There’s a special tug at the heartstrings that follows the death of an actor who’s been closely associated with a death scene, as is the case with Bernard Hill, who died May 5 at the age of 79.
The death of Juanita Moore in 2013 at the age of 98 came 54 years after maybe the ultimate movie deathbed scene — not to mention funeral, with a horse-drawn hearse and Mahalia Jackson eulogizing her in song — in Douglas Sirk’s “Imitation of Life.” And when Carl Weathers died earlier this year, it came nearly four decades after his best-known character, Apollo Creed, had died in “Rocky IV,” prompting the entire “Creed” franchise to spring up in his wake, with him conspicuously, obviously, absent.
Much praise and remembrance has been given since Hill’s passing to his role as Captain E.J. Smith in James Cameron’s “Titanic.” But Bernard Hill’s death scene as Theoden...
The death of Juanita Moore in 2013 at the age of 98 came 54 years after maybe the ultimate movie deathbed scene — not to mention funeral, with a horse-drawn hearse and Mahalia Jackson eulogizing her in song — in Douglas Sirk’s “Imitation of Life.” And when Carl Weathers died earlier this year, it came nearly four decades after his best-known character, Apollo Creed, had died in “Rocky IV,” prompting the entire “Creed” franchise to spring up in his wake, with him conspicuously, obviously, absent.
Much praise and remembrance has been given since Hill’s passing to his role as Captain E.J. Smith in James Cameron’s “Titanic.” But Bernard Hill’s death scene as Theoden...
- 5/6/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is now an Oscar winner.
By Sunday night, this result was mostly a foregone conclusion, as she had already swept best supporting actress at the BAFTA, Critics Choice, Independent Spirit, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards this season for her performance in Alexander Payne’s throwback dramedy The Holdovers. Randolph played cafeteria manager Mary, one of the trio of protagonists left at the boarding school over holiday break, grieving the death of her son.
“Your performance is tribute to those who have helped others heal in spite of their own pain,” said presenter Lupita Nyong’o, the past Oscar winner selected to introduce Randolph.
Randolph is now the first of nine Oscar-nominated performers directed by Payne to go all the way. (The second could be Paul Giamatti, whose best actor category is still to be announced as of press time.)
The Philadelphia native, who studied classical vocal...
By Sunday night, this result was mostly a foregone conclusion, as she had already swept best supporting actress at the BAFTA, Critics Choice, Independent Spirit, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards this season for her performance in Alexander Payne’s throwback dramedy The Holdovers. Randolph played cafeteria manager Mary, one of the trio of protagonists left at the boarding school over holiday break, grieving the death of her son.
“Your performance is tribute to those who have helped others heal in spite of their own pain,” said presenter Lupita Nyong’o, the past Oscar winner selected to introduce Randolph.
Randolph is now the first of nine Oscar-nominated performers directed by Payne to go all the way. (The second could be Paul Giamatti, whose best actor category is still to be announced as of press time.)
The Philadelphia native, who studied classical vocal...
- 3/10/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Danielle Brooks knows The Color Purple’s Sofia inside out. She spent a year as the boisterous wife in the Broadway revival in 2015, and boasts that she knows everything from the character’s Zodiac sign to the color socks she wore. A decade before her fiery onstage performance, a 15-year-old Brooks admired Felicia P. Fields as Sofia in its initial run on Broadway, whose defiant demeanor made her vulnerable to racial violence. Despite her lifelong ties to the role, she still had to prove herself for the big budget movie musical.
- 2/26/2024
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
Sandra Reaves-Phillips, the actress and singer who appeared in the films ’Round Midnight and Lean on Me and portrayed six legendary divas in a one-woman, tour de force stage show, has died. She was 79.
Reaves-Phillips died Friday at her home in Queens, family spokesperson Sandra Lanman told The Hollywood Reporter. She had been in failing health since falling off a stage during a performance of Raisin in St. Louis in 2004 and enduring serious auto accidents in 2014 and ’15 in New York.
The South Carolina native worked opposite Maurice Hines in his 2006 Broadway musical Hot Feet, and she portrayed Mama Younger and Bertha Mae Little, respectively, in Raisin on Broadway and national and European tours and in a 1999 off-Broadway production of Rollin’ on the T.O.B.A.
Reaves-Phillips was featured with saxophonist Dexter Gordon in Bertrand Tavernier’s ’Round Midnight (1986) in the role of Buttercup, and in the Morgan Freeman-starring...
Reaves-Phillips died Friday at her home in Queens, family spokesperson Sandra Lanman told The Hollywood Reporter. She had been in failing health since falling off a stage during a performance of Raisin in St. Louis in 2004 and enduring serious auto accidents in 2014 and ’15 in New York.
The South Carolina native worked opposite Maurice Hines in his 2006 Broadway musical Hot Feet, and she portrayed Mama Younger and Bertha Mae Little, respectively, in Raisin on Broadway and national and European tours and in a 1999 off-Broadway production of Rollin’ on the T.O.B.A.
Reaves-Phillips was featured with saxophonist Dexter Gordon in Bertrand Tavernier’s ’Round Midnight (1986) in the role of Buttercup, and in the Morgan Freeman-starring...
- 12/31/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson, standout performers from Blitz Bazawule’s daring re-imagining of Alice Walker’s beloved novel “The Color Purple,” are vying for recognition in a fiercely competitive supporting actress race.
Following three consecutive days of screenings in Los Angeles, the film has garnered enthusiastic applause from voters, critics and industry professionals, sparking burning questions about the potential award prospects for Brooks as the fiercely independent Sofia or Henson as the sultry blues singer Shug Avery.
Could both secure nominations? And if so, might either claim the coveted statuette? Insights from Oscar history offer some clues.
In February 1940, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the nominees for its 12th annual ceremony. Among the supporting actress nominees were two actresses from “Gone With the Wind”: Olivia de Haviland and eventual Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel, who made history as the first Black person to win an Academy Award.
Following three consecutive days of screenings in Los Angeles, the film has garnered enthusiastic applause from voters, critics and industry professionals, sparking burning questions about the potential award prospects for Brooks as the fiercely independent Sofia or Henson as the sultry blues singer Shug Avery.
Could both secure nominations? And if so, might either claim the coveted statuette? Insights from Oscar history offer some clues.
In February 1940, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the nominees for its 12th annual ceremony. Among the supporting actress nominees were two actresses from “Gone With the Wind”: Olivia de Haviland and eventual Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel, who made history as the first Black person to win an Academy Award.
- 11/18/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Although Colman Domingo’s spent three decades in the entertainment industry, with title roles in the theater, he says he’s been sidelined in film and television. He played a trombonist in Chadwick Boseman’s final film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; counselor to Zendaya’s troubled Rue in Euphoria; a violent, turn-on-a-dime pimp in Zola, and the father to a wrongly accused Harlem artist (Stephen James) in If Beale Street Could Talk.
The craft and the composition comes first, he says, and by working in the margins of breakout shows and award-winning theatrical productions,...
The craft and the composition comes first, he says, and by working in the margins of breakout shows and award-winning theatrical productions,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
The 1963 March on Washington did not merely come together on its own via a whim, a wish, and good will. It took years of strategizing, planning, building coalitions, dodging bureaucratic obstacles and opponents both within and outside the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Students and veteran activists worked phone lines, sweated over the details (how many latrines do we need? how many can we get?), and sought out allies of all stripes from across the country. What happened on that hot day in the District of Columbia on August 28th was...
