Comics Review: "GEEK-GIRL, VOL. 2 #8" Fights for the Right to Have House Guests

GEEK-GIRL, VOL. 2 #8
MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES, LTD.

STORY: Sam Johnson
ART: Carlos Granda
COLORS: Chunlin Zhao
LETTERS: Paul McLaren
COVER ARTISTS: Carlos Granda with Chunlin Zhao; Pablo Martinena with Chunlin Zhao
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated T+ / 12+ only

Geek-Girl created by Sam Johnson

“Guests”

Created by Sam Johnson, Geek-Girl is a comic book character that debuted in the 2016 Geek-Girl miniseries,  She returned in a second miniseries, 2018's Geek-Girl Vol. 2, which became an ongoing series.  Geek-Girl Vol. 2 is written by Sam Johnson; drawn by Carlos Granda; colored by Chunlin Zhao; and lettered by Paul McLaren.

Geek-Girl focuses on Ruby Kaye of Acorn Ridge, Maine, a sexy and popular college coed who inadvertently becomes a superhero.  Ruby dons a pair of super-tech pair of eye glasses that gives her super-powers.  Ruby's BFF, Summer James, then talks her into trying to be a superhero, even providing her with a moniker.  Now, Ruby is Maine's newest superhero, “Geek-Girl.”

As Geek-Girl Vol. 2 #8 (“Guests”) opens, Tyler, one of the members of Geek-Girl's new super-team, is exploring their headquarters.  He discovers that the supposed-to-be previous residents are still living in the headquarters, and they can't really leave!  But Digger Mensch wants them gone, so what can Geek-Girl do?

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman has taken an assignment from Paul Trencher to find his former partner, Ethan Drew.  But we know Ethan by a different name.

THE LOWDOWN:  Geek-Girl creator-writer Sam Johnson sends me PDF review copies of the latest issues of Geek-Girl for several years now.  I enjoy reading about Geek-Girl and also encouraging you to give this series a try, dear readers.

As I said in my review of the prior issues (Vol. 2 #5-7), just about any issue of Geek-Girl is a good jumping-on point because Johnson's story and script are simply quite inviting to new readers.  Plus, Johnson has the good sense to include a recap of the series on the inside of the front cover.  Also, Geek-Girl is not a mature readers title that is inappropriate for young readers, nor is it weighed down by decades of ludicrous continuity that is anything but continuous, which is a problem with some titles published by Marvel and DC Comics.

I think the thing I like most about Geek-Girl is that she is still new to the superhero game, and Johnson has kept her wide-eyed and upbeat about the the whole experience.  Of course, not all of Geek-Girl is so innocent, as seen in this issue.  Cabra Cini is an attractive character, with a dark magic side, and Digger Mensch gets more menacing and interesting with each appearance.

Artist Carlos Granda, colorist Chunlin Zhao, and letterer Paul McLaren present a graphical storytelling package that is pretty, but especially offers clear and clean storytelling, even when presenting this series weirder side.  Or to put it simpler, Geek-Girl #8 is easy on the eyes and easy to read.

One of many things that makes this eighth issue a winner is the ending.  Geek-Girl always knows how to make her readers come back for more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of lovable superheroes will find an all-around winner in Geek-Girl.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Geek-Girl #8 is Out Now and available in Regular, Digital and Variant editions here or at https://samjohnsoncomics.wixsite.com/geekgirlcomics and here or at https://www.comixology.com/Geek-Girl-8/digital-comic/986803

https://twitter.com/daSamJohnson
https://twitter.com/Markosia
https://twitter.com/Markosia_News
https://markosia.com/


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: GREY. Chapter 6

GREY. CHAPTER 6
THE GREY ROOM

STORY: Kris Hornett
ART: Ardee Arollado
EDITOR: Lisa Taylor
COVER: Annie Chrome
36pp, B&W, $10.00 U.S. (print), $5.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Age Rating: 15+ Only

Chapter 6: The H Word

Grey is an independent comic book series from writer Kris Hornett and artist Ardee Arollado.  Published by The Grey Room, Grey is a hybrid, a combination of an American comic book format and Japanese manga.  Grey is similar to what was once called “OEL manga” or “original English language” manga.  These were American graphic novels in which the storytelling borrowed or mimicked the aesthetics and sensibilities of Japanese manga (comics).

Grey is set in the realm of Ketiyama (apparently an archipelago) and takes place some time after an event known as “the Sonoma Incident.”  This outbreak of the lethal “Moon Virus” on Nacirema, one of Ketiyama's islands, led to chaos, destruction, and division.  As a sign of good faith and as a last attempt to restore order, the ruling Board of Officials allowed the people to elect a team of highly trained tactical agents, known as “the Bureau,” to serve and protect them.  Within the Bureau is an elite unit known as “Nimbus.”  The members of this team of five agents are sworn to maintain moral balance and to enforce the law.  These agents are also able to manipulate their “prana” (“life energy”).

The agents of Nimbus are Samara Asuhara, Kouken Masimuto, Shuyin Hagamuri, Manu Yagyu, and Kale Schaefer.  Belisia Asuhara, Samara's sister, is their handler and the creator of Nimbus.

Grey Chapter 6 opens as Samara, Kouken, and Shuyin enter “the Sea of Trees” in their search for the kidnapped Asuka Yagyu.  This place is the subject of numerous urban legends, including tales of people committing suicide after the trees force them to relive their biggest regrets.

Once she is separated from Kouken and Shuyin, Samara finds the sea takes a toll on her.  She begins to relive her life before Nimbus.  Samara recalls her time with a friend and with the friend's brother who becomes her lover.  And Samara also realizes why she isn't a “hero,” so how will this affect the current rescue mission?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Grey Room has released the first trade paperback collection of Grey, entitled Grey: Volume 1.  This TPB reprints Grey Chapters 1 to 5, as well as, Chapter 3.5: Astrid and Chapter 4.5: The Right Thing, both “special release chapters.”  I think this collection is the best way to read the series up to that point, as it will reinforce to readers how conceptually well-developed Grey is.

Meanwhile, Grey. Chapter 6 is available to readers.  As I have previously written, when readers start from the beginning, they discover that the world in which Grey is set has a complex history.  Readers get to watch the authors build a world in front of them and also to experience some other elements of the series, such as its engaging mysteries and sense of discovery.

In addition to the complex nature of the narrative, Grey also offers strong characters – lead and supporting – as can be seen in Grey Chapter 6.  While ostensibly about a rescue, Chapter 6 is a deeply intimate portrait of the character, Samara Asuhara.  Writer Kris Hornett does this by examining Samara's actions in the past, which are quite shocking and illuminating.  I give Hornett credit for his willingness to give his characters an edginess, a merger of the light and the dark which creates a … gray area to be explored.

Hornett does not treat his characters as if they were delicate pastries with multiple layers of tastiness.  Grey characters are crunchy with complex flavors and who knows what the aftertaste will be.  Grey is not a world of plush figures.  If the characters had to be toys, they would have sharp edges and come with warning labels on the packaging.

In Grey Chapter 6, Ardee Arollado's art, which becomes more polished with each chapter, captures the surreal nature of the flashback as well as its melodrama of deadly machinations.  His page design, with its large panels and expressive faces, conveys power to the reader, giving Chapter 6 a hypnotic quality.

So, once again I heartily recommend Grey to you, dear readers.  With a first trade paperback and the newly released Grey Chapter 6, this is a good time to come on in.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of manga-inspired comic books and of good science fiction comic books will want to read Grey.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Digital issues of Grey can be found at comiXology: https://www.comixology.com/Grey/comics-publisher/20880-0.  Readers can also purchase all issues of the series and the new first trade collection, Grey: Volume 1 at https://thegreyroom.org/.

https://thegreyroom.org/
https://www.instagram.com/thegreyroom_/
Kris Hornett: https://twitter.com/Hornett_
Lisa Taylor: https://twitter.com/Persuasion513
https://www.instagram.com/kero.beroz/?hl=en


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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Comics Review: SURFACING #5 Takes Us to Ancient Evenings

SURFACING #5
APPROBATION COMICS

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Ricardo Mendez
COLORS: Alivón Ortiz
LETTERS: Krugos
EDITOR: Denise Thompson
MISC. ART: Gleidson Ribeiro
COVER: Gleidson Ribeiro, Maxx Marshall, and Victor Maya
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (2019)

Rated: “M” for Mature

“The Stone and the Shell” Part 1 of 2

Surfacing is a comic book franchise created by B. Alex Thompson and published by Approbation Comics.  The four-issue miniseries, Surfacing: Depth Perceptions, focuses on a series of encounters, sometimes violent, between humans and mermaid-like creatures.  The eponymous Surfacing is an anthology series in which each issue offers a story in which a mermaid finds herself trapped in the world of humans.  Besides Thompson, artist Ricardo Mendez; colorist Alivon Ortiz; and letterer Krugos, currently comprise Surfacing's creative team.

