Stephan James – We Are Movie Geeks

21 BRIDGES – Review

Here’s a nice little break from the serious award-bait winter films and the heart-tugging holiday family flicks. I’m talking about a taut lil’ action thriller that harkens back to old movie palace double features. You see, when the major studios controlled the theatre chains, they’d roll out a big prestige flick with a big budget and their “over the title” stars, and for the second part of the evening program it would be paired with a smaller budget flick, often referred to as a “B” picture, and usually a detective mystery or a cop vs. criminals caper. The “B” would be a great way for up and coming directors, actors, and screenwriters to establish themselves. Now, this week’s new action romp stars an actor whose last couple of films were big box office smashes (in the billion-dollar range), but it really exudes the “B” picture spirit with a director plucked right out of some of TV’s hottest shows, and stunts a lot more “down to Earth” than the F&F style franchises. It’s a gritty and grim saga of cops and robbers all set on the big city that’s only accessible by 21 BRIDGES.

And that saga starts twenty years ago as twelve-year-old Andre Davis tries to hold back the tears at the memorial for his father, a member of New York’s finest gunned down in the line of duty. Flash forward to today as adult Andre (Chadwick Boseman), now himself a cop (investigating detective to be precise) is facing the review board of Internal Affairs after he’s returned fire on a suspect. Seems he has a “rep” for not hesitating to draw down if threatened (nearly 10 times in as many years). Once again, Andre is cleared for duty and returns home to help care for his ailing mother. Much later, just a bit after midnight, a “muscle” car pulls into the alley outside a closed Brooklyn pasta palace. Two men, both former military, Michael (Stephan James) and Ray (Taylor Kitsch), pull out their assault weapons and pull up their bandanas, revealing only their eyes. After tricking the place’s night manager into letting them in, the duo is stunned to find 300 kilos of cocaine in the big walk-in freezer (they’d been told that only 30 K was there next to the pre-made lasagnas). But when they try to leave with several stuffed “take-home” bags full of powder, Michael and Ray encounter four patrolmen at the front entrance. Gunfire is exchanged and after a violent battle, the thieves race into the night, leaving eight dead cops in their wake. Andre is brought in, and because of the large haul of drugs left behind, he’s paired with narcotics detective Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller). At the crime scene is Captain McKenna (J.K. Simmons) of the nearby 85th Precinct. He knows about Andre and states, loudly, his wish that the “perps” never make it to trial. Andre examines the debris and tells his superiors, including the deputy mayor, that the crooks can only move their “merch” on the island, therefore all roads into Manhatten, including all 21 bridges, trains, and flights, will be closed off until the killers are caught. The “DM” finally agrees, but for only five hours. The city has to be back in business by 6 AM. Andre gets to work as NYC is “flooded with blue”. He’s got to find the guys, but he’s got a feeling that there’s more to this than a drug heist gone really, really bad.

Boseman oozes big star charisma as the one cop you don’t want on your case. In his opening scenes, he shows us the heartbroken little boy still at the center of trigger- (“watch the pronunciation”) happy Andre, full of contempt for those who question his methods. But he changes over the course of the movie as he becomes more thoughtful. Boseman conveys his slow realization that he’s being used like a pitbull unleashed, and is stunned to find that he begins to have empathy for both the victims and accused. Miller joins him in a departure from her often glamorous roles, her hair pulled back as she pounds the Bronx accent with vigor (lotsa’ ‘dems and ‘dese’) as Frankie (not Frances or, forbid, Francine). The thugs on the run offer a strong contrast. Kitsch is quick to strike, “double-tapping” the wounded without any hesitation, perhaps eager to punish anyone in his way. James, as Michael, is also an expert marksman, but winces in battle, perhaps still stunned that the quick score turns into a grueling “firefight”. He soon learns that his bond with Ray has put him in a corner, and forces him to use his wits and speed to survive the night. Simmons, as usual, is quite effective as the grieving but vengeful mentor. And look for a terrific turn by Alexander Siddig as the most effete money-laundering expert ever, complete with Vincent Price-style evening robe.

