Television vs Film

Is it just me or is anyone else hooked on season 2 of the Newsroom. Wow. I consider myself to be pretty well versed in television and media and the Newsroom is really one of a kind. When comparing premium television networks HBO and Showtime I have always been partial Showtime. With television shows like Weeds, Dexter, The L Word and Homeland it's hard to take anything away from the programming on Showtime. But at the same HBO has had several successes as well with Sopranos, True Blood and Game of Thrones. When looking closer at the premium television and even network and cable stations it's clear that television is making waves.

As most of you have probably noticed I also am a big fan of film and going to the movies, but I have not bee excited at all about the offers on the big screen this year. Hopefully the Fall and Winter will bring in some Oscar worthy films, but right now in time I'd have to say that television is much more entertaining that film. With several A list actors choosing starring roles on the small screen television shows are becoming as dynamic and engaging as some of the best movies. This is really exciting news for those of us that enjoy a good television series. My suggestion for anyone looking for a television series to love is the Newsroom. Although in their 2nd season you can easily get caught with, Netflix, On demand and other sources.

What other television shows do you think are "must see TV"? Do you agree that big screen is lagging behind some of the top television shows?

For the opening clip of the pilot episode of the Newsroom check out the video below.

--Krystal

Inocente Pick Flick of the month

Two years ago, my first post on this blog was about Academy Awards of 2011. I talked about the lack of diversity among the awards. So I thought it would be worth it to look back at this year's Academy Award recipients. It is very apparent that there needs to be more diversity in directors, actors and the subject of the film itself.
In 2012 Hollywood did recognize some of the more diverse films of the year. Beasts of the Southern Wild which follows a six year old black girl and her father living in the Bayou of Louisiana in very poor conditions. This was one of our "Pick Flicks of the Month" so I do recommend you all seeing this film. Beasts of the Southern Wild was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in a lead role for Quvenzhane Wallis. They didn't take home any wins, but were very highly recognized. Other films illustrating diversity include; Life of Pi, Django Unchained and Documentary short winner, Inocente.

Inocente, documentary short, follows a homeless, undocumented immigrant teenage girl in San Diego as she relentlessly pursues her dream of becoming an artist. This story is told entirely in her own words, as she realizes her life is at a turning point, and for the first time, she decides to take control of her own destiny. This is our Pick Flick of the Month and you can check this short film out on iTunes here and I do recommend it to everyone.

What were your favorite films of 2012? Any films illustrating diversity that you would like to share?


--Krystal

Beasts of the Southern Wild-Pick Flick

For January my "pick flick" of the weak is Beasts of the Southern Wild. Have you heard of it? Have you seen it? This is a story about the life and struggle of a family and community during after a hard hitting storm in the Louisiana bayou. I was skeptical of this film at first and knew nothing about it before I watched, but was pleasantly surprised very quickly. From the beginning of the film the viewer immediately falls for young Hushpuppy. She is tough, quick thinking and resilient regardless of the difficult living and family situation placed upon her. You are introduced to an unique Louisiana community that many of us are unaware of or quickly forgot after the images of Hurricane Katrina victims left our screens. These individuals are proud of who they are and where they're from and this film tells a great story of just that. Accepting who you are and where you're from and truly reveling in that. Some may see this film and think these characters are small minded and make poor decisions, but I see a community that truly cares for one another and although they may not always make the best decisions or know what move to make next they are living, enjoying life and loving those around them deeply.

Quvenzhané Wallis

Beasts of the Southern Wild received some Academy of Award nominations. One for best film and another for best actress with 9 year old star Quvenzhané Wallis. Wallis is the youngest actor to ever be nominated for an Academy Award. You will fall in love with this young star from the moment she takes the stage and will be rooting for her throughout the film.


Beasts of the Southern Wild is already available for your renting pleasure so go ahead and grab it when you have a free night and let me know what you think. As a big fan of film I suggest seeing all of the films nominated for Oscars.


--Krystal

Silver Linings Playbook-flick pick

So if you know me at all you know that I love to see a good film especially in theatre. The most recent film I've seen is going to be what I'll call my Flick Pick of the week. Not sure if I will continue to make these "flick picks" but to kick it off for this Thanksgiving holiday weekend is Silver Lining Playbook.

