
Archives for : Viola Davis

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (AAFCA) FETED TELEVISION’S BEST OF THE YEAR AT THE 2ND ANNUAL AAFCA TV HONORS ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 22
John Legend, Viola Davis, Sterling K. Brown, Mindy Kaling, Rashida Jones, Josh Gad,
Leslie Odom, Jr. and more gathered virtually to celebrate
The full awards ceremony will be available to the public for viewing at 3:00pm Pacific Time today on the AAFCA YouTube Channel
Photos of winners and honorees are available at the AAFCA TV Honors web site August 22nd, 2020 – The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) handed out 11 awards, two honorary awards, and the inaugural AAFCA ADCOLOR Breakout Creative of the Year award today to celebrate the excellence, innovation and diversity in television this year. In addition to celebrity presenters such as Octavia Spencer, Rashida Jones and William Jackson Harper, the virtual awards ceremony also celebrated the extraordinary work of our first responders, government leaders, firefighters, reporters, and others from around the country by featuring these local heroes as presenters during the event. A portion of the proceeds from the event were donated to the National Association of Black Journalists’ Covid-19 Relief Fund. The event, hosted by actress/comedian Aida Rodriguez, was sponsored by Morgan Stanley.
2nd ANNUAL AAFCA TV HONORS AWARD RECIPIENTS & PRESENTERS:
Best Animated Series: “Central Park” (Apple TV+)
Creator and star Josh Gad and cast member Leslie Odom, Jr. accepted the award, presented to them by Oscar® winning filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry (“Hair Love”) and the Honorable Hank Johnson, Congressman for Georgia’s 4th District.
Best Young Adult Series: “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Co-Creators and Executive Producers Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher were joined by series star, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to accept the award, presented to them by young actor Niles Fitch (“This is Us”) and Cherelle Barsdale, a frontline Nurse from the University of Michigan Medical Center.
Best Short Form: “I Promise” (Quibi)
Executive Producer, Jamal Henderson accepted the award, which is the inaugural award for short form at the AAFCA TV Honors, presented by actor Derek Luke and Dr. Christopher Emdin, Associate Professor of Science Education at the Teachers College at Columbia University.
AAFCA ADCOLOR Breakout Creative of the Year: Janet Mock, “Pose” & “Hollywood” (Netflix)
Awarded to a creative of color whose career, in its early stages, demonstrates a vision and commitment to diverse and inclusive stories that reset and disrupt the industry across multiple platforms. Presented to writer/director/producer, Janet Mock by “Pose” stars MJ Rodriquez, Hallie Sahar, and Indya Moore.
Best Docuseries: “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children” (HBO) and “The Last Dance” (ESPN Films/Netflix)
The Executive Producers of “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children,” John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, Maro Chermayeff, and Sam Pollard accepted the award, presented to them by “P-Valley” stars Brandee Evans and Nicco Annan and Chicago Fire Lieutenant Quentin Curtis who is also the founder and president of the Black Fire Brigade. “The Last Dance” team was unable to attend and AAFCA accepted the honor on their behalf.
Best TV Movie: “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel” (Lifetime)
Music Director Donald Lawrence, Director Christine Swanson and Co-Executive Producer Holly Carter accepted the award, presented by Simone Missick, the star of CBS’ “All Rise,” the Emmy® nominated star of NBC’s “The Good Place” William Jackson Harper and Reverend Dr. Jamal H. Bryant from the New Birth Church in Atlanta, GA.
Breakthrough Performers: Jeremy Pope / Laura Harrier “Hollywood” (Netflix)
Jeremy Pope and Laura Harrier accepted the award, presented to them by “Entertainment Tonight” host Kevin Frazier and EMT professional Chief Tanya Rivers.
Best Male Performance: Sterling K. Brown “This is Us” (NBC)
This marks the second year in a row that Sterling K. Brown, the Emmy® winning star of “This is Us” has won the Best Actor award at the AAFCA TV Honors. Brown is currently nominated for two Emmys® – Best Actor in a Drama Series for “This is Us” and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,”- making Emmy history as the first Black lead/supporting actor to be nominated in both drama and comedy categories. Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Ray Donovan”) and Dr. Ala Stanford of Stanford Pediatric Surgery, who founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium in Philadelphia, PA., presented the award.
