If there’s one thing married couple Floyd Rance and Stephanie Tavares-Rance know how to do, it’s keep a secret. Last year, on the eve of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, its founders were tight-lipped about their 20th anniversary opening-night presenters. “I just told my mother,” says Tavares-Rance of the fact that Barack and Michelle Obama were on hand to screen their Higher Ground and Netflix documentary Descendant.
This year, the Rances face the unexpected of another kind, with the SAG-AFTRA strike beginning weeks before the Aug. 4-12 fest, which is preventing actors from promoting their projects. Says Tavares-Rance, with equanimity: “Celebrity is awesome — people love to see their favorite actor or actress on the stage, but it really is about these filmmakers of color, specifically African American filmmakers, that we want to highlight.”
Programming includes panels with the National Museum of African American...
This year, the Rances face the unexpected of another kind, with the SAG-AFTRA strike beginning weeks before the Aug. 4-12 fest, which is preventing actors from promoting their projects. Says Tavares-Rance, with equanimity: “Celebrity is awesome — people love to see their favorite actor or actress on the stage, but it really is about these filmmakers of color, specifically African American filmmakers, that we want to highlight.”
Programming includes panels with the National Museum of African American...
- 8/3/2023
- by Cori Murray
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: This contains spoilers from “Swagger” Season 2, now streaming on AppleTV+.
As Reggie Rock Bythewood was gearing up for AppleTV+’s second season of “Swagger,” the filmmaker was thinking about how to elevate the series and take it to another level.
One film that came to mind was Sam Mendes’ “1917” and how cinematographer Roger Deakins had shot the film and presented it as if it were one continuous long shot.
The series follows a team of basketball players inspired by NBA star Kevin Durant and in the latest “maze,” as Bythewood calls it, the team down to six players, Jace (Isaiah R. Hill), Phil (Solomon Irama), Musa (Caleel Harris), Drew, Royale (Ozie Nzeribe), and Nick (Jason Rivera) head to Maryland’s Youth Facility, a detention center for young offenders for a game. “I thought about ‘1917’ and the entire film is shot as if it were one shot.
As Reggie Rock Bythewood was gearing up for AppleTV+’s second season of “Swagger,” the filmmaker was thinking about how to elevate the series and take it to another level.
One film that came to mind was Sam Mendes’ “1917” and how cinematographer Roger Deakins had shot the film and presented it as if it were one continuous long shot.
The series follows a team of basketball players inspired by NBA star Kevin Durant and in the latest “maze,” as Bythewood calls it, the team down to six players, Jace (Isaiah R. Hill), Phil (Solomon Irama), Musa (Caleel Harris), Drew, Royale (Ozie Nzeribe), and Nick (Jason Rivera) head to Maryland’s Youth Facility, a detention center for young offenders for a game. “I thought about ‘1917’ and the entire film is shot as if it were one shot.
- 7/22/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Legendary Olympic athlete Michael Johnson has called on sporting brands to support athletes who want to speak out about social change and other issues meaningful to them.
In an impassioned speech, given without notes, at the Cannes Lions international advertising festival, Johnson celebrated the modern era where athletes are more outspoken and pushing back “on the idea that they should just shut up and dribble.”
He praised stars such as LeBron James, Marcus Rashford, Lewis Hamilton, Megan Rapinoe and Naomi Osaka as “athletes pushing back at the status quo and using their voices the way they want to and feel they should.”
As for sporting brands and companies, Johnson said: “Those partnerships — where an athlete decides to partner with a brand that shares their values — can be extremely helpful for an athlete when they make that decision to use their voice if they have that sort of support.”
He compared...
In an impassioned speech, given without notes, at the Cannes Lions international advertising festival, Johnson celebrated the modern era where athletes are more outspoken and pushing back “on the idea that they should just shut up and dribble.”
He praised stars such as LeBron James, Marcus Rashford, Lewis Hamilton, Megan Rapinoe and Naomi Osaka as “athletes pushing back at the status quo and using their voices the way they want to and feel they should.”
As for sporting brands and companies, Johnson said: “Those partnerships — where an athlete decides to partner with a brand that shares their values — can be extremely helpful for an athlete when they make that decision to use their voice if they have that sort of support.”
He compared...
- 6/22/2023
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Biopics about star athletes or artists tend to have the same broad shape: the rise to achievement and fame, the fall from triumph (often fueled by some combination of addiction and ego), the restoration to a harder-won glory. A great biopic, like “Get on Up” or “I, Tonya,” will tease a profound portrait of the subject out of that form; a middling one will oversimplify the subject just to hit the right beats. But then there’s a film like “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.” That’s not a movie title — it’s the title of a parable. And it’s well chosen, since “Big George Foreman” is about a life that feels so outlandishly ready-made for the ups and downs, the lessons and inspirations, of the superstar biopic genre that you don’t even have to mess with it.