Surfacing #5 opens two million years ago, on a Savannah, likely somewhere in eastern Africa.  There, a tribe of Homo erectus/ergaster resides.  Kon is a member of the tribe.  He is exceptionally good at making tools and at fishing, but in a tribe of fierce hunters, Kon's talents are seen as weaknesses.  Kon's brother, Nog, is a great hunter.

After Nog coerces him into going on a hunt, Kon is injured.  Kon goes to a nearby beach, where he submerges the bottom half of his body in the cool waters.  This leads to an encounter with a beautiful young woman.  She calls herself “Int,” and she is of the “water folk.”  Meeting Int will change Kon's life, but what will it do to his relationship his own people?

THE LOWDOWN:  As much as I enjoyed the miniseries, Surfacing: Depth Perceptions, I find myself really enjoying Surfacing, which showcases some of writer B. Alex Thompson's most imaginative writing.  Surfacing #5 offers a big shift from the usual Surfacing tales.

Thompson fanciful imagining of the eastern Africa (likely modern day Kenya) during the Early Pleistocene offers a different kind of character, while emphasizing familiar family conflict and romantic discovery.  Thompson makes every page of this story intriguing; it is as if there is always at least one thing on each page that makes me curious and want to know more.

Artist Ricardo Mendez has proved to be a perfect collaborator for Thompson in this writer-artist team.  Mendez creates a beautiful prehistoric pastoral world that is as interesting as the main story.  Speaking of which, Mendez deftly tells this first chapter of “The Stone and the Shell” via his figure drawings of the characters, which give the story a sense of naturalism.  Alivon Ortiz's muted colors allow the emotions of the characters to stand out in the story.  Krugos' lettering and sound effects are also muted, but is “pitch-perfect” for this chapter's emphasis on a budding romance.

I highly recommend Surfacing #5 and the series as a whole.  Surfacing is like nothing else you will find in mainstream, alternative, or indie comics.  It is something new and different like Neil Gaiman's The Sandman was when it debuted.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of fantasy comic books published by DC Comics' late imprint, Vertigo, will want to read Surfacing.

A+

[This issue includes a three-page bonus section that reprints pages of Gleidson Ribeiro's pencil art for an earlier version of this series and this story.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ApproBAT
www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com


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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Comics Review: GREY: CHAPTER 5

GREY. CHAPTER 5
THE GREY ROOM

STORY: Kris Hornett
ART: Ardee Arollado
SPECIAL PROJECTS ART: Kenet Guevarra
EDITOR: Lisa Taylor
COVER: Nicholas Sen
36pp, B&W, $10.00 U.S. (print), $5.99 U.S. (March 2021)

Age Rating: 15+ Only

Chapter 5: Living Portraits

Grey is an independent comic book series from writer Kris Hornett and artist Ardee Arollado.  Published by The Grey Room, Grey is a hybrid, a combination of an American comic book format and Japanese manga.  Grey is similar to what was once called “OEL manga” or “original English language” manga.  These were American graphic novels in which the storytelling borrowed or mimicked the aesthetics and sensibilities of Japanese manga (comics).

Grey is set in the realm of Ketiyama (apparently an archipelago) and takes place some time after an event known as “the Sonoma Incident.”  This outbreak of the lethal “Moon Virus” on Nacirema, one of Ketiyama's islands, led to chaos, destruction, and division.  As a sign of good faith and as a last attempt to restore order, the ruling Board of Officials allowed the people to elect a team of highly trained tactical agents, known as “the Bureau,” to serve and protect them.  Within the Bureau is an elite unit known as “Nimbus.”  The members of this team of five agents are sworn to maintain moral balance and to enforce the law.  These agents are also able to manipulate their “prana” (“life energy”).

The agents of Nimbus are Samara Asuhara, Kouken Masimuto, Shuyin Hagamuri, Manu Yagyu, and Kale Schaefer.  Belisia Asuhara, Samara's sister, is their handler and the creator of Nimbus.

Grey Chapter 5 opens in the home of Asuna and Yuta Yagyu – recently murdered.  It is, however, an unusual death, as they have been posed in a process involving prana.  Now, they are “living portraits,” and it is up to Saya Yagyu – the Shriker of Malta – to discover who killed members of her family.  Meanwhile, the killer has absconded with her niece, Asuka, Asuna and Yuta's daughter.

The agents of Nimbus have joined her in the investigation, and Samara has seen “living portraits” in her past.  In fact, Samara knows who the killer is, and she and Shuyin prepare to lead the mission to bring in the killer.  Not everyone is happy with that plan, though.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Grey Room is about to release the first trade paperback collection of Grey, entitled Grey: Volume 1.  This TPB will reprint Grey Chapters 1 to 5, as well as, Chapter 3.5: Astrid and Chapter 4.5: The Right Thing, both “special release chapters.”  I think this collection will be the best way to read the series, as it will reinforce to readers how conceptually well-developed Grey is.

As I have previously written, when readers start from the beginning, they discover that the world in which Grey is set has a complex history.  Readers get to watch the authors build a world in front of them and also to experience some other elements of the series, such as its engaging mysteries and sense of discovery.

The one thing I do want to emphasize, which Grey Chapter 5 also emphasizes, is the strength of the characters in this series.  First, each character is independent in the sense that he or she has his or her own motivations, desires, and goals.  Hornett presents characters that are not beholding to other characters for their worth.  Certainly, one character can affect another via the action, but it is good that supporting characters and cameo players don't feel like mere window dressing in the dramas of Grey's most important characters.

The best example of that takes place in the second half of Chapter 5, which I want to be careful not to spoil.  Hornett has the Nimbus characters and investigators confront one another about various issues regarding the murder investigations.  Hornett does not depict any characters as “backing down,” which makes them all appear important.  Readers are welcomed to pick a favorite character or even assume a character is the lead, but like Japanese manga, this American manga respects the idea of an ensemble cast with many quality characters.

Ardee Arollado's art, which gets more powerful with each chapter, conveys this in the way he composes the characters.  Sometimes, his art and storytelling seem like impartial observers, presenting the drama in large-size panels, capturing a stage in which each character has the power to affect the drama.

So after praising the characters, I have to heartily recommend Grey to you, dear readers.  And with this new trade paperback, you can still get in on Grey's intriguing ground floor.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of manga-inspired comic books and of good science fiction comic books will want to read Grey.

[This comic book includes three pages of additional informative text pieces.]

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Grey #5 and all issues of the series can be read at comiXology.  Readers can also purchase all issues of the series and the new first trade collection, Grey: Volume 1 here or at https://thegreyroom.org/.

https://thegreyroom.org/
https://www.instagram.com/thegreyroom_/
Kris Hornett: https://twitter.com/Hornett_
Lisa Taylor: https://twitter.com/Persuasion513
https://www.instagram.com/kero.beroz/?hl=en


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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Comics Review: CHAOS CAMPUS #33

CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES #33
APPROBATION COMICS

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Ricardo Mendez
COLORS: Alivon Ortiz
LETTERS: Krugos
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
EDITORS: B. Alex Thompson and John P. Ward
MISC. ART: Ricardo Mendez with Alivon Ortiz
COVERS: Ricardo Mendez with Alivon Ortiz
24pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. print/$1.99 U.S. digital (2017; digital release date – December 20, 2017)

Rated: Teen 13+ / 15+ Only – comiXology rating

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies created by B. Alex Thompson

“Higher Learning, Part l of 4”

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is the long-running zombie apocalypse comic book series from Approbation Comics.  Mixing in elements of comedy, horror, adventure, and magic, it is the creation of B. Alex Thompson.  The series is set during a zombie invasion and follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY):  ass-kickin’ Jamie Lynn Schaeffer, brainy and magic-wielding Paige Helena Patton, and sexy goddess-type Brittany Ann Miller.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #33 opens in the aftermath of “Lineage” (from issue #32).  Paige is having bad dreams, and the uncertainty and the frustrations with the responsibilities and hopes placed on her begin to push her to a breaking point.  Her friends and her mother, Morgan, and brother, Tyler, try to comfort Paige.  Even Oliver offers help, but Paige is not sure about his motives.

However, the fam and the friends are not the only ones who have been noticing Paige's emotional and mentally vulnerable state.  Tech Locke, always one dream or portal away, makes his move in trying to recruit Paige to his side.   What could Tech possibly have that would make Paige turn her back on her family, friends, and mission?  It's a secret.

THE LOWDOWN:  After bringing “The Road to Salvation” story line to an end, writer B. Alex Thompson continued to bring levity to Chaos Campus via a series of standalone stories.  However, in the most recent standalone story, “Lineage,” writer B. Alex Thompson revealed that Brittany shares her body with an ancient Greek goddess known as “the Twelfth.”

