Black History Month Spotlight: Hazel Scott

On the first day of February, we honor the incredible Hazel Scott. There is no better person to kick off celebration of Black History Month than with the "Darling of Cafe Society".

Is she real?

Hazel Scott was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on June 11, 1920. She moved to the United States at the age of four. She was recognized as a child prodigy and  at eight years old was awarded scholarships to attend the Julliard School. 

In 1950, she became the first Black woman to have her own television show. She was one of the first Black women to receive prominent roles in Hollywood films. She appeared in films like The Heat's On and Rhapsody in Blue.  She was once married to congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. 

The Greatest Showman: The Review

Directed by: Michael Gracey
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Keala Settle and Rebecca Ferguson
Written by: Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Music and Lyrics by: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

When 2017 began, The Greatest Showman was nowhere on my radar. It was not a film that I was looking forward to, nor did I think much about it. I knew that it had a stellar cast and I was curious to see how it would fare at the box office.  Weeks leading up to the release, I did not see much promo for the film nor was the film winning critical acclaim. Once released, it had dismal opening. Due to strong word of mouth , the  film has had mighty strong legs at the box office. As of now, it has grossed over $100 million at the US box office.

The Greatest Showman tells the remarkable tale of the origin of Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. The film follows P.T Barnum ( Hugh Jackman) journey from rags to riches. We are introduced to his loyal wife Charity (Michelle Williams), his business partner Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) and his acts (Zendaya, Keala Settle and Rebecca Ferguson).  Unlike most biographical films, The Greatest Showman is a full fledged musical. Any historian will tell you the film took several creative liberties with the film.  Does the accuracy matter for the musical?  No. All biopics are fictitious in nature, in order for the film to work it all depends on the execution.

  The Greatest Showman is not the best film I have ever seen. The pacing of the film felt like each scene was building up to the next musical number. Some aspects of the film were a bit ridiculous, particularly the dialogue. The Greatest Showman is not going to make a believer out of individuals whom hate musicals. Taking everything into consideration, I absolutely adored The Greatest Showman. It does not come as a surprise, I love musicals. I love to be wowed and thoroughly entertained, that is all I ask from a musical. Oh boy, does this film deliver this and more.  The Greatest Showman was visually breathtaking and inspiring. The choreography was mesmerizing and  the musical numbers were spellbinding.  I have been  obsessively listening to the soundtrack since I walked out of the theater.

 If you want to be transported to a time of magic and romance, The Greatest Showman is for you.

Summer Movie Guide 2017

May

May 5th

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. 

May 12th

• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 
• Snatched
• Lowriders

May 19th

• Everything Everything
• Alien: Covenant 
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

May 25th

• Baywatch

May 26th

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Top Ten: Best Films of 2016

 Award season is upon us and I am excited about this year. For the first time in years, I am thrilled about the nominees.  Moonlight, Fences, Hidden Figures and Dev Patel deserve all the recognition in the world.  I have yet to see La La Land, Lion and Loving. I hope to watch these films prior to the Academy Awards.

Best Picture: Moonlight
Best Comedy: Deadpool
Best Animated Feature: Zootopia and Moana( tie)
Best Film that grossed under one million: Christine

Top Ten

Moonlight
Hidden Figures

Fences

Deadpool

Zootopia

Moana

The Jungle Book

Other People

The Birth of a Nation

Christine

Anticipation: February and March

I want to apologize for not updating this blog in years. Life has been a little unpredictable. Somehow we have found ourselves in 2017 and a whole month has almost gone by. United States has a new president and I want delve into that because I like to keep this blog light. I did get to see some amazing films over the holidays. Here are films that I am anticipating over the next two months.
 John Wick: Chapter Two

Kong: Skull Island


Beauty and the Beast

Get Out

Birth of a Nation: The Review

Birth of a Nation is about the remarkable true story of Nate Turner. Nate Turner was a slave who was also a preacher. He would later lead a slave rebellion that was responsible for the deaths of several slave masters. He was later executed for his actions.

Over the past two months Birth of a Nation has been making headlines, but not for the reasons that Fox Searchlight would have liked. When the film debut at the Sundance Film Festival back in January it was met with wide praise and anticipation. Fox Searchlight purchased the rights to the film for a record $17.5 million.  I was shaking in my boots with excitement thinking about seeing this film. I knew it would be a film that would shake me to my emotional core.

 Two months ago,  it was revealed that the director Nate Parker was accused of raping a fellow college student in the late 90's. He was later acquitted for those charges. It became difficult for the film to shake off that revelation. I admit that my excitement  for the film became clouded. There was such much noise on social media, it was hard to figure out if it was worth seeing the film. I decided to watch the film and judge the film for the work that it was. I left behind any preconceived notions that I might have had.

 What I found out was this film was a masterpiece. Not only was it one of the best films that came out this year, it was probably one of the most powerful films that I have ever watched. The film was visually remarkable. Blood spatter on a cloth  of dying man was almost foreshadowing the rebellion. Corn being filled with blood to portray Nate's grief. The transition of the crying boy to the soldier he would become fighting for the Union. Parker did a marvelous job directing this film.

It is not an easy film to watch. It will sit with you long after the film credits roll. It is a movie that deals with a slave rebellion. There are scenes that show the brutality of slavery. There was one scene in particular that I had to turn my head away. I won't spoil it, but I will say it had to deal with a force feeding.

Aja Naomi King's portrayal of Cherry Turner was simply breathtaking. I hope she gets some award recognition, but it is looking very doubtful right now.

It is your choice to watch this film. I completely understand if that is something you cannot do. For me, this film was worth seeing. 

The Jungle Book: The Review

Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o and Christopher Waken
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Written by: Justin Marks
Based on the novel by: Rudyard Kipling
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

The Jungle Book was one of the most anticipated movies of the year and after watching it, I can say it did not disappoint. Jon Favreau's  adaptation of the beloved tale is a masterpiece and it is sure to become a Disney classic. Watching it come to life on the screen was exhilarating. The last film I saw that was this visually stunning was Avatar. I was completely engrossed into the story I was witnessing.

It was funny, heartwarming and scary at times. What can I say? Snakes terrify me. The voiceover work was exceptional. Idris Elba delivers an iconic villainous turn as Shere Khan. Bill Murray was sheer perfection as Baloo.

Neel Sethi was delightful. He has a bright future ahead of him after this career making performance.

If you have to see one film this month, make sure you check out The Jungle Book. It was spectacular.