- 4/27/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: A ban on drag performances in public places has been enacted in Tennessee, and more than a dozen other states may follow suit, a movement predicated on the fear that children who might glimpse such a show would be scarred by it. But an upcoming documentary defies that demonization by portraying drag performers as a force for good in their community.
Emmy-winning media company World of Wonder and Gatekeeper Productions today announced they have wrapped production on The Little Pageant That Could, a feature documentary that chronicles the journey of L.A.’s Best in Drag Show to support the Alliance for Housing and Healing.
“The event, which started as a spur-of-the-moment spoof of Miss America thrown by a few twenty-something friends in a tiny West Hollywood apartment in 1990, grew to become L.A.’s longest-running drag benefit including appearances by A-list actors,...
Emmy-winning media company World of Wonder and Gatekeeper Productions today announced they have wrapped production on The Little Pageant That Could, a feature documentary that chronicles the journey of L.A.’s Best in Drag Show to support the Alliance for Housing and Healing.
“The event, which started as a spur-of-the-moment spoof of Miss America thrown by a few twenty-something friends in a tiny West Hollywood apartment in 1990, grew to become L.A.’s longest-running drag benefit including appearances by A-list actors,...
- 3/20/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Micky Dolenz was thrust into the role of The Monkees drummer after being cast as a member of the NBC series alongside Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones. Although a proficient guitarist, Dolenz never sat behind a drum kit before the series began. Once it became successful, The Monkees were expected to play live on tour, despite never recording together. Micky Dolenz developed an arsenal of tricks to stay on beat. Here are three of them.
Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork made up The Monkees | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Micky Dolenz used a different setup than most drummers
Per an interview with Modern Drummer, Micky Dolenz admitted to modifying his drumset for him to keep on the beat. This switch was done to assist Dolenz after a lingering childhood health issue caused him physical discomfort.
Dolenz set up his kit in a unique way.
Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork made up The Monkees | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Micky Dolenz used a different setup than most drummers
Per an interview with Modern Drummer, Micky Dolenz admitted to modifying his drumset for him to keep on the beat. This switch was done to assist Dolenz after a lingering childhood health issue caused him physical discomfort.
Dolenz set up his kit in a unique way.
- 3/18/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
This week has seen the frequent replay of one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history – the black power salute by two brave black athletes, when they took to the winners’ podium in Mexico 1968. But another man was there, too.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in Mexico, while Peter Norman wore a human rights button
200-metre gold and bronze medallists Tommie Smith and John Carlos were booed and thrown out of the stadium for bringing politics into the Games, but their names were engraved on the hearts of every black person in America.
But there was another man standing on the podium that day, the Australian silver medallist Peter Norman, and his fate was sealed then, too. As bronze medallist John Carlos remembers, "The only thing he did wrong was to strive to be the best he could be, in a race that Tommie Smith and I happened to be in.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in Mexico, while Peter Norman wore a human rights button
200-metre gold and bronze medallists Tommie Smith and John Carlos were booed and thrown out of the stadium for bringing politics into the Games, but their names were engraved on the hearts of every black person in America.
But there was another man standing on the podium that day, the Australian silver medallist Peter Norman, and his fate was sealed then, too. As bronze medallist John Carlos remembers, "The only thing he did wrong was to strive to be the best he could be, in a race that Tommie Smith and I happened to be in.
- 7/30/2012
- by Caroline Frost
- Huffington Post
This week sees the Oscar-winning Jean Dujardin (The Artist) in his follow-up performance, The Players, the 18-rated comedy that promises a very different side to his silent-film award-winning performance. We are also treated to the Carnegie Hall performance of blind pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, who performed late last year a fantastic array of pieces, including one of his own, written in dedication to the memory of the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March last year.
My picks of the week:
The omnibus comedy, with multiple directors, The Players.
Nobuyuki Tsuki: Live at Carnegie Hall.
The Players Iframe Embed for Youtube
DVD
After taking the Oscar for Best Actor earlier this year in The Artist, Jean Dujardin returns behind and in front of the camera in The Players (Les Infidèles), a series of vignettes based on the theme of male infidelity.
As you can imagine, it looks to be...
My picks of the week:
The omnibus comedy, with multiple directors, The Players.
Nobuyuki Tsuki: Live at Carnegie Hall.