Now, Thompson turns Chaos Campus' narrative eye to Paige Helena Patton with the beginning of a new story arc, “Higher Learning.”  At first Tech Locke, the mystery man who is obsessed with Paige, seems like nothing more than a pest.  Thompson throws in a twist when he uses not Locke's own secrets, but the secrets others keep as the hook to pull readers into this new arc.

As usual, Ricardo Mendez's art and graphical storytelling are strong, and in many ways, he has become the second signature “voice” of Chaos Campus.  This series' narrative engine runs smoothly under the guiding hands of Mendez's compositions.  It seems that, at least for now, no one can transform Thompson's Chaos Campus scripts into comic book art and storytelling better than Mendez.

Good coloring has blessed Chaos Campus, and the colors and dazzling color effects by Alivon Ortiz make even the quite pages in issue #33 pop. Letterer Krugos continues the steady beat of this series, and that beat may very well carry more of you, dear readers, to Chaos Campus #33.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of zombies and of horror-comedies will want to try Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Buy Chaos Campus #33 at comiXology.

www.ApprobationComics.com
https://twitter.com/ApproBAT
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: ThoughtScape Comics #1

THOUGHTSCAPE COMICS #1
MATT MAIR LOWERY

[UPDATE: ThoughtScape Comics 2024 Kickstarter campaign is now live.]

STORY: Matt Mair Lowery
ART: Dave Law; Tyrell Cannon; Lisa Naffziger; Karl Slominski
COLORS: Dave Law; Tyrell Cannon; Lisa Naffziger; Karl Slominski
LETTERS: Dave Law; Tyrell Cannon; Lisa Naffziger; Karl Slominski
DESIGN: John Larson
COVER: Jenna Cha
44pp, Color, $8.00 U.S. (digital), $15.00 U.S. (print)

ThoughtScape Comics is new science fiction anthology comic book series from writer Matt Mair Lowery.  Lowery is the writer and co-creator with artist Cassie Anderson of Lifeformed, a YA science fiction graphic novel series published by Dark Horse Comics.

Lowery has stated that each issue of ThoughtScape Comics will contain 44+ pages of content, featuring stories written by Lowery and drawn by up-and-coming comic book artists.  Some of the stories will be self-contained and others will be part of a serial.  Multimedia artist, John Larsen, will provide the graphic design and packaging for each issue.

ThoughtScape Comics #1 contains four stories.  Lowery is joined by artists Dave Law, Tyrell Cannon, Lisa Naffziger, and Karl Slominski.  Two stories are apparently serials, and the other two are standalone stories.

ThoughtScape Comics is set in a world in which humanity's first multi-planet conglomerate, LifeTech, discovered the “ThoughtScape” in the late 21st century.  The ThoughtScape is a fifth dimension where every thought that has ever been thought exists.  Using technology of its own innovation, LifeTech began isolating and monitoring these thoughts (via “ThoughtScape Listening Posts").

Later, LifeTech began capturing and recording these thoughts through Thought & Information Service Collection Officers (TISCOs).  Eventually technological advancements allowed that the entire “ThoughtLives” of both living individuals and of the long-dead could be virtually reconstructed and played back through a variety of media formats.  The stories of ThoughtScape Comics will focus on the designs and intentions of LifeTech; the nature of ThoughtScape; and how people and beings connect, react, and exist with both.

THE LOWDOWN:  For the review of ThoughtScape Comics #1, I will offer comments on each of the four stories individually.

The first story is “Thoughtscape 2319: Parish, The Thought . Part 1,” the first part of a serial.  It is written by Lowery and drawn by Dave Law.  The story takes place at the edges of the galactic frontier in the year 2319.  Week 32.4, Thought & Information Service Collection Officer (TISCO) Odessa Query patrols her beat, currently the Hen 3-593 Di Chamaelontis System – 700 light years from Earth.

Her TISCO ship collects thoughts from ThoughtScape Listening Post Di.Cha.036, while she entertains her ship's neurocorder, Feyla.  Query prepares to move on to her next assigned Listening Post when she is diverted to an ongoing disaster.

Because of its cliffhanger ending, I am excited to read more of this story, especially because Lowery teases something awesome and awful coming to scare us, dear readers.  Dave Law's drawing style is perfect for science fiction comic books, and the design of the characters and the technology are convincing.  I also like Law's impressive title page drawing (for which I wouldn't mind having the original art).

The second story is “A Spy Without A face,” illustrated by Tyrell Cannon.  The story pits a mysterious “spy without a face” against a pack of assassins who have broken into a mysterious LifeTech facility.  Both sides get more than they bargained for in this black and white tale.

Cannon's graphical storytelling is high-speed and hyper-kinetic with the graphic design sensibilities of science fiction anime and manga.  Lowery's story allows Cannon to draw an explosive tale that is visceral and thrilling.  I'd like to see another Lowery-Cannon creation, and this story also made me seek out more information about Tyrell Cannon.

[Art by Tyrell Cannon for the story, "A Spy Without A face."]

The third story is “Adorable Orphans,” written by Lowery and drawn and colored by Lisa Naffziger.  Sally, an elementary school-age girl, loves her “Grammie,” her grandmother.  Her parents seem to despise the old woman, and they are particular about the things to which Grammie exposes Sally.

One day, Sally gets a package from Grammie.  Inside is the season’s hottest toy trend, one of LifeTech’s “Adorable Orphan android dolls” (also called a “DollDroid”).  The girl DollDroid's name is Betty, and she is a great friend for Sally, but everyone else better watch out.

“Adorable Orphans” is by far the best story in ThoughtScape Comics #1.  It is straight-forward, but Lowery is sly and sneaky in the way he surprises the readers in unexpected ways.  For instance, Sally's parents are both snobby and vulgar.  What's going on with Grammie?  And there is certainly more to Sally than what appears on the surface.

Lisa Naffziger's compositions and coloring are more alt-comics than children's comics, although I can understand why some people would see her work as the latter.  Lowery and Naffziger have created in “Adorable Orphans” a concept that could live on its own outside the world of ThoughtScape Comics.  If I were in Hollywood film and television production, I'd swoop in and buy the media rights for “Adorable Orphans” away from the rest of this package.

The fourth and final story is “Ex Post Facto: A Dash Varrick Misadventure . Part 1.”  A press release from Lowery describes the story in the following way:

XXXX#$%@&*!(AGAIN)))...Murder and music at the fringes of the revolution! he’s just a drop in the Co- maXYxXc o p y X > P A S T E Y # % Z o n e , - - h e ’ s - - y o u & M E m e M E . h e ’ s d - d - d a s h D A S H .tooLATEagaFILEretrieveERRORERR.accessing…

The art by Karl Slominski has elements that remind me of David Mack, especially, and of Bill Sienkiewiz, a little.  Otherwise, I have no idea what's going on with this story.

Overall, I like ThoughtScape Comics #1.  It presents such an expansive science fiction concept with a universe of possibilities as big as anything offered by the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises.  I hope a lot of comic book readers get behind the project and financially support it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of science fiction anthology comic books (such as 2000 AD) will want to try ThoughtScape Comics.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/mattmlpdx
https://www.mmlcomics.com/thoughtscape-comics
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattmlpdx/thoughtscape-comics-1
https://twitter.com/TCannonComics
https://twitter.com/lisanaffziger
https://twitter.com/KarlSlominski
https://www.instagram.com/itsdavelaw/
https://twitter.com/kale_satan
https://johnlarsen.net/


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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Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).  But that ad is for a graphic novel you might want to give a try.

Review: KILLER OF SHEEP Remains Fascinating

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2021 (No. 1765) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Killer of Sheep (1978)
Running time:  80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Charles Burnett
PRODUCER:  Charles Burnett
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR:  Charles Burnett

DRAMA

Starring:  Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, and Jack Drummond

Killer of Sheep is a 1978 film drama from writer-director, Charles Burnett, who also produced, photographed and edited the film.  Burnett shot Killer of Sheep on 16mm black and white film, and he filmed it mostly on weekends in the Watts neighborhood of southern Los Angeles in 1972 and 1973.  He originally submitted the film to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his Master of Fine Arts thesis.  Set in Watts, Killer of Sheep focuses on a slaughterhouse worker who suspends him emotions to continue working in such a job, but ends up have little sensitivity for the very family in which he works so hard to support.

Killer of Sheep premiered at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York on November 14, 1978.  It did not receive a general theatrical release because Burnett has not secured the rights to the music he used in the film.  Over the years, however, people were apparently able to see the film at small film festivals, on the college film circuit, and via bootleg copies.  It was inducted into the “National Film Registry” in 1990, the second year of the registry.

In 2007, a group of interests, including the UCLA, Steven Soderbergh, and Milestone Films, worked to purchase the music rights and to restore Killer of Sheep to 35mm film.  It received a limited release in late 2007 and several “Top 10” lists, including being chosen the best film of the year by Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine.

