DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 93RD OSCARS® ANNOUNCED
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced feature films eligible for consideration in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®. Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility. Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Two hundred thirty-eight features are eligible for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 93rd Academy Awards. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
Documentary features that have won a qualifying award or have been programmed at qualifying film festivals or have been submitted in the International Feature Film category as their country’s official selection are also eligible in the category. Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. A shortlist of 15 films was announced on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
93RD ACADEMY AWARDS® ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE CATEGORY:
“Acasa, My Home”
“Addicted to Ralphie”
“Aggie”
“All I Can Say”
“All In: The Fight for Democracy”
“The American Sector”
“American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself”
“America’s Forgotten”
“The Antidote”
“Apocalypse ’45”
“The Art of Living in Danger”
“The Art of Political Murder”
“Assassins”
“Aswang”
“Athlete A”
“Babenco - Tell Me When I Die”
“Be Water”
“Beastie Boys Story”
“Beautiful Something Left Behind”
“Becoming”
“Bedlam”
“Belly of the Beast”
“Belushi”
“Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint”
“The Big Scary “S” Word”
“Billie”
“Black Boys”
“Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”
“The Booksellers”
“Born to Be”
“Boys State”
“Bulletproof”
“Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn”
“Capital in the Twenty-First Century”
“Chicago: America’s Hidden War”
“Childhood 2.0”
“Chuck Berry”
“Circus of Books”
“City Dream”
“City Hall”
“Coded Bias”
“Collective”
“Colombia in My Arms”
“Coming Clean”
“Coronation”
“Coup 53”
“Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words”
“Creem: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine”
“Crip Camp”
“Crock of Gold - A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan”
“The Curve”
“Dads”
“Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time”
“David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”
“Days of Cannibalism”
“Dear Santa”
“Death Protocol”
“Descent”
“Desert One”
“Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy”
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”
“Disclosure”
“The Dissident”
“The Dog Doc”
“The Donut King”
“Dope Is Death”
“Down a Dark Stairwell”
“Downstream to Kinshasa”
“The Earth Is Blue as an Orange”
“Elementa”
“Ending Disease”
“Epicentro”
“Erased,___Ascent of the Invisible”
“Escape from Extinction”
“Everybody Flies”
“F11 and Be There”
“Fandango at the Wall”
“Father Soldier Son”
“Feels Good Man”
“The Fight”
“Find Your Groove”
“Finding Yingying”
“Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds”
“First Vote”
“First We Eat”
“Flannery”
“For They Know Not What They Do”
“The Forbidden Reel”
“40 Years a Prisoner”
“Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb”
“Freedia Got a Gun”
“The Ghost of Peter Sellers”
“Giving Voice”
“A Glitch in the Matrix”
“The Go-Go’s”
“Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind”
“Gunda”
“Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something”
“He Dreams of Giants”
“House of Cardin”
“The Human Factor”
“Human Nature”
“I Am Greta”
“I Am Not Alone”
“I Owe You a Letter about Brazil”
“iHuman”
“In My Skin”
“Indian Space Dreams”
“The Infiltrators”
“Influence”
“(In)Visible Portraits”
“Irmi”
“Irradiés (Irradiated)”
“Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President”
“John Lewis: Good Trouble”
“Journey to Royal: A World War II Rescue Mission”
“Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl”
“A Kid from Coney Island”
“Kingdom of Silence”
“Kings of Capitol Hill”
“Kiss the Ground”
“La Madrina: The Savage Life of Lorine Padilla”
“Lance”
“Landfall”
“The Last Blockbuster”
“Last Call for Tomorrow”
“Lennox: The Untold Story”
“Lessons of Love”
“The Letter”
“Libelu - Down with the Dictatorship”
“Life Is Deadly”
“Lift Like a Girl”
“Lost Course”
“Lost in Face”
“Love Child”
“MLK/FBI”
“Made You Look: A True Story about Fake Art”
“Man in the Arena”
“Martin Margiela: In His Own Words”
“Mayor”
“Mighty Ira”
“Miss Americana”
“Mr. Soul!”
