The Past Catches Up To The Bordelons On 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Episode 2 [RECAP]

"I No Longer Imagine," the second episode of the fourth season of Queen Sugar, opens right where the premiere left off.

After reading preview copies of Nova Bordelon's (Rutina Wesley) memoir, both of her siblings, Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), are absolutely gutted that their sister has willingly and eagerly spilled their personal pain and secrets onto the page for the world to see. Though she's shaken, Charley goes into fixer mode, something she has mastered well following the implosion of her marriage to her NBA baller ex-husband Davis (Timon Kyle Durrett). As she frantically tries to gather the forces she needs to prevent the memoir from going to print, she's also avoiding a confrontation with her big sis.

Ralph Angel, on the other hand, has turned to rage. Nova, the sibling he was closest to, has put his darkest humiliation on display for the world to see, exposing not just him, but also his son Blue (Ethan Hutchison) and his ex, Darla (Bianca Lawson), who is recovering from addiction and just now finding her footing. Never one to back down from a fight, Ralph Angel confronts his eldest sister. But instead of the woman who has been there to embrace him and soothe his ailments as she has so many times before, what he finds his indignation and self-righteousness.

Aunt Vi's (Tina Lifford) focus is on her new business, Vi's Prized Pies & Diner. She is oblivious to the storms that are barreling right towards her. She is stable and content for the first time in her life, with a man so profoundly devoted to her that he tries to shield her from Blessing & Blood. However, Aunt Vi has never been a fool. After seeing the haunted looks on Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey), Charley and Ralph Angel's faces, she knows that whatever ugly secrets of her own that Nova has decided to serve up to the masses are going to be gut-wrenching.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Image: Skip Bolen © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Courtesy of OWN.

‘Inside Out’ Is the Children’s Movie Millennials Needed In the ’90s

It was an astounding feat when Inside Out debuted in theaters four years ago. It was almost as if someone realized that kids were people too. When we think of children’s movies–the ’80s and ’90s were full of classics. It was the era that gave us The Lion King, Oliver and Company, Beauty & the Beast, and The Great Mouse Detective, among others. However, despite the legendary soundtracks and the way our hearts shattered after Mufasa’s death–children’s movies of the 20th century were still very much centered around giving generic life lessons or pushing the narrative that girls needed to be rescued by boys. Luckily, society has gotten some sense knocked into it, and these days we’re getting much more nuanced stories like Brave, Zootopia, and The Incredibles. However, Inside Out truly pushed the envelope when it comes to kiddy flicks.

The movie followed 11-year old Riley whose life is uprooted when her father gets a new job, and she and her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco. Change is difficult for anyone, but for adolescents and teens, in particular, they can be exceptionally challenging. Instead of just analyzing Riley’s brain on a surface level, the movie does a deep dive into her psyche where we meet the five emotions, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust.

It’s these emotions that rule Riley’s world–but what Disney does that’s so profound, which is why the movie resonates well across generations, is that there is actual psychology behind the storytelling. Even as an adult, it can be challenging to sort through your feelings, and it can be particularly jarring when you realize that you’re feeling more than one emotion at once. Thankfully, Disney and Pixar decided to give us the perfect visual of what this might look like if our feelings were human-like figures running rampant in our brains.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Image: Disney.

‘Men in Black: International’ Is Charming, Witty & Mostly Fun

We all know that Hollywood lives for reboots and sequels. These days, original films and TV shows are almost an anomaly in the entertainment industry. Therefore, when Men in Black: International was announced, a film centering Tessa Thompon’s Agent M, and Chris Hemsworth’s Agent H–we were more than a little skeptical. After all, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made the franchize iconic and walking in the footsteps of Agent J and Agent K was going to be an arduous task for anyone that wanted to follow. Thankfully, both Thompson and Hemsworth were up for the task. The pair had sizzled together on screen previously in Marvel’s Thor: Ragnorak and Avengers: Endgame. But putting them in the Men in Black Universe proved that their chemistry is transcendent.

Men in Black: International exists in the same realm as the first three films and follows a young woman named Molly (Thompson). As a child in the ’90s, Molly witnessed an alien creature wiggle its way into her Brooklyn home. Though the Men in Black quickly appeared to erase her parents’ memories, no one realized that Molly was awake to see the entire encounter. Some 22-years later, hyper-obsessed with the mega-secret alien-wrangling agency– Molly cleverly weasels her way into a black suit and those stunner shades.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Sienna Miller Is Electric In ‘American Woman’–an Astounding Portrayal Of Grief, Loss & Betrayal

Grief, loss, and betrayal can feel suffocating, American Woman shows just how consuming these emotions can be. The film follows Deb (Sienna Miller), a young mother and grandmother trying to live her best life. Having been a single mom since she was 16, at 33–Deb’s sole concern is fun. She’s and entangled in an affair with a married man, much to the annoyance of her straight-laced–overbearing mother, Peggy (Amy Madigan) and her uber protective and polar-opposite older sister, Kathy (Christina Hendricks). When she’s not indulging in her forbidden relationship, she’s babysitting her toddler grandson for her 17-year-old daughter, Bridget (Sky Ferreira). When the film opens, Deb is experiencing a real sense of freedom for the first time in her adult life, and she disregards anyone who wants to spoil her fun.

Tragically, Deb’s entire world shatters when Bridget doesn’t come home one evening–effectively vanishing off the face of the earth. Paralyzed by the loss, we watch Deb try to cope with her grief while taking on the newfound responsibility of her grandson, Jesse. At first, she’s frantic, lashing out at her mother and berating Jesse’s teenage stoner father for his treatment of her daughter–but as time moves forward, she must confront herself and her own missteps.

What stands out most in American Woman is the bond that Deb and Kathy have with one another. So often in film, women with different personalities and perspectives on life are pitted against one another, but that’s not the case here. Though they live across the street from one another and often grate each other’s last nerve, Deb finds solace in her big sister, her protective brother-in-law, Terry (Will Sasso) and the stability of their household juxtaposed against her more chaotic one.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Truth And Betrayal Have The Same Face In The Season 4 Premiere of ‘Queen Sugar’

In the Season four premiere of Ava DuVernay's critically acclaimed, family drama Queen Sugar, under the ruse of revealing her truths—Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley) betrays her loved ones, shattering the safe, familial space that she’s been building with her brother Ralph-Angel (Kofi Siriboe), half-sister Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Aunt Vi (Tina Lifford) for the past several years, in the wake of her father’s sudden death.

Titled, "Pleasure Is Black," the premiere shows the Bordelons all in very different spaces than we've seen them previously. No longer weighed down by the pain of loss, struggle, or suffering, they are a thriving family with a sugar cane farm and mill, on the cusp of harvest season. Charley in particular, who has carried the weight of the world on her shoulders since season one seems lighter. Back at the helm of the Queen Sugar Mill, Charley is glowing from her summer romance with Romero (Walter Perez). Dewy and carefree, Romero and Charley have returned to St. Josephine from summer vacation, and they are teetering on the cusp of a full-blown love affair.

Aunt Violet and Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) have also returned home from their Thailand honeymoon. With an expanded palette and a slew of ideas running through her head, Vi is eager to open Vi’s Prized Pies & Diner. Her new business is a culmination of everything she’s worked so tirelessly for her entire life. Like his middle sister and aunt, Ralph Angel is also in a space of hope and anticipation, celebrating the end of his lengthy parole and the return of his freedom. RA and Darla (Bianca Lawson) have also found their rhythm when it comes to co-parenting their son, Blue (Ethan Hutchison).

Unfortunately, Nova brings a reckoning to them all. Having stayed quiet about the imminent release of her memoir, Blessing & Blood and the contents of it—Nova looks increasingly sick to her stomach as the book release date approaches, and her press tour begins. Though she sees her memoir as triumphant, she knows that her family won’t feel the same. Instead of offering her siblings and her aunt the opportunity to read her words prior to releasing the manuscript, Nova cowers, allowing the people she claims to love most in the world to be taken by surprise and thrust into a humiliating firestorm. For Charley, Ralph Angel, and Aunt Vi—Nova’s truth looks a lot like betrayal.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Images: Skip Bolen © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Courtesy of OWN.

Rachel Brosnahan Spills Her Beauty Routine & Responds To That “Women Aren’t Funny” Trope

Celebrity endorsements aren’t exactly few and far between; they feel very ingrained in our culture. So it’s beyond refreshing when a brand and its chosen face boast a genuine relationship. In her first major brand deal ever, Rachel Brosnahan has linked up with Cetaphil, everyone’s favorite skin care staple. Though the company has been around since 1947, their collaboration with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star marks the first time in Cetaphil’s history that they’ve had a celebrity ambassador. The cult-classic skin brand clearly wouldn’t recruit just any famous face to front their line, and that brings me to Brosnahan.

As an actress who spends most of her time standing in Midge Maisel’s 1950s-style pumps, the 28 year-old actress has had to be very deliberate about her skincare routine. She grew up in the Midwest, with its tumultuous weather, and spent her teen years as an athlete. Brosnahan understood early on the importance of using products that wouldn’t irritate her sensitive skin. Though her schedule has only gotten more hectic, the House of Cards alum has stuck with Cetaphil all of these years, and her nearly-poreless complexion is living proof.

On the day that her partnership with Cetaphil was announced, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Brosnahan. After bonding over our Midwestern upbringings, and musing over gel nails and charcoal teeth whiteners, we discussed her passion for Cetaphil, the five products she would take with her back to the 1950s and why she’s disgusted by the pesky trope that women aren’t funny.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

I Watched the Season 2 Premiere Of ‘Big Little Lies’ & I Have So Many Questions

The Monterey Five are back, and this season, their past secrets and lies just might bury them all alive. These Big Little Lies Season 2 series premiere spoilers will reveal everything that’s happening to our favorite ladies. A new school year has begun, and new characters will infiltrate Monterey. During the Season 1 finale, the women witnessed Celeste (Nicole Kidman) being tormented and physically abused by her husband, Perry (Alexander Skarsgård). Rushing to defend her, Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) accidentally pushed Perry to his death while the other ladies, Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) Jane (Shailene Woodley), and Renata (Laura Dern) rushed to her side to cover up the crime.

Summer has passed since we last saw the ladies and while Madeline, Jane, and Renata seem determined to put the past behind them–the arrival of Perry’s grieving mother, Mary Louise (Meryl Streep) threatens to expose them all. Meanwhile, Bonnie is now a shell of the vibrant spirit she once was. Unable to cope with her role in Perry’s death, she’s wholly retreated into herself disconnecting with her family and the women who are implicated with her.

The Season 2 Big Little Lies opener, “What Have They Done?” picks up just a few months after the Season 1 finale, and  I have a slew of burning questions.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Niecy Nash Has Been A Boss & She’s Got the Receipts To Prove It

Over the course of her 25 years in the entertainment industry, Niecy Nash has never played a character quite like Desna Simms before. In 2017, fresh off her role on Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens–Nash stepped into the fabulously fierce nail shop owner’s stilettos, and it’s been a wild (and hilarious) ride ever since. The acclaimed TNT dramedy Claws is set in Manatee County, Florida, and follows Desna and her tight-knit crew of nail technicians. There’s Polly (Carrie Preston), Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes), Jennifer (Jenn Lyon) and Virginia (Karrueche Tran). When we first met them in Season 1, the women were caught up in a money laundering scheme at the urging of Desna’s lover Roller (Jack Kesy), and his ruthless crime boss uncle, Uncle Daddy (Dean Norris).

After striving to get out from under the Dixie Mafia, only to get entangled in other schemes and come-up attempts all while trying to be a source of comfort for her autistic brother Dean (Harold Perrineau)–Desna is ready to boss up in Season 3. Following the death of her volatile hubby Dr. Ruval (Jimmy Jean-Louis), Desna has inherited a casino, and she and the ladies are ready to take life by the balls. Ahead of the Season 3 premiere, STYLECASTER went to lunch with Nash to discuss the new season of Claws, why she stepped behind the camera, those fabulous nails, sisterhood, and if Denisa and Roller will finally make things official.

“Des has wanted to boss up for a hot minute now, and now that she has this casino, it’s like ‘more money more problems,'” the When They See Us actress revealed. “It impacts her relationship with these women because you find out with her that power corrupts. You always want to say ‘I’m doing this for a good reason, I’m trying to help everybody.’ But are you? We get to see her work out that struggle this season.”

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Karrueche Tran Is Focused On One Thing—Leveling Up: EXCLUSIVE

In an era where various genres and types of television shows are abundant, there is nothing quite like TNT’s dramedy, Claws. The series follows nail salon owner, Desna Simms (powerhouse Niecy Nash) and her rag-tag crew of nail technicians who find themselves entangled in various nefarious crimes and delicious foolishness. Since Season 1 of the critically acclaimed series, actress/model Karrueche Tran has portrayed Virginia, a rambunctious former exotic dancer who finds herself drawn to Desna and the ladies despite all of her efforts to appear unbothered.

