If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Title: If Beale Street Could Talk
Rating: R
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Written by: Barry Jenkins
Based on the book by: James Baldwin
Starring: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Beach, Ed Skrein, Diego Luna, Dave Franco, and Pedro Pascal
Release Date: 12/25/2018
Running Time: 119 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?
Set in early-1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk is a timeless and moving love story of both a couple’s unbreakable bond and the African-American family’s empowering embrace, as told through the eyes of 19-year old Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne). A daughter and wife-to-be, Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny (Stephan James). Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.

Tish knows that Fonny is innocent, and is mindful that his good friend Daniel Carty (Brian Tyree Henry) has only recently been freed after an unjust incarceration. While Fonny’s mother (Aunjanue Ellis) clings to piety and his father (Michael Beach) grapples with feelings of powerlessness, Tish’s earthy father Joseph (Colman Domingo) and fierce older sister Ernestine (Teyonah Parris) are unwavering in their support. Even more anxious to clear Fonny’s name is Tish’s deeply compassionate mother Sharon (Regina King), readying to put herself on the line for her daughter and future son-in-law’s happiness…

…and for the couple’s unborn child, whose arrival will herald new joys and challenges. Facing the unexpected prospect of parenthood and holding down a job without her partner at her side, Tish must adjust her perspective on the realities of her existence. She visits Fonny regularly, trying to shore up his spirit even as prison takes its toll. As the weeks turn to months, Tish reaffirms their hopes and resilience, relying on familial and inner strength.

Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Dedication: FOR JIMMY

Special thanks to Gabe for this submission

I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

Title: I Am Not Your Negro
Rating: PG-13
Directed by: Raoul Peck
Written by: James Baldwin
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin and Dick Cavett
Release Date: 2/3/2017
Running Time: 95 minutes

Official Site
IMDb

What did you think of this film?
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends—Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript.

Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.

Are There Any Extras During The Credits? No

Are There Any Extras After The Credits? No

Tag: James Baldwin

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

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