“The Mole Agent”
“The Monster inside Me”
“A Most Beautiful Thing”
“Mother to Earth: The Untold Story of Earth Bound”
“Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado”
“My Darling Supermarket”
“My Darling Vivian”
“My Octopus Teacher”
“My People: The Jews of Greece”
“My Psychedelic Love Story”
“My Rembrandt”
“Napoli Eden”
“Narciso Em Férias”
“Nasrin”
“The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel”
“9/11 Kids”
“915”
“9to5: The Story of a Movement”
“Notturno”
“Oliver Sacks: His Own Life”
“Olympia”
“On the Record”
“Once upon a Time in Venezuela”
“Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band”
“Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles”
“Our Time Machine”
“Pahokee”
“The Painter and the Thief”
“A Pandemic: Away from the Motherland”
“The Phenomenon”
“Planet of the Humans”
“The Plot against the President”
“The Pollinators”
“The Power of Movement”
“Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton”
“Public Trust”
“Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack”
“The Reason I Jump”
“Rebuilding Paradise”
“Red Penguins”
“Reunited”
“Rewind”
“The Right Girls”
“Ringside”
“Rising Phoenix”
“River City Drumbeat”
“River Tales”
“Runner”
“Searching for Mr. Rugoff”
“Self Portrait”
“17 Blocks The Final Cut”
“76 Days”
“Sky Blossom”
“Slay the Dragon”
“The Social Dilemma”
“Softie”
“Some Kind of Heaven”
“Songs of Repression”
“Soros”
“Spaceship Earth”
“Stars and Strife”
“The State of Texas vs. Melissa”
“Stray”
“Strip Down, Rise Up”
“System K”
“They Call Me Babu”
“This Is Not a Movie”
“This Is Paris”
“A Thousand Cuts”
“Through the Night”
“Time”
“The Times of Bill Cunningham”
“Totally under Control”
“Transhood”
“The Truffle Hunters”
“Trust Me”
“Uncle Tom”
“#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump”
“Us Kids”
“WBCN and the American Revolution”
“The Walrus and the Whistleblower”
“The Way I See It”
“We Are the Radical Monarchs”
“We Don’t Deserve Dogs”
“Welcome to Chechnya”
“White Noise”
“Who Is Gatsby Randolph”
“Wild Daze”
“Wim Wenders: Desperado”
“With Drawn Arms”
“A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem”
“Women in Blue”
“You Cannot Kill David Arquette”
“Yusuf Hawkins: Storm over Brooklyn”
“Zappa”
All dates and rules for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.
The 93rd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
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Sunday, February 14, 2021
238 Films Were Eligible for "Documentary Feature Film" Category at 93rd Oscars
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 7th to 13th, 2021- Update #23
by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:
ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
SCANDAL - From Deadline: Jose Melina, a writer on Joss Whedon's late Fox series, "Firefly," joins the chorus of people criticizing Whedon's behavior towards the people with whom he worked.
MOVIES - From Variety: If the big-tent summer movies have to be moved again because of COVID-19, who will blink first: Disney with "Black Widow" or Universal with "F9?"
STREAMING - From Variety: The 2005 hit Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," will be transformed into an Amazon streaming TV series. Emmy winners, Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, will play the leads and executive produce the series.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: "CSI: Vegas," the sequel to the long-running, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," has added three new members to its cast. The series is close to a formal straight-to-series order from CBS. William Petersen and Jorja Fox are finalizing their deals to join the new series.
STREAMING - From BleedingCool: The "Chappelle Show" is streaming on Netflix again, and Dave Chappelle says that he has settled his dispute with ViacomCBS and paid him "millions of dollars."
SCANDAL - From Variety: Charisma Carpenter alleges Joss Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions” while she performed on Whedon’s series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.”
POLITICS - From Nada: Sunday, February 7, 2021 was the end of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse’s term, according to the constitution. He refuses to step down...
ANIMATION - From Variety: HBO Max has ordered an animated series starring classic "Scooby-Doo" character, Velma Dinkley.
ACADEMY AWARDS - From Variety: More details about the 2021 Academy Awards are emerging, including that it will broadcast live from multiple locations.
MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered: Neil Marshall, who directed the "Hellboy" reboot, says his next film will mix elements of "Alien," "Predator," and "Dog Soldiers."
STREAMING - From Deadline: Universal’s hit The Best Man movie franchise is getting a new installment as a streaming series. Peacock has ordered a 10-episode limited dramedy series The Best Man: The Final Chapters from the movies’ writer and director Malcolm D. Lee and former Insecure executive producer Dayna Lynne North. The core original cast will return.
ANIMATION - From Deadline: The Walt Disney Company is shutting down "Blue Sky Studios," the animation unit it acquired when Disney acquired 20th Century Studios and its assets. Blue Sky is best known for the "Ice Age" computer-animated film franchise.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith join Chris Pine in Hasbro/eOne and Paramount's "Dungeons & Dragons" film.
MOVIES - From BleedingCool: Director Tate Taylor says that he has an idea for a sequel to his hit horror film, "MA," and that star Octavia Spencer is on board.
ANIMATION - From Deadline: Fox Entertainment has given a formal series order to a new animated series from Dan Harmon ("Rick & Morty") and the Fox-owned animation studio, Bento Box.
STREAMING - From Deadline: Michael B. Jordan and his Outlier Society production company has signed a TV deal with Amazon. Part of that deal is a Muhammad Ali TV series.
BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: The winner of the 2/5 to 2/7/2021 weekend box office is "The Little Things" with a estimated take of 2.1 million dollars.
MOVIES - From VanityFair: Cathy Yan, who directed last year's "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)," has announced that her next film is "The Freshening." The film "will ponder a medically-induced post-racial world."
SPORTS-CELEBRITY - From YahooSports: During his acceptance speech after winning the 2020-21 NFL MVP award, Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, announces that he is engaged to marry acclaimed film actress, Shailene Woodley.
MOVIES - From TheBeat: On February 9th, 2021 at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, an online event being held on Zoom by the University of Pittsburgh Libraries will give fans of George A. Romero a chance to peek inside the George A. Romero Archival Collection!
OBITS:
From YahooEntertainment: American businessman, magazine publisher and adult entertainment media mogul, Larry Flynt, has died at the age of 78, Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Flynt was best known for creating the monthly pornographic magazine, "Hustler," which began publication in 1974 after being expanded from the "Hustler Newsletter," which promoted Flynt's clubs.
From RollingStone: African-American singer, Mary Wilson, has died at the age of 76, Monday, February 8, 2021. Wilson was a co-founder of the legendary girl group, "The Supremes." She appeared on all 12 of the group's Billboard #1 hits.
From ExtraTV: Former college and NFL football player and actor, Mike Henry, died at the age of 84, January 8, 2021. Henry played football at USC, before being drafted into the NFL by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After playing 3 seasons with the Steelers, Henry played three seasons for the Los Angeles Rams. Henry's big break in acting came when he starred in a trilogy of mid-1960s "Tarzan" films, but he declined to continue the role in a subsequent television series. Henry may be best known for playing the role of "Junior Justice" in the "Smokey and the Bandit" films.
From CNN: Former American professional boxer, Leon Spinks, has died at the age of 67, Friday, February 5, 2021. Spinks was best known for defeating Muhammad Ali in February 1978 in a 15-round split decision match to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion. In the September 1978 rematch, Ali would defeat Spinks. Spinks won the light heavyweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He was also a U.S. Marine from 1973 to 1976.
BET Brings Tyler Perry's "The Oval" and "Madea" to Tues., Feb. 16tj
BET to Air Mega Night of Tyler Perry Must-Watch Originals With the Return of “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” and the World Television Debut of “Madea’s Farewell Play” Airing Tuesday, February 16, 2021
“Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play” Will Kick off the Television Event at 8 PM ET/PT Followed by the Return of Hit-Series “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” All New and Moving to Tuesdays
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET announced the premiere date of the much-anticipated original drama “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” season two and the television debut of acclaimed stage play “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play” airing Tuesday, February 16, 2021 starting at 8 PM ET/PT. “The Oval” was the #1 new series for African Americans P2+ on cable in calendar year 2020*. “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” season two returns Tuesday, February 16, at a special time 10:30 PM ET/PT. The series will then move to its regular time slot of 9 PM ET/PT starting Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Come home to BET for a night of Black joy, entertainment and more of the Tyler Perry content we all can’t get enough of!
