American Fiction
I recall actor Jeffrey Wright first bursting into mainstream Hollywood in director John Singleton’s modern-day sequel to the “Shaft” franchise. He played a ruthless Puerto Rican drug lord whose dynamic mood swings made the film quite enjoyable. From there, he ended up in a few of the “James Bond” franchise films, as well as the “Hunger Games,” at times dabbling in larger budget indie films while flirting with television dramas for which he won both an Emmy and Golden Globe. His range and depth as an actor have not gone unnoticed. He’s nominated for an Academy Award that’s long overdue, and he makes director Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” an absolutely amazing film of part satire and all truth.
The film is based on novelist Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” which, for nearly 23 years, went unnoticed by most book critics. Jefferson took serious notes in crafting his screenplay, casting Jeffrey Wright in the lead of author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison. This character is a West Coast author and professor who writes stunning novels, but he just can’t make a steady stream of sales. Monk ultimately adopts the persona of a convict to write a blaxploitation novel as a half-joking last resort to find some success, and it begins to pay off hugely. Executives love it, and Hollywood comes calling, but can the once sought-out success be too much pressure for Monk? The film takes twists and turns to entertain on one level while bringing notice to the supremely under-recognized efforts of African American authors. This gem starts slow, and you think it will go a predictable way, but before long you are overarching into a completely different territory. It’s a cinematic ride worth taking.
20 Days in Mariupol
“20 Days in Mariupol” is quite possibly the most powerful documentary on the war in the Ukraine that still rages on. This is also one of the most viscerally haunting films that I have ever seen. Directed by Mstyslav Chernov, the film navigates the earliest days of the 2022 Russian invasion of Mariupol, the bustling port city located on the Sea of Azov. Filmed guerrilla style, this documentary has a smattering of Ukrainian, Russian, and English languages scattered throughout, much like the many people the film depicts being scattered about due to the military invasion. Chernov captures a group of journalists chronicling how the citizens of Mariupol react and flee their homes under Russian attack. There is a lot of devastation and somewhat gruesome. This film uses no special effects or star power to keep things moving along. The timing and sheer scope of this Academy Award-nominated documentary has done something no other film has in history: Chronicle through an unfiltered lens the annihilation of an entire port city. Mstyslav Chernov and his team should be recognized as making a film that shuns war and champions human resilience in its rawest form.
I recall actor Jeffrey Wright first bursting into mainstream Hollywood in director John Singleton’s modern-day sequel to the “Shaft” franchise. He played a ruthless Puerto Rican drug lord whose dynamic mood swings made the film quite enjoyable. From there, he ended up in a few of the “James Bond” franchise films, as well as the “Hunger Games,” at times dabbling in larger budget indie films while flirting with television dramas for which he won both an Emmy and Golden Globe. His range and depth as an actor have not gone unnoticed. He’s nominated for an Academy Award that’s long overdue, and he makes director Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” an absolutely amazing film of part satire and all truth.
The film is based on novelist Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” which, for nearly 23 years, went unnoticed by most book critics. Jefferson took serious notes in crafting his screenplay, casting Jeffrey Wright in the lead of author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison. This character is a West Coast author and professor who writes stunning novels, but he just can’t make a steady stream of sales. Monk ultimately adopts the persona of a convict to write a blaxploitation novel as a half-joking last resort to find some success, and it begins to pay off hugely. Executives love it, and Hollywood comes calling, but can the once sought-out success be too much pressure for Monk? The film takes twists and turns to entertain on one level while bringing notice to the supremely under-recognized efforts of African American authors. This gem starts slow, and you think it will go a predictable way, but before long you are overarching into a completely different territory. It’s a cinematic ride worth taking.
20 Days in Mariupol
“20 Days in Mariupol” is quite possibly the most powerful documentary on the war in the Ukraine that still rages on. This is also one of the most viscerally haunting films that I have ever seen. Directed by Mstyslav Chernov, the film navigates the earliest days of the 2022 Russian invasion of Mariupol, the bustling port city located on the Sea of Azov. Filmed guerrilla style, this documentary has a smattering of Ukrainian, Russian, and English languages scattered throughout, much like the many people the film depicts being scattered about due to the military invasion. Chernov captures a group of journalists chronicling how the citizens of Mariupol react and flee their homes under Russian attack. There is a lot of devastation and somewhat gruesome. This film uses no special effects or star power to keep things moving along. The timing and sheer scope of this Academy Award-nominated documentary has done something no other film has in history: Chronicle through an unfiltered lens the annihilation of an entire port city. Mstyslav Chernov and his team should be recognized as making a film that shuns war and champions human resilience in its rawest form.