The Players Iframe Embed for Youtube
DVD
After taking the Oscar for Best Actor earlier this year in The Artist, Jean Dujardin returns behind and in front of the camera in The Players (Les Infidèles), a series of vignettes based on the theme of male infidelity.
As you can imagine, it looks to be...
- 7/30/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The best side-effect of the impending Olympics is the retrieval of these two outstanding films. Norman's small-scale Australian documentary of 2008 and Hudson's sublime 1981 Oscar winner help us soar over the commercialism, the greed, the exploitation and the hypocrisy of what the Games have become. Salute looks at the story behind the iconic photograph in which the African-American political activists, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, respectively the gold and bronze winners in the 200 metres at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, raised their gloved fists in the Black Power salutes on the podium. The Australian silver medallist Peter Norman showed his solidarity by wearing an officially proscribed Olympic Project for Human Rights badge. All three suffered ostracism for their actions but, brought together by Norman's nephew two years before his uncle's death in 2006, none of them regretted their actions.
Peter Norman was a Christian, an officer in the Salvation Army, a man of principle,...
Peter Norman was a Christian, an officer in the Salvation Army, a man of principle,...
- 7/14/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
This week’s box office was absolutely dominated by The Amazing Spider-Man, to the point where all other films may as well not even have bothered. Marc Webb’s web-slinging reboot took a whopping £11million in its opening weekend on release.
To put that into context, the movie in second place this week, Ice Age 4 (still not technically released yet), took around £700,000 in the same time, which means, if my rudimentary maths is correct, that Spidey took over £10 million more than it’s nearest rival….. *gets out calculator and makes sure*….yes, £10 million. It’s already on course to be one of the box office smashes of the year with perhaps only Avengers Assemble and The Dark Knight Rises expecting to take a larger haul. Critics have been resoundingly positive, and while few are totally raving about the movie, it seems to have more than justified the studios decision...
To put that into context, the movie in second place this week, Ice Age 4 (still not technically released yet), took around £700,000 in the same time, which means, if my rudimentary maths is correct, that Spidey took over £10 million more than it’s nearest rival….. *gets out calculator and makes sure*….yes, £10 million. It’s already on course to be one of the box office smashes of the year with perhaps only Avengers Assemble and The Dark Knight Rises expecting to take a larger haul. Critics have been resoundingly positive, and while few are totally raving about the movie, it seems to have more than justified the studios decision...
- 7/13/2012
- by Rob Keeling
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
★★★★☆ The Olympics have long proven to be an excellent stage for socio-political statements. At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, American 200m sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos both raised a black-gloved fist during their medal ceremony to show their support for racial equality. Despite being on the podium that day, Peter Norman's role in the proceedings have gone largely unknown - hence filmmaker Matt Norman (Norman's nephew) taking it upon himself to tell Peter's story with his 2008 doc Salute.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 7/11/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Mexico’s 1968 Summer Olympics are best remembered not for the tremendous physical displays, but rather for the now-iconic Black Power salute given by two black American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on the winner’s podium. The star of this story, however, is the third man on the podium, Peter Norman, the white Australian who stood in support of their actions, donning an “Olympic Project for Human Rights” badge, as would make headlines worldwide.
In the late sixties, a time of great change and also of great peril, the fallout to these men and their stand naturally proved contentious. Director Matt Norman, Peter Norman’s nephew, manages to, through extensive archive footage and intimate interviews with the subjects, immerse us fully in the time and place of this delicate period of social unrest.
Norman gives us a well-rounded, three-act delivery of the events, beginning with...
Mexico’s 1968 Summer Olympics are best remembered not for the tremendous physical displays, but rather for the now-iconic Black Power salute given by two black American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on the winner’s podium. The star of this story, however, is the third man on the podium, Peter Norman, the white Australian who stood in support of their actions, donning an “Olympic Project for Human Rights” badge, as would make headlines worldwide.
In the late sixties, a time of great change and also of great peril, the fallout to these men and their stand naturally proved contentious. Director Matt Norman, Peter Norman’s nephew, manages to, through extensive archive footage and intimate interviews with the subjects, immerse us fully in the time and place of this delicate period of social unrest.
Norman gives us a well-rounded, three-act delivery of the events, beginning with...