- 11/15/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The calls to producer David Holmes’ Belfast home studio arrived sporadically, sometimes a week or a mere few days in advance. “Are you around?” Sinéad O’Connor would say. “Do you have time?” If Holmes did, O’Connor would then take the nearly three-hour drive from her home in Bray, the Irish coastal town where she was then living, to continue work on what would be the last album of her life.
On July 11, just two weeks before she was found unresponsive in her new home in London, O’Connor announced...
On July 11, just two weeks before she was found unresponsive in her new home in London, O’Connor announced...
- 7/28/2023
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, commemorates the fall of slavery in the United States.
It celebrates the anniversary of the order made by Major General Gordon Granger on June 1965 that proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas. The order was actually made two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
In a tweet Monday, former President Obama explained it as the “delayed but welcome news of freedom reaching the enslaved Black folks in Galveston, Texas.” In 2021, President Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Many networks are marking the occasion with Juneteenth TV specials or movie marathons showcasing Black talent and/or excellence. See our viewing guide below:
ABC
ABC is commemorating Juneteenth and Black Music Month with “Hip Hop at 50,” a “Soul of a Nation” presentation airing at 10 p.m. Et. It’ll stream Tuesday on Hulu. It’ll be hosted by Angie Martinez and feature Master P, Mc Lyte,...
It celebrates the anniversary of the order made by Major General Gordon Granger on June 1965 that proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas. The order was actually made two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
In a tweet Monday, former President Obama explained it as the “delayed but welcome news of freedom reaching the enslaved Black folks in Galveston, Texas.” In 2021, President Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Many networks are marking the occasion with Juneteenth TV specials or movie marathons showcasing Black talent and/or excellence. See our viewing guide below:
ABC
ABC is commemorating Juneteenth and Black Music Month with “Hip Hop at 50,” a “Soul of a Nation” presentation airing at 10 p.m. Et. It’ll stream Tuesday on Hulu. It’ll be hosted by Angie Martinez and feature Master P, Mc Lyte,...
- 6/19/2023
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
The 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of the music festival, and a number of documentaries have captured the spirit of these events. Some of the biggest bands at the time played festivals, and documentarians immortalized their sets and the atmosphere — both jubilant and dangerous — that characterized the performances. Here are seven of the best documentaries to watch about music festivals.
Jimi Hendrix | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images ‘Woodstock’
Woodstock was the defining music festival of the century, and the 1970 film Woodstock captures its spirit. Even viewers who weren’t yet alive during the three-day festival in Woodstock, New York, will walk away with a sense of what it was like to attend. It features performances by artists like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joan Baez, The Who, Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix.
Thelma Schoonmaker and Martin Scorsese editing the 'Woodstock' documentary in 1969. pic.twitter.com/E5WPO6NCPd
— Lost In...
Jimi Hendrix | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images ‘Woodstock’
Woodstock was the defining music festival of the century, and the 1970 film Woodstock captures its spirit. Even viewers who weren’t yet alive during the three-day festival in Woodstock, New York, will walk away with a sense of what it was like to attend. It features performances by artists like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joan Baez, The Who, Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix.
Thelma Schoonmaker and Martin Scorsese editing the 'Woodstock' documentary in 1969. pic.twitter.com/E5WPO6NCPd
— Lost In...
- 4/7/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Billy Preston is amongst an exclusive club of a few musicians who some refer to as the “fifth Beatle.” Billy Preston was a keyboard player who impacted The Beatles more than some may realize. Outside of The Beatles, Preston had an accomplished career, working with many of the greatest artists ever.
Billy Preston was a keyboard prodigy as a child Billy Preston | Ian Showell/Keystone/Getty Images
Some people are naturally gifted at playing instruments, and Preston realized his gift at a young age. By the age of 10, he was playing the organ for gospel singers like Mahalia Jackson, despite being entirely self-taught. At 11, he appeared on an episode of Nat King Cole’s NBC TV show and sang a Fats Domino song with Cole.
In 1962, Preston joined Little Richard’s band as an organist. While performing in Hamburg, Preston met The Beatles, who had been invited to be Little Richard’s opening act.
Billy Preston was a keyboard prodigy as a child Billy Preston | Ian Showell/Keystone/Getty Images
Some people are naturally gifted at playing instruments, and Preston realized his gift at a young age. By the age of 10, he was playing the organ for gospel singers like Mahalia Jackson, despite being entirely self-taught. At 11, he appeared on an episode of Nat King Cole’s NBC TV show and sang a Fats Domino song with Cole.
In 1962, Preston joined Little Richard’s band as an organist. While performing in Hamburg, Preston met The Beatles, who had been invited to be Little Richard’s opening act.
- 3/12/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Iris DeMent doesn’t want to get adjusted to this world. She’s been telling us as much for 30 years. The 62-year-old singer-songwriter has spent her life in song, striving toward a sacred sense of purpose in a modern world intent on the exact opposite. From the opening notes of her first album, 1992’s Infamous Angel, when she proclaimed that she believed in love and lived her life accordingly, to her 1994 cover of Merle Haggard’s “Big City” (“entirely too much work and never enough play”) to 1996’s “Wasteland of the Free,...
- 2/23/2023
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
The Toronto Black Film Festival is back for the 11th year of amplifying Black voices in cinema, with this year’s edition featuring 125 movies from 20 different countries.
Presented by Td Bank Group in collaboration with Global News, this year’s Tbff is celebrating the return of in-person programming while maintaining an online component, with a goal of inspiring the next generation of Black artists in film and beyond!
The 2023 edition of Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month through film features a star-studded roster of talent that includes Letitia Wright, Josh O’Connor, Columbus Short, Keith David, Ledisi, Colin Kaepernick, Rickey Jackson, Don Lemmon, Ossie Davis, Karen Pittman, Corey Stoll, Cesária Évora and many more.
Read More: The 10th Annual Toronto Black Film Festival To Start With Keke Palmer, Common’s ‘Alice’
The Festival’s opening night will take place on Wednesday, Feb 15 at the Isabel Bader Theatre with the...
Presented by Td Bank Group in collaboration with Global News, this year’s Tbff is celebrating the return of in-person programming while maintaining an online component, with a goal of inspiring the next generation of Black artists in film and beyond!
The 2023 edition of Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month through film features a star-studded roster of talent that includes Letitia Wright, Josh O’Connor, Columbus Short, Keith David, Ledisi, Colin Kaepernick, Rickey Jackson, Don Lemmon, Ossie Davis, Karen Pittman, Corey Stoll, Cesária Évora and many more.
Read More: The 10th Annual Toronto Black Film Festival To Start With Keke Palmer, Common’s ‘Alice’
The Festival’s opening night will take place on Wednesday, Feb 15 at the Isabel Bader Theatre with the...
- 2/11/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
In February, Iris DeMent will release Workin’ on a World, an album of love letters to the promise of a better future and to historical heroes like John Lewis, Jesus Christ, and Mahalia Jackson. The project, set to arrive Feb. 24, came out of the uniquely dark past half-dozen years of American history.
