Dr Don Shirley (Oscar winner Mahershala Ali) is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits ‘Tony Lip’ Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the… [Read More]
3.13 Finding Ourselves in the MOONLIGHT
This week, Steve welcomes back Audra Grey-Choy and Shelley McVea to wrestle with issues of identity, sexuality and cultural definitions of masculinity in Barry Jenkins’ MOONLIGHT! Want to continue to conversation at home? Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your… [Read More]
Manchester By the Sea – Moving through Grief and Pain
In some ways this is a slice-of-life story of a family in grief. It is a disconcerting experience that triggers emotions in strange ways.
3.11 Discovering the HIDDEN FIGURES
This week on the show, Chris Utley joins Steve to talk diversity in the Oscars and their response to last years #OscarsSoWhite controversy! Plus, they also look at the Oscar-nominated film, HIDDEN FIGURES and the cultural impact of breaking barriers of race and gender! Want to continue to conversation at home? Click the link below… [Read More]
tiff16: THE BIRTH OF A NATION
Released at Sundance earlier this year, the film sparked a bidding war the likes of which the festival had never seen before (and eventually settled at Fox Searchlight for an amazing $17.5M, the highest in the festival’s history. With a timely subject matter (especially in the heat of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy) and buzz-worthy visuals, Nate Parker’s film… [Read More]
The Big Short – Winning Is(n’t) Everything (Oscar Spotlight)
The Big Short is set in 2008 and tells the true story of Michael Burry (Christian Bale), a Wall St. guru who foresaw the downfall of the US economy due to sub-prime mortgage fallout. As a result of his discovery, he places over a billion dollars of investors money against the economy, drawing the attention… [Read More]
The Martian: Survive or Die (Oscar Spotlight: Best Picture)
With a compelling story, great acting, and fantastic visuals, The Martian is a worthy film to be considered for this year’s Best Picture nomination.
Mad Max: Fury Road–Pursuing Peace (Oscar Spotlight: Best Picture)
Upon first glance, Mad Max: Fury Road seems out of place amongst its fellow best picture nominees. There’s no biographical dramatization, no outspoken activist star. There’s not even a subtitle in sight. But there is flame-spewing punk rock guitarist chained to a thirty-foot wall of Marshall amps on the front of a semi. In other words:… [Read More]