Heading into Season 3–the Florida-set drama is about to reveal just how iconic these ladies are. In the Season 2 finale, we watched Desna kill her mob boss hubby Dr. Ruval (Jimmy Jean-Louis), by throwing him over a hotel balcony after a scuffle. With Ruval in the ground, Desna has come into quite the inheritance; a casino that might be her key to a new level of success.

Unfortunately, Virginia was shot in the season finale after taking a bullet for Desna. Though we know from the trailer that she survives her wound–the impulsive pint-sized manicurist, won’t ever be the same. Ahead of the Season 3 premiere, STYLECASTER got the opportunity to sit down and speak with Tran about Claws, why her sole focus is leveling up, and what she’s got up her sleeve next.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Bonds, Boundaries & Loyalties Stand At the Center Of ‘Queen Sugar’ Season 4

Family can be the source of our salvation and our pain. In Season 4 of Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed series Queen Sugar, the Bordelon siblings return. Though we’ve watched, Nova (Rutina Wesley), Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) grapple with their present issues in previously, this season, we’re going to take a journey into the past. Nova’s memoir, Blessings & Blood is garnering traction and attention, but her desire to speak her truth has unforeseen ramifications for her family. Long-buried family secrets get dragged into the light–with unforeseen circumstances.

The siblings have grown accustomed to fighting the outside world. They’ve taken on the Landrys who have continued to harass them for their 800-acre sugarcane farm, and the law enforcement officers who keep their feet on the necks of the Black people in the county. However, this season, the Bordelons are going to have to take a hard look at themselves examining their own fault, failures, and past traumas.

Ahead of the Season 4 premiere, STYLECASTER chatted with Wesley, Gardner, and Siriboe about how their characters have shifted and changed since the series premiere, and how Nova’s novel and the “truths” revealed in it will crack the foundation of their family.

“I’ve always thought that the truth can sometimes be healing for people,” Wesley explained. “Whether or not they’re ready to face the truth–or be healed is the question. It’s a fine line in telling someone’s truth and forcing them into that process at a time when they’re not ready for it. For Nova, I think in her heart, her intentions are good. She really thinks her book will reach the community and help others. But, I don’t know if she totally thinks through the reactions that her family may have. It’s a lesson for her because your truth is not somebody else’s truth, especially without permission. It gets really interesting, but the beauty of it is that I hope people will also see how complicated it is.”

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Mindy Kaling’s ‘Late Night’ Is Clever, (A Bit Convoluted) & A Great Deal Of Fun

s a woman of color in America–squeezing your big toe into any door, no matter what career field you may be striving for, can prove to be a harrowing experience. Not only are you often overlooked, but when you do manage to get a seat at the table, your presence is questioned at every turn. Using her own experiences (with a bit of embellishment)–Mindy Kaling’s Late Night puts women at the center of the male-dominated late-night talk show sector. Written by Kaling and helmed by Nisha Ganatra, the film follows Molly Patel (Kaling) a former chemical plant efficiency specialist who has always wanted to break into the comedic world. Luckily for her, Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson), the only woman in the late night game is looking to revamp her show.

With plummeting ratings, a disdain for “low brow” comedy, and a writer’s room full of 30-ish something white boys, Katherine realizes she has do something drastic to save the show that has been her life’s blood for nearly three decades. When Molly finds herself in an unlikely meeting with Katherine’s producer (Denis O’Hare), she’s hired on the spot. With occurs next is a masterclass in 21st-century comedy that places the experiences of women, and women of color in particular in predominantly white and male spaces at the forefront of cinema.

Molly (a more earnest version of Kaling’s Mindy Project character) is over-the-moon to be stepping into her new role. Gleeful, bright-eyed, and armed with cupcakes on her very first day–Molly runs into a brick wall. She soon learns that Katherine, a woman she’s idolized for most of her life can’t even be bothered to learn the names of her writers, choosing to address them with numbers instead. Her co-workers aren’t much better. In addition to using the women’s restroom for their daily poos, they also feel threatened by Molly’s presence and thwart her efforts for change at every turn.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ Is The Best Potter Movie, Don’t @ Us

You can be mad if you want to, but Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best Harry Potter movie. Before you get your knickers knotted in a ball, we wouldn’t just make that sort of declaration without having receipts. To begin we get it; we realize that the film, which was helmed by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, looks drastically different from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Chris Columbus of Home Alone fame directed the first and second film. When Cuarón came on the scene for Azkaban he knew that it was time to add a bit more darkness to The Wizarding World. In doing so, he was able to expand Harry Potter, Hermonie Granger, and Ron Weasley’s world while setting the tone for the remaining five films.

