Elegance Bratton's 'The Inspection' Starring Jeremy Pope And Gabrielle Union Is A Stellar Examination Of Resilience And Self-Acceptance (TIFF Review)

Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union are absolutely stellar in The Inspection.

Merriam-Webster defines the word inspection as “a careful and critical examination.” In his fiction debut film, filmmaker Elegance Bratton turns his sharp lens on his own story of rejection, perseverance, and self-acceptance. Set in Trenton, New Jersey, in the years following the September 11th terrorist attack, The Inspection follows Ellis French, a quiet young man whose sensitivity and sexuality have driven a wedge between him and his hostile and hyper-religious mother, Inez (Gabrielle Union, who also served as executive producer). Her rejection of Ellis at age 16 has led him to homelessness for nearly a decade of his life. The distance between himself and his mother wounds Ellis so profoundly that he decides to enlist in the Marines in a final effort to earn not just her respect but her love.

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Film Review|| Fifty Shades of Grey: A Lesson in Communication and Consent

I'll be the first to admit that I read the Fifty Shade of Grey trilogy in a 48-hour time span. (I will also admit that I've read all three at least three times. I'd just finished undergrad and I had nothing to do.)Anyway when I found out that Focus Featureshad acquired the rights to the books for film, I was presently surprised. In my opinion Focus consistently turns quality films, and when Charlie Hunnam was initially cast I was ready to purchase my ticket immediately!

To what could have been le sigh

Sadly, as you all know the beautious man dropped out and was swiftly replaced by Jamie Dornan. I was less than impressed. No tea, no shade but the last thing that butters my roll is a smedium sized white man.Nonetheless like millions of red blooded women globally I was still intrigued and I found myself at a late showing yesterday evening to see what the film was talkin bout.

First and foremost, the writing was surprisingly witty. Instead of making Anastasia Steele the annoying whinny lip-biting twit that she was in the books, screenwriter Kelly Marcel made her a bit naive but still enjoyable. Anna is a woman with characteristics that I recognize in myself and I'm sure many others can relate to.

Sam Taylor-Johnson as director was also a fantastic choice from the studio. We see mostly all of Dakota Johnson’s (Anna Steele) nude body. (Women's bodies are normally overexposed in films). However, from a woman’s gaze it wasn't callous or garish. Taylor-Johnson made it sensual; giving a squeamish American audience the opportunity to get comfortable with the nudity right along with Anastasia. (We also got to see a bit more man parts then normal. Not the whole peen thankfully because GROSS,  just a peek.)Dakota Johnson is actually a pretty good actress. I think it was important for the film that Johnson wasn't well known. She's able to embody Anastasia without any of the misconceptions that the audience may have placed on her has she been more famous. Likewise Jamie Dorman, though not my first choice does a damn good Christian Grey. He's stoic, emotionally withholding, detached and damn sexy. Its odd that the duo works so well onscreen together, because its clear that they are painfully awkward around one another in real life

Still, the film like the books has its "chile please" moments. Anna does get a tad melodramatic at times, but it's forgiven because we've all been there. Love and youth don't always bring out the best in you. Also I don't care what type of situationship you're in, D/s or otherwise, if someone shows up out the blue on in a new state, run to the nearest police precinct and file a restraining order. Some stuff only makes sense in films. (Also: The casting of Christian’s siblings, um no ma'am Rita)

Despite all of this, the film got a lot right. Along with the newly improved witty Anna, the kinky sex scenes get two thumbs up from me!! Unlike Addicted (which I finally watched last weekend) these were not watered down snooze worthy encounters. No ma'am Christian Grey doesn't play  ;)

I also applaud those involved in the film for making communication and consent focal points throughout the narrative. Though uncomfortable at times, the characters are not afraid to speak their minds and to share their thoughts and feelings. A lesson many of us could use. Likewise consent is HUGE in the film. In one particular scene Anna and Christian go over a contract concerning their sexual relationship.. As formal as that sounds, I thought it was important to voice. As my friend who attended the film with me so eloquently pointed out, “This is the fantasy of one particular woman, not of ALL women.” Everyone is different the point of communication and consent is to discover what your partners likes and dislikes are.

Overall despite my initially reservations Fifty Shades of Grey really floated my boat. It's lady porn at it's best. (Listen I even got into Jamie Doman as Christian and he ain't nowhere near my type.) I say go see it. Take your girls or your boo, or hell take yourself if is Valentine's Weekend after all. #treatyoself  Who knows, you may even discover some things about yourself, or your partner that you didn't know. Either way bring a moist toilette to cool yourself off.

Listen Linda! Why is the man not bearded in the film?!! Literally the beard changes the GAME

50 Shades of Grey is out in theaters this Valentine's Day *hide ya kids*

xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo

PS: I really never got the uproar surrounding the books and the film. Are they the best things that happened to literature and cinema? Of course not!   But some of y'all need to calm down and let grown people do and enjoy what they want. As a Black feminist my pet peeve is when other women (let's not even get into men) try to tell me what I should and should not be into to. Boo, get yo life.

Review: Lifetime's Angela Bassett-Directed 'Whitney' is Surprisingly Fresh

Admittedly, I was skeptical when I heard that Angela Bassett would be directing a film about Whitney Houston’s life for Lifetime. Ms. Bassett knew Whitney personally, having worked with her in "Waiting to Exhale" (1995), and her husband Courtney B. Vance, also worked with Whitney on the film "The Preacher’s Wife" (1996).  Perhaps it was because of this friendship and reverence for the star that allowed Ms. Bassett to make the, surprisingly, honest, passionate, and well-done "Whitney."