- 7/11/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
If you prefer something a little more grown-up and historical than the Monsters University teaser earlier today, how about Salute? A documentary about events at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, it hits cinemas in the UK just ahead of this year's Games, on July 13. And we have an exclusive new trailer for it here. brightcove.createExperiences();The story, as you may have gathered, concerns what happened on the podium following the 200m race that year. The Gold and Bronze medalists, Tommie Smith and John Carlos respectively, raised their arms in a salute similar to the Black Power salute (they describe it as a human rights salute), while Silver medalist Peter Norman wore a badge supporting the statement. All three faced controversy and criticism for the move afterwards.Salute is directed by Matt Norman, Peter's nephew, and looks at both the statement itself and its aftermath. While it's been around...
- 6/20/2012
- EmpireOnline
It.s a 2008 documentary but Salute has been sold to Arrow Films for an imminent UK theatrical release because of its relevance to the Olympic Games, which kick off in London on July 27.
Salute is about a very symbolic event in the history of African-America civil rights and the part played in that event by champion Australian sprinter Peter Norman.
It was in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City that Tommie Smith won the 200 metres, Norman came second and John Carlos came third . and all hell broke loose in sporting circles when the two Americans raised their fists in support of black power after accepting their medals.
What happened on the podium that day was highly controversial because many saw it as politicising the Olympics and all three sprinters paid the price, including Norman, who made it clear he supported his fellow runners. Norman died in 2006 and never ran for his country again.
Salute is about a very symbolic event in the history of African-America civil rights and the part played in that event by champion Australian sprinter Peter Norman.
It was in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City that Tommie Smith won the 200 metres, Norman came second and John Carlos came third . and all hell broke loose in sporting circles when the two Americans raised their fists in support of black power after accepting their medals.
What happened on the podium that day was highly controversial because many saw it as politicising the Olympics and all three sprinters paid the price, including Norman, who made it clear he supported his fellow runners. Norman died in 2006 and never ran for his country again.
- 5/7/2012
- by Sandy George
- IF.com.au
As expected, Tate Taylor's "The Help" won big at the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards. The film won Outstanding Picture of the Year with Viola Davis winning Outstanding Actress and Octavia Spencer taking home the Outstanding Supporting Actress award. Taylor lost to "Jumping the Broom's" Salim Akil for Best Director because apparently, it's a better picture than "The Help!"
Here's the complete list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards (To visit other award-giving bodies, check out our Awards Avenue coverage right here)
Motion Picture
Outstanding Motion Picture
.Jumping the Broom. (TriStar Pictures)
.Pariah. (Focus Features)
.The First Grader. (National Geographic
Entertainment)
*** .The Help. (DreamWorks Pictures/
Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
.Tower Heist. (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy . .Tower Heist.
(Universal Pictures)
Laurence Fishburne . .Contagion.
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
*** Laz Alonso . .Jumping the Broom.
(TriStar Pictures)
Oliver Litondo . .The First...
Here's the complete list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards (To visit other award-giving bodies, check out our Awards Avenue coverage right here)
Motion Picture
Outstanding Motion Picture
.Jumping the Broom. (TriStar Pictures)
.Pariah. (Focus Features)
.The First Grader. (National Geographic
Entertainment)
*** .The Help. (DreamWorks Pictures/
Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)
.Tower Heist. (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy . .Tower Heist.
(Universal Pictures)
Laurence Fishburne . .Contagion.
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
*** Laz Alonso . .Jumping the Broom.
(TriStar Pictures)
Oliver Litondo . .The First...
- 2/19/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
"The Help" continued its hot streak during awards season by being the big winner at the 2012 NAACP Image Awards. The DreamWorks movie took home acting trophies for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, plus Outstanding Motion Picture.
The complete list of winners:
Motion Picture Categories
Outstanding Motion Picture
"Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)
"Pariah" (Focus Features)
"The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)
"The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures)
"Tower Heist" (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy - "Tower Heist" (Universal Pictures)
Laurence Fishburne - "Contagion" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Laz Alonso - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)
Oliver Litondo - "The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)
Vin Diesel - "Fast Five" (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Adepero Oduye - "Pariah" (Focus Features)
Emma Stone - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures)
Paula Patton - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)
Viola Davis - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures)
Zoë Saldana -...
The complete list of winners:
Motion Picture Categories
Outstanding Motion Picture
"Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)
"Pariah" (Focus Features)
"The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)
"The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures)
"Tower Heist" (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy - "Tower Heist" (Universal Pictures)
Laurence Fishburne - "Contagion" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Laz Alonso - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)
Oliver Litondo - "The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)
Vin Diesel - "Fast Five" (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Adepero Oduye - "Pariah" (Focus Features)
Emma Stone - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures)
Paula Patton - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)
Viola Davis - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures)
Zoë Saldana -...
- 2/18/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
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