“I kept hearing a lot of talk about the arc of history that Dr. King so famously said bends towards justice,” DeMent said in a statement. “I was having my doubts. But, then it dawned on me, he...
“I kept hearing a lot of talk about the arc of history that Dr. King so famously said bends towards justice,” DeMent said in a statement. “I was having my doubts. But, then it dawned on me, he...
- 1/10/2023
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
Austin Butler transformed into a music icon this year, taking on the presence and the swagger of the King in Baz Luhrmann’s electrifying “Elvis.” And Janelle Monáe made the reverse journey, continuing her reinvention from futuristic pop diva to multi-hyphenate actor with a meaty (and mysterious) central role as a tech entrepreneur in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
Janelle Monáe: Being someone who has toured for many years, making it your own is no small thing. I know a little bit about what that takes. You played Elvis when he was a teenager, all the way up to his passing.
Austin Butler: That was one of the challenges of it, because we were shooting out of sequence.
Monáe: Was there a lot of prosthetics? Did you have to lose weight and gain weight?
Butler: Initially, Baz said we could film it in sequence. “Well, Ok, I can take...
Janelle Monáe: Being someone who has toured for many years, making it your own is no small thing. I know a little bit about what that takes. You played Elvis when he was a teenager, all the way up to his passing.
Austin Butler: That was one of the challenges of it, because we were shooting out of sequence.
Monáe: Was there a lot of prosthetics? Did you have to lose weight and gain weight?
Butler: Initially, Baz said we could film it in sequence. “Well, Ok, I can take...
- 12/11/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
The film was directed by the late Denise Dowse
Denise Dowse’s US drama Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story picked up best international film at the 8th British Urban Film Festival (Buff) on Wednesday, December 7.
The film stars US musician Ledisi as the gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson who had a close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. and played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Dowse died in August of this year at the age of 64.
Remember Me was the most nominated film of the night, contending also in best soundtrack and best actress for Ledisi.
Denise Dowse’s US drama Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story picked up best international film at the 8th British Urban Film Festival (Buff) on Wednesday, December 7.
The film stars US musician Ledisi as the gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson who had a close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. and played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Dowse died in August of this year at the age of 64.
Remember Me was the most nominated film of the night, contending also in best soundtrack and best actress for Ledisi.
- 12/9/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Art
1341 Frames of Love and War (Yes Docu)
In celebrating the work of acclaimed Israeli war photographer Micha Bar-Am, director Ran Tal’s 1341 Frames of Love and War offers a meditation on photography, political violence and identity through an exclusive (and exhaustive) deep dive into Bar-Am’s expansive artistic archives over the past five decades.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon)
Laura Poitras (an Oscar winner for 2014’s Citizenfour) directs this portrait of renowned photographer Nan Goldin, one that offers intimate access to her suburban upbringing and experiences living among marginalized communities and artistic scenes in New York City. It also depicts the downfall of the Sackler family, a target of Goldin’s activism and whose company Purdue Pharma created and marketed OxyContin — the root cause of the American opioid epidemic.
Art & Krimes by Krimes (MTV Documentary Films)
While serving a six-year prison sentence for drug possession,...
Art
1341 Frames of Love and War (Yes Docu)
In celebrating the work of acclaimed Israeli war photographer Micha Bar-Am, director Ran Tal’s 1341 Frames of Love and War offers a meditation on photography, political violence and identity through an exclusive (and exhaustive) deep dive into Bar-Am’s expansive artistic archives over the past five decades.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon)
Laura Poitras (an Oscar winner for 2014’s Citizenfour) directs this portrait of renowned photographer Nan Goldin, one that offers intimate access to her suburban upbringing and experiences living among marginalized communities and artistic scenes in New York City. It also depicts the downfall of the Sackler family, a target of Goldin’s activism and whose company Purdue Pharma created and marketed OxyContin — the root cause of the American opioid epidemic.
Art & Krimes by Krimes (MTV Documentary Films)
While serving a six-year prison sentence for drug possession,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Tyler Coates, Beatrice Verhoeven and Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“I think I’m Kanye mixed with Donny Hathaway,” raps Stormzy on the title track of his third album, This is What I Mean. There’s definitely a touch of the troubled West’s ambitious alchemy to the track, which pirouettes from a pretty piano intro (think child’s ballet rehearsal) into an elating, bass-blast of braggadocio, given dramatic ballast with operatic backing vocals.
But there’s really more of Hathaway to Croydon-born grime star. Not just because of the jazzy warmth with which this album leans into its soulful balladry. It’s there in the rich, stable sincerity of his vocals. Like Hathaway, 29-year-old Michael Owou Jr has a voice that can reach through the darkness and steady your heart. Even if you didn’t know that Stormzy’s the kind of national treasure who invests in scholarship schemes to support Black kids through Cambridge University, his decency feels embedded in his frequency.
But there’s really more of Hathaway to Croydon-born grime star. Not just because of the jazzy warmth with which this album leans into its soulful balladry. It’s there in the rich, stable sincerity of his vocals. Like Hathaway, 29-year-old Michael Owou Jr has a voice that can reach through the darkness and steady your heart. Even if you didn’t know that Stormzy’s the kind of national treasure who invests in scholarship schemes to support Black kids through Cambridge University, his decency feels embedded in his frequency.
- 11/25/2022
- by Helen Brown
- The Independent - Music
The late Denise Dowse’s ’Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story’ has received the most nominations.
The British Urban Film Festival (Buff) has unveiled nominations for the 2022 awards, to be held at London’s Rich Mix on December 2, following the week-long festival.
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story has received the most nominations. The drama focuses on gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson’s unsung contribution to the US civil rights movement in the mid-20th century, and her friendship with Martin Luther King. It is directed by the late Denise Dowse, with US musician Ledisi starring as Jackson – a...
The British Urban Film Festival (Buff) has unveiled nominations for the 2022 awards, to be held at London’s Rich Mix on December 2, following the week-long festival.
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story has received the most nominations. The drama focuses on gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson’s unsung contribution to the US civil rights movement in the mid-20th century, and her friendship with Martin Luther King. It is directed by the late Denise Dowse, with US musician Ledisi starring as Jackson – a...
- 11/14/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – The Reverend Al Sharpton has been a “Loudmouth” … as the new documentary on his life and work is called … virtually all his life. His outspoken activism began a year after Dr. King was killed, when Sharpton became Youth Director of Operation Breadbasket at age 15, and continues to today, especially around the killing of George Floyd. Rev. Al Sharpton appeared on the Red Carpet at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival.
Sharpton appeared at the 58th Chicago International Film Fest on behalf of “Loudmouth” – directed by Josh Alexander – which cuts through the clichés and assumptions surrounding the track-suit-wearing crusader to investigate the roots of his political engagement and his transformation into a media-savvy activist. Playing into the tabloid journalism of the Jerry Springers and Phil Donahues of his heyday, Sharpton effectively raised awareness about the systemic injustice, racism, and white supremacy that has persisted in America. As he once famously declared,...
Sharpton appeared at the 58th Chicago International Film Fest on behalf of “Loudmouth” – directed by Josh Alexander – which cuts through the clichés and assumptions surrounding the track-suit-wearing crusader to investigate the roots of his political engagement and his transformation into a media-savvy activist. Playing into the tabloid journalism of the Jerry Springers and Phil Donahues of his heyday, Sharpton effectively raised awareness about the systemic injustice, racism, and white supremacy that has persisted in America. As he once famously declared,...