Instead of a biography of Ms. Houston’s entire career and life, Ms. Bassett chose to focus on her passionate, obsessive and often tumultuous relationship with her then husband Bobby Brown.  The film follows the duo from their initial meeting at the 1989 Soul Train Awards, through the end of her "The Bodyguard" tour.

Yaya DaCosta as Whitney Houston paints a portrait of a loving and beautiful woman struggling to remain present as her status as an icon swiftly overwhelms her.  Whitney was clearly a woman who struggled, as many of us do, with the duality of the desires of her head and her heart. Relative newcomer Arlen Escarpeta, while in no way favoring Bobby Brown, portrays a man in love, but still very much a product of his environment, which is evidenced by his wild ways. Only twenty years old when they initially meet, Bobby wrestles with his own demons, as he faces a career stalemate, and Whitney’s continues to soar expeditiously.

As the film tells us, at the height of their fame when they are first introduced to one another, Whitney and Bobby quickly embark on a romantic and erotic relationship. The film was especially sexy, highlighting the fact that, despite their trials and tribulations, the pair was always consumed with one another. Outside pregnancies, a miscarriage, the pressures of work, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, heighten the tension between the pair, until it seemed they could no longer function together or apart. As time wore on, their love became toxic.

After shooting "The Bodyguard" (1992) and giving birth to her daughter Bobbi Kristina, Houston desperately wanted to set her public life aside for a moment, to be a wife and mother. Houston was exceedingly aware of her public perception. She was concerned all along that her involvement with Brown would bring a lot of scrutiny to her image and life choices.

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xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxox

Film Review || Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B

It has been thirteen years since Aaliyah's untimely death. A rising superstar, she had two wildly successful albums under her belt (Age Ain't Nothing But A Number (1994) and One in A Million (1996).) She also managed to secure roles in the Matrix sequels, having already shot Romeo Must Die (2000) and Queen of the Damned (2002). Only 22 years old at the time of her death, she’d already accomplished a great deal. Had she lived, I'm sure that her success would have rivaled that of our current greats. (ie: Beyonce, Rhianna)

 
There have been talks for many years about turning Aaliyah's life into a film, despite lack of support from her family and those who were closest to her. Since she was extremely young when she passed, there has been a great effort to maintain her image and her preserve her life’s work, which a film could potentially jeopardize. Despite these concerns, huge pushback, and a casting shake-up, Lifetime decided to press forward with their film on her life entitled, Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B.

I had the opportunity to screen a rough cut of the film, and I'll be honest and say that I went into it with extremely low expectations. The story follows Aaliyah Dana Haughton (Alexandra Shipp) from her failed Star Search appearance in 1989 to her passing in August 2001. The film provided a bland and general overview of Aaliyah's life, with the occasional melodramatic acting (which is often typical of Lifetime.)

The Haughton's are depicted as extremely family oriented.  Aaliyah's Uncle, Barry Hankerson, (Lyric Bent) ran Blackground Records and managed Aaliyah from the beginning of her career. Despite singing with Gladys Knight (played brilliantly by Elise Neal) who is Barry's ex-wife, Aaliyah struggles for years to get her career off the ground.  Instead she showcases her talent by performing in school talent shows and at local events.  It’s not until 1993, when Barry introduced her to R. Kelly, (Clé Bennett) that her career takes off. Fresh off his widely successful 12 Play (1993), Aaliyah goes to Chicago to work with Kelly on what would become Age Ain't Nothing But A Number (1994).

Much of the issue with having the film done at all has been how the relationship between R. Kelly and Aaliyah would be depicted. Surprisingly, Lifetime treated the relationship as well as they could have.
Kelly, (Bennett) at the top of his game, is uninterested in even hearing Aaliyah sing at first.  However, that all changes after her audition with him. At once, he's enchanted and their relationship becomes uncomfortably close moving from a mentor mentee relationship into one that is secretive and predatory in nature.

Though it's obvious in the film that Aaliyah was young, naive, and clearly enamored with Kelly's genius, the film (like society) seems to sweep his misdeeds under the rug. After her parents discover their marriage (in a uncomfortable scene both in terms of the acting ability and material), they have it swiftly annulled and Kelly fades into the background of Aaliyah's life.

Post- Kelly, the film deals with Aaliyah's second album One In A Million (1996) and her relationships with Timbaland (Izaak Stack) and Missy Elliot (Chattrisse Dolabaille); virtually unknown producers at the time. Though it was not intended to be humorous, the lack of resemblance between these actors and Tim and Missy amused me to no end. Perhaps the film would have been more worthwhile had it focused on them within the making of Million, but since the duo were hardly believable then perhaps not.

The film touches on important moments in her career including her performance at the Oscars in 1998 and ends with her relationship with Damon Dash (Anthony Grant).

The film certainly wasn’t anything spectacular; Shipp is an ok actress with a decent voice who unfortunately, can't dance.  This becomes obvious in every performance showcased in the film, as Shipp does nothing more than sway from side to side. I think it would have been better off if Lifetime had simply respected the family's wishes and scrapped the idea of a movie altogether. If we are ever going to see another film on the late Princess of R&B's life, I would hope that it’s at least a theatrical wide release, well funded, well-acted, and backed by her family. (There have been whispers of a 2015 theatrical release.)

Lifetime's “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” gave me exactly what I expected, which sadly isn't much at all.

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B premieres Saturday, November 15^that 8PM on Lifetime

xoxox Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxox