M-M-M-Mookie, M-M-M-Malcolm, M-M-M-Martin… Real quick what film is this from? Why is it significant? When I think of Spike Lee films there is a character in every film who captures the essence of the director’s direction and statements in performances that may be big or small. I honestly never remember the actor’s name. I...
Most people have the pleasure of enjoying films on the big screen. Unfortunately, my wife and I have far too much respect to drop the kids off at the in-laws house for every big release. This means that we have to wait to see the “best” movie releases. I hate this personally, and every...
I Will Follow written and directed by Ava Du Vernay allows me to place my professorial hat on in creating an analysis. The title is an allusion to a song written and performed by Bono and U2 on their first album. The song itself is significant because of why it was written and the relevance...
Often when a stageplay is translated into a movie, there are certain nuances and quirks that can’t be conveyed. The film has the ability to better explain small details through the use of various scene settings, lighting and production that a stage play doesn’t capture. However, the character inflections, the capacity to interact with...
Hypothetically answering, what would you do if your spouse decided to put headstones on your cemetery plot with your names on them and you were still alive? Welcome to the Rileys is a film that manages to create questions through a slow paced, carefully crafted narrative using characters who don’t require a complete understanding....
On January 1st, I dropped a trailer for the film Night Catches Us. I didn’t know a lot about the film but I knew that Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie were the lead actors and to me this meant that it was a movie worth my time. I had generally forgotten about the film...
The nuances of life become ritual and in adulthood, the experiences of the past are forgotten. This is what makes the coming of age story an attractive tome. In watching the uncomfortable maturation of the teen, or a child, the reality of being an adult is challenged. Often the reading of a book that...
Okay that title is pretty vague and I will be the first to say that this blog does not get a crazy amount of traffic, so being vague is not a good thing. I love the blog: http://www.shadowandact.com/ . Not because the title derived from my favorite author, but because the blog has the...
The For Colored Girls reinterpretation by Tyler Perry has seen countless analysis and criticisms. I even took the time to discuss the film after watching the original play. Click here to read that analysis. My original discussion was that this play should not have been recreated. I made this decision because after watching the...
Racism creates a vast array of emotions when presented in American society. It seems that the US has the need to own the divisive treatment that is created by people and their personal,social, and learned hatred of other cultures. The US however finds it difficult to actually analyze, and create narratives discussing race. People...