- 10/25/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
When the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees take the field for Game One of the American League Championship Series tonight, Johnnie B. Baker Jr. — affectionately known as “Dusty” because, as a child, he loved to play in the alluvial dirt of Riverside, California — will be there. As the Astros’ manager places that first, fresh toothpick in his mouth and sets foot on the lightly moisturized dirt of Minute Maid Park, we’ll all have the great honor of watching the man who many say co-invented the high five continue his long,...
- 10/19/2022
- by Sama'an Ashrawi
- Rollingstone.com
Original “High School Musical” franchise cast members Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed and Kaycee Stroh have joined season four of the Disney+ series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” the streamer announced as production begins on the new season.
The new season will take a meta turn, with the Principal Gutierrez character announcing that Disney has decided to make the long-awaited “High School Musical 4: The Reunion” movie on location at their in-show high school. Bleu, Coleman, Grabeel, Johnson, Reed and Kaycee Stroh will play themselves, resurrecting their “High School Musical” roles within the show, while the students will play featured extras in the in-universe movie.
Additional new cast for the fourth season include Kylie Cantrall, Matthew Sato, Caitlin Reilly and Vasthy Mompoint in recurring guest star roles. The show, created and executive produced by Tim Federle, will feature songs from the “High School...
The new season will take a meta turn, with the Principal Gutierrez character announcing that Disney has decided to make the long-awaited “High School Musical 4: The Reunion” movie on location at their in-show high school. Bleu, Coleman, Grabeel, Johnson, Reed and Kaycee Stroh will play themselves, resurrecting their “High School Musical” roles within the show, while the students will play featured extras in the in-universe movie.
Additional new cast for the fourth season include Kylie Cantrall, Matthew Sato, Caitlin Reilly and Vasthy Mompoint in recurring guest star roles. The show, created and executive produced by Tim Federle, will feature songs from the “High School...
- 9/23/2022
- by EJ Panaligan and Elizabeth Wagmeister
- Variety Film + TV
Elvis
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
2022 / 2.39 : 1 / 159 Min.
Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks
Written by Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
In 1960’s Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock dramatized a murder using 78 camera setups and 52 cuts. 62 years later the Australian director Baz Luhrmann employed the same techniques to tell the story of Elvis. Hitchcock’s harrowing shower scene lasts all of 45 seconds yet it still resonates—Luhrmann’s movie runs 159 minutes and for some in the audience, it may begin to fade before they hit the exit.
For better and for worse, Elvis moves like a bullet train. Thanks to the convulsive editing of Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, the movie’s imagery—an onslaught of high energy jolts delivered in bite sized pieces—can dazzle the senses. And at nearly three hours it can dull them too. Still, the breakneck...
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
2022 / 2.39 : 1 / 159 Min.
Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks
Written by Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
In 1960’s Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock dramatized a murder using 78 camera setups and 52 cuts. 62 years later the Australian director Baz Luhrmann employed the same techniques to tell the story of Elvis. Hitchcock’s harrowing shower scene lasts all of 45 seconds yet it still resonates—Luhrmann’s movie runs 159 minutes and for some in the audience, it may begin to fade before they hit the exit.
For better and for worse, Elvis moves like a bullet train. Thanks to the convulsive editing of Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, the movie’s imagery—an onslaught of high energy jolts delivered in bite sized pieces—can dazzle the senses. And at nearly three hours it can dull them too. Still, the breakneck...
- 9/17/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Veteran actor Denise Dowse, who is best known for her roles as vice principal Yvonne Teasley on "Beverley Hills 90210," scientist Dr. Olivia Biggs in "Bio-Dome," and Judge Rebecca Damsen on "The Guardian," died on August 13, 2022. More recently, Dowse is probably most recognizable as Dr. Rhonda Pine in the award-winning HBO dramedy "Insecure" from Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore.
Dowse's sister Tracey kept fans informed about the 64-year-old's condition when she was admitted to the hospital after contracting a virulent form of meningitis that resulted in a coma. A few days later, an update was released via Instagram breaking the news of the actor's passing:
It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse has gone forward to meet our family in eternal life. Denise Yvonne Dowse was the most amazing sister, a consummate, illustrious actress, mentor and director. She was my very best friend and final family member.
Dowse's sister Tracey kept fans informed about the 64-year-old's condition when she was admitted to the hospital after contracting a virulent form of meningitis that resulted in a coma. A few days later, an update was released via Instagram breaking the news of the actor's passing:
It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse has gone forward to meet our family in eternal life. Denise Yvonne Dowse was the most amazing sister, a consummate, illustrious actress, mentor and director. She was my very best friend and final family member.
- 8/14/2022
- by Ben F. Silverio
- Slash Film
On the latest offering from his upcoming album The New Faith, Jake Blount transforms an ages-old folk standard most commonly associated with Bessie Jones into a contemporary tale about taking the planet for granted in the face of the climate crisis.
“Once There Was No Sun,” Blount said in a statement, “is an invitation to reflect on the impermanence, fragility and beauty of a world we too often take for granted.”
Channeling some of the same feelings of amazement and gratitude that Jones herself has said inspired her recording of the song,...
“Once There Was No Sun,” Blount said in a statement, “is an invitation to reflect on the impermanence, fragility and beauty of a world we too often take for granted.”
Channeling some of the same feelings of amazement and gratitude that Jones herself has said inspired her recording of the song,...
- 7/20/2022
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
The Peabody Awards have today announced their fourth round of winners, which include Hulu’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, Netflix’s Emmy-winning Bo Burnham: Inside and Amazon’s Emmy-nominated limited series The Underground Railroad.
Other notable winners include Netflix’s animated series City of Ghosts, HBO Max’s documentary series Exterminate All the Brutes and PBS’ documentary Mayor.
Winners were announced each day this week through Thursday, with celebrities virtually presenting each of the winners online in short video clips. A full list of nominees is available here, and previous winner announcements were posted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Peabody Awards are organized by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
A full list of Thursday’s winners, alongside comments from the jurors, follows.
Arts
Summer of Soul: (…Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised...
The Peabody Awards have today announced their fourth round of winners, which include Hulu’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, Netflix’s Emmy-winning Bo Burnham: Inside and Amazon’s Emmy-nominated limited series The Underground Railroad.
Other notable winners include Netflix’s animated series City of Ghosts, HBO Max’s documentary series Exterminate All the Brutes and PBS’ documentary Mayor.
Winners were announced each day this week through Thursday, with celebrities virtually presenting each of the winners online in short video clips. A full list of nominees is available here, and previous winner announcements were posted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Peabody Awards are organized by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
A full list of Thursday’s winners, alongside comments from the jurors, follows.
Arts
Summer of Soul: (…Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised...
- 6/9/2022
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Amazon Prime Video’s “The Underground Railroad” and Netflix’s “Bo: Burnham: Inside” are among the final round of entertainment series to be honored by the Peabody Awards this year. The last crop of winners were announced Thursday morning.
