Jury Coordination and Notes
Archive for the 'Film Critics Blog' Category
Although I have not seen most of her films, I loved her excellent performance in Into the Woods (2015). I was truly scared of the Witch. I felt her pain and hated her at times. As a young actress, I look up to her and am in awe of her performances. In the film, The Devil Wears Prada (2006), her performance is so real, it made me you hate her for the way she treated the intern and everyone else. This to me shows what a great actress she is when you have the audience hating your character because you are so true to it.
YouTube: What You Did and Did Not Know, Now You Do by Gerry Orz
Sunday, October 25th, 2015
YouTube is the third most popular site of the 300,000,000 sites of the Internet. It has over One Billion accounts, just to give you a perspective. This is a whopping one-third of the Internet!
Let’s compare it to good old TV. By that I mean, providers that usually provide you with hundreds, sometimes thousands of channels. This seems like a pretty good bargain, but lets look a bit deeper. Those thousands of channels all air different things at different times. Want to watch a particular show? Wait until nine tonight. While on Netflix, (which has 64 million users, 10 million more than every large TV provider), there are thousands of movies and TV shows available for instant streaming. So many people have decided to just use their Amazon Prime and Netflix accounts and eliminate the satellite line. With new Smart TV’s becoming cheaper and cheaper, soon these ultra large instant streaming services, and others such as Hulu, are going to be leading in TV programming. Already, for many shows, they are aired on Amazon Instant Video before going to live TV.
Let’s peak into YouTube a bit more. This massive site is getting all the more popular with people of all ages. Although it may not have movies and new episodes of shows, there are around 300 hours of independent videos uploaded every minute! Yes, you heard me right. That is equal to a whole season on TV and, it’s not just coverage and tutorials on 
YouTube. There are so many skit channels and channels that are entire series, some as famous as big TV shows. Another thing about all YouTube is that, if you’re like almost every other person in United States, you have some sort of computer and some sort of Internet access, or have an Internet providing place nearby such as a library or fast food places. So, you can get it for free. Of course, there is paid content like movies and TV shows on YouTube but, let’s be honest, with millions of hours of videos on YouTube, everyone has a channel that makes content that’s perfect for them. Thousands of people spend all of their TV watching time watching programming on YouTube. The largest channels have 10,000,000+ subscribers. Not only do viewers get entertained for hours, the creator makes a career out of it. The largest part of entertainment known as TV is transforming into a new thing where someone can have a good idea and produce it with their phone. People are wrong about TV watching dying. TV is evolving into a much larger entertainment system through this system known as the world wide web.
If you’re not a YouTube user already, it might be time to give it a while. And, while you’re at it, subscribe to our KIDS FIRST! Channel and be the first to get our latest reviews and red carpet coverage.
Fall and Winter Movie Hype by Keefer Blakeslee
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Spielberg, Zemeckis, Howard, Hooper and James Bond. What do these people have in common. They all have films coming out in fall or winter of 2015! To me this is the best time of the year for films. It’s the quarter before award season and all the Hollywood studios want to bring out their best films. I usually get excited this year and I’m ten times more excited than usual when I saw the line up for this fall. I have not seen a list of films this big in a while! In that spirit, I have created a list of my top film choices for the fall and winter seasons. Get your calendars out and start planning your movie viewing schedule now.
Note: Willie and I talked about this subject on are radio show before. If you want to listen to that, check it out on our radio show, KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions.
1) The Danish Girl
Directors: Tom Hooper, Lasse Hallström
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, and Matthias Schoenaerts
Release date: November 27th
Rating: N/A
Synopsis: Artist Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) undergoes a sex-change operation in the early 1900s.
Hooper directed one of my favorite films of all time The King’s Speech. That alone gets me excited, but the subject matter they’re addressing is fascinating and important.
I think this story would be a delicate matter to portray but I have high hopes with the filmmakers and actors in it.
2) The Walk
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, and Ben Kingsley
Release date: September 30th
Rating: PG
Synopsis: In 1974, French high-wire artist Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) attempts to walk on a tightrope attached to the north and south towers of the World Trade Center.
This film has a special place in my heart because I grew up reading this story. When I went to elementary school, one of my favorite books was “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” I read it to myself, my mother and my teacher. This takes me back to elementary school. Who dares put my childhood story on the big screen?! Zemeckis?!! I’m sold.
