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Entries in Barry Jenkins (31)

Monday
Jan062020

Golden Globes Men: Pick a Trio

by Nathaniel R

Men's fashion continues to be a bit more interesting than it was in previous decades though it's hard to fault a dapper classic tux. Herewith some men who caught the eye on Globes night.

Let's play a variation on do dump or marry. You can meet one of them for a drink at the bar, nab one for a quick selfie, and take one home in your limo. Who is it gonna be and why? 

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Tuesday
Feb262019

Will the Oscar Success of "If Beale Street" Spur More Adaptations of James Baldwin's Work?

by Murtada Elfadl

 

Black authors have not been adapted the same way as their white peers because financiers don’t put their money behind black authors.
-Barry Jenkins accepting Best Director at the Spirit Awards 

 

Regina King understood what she was representing at the Oscars. Not just her film, If Beale Street Could Talk, and all the people who worked on it but also the legacy of James Baldwin. She mentioned him on the red carpet on her way to the ceremony. Fittingly, she also started her speech with him...

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Wednesday
Jan232019

Best Director Fun. What a Category This Year!

How cute is this? Here's Adapted Screenplay nominee Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk) celebrating Spike Lee's Best Director nomination for BlacKkKlansman:

 

In related news: the Best Director Chart is updated and ready for your votes (who should win? vote every day!) and commentary. We've added trivia, stats, as well as speculated on "How'd they get nominated?" as is our annual habit. Let's take Spike Lee as an example. This is how'd we'd wager Spike got his nomination...

35% Reputation and do-over. An iconic director who'd never been so honored. Sorry about Do The Right Thing!
30% His biggest hit and best film in several years. Critically adored and guild supported, too. 
16% Timely themes - plus the world has caught up to him.
12% Cannes gave him an early boost and his movie instant highbrow cred.
7% Had the summer all to itself to percolate as Best Picture worthy

Find out how the others got nominated on the chart. Agree? Disagree? Are we forgetting a key factor? Do tell in the comments.

Thursday
Dec132018

Review: If Beale Street Could Talk

by Murtada Elfadl

 

If Beale Street Could Talk starts with Fonny (Stephan James) asking his girlfriend Tish (Kiki Layne) “Are you ready for this?” I have been ready for a James Baldwin film adaptation for many years. Since I read "Giovanni’s Room" as a young teen and my mind was opened to queer stories. Since I was given "The Fire Next Time" to read as I made the decision to immigrate to the United States, so that I know what I was getting myself into. "Another Country" remains my favorite novel of all time. I am biased for Baldwin, for his writing, for his ideas, for his power, so I was excited for this film. I was also afraid. Will Barry Jenkins be able to interpret Baldwin’s howls of anger and despair as loud as I heard them reading Baldwin’s prose? I needn’t have worried.

Set in early-1970s Harlem, Beale Street is about how Fonny and Tish are separated when he’s arrested for a rape that he did not commit...

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Monday
Nov262018

Beauty vs Beast: Black Boys Looking Blue

Jason from MNPP here, still a little stuffed with turkey but ready for this week's "Beauty vs Beast" poll nonetheless - Barry Jenkins' fine new film If Beale Street Could Talk is hitting screens in a couple of weeks, and so we turn our eyes upon 2016's most deserving Best Picture Winner Moonlight to prepare. It seems likely that the film's Best Supporting Actor winner Mahershala Ali will at least be nominated again this year, if not win, for his best-in-show work in Green Book, which I have few qualms with. But it does remind that I never understood why Naomie Harris' work in Moonlight went unrecognized at the Oscars, as she was best in that show for me. Granted her character is much more difficult to root for than Ali's conflicted dealer is...

PREVIOUSLY Before the holiday we had ourselves a Fassy-Off, facing down two of Michael Fassbender's best perfomances for director Steve McQueen, and I guess TFE loves itself a sex addict because Shame's Brandon swung himself three-quarters of your vote. Said Sarah:

"I love both of these performances but I went with Hunger in the poll mostly because of the "foal" speech he gives which I love but Shame is a real powerhouse performance. It's a shame (heh) how people were so preoccupied with the full frontal that they don't give the performance (and the film and Mulligan) the credit it deserves."