Let’s dive right in shall we. Many of the OG Potter fans (like us) have various gripes with the films, mainly that the movies are so different and Peeves the poltergeist is nowhere to be found. If you’ve been reading J.K. Rowling’s books since ’98 (it got to the U.S. a year late OK!)–you expected to see certain things on the screen, and when that didn’t happen, we’re sure your pre-teen/teen angst began to bubble to the surface. However, by using his own specific vision for Azkaban and leaning into some major changes like Michael Gambon stepping in as Dumbledore after Richard Harris’ death, Cuarón enabled the entire HP film franchize to stand on its own–separate from the novels.

Are you still with us?

Though Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets established the Boy Who Lived’s background–the texture of Azkaban allowed the audience to really sit with the intricacies of the story. Instead of just using Hogwarts as a background fixture for HP and his homies, Cuarón peeled back the layers of castle allowing us to see into the dorms for the first time. Harry often vocalized that Hogwarts was his true home, not 4 Privet Drive. Giving us a glimpse into the dorms where he could just be a boy and hang with Ron, Seamus, Neville, and Dean you can see why he felt that way.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Olivia Wilde Got Quite the Education With ‘Booksmart’

Genre popularity in cinema ebbs and flows with the time, but coming-of-age stories and romantic comedies have pulled in audiences throughout the decades. In her feature film debut, Booksmart, Olivia Wilde wanted to tell a new kind of coming-of-age story, one that centered Generation Z and female friendships. What she delivered was a thrilling and witty teen flick about our assumptions, that terrifying moment between adolescence and adulthood, and our true soul mates.

Booksmart follows senior class President Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and her bestie, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), obsessed with getting into good colleges, the pair have shunned fun and teenage whimsey for academic success. However, after an unsettling revelation that shows her she probably didn’t have to choose, Molly dives headfirst into an evening of balls-to-the-walls fun, and debauchery, dragging the reluctant Amy along for the ride. Booksmart is magnificent. Feldstein and Dever are hilarious and delightful–riffing off of their eclectic classmates. There is the terrifying rich girl, Gigi (Billie Lourd), the elusive Hope (Diana Silvers), Jared (Skyler Gisondo), who might be in love with Molly, and of course some weird ass theater kids (Austin Crute and Noah Galvin). A near home run of a debut feature, Wilde presents modern day versions of the kids you might have known during your high school days. However, in Booksmart she gives them room to play and expand on screen.

STYLECASTER was present at a recent screening of Booksmart where Wild and screenwriter Katie Silberman discussed why it was so important for them to tell this bold feminist story.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

WTF Is Going On With ‘Ma’?

A good thriller movie with elements of horror needs the right cast, some intriguing suspense, and a compelling backstory that reveals a bit about the villain’s motivation. Ma has several of these elements. Set in small-town Ohio, the film follows Sue Ellen (Octavia Spencer), a lonely veterinary assistant who randomly befriends a group of teens after reluctantly agreeing to buy them some much-coveted alcohol. There’s Maggie (Booksmart’s Diana Silvers) who has recently arrived in town with her newly divorced mom, Erica (Juliette Louis). There’s Andy (Corey Fogelmanis)–the boy who catches Maggie’s eye, Darell (Dante Brown) the token Black boy in the crew (in a town that has a shocking number of Black folks), Chaz (Gianni Paolo) the pretty boy jock, and Hayley (McKaley Miller), who rides the fine line between being badass and overly entitled.

Taking pity on the kids and their lackluster hideaway, which consists of the great outdoors and a disgusting pile of trash, Sue Ellen offers Maggie and her crew her basement as a hangout. However, she has several conditions. The teens are never allowed anywhere else in her home; one of the kids must always stay sober for the drive home, and no cussin’. She even fixes up her unfurnished basement so that it’s more comfortable for the teens. Perhaps I’ve just been living too long, but red flags were raised almost as soon Sue Ellen’s invite left her lips. There seemed to be no real reason why a middle-aged woman would want to hang with a group of teens. But alas, this is Hollywood so I was able to suspend my concern for a brief period.