3) Bridge of Spies
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance and Amy Ryan
Release date: October 26th
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: New York lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is recruited by a CIA operative (Scott Shepherd) to negotiate the release of pilot Francis Gary Powers after getting captured by the Soviet Union during the Cold War .
Let’s go over the list. One of the best directors of all time? Check.
One of the best actors of all time? Check.
Written by the incredible Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel? How? Also check.
I think these reason are more than enough to be on the list.
4) In the Heart of the Sea
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland
Release date: December 11th
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: The incredible tale that ultimately inspired author Herman Melville to write “Moby-Dick.”
I think Spielberg said it best when describing his film Minority Report,“Yes it’s a popcorn movie, but it’s a gourmet popcorn movie.” That’s exactly how I would describe what I think this film is going to be. This is not supposed to be a loaded remark. In fact I trust director Ron Howard to keep the spirit of this iconic story while also adding his own twist.
5) Spectre
Directed: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes
Release date: November 6th
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: James Bond is up against the sinister organization SPECTRE.
If you asked me, “What do you think is cinema’s biggest action icon?” I would answer, “Bond…James Bond.” The man who likes his martini shaken not stirred is coming back on the big screen. To see Ian Fleming’s character still alive and well is amazing. Because of that, it makes it to my list.
Hopefully you will find films that you would also like to see. With this line up of films coming out, it’s a perfect way to end the year. As Ebert would say, “Thank you and I’ll see you at the movies.”
Black Actresses in Hollywood By Willie Jones
Sunday, October 11th, 2015
Viola Davis recently became the first black actress to ever win the Emmy for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Drama Series, for her performance in How to Get Away With Murder. In her acceptance speech, she gave a quote that will surely go down in the history of great acceptance speech quotes. Ms. Davis said, “The only thing that separates a woman of color from anyone else, is opportunity.” Truer words have never been spoken.
I’m not saying black actresses don’t get any recognition at all, or ever have, because that’s not true. Since 1939, when Hattie McDaniel laid the foundation for black actors in general with her Supporting Actress win for Gone With the Wind, black actors have been getting some recognition. But the issue is, that black actors, and actresses especially, don’t get enough recognition.
Consider that a black actress never won Best Actress at the Academy Awards until 2002. Until this year, no black actress won the Emmy for Leading Actress in a Drama. A black actress didn’t win Best Actress in a Play at the Tony Awards until 2005. But, I would like to focus on Hollywood and the movie industry.
The Hollywood ladder, in terms of power and appreciation, is as follows: white male, white female, black male, black female. Black actresses are at the bottom of the barrel because they’re women and they’re a minority. That may explain why only 15 black women were Oscar nominated in the 20th century. I use the Oscars because that’s the highest honor anyone can get in Hollywood. This century alone has produced 13 Oscar nominated black actresses which means we’re improving.
Beyond that, what makes Viola’s win so legendary is that it is in the leading category. Most of the Oscar nominations earned by black actresses have been in the supporting category. As a matter of fact, on the night Viola Davis won her historic Emmy, two black actresses won for their performances in supporting roles. There have also been more Supporting Actress winners of color at the Oscars than in the Leading category. To this day, Halle Berry is still the sole black winner of the prestigious Oscar for Leading Actress. Additionally, it was another eight years before another actress of color was just nominated in that category. 
Don’t get me wrong, being nominated is great no matter which category, but there is a prestige difference between Leading and Supporting. And the only reason that more black actresses aren’t nominated, is because they aren’t getting the roles. They aren’t somehow as marketable as the rest of the actors on the ladder. But there isn’t a black actress out there who couldn’t do what Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet or Cate Blanchett can do. Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad and Angela Bassett could have played the lead in Still Alice, or The Kids or All Right or Little Children. It’s a shame that legends such as Alfre Woodard, Cicely Tyson or Ruby Dee didn’t get the recognition they deserved because they didn’t get the roles. Even before them, Ethel Waters, Hattie McDaniel, Juanita Moore and others were limited to roles of submissive nature.
So, I love Viola Davis’ win. Not just because she deserves it (she’s truly amazing in How to Get Away With Murder), but also because it’s another big step. Davis is becoming, if she hasn’t already become, a huge pioneer for black actresses. Along with Audra McDonald, who has won the most performing Tony Awards, they have jump-started the revolution for our generation.
