Some of our favorite performances of the year.
On 20 major premieres from the Toronto Film Festival that we'll be covering over the next two weeks.
Matt writes: On August 11th, the African American Film Critics Association held its inaugural TV Honors ceremony, co-hosted by AAFCA president Gil Robertson IV and RogerEbert.com publisher Chaz Ebert. Ava DuVernay's Netflix series, "When They See Us," about the exonerated Central Park Five, earned four accolades, including Best Limited Series, Best Writing, Best Ensemble and Best Breakthrough Performance (the brilliant Jharrel Jerome).
Simon Abrams and Odie Henderson celebrate the Rudy Ray Moore Blaxploitation classic "Dolemite," recently released on Blu-ray by the Vinegar Syndrome.
"The truth is, Black History Month was started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Black historian fed up with the lack of historical representation of people of color. In 1926, he pioneered Negro History Week, putting it on the same week as Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. That's how February became associated with Black History Month, not some attempt to play us cheap. So, my apologies to Dr. Woodson. Mea culpa to the Man as well, though as my Mom used to tell me after erroneously beating my ass for something I didn't do, "you probably deserved this for something I didn't catch.' "
Odienator is back, and he's beautiful! The self-described "bald, Black, half-blind kid" has returned to Big Media Vandalism for his second annual "It's Black History Mumf, Odienator" Film Festival, aka "Odie 2: Electric Boogaloo." (And he's filing some of it from a business trip to Dublin, Internet willing!)
"Since Obama has made Black History every month until at least January 2013," he writes, "I am now claiming February as my own." Yes he does. So far you'll find inimitably Odienesque personal essays on "Devil In a Blue Dress," "Beat Street, "Baadasssss!," "Eve's Bayou," "Cotton Comes to Harlem,"Something the Lord Made," "Lady Sings the Blues," "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," Scary Black Movies (including "Blacula," "Abby" and "Candyman") -- and appreciations of "Sanford and Son," actor Roscoe Lee Browne, and the late Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes and Rudy Ray Moore, aka Dolemite. (Odiebama also makes a couple guest appearances.)
Great Movies