Unfortunately, my ability to go with the flow ended right around the time Sue Ellen adapted the nickname “Ma” and randomly pulled out a gun on one of the kids.  After terrorizing them for a few seconds, she asks him, “You think I’m Madea?!” Though she acts like it’s all a joke the teens–mostly Maggie, start to realize something isn’t quite right with their new older BFF. That’s when the movie starts to fall off the edge. Sue Ellen begins stalking the teens–blowing up their phones and social media accounts and randomly appearing on their high school campus.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

‘Always Be My Maybe’ Is A Rom-Com For Now

As kids, we are spoon-fed magical fairytales. We’re told that at some point (typically in our early 20s) that our perfect partner with miraculously come into our lives and sweep us off our feet. Netflix’s newest movie Always Be My Maybe rejects all of that noise. Unless by some miracle you’ve had a picturesque romance with your high school sweetheart, you’ll learn by your mid-20s that fairytales and romantic comedies are big fat lies, and if we read too much into them, they will surely set us up for failure. Thankfully, Always Be My Maybe’s take on romance and relationships is both brutally honest and breathtakingly refreshing. Helmed by director Nahnatchka Khan and starring Randall Park and Ali Wong who also co-wrote the film’s script–Always Be My Maybe is rom-com for now.

Set in San Francisco, Park and Wong star as Marcus and Sasha respectively. The pair are childhood besties who stay tight until a big blowup right after high school graduation sends them in two very different directions. Fast forward 16 years, Sasha is a global culinary sensation with a douchey hotshot fiancé (Daniel Dae Kim) and Marcus is still living at home, helping his father with the family heating and cooling business. He’s also been playing in the same band for the past two decades.

Moving back to San Fran from Los Angeles for three months to open yet another restaurant, Sasha runs into Marcus. After some awkwardness and letting go of a bit of hurt, the pair seemingly pick up where they left off 16 years ago. They begin to muddle their way through their history and emotional attachments while getting to know each other as adults. At first, things are pretty chill, both Marcus and Sasha are seeing other people, but as circumstances draw them towards one another, they soon realize that despite their differences and past missteps–they just might bring out the best in each other.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

‘The Perfection’ Has A Sexual Violence Problem

The Perfection has a ton of promise. Broken up into four parts, Netflix physiological thriller follows Charlotte (Get Out’s Allison Williams)–a former cello prodigy forced to retreat from the limelight to care for her ailing mother. Ten years later, following her mom’s death, Charlotte tracks down her former cello instructors Anton and Paloma (Steven Weber and Alaina Huffman) in the midst of a ritzy global showcase in Shanghai–where they are celebrating their newest music sensation, Lizzie (Dear White People’s Logan Browning). Eager to return to her former glory, Charlotte quickly befriends Lizzie and the duo spiral into a vibrant and rapid pace friendship that is fringed with elements of erotica and reverence.

Avoiding the exhausting narrative of successful women who are envious of one another–Charlotte and Lizzie cling to one another, bonding over their shared love of music and their desire for adventure. Rather quickly they decide to embark on a make-shift vacation across Asia using Lizzie’s two weeks off as an opportunity to get away. That’s when things really get interesting.

Throwing caution to the wind, director Richard Shepard uses the sometimes campy time-rewind device effectively to reveal what was hidden in the first part of the film. What’s unveiled is much more sinister than anything Single White Female ever delivered.  Rather cleverly, Browning and Williams lean into their characters, convincing the audience of the film’s authenticity despite the often overdone dialogue and terrifying brutality.

Shepard succeeds at creating a taut tension in the film–heightening the audience’s awareness before anything sinister is ever revealed. He’s also not afraid to step full force into the horror genre–showing us shots of Charlotte’s dead mother, or a sequence involving bugs running just underneath the skin of Lizzie’s arm. It’s all masterful for awhile–until it isn’t.

Continue reading STYLECASTER.

Will Smith Is the Best Part of the Live-Action ‘Aladdin’—Honestly, Truly

So you know we had to do it. We saw the live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin and here’s a reviewof our many thoughts. When Disney first announced that they were bringing the epic tale of Princess Jasmine and the thief from Agrabah to the big screen, we were a bit taken aback. After all,Aladdin is a ’90s classic from our childhoods, and since Robin Williams passed away in 2014, we had no idea who would take over the legendary role of Genie.

