This & That: SAG fallout, Beale St agnosticism, Kidman's AACTA win

December is a bear, isn't it? It just keeps on coming at you and more intense as it goes, too. We're so far behind, we're just going to do this with no structure and no editing. Here is a list of lots of news-items or curiousities that are probably worthy of their own articles  but they aren't going to get them! We need a big staff (now seeking volunteers!) Okay, here we go...

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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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Learning iMovie and Making Lists with Chris

Chris here with some more listy goodness that Nathaniel wanted me to pass along: my own! This year rather than going the normal listicle route for my Best Of, I tought myself iMovie to make a video montage as both a love letter to the cinematic year and present my Top 20. Consider this a Soundtracking side quest, because I lean hard into my song choices. One thing I learned from teaching myself something new (aside from the technological mishaps - but hey, staring at films you love sure does ease all frustrations), is how to find similar narrative threads in the movies that move us, which I was able to do through song choices shared over multiple films.

Consider this a small peek into my ballot (which is in full here) for next month's Team Experience Awards, or hopefully just a quick way to bask in the past movie year as it comes to a close. We all love a montage, but I hope you love this one too! (NSFW for language)

2018 Film Year in Review from Chris Feil on Vimeo.

AAFCA Names "Black Panther" Best of the Year

The African American Film Critics Association gave three of their prizes to Marvel's juggernaught Black Panther (Film / Director / Song). BlacKkKlansman, The Hate U Give, and If Beale Street Could Talk all won two prizes. And naturally the Queens (Regina x 2) won awards...

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Ralph and Queen Anne Rule Again

Weekend Box Office Estimates Nov 30th- Dec 2nd🔺 = New or Expanded Theater Count
W I D E 800+ screens	PLATFORM / LIMITED excluding prev. wide
1. Ralph Breaks the Internet $25.7 (cum. $119.2)	1.🔺The Favourite $1.1 on 34 screens (cum. $1.6) Review, Podcast, BIFA Wins
2. The Grinch $17.7 (cum. $203.5) Posterized	2. Boy Erased $590k on 660 screens (cum. $5.5) Podcast, Soundtracking, Nicole at TIFF
3. Creed 2 $16.8 (cum. $81.1) Michael B Jordan,  Podcast	3.Can You Ever Forgive Me? $350k on  screens (cum. $6.5) Review, Podcast

As suspected with no real new competition the charts were virtually the same as last week so we're skipping the usual report. The good news is that The Favourite and Shoplifters , easily two of the best films this year, both had fine results with second weekend expansions.

What did you see this weekend? I saw Mary Poppins Returns (grinned stupidly the whole time - Emily Blunt is ❤️) and caught If Beale Street Could Talk a second time... to sadly the same reaction; tried to love it but just didn't apart from three inspired supporting performances (Regina King, Colman Domingo, and Brian Tyree Henry are all on fire) and some craft elements. Perhaps it'll work better for all of you when it opens in two weeks!?