Killer of Sheep is a depiction of the urban Black Americans of Watts as seen through a series of loosely connected vignettes.  If the film has a focus, it is on Stan (Henry G. Sanders), a husband and father who works at the slaughterhouse, Solano Meat Co., where he helps process sheep for slaughter.  Stan finds the monotonous work to be repugnant, and he seemingly suspends his emotions to deal with the job.  The result is that his home life suffers.  He shows little sensitivity to his unnamed wife (Kaycee Moore) and to his two children, son (Jack Drummond) and daughter (Angela Burnett).  Stan has trouble sleeping, does not play with his children, and avoids sex with his wife, who wants intimacy and real affection from her husband.

Stan wants another job, and he often finds himself caught up in the schemes and plots of friends and associates.  Stan and his friend, Bracy (Charles Bracy), attempt to buy a car engine from a squabbling family.  Two fast-talking acquaintances want Stan to help them in their plot to murder a man.  All the while, a portrait of the austere and impoverished life of poor and working-class African-Americans emerges.  Can Stan better his life even if he feels unable to affect the course of his life?

I have previously seen two of Charles Burnett's films, To Sleep with Anger (1990) and The Glass Shield (1994).  I had not heard of Killer of Sheep until its surprise inclusion in the list of films inducted into the 1990 class of the National Film Registry.  I have been putting off seeing the film for years since the DVD release of the 2007 restoration and limited theatrical run.

Burnett made Killer of Sheep with nonprofessional actors, reportedly a nod to the influence of “Italian neo-realism.”  I can't say exactly as I have never seen such a film.  I also would not describe Killer of Sheep as having a documentary feel.  The film's loose collection of vignettes have informal story acts, although the film does not have a plot.  Burnett provides the slimmest character development and something like a narrative, but the actors are quite convincing in their portrayals.  I found myself fascinated by the way they sold the idea that they are indeed playing characters and that they made those characters seem real.  Henry G. Sanders makes Stan the solid center of Killer of Sheep.

Killer of Sheep indirectly speaks to the economic exclusion and segregation faced by black people in Watts then and for decades.  Stan, his family, and their friends and neighbors are always short of money and resources and hope.  Still, their lives are filled with moments of happiness and joy, and they make good times out of whatever they can.  There are also moments of beauty, such as when Stan's daughter sings an Earth Wind & Fire song to her doll while her mother (Stan's wife) watches.

Killer of Sheep is not a film to be described so much as it us a film to be watched and experienced.  There is such a sense of naturalism about it.  The film is not so real that it is a documentary, nor is it so surreal that it becomes a black and white dream.  Killer of Sheep is a story, a story of ordinary Black people in a particular place and time.  Killer of Sheep is so special because it tells a story that most American filmmakers would have not bothered to tell.  That makes Killer of Sheep and its maker, Charles Burnett, national treasures.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, March 12, 2021


NOTES:
1990 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  1 win: National Film Registry


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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#28DaysofBlack Review: "LITTLE WOODS" Introduces an Up and Coming Director

[The independent film, the crime drama and quasi-modern Western, “Little Woods,” made noise at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018.  It was released theatrically in the United States in April 2019.  The film marked writer-director Nia DaCosta as an emerging director and earned her the job of writing and directing Universal's update-sequel to the classic 1990s horror film, “Candyman.”  Later, Marvel Studios chose DaCosta to direct the sequel to its billion-dollar hit, Captain Marvel (2019).  Candyman's release was delayed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so while audiences await its release, they can watch DaCosta's directorial debut, Little Woods.]

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 of 2021 (No. 1760) by Leroy Douresseaux

Little Woods (2018)
Running time: 103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some drug material
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Nia DaCosta
PRODUCERS:  Rachael Fung, Tim Headington, and Gabrielle Nadig
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Matt Mitchell
EDITOR:  Catrin Hedström
COMPOSER:  Brian McOmber

DRAMA/CRIME with elements of thriller and western

Starring:  Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale, Lance Reddick, Jeremy St. James, and Charlie Ray Reid

Little Woods is a 2018 drama and crime film from writer-director Nia DaCosta.  The film focuses on two sisters who work outside the law to fix bad situations in their lives via the Canadian–U.S. cross-border drug trade.

Little Woods introduces a young woman named Oleander “Ollie” King (Tessa Thompson), who lives in Little Woods, North Dakota.  Ollie is on probation because she had been bringing prescription medicine illegally across the border between Canada and North Dakota.  With eight days left on her probation, Ollie is determined to reinvent her life.  With the help and encouragement of her probation officer, Carter (Lance Reddick), Ollie has applied to find work in Spokane.

However, Ollie is getting numerous requests to return to her old life, which included illegally selling prescription medicine, as she scrapes by on odd jobs.  And Ollie might have a reason to return to a life of crime.  Her estranged sister, Deborah “Deb” Hale (Lily James), is barely surviving, living in an illegally parked trailer with her young son, Johnny (Charlie Ray Reid).  Deb is barely getting any help from her bum baby-daddy, Ian (James Badge Dale).

Worse still, Ollie, who has been living in the home of her and Deb's recently deceased mother, Bridget Sorenson, has discovered that a local bank has begun foreclosure proceedings on the house.  There is a payment of 5,682 dollars due to the bank in one week.  Desperate to make a place for Deb and Johnny, Ollie may jeopardize her future by selling and running drugs again.

Little Woods is the directorial debut of writer-director Nia DaCosta.  The subject matter and setting may seem like strange choices for an African-American director, but the story is a familiar one of familial obligations; the up-and-down relationship between bickering, but loving sisters; and the desperate day-to-day lives of the poor and struggling people of small town America.  DaCosta offers a riveting family drama that is part crime thriller and modern Western – that also has an excellent soundtrack full of plaintive songs that set the appropriate mood.  This is an engaging and sometimes haunting film that holds one attention.

However, the character writing is not as strong as it needs to be.  The screenplay relies on familiar conflicts between loved ones, friends, and acquaintances.  Bill (Luke Kirby), the local pill kingpin, barely registers as a character, and Ian's relationships with both Deb and Ollie, which are obviously, rich with potential, rely on familiar indie drama tropes.  Still, Tessa Thompson and Lily James deliver urgent and edgy performances of their respective characters.

My reservations aside, Little Woods is a necessary film because Nia DaCosta presents a side of the American experience, a side that need that needs to exist more in American popular culture.  DaCosta expertly details the lack of affordable housing, inadequate heath care, and shitty jobs that make ordinary people make choices that often hurt them or land them in jails and prisons or on parole and probation.  Little Woods is not a pretty film, but it exemplifies the power of film drama, and it makes me expect big things of Nia DaCosta.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, February 26, 2021

NOTES:
2020 Black Reel Awards:  1 nomination: “Outstanding Emerging Director” (Nia DaCosta)


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#28DaysofBlack Review: "THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET" Still Out of This World

[Outside of television, no white filmmaker has presented the depth, diversity, and scope of African-American characters on the big screen to the extent that writer-director John Sayles has.  For years, I encountered black people who thought that Sayles' fourth feature film, “The Brother from Another Planet,” was a “black film.”  Why is that?  Sayles has the ability to create characters and stories from outside the mainstream of society or of storytelling, but his directorial approach is more observational than dictatorial.  The result is a film like The Brother from Another Planet, in which no one can say of those black characters, “they all look alike” or act alike.]

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 of 2021 (No. 1758) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, some drug content and brief nudity
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  John Sayles
PRODUCERS:  Peggy Rajski and Maggie Renzi
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ernest R. Dickerson
EDITOR:  John Sayles
COMPOSERS:  Mason Daring; Denzil Botus; Martin Brody; John Sayles and others

SCI-FI/DRAMA

Starring:  Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards, Steve James, Leonard Jackson, Carolyn Aaron, Bill Cobbs, Tom Wright, Minnie Gentry, Dee Dee Bridgewater, David Strathairn, John Sayles

The Brother from Another Planet is a 1984 science fiction and drama film from writer-director John Sayles.  This low-budget, independent film focuses on a mute alien that looks like an African-American man as he navigates the streets of Harlem and avoids the aliens hunting him.

The Brother from Another Planet opens inside an alien space craft of some kind that is in distress.  The pilot struggles with the controls of the ship that eventually crashes in the water near Ellis Island.  The alien emerges from the water, and other than his three-toed feet, he looks like a black human male.  He makes his way to New York City, specifically Harlem.

In a way, he successfully blends with the denizens of NYC, and makes his way into a bar owned by a man named, Odell (Steve James).  There, Odell and the regulars:  Fly (Daryl Edwards), Walter (Bill Cobbs), and Smokey (Leonard Jackson) begin to refer to the alien as “The Brother” (Joe Morton).  The Brother has the ability to heal his wounds and to heal or fix machines, and he soon lands a job as a technician and repairman.  Meanwhile, two men in black (David Strathairn and John Sayles) are hunting for The Brother … because he is a slave.