“The Underground Railroad” award was presented by Ibram X. Kendi. “In Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel, the figuratively magical network that aided enslaved people in their pursuit of freedom took on a real mythical valence: the miracle of The Underground Railroad was powered by a literal locomotive,” said Peabody in its description of the winner. “Director Barry Jenkins’s adaptation of Whitehead’s book follows the enslaved Cora, weaving in an immersive sensory experience of the land that both aided and foiled her, poignant moments of connection between characters spanning generations, and weighty lessons about the utter devastation of the transatlantic slave trade.”
It’s the latest kudo for the limited series,...
“The Underground Railroad” award was presented by Ibram X. Kendi. “In Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel, the figuratively magical network that aided enslaved people in their pursuit of freedom took on a real mythical valence: the miracle of The Underground Railroad was powered by a literal locomotive,” said Peabody in its description of the winner. “Director Barry Jenkins’s adaptation of Whitehead’s book follows the enslaved Cora, weaving in an immersive sensory experience of the land that both aided and foiled her, poignant moments of connection between characters spanning generations, and weighty lessons about the utter devastation of the transatlantic slave trade.”
It’s the latest kudo for the limited series,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
When a local promoter and New York City Parks department employee named Tony Lawrence first began the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1967, he hardly could have imagined that, 55 years later, his music festival would be recognized by the United States Senate.
Yesterday, the Senate agreed by “unanimous consent” on a resolution that honors the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival as well as the 1970 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The resolution, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, will designate the last weekend of June 2022 as a time to “commemorate the first weekend of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival,...
Yesterday, the Senate agreed by “unanimous consent” on a resolution that honors the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival as well as the 1970 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The resolution, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, will designate the last weekend of June 2022 as a time to “commemorate the first weekend of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
This review of “Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story” was first published March 13, 2022, after premiering at the SXSW Film Festival.
Anybody who’s been to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival could tell you that the hardest part of making a movie about the annual event, which takes up two weekends in late April and early May in the Crescent City, would have to be fitting it all in.
Jazz Fest, after all, showcases 7,000 musicians on 14 stages over eight days in a city whose homegrown music is a gumbo made up of every style and sound that came up through the Gulf of Mexico, down the Mississippi River or through the delta to the east and the swamps to the west of the city. The festival is gloriously overwhelming, an embarrassment of riches that forces you to pick and choose and be open to surprises any time the wind changes...
Anybody who’s been to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival could tell you that the hardest part of making a movie about the annual event, which takes up two weekends in late April and early May in the Crescent City, would have to be fitting it all in.
Jazz Fest, after all, showcases 7,000 musicians on 14 stages over eight days in a city whose homegrown music is a gumbo made up of every style and sound that came up through the Gulf of Mexico, down the Mississippi River or through the delta to the east and the swamps to the west of the city. The festival is gloriously overwhelming, an embarrassment of riches that forces you to pick and choose and be open to surprises any time the wind changes...
- 5/13/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
If you’ve noticed a lot of music documentaries hitting your favorite platforms, that groundswell is driven by record companies like Universal Music Group looking for ways to invigorate their catalogues. So it makes perfect sense that a musician’s son like Hollywood super-producer Frank Marshall — who has long been Hollywood’s fave party DJ, worked on Martin Scorsese’s The Band documentary “The Last Waltz,” and plays a mean guitar — would move into the space.
Marshall has directed a few features over the years and started producing non-fiction series and features before moving into directing with “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name.”
There’s no question Marshall can afford to do whatever he wants with his time. He still devotes his day job to shepherding the latest “Jurassic World” and “Indiana Jones” sequels, and feeds...
Marshall has directed a few features over the years and started producing non-fiction series and features before moving into directing with “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name.”
There’s no question Marshall can afford to do whatever he wants with his time. He still devotes his day job to shepherding the latest “Jurassic World” and “Indiana Jones” sequels, and feeds...
- 5/13/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
No American city is as steeped in native musical lore and legacy as is New Orleans and you get a good feeling for how that came about in Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story. It’s a documentary overflowing with performers and music that still barely begins to scratch the surface of what’s gone on musically for ages in the fabled, oft-distressed city. Music fans of assorted persuasions will be delighted with the samples served up here, although the subject is so vast and varied that something like a six or ten-hour miniseries would be required to begin to do it justice. With Sony Pictures Classics handling the U.S. release starting May 13 after it SXSW bow, the film is certain to get a nice lift-off and extensive exposure on home tubes is assured.
“Life is happening at a high frequency” when the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival takes place,...
“Life is happening at a high frequency” when the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival takes place,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features backup vocalist Bernard Fowler.
Bernard Fowler stepped into the world of the Rolling Stones when he was asked to sing background vocals on Mick Jagger...
Bernard Fowler stepped into the world of the Rolling Stones when he was asked to sing background vocals on Mick Jagger...
- 3/16/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
“I believe that a big reason why this ambitious idea of throwing a music festival in Harlem in which somewhere between 70,000 to 90,000 people every weekend would see performances was so that there was something joyous and hopeful for people at that point were kind of at the end of their rope,” Summer of Soul (Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says about the importance the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival had to a Black America ravaged by violence and assassination.
“It was a healing moment, if you will,” Thompson added during the film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees event. The Roots drummer, bestselling author, musicologist and now Oscar nominee made his feature directorial debut with the feature documentary.
Having premiered at the virtual Sundance Film Festival in 2021, Summer of Soul took home the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary categories in Park City.
“It was a healing moment, if you will,” Thompson added during the film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees event. The Roots drummer, bestselling author, musicologist and now Oscar nominee made his feature directorial debut with the feature documentary.
Having premiered at the virtual Sundance Film Festival in 2021, Summer of Soul took home the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary categories in Park City.
- 3/5/2022
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Academy Award-nominated documentary Summer of Soul is getting a remarkable boost for its Oscar chances – a premiere on network television.
Disney-owned ABC announced it will air the film directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson in primetime on Sunday, February 20. The documentary, about the long-overlooked Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, comes from Disney’s Onyx Collective, Searchlight Pictures and Hulu. Summer of Soul began streaming on Hulu last July, simultaneously with its theatrical release.
“In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary – part music film, part historical record – created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion,” ABC noted in a release. “Over the course of six weeks in summer 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten – until now.
Disney-owned ABC announced it will air the film directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson in primetime on Sunday, February 20. The documentary, about the long-overlooked Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, comes from Disney’s Onyx Collective, Searchlight Pictures and Hulu. Summer of Soul began streaming on Hulu last July, simultaneously with its theatrical release.
“In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary – part music film, part historical record – created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion,” ABC noted in a release. “Over the course of six weeks in summer 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten – until now.
- 2/10/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
“Summer of Soul” is making its broadcast TV debut. The Oscar-nominated documentary will air Feb. 20 on ABC, the network said Thursday.
Acclaimed musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson made his directorial debut with the film, which tells the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival at Mount Morris Park — just 100 miles south of Woodstock.
The festival featured a knockout lineup of R&b acts who turned several days of music and community into a celebration of joy and a call for Black visibility. “Summer of Soul” compiles long-unseen footage and vivid interviews with attendees and participants to transport viewers back to the event.
For the film, Questlove combed through 40 hours of footage of never-before-seen performances from Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, B.B. King, the Staple Singers, the 5th Dimension, David Ruffin, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
“Summer of Soul” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where...