Best TV Comedy: “Insecure” (HBO)
Showrunner Prentice Penny accepted the honor which was presented by actress Tichina Arnold (star of CBS’ “The Neighborhood”) and LAPD Deputy Police Chief Regina A. Scott.
Best TV Drama: “For Life” (ABC)
Creator Hank Steinberg and series star Nicholas Pinnock accepted the honor, presented by “Queen Sugar” stars Tina Lifford and Omar J. Dorsey and WeDat’s Chicken and Shrimp Restaurant Founder and Owner Greg Tillery of New Orleans, who has been on the front lines of Covid-19 donating food to frontline workers and others in need.
Inclusion Award: MACRO Television Studios
Marta Fernandez, the President of MACRO Television Studios accepted the award which recognizes a network or production entity that demonstrates a powerful commitment to diversity and inclusion. AAFCA Founder and President Gil Robertson and award-winning KNBC Journalist Beverly White presented the award.
Best Actress: Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC)
Viola Davis was presented the award by fellow Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer and Mayor of Montgomery, AL Steven Reed.
TV Icon Award: Kenya Barris
Kenya Barris, creator of ABC’s “Black-ish” and “#blackAF” on Netflix, accepted this honor which recognizes a veteran of television who has forged a path in greatness and demonstrates a commitment to telling diverse stories. The honor was presented by Rashida Jones.
ABOUT AAFCA
Established in 2003, AAFCA is the premier body of Black film critics in the world, actively reviewing film and television, with a particular emphasis on entertainment highlighting the Black experience in the US and throughout the rest of the African Diaspora. For more information on AAFCA and its programs visit http://AAFCA.com.
NORTH TEXAS FILM CRITICS NAME “GREEN BOOK” AS BEST PICTURE OF 2018
The North Texas Film Critics Association voted the biographical dramedy GREEN BOOK as best film of 2018, according to the results of its annual critics’ poll. Completing the list of the top 9 films of the year were: ROMA (2), THE FAVOURITE (3), BLACKkKLANSMAN (4), FIRST MAN (5), BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (6), EIGHTH GRADE (7), VICE (8) and A STAR IS BORN (9).
For Best Actor, the association named Rami Malek for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. Runners-up included Viggo Mortensen for GREEN BOOK (2), Christian Bale for VICE (3), Ryan Gosling for FIRST MAN (4) and John David Washington for BLACKkKLANSMAN (5).
Toni Collette was voted Best Actress for HEREDITARY. Next in the voting were Olivia Colman for THE FAVOURITE (2), Rosamund Pike for A PRIVATE WAR (3), Viola Davis for WIDOWS (4) and Melissa McCarthy for CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (5).
In the Best Supporting Actor category, the winner was Mahershala Ali for GREEN BOOK. He was followed by Michael B. Jordan for BLACK PANTHER (2), Adam Driver for BLACKkKLANSMAN (3), Timothée Chalamet for BEAUTIFUL BOY (4) and Sam Elliott for A STAR IS BORN (5).
For Best Supporting Actress, the association named Emma Stone for THE FAVOURITE. Runners-up included Claire Foy for FIRST MAN (2), Elizabeth Debicki for WIDOWS (3), Rachel Weisz for THE FAVOURITE (4) and Tessa Thompson for CREED II (5).
Alfonso Cuarón was voted Best Director for ROMA. Next in the voting were Peter Farrelly for GREEN BOOK (2), Spike Lee for BLACKkKLANSMAN (3), Yorgos Lanthimos for THE FAVOURITE (4) and Damien Chazelle for FIRST MAN (5).
The association voted ROMA (Mexico) as the Best Foreign Language Film of the year. Runners-up were COLD WAR (Poland) (2), BURNING (South Korea) (3), SHOPLIFTERS (Japan) (4), and NEVER LOOK AWAY (Germany) (5).
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? won for Best Documentary over FREE SOLO (2), SHIRKERS (3), THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS (4) and RGB (5).
ISLE OF DOGS was named the Best Animated Film of 2018, over INCREDIBLES 2 (2), and SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (3).
The award for Best Cinematography went to Alfonso Cuarón for ROMA, followed by Linus Sandgren for FIRST MAN (2), Chayse Irvin for BLACKkKLANSMAN (3), Rachel Morrison for BLACK PANTHER (4) and Newton Thomas Sigel for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (5).