About “Tyler Perry’s The Oval” season two airing on a *NEW* night TUESDAYS on BET & BET Her:
The one-hour drama, “Tyler Perry’s The Oval,” returns with its second jaw-breaking season and lifts the veil of what can happen when the leader of the free world, his wife and family are crazed maniacs. The series also highlights the personal side and everyday lives of the staff who run the inner workings of the nation’s most iconic residence. The talented ensemble cast for season two includes Ed Quinn, Kron Moore, Paige Hurd, Daniel Croix Henderson, Javon Johnson, Ptosha Storey, Vaughn Hebron, Teesha Renee, Lodric Collins, Ciera Payton, Taja V. Simpson, Walter Fauntleroy, Brad Benedict, Travis Cure, Matthew Law, Bill Barrett and Derek A. Dixon star in the 22-episodes original series.
“Tyler Perry’s The Oval” is executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed will also serve as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios.
About “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play”:
In Tyler Perry’s final stage run as Madea, he pulls together some of his audience’s favorite characters for a family gathering. Madea, Mr. Brown, Cora, and Aunt Bam are all under one roof for over two hours of pure joy. Madea is in rare form, as she tries to support her great-grandchildren, and daughter Cora. While at her granddaughter’s home, Madea uses her combination of tough love and old southern wisdom to help the family navigate their new normal. All seems fine until Mr. Brown takes a trip that leaves audiences in stitches. As always, Perry’s blend of incredible music and laugh out loud moments make the “Madea’s Farewell Play” great food for the soul.
“Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play” stars Tyler Perry as Madea, Cassi Davis Patton as Betty Ann "Aunt Bam" Murphy, David Mann as Leroy Brown, Tamela Mann as Cora Jean Simmons-Brown, Kwaylon Rogers (BlameitonKway) as Tiffany "TiTi" Samuels, Alexis Hollins as Darlene Samuels, Anthony Lewis as Devin, Jacobi Brown as Malik Samuels, Ashlee B. Gillum as Robin, Walter Fauntleroy as Omar, RaVaughn Brown as Sylvia, and Kendrick Mays as William Samuels. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play” launched exclusively on BET+ in August 2020.
“Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play” is executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed and Mark E. Swinton will also serve as executive producers for Tyler Perry Studios.
For more information, viewers can log on to BET.com and join the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #TheOvalOnBET and #FarewellMadea on all social platforms.
*Source: Nielsen Live + SD, Live+3 for timeslot claims, Premieres airing M-Sun 7p-12a, 1/1/20-12/13/20, excluding sports, news, kids, Spanish-nets, rankings on impressions (000), 4+ telecast min (2+ on timeslot claims)
ABOUT BET:
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.
ABOUT TYLER PERRY STUDIOS:
Tyler Perry Studios is a state-of-the-art film and television production facility founded in 2006 by actor, producer, filmmaker, playwright, and philanthropist Tyler Perry. Located in Atlanta, Georgia on the historic grounds of the former Fort McPherson army base, the new 330-acre campus is one of the largest production studios in the country. It boasts a variety of shooting locations including 40 buildings on the national register of historic places, 12 purpose-built sound stages, 200 acres of green space and an expansive backlot.
Friday, February 12, 2021
#28DaysofBlack Review: "A Madea Family Funeral"
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 of 2021 (No. 1751) by Leroy Douresseaux
A Madea Family Funeral (2019)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude sexual content, language, and drug references throughout
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
PRODUCERS: Ozzie Areu, Will Areu, Tyler Perry, and Mark E. Swinton
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Richard Vialet (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Larry Sexton
COMPOSER: Philip White
COMEDY
Starring: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Jen Harper, Courtney Burrell, Ciera Payton, Rome Flynn, KJ Smith, Aeriél Miranda, David Otunga, Quin Walters, Ary Katz, and Derek Morgan
A Madea Family Funeral is a 2019 comedy-drama from writer-director Tyler Perry. It is the eleventh and (supposedly) final film in the Madea film series. A Madea Family Funeral focuses on an anniversary celebration that unexpectedly turns into a funeral that unveils unsavory family secrets.
A Madea Family Funeral opens in the home of Vianne (Jen Harper) and Anthony Thompson (Derek Morgan). Their children are planning a surprise party to celebrate their parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Sylvia (Ciera Payton) is with her husband, Will (David Otunga). Carol (KJ Smith), who is married to older brother, A.J. (Courtney Burrell), is awaiting his arrival. Younger brother, Jesse (Rome Flynn), is awaiting the arrival of his fiancé, Gia (Aeriél Miranda).
Meanwhile Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Tyler Perry), Uncle Joe (Tyler Perry), Betty Ann Murphy a.k.a. “Aunt Bam” (Cassi Davis), Hattie (Patrice Lovely), and Joe's son, Brian Simmons (Tyler Perry), are also traveling to the reunion. Vianne and Anthony's family is also the family of Madea and Joe's brother, Heathrow (Tyler Perry), a lecherous, wheelchair bound Vietnam veteran.
Not long after Madea and company arrive at their hotel, they discover that A.J. is also there with Gia, with whom he is having an affair. Even more shocking is that they discover that Anthony is in a room next to A.J. and Gia's and is engaged in kinky sex with Renee (Quin Walters), a friend of both Vianne and Anthony's. Anthony suffers a heart attack from the sexual activity and is taken to a hospital where he dies.
Now, Madea is charged with planning Anthony's funeral, which Vianne wants to occur in two days. In the meantime, Anthony's secret life and the secrets of his two sons threaten to spill over.
A Madea Family Funeral qualifies as a dramatic film because of the secrets and lies and melodrama that apparently have long been a part of Vianne and Anthony's family. Writer-director Tyler Perry deals with this the way he normally does – with soap opera, gospel theatrics, and Christian philosophizing. Still, this family drama is pretty dark, and I do credit Perry for once again telling a story about mothers who make tough choices in order to provide for, to protect, and to keep their families together. What might seem like weakness and stupidity might actually be strength and practicality.
A Madea Family Funeral is a comedy because of … well, because of Madea, Joe, Aunt Bam, and Hattie. I have to be honest; I think much of the humor in this film as being an inappropriate match for the dramatic side of this film. Still, I found myself vigorously laughing through more than half this film. In a way, Anthony's funeral becomes a hilarious nightmare, both because of the unsavory family secrets and because of Madea and company. But, hell, sometimes laughter helps a family get through a funeral, especially a hot mess of a death and funeral like Anthony's.
If A Madea Family Funeral is indeed the final Madea film, I can say that it went out on a relatively high note. Perry gives us his trademark Christian moralizing, and Madea gives us the shameless, shameful comedy. Truthfully, only Tyler Perry could be Madea, so there can be no other true Madea films unless he makes them. So I hope A Madea Family Funeral doesn't put the Madea film franchise to rest.
7 of 10
B+
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, February 11, 2021
#28DaysofBlack Review: Denzel and Viola Tear it Up in "FENCES"
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 12 of 2021 (No. 1750) by Leroy Douresseaux
Fences (2016)
Running time: 139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some suggestive references
DIRECTOR: Denzel Washington
WRITER: August Wilson (based upon his play, Fences)
PRODUCERS: Todd Black, Scott Rudin, and Denzel Washington
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Charlotte Bruus Christensen (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Hughes Winborne
COMPOSER: Marcelo Zarvos
Academy Award winner
DRAMA
Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sidney
Fences is a 2016 period drama film directed by Denzel Washington. It is based on playwright, August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fences (1985). Wilson also wrote the film adaptation's screenplay before he died in 2005 at the age of 60. Fences focuses on a working-class African-American father in the 1950s who tries to come to terms with the events of his troubled life.