Acclaimed musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson made his directorial debut with the film, which tells the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival at Mount Morris Park — just 100 miles south of Woodstock.
The festival featured a knockout lineup of R&b acts who turned several days of music and community into a celebration of joy and a call for Black visibility. “Summer of Soul” compiles long-unseen footage and vivid interviews with attendees and participants to transport viewers back to the event.
For the film, Questlove combed through 40 hours of footage of never-before-seen performances from Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, B.B. King, the Staple Singers, the 5th Dimension, David Ruffin, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
“Summer of Soul” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where...
- 2/10/2022
- by Katie Campione
- The Wrap
It’s happening.
The expected Oscar showdown between Summer of Soul and Flee became a reality today with the announcement of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature. Between them, Summer of Soul and Flee have claimed most of the pre-Oscar documentary awards and at Sundance last year they each won Grand Jury prizes – Flee in the international doc category and Summer of Soul for U.S. documentary.
Flee scored an unprecedented trifecta today – claiming nominations not only for documentary feature, but for Best Animated Film and Best International Film as well.
In the documentary feature race, Flee and Summer of Soul are joined by Ascension – earning the first Academy Award nomination in that category for MTV Documentary Films; Attica – which handed Showtime its first Oscar nod for documentary feature, and Writing With Fire, the first documentary feature from India to earn an Oscar nomination.
The expected Oscar showdown between Summer of Soul and Flee became a reality today with the announcement of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature. Between them, Summer of Soul and Flee have claimed most of the pre-Oscar documentary awards and at Sundance last year they each won Grand Jury prizes – Flee in the international doc category and Summer of Soul for U.S. documentary.
Flee scored an unprecedented trifecta today – claiming nominations not only for documentary feature, but for Best Animated Film and Best International Film as well.
In the documentary feature race, Flee and Summer of Soul are joined by Ascension – earning the first Academy Award nomination in that category for MTV Documentary Films; Attica – which handed Showtime its first Oscar nod for documentary feature, and Writing With Fire, the first documentary feature from India to earn an Oscar nomination.
- 2/8/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Alexander Hamilton, who died Jan. 28 at age 77, was a conductor and arranger who was able to add “movie star” to his credits in the last years of his life. His work on Aretha Franklin’s 1972 “Amazing Grace” album — certified as the bestselling album of her career — was heard by millions over a period of almost five decades before Franklin fans actually got to see as well as hear Hamilton’s handiwork as the arranger and conductor of that music. When the film rendering of that recording finally came out in 2018, Hamilton loomed as nearly as large a personality on-screen as its ostensible stars, James Cleveland and Franklin herself.
The producer of the “Amazing Grace” film, Alan Elliott, shares his memories of Hamilton with Variety.
Until the discovery of the film of “Amazing Grace,” the genius of the work of Alexander Hamilton was not as well known as it is now.
The producer of the “Amazing Grace” film, Alan Elliott, shares his memories of Hamilton with Variety.
Until the discovery of the film of “Amazing Grace,” the genius of the work of Alexander Hamilton was not as well known as it is now.
- 2/6/2022
- by Alan Elliott
- Variety Film + TV
Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks were announced as the leads of “The Color Purple” movie musical Thursday during the ABC News special “Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising.”
“American Idol” Season 3 winner Fantasia will play Celie and “Orange Is the New Black” alum Danielle Brooks will play Sofia.
In 2021, Brooks starred as trailblazing gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson in Lifetime’s Emmy-nominated “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia.”
Fantasia played the role of Celie from 2007 to 2008 during the original Broadway run of “The Color Purple.” Brooks earned a Tony nod for playing Sofia in the Broadway revival, which ran from 2015 to 2017.
Oprah Winfrey, who portrayed Sofia in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film and is producing the new Warner Bros. adaptation, called Brooks during Thursday’s interview to pass the torch. “I am here representing all things purple to tell you that you are our Sofia. I’m so...
“American Idol” Season 3 winner Fantasia will play Celie and “Orange Is the New Black” alum Danielle Brooks will play Sofia.
In 2021, Brooks starred as trailblazing gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson in Lifetime’s Emmy-nominated “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia.”
Fantasia played the role of Celie from 2007 to 2008 during the original Broadway run of “The Color Purple.” Brooks earned a Tony nod for playing Sofia in the Broadway revival, which ran from 2015 to 2017.
Oprah Winfrey, who portrayed Sofia in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film and is producing the new Warner Bros. adaptation, called Brooks during Thursday’s interview to pass the torch. “I am here representing all things purple to tell you that you are our Sofia. I’m so...
- 2/4/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Timing is everything
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Summer of Soul turns back the clock to 1969 when a series of concerts by Black artists transfixed Harlem. Under different circumstances, the director thinks the film would have turned out very differently.
“What if the same amount of 40 hours of footage winds up in another filmmaker’s hands? What combination could they come up with?” Questlove asks. “I don’t feel like mine is the definitive combination.”
He worked on the documentary amidst dramatic upheaval in America.
“We were dealing with the pandemic that we knew nothing about, happening in real time. Number two, the George Floyd situation really turned up the degrees another notch. And then on top of that, we were in the [2020 presidential] election. Those three things happening really affected our storyline. Basically, the result is the current story that we told. Had...
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Summer of Soul turns back the clock to 1969 when a series of concerts by Black artists transfixed Harlem. Under different circumstances, the director thinks the film would have turned out very differently.
“What if the same amount of 40 hours of footage winds up in another filmmaker’s hands? What combination could they come up with?” Questlove asks. “I don’t feel like mine is the definitive combination.”
He worked on the documentary amidst dramatic upheaval in America.
“We were dealing with the pandemic that we knew nothing about, happening in real time. Number two, the George Floyd situation really turned up the degrees another notch. And then on top of that, we were in the [2020 presidential] election. Those three things happening really affected our storyline. Basically, the result is the current story that we told. Had...
- 1/28/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When Hulu first entered the streaming game, it was mostly viewed as the place where you streamed television you missed last night. Whether it was the latest episode of “The Simpsons” or an investigative report on “20/20”, Hulu was the hub for television shows. Years later, it still remains that hub considering how many new and old TV shows you can stream. But just like every streaming platform, it has grown to have more of its own original media. While it has become known for exclusive TV series, they do also have a fine selection of original movies. Here are five of the best original new movies that you can stream on Hulu right now:
"Batman & Bill"
If you ask most people who created ‘Batman’, they’ll usually say Bob Kane. The truth, however, is that Bill Finger played a heavier role in the creation of Batman than Kane. And...
"Batman & Bill"
If you ask most people who created ‘Batman’, they’ll usually say Bob Kane. The truth, however, is that Bill Finger played a heavier role in the creation of Batman than Kane. And...
- 1/28/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
After they won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2019 for their thrilling Free Solo, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin went underground—in a manner of speaking.
They tunneled into the true-life story of kids trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand for their filmmaking follow up, The Rescue, a documentary that has put the married couple back in contention for an Oscar nomination.
Free Solo posed enormous cinematic challenges—capturing every angle of climber Alex Honnold’s daring ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan rock face without aid of ropes. But if anything, The Rescue presented even greater obstacles.