Directed by David O. Russell, staring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Dinero. With special guest stars Chris Tucker and Julia Stiles. To give you a quick idea of this film, Cooper is released from a mental health facility into the care of his parents and is attempting to correct certain things with himself and get his life back.

This film is captivating, very funny, and may even inspire a few to get their lives back on track. I was also very impressed by the performance of both Lawrence and Cooper, but especially Bradley Cooper whom I thought couldn't deliver this sort of range in a film. There are some parts of this film where Cooper has you really thinking that he should still be held in that mental health facility. Rumors are already spreading that Jennifer Lawrence may be a Best Actress Oscar nominee.

Only time will tell how this film does in the box office or throughout award season, but it is definitely worth seeing and I would say one of the top 5 films I've seen this year.


--Krystal

Red Tails

With this being the season of award shows in film I find it fitting to bring up a topic that is being discussed today and continues to be a topic of discussion, persons of color in film. Recently in an interview with John Stewart, George Lucas discussed his upcoming film Red Tails and the lack of interest productions company had in producing the film. Lucas stated that the reason Red Tails did not received studio support and took so many years to make is because of the lack of lead white actors in the film

Today some feel racism is far behind us, but i fact we it is still very much alive and well. Red Tails is not a film for just black Americans. This is the story of the Tuskegee airman and how their patriotism saved the United States during World War II.  A film with a story of this importance would normally be fought over by studios to produce and would become the "must see" movie of the year with a white actor as the lead.

I haven't seen Red Tails for myself and I have so far only heard poor reviews, but regardless prior to the film being made the dominant studios did not want to touch it. Check out the George Lucas interview here and let me know what you think.


--Krystal

The Academy Awards….Separate But Equal

Last night over 37 million viewers tuned in to watch the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. As far as the Oscar winners go there were no real surprises, but what was more interesting were the films and individuals who did not receive any accolades from the Academy and whom were barely present at all last night. Did anyone else watching the Oscars last night notice the lack of people of color in the nominated films? What about the lack of people of color in attendance to the big show?

Now I, like many others did watch and enjoy most of the films nominated this year, but I couldn’t help but notice that something was missing. There were no people of color present in any of the ten films nominated for Best Picture. At last year’s Academy Awards we had a handful of black actors nominated and starring in the Oscar worthy films. The Blind Side’s Quinton Aaron (lead role), the stars from Precious Gabourey Sidibe (lead role) Lee Daniels (director and producer), Zoe Saldana Avatar (lead role) and in the Oscar winning best film The Hurt Locker Anthony Mackie gave an outstanding performance. These individuals made history and gained critical acclaim.

So where were our black actors, actresses and directors in 2010? Halle Berry made a brief appearance at the Oscars during her tribute to the great Lena Horne, but Ms. Berry was also the lead role in the December released film Frankie and Alice. One of our Hurt Locker favorites, Anthony Mackie had another strong performance in the film Night Catches Us. Precious producer Tyler Perry directed and produced another film this year, For Colored Girls staring some of the great African American actresses including; Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Whoopie Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, and Kimberly Elise.

I am not saying that any of these films deserved an Oscar nomination over any other film. But one must wonder what separates these films from the Oscar Nominees? Was this year just a down year in black films? Perhaps this was a mediocre year in black film, but then a better question is can an all black cast take home the Oscar or is it necessary to have the “white savior” character as seen in The Blind Side and The Hurt Locker.

This is an interesting thought to ponder, but many of us ultimately just want to enjoy a great film. In this case be sure to check out the films listed below.

-Krystal


“Liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of men and women upon their world in order to transform it.”


In Theatres Now….
Frankie and Alice- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cb60liIl9o

For Colored Girls- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDWU_cFU9ZA

Night Catches Us- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9vmFczH2_M&playnext=1&list=PLEE9C02761C662972

Coming Soon…

Everyday Black Man- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSt0QD6jcC4

Joy Road- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0g_fDald8I

Winnie- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONuz04ZN3vw&feature=related