... the go-to site for African-Americans to receive reviews of African-American television and film from other African-Americans.
More importantly, BMRC is a vehicle for African-American adult consumers to both voice their honest opinion about portrayals of African-Americans in television and film and have access to the authentic thoughts and criticism of the portrayals of African-Americans from other African-American adult consumers.
A24 is expanding the Academy Award®-Winning and Best Picture film,Moonlight, to its widest point yet, over 1,500 theaters Nationwide. Read more here.
At once a vital portrait of contemporary African American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love,Moonlightis a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths. Anchored by extraordinary performances from a tremendous ensemble cast, Jenkins’s staggering, singular vision is profoundly moving in its portrayal of the moments, people, and unknowable forces that shape our lives and make us who we are.
WRITTEN/DIRECTED BY: Barry Jenkins
STORY BY: Tarell Alvin McCraney
PRODUCED BY Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
STARRING Naomie Harris, André Holland, Academy Award®-WinnerMahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, Alex R. Hibbert, Jaden Piner, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, and Jharrel Jerome
RUN TIME 111 minutes
RATED R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout
SYNOPSIS A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, MOONLIGHT chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
So I set my DVR to record the Oscars from the beginning to 30 minutes after its scheduled end time. When I realized they hadn't even given out Best Actor and my recording was about to run out, I switched to live TV to catch Best Picture before I missed it. All I saw were people from La La Land on the stage. So I let out a sigh and just turned back to my recording. So imagine my surprise when I later found out about this:
And with that, let's get right into it with the list of Black actors, Black actresses, and films showcasing their talent, recognized as nominees and winners at the 89th Academy Awards...
Other highlights from the evening included Katherine Johnson joining Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer on the stage, and Denzel officiating a wedding:
And in honor of Black History Month, let us also acknowledge how historical this night was. Mahershala Ali became the first muslim actor to win. Viola Davis is now the first Black woman, and 23rd person, to achieve the triple crown in acting (Emmy, Tony, and Oscar). Also, though there's still work to be done, the Academy awarded a record number of awards to Black actors, actresses, and filmmakers.
Stranger Things received a nomination for Best Television Series - Drama.
CONFIRMATION
Kerry Washington received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
WESTWORLD
Westworld received a nomination for Best Television Series - Drama.
Thandie Newton was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Naomie Harris was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.
Mahershala Ali was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.
Barry Jenkins was nominated for Best Director - Motion Picture and Best Screenplay - Motion Picture.
Moonlight was also nominated for Best Original Score.
INSECURE
My fellow Chocolate Cardinal, Issa Rae, was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series.
THIS IS US
This Is Us, which stars yet another fellow Chocolate Cardinal, Sterling K. Brown, was nominated for Best Television Series - Drama.
THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
Sterling K. Brown also starred in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, for which he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Courtney B. Vance was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television.
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story won for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Atlanta won for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Donald Glover won for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Atlanta was renewed for a second season just two weeks into its first season, but it was recently announced that the second season will not premiere until 2018! Why? Donald Glover is set to begin filming for the upcoming Star Wars film this month. He will be playing Lando Calrissian.
Glover has also signed an overall production deal with FX to "develop new projects for FX and other networks/streaming services." One more thing, if you're interested in checking out Glover's musical skills, he released his third studio album, "Awaken, My Love!" under his moniker Childish Gambino a little over a month ago.
BLACK-ISH
Black-ish was nominated for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Anthony Anderson was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Tracee Ellis Ross won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, making her the first Black woman in 35 years to win in this category!
Before I move back to films, I want to express how much I love how Black-ish seems to perfectly express and validate my views and feelings, while also incorporating and sharing differing views; all while making me cry, laugh, and shout "YES!!" I highly recommend watching this show, especially the latest episode, "LEMONS" and last season's episode, "Hope." You can find episodes on Hulu, who recently signed a deal for the exclusive subscription streaming VOD rights for Black-ish. But here are a couple of clips from the "Hope" and "LEMONS" episodes:
HIDDEN FENCES
There were no nominations or wins for Hidden Fences, despite it being mentioned both on the red carpet and on the stage during the ceremony!! Have you seen the trailer?
Okay...here's what really happened...