It has been over a decade since I last saw The Brother from Another Planet, but there was a time period when I saw it several times.  Every time I saw it, I loved it as much as I did the time before, if not more.  Before I watched it recently, I wondered how I would feel about it now, and it turns out that I am still in love with this film.  I once described The Brother from Another Planet as one of my all-time favorite films, and it must remain so.  As a low-budget, independent science fiction film, it is ripe for a remake.  However, the truth is that even with its seat-of-the-pants film-making and bare-bones special effects, The Brother from Another Planet seems to be perfect the way it is.  At least, that is what my mind keeps thinking.

Writer-director John Sayles has described The Brother from Another Planet as being about the immigrant experience of assimilation.  In a way, both The Brother and the denizens of Harlem and NYC, in general, are aliens, depending on the perspective and point of view from which they are viewed.  In fact, Sayles' Harlem in a grimy, funky alien world of people and places.  Somehow, Sayles makes every person and every thing unique; nothing and no one is like anything or anyone else.

For all that the cast brings to the film, The Brother from Another Planet's strength is in its creator, John Sayles, and in its star, Joe Morton as The Brother.  Sometimes, the film seems like a series of documentary or anthropological vignettes – as erratic in their presentation as they are inventive in the conception.  In that he is a most imaginative filmmaker, Sayles is a genius at creating characters that the viewer will want to observe.

Joe Morton's performance, exploratory without being penetrative and aggressive, brings the disparate parts of this film together into a whole, although it is not a seamless whole.  Perhaps that is the point; very little of this film's setting should seem connected.  On this planet that is our Earth, Joe Morton's Brother explores the strange worlds within the strange world.  Morton's is one of the greatest film performances that I have ever seen.  Without saying a word, Morton becomes like the actors of the silent film era, using physicality and facial expressions (or lack thereof) to tell The Brother's story, doing so in vivid colors and with rich texture.

The Brother from Another Planet is indeed an immigrant story, focusing on a being forced to be an immigrant and to find a new place in which to live because he is a slave.  The film is not about slavery, although the fact that The Brother is a runaway slave waits patiently on the periphery of this film and its narrative.  But, then again, The Brother from Another Planet gives the viewer so much to think about, and its seems like a chapter in a larger narrative.  Perhaps, that is why every time I watch this film, I feel like The Brother, always discovering something new.

10 of 10

Tuesday, February 23, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "Murder Party" is a Halloween Party

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Murder Party (2007)

Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)

Not rated

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jeremy Saulnier

PRODUCER:  Skei Saulnier and Chris Sharp

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jeremy Saulnier (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Marc Beroza

COMPOSERS:  Brooke Blair and Will Blair

COMEDY/HORROR

Starring:  Chris Sharp, Macon Blair, Stacey Rock, Skei Saulnier, Paul Goldblatt, William Lacey, Alex Barnett, and Bill Tangradi

Murder Party is a 2007 American independent, comic-horror film from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier.  The film follows a man who follows the instructions on a random invitation to a gathering where the celebration is murder for the sake of art.

Christopher S. Hawley (Chris Sharp) is a lonely and plain New York City public employee.  On Halloween, he finds an odd-looking piece of paper being blown down the sidewalk by gusts of wind.  He opens it and sees that this is an invite to a “Murder Party,” which Christopher believes is a Halloween party.  He constructs a knight's costume out of cardboard and makes his way to a gritty part of Brooklyn where the “Murder Party” is being held.

What Chris discovers instead of a Halloween party is a trap set by a deranged and pretentious art collective, the members of which are dressed in Halloween costumes.  They intend to kill Christopher to impress a wealthy and sinister patron of the arts.  However, the members of this group are beset by petty feuds, rivalries, envy, incompetence, and lying, which makes them just as likely to murder each other as they are to hurt their captive/subject, Christopher.

Murder Party's production was apparently hamstrung by budget constraints, yet director Jeremy Saulnier produced a horror-comedy film that is more interesting than many of the horror or comedy films produced by major and mid-major Hollywood studios and production companies.  I have to admit that I only sought out this film after reading about Saulnier's most recent film (as of this writing), Green Room, which featured a much talked about performance by Patrick Stewart (of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fame).  I consider finding an article about Green Room a stroke of luck, because it led me to this wonderful little film which is big in entertaining.

At times, I found myself mesmerized by Murder Party.  It is droll and witty, even when it is a bit heavy-handed in bashing artsy types.  I did not enjoy the last act as much as I enjoyed the rest of the film.  Murder Party is like the television series, “Big Brother” to me.  I like “Big Brother” when the cast remains large; as the cast shrinks, so does my interest in a particular season.  The characters in Murder Party are intriguing, although they largely remain unknown, and I started to miss them as they... went away.  Still, the last fight is a delightful bloodbath.

I heartily recommend Murder Party, and I look forward to more of Jeremy Saulnier's films.  Obviously, filmmakers need adequate budgets, but the imaginative and inventive directors find a way to shock, delight, and blow our minds even with a pitiful budget.

7 of 10
B+

Tuesday, September 6, 2016


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Historical Drama, "Cliffs of Freedom," Expands into More Theaters.

Film expands into additional cities and theaters

CLIFFS OF FREEDOM (also known as The Crescent and the Cross) is a 2019 independent historical period drama film.  It is based on Marianne Metropoulos's novel, Daughter of Destiny.  Produced by Casey Cannon and Metropoulos, Cliff's of Freedom is directed by Van Ling from a screenplay by Ling, Metropoulos, and Kevin Bernhardt. It stars Tania Raymonde, Jan Uddin, Raza Jaffrey, Patti LuPone, and Christopher Plummer.

After rousing screenings in the past weeks and during its opening weekend in New York and Los Angeles, "Cliffs of Freedom" is getting enough crowd-pleasing buzz that it is expanding to five more American cities as of Friday, March 8th, 2019.  Those cities are: Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington DC; Phoenix, Arizona; and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. 

Like the freedom fighters it depicts, the film is much more than it seems at first glance.  Currently one of the best-kept secrets in Hollywood, this independent historical film about romance, rebellion and tragedy at the dawn of the Greek War of Independence in the early 1800s is engaging audiences of all kinds, raising pride in those of Greek heritage and sweeping up non-Greeks in an epic and little-explored history, and bringing more than a few emotional tears to both.

Six more cities will be joining the revolution on March 15th, at theaters in: San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; West Palm Beach, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.

Chicago, Illinois
AMC Showplace Cicero 14 / 4779 W Cermak Rd, Cicero, IL 60804

Washington DC
Hoffman Center 22 / 206 Swamp Fox Rd, Alexandria, VA 22314

Dallas, Texas
Valley View 16 / 13331 Preston Rd #2300, Dallas, TX 75240

Baltimore, Maryland
Owings Mills 17 / 10100 Mill Run Cir, Owings Mills, MD 21117

Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Center 24 / 565 N 3rd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

New York
Port Chester 14 / 40 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, NY 1057
Stony Brook 17 / 2196 Nesconset Hwy, Stony Brook, NY 11790

Los Angeles
Universal City Walk Stadium 19 / 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608 91608
Rolling Hills 20 / 2591 Airport Dr, Torrance, CA 90505

NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS

Click below to follow Cliffs of Freedom:

Official Website: http://www.cliffsoffreedomfilm.com/
Facebook View: https://www.facebook.com/officialCliffsofFreedomFilm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cliffsoffreedomfilm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cliffsfilm
#CliffsOfFreedom

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Review: "Moonlight" Shines as Groundbreaking American Cinema

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

Moonlight (2016)
Running time:  151 minutes
MPAA – R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout
DIRECTOR:  Barry Jenkins
WRITERS:  Barry Jenkins; from a story by Tarell Alvin McCraney
PRODUCERS:  Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Adele Romanski
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  James Laxton
EDITORS:  Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders
COMPOSER: Nicholas Britell
Academy Award winner including “Best Picture”

DRAMA/LGBTQ

Starring:  Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Jaden Piner, Jharrel Jerome, Andre Holland, and Janelle Monae

Moonlight is a 2016 coming-of-age drama from director Barry Jenkins.  This won the “Best Picture of the Year” Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards (February 2017).  It was the first film with an all-Black/African-American cast and also the first LGBT film to win the best picture Oscar.  Moonlight looks at the difficulties of identity and sexuality faced by the main character, an African-American male, by examining three stages of his life:  childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

His name is Chiron (Alex Hibbert), but some call him by the nicknames, “Little” and “Black.”  In Liberty City, Miami, Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer originally form Cuba, finds Little in an abandoned crack house, hiding from a pack of bullies.  Juan and his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae), befriend Little, and Juan becomes a mentor, of sorts.  However, Little finds himself dealing with the word, “faggot,” and with the fact that his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), is a customer of Juan's.