Elsie Fisher was awarded BEST NEWCOMER for EIGHTH GRADE.
The association also voted BLACK PANTHER as the winner of the 2nd annual Gary Murray Award, named for the late NTFCA president. The honor will be bestowed annually to the BEST ENSEMBLE.
The North Texas Film Critics Association consists of 15 broadcast, print and online journalists from throughout the North Texas area. Visit us at www.northtexasfilmcritics.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NTFCA/. Contact Susan Kandell at dabronx101@gmail or 214.878.2700 for more information.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
- Casey Affleck in “Manchester by the Sea”
- Andrew Garfield in “Hacksaw Ridge”
- Ryan Gosling in “La La Land”
- Viggo Mortensen in “Captain Fantastic”
- Denzel Washington in “Fences”
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
- Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight”
- Jeff Bridges in “Hell or High Water”
- Lucas Hedges in “Manchester by the Sea”
- Dev Patel in “Lion”
- Michael Shannon in “Nocturnal Animals”
Performance by an actress in a leading role
- Isabelle Huppert in “Elle”
- Ruth Negga in “Loving”
- Natalie Portman in “Jackie”
- Emma Stone in “La La Land”
- Meryl Streep in “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
- Viola Davis in “Fences”
- Naomie Harris in “Moonlight”
- Nicole Kidman in “Lion”
- Octavia Spencer in “Hidden Figures”
- Michelle Williams in “Manchester by the Sea”
Best animated feature film of the year
- “Kubo and the Two Strings” Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner
- “Moana” John Musker, Ron Clements and Osnat Shurer
- “My Life as a Zucchini” Claude Barras and Max Karli
- “The Red Turtle” Michael Dudok de Wit and Toshio Suzuki
- “Zootopia” Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer
Achievement in cinematography
- “Arrival” Bradford Young
- “La La Land” Linus Sandgren
- “Lion” Greig Fraser
- “Moonlight” James Laxton
- “Silence” Rodrigo Prieto
Achievement in costume design
- “Allied” Joanna Johnston
- “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Colleen Atwood
- “Florence Foster Jenkins” Consolata Boyle
- “Jackie” Madeline Fontaine
- “La La Land” Mary Zophres
Achievement in directing
- “Arrival” Denis Villeneuve
- “Hacksaw Ridge” Mel Gibson
- “La La Land” Damien Chazelle
- “Manchester by the Sea” Kenneth Lonergan
- “Moonlight” Barry Jenkins
Best documentary feature
- “Fire at Sea” Gianfranco Rosi and Donatella Palermo
- “I Am Not Your Negro” Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety and Hébert Peck
- “Life, Animated” Roger Ross Williams and Julie Goldman
- “O.J.: Made in America” Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow
- “13th” Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick and Howard Barish
Best documentary short subject
- “Extremis” Dan Krauss
- “4.1 Miles” Daphne Matziaraki
- “Joe’s Violin” Kahane Cooperman and Raphaela Neihausen
- “Watani: My Homeland” Marcel Mettelsiefen and Stephen Ellis
- “The White Helmets” Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Achievement in film editing
- “Arrival”Joe Walker
- “Hacksaw Ridge” John Gilbert
- “Hell or High Water” Jake Roberts
- “La La Land” Tom Cross
- “Moonlight” Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon
Best foreign language film of the year
- “Land of Mine” Denmark
- “A Man Called Ove” Sweden
- “The Salesman” Iran
- “Tanna” Australia
- “Toni Erdmann” Germany
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
- “A Man Called Ove” Eva von Bahr and Love Larson
- “Star Trek Beyond” Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo
- “Suicide Squad” Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
- “Jackie” Mica Levi
- “La La Land” Justin Hurwitz
- “Lion” Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
- “Moonlight” Nicholas Britell
- “Passengers” Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
- “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul - “Can’t Stop The Feeling” from “Trolls”
Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster - “City Of Stars” from “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul - “The Empty Chair” from “Jim: The James Foley Story”
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting - “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana”
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Best motion picture of the year
- “Arrival” Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder and David Linde, Producers
- “Fences” Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington and Todd Black, Producers
- “Hacksaw Ridge” Bill Mechanic and David Permut, Producers
- “Hell or High Water” Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn, Producers
- “Hidden Figures” Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams and Theodore Melfi, Producers
- “La La Land” Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt, Producers
- “Lion” Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder, Producers
- “Manchester by the Sea” Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck and Kevin J. Walsh, Producers
- “Moonlight” Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Achievement in production design