The next step is to start getting black actresses nominated for roles that aren’t a slave, nanny, mammy, maid, impoverished citizen or real person. It’s time writers start writing roles for black actresses that could be played by any actress – roles in films like Blue Jasmine, The Savages, You Can Count On Me, Away From Her, Thelma and Louise and similar. Then maybe, we’ll have a black Katniss or a black Tris. The talent is there. The passion is there. The work ethic is there. But the roles aren’t. Spike Lee and Tyler Perry shouldn’t have a monopoly on the pool of black actresses. Directors such as Woody Allen should create roles for black women. Then, there’s the issue of having more black writers or casting directors, directors and producers who are more willing to give black actresses the chance to lead in their films.
The Help and 12 Years A Slave offer great roles for black actresses, but they also pigeonhole them. How about a black Clementine Kruczynski? Or how about Loretta Devine playing Kay in Hope Springs? All black actresses need is the opportunity and they will wow you.
Cheers to Viola Davis – First African American Woman to Win an Emmy By Brianna Hope Beaton
Sunday, October 4th, 2015
Viola Davis just made history on September 20, 2015 becoming the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for being the best actress in the drama series, How to Get Away with Murder. This was her first Emmy win and nomination and started her emotional acceptance speech with, “In my dreams, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can’t seem to get there no how, I can seem to get over that line… That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. Let me tell you something – the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that simply are not there.”
Mrs. Davis grew up in Central Falls, Rhode Island after her family moved there from South Carolina when she was two months old. She developed a love for acting in her teenage year
s and studied theater both at Rhode Island College and the prominent Julliard School in New York City. She made her debut with a small role as a nurse in 1996, The Substance of Fire. She went on to appear as a guest on many TV shows, films and plays where she was awarded a Tony in 2001 for Best Featured Actress for her role as Tonya in the original production of King Hedley II and the 2010 for Best Actress in a Play for her rose as Rose Maxon in the revival of Fences.
Mrs. Davis is truly an inspiration to me and other young ladies who enjoy acting and want to pursue their dreams. She inspires me to continue with my craft, study and be better each and every day. Its women like her that shows how with determination, studying and opportunities, my dreams can come true.
Kids, This Is A DVD by Gerry Orz
Monday, September 21st, 2015
VHS, remember those? They were a rectangular black brick that we used them to watch movies on. If you ask a young child, I am sure they will not even know what they are. Funny how only 60 years ago you would need to have this fancy new technology – TV – yes, a television set to be able to enjoy films at home. Then came videotapes – VHS and Beta SP. Then, DVD, blu-ray and now, you guessed it, instant streaming. Really, since computers were created and computers transferred files, instant streaming has existed. Of course now it is much simpler with being able to hop onto Netflix and search for a film of your choice. And, if Netflix doesn’t have it? Most people will go check Amazon Instant Video and it they don’t have it then, they’ll go and check out Wal-Mart online or Hulu or any number of other choices. Very few people know what Blockbuster stores are or were. This is where people drove to rent movies before streaming was available. Even now, Blu-ray is 1920 by 1080 while almost every live action show produced by Netflix is 4k, which is much better than Blu-ray and it even isn’t even available on DVD. Soon, SD cards and other camera storage 
will disappear and maybe it will even become a camera link to your computer or some sort of super cloud and it will transfer cordlessly. It is really amazing how quickly we went from no sound, bulky black and white film, not even 180p small, entertainment systems known as the first movie theaters to, curved screen 4k Netflix. Before long you won’t see a DVD or even a Blu-ray. It really makes me wonder, how many more changes in home video entertainment I will see in my lifetime? I imagine that one day I will show an old dusty box of my favorite movies and tell my kids, “This is what we used to call a DVD”
A Break For Back-To-School By Raven D.
Monday, September 14th, 2015
It’s officially September, summer has unfortunately coming to an end and most of us have abandoned our swimsuits and sunscreen for backpacks and textbooks. But just because school has started doesn’t mean we have to completely give up on fun little getaways. Many new films are getting ready to hit the theaters just as we get ready to hit the books, so if you’re feeling stressed about exams, drowning in homework, or want to treat yourself for finishing that paper that you’ve been working on, feel free to take a vacation for a few hours and head down to the movie theater to catch up on these new blockbusters;
If you’re looking for a scream, try checking out M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit in theaters on September 11th. The much anticipated Maze Runner: Scorch Trials opens nationwide in theaters on the 18th, so look forward to that! Hotel Transylvania 2 is making a reservation in theaters on September 25th, so head to that if you’re looking for a go
od film for a family outing. Kicking off the October blockbusters, we have Matt Damon starring in The Martian on the 2nd…trust me, this film will be out of this world! And a film that I personally can’t wait for, Pan will be flying into theaters on October 9th!