Fences opens in 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and introduces 53-year-old Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington). Troy lives with his wife, Rose Lee Maxson (Viola Davis), and their son, Cory (Jovan Adepo). Troy works as a garbage collector alongside his best friend, Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson). Troy has a younger brother, Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), who sustained a head injury in World War II that left him mentally impaired. Gabriel received a $3,000 government payout that Troy subsequently used as a down payment on a home for his family. Troy sometimes wonders if he has done right by Gabriel, who now lives at “Miss Pearl's house.”
Troy also has an adult son from a previous relationship, Lyons Maxson (Russell Hornsby), an apparently talented musician who visits Troy on payday when he wants to borrow money. Troy's relationship with Lyons is strained, as are his relationships with just about everyone else. Troy is especially bitter about his professional baseball career. He played professionally in the Negro Leagues, but never played Major League Baseball, which had a “color barrier” until 1947 that prohibited Black players from joining the majors. Now, Troy refuses to give permission for Cory to play football because he does not want the teen to fail in sports as he did … he says. This decision, his general contrarian ways, and his rancor about his life is pushing his family and friends away from him.
Fences is the sixth play in August Wilson's ten-part, “Pittsburgh Cycle,” of plays. Like all the plays in the cycle, Fences explores the evolving African-American experience and examines race relations, among other themes. Back in the late 1980s, actor Eddie Murphy had the film rights to Fences, but his planned film never came about. Wilson and Murphy clashed over Wilson's insistence that the film adaptation of Fences be directed by an African-American because, more or less, only a black man could understand Troy Maxson's life. At least, that is how I remember the behind-the-scenes happenings concerning Murphy's planed Fences film.
Watching Denzel Washington play Troy Maxson made me realize how universal Fences action and especially its themes are. Washington is one of the film's producers as well as being the director, so he could make the film he wanted, and he filmed Fences in the city of Pittsburgh, where it is set. It seems to me that Washington made Fences in its original setting, but played Troy Maxson and presented his world as a story in which audiences, practically from around the world and most certainly in the United States, could recognize and even identify.
Troy isn't just bitter about not being a Major League Baseball player; he is also always yearning. Troy knows what he's got, but surpassing that is the desire to have more. It is as if he is constantly thinking, “I have a good wife, son, home, and job, but …” I have never seen Fences the play or read its text, so I am assuming that Fences the film is true to its source. However, I interpret Fences the film as revealing that Troy's biggest obstacle isn't race, but is him always believing that what he has now will no longer make him happy, if it ever did. He always believes that if he gets this “next thing” he will be happy or, at least, happier than he is at the present.
Washington's performance as Troy Maxson in his film, Fences, is a performance for the ages. If this isn't his best acting, it is his best since The Hurricane. And what do you know, Washington was nominated for the “Best Actor” Oscar for his performances in both Fences and The Hurricane, and he lost to actors who gave good but inferior performances to Washington's.
At least, Viola Davis finally won an Oscar – for “Best Supporting Actress” – for her performance in Fences. She was long overdue, and in Fences, as Rose Maxson, she grounds the story and keeps Washington and Troy Maxson from dominating the entire story. Some thought that Davis should have been nominated in the lead actress category, but Rose Maxson is a supporting character in this film. Fences the film needs Viola Davis and Rose Maxson's support.
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, and Mykelti Williamson give some of the best performances of their careers. I have no doubt that Henderson would have been nominated in the “Best Supporting Actor” category if he were a white actor...
That's okay. All these black folks make Fences a major cinematic accomplishment. They make it an African-American experience writ large, and anyone who can comprehend a movie, regardless of ethnic background, can take into Fences into his or her soul.
10 of 10
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
NOTES:
2017 Academy Awards, USA: 1 winner: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Viola Davis); 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Todd Black, Scott Rudin, and Denzel Washington), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Denzel Washington), and “Best Adapted Screenplay” (August Wilson-Posthumously)
2017 Golden Globes, USA: 1 winner: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Viola Davis) and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Denzel Washington)
2017 BAFTA Awards: 1 winner: “Best Supporting Actress” (Viola Davis)
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27 Animated Films Eligible for 93rd Academy Awards
ANIMATED, FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 93RD OSCARS® ANNOUNCED
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the feature films eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®. Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility. Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Twenty-seven features are eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
To determine the five nominees, members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch are automatically eligible to vote in the category. Academy members outside of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture.