Later, teen Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is a high school student.  His mother's addiction is worse, and a bully named Terrel is constantly harassing him.  Chiron befriends another teenager, Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), who likes to call Chiron by the nickname “Black,” but their friendship will be complicated by high school politics.

Later, adult Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) deals drugs in Atlanta.  He tries to reconcile with his mother.  Also, after receiving a phone call from him, Chiron travels to Miami to reunite with an adult Kevin (André Holland) to explore what could have been.

In the moonlight, black Black boys look blue (or purple, as some people say).  I think what immediately makes Moonlight stand out is what a beautiful Black boy Alex Hibbert, who plays young Chiron, is.  His subtle and fiercely quiet performance gives life-blood to the early chapters of Moonlight.  Just his demeanor humanizes all young Black boys, putting them in a positive light, similar to the way other films make young White boys cute and precocious.  In this film, gay is a journey to discovery, and while that journey is difficult, it does not yield tragedy (as in Brokeback Mountain).  So Hibbert is the first leg of the relay race that carries Moonlight to Oscar gold.

When Mahershala Ali won the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Juan, he became the first Muslim to win an Oscar.  Although the role is small, Juan is a giant, and Ali establishes him with richness and grace.  In a way, Ali is the pillar that supports this film, and he turns Juan into the rocket that launches the story of the stages in the life of Chiron.

Naomie Harris is electric as Paula, in a role that some African-American actresses are reluctant to play.  A Black female crack addict as a fictional character is just as likely to be a melodramatic trope as it is likely to be multi-layered character.  The crack-head can be a treacherous role, but Harris picks her spots; in each scene in which Paula appears, Harris gives her another layer.  Thus, she creates a character that can engage us, rather than a caricature that annoys the audience.

In fact, all of the performances here are good and the actors have excellent characters, via the story and screenplay, with which to work.  Tarell Alvin McCraney's story is rich source material, and Barry Jenkins turns it into a screenplay for the ages, simply because it is like nothing else before it.  Moonlight is achingly and beautifully human.  Here, the Black person – straight, gay, addict, bully, etc. –  is a life, a precious life – a life that matters.  The focus is not on tragedy but on love, connectivity, and reconciliation.  This makes Moonlight the best American LGBT or gay-theme film to date.

10 of 10

Tuesday, August 15, 2017


NOTES:
2017 Academy Awards, USA:  3 wins: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Adele Romanski – Dede Gardner became the first woman to win Best Picture twice.), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Mahershala Ali), and “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Barry Jenkins-screenplay and Tarell Alvin McCraney-story); 5 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Naomie Harris), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Barry Jenkins), “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (James Laxton), “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders – Joi McMillon became the first African American female to be nominated for Best Film Editing.), and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)” (Nicholas Britell)

2017 Golden Globes, USA 2017:  1 win: “Best Motion Picture – Drama;” 5 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Mahershala Ali), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Naomie Harris), “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Barry Jenkins), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Barry Jenkins), and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture: (Nicholas Britell)

2017 BAFTA Awards:  4 nominations: “Best Film” (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Adele Romanski), “Best Supporting Actor” (Mahershala Ali), “Best Supporting Actress” (Naomie Harris), and “Best Screenplay (Original)” (Barry Jenkins)


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Female-Driven Horror Film "Quarries" Now Available on Home Entertainment

Award-Winning Independent Film QUARRIES Available Today on iTunes, DVD and Blue-Ray

Ultra-low budget, female-driven horror/thriller film rivals high-financed films

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QUARRIES, the full-length independent feature film, from the producer of Final Destination and American Pie, announced that it is available for sale now on iTunes. QUARRIES is also available on both DVD and Blue-Ray through Amazon.com and the QUARRIES website. This official release of QUARRIES is the first opportunity to purchase the film and view pre-sale orders.

    Award-winning #indiefilm #horrorfilm @QuarriesMovie available today on @itunes, DVD and Blue-Ray

QUARRIES is a female-driven horror/thriller. As a group of women embark on a hiking expedition, they become brazenly stalked by a pack of predators, leading to a physical and emotional cat-and-mouse chase with an outcome neither expected.

The film was featured at numerous film festivals including the London Independent Film Festival (Winner: Best Feature), the LA Thriller Film Festival (Winner: Best Feature Film), and the Women’s Independent Film Festival (Winner: Best Narrative Feature). The film has also received rave reviews from genre, independent film and women’s film groups alike, including:

    “It’s a powerful, female-driven horror thriller that brings intensity, epic and brutal kills, and strong character leads.” – PopHorror.com

    "QUARRIES is gritty, gory, and exciting.” – Zisi of Zisi Emporium for B Movies

    “If you’re fan of a bad ass, female-driven genre cinema, then you might want to put Quarries on your radar.” – Modern Horrors

The film was executive produced by Diamond Cutter Films and directed by Nils Taylor, who is also the film’s co-writer and producer along with Nicole Marie Johnson. Johnson plays the lead alongside Leisha Hailey (best known for her work on The L Word and Bosch), Carrie Finklea, Joy McElveen and Rebecca McFadzien.

To purchase QUARRIES, visit iTunes or the film’s website, www.QuarriesTheMovie.com. A select number of original signed copies by cast and crew are also available by contacting laura@diamondcutterfilms.com.


About Diamond Cutter Films
Diamond Cutters Films is an entertainment and film investment firm, based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm focuses on unique and/or female-based opportunities, with a team track record of global success.

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2017 Independent Spirit Awards; "Moonlight" Wins "Best Feature of 2016"

Film Independent’s Spirit Awards (formerly known as the Independent Spirit Awards) were founded in 1984 and are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.  Film Independent is the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and also the Los Angeles Film Festival.

The 2017 / 32nd Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 25, 2017.  [Nominations were announced November 22, 2016.]  The awards ceremony was held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, just north of the Santa Monica Pier.  The show was broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 pm PT/ 5:00 pm ET.

2017 Film Independent Spirit Award winners:

BEST FEATURE – Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Moonlight
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski

BEST DIRECTOR
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

BEST SCREENPLAY
Moonlight - Barry Jenkins; Story By Tarell Alvin McCraney   

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Isabelle Huppert - Elle

BEST MALE LEAD
Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Molly Shannon - Other People

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Ben Foster - Hell or High Water

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Moonlight - James Laxton

BEST EDITING
Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders - Moonlight

BEST FIRST FEATURE – Award given to the director and producer.
The Witch
Director: Robert Eggers
Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond, Rodrigo Teixeira

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
The Witch - Robert Eggers

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.

Spa Night
Writer/Director: Andrew Ahn
Producers: David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

Moonlight
Director: Barry Jenkins
Casting Director: Yesi Ramirez
Ensemble Cast: Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders

BEST DOCUMENTARY – Award given to the director and producer.
O.J.: Made in America
Director/Producer: Ezra Edelman
Producers: Deirdre Fenton, Libby Geist, Nina Krstic, Erin Leyden, Tamara Rosenberg, Connor Schell, Caroline Waterlow

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – Award given to the director.
Toni Erdmann (Germany and Romania)
Director: Maren Ade

20th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 20th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

Jordana Mollick

23rd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 23rd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.

Anna Rose Holmer
Director of The Fits

22nd TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 22nd annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Nanfu Wang
Director of Hooligan Sparrow

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2017 Black Reel Awards Winners Announced; "Moonlight" Named Outstanding Film

The Black Reel Awards annually honor African-Americans in feature, independent, and television film.  The awards also take notice of the work in film by people of color throughout the African Diaspora.  The awards were launched in 2000, and this is the 16th year the awards will be handed out.  The Black Reel Awards are now given out by the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF).

The nominations for the 17th Annual Black Reel Awards were announced December 14, 2016.  The Black Reel Awards are comprised of more than 110 voters across the country.  The voters annually select and spotlight films, television, and music and performances featuring African-Americans, as well as people of color throughout the African Diaspora.  The 17th Annual Black Reel Awards winners were announced on Thursday, February 16, 2017.