Now you have a plan of action to give you a break from the stresses of the new school year! So make sure you check out these highly anticipated films coming to a theater near you through the next month. Enjoy!
The Computers Documentary – By Brianna Hope Beaton
Tuesday, August 25th, 2015
In 1946, six brilliant women programmed the first all-electronic, programmable computer, the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). This was a project run by the U.S. Army as part of a secret project. Their names are as follows:
- Frances Bilas Spence (1922 – 2013)
- Jean Jennings Bartik (1924 – 2011)
- Marlyn Wescoff Meltzer (1922 – 2008)
- Kathleen “Kay” McNulty Mauchly Antonelli (1921 – 2006)
- Frances Elizabeth “Betty” Holberton (1917 – 2001)
- Ruth Lichterman Teitelbaum (1924 – 1986)
These women learned to program a computer without the programming languages and tools that we have today. With all the programming that was completed the ENIAC ran a ballistic trajectory flawlessly. However when the ENIAC was presented to everyone, these women never received credit and their story vanished until now.
Kathy
Kleiman, Founder of the ENIAC Programmers Project and Co-Producer and Co-Writer of The Computers documentary took notice of this story when she found a number of photographs of the ENIAC project and wanted to find about the women who were in the pictures. She was told that they were models, but they didn’t look like models. They looked like they knew a lot about the computers and were the actual programmers. With further research on these women, she wanted to share their amazing story with everyone that would listen.
The Computers is a documentary that tells about these six brilliant women and their story of programming in the mid 1900s. It is not your stereotypical documentary of men performing these jobs, but of women.
I am in awe of these incredible women because they opened the door for so many females to be in the technology world. It’s an inspiring story that I wish everyone could watch. These computing pioneers were not only women, but men too.
Is Cinema the Worst It’s Been in 50 Years? By Willie Jones
Tuesday, August 18th, 2015
Some say, “Yes, it is.” Two-time Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman recently criticized cinema today, saying “…it’s the worst that film has ever been — in the 50 years that I’ve been doing it, it’s the worst….” Hoffman attributes the time constraints that directors have on getting their films done as part of the problem. He notes that The Graduate, a gradually small film took years to put together despite its simplicity. But what did we get? A classic that has stood the test of time and is now considered one of the all-time great films (which I can attest to). But to truly understand Mr. Hoffman’s point of view, consider where he started fifty years ago.
Hoffman made his cinematic debut 48 years ago, to be exact, in 1967’s The Tiger Makes Out, but followed it that same year with The Graduate. Now, 1967 happens to be the turning point of cinema. We had the most explicit film of all-time released that year, in Bonnie and Clyde, which changed movies forever. We had the first film to ever show a black man hitting a white man with In the Heat of the Night. We had film that tackled interracial relationships with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. It was a banner year that sparked the revolution in cinema and it went on into the 70s. The new thing was naturalism – in everything. Naturalistic acting from the likes of Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, naturalistic direction from the likes of Francis Coppola and Roman Polanski, and naturalistic dialogue from the likes of Robert Towne and William Goldman. That was the formula for films such as The Godfather and Chinatown.
Also consider that at the time, during the late 60s and 70s, America was in a cultural revolution. It was okay to say what you wanted, to do what you wanted, to be who you wanted to be. Things like sex, homosexuality, explicit war opposition, political opposition, civil rights, women’s rights and all the things that were deemed “impolite” beforehand, could now be expressed. And it showed in our films. Movies could now show nudity, movies could now speak out vividly against politics, movies could now use profanity, and movies could portray violence as much as they wanted. So one should understand that movie making at that time was at an artistic high. For the first time, writers and directors could say what they wanted and were encouraged to do so. Therefore, fresh ideas and stories were being told rapidly.
It was just two years after The Graduate was released that Dustin Hoffman starred in the first X Rated movie to win best picture, Midnight Cowboy (which is also an all-time great film). Things were changing for sure, therefore originality was at an all-time high. Now, fast forward 48 years.