As more details about the Guy Ritchie-led film began to leak to the press, we’re just going to admit that our uncertainty grew. There were whispers about the cast not being Middle-Eastern or North African enough for their roles, and once the first photos leaked people literally rioted on the internet.

However, we knew we had to give Aladdin a chance–the man has a magic carpet after all–and we’re glad we did. Despite that tragic top-knot and Yaki braid, Will Smith is legendary as Genie. He makes the character his own, adding a bit of the flair and charm that Robin Williams delivered in 1992. Also, the animation is genuinely extraordinary. When you consider what the animated film looked like and juxtapose it against this flick less than 30-years later, Disney deserves a reward. Aladdin isn’t perfect. It’s a bit too long at 2 hours and 8 minutes, the opening sequence is puzzling, the soundtrack is full of autotune, and we couldn’t really take Jafar serious as a legit villain, but it has a lot of the whimsy of the original.

Feel free to dive into the Cave of Wonders with 7 magical things we love about the live-action Aladdin.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

‘Halston’ Is an Engrossing Look at a Fashion Icon Who Paid The Ultimate Price For Glory

The fashion industry in America is still in its infancy. Though labels like Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs have risen to the top in the last four decades, there was a time when the industry belonged to European designers. Then came Halston. Roy Halston Frowick was an enigmatic figure who began making a name for himself in the 1960s as Bergdorf Goodman’s top milliner. He was the man who put Jackie Kennedy in her iconic pillbox hat for JFK’s 1961 inauguration. Eventually, with a historic 1973 runway show at the Palace of Versailles, Halston would place American fashion design at the world’s feet. In his exquisitely crafted and textured documentary, Halston–French filmmaker Frédéric Tcheng unearths the past–allowing Halston, the man, the designs, and the legacy to collide on screen.

Halston’s story begins in New York City in the ’60s. Using found footage and photographs, Tcheng unveils Halston’s Mad Med-like world. A man from the middle of America, Rory Frowick literally became Halston. He made himself into a glamorous illusive figure that never spoke openly about his childhood or home life. His lust for the now, as well as his determination to forget the past and only look ahead, is what enchanted so many people. After leaving Bergdorf Goodman’s in 1968 and striking out on his own, Halston began creating an elite world around him. He surrounded himself with people like Andy Warhol, fashion models like Iman (whom he put in her first runway show), his best friend Liza Minelli, Elizabeth Taylor, and a slew of his favored models whom he called the Halstonettes.

Tcheng uses traditional talking heads in his documentary–with those closest to Halston like Lesley Frowick and Pat Cleveland providing personal anecdotes about their time with the late designer. After all, during the ’70s and ’80s Halston was America’s superstar designer–he knew instinctively that he could connect the fashion world with Hollywood. In addition to interviews, the Dior and I filmmaker uses reenactments to drape a neo-noir layer of mystery around the movie. As the film reveals, everything that Halston worked for would eventually be ripped from under him.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

'Bull' Neglects to Think About Race Critically [Review]

There have been many films where two characters from very different walks of life barrel into one another—clinging to each other for one reason or another despite their differences. Annie Silverstein's feature film debut, Bull focuses one of these peculiar relationships. The San Antonio-set film follows 14-year old Kris (Amber Havard)— a wayward teen spiraling down the wrong path. Struggling to maintain a connection with her incarnated mother (Sara Albright), while living in her ornery grandmother's (Keeli Wheeler) care—Kris is trying to maintain a sense of stability for her little sister, Chance (Keira Bennett). However, when she’s not acting as the main caretaker in her household, she drinks, parties and pops pills. Kris’ rebellious ways begin to seep into her neighbor, Abe's (Rob Morgan) life.

A former bull-rider and current rodeo production athlete, Abe goes out of town each weekend to work the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. Seizing her "opportunity,” Kris leads her rag-tag crew of racist little friends into Abe's home—leaving it in complete disarray by the time they're finished. However, instead of sending Kris to juvie—Abe uses compassion. This one of the first times the issue of race relations begins to ring aloud in Bull. If the roles were reversed—a Black teen boy terrorizing a middle age white woman, Abe would almost certainly be jailed.

After commanding his young neighbor restore order to his home—Abe inadvertently opens Kris' eyes to the world of rodeo. Enchanted by the wild majesty of the bull riders, the sport, and the community around it all—the precocious teen convinces herself that she's going to make money bull riding. With her mother just weeks away from being released from prison, and with the flimsy possibility of a new life on the horizon—Kris glues herself to Abe's side—infiltrating his life with the hopes that he'll teach her to bull ride.