2017 / 17th Annual Black Reel Award winners:

Motion Picture Categories

Outstanding Film
Moonlight  | Dede Gardner, Adele Romanski & Jeremy Kleiner

Outstanding Actor
Denzel Washington | Fences

Outstanding Actress
Ruth Negga | Loving

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali | Moonlight

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Viola Davis | Fences

Outstanding Director
Barry Jenkins | Moonlight

Outstanding Screenplay
Barry Jenkins | Moonlight

Outstanding Documentary
13th | Ava DuVernay

Outstanding Ensemble
Moonlight | Yesi Ramirez

Outstanding Foreign-Language Film
Eye of the Storm | Sekou Traore (Burkina Faso)

Outstanding Score
Nicholas Britell | Moonlight

Outstanding Original Song
“I’m Still Here” | Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (Miss Sharon Jones!)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male
Trevante Rhodes | Moonlight

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
Janelle Monae | Hidden Figures

Outstanding Voice Performance
Idris Elba | The Jungle Book

INDEPENDENT

Outstanding Independent Film
American Honey | Andrea Arnold

Outstanding World Cinema Film
Where the Road Runs Out | Rudolf Buitendach (Equatorial Guinea)

Outstanding Independent Short
$15 Kicks | Jenn Shaw

Outstanding Emerging Filmmaker
O.J.: Made in America | Ezra Edelman

Outstanding First Screenplay
The Land | Steven Caple, Jr.

TELEVISION

Outstanding TV Documentary or Special
Beyonce: Lemonade | Beyoncé Knowles & Khalil Joseph

Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series
The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story | Chip Vucelich, Alexis Martin Woodall & John Travolta, Producers

Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
Courtney B. Vance | The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Kerry Washington | Confirmation

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
Sterling K. Brown | The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Regina King | American Crime

Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Limited Series
John Singleton | The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie or Limited Series
Joe Robert Cole | The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story (“The Race Card”)

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2017 Independent Spirit Award Nominations - Complete List

Film Independent’s Spirit Awards (formerly known as the Independent Spirit Awards) were founded in 1984 and are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.  Film Independent is the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and also the Los Angeles Film Festival.

32nd FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

$75,000 IN GRANTS TO BE AWARDED TO FILMMAKERS, INCLUDING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD

SPIRIT AWARDS TO BE BROADCAST LIVE EXCLUSIVELY ON IFC, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2017 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET

LOS ANGELES – Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2017 Spirit Awards. The Awards are the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at W Hollywood, with actors Jenny Slate and Edgar Ramirez presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included American Honey, Chronic, Jackie, Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight.

“Now more than ever, the voices of independent artists play a critically important role in our culture,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “The films we celebrate at this year’s Spirit Awards embody the diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision that we champion all year long.”

Moonlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.

Winners, who are selected by Film Independent Members, will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 25, 2017. The awards ceremony will be held on the beach in Santa Monica, just north of the Santa Monica Pier. The show will broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 pm PT/ 5:00 pm ET.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 382 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals.

2017 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations:

BEST FEATURE – Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.

American Honey
Producers: Thomas Benski, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Lucas Ochoa, Pouya Shahbazian, Alice Weinberg

Chronic
Producers: Michel Franco, Gina Kwon, Gabriel Ripstein, Moisés Zonana

Jackie
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin, Ari Handel, Juan de Dios Larraín, Mickey Liddell

Manchester by the Sea
Producers: Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. Walsh

Moonlight
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski

BEST FIRST FEATURE – Award given to the director and producer.

The Childhood of a Leader
Director: Brady Corbet
Producers: Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Chris Coen, Ron Curtis, Helena Danielsson, Mona Fastvold, István Major

The Fits
Director/Producer: Anna Rose Holmer
Producer: Lisa Kjerulff

Other People
Director: Chris Kelly
Producers: Sam Bisbee, Adam Scott, Naomi Scott

Swiss Army Man
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Lawrence Inglee, Lauren Mann, Amanda Marshall, Eyal Rimmon, Jonathan Wang

The Witch
Director: Robert Eggers
Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond, Rodrigo Teixeira

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.

Free In Deed
Writer/Director: Jake Mahaffy
Producers: Mike Bowes, Mike S. Ryan, Brent Stiefel

Hunter Gatherer
Writer/Director: Josh Locy
Producers: Michael Covino, April Lamb, Sara Murphy, Isaiah Smallman

Lovesong
Writer/Director: So Yong Kim
Writer/Producer: Bradley Rust Gray
Producers: David Hansen, Alex Lipschultz, Johnny Mac

Nakom
Writer/Director/Producer: TW Pittman
Director/Producer: Kelly Daniela Norris
Writer/Producer: Isaac Adakudugu
Producer: Giovanni Ximénez

Spa Night
Writer/Director: Andrew Ahn
Producers: David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas

BEST DIRECTOR
Andrea Arnold - American Honey
Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
Pablo Larraín - Jackie
Jeff Nichols - Loving
Kelly Reichardt - Certain Women

BEST SCREENPLAY
Moonlight - Barry Jenkins; Story By Tarell Alvin McCraney   
Manchester by the Sea - Kenneth Lonergan
20th Century Women - Mike Mills
Little Men - Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
Hell or High Water - Taylor Sheridan

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
The Witch - Robert Eggers
Other People - Chris Kelly
Barry - Adam Mansbach
Jean of the Jones - Stella Meghie
Christine - Craig Shilowich

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Free in Deed - Ava Berkofsky
The Childhood of a Leader - Lol Crawley
The Eyes of My Mother - Zach Kuperstein
Moonlight - James Laxton
American Honey - Robbie Ryan

BEST EDITING
Matthew Hannam - Swiss Army Man
Jennifer Lame - Manchester by the Sea
Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders - Moonlight
Jake Roberts - Hell or High Water
Sebastián Sepúlveda - Jackie

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening - 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert - Elle
Sasha Lane - American Honey
Ruth Negga - Loving
Natalie Portman - Jackie

BEST MALE LEAD
Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea
David Harewood - Free In Deed
Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
Jesse Plemons - Other People
Tim Roth - Chronic

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Edwina Findley - Free In Deed
Paulina Garcia - Little Men
Lily Gladstone - Certain Women
Riley Keough - American Honey
Molly Shannon - Other People

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Ralph Fiennes - A Bigger Splash
Ben Foster - Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges - Manchester by the Sea
Shia LaBeouf - American Honey
Craig Robinson - Morris from America

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

Moonlight
Director: Barry Jenkins
Casting Director: Yesi Ramirez
Ensemble Cast: Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders

BEST DOCUMENTARY – Award given to the director and producer.

13th
Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay
Producers: Spencer Averick, Howard Barish

Cameraperson
Director/Producer: Kirsten Johnson
Producer: Marilyn Ness

I Am Not Your Negro
Director/Producer: Raoul Peck
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Hébert Peck

O.J.: Made in America
Director/Producer: Ezra Edelman
Producers: Deirdre Fenton, Libby Geist, Nina Krstic, Erin Leyden, Tamara Rosenberg, Connor Schell, Caroline Waterlow

Sonita
Director: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
Producer: Gerd Haag

Under the Sun
Director: Vitaly Mansky
Producer: Natalya Manskaya

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – Award given to the director.
Aquarius (Brazil)
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Chevalier (Greece)
Director: Athina Tsangari

My Golden Days (France)
Director: Arnaud Desplechin

Toni Erdmann (Germany and Romania)
Director: Maren Ade

Under the Shadow (Iran and U.K.)
Director: Babak Anvari

20th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 20th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

Lisa Kjerulff

Jordana Mollick

Melody C. Roscher & Craig Shilowich

23rd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 23rd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.

Andrew Ahn
Director of Spa Night

Claire Carré
Director of Embers

Anna Rose Holmer
Director of The Fits

Ingrid Jungermann
Director of Women Who Kill

22nd TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 22nd annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Kristi Jacobson
Director of Solitary     

Sara Jordenö
Director of Kiki

Nanfu Wang
Director of Hooligan Sparrow

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2017 Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced - Complete List

The Black Reel Awards annually honor African-Americans in feature, independent, and television film.  The awards also take notice of the work in film by people of color throughout the African Diaspora.  The awards were launched in 2000, and this is the 16th year the awards will be handed out.  The Black Reel Awards are now given out by the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF).

The nominations for the 17th Annual Black Reel Awards were announced December 14, 2016.  The Black Reel Awards are comprised of more than 110 voters across the country.  The voters annually select and spotlight films, television, and music and performances featuring African-Americans, as well as people of color throughout the African Diaspora.  The 17th Annual Black Reel Awards winners will be announced on Thursday, February 16, 2017.