The only thing Hidden Figures and Fences have in common besides the color of its cast was young actress Saniya Sidney, who played minor roles in both films (and did an excellent job!). But if that even came close to being a reason for the faux pas, they should have said Hidden Moonlight, as Hidden Figures and Moonlightshared two actors in common; Janelle Monae and Mahershala Ali. But even with that, Hidden Moonlight would be just as unacceptable. I just wanted a clever way to showcase the actors who played in 2 of 3 of arguably the best Black films of 2016.
Denzel Washington was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama.
Viola Davis won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.
In 2010, Washington and Davis won Tony Awards for playing the same roles in the 2010 revival of the play on Broadway, for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, respectively. Stephen Henderson, who played Bono in the film and the 2010 Broadway revival, received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the 2010 revival. The revival also won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. It earned ten Tony Award nominations, the most a play revival has ever received!
What are your thoughts on the Golden Globe Awards and predictions for the Oscars?
I went in expecting one thing, but got something a bit different. Something a bit unexpected. It wasn't just in that the depiction of Miami was different than is typically seen, but in the story itself and in the storytelling of the life and experiences of Chiron (Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes). Typically, when you go to a coming of age film, you may expect to watch the unfolding of the main character discovering his or her identity as it is shaped by his or her experiences. Here, it seems Chiron is never truly given the opportunity, or breathing room, to discover his true identity. Rather, other people forcibly impose upon him what they see his identity as, and having to endure tough situations like bullying and a mother (Naomie Harris) addicted to crack, he is unable to partake in self-discovery others may take for granted. This seems to be reflected in the third chapter when we are introduced to Chiron as an adult, and he has seemingly taken on the identity of someone from his past. An identity that is eventually questioned in the film, is it truly who he is? Does he know who he is?
And what came together at the end was that this story was really about an individual who was unable to receive love, nurturing, attention, and connection from the people a child would expect it from; like a mother and potential mate. One would suspect Chiron might not have been able to endure it without the unexpected, surrogate nurturing and love from Juan (Mahershala Ali) and Theresa (Janelle Monae). It wasn't until the third chapter of the film that this revelation of an even higher and universal story really set in, making the film even more moving and impactful.
The storytelling was also different than expected. Initially, I felt cheated in that I wanted more from the first chapter in regards to what was shared in the story. By the second chapter I wanted more details and explanations, like how and when a character died. However, I soon realized more details, greater explanations, covering a longer time period, were all unnecessary. We as an audience were given a glimpse into the moments of Chiron's life that shaped who he became and what he needed and desired by the end of the film. Writer and director, Barry Jenkins, describes it as, "Unlike most coming of age films, our story takes the form of a triptych - three episodes that explore the most pivotal moments in our protagonist's quarter life. Rather than churn through decades of life as story, we observe Chiron in real-time - coming apart, coming together over the course of days and hours rather than years - a character being shaped before our eyes."
In addition to the story, the actors did a wonderful job. Alex R. Hibbert, who played Little in the first chapter, did a phenomenal job! He had to portray a range of emotions through a variety of experiences, with many of the scenes calling for him to be silent. And he pulled it off in amazing fashion! Ashton Sanders, as the teenage Chiron in the second chapter, did a great job, as well. He too had a range of experiences and emotions he had to play, with his experiences ranging from physical altercations to Chiron's only sexual experience in the film. Trevante Rhodes, who played Black in the final chapter, convincingly portrayed an adult Chiron who despite seemingly accepting a now self-imposed persona also has some self-realization that it may not be his true identity. In the moments shared in the final chapter he is attempting to begin some exploration of what his true identity may be and in a way he was unable to in the first two chapters.
Naomie Harris gave a very believable portrayal of a single mother battling a drug addiction. Though not in as much of the film as one might expect, Mahershala Ali puts on a performance that makes it easy to see why Juan would be as impactful in Chiron's life as he seems to be later in the film. Andre Holland also did a good job in the film. And of note, Janelle Monae did a great job as a second mother of sorts to Chiron, and I look forward to seeing her in Hidden Figures.
PRODUCED BY: Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
STARRING: Naomie Harris, André Holland, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, Alex R. Hibbert, Jaden Piner, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, and Jharrel Jerome
RUN TIME: 111 minutes
RATED R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout
SYNOPSIS: A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, MOONLIGHT chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
At once a vital portrait of contemporary African American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love, MOONLIGHT is a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths. Anchored by extraordinary performances from a tremendous ensemble cast, Jenkins’s staggering, singular vision is profoundly moving in its portrayal of the moments, people, and unknowable forces that shape our lives and make us who we are.