Director Brian Kirk, fresh from helming episodes of lauded TV shows “Game of Thrones” and “Penny Dreadful”, confidently enters the contemporary cop thriller arena. His early scenes with the botched drug heist crackle with tension and energy. And he’s able to keep the pace taut throughout this long violent night. Thanks to the screenplay from Matthew Michael Carnahan and Adam Mervis (story too) just enough info is doled out so we, along with Andre, slowly learn that there’s much more to this manhunt than these two guys on the run. The story is given a real urgency thanks to the location work with Philly often doubling for NYC. And after a summer of blockbusters, it’s nice that whole city blocks aren’t leveled and cars really adhere to the laws of gravity. And despite the multiple endings, the whole thing clocks in at a lean and mean 100 minutes. 12 BRIDGES is an “A” flick that emulates the very best of the “B” spirit.

3 Out of 4

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK – Review

Appreciating the little moments, those intimate magical interactions with another that can never be replicated or taken away from you… that’s what interests director Barry Jenkins. After his deeply emotional story of a young man coming to terms with his identity in MOONLIGHT, his followup is an adaptation of the classic James Baldwin novel. It’s a love story set in Harlem in the 1970s told through glances, smiles, tears, screams, and faces. It’s as if to prove that despite the obstacles that stand in our way, nothing can stand between a pair of eyes connecting with another – not even prison glass.

Tish Rivers (screen newcomer KiKi Layne) is a mother-to-be. Her family celebrates the announcement, but the family of her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the name Fonny (Stephan James), blames Tish for ruining the life of her son. Through a series of flashbacks, we see the childhood friends slowly turn into lovers and plan their life together. That is until everything gets derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK unfolds as if journal entries bleed out from the page onto the screen. We see Tish and Fonny’s emotions in every action and their thoughts as they gaze deep into the camera. Cinematographer James Laxton captures faces like no one else. He approaches the characters with patience and lets each shot breathe power and humanity into the moment. Nicholas Britell’s poetic and somber score harmoniously punctuates the painterly imagery. It’s an ever-present score that some might argue is a bit manipulative, but I found it a perfect compliment to the gentle approach Jenkins takes to the story.

Layne and James make for an electric couple. While they both seem to act and match one another’s tone perfectly – almost too perfectly – in their scenes together, it is the scenes where they are apart from one another where they each work on a different level. A scene early on where Tish and her family invite Fonny’s family over for the birth announcement erupts in unexpected fireworks. Jenkins masterfully lets the pot slowly boil with anticipation of spilling over and lets the scene come to a crash at just the right moment. Layne plays Tish as unpredictable in this scene, as you never know when she will recoil into her natural timid disposition or lash out with emotion – something that later comes to play in a pivotal moment in the film. Later, Fonny catches up with an old friend played by the incomparable Bryan Tyree Henry (from ATLANTA and earlier this year in WIDOWS). As his long-lost friend recounts his time in prison with great humility and deep-seated fear, James plays Fonny initially as a friend with a listening ear and then someone who is suddenly shaken from his idyllic life of love and artistry. It’s amazing how much Barry Jenkins is able to relay in a scene where two characters are simply sitting at a table sharing beers together.

What’s not said is just as important as what’s said in Jenkins’ adaptation of Baldwin’s novel. Discussions of discrimination and mistreatment are just as prevalent as expressions of love in IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, but it is the characters’ unspoken fear of what is to come in the future that screams the loudest and is felt the most by the audience. In the end, Jenkins has made another resounding film about hope and the lack of hope – a dichotomy that is still a part of the black experience. As if he is saying that love and hope can still be heard even when there are walls between us.

Overall score: 4.5 out of 5

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK is now playing in select theaters.

RACE (2016) – The Review

Hollywood knows that one genre is almost certain to get the audience’s blood pumping and pulse racing: the sports story. CREED certainly proved that a few months ago (you’d think audiences were watching a real live boxing match, judging from the all the cheering at the multiplex). Couple that on-screen excitement with a dramatic true story, and you’ve hopefully got a critical and box office hit. And while professional sports may be tainted and tarnished thanks to bad behavior and big bucks, the amateur athletes still have a purity and nobility about them. There have been plenty of college (WE ARE MARSHALL), high school (HOOSIERS), and even grade school (THE BAD NEWS BEARS) team tales, but for individual triumphs, the four-year spectacle, the Olympics, abound in stories of glory and drama. Well 2016 just so happens to be an olympic year, so the studios are launching the first of several such true tales of courage today. Next week I’ll be back with a charming, funny film fable from the 1988 Winter games, and in March we’ll get a raunchy fictional comedy set in that competitive backdrop. But for now, we travel all the way back to 1936, eighty years,for a film whose title has a double meaning: RACE.