93RD ACADEMY AWARDS®ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE ANIMATED FEATURE FILM CATEGORY:
“Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus”
“Bombay Rose”
“Calamity”
“The Croods: A New Age”
“Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba-The Movie: Mugen Train”
“Dreambuilders”
“Earwig and the Witch”
“Kill It and Leave This Town”
“Lupin III: The First”
“Mosley”
“My Favorite War”
“Nos Ili Zagovor Ne Takikh”
“No.7 Cherry Lane”
“On-Gaku: Our Sound”
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Red Shoes and theSeven Dwarfs”
“Ride Your Wave”
“Scoob!”
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”
“Soul”
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run”
“Terra Willy”
“Trolls World Tour”
“A Whisker Away”
“The Willoughbys”
“Wolfwalkers”
All dates and rules for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.
The 93rd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Fantagraphics to Publish Ed Piskor's "Red Room" Sci-Fi Horror Comic
Ed Piskor’s Red Room Comics to be Published by Fantagraphics
Murder on the dark web, for fun and profit! A shared universe of sci-fi horror debuts In May with an oversized 64-page first issue.
SEATTLE, WA—Eisner Award-winning, indie cartoonist Ed Piskor is releasing Red Room, an ambitious, new sci-fi horror comic with Fantagraphics. Best known for documenting the history of hip hop with the best-selling Hip Hop Family Tree graphic novels and for distilling more than 8,000 pages of Marvel Comics continuity into the seamless masterpiece X-Men Grand Design, Red Room represents a significant milestone for the cartoonist: the creation of his first creator-owned, shared universe. Red Room will debut from Fantagraphics in May with an oversized 64-page first issue.
“Red Room is a cyberpunk, outlaw, splatterpunk comic that you can't unsee once you feast your eyes on the mayhem,” said Piskor. “Think of Red Room as modern day E.C. Comics, infused with the dream of Black Mirror. These are subversive, stand alone stories that are all part of a larger, twisted narrative.”
In Red Room, criminals livestream murders on the dark web for fun and profit. The series will be told through a series of interconnected, stand alone stories, focusing on unsavory characters that lurk in the most grotesque corners of cyberspace. The murders are a mystery, the victims unknown. Aided by the anonymous dark web and nearly untraceable crypto-currency, business is booming and the viewership is ever-growing.
Piskor has been teasing Red Room on Patreon and Cartoonist Kayfabe, his popular podcast with cartoonist Jim Rugg. “We’re going to be talking about Red Room on each and every episode of Cartoonist Kayfabe,” said Jim Rugg. “Comic book shops are going to want to have plenty on hand with issue 1 drops in May.
Red Room will be released in a variety of formats. The series will be published as monthly, four-issue arcs in a standard 32-page comic book format at $3.99 each, with the exception of May’s first issue, which will be a specially priced, 64-page double-sized issue selling for $6.99. In the fall of 2021, the first four issues will be collected into a trade paperback. Once the Red Room saga is complete, there will be a total of 12 single issues and three trade paperbacks.
“This is no-holds-barred cartooning,” said Piskor. “Fantagraphics is the perfect publisher for this book, because Gary Groth is a fighter. I’m going to push the boundaries with this book and I knew I needed to have a publisher that will unequivocally have my back.”
“We’re thrilled to both be continuing our relationship with Ed, who’s given us the perfect opportunity to get back into the monthly comic book periodical business,” said Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. “Red Room peels back the curtain on a shadowy side of humanity. The series is chock full of graphically horrific imagery, punctuated by Ed’s sharp sense of humor, gorgeous cartooning, and dynamic storytelling.”
Red Room #1 is available for pre-order now via Fantagraphics: Fantagraphics.com/products/red-room-1
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