Bull isn't a fairytale—and real life seldom pans out how we hope it might. Carrying the weight of his own past—a father who was crushed to death while bull riding, old injuries, and a narcotics dependency, Abe begins to help Kris when he's barely able to help himself. Rather annoyingly, she becomes his lifeline. He pushes away advice from friends (and his doctor) who tell him to take a rest. There is also Sheila (Yolonda Ross), the woman that he loves, but he's too selfish to allow himself to be with her. Instead, it's Kris that becomes a constant in his life. Still wading through her own issues—her feelings of abandonment and awkwardness—Kris begins selling pills to make what she feels is "easy money." But she soon learns nothing worth getting come easy, especially when it affects the one person who tries to help her.

The main issue with Bull is that Silverstein fails to look a race critically in this film. It was terrifying to watch a middle age Black man have a young white teen girl as his constant companion in Texas. In the real world, Abe would be in immediate danger, and because that was never acknowledged on screen, the film as well as Abe and Kris' kinship never felt authentic.

Still, Bull does have some nice elements. The Black rodeo circuit which is hardly ever seen on screen has a massive presence in this film—showcasing the Black cowboy and the rodeo subculture in the Black community. Per usual, Mudbound actor Rob Morgan is a force—his quiet pain and determination keep the viewer interested in the film's trajectory despite its missteps.

Kris doesn't have many options—but neither does Abe. To lean on him so fully as her mentor, laying her burdens upon him, despite the grief that she's caused him was frustrating. Also, Kris doesn't even have any standout natural talent for bull riding that would make her monopolization of Abe's time worthwhile. Perhaps that's why the film never truly found its spark. By overlooking the nuances of race and leaving Kris without any real trajectory towards the rodeo, the audience is often left to consider what all of this is even for.

Despite it all, there was one element of the film that was pleasing to see. Though Kris might be frustrating and perhaps even a bit entitled, she was never without her agency—her ability to move and chose and to even define her boundaries as a teen girl helped this slow-moving film subvert an obvious conclusion.

Bull premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Photo Credit: Bull

Priyanka Chopra Jonas Is Done Just Talking About Inclusion & You’ll Want To Join Her

Connections in the entertainment and beauty worlds can feel flimsy or superficial. There’s a certain beauty standard that women, in particular, are shown from birth and if we don’t fit that mold it can feel both isolating and damaging to our self-worth. Priyanka Chopra Jonas is determined to shatter the status quo. With her latest venture, as an ambassador for Obagi Skin Care’s SKINCLUSION initiative–Priyanka Chopra Jonas is done just talking about buzzwords and diversity measures. She’s ready to do the work.

On a sunny spring day in New York City, I sat down to chat with Chopra Jonas about Obagi’s SKINCLUSION and her stunning career that has crossed barriers in both India and the United States. It should have been intimidating to speak to one of the most well-known movie stars on the planet–but Chopra Jonas immediately made me feel at ease. Just days after the Met Gala, she sat poised and smiling in all white. Before the cameras began rolling, we spoke openly about our the origins of our names, mine–from the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria that was bestowed onto me a few weeks after my birth from my Lagos-born father and hers, deeply rooted in her South Asian roots. It’s stories like these that connect us all–making our differences feel much smaller then they might appear at first. Over the course of its 30-year legacy in the beauty industry, inclusion and connection have been at the core of Obagi skin care–which is why Chopra Jonas was so thrilled about connecting with the brand. The Quanticoalum uncovered a beauty industry secret that has been affecting her skin care regimen for as long as she can remember.

There is a spectrum called the Fitzpatrick spectrum which has reduced all of the skin tones into numbers, one through six. I’m a four. Most skin care products that you find on the market have done clinical research only on types one, two and three. I’ve spent so much money on high-end amazing products, which I now realize weren’t even tested on me. My skin has more melanin, it’s going to react very differently to the sun than someone else’s will. Why isn’t the beauty industry being called out? What I love about this campaign is that Obagi has been testing its products on all six skin types from its inception. So if they can do it, why isn’t the beauty industry doing it? It’s not just the optics but actually making the change on the ground.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER

.

View this post on Instagram

Priyanka Chopra on diversity in the beauty space.

A post shared by STYLECASTER (@stylecaster) on May 16, 2019 at 8:32am PDT