The focus of RACE is the incredible story of that track and field wonder, African-American icon Jesse Owens (Stephan James). We meet him as he prepares to enroll at Ohio State University. Jesse packs his suitcase, dresses in his best (and only) suit, and says his goodbye to his family in their crowded rundown apartment in the slums of Cleveland. Ohio. And he also bids adieu to his longtime gal, beautician Ruth (Shanice Banton) and their two-year old (out-of-wedlock) daughter Gloria. Arriving on campus, he heads to the office of track and field coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) to become part of the college team. Despite their awkward first meeting, Snyder is impressed by Owens’s school records and helps him land a part-time job as he trains him for the upcoming Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor (all while dealing with the rampant racism in the sports department). When Jesse breaks three world records(within an hour), his dreams of Olympic gold begin. Meanwhile in New York City, the United States Olympic Committee is engaged in a heated debate about the upcoming Summer games in Berlin, Germany. Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt) is horrified at the actions of Chancellor Adolf Hitler and believes the US should boycott the games, while Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) believes that the Olympics should put politics aside. It is decided that Avery will travel to Berlin and check out the atmosphere there. Meanwhile Jesse begins a fling with a nightclub regular, Quincella (Chantel Riley), that threatens to end his relationship to Ruth and derail his sports career. Luckily he gets his priorities straight while German officials assure Avery that all will be in order (this after he observes their brutal treatment of the Jewish community), and is introduced to the film maker that will chronicle the games, Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten) for the feature film OLYMPIA. But will the local organizers keep their promises of “fair play” when Jesse and the rest of the American team arrive in Berlin?

As Owens, Stephan James projects strength and determination helping us comprehend the real man’s incredible achievements. Through his eyes and body language we see how this gifted man had to temper himself while navigating through a society that embraced his accomplishments while denigrating him for his color. Even as he takes a walk on the wild side with his “jazz baby” temptress, James still goes us a hero that we can applaud (the dalliance makes him more human) despite his foibles. Sudeikis breaks free of his motor-mouthed, wise guy comic persona as Coach Snyder. He’s a man of deep regret (we learn during a terrific monologue) who vows to guide Owens to fulfill the promise that Snyder himself squandered. All the while he becomes a surrogate father to Owens, one who bristles and barks back at the ignorant while Owens must remain silent. Irons as Brundage is all businessman as the sight of Nazi brutality disgusts him. His admiration for the Olympic ideals too often blinds him to the injustices behind the scenes. Ultimately, he submits too easily. Hurt shines in a role that is basically a cameo (despite the billing in the ads), his Mahoney knows that Hitler only wishes to use the games to glorify and promote his own agenda. Ms. van Houten, like James, is determined not to let her hard work and talents be exploited. Though Goebbels and his goons try to thwart her, Leni wants to tell the whole story with no filters.

Director Stephens Hopkins does a good job at keeping the story coherent while maintaining a steady pace. Unfortunately the script from Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel attempts to tell too many tales at once, any of which could have been made into separate movies. There’s the whole debate within the committee, the wheeling and dealing between Germany and Brundage, and certainly the making of OLYMPIA could make for interesting films. The constant interruptions detract from the Owens story. It doesn’t help that we only meet him after his teenage years, which doesn’t tell us just how his running and jumping prowess began (plus there’s the whole romance with Ruth plus their then scandalous behavior) . And aside from a brief mid credit scene, we don’t see Owens’s life after the gold medals (we know he’s part of a great joke in BLAZING SADDLES, but …). The 1930’s are expertly recreated with vintage fashions and autos, while CGI convincingly places us next to Jesse inside that massive studium with thousands looking down. Plus those track performances (especially the long jump) are inspiring in their visual power. Fewer subplot negotiations and more athletics would have made RACE as light on its feet as the miraculous Mr. Owens himself.

3 Out of 5

RACE Tells The Incredible True Story of The First Worldwide Superstar, Jesse Owens

By Gary Salem

Opening in theaters nationwide this Friday, February 19th, is the new film, RACE.

Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. Race is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.

RACE tracks the journey of James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens (portrayed by Stephan James of Selma). As a student and athlete in Depression-era America, Jesse bears the weight of family expectations, racial tension at his college Ohio State University, and his own high standards for competition.

At Ohio State University, Jesse finds a savvy coach and stalwart friend in Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) – who is unafraