentic, non-stereotypical style ranging from “the peacock” to the “conservative”. Rees also skillfully uses silence as a golden tool. Often times a movie can talk too much and it loses its appeal, but somehow this film does just the opposite. Silence is used appropriately and without using words the message is still crystal clear and in the forefront. Not only is silence a key factor, but the cinematography was off the chain. The camera tricks were phenomenal, the film starts out as this narrow box, but with each scene the picture becomes wider and wider until we see the complete picture. And for those that know me, know that I am sucker for some good poetry (in addition to writing my own), and Pariah will definitely not disappoint with the strategic execution of it through out the entire film. Damn I’m just got a chill just thinking about it…Prepare your mind for some chilling and moving scenes, I guarantee you will laugh, shed a tear or two, but in the end it will be a mind transforming experience. And to add a little musical blaze to this powerful fire, we get a special treat from Afro Punk artist Tamar-kali (brilliant artist by the way).


This film has so many dynamics that you could get a lesson in gender, sexism, patriarchy, love, and so much more. As a matter of fact Pariah would be a great tool to use in the classrooms especially on the high school and collegiate level.  I can see it now, Pariah will definitely become part of the growing African American Studies, Women Studies, and Gender Studies canon. Regardless of your sexual orientation, you as the viewer can definitely relate and understand the many struggles that are presented on the screen. Rees paints a true picture of what it is like to be the “pariah”. But at the same, being able to blossom from the cocoon and metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly. This film will definitely hit home for a lot of people, especially those trying to create their own identity, those trying to obtain that needed acceptance, or those trying to find that welcoming community. We all know someone struggling to come into their own, the next step is what do we do about, and Pariah is just that film to answer that call.


In the end the film does an excellent job of providing the viewer with a realistic yet hopeful ending. Rees’ makes sure not to package it with this pretty gift-wrap and bow-tie and I personally say “Thank You!!”. She appropriately brings closure to a film that will open a “surround sound of conversations!!”



Be on the lookout for filmmaker/director Dee Rees she is definitely on the path towards success, and Pariah is the perfect beginning to this journey.

“I’m not running…I’m choosing…” ~Alike

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (Very few times do I give a perfect 5 out of 5, but this one deserved it without a shadow of doubt!!)


G-Breezy's Favorite Movies

  • Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum
  • Die Hard series
  • Do the Right Thing
  • Fracture
  • Idlewild
  • Imitation of Life
  • Inside Man
  • James Bond series
  • Love Jones
  • Malcolm X