2017 / 17th Annual Black Reel Award nominations:

Motion Picture Categories

Outstanding Motion Picture

• 13th | Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay & Spencer Averick; producers (Netflix)
• Fences | Denzel Washington, Todd Black & Scott Rudin; producers (Paramount)
• Loving | Colin Firth, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Nancy Buirski, Sarah Green & Ged Doherty; producers (Focus Features)
• Manchester by the Sea | Matt Damon, Kimberly Stewart, Lauren Beck, Chris Moore & Kevin J. Walsh; producers (Roadside Attractions/ Amazon Studios)
• Moonlight | Dede Gardner, Adele Romanski & Jeremy Kleiner; producers (A24)

Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture
Don Cheadle | Miles Ahead! (Sony Picture Classics)
Nate Parker | The Birth of a Nation (Fox Searchlight)
Parker Sawyers | Southside With You (Roadside Attractions/ Miramax)
Denzel Washington | Fences (Paramount)
Denzel Washington | The Magnificent Seven (MGM/Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture
Taraji P. Henson | Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)
Royalty Hightower | The Fits (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Sasha Lane | American Honey (A24)
Ruth Negga | Loving (Focus Features)
Madina Nwalanga | Queen of Katwe (Walt Disney)

Outstanding Director, Motion Picture
Don Cheadle | Miles Ahead! (Sony Picture Classics)
Antoine Fuqua | The Magnificent Seven (MGM/Columbia Pictures)
Barry Jenkins | Moonlight (A24)
Nate Parker | The Birth of a Nation (Fox Searchlight)
Denzel Washington | Fences (Paramount)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture
Jovan Adepo | Fences (Paramount)
Mahershala Ali | Moonlight (A24)
Stephen McKinley Henderson | Fences (Paramount)
Andre Holland | Moonlight (A24)
Ashton Sanders | Moonlight (A24)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Viola Davis | Fences (Paramount)
Naomie Harris | Moonlight (A24)
Janelle Monae | Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)
Janelle Monae | Moonlight (A24)
Lupita Nyong’o | Queen of Katwe (Walt Disney)

Outstanding Screenplay, Motion Picture
The Birth of a Nation | Nate Parker (Fox Searchlight)
Fences | August Wilson (Paramount)
Keanu | Jordan Peele & Alex Rubens (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Miles Ahead! | Don Cheadle & Steven Baigelman (Sony Picture Classics)
Moonlight | Barry Jenkins (A24)

Outstanding Documentary Feature
13th | Ava Duvernay; director (Netflix)
I Am Not Your Negro | Raoul Peck; director (Magnolia Pictures)
Life, Animated | Roger Ross Williams; director (The Orchard)
Miss Sharon Jones! | Barbara Kopple; director (Starz Digital Media)
O.J.: Made in America | Ezra Edelman; director (ESPN)

Outstanding Foreign Language Film
Aisha (Tanzania) | Chande Omar; director
Divines (France) | Uda Benyamina; director (Netflix)
Eye of the Storm (Burkina Faso) | Sekou Traore; director
Lamb (Ethiopia) | Yared Zeleke; director (Kimstim Films)
Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It (Niger) | Christopher Kirley; director

Outstanding Ensemble
The Birth of a Nation | Andrea Craven, Craig Fincannon, Lisa Mae Fincannon, Mary Vernieu, Michelle Wade Byrd; casting directors (Fox Searchlight)
Fences | Victoria Thomas (Paramount)
Hidden Figures | (20th Century Fox)
Keanu | Nicole Abellera & Jeanne McCarthy; casting directors (Warner Bros.)
Moonlight | Yesi Ramirez; casting director (A24)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male
Jovan Adepo | Fences (Paramount)
Markees Christmas | Morris From America (A24)
Alex Hibbert | Moonlight (A24)
Trevante Rhodes | Moonlight (A24)
Ashton Sanders | Moonlight (A24)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
Royalty Hightower | The Fits (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Leslie Jones | Ghostbusters (Columbia Pictures)
Aja Naomi King | The Birth of a Nation (Fox Searchlight)
Sasha Lane | American Honey (A24)
Janelle Monae | Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)

Outstanding Voice Performance

• Idris Elba | Finding Dory (Walt Disney)
• Idris Elba | The Jungle Book (Walt Disney)
• Idris Elba | Zootopia (Walt Disney)
• Dwayne Johnson | Moana (Walt Disney)
• Lupita Nyong’o | The Jungle Book (Walt Disney)

Outstanding Score
The Birth of a Nation | Henry Jackman; composer (Fox Searchlight)
Fences | Marcelo Zarvos; composer (Paramount)
Hidden Figures | Benjamin Wallfisch, Pharrell Williams & Hans Zimmer; composers (20th Century Fox)
Miles Ahead! | Robert Glasper; composer (Sony Picture Classics)
Moonlight | Nicholas Britell; composer (A24)

Outstanding Original Song

• “A Letter to the Free” from 13th | Performed by: Common & Bilal; Written by: Common (Netflix)
• “Back to Life” from Queen of Katwe | Performed by: Alicia Keys; Written by: Alicia Keys, Illangelo & Billy Walsh (Walt Disney)
• “I’m Still Here” from Miss Sharon Jones! | Written & Performed by: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Starz Digital Media)
• “Start” from Southside With You | Written & Performed by: John Legend (Roadside Attractions/ Miramax)
• “Surrender” from Hidden Figures | Performed by: Lalah Hathaway & Pharrell Williams; Written by: Pharrell Williams (20th Century Fox)

Independent Categories

Outstanding Independent Feature
American Honey | Andrea Arnold; director (A24)
How to Tell You’re a Douchebag | Tahir Jetter; director
Hunter Gatherer | Joshua Locy; director (The Orchard)
The Land | Steven Caple, Jr.; director (IFC Films)
Morris From America | Chad Hartigan; director (A24)

Outstanding World Cinema Motion Picture
Ayanda (South Africa) | Sara Blecher; director
The Cursed Ones (Ghana) | Nana Obiri-Yeboah & Maximilian Claussen; director
Where the Road Runs Out (Equatorial Guinea) | Rudolf Buitendach; director (Netflix)

Outstanding Independent Short
#Whereisbeauty | Angela McCrae; director
2 Fists Up | Spike Lee; director (ESPN)
$15 Kicks | Jenn Shaw; director (ESPN)
86-32 | Randy Wilkins; director (ESPN)
Black Card | Pete Chatmon; director

Outstanding Emerging Filmmaker
Steven Caple, Jr. | The Land (IFC Films)
Ezra Edelman | O.J.: Made in America (ESPN Films)
Tahir Jetter | How to Tell You’re a Douchebag
Rita Coburn Whack | Maya Angelou and Still I Rise
Yared Zeleke | Lamb (Kimstim Films)

Outstanding First Screenplay
Lamb | Yared Zeleke (Kimstim Films)
The Land | Steven Caple, Jr. (IFC Films)
Price of Love | Hermon Hailay

Television Categories

Outstanding TV Doc or Special
Beyonce: Lemonade | Beyonce Knowles & Khalil Joseph; directors (HBO)
Black America Since MLK: Still I Rise | Talleah Bridges; director (PBS)
Hamilton’s America | Alex Horowitz; director (PBS)
“Jackie Robinson” | Ken Burns; director (PBS)
“Streets of Compton” | Mark Ford; director (A&E)

Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series
“American Crime” | Lori-Etta Taub; producer (ABC)
Confirmation | Darren M. Demetre ; producer (HBO)
Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | Carl Craig, Teyonah Parris, Ron Robinson & Eric Tomosunas; producers (TV One)
“The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” | Chip Vucelich, Alexis Martin Woodall & John Travolta; producers (FX)
“Roots” | Ann Kindberg & Alissa M. Kantrow; producers (History Channel)

Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
Michael Ealy | “Secrets & Lies” (ABC)
Cuba Gooding Jr. | “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” (FX)
Malachi Kirby | “Roots” (History Channel)
Wendell Pierce | Confirmation (HBO)
Courtney B. Vance | “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” (FX)

Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Rhyon Nicole Brown | Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le (Lifetime)
Audra McDonald | Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (HBO)
Sophie Okonedo | “The Hollow Crown: The War of Roses” (PBS)
Teyonah Parris | Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story (TV One)
Kerry Washington | Confirmation (HBO)

Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Limited Series
Angela Bassett | “American Horror Story: Roanoke” : Season 6, Episode 6 (FX)
Thomas Carter | “Roots” : Night 3 (History Channel)
Anthony Hemingway | “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” : “The Dream Team” (FX)
John Ridley | “American Crime”: Season 2, Episode 1 (ABC)
John Singleton | “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story”: The Race Card (FX)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
Andre Benjamin | “American Crime” (ABC)
Sterling K. Brown | “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” (FX)
Curtis Hamilton | Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge, Michel’le (Lifetime)
Tip “T.I.” Harris | “Roots” (History Channel)
Michael K. Williams | “The Night Of… ” (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Angela Bassett | “American Horror Story: Roanoke” (FX)
Emayatzy Corinealdi | “Roots” (History Channel)
Regina King | “American Crime” (ABC)
Anika Noni Rose | “Roots” (History Channel)
Keesha Sharp | “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” (FX)

Outstanding Screenplay/Writing, TV Movie or Limited Series
“American Crime” (Season Two, Episode One) | Written by: John Ridley (ABC)
Jean of the Joneses | Written by: Stella Meghie (TV One)
Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | Written by: Christine Swanson & Rhonda Baraka (TV One)
“The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” (“The Race Card”) | Written by: Joe Robert Cole (FX)
“The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” (“A Jury in Jail”) | Written by: Joe Robert Cole (FX)

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