Monday, March 12, 2018

Oscar Speech Denied

Barry Jenkins recently appeared at SXSW and took the opportunity to give the speech he would have given at the 2017 Academy Awards ceremony for winning Best Picture for Moonlight had the accountants done their jobs properly.  The speech appears below.

Tarell [McCraney] and I are Chiron. We are that boy. And when you watch Moonlight, you don’t assume a boy who grew up how and where we did would grow up and make a piece of art that wins an Academy Award — certainly don’t think he would grow up to win Best Picture. I’ve said that a lot and what I’ve had to admit is that I placed those limitations on myself. I denied myself that dream — not you, not anyone else — me. And so, to anyone watching this who sees themselves in us, let this be a symbol, a reflection that leads you to love yourself. Because doing so may be the difference between dreaming at all and somehow, through the Academy’s grace, realizing dreams you never allowed yourself to have.
h/t deadline.com

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

5 Movies to Watch If You Can't Stand Nazis

In no particular order, here are some movies that might entertain you more than watching Richard Spencer getting punched in the face.

  1. Marathon Man--Watch Dustin Hoffman outrun the likes of Sir Laurence Olivier who plays a sadistic Nazi dentist hellbent on finding some diamonds.  For added fun, take a swig of an adult beverage every time Sir asks, “Is it safe?”

  2. American History X--It takes a stint in prison to make a buff Edward Norton change his evil neo-Nazi ways.  Will Norton be able to save his younger brother, played by an only slightly annoying Edward Furlong, from following a similar path of hate?


  3. Neo Ned--Jeremy Renner plays a mentally ill neo-Nazi (duh) who falls in love with an equally disturbed black woman (Gabrielle Union) who thinks she’s Hitler. Say what?!!!

    [Sadly, no official trailer.  Boo!] 
  4. Dead Snow--Nazi Zombies! Zombie Nazis! In any case, they are all dead.  In the snow.


  5. Raiders of the Lost Ark--Watch a Nazi’s face melt off!  You don’t have to watch any other scene in the movie.

Enjoy!

P.S.  On a more serious note, Rest in Power Heather Heyer. #Charlottesville

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

BOLO--New Documentary Alert

Be on the look out for this new documentary called Talking Black in America produced as part of the Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University.  Screenings are taking place at various universities around the country.

 

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Black Folks & Horror

The NPR podcast Code Switch had this great episode on black people in horror movies.  I've shared the embed below.  Enjoy!