A lesson before dying, stars Oscar nominee Don Cheadle. As I've mentioned before, Don has a unique screen presence. He is a good actor that has been around for a long time. His characters always seem to stand out, no matter how large or small the role.
This weeks film line up, "Q", 8 Mile, KIDS, Defiant Ones, The Birth of a Nation. Thanks for stopping by and remember to keep an open mind.
There used to be a commercial that had kids saying what they wanted to be when they grew up. The ending would be some kid using drugs and the line would be, no body wants to be a drug user. I was 12 or 13 when I read Malcolm X and he became an inspiration for me. Of course growing up catholic you can't just change religions when you're a kid. Spike Lee does an incredible job bring the voice of the nation of Islam to the big screen. It's an incredible film at 3 hrs and 21 minutes. The film got Denzel Washington an Oscar nomination for a great performance. As I round out the Spike Lee retrospective, I watched Get on the bus. I've seen this film many times like that of School Daze. This is now my 2nd best (SL) film dealing with the many aspects of the black race. In this look at the black male and his crusade to find himself on the way to the Million Man March, Spike gives everyone a chance to look at themselves. I highly recommend both of these films if you have not seen them. Rounding out my week of films will be A Lesson before Dying which stars best actor nominee Don Cheadle. I thought Troy would have arrived for me to see it before the Oscars, but it isn't here yet. Next week I'll watch The eternal sunshine of the spotless mind with Jim Carey and I'll list the other films as I make my selection. Thanks for stopping by, Keep an open mind.
It seems interesting that people are worried about Chris Rock being emcee for the 2004 Academy awards which will take place Sunday February 27, 2005. What I like about Chris Rock is that he is sort of like myself. You either love me or you hate me. I don't accept anything in between. Sure people may say there are some things I like about him, but I don't like... Well sometimes that works, but I'm interested in getting messages across and inflicting conversations. It can be about film, photography, sex, and people in general. The point is to get people to talk. We don't converse enough, with each other as strangers, lovers or family. The breakdown of society comes from the fear of communicating. Film communicates to us how the writers, directors, actors and cinematographers feel about a certain subject. Chris Rock is a man on the cutting edge who is on a crusade to do what he wants. I believe in playing by my own rules. Sometimes we do certain things just to get our foot in the door and then we can take it from there. Chris Rock will piss off a few people, but he will give his best shot in making the show as entertaining as he possibly can. A person in the entertainment world can only be as good as the material presented to him. It is not only the host that the Academy has to worry about. How many times have we seen actors show their political views at the podium. Freedom of speech, it's alive and striving. We all have a voice, use it or lose it. My selections for the Oscars are: Best Actor, Don Cheadle, Best Actress Annette Bening, Best Supporting Actor Jamie Foxx, Best Supporting actress Cate Blanchett, Best Director Taylor Hackford, Best Picture Ray, Art Direction The Aviator, Animated film Shark Tales, Cinematorgraphy The Aviator, Costumes Troy, Documentary Born into a Brothel, Editing The Aviator and Visuals I,Robot. If Don Cheadle and Jamie Foxx both win Oscars, history will once again be made. If Taylor Hackford wins and so does Ray that will be another rare moment in Oscar history. Thank you for stopping by and remember to keep an Open Mind, film is a great medium, enjoy it.