What haven’t we seen? There is no longer anything edgy or original. The advent of technology and the sheer fact that time has softened the sensitivities of society, has made it so that people of all-ages have seen something of everything. There’s no opinion that hasn’t been heard, and no amount of sex or violence that hasn’t been seen. Most importantly, there is no story that hasn’t been told or a plot that hasn’t been seen.
So while Dustin Hoffman says that a part of the issue is filming constraints with directors, I say cinema is the worst it’s been in 50 years, because of the lack of originality. But, with that said, I’m going to make an assumption that Hoffman is talking about mainstream films, movies with big budgets and big studios behind them. I say that it’s because independent cinema is where the originality and uniqueness is. And, the problem is: no one sees them. People don’t want that.
Movies like Birdman, Whiplash or Cold Souls go unseen because no cares to see them. A part of the problem, beside a lack of good stories and time constraints, may be audiences. What ever they see, Hollywood makes. In Hoffman’s prime, audiences wanted Carnal Knowledge and Serpico. Audiences are so numb to explicit material, that edge with class is no longer desired. Now, they want Ant-Man and Ocean’s 11.
The transition from where cinema was in the late 60s and 70s to now, is sad. It makes cinephiles a rather outcast and 
lonely bunch in cinematic interest, because all of our favorites are movies that no one sees or cares to see. I mean, have you seen Win Win? Don’t worry, few have. So I agree with Dusty, cinema is at the worst it’s been since he entered the movie business in 1967. And unfortunately, there is little indication that circumstances will change. Well told stories just aren’t in fashion anymore. People don’t flock to see them.
I guess those of who us who want that to change will either have to make the films we want ourselves or hope that the likes of Alejandro Innuritu, Bennett Miller, J.C. Chandor, and Paul Thomas Anderson continue to be the exceptions in today’s movie world.
Who knows? Maybe when Hoffman’s debut reaches an actual fifty years in 2017, another revolution will happen and we will get caught up in the passionate, artistic frenzy that movie fans of the 70s were caught in.
Thank you for reading. Willie Jones.
Farewell to Jon Stewart By Keefer C.Blakeslee
Monday, August 10th, 2015
August 6th was Jon Stewart’s last time as host of The Daily Show.
For those of you who don’t know who Jon Stewart is, I’ll give you a brief summary.
Jon Stewart is a comedian, writer, actor, media critic, director and television host. He is known for his fake news series The Daily Show. The show starred Stewart as he tackled political and media affairs in a satirical way.
Since Stewart’s last episode was on August 6th I wanted to pay tribute to this incredible comedian. To begin, I’d like to say that I did not grow up watching The Daily Show. In fact, I just started getting into it this year. With that said, it did not take long for me to fall in love with this man’s commentary. Every chance I get I would watch his show on Comedy Central as well as segments on YouTube. Not only is he a hilarious comedian but, in the words of Howard Kurtz, “What separated Stewart is this virtuous appetite for politics and media. This is a guy who gets ticked off about things he doesn’t like in terms of political hypocrisy or media superficiality.”
The appetite that Kurtz talks about made his comedy stronger. When there was a subject that Stewart felt strong about his passion fueled his jokes. This made them funnier because they were sincere. Stewart knew when to be funny but, like any good comedian, knew when to be serious. His segment on the Charleston shooting that aired June, 18, 2015 still hits me hard. In this segment, Stewart does not sugar-coat the story. He shows one of his most unique aspects which is his honesty. He talks about how he watches the news and makes jokes but there are those occasions where jokes just don’t fit. During the above-mentioned show Stewart said, ”I did not do my job…I honestly have nothing other than sadness once again that we have to peer into the abyss of depraved violence that we do to each other…” The ability to open his heart to show all of his emotions made him the new Walter Cronkite.
Here comes the irony of The Daily Show. Stewart has said multiple times that he is a comedian first. He states, during a
n interview with Chris Wallace,” My comedy is informed by an ideological (a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy) background… Hollywood is liberal but that’s not their primary motivating force. I’m not an activist, I’m a comedian.” Like many other people, he wants to be heard but his comments are not political. Even with his intentions, people call him the most trusted man in America. He’s even been nominated for journalism and news awards.
Stewart merely wanted to entertain but in the process won America’s trust. Why? Because he is eloquent, educated, meaningful and, above all, funny.
Thank you Jon Stewart for making the daily news enjoyable.