“So often in documentaries you come across people with tons of footage and no story,” Vasarhelyi says. “We had a great story and no footage. Period.”
A team of amateur cave divers from Britain and Australia assembled in 2018 to try to save the stranded children—members of...
They tunneled into the true-life story of kids trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand for their filmmaking follow up, The Rescue, a documentary that has put the married couple back in contention for an Oscar nomination.
Free Solo posed enormous cinematic challenges—capturing every angle of climber Alex Honnold’s daring ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan rock face without aid of ropes. But if anything, The Rescue presented even greater obstacles.
“So often in documentaries you come across people with tons of footage and no story,” Vasarhelyi says. “We had a great story and no footage. Period.”
A team of amateur cave divers from Britain and Australia assembled in 2018 to try to save the stranded children—members of...
- 1/27/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In what could be described as an interesting year, movie geeks and film fans over the past 12 months found the movie going experience a bit of a challenge but one that provided rich rewards and dazzling spectacles.
We witnessed the epic battle of titans Kong vs Godzilla, journeyed once again to the planet Dune, cheered on real-life heroes as well as superheroes Spider-Man, Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and The Justice League, rooted for supervillains The Suicide Squad, said hello once again to Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss “Trinity and Neo” and bid a sad goodbye to Daniel Craig’s 007 “James Bond.”
Whether the films of 2021 debuted in theaters or went straight to streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime, cinemas offered everyone an escapism from the trials and tribulations of everyday life with the continuation of franchise favorites Saw, A Quiet Place 2, Mortal Kombat, Fast & Furious 9,...
We witnessed the epic battle of titans Kong vs Godzilla, journeyed once again to the planet Dune, cheered on real-life heroes as well as superheroes Spider-Man, Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and The Justice League, rooted for supervillains The Suicide Squad, said hello once again to Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss “Trinity and Neo” and bid a sad goodbye to Daniel Craig’s 007 “James Bond.”
Whether the films of 2021 debuted in theaters or went straight to streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime, cinemas offered everyone an escapism from the trials and tribulations of everyday life with the continuation of franchise favorites Saw, A Quiet Place 2, Mortal Kombat, Fast & Furious 9,...
- 1/4/2022
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ahmir Thompson, better known as Questlove, is the director behind the documentary “Summer of Soul,” which captures an important part of Black history, culture and music.
In 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival took place, a series of concerts that came to be collectively referred to as a Black Woodstock, except unlike Woodstock, it was nowhere to really be seen. The shows were unknown even to most music cognoscenti until Thompson discovered there were over 40 hours of footage in existence, captured by producer Hal Tulchin.
From footage of Stevie Wonder at a turning point in his career to Mavis Staples duetting with Mahalia Jackson to the golden era of Sly and the Family Stone, the documentary extraordinarily tracks a cultural event while showing the socio-political climate of the time.
Below, Thompson and editor Joshua Pearson discuss how the film came together.
Where did the idea of telling this even begin for you?...
In 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival took place, a series of concerts that came to be collectively referred to as a Black Woodstock, except unlike Woodstock, it was nowhere to really be seen. The shows were unknown even to most music cognoscenti until Thompson discovered there were over 40 hours of footage in existence, captured by producer Hal Tulchin.
From footage of Stevie Wonder at a turning point in his career to Mavis Staples duetting with Mahalia Jackson to the golden era of Sly and the Family Stone, the documentary extraordinarily tracks a cultural event while showing the socio-political climate of the time.
Below, Thompson and editor Joshua Pearson discuss how the film came together.
Where did the idea of telling this even begin for you?...
- 12/15/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson took an immersive approach in his preparations to direct Summer of Soul, winner of the top nonfiction prize at Sundance and Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
The film from Onyx Collective, Hulu and Searchlight Pictures celebrates the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, a long-overlooked series of concerts that attracted incredible performers including Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and a teenage Stevie Wonder. Before embarking on shoots for the documentary, Questlove soaked up the archival material while technicians were busy transferring it to digital.
“I had five months while they were processing the videotapes, because it took a long time to bake it and restore it,” Questlove said during a discussion of Summer of Soul for Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event. “I just kept this on 24-hour loop for five months in a row — in my sleep,...
The film from Onyx Collective, Hulu and Searchlight Pictures celebrates the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, a long-overlooked series of concerts that attracted incredible performers including Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and a teenage Stevie Wonder. Before embarking on shoots for the documentary, Questlove soaked up the archival material while technicians were busy transferring it to digital.
“I had five months while they were processing the videotapes, because it took a long time to bake it and restore it,” Questlove said during a discussion of Summer of Soul for Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event. “I just kept this on 24-hour loop for five months in a row — in my sleep,...
- 11/21/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event, our virtual showcase of the year’s leading nonfiction, gets underway Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. Pt. This year’s lineup of 25 movies reflects the growing availability of documentary content across a variety of platforms: Showtime and HBO, streamers HBO Max, Netflix, Discovery+, Hulu, Amazon Studios, and Apple TV+, as well as theatrical distributors Neon, Focus Features, Searchlight Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
If Sunday’s Contenders event came with a soundtrack, it would be a chart topper for the ages. No fewer than four of the films in our panel lineup today throb to a musical beat: Summer of Soul recovers the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 that welcomed incredible artists, from a teenage Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Fifth Dimension.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
If Sunday’s Contenders event came with a soundtrack, it would be a chart topper for the ages. No fewer than four of the films in our panel lineup today throb to a musical beat: Summer of Soul recovers the long-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 that welcomed incredible artists, from a teenage Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Fifth Dimension.
- 11/21/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Critics Choice Association is working hard to provide moviegoers and TV watchers with the best in awards and celebration of conent they love.
There is a lot on the table, including the upcoming Celebration of Black Cinema & Television.
With two members of the Critics Choice Association at your service, we can attest that only the best will do for the organization, and this celebration is shooting for the stars.
Today, The Critics Choice Association announced the final list of honorees for the annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, taking place on Monday, December 6 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.
The event, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actress and producer Niecy Nash will include 16 award categories as part of a star-studded night honoring standout achievements in Black filmmaking and television.
The Celebration of Black Cinema & Television will honor the following:
Award winning writer, director, producer, and film distributor Ava DuVernay will...
There is a lot on the table, including the upcoming Celebration of Black Cinema & Television.
With two members of the Critics Choice Association at your service, we can attest that only the best will do for the organization, and this celebration is shooting for the stars.
Today, The Critics Choice Association announced the final list of honorees for the annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, taking place on Monday, December 6 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.
The event, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actress and producer Niecy Nash will include 16 award categories as part of a star-studded night honoring standout achievements in Black filmmaking and television.
The Celebration of Black Cinema & Television will honor the following:
Award winning writer, director, producer, and film distributor Ava DuVernay will...
- 11/10/2021
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Ava DuVernay and Will Smith are among the final slate of honorees for the Critics Choice Association’s fourth annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television.
DuVernay will be honored with the first-ever Melvin Van Peebles Trailblazer Award in celebration of her achievements as an award-winning writer, director producer and film distributor.
“We are truly honored to name our prestigious Trailblazer Award after Melvin Van Peebles. Van Peebles inspired a generation of filmmakers. He was a true maverick and a visionary cinematic genius,” Shawn Edwards, Cca board member and executive producer of the Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, said in a statement announcing that award.