- “Arrival” Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Paul Hotte
- “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
- “Hail, Caesar!” Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
- “La La Land” Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
- “Passengers” Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
Best animated short film
- “Blind Vaysha” Theodore Ushev
- “Borrowed Time” Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj
- “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” Robert Valley and Cara Speller
- “Pearl” Patrick Osborne
- “Piper” Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer
Best live action short film
- “Ennemis Intérieurs” Sélim Azzazi
- “La Femme et le TGV” Timo von Gunten and Giacun Caduff
- “Silent Nights” Aske Bang and Kim Magnusson
- “Sing” Kristof Deák and Anna Udvardy
- “Timecode” Juanjo Giménez
Achievement in sound editing
- “Arrival” Sylvain Bellemare
- “Deepwater Horizon” Wylie Stateman and Renée Tondelli
- “Hacksaw Ridge” Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright
- “La La Land” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
- “Sully” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Achievement in sound mixing
- “Arrival” Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye
- “Hacksaw Ridge” Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace
- “La La Land” Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow
- “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
- “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth
Achievement in visual effects
- “Deepwater Horizon” Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton
- “Doctor Strange” Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould
- “The Jungle Book” Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon
- “Kubo and the Two Strings” Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff
- “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould
Adapted screenplay
- “Arrival” Screenplay by Eric Heisserer
- “Fences” Screenplay by August Wilson
- “Hidden Figures” Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
- “Lion” Screenplay by Luke Davies
- “Moonlight” Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Original screenplay
- “Hell or High Water” Written by Taylor Sheridan
- “La La Land” Written by Damien Chazelle
- “The Lobster” Written by Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou
- “Manchester by the Sea” Written by Kenneth Lonergan
- “20th Century Women” Written by Mike Mills
Jovan Adepo portrays Corey in Denzel Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning drama, “Fences.” I got a chance to talk with Adepo about the new film. We discussed how much someone’s career can affect their personal life, daily movie references and more!
“Fences” opens in theaters December 24.
Get On Up may confuse with it’s non-linear timeline, but there is no misunderstanding the brilliance of Chadwick Boseman.
In last year’s 42, Boseman played baseball legend Jackie Robinson as a man suppressing his pride and bottling up his anger. It was a strong breakout performance by an actor we knew we’d be seeing again very soon. He then made a small appearance in the underrated Draft Day, as hopeful pick for the NFL draft. In Get On Up, Boseman gets the chance to let loose in a firehouse of passion, funk, and intense ferocity.
The story itself may not have audiences captivated, as the constant back and forth jump from one year to the next tends to scramble the brain. I understand not wanting to follow they typical bio-pic formula but in an attempt to be different, they might have lost track of what is more effective to moviegoers. Getting emotionally wrapped up in one scene only to be abruptly pulled away to a moment that occurs 5 years later is not only frustrating, but it is distracting. You don’t want to to forget what you just saw because you know they will be coming back at some point to finish the scenes they just started (confusing, I know). So instead of concentrating on the current sequence, you are bookmarking everything you watch. Luckily, this film isn’t about the story, it’s about the performances.
Chadwick Boseman’s phenomenal portrayal as James Brown and his A-list supporting cast is all you need to remember about this movie. The Help alums: Octavia Spencer, who plays Brown’s brothel-owning aunt, and Viola Davis, who plays Brown’s neglectful mother, slides in for the film’s most emotional scene. But it is Nelsan Ellis, who plays Bobby Bryd-Brown’s loyal best friend, that proves once again, he is more than the flamboyant comic relief as seen on True Blood every week. Boseman and Ellis share great chemistry on screen and complement each other extremely well.
In comparison to the recent bio-pic/musical, Jersey Boys, Get On Up wins by a landslide. The acting, the story, and most importantly the ability to have us care for the characters. Had the story just been slightly more chronological I would have given the film a much higher rating, but none of the faults in Get On Up deteriorates from the sensation that is Chadwick Boseman.
Rating: 3.5/5