This week, I watched Shang Chi and the Ten Rings, The Suicide Squad, Dead Pigs, and seasons one and two of HBOMax’s Harley Quinn.
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Instead of writing a list of “the best” films of 2021, I thought I would just call out a few things that I watched this year and really liked.
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Recently, I had the pleasure of watching Franco Rosso’s 1980 film, Babylon. I had been meaning to watch this film for a while and, though I’m not sure what my exact expectations for this film were, they were undeniably exceeded.
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Your father is dying. Most people would worry, spend as much time with their father as possible, and maybe go see a therapist to deal with some of the fear. Kirsten Johnson, however, decided to make a film.
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As per usual with Varda, this hybrid narrative/documentary film from is beautifully constructed. The black and white shots are meditative and the color shots are bright and energetic
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Last month, Criterion released a box-set of the complete filmography of one of my absolute favorite directors, Agnes Varda. So, I’ve decided that it should be my goal to watch the whole collection before they take it off.
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These past two months have put issues surrounding police brutality and the treatment of Black people in this country at the forefront of media attention. Since the murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed, 13th has been on endless lists recommending media surrounding Black people. These lists have been widely shared as a way to spread awareness and encourage non-black Americans to self-educate.
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It finally happened. I watched Love & Basketball. I’ve watched a lot of romantic comedies/dramas in my time (hence why it’s strange I have not seen this one) and I can definitively say this one has all the classic elements: enemies to lovers, a dramatic reunion (or 2!), an amazing soundtrack, Gabrielle Union… you know the deal.
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Today’s film was the 1920 silent film Within Our Gates written and directed by Oscar Micheaux. It is the oldest surviving feature length film directed by a black director.
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Last night’s movie in our Quarantine Movie Marathon was the 1972 blaxploitation horror film, Blacula. The film was directed by William Crain, one of the first successful black filmmakers to have graduated from a major film school. The film stars William Marshall as Mamuwalde, an 18th century African prince who— while visiting Transylvania to advocate for the abolition of the slave trade— is captured and turned into a vampire by Count Dracula who renames him “Blacula.” Dracula imprisons him in a coffin for centuries and leaves his wife to die in the crypt containing Blacula’s coffin. Blacula wakes up in 1972 after a gay couple purchases the coffin at an estate sale.
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Last night I watched the first film in my marathon, Eve’s Bayou. Eve’s Bayou was written and directed by Kasi Lemmons and released in 1997 (my birth year!) . The film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Meagan Good, Diahann Carroll, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Eve. The film follows a wealthy black family living in the Louisiana bayou in 1962 and the aftermath of Eve catching her father cheating on her mother.
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Quarantine marathon! I'll be watching one classic black film a day and, hopefully, when this is all over I will be thoroughly educated. I’ll announce what movie I’ll be watching the night before and then write what I thought about the film the next day. Ideally, others will watch with me and we can build a conversation about black film in the comments or on social media but I’m also very cool with just talking to myself.
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Awards season has bored me into a deep sleep— one on the edge of calm but falling backwards towards anxious. As the nominations are announced and golden trophies given out, I find myself thinking again and again, who cares. I am sure 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are good, maybe even exceptional, films. But, be honest with me, is there anything in these movies that truly excites you? Anything that makes you look forward to the future of movies and inspired to watch and create?
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Let me preface this review by saying I know absolutely nothing about the Kung Fu genre. I enjoy action movies, but usually more for the interesting and exciting stories rather than the fight scenes. However, when this film started, I found myself unusually intrigued by the fight scenes, which seemed impeccably constructed to not only elicit a thrill but also to subtly build the character and world building of the film.
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what I watched the week of September 20, 2019— Mother!, Blancanieves, Official Secrets, and Agnes Varda’s Black Panthers.
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I don’t remember the first time I watched Disney’s original Cinderella. In fact, I don’t remember watching the film as a child at all, though I know I did. My main memory of Cinderella comes from hitting a certain age and seeing friends rebel against their former love of princesses.
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There’s a certain kind of boredom that can be torturous. The kind which nothing you do seems to relieve. As someone who has been struggling with a tasty mixture of anxiety and depression for many years, this kind of boredom is annoyingly familiar to me.
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Last night, after quickly planning a post-spring-concert trip to Cinemark Theaters at Hampshire Mall, I joined the party super late and saw Avengers: Endgame.
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