Van Peebles, the groundbreaking filmmaker behind such classics as “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song,” died on Sept. 21, 2021.
Van Peebles’ son, Mario Van Peebles, will present the inaugural award to DuVernay, whose current slate of projects includes the narrative film adaptation of the bestselling book “Caste” for Netflix,...
DuVernay will be honored with the first-ever Melvin Van Peebles Trailblazer Award in celebration of her achievements as an award-winning writer, director producer and film distributor.
“We are truly honored to name our prestigious Trailblazer Award after Melvin Van Peebles. Van Peebles inspired a generation of filmmakers. He was a true maverick and a visionary cinematic genius,” Shawn Edwards, Cca board member and executive producer of the Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, said in a statement announcing that award.
Van Peebles, the groundbreaking filmmaker behind such classics as “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song,” died on Sept. 21, 2021.
Van Peebles’ son, Mario Van Peebles, will present the inaugural award to DuVernay, whose current slate of projects includes the narrative film adaptation of the bestselling book “Caste” for Netflix,...
- 11/10/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: White Horse Pictures and Homegrown Pictures have teamed on an untitled documentary feature about the legendary musician and genius keyboardist Billy Preston. He was called the Fifth Beatle, because he the only non-member ever to be credited on a Beatles recording. He had plenty of his own hits and co-wrote the song Joe Cocker made famous, You Are So Beautiful. Fifteen years after his death in 2006, Billy Preston was inducted this past weekend into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Paris Barclay, the multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer will direct. Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the film alongside Barclay.
The film is produced by Homegrown’s Stephanie Allain, White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa, (Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair. The exec producers are Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde, and White Horse Pictures’ Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann. Coker is co-producing and Erikka Yancy serves as the film’s supervising producer. Pic is presented by Concord Originals alongside Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, and Play/Action Pictures, Polygram Entertainment, Dave Knott, and Sobey Road Entertainment.
Said Allain: “A singular figure in music history, Billy Preston lent his genius to elevate the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Grateful to work with this team, using this soundtrack to explore his personal journey and finally place him front and center.” Barclay said “the Billy Preston we know was an incomparable musician,” but the Billy we’ll see in this documentary was a mass of contradictions. I’m thrilled to dig deeper into the complex man under the Afro, and behind the famous smile.”
A self taught prodigy keyboard player, Preston was just 16 when he met the not-yet-famous Beatles while playing for Little Richard while they toured Hamburg in 1962. He befriended the young, impoverished band by sneaking them food and drinks. Later in the ’60s, this led to Preston playing on The Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums as a credited musician, and performing with the Beatles in their last live performance as a group – the famous Roof Top concert. The Grammy Award-winning artist had solo career that included number one hits, and working with The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Sly Stone, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, among others. Preston is featured in the upcoming Peter Jackson-directed documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Despite an enviable career in music, Preston had a challenging personal story that involved sexual abuse he endured as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and had substance abuse problems he used to make his pain. Only later in life did he come to terms with his truth and so find his peace.
Barclay and Hodari Coker asked to make a shout out to those who knew Preston or worked with him, who and may have recordings, photographs, or personal memories to make contact through http://www.billyprestondoc.com.
UTA Independent Film Group with White Horse Pictures helped raise the funding and they will broker sales of the film.
Allain’s Homegrown is repped by UTA, First Artists and Marcy Morris; Barclay is ICM and Lovett Management.
Paris Barclay, the multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer will direct. Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the film alongside Barclay.
The film is produced by Homegrown’s Stephanie Allain, White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa, (Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair. The exec producers are Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde, and White Horse Pictures’ Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann. Coker is co-producing and Erikka Yancy serves as the film’s supervising producer. Pic is presented by Concord Originals alongside Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, and Play/Action Pictures, Polygram Entertainment, Dave Knott, and Sobey Road Entertainment.
Said Allain: “A singular figure in music history, Billy Preston lent his genius to elevate the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Grateful to work with this team, using this soundtrack to explore his personal journey and finally place him front and center.” Barclay said “the Billy Preston we know was an incomparable musician,” but the Billy we’ll see in this documentary was a mass of contradictions. I’m thrilled to dig deeper into the complex man under the Afro, and behind the famous smile.”
A self taught prodigy keyboard player, Preston was just 16 when he met the not-yet-famous Beatles while playing for Little Richard while they toured Hamburg in 1962. He befriended the young, impoverished band by sneaking them food and drinks. Later in the ’60s, this led to Preston playing on The Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums as a credited musician, and performing with the Beatles in their last live performance as a group – the famous Roof Top concert. The Grammy Award-winning artist had solo career that included number one hits, and working with The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Sly Stone, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, among others. Preston is featured in the upcoming Peter Jackson-directed documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Despite an enviable career in music, Preston had a challenging personal story that involved sexual abuse he endured as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and had substance abuse problems he used to make his pain. Only later in life did he come to terms with his truth and so find his peace.
Barclay and Hodari Coker asked to make a shout out to those who knew Preston or worked with him, who and may have recordings, photographs, or personal memories to make contact through http://www.billyprestondoc.com.
UTA Independent Film Group with White Horse Pictures helped raise the funding and they will broker sales of the film.
Allain’s Homegrown is repped by UTA, First Artists and Marcy Morris; Barclay is ICM and Lovett Management.
- 11/4/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Talk about raising the roof with song — George Nierenberg’s documentary is still considered the best on gospel music. Made in the early 1980’s, the show caught the greats of decades past, now happy to describe the history and future of their work: Thomas A. Dorsey, Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith. The testimony of singers and groups just getting established is good as well, but of course it’s the spirit-raising performances — here caught as never before — that make the show unforgettable. Milestone includes outtakes, interviews and input from the director.
Say Amen, Somebody
Blu-ray
Milestone Cinematheque
1982 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date October 26, 2021 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Thomas A. Dorsey, Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, Barrett Sisters, O’Neal Twins, Zella Jackson Price.
Cinematography: Edward Lachman, Don Lenzer
Additional cameras: John D. Burkley, Tom Dischert, Morris Flam, Francis Kenny, Helmut Luchs, Pat Waugh
Film Editor: Paul Barnes
Researcher:...
Say Amen, Somebody
Blu-ray
Milestone Cinematheque
1982 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date October 26, 2021 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Thomas A. Dorsey, Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, Barrett Sisters, O’Neal Twins, Zella Jackson Price.
Cinematography: Edward Lachman, Don Lenzer
Additional cameras: John D. Burkley, Tom Dischert, Morris Flam, Francis Kenny, Helmut Luchs, Pat Waugh
Film Editor: Paul Barnes
Researcher:...
- 10/23/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
George Wein — the legendary festival promoter who helped turn the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals into fixtures of the American concert calendar, founded the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and paved the way for the modern music fest — died Monday at age 95. His spokesperson Carolyn McClair announced the news.
“It is with immense sadness that we let you know of the passing of our founder and north star, George Wein,” read a note posted on both Newport fests’ Twitter accounts. “We have all lost a giant champion of jazz,...
“It is with immense sadness that we let you know of the passing of our founder and north star, George Wein,” read a note posted on both Newport fests’ Twitter accounts. “We have all lost a giant champion of jazz,...
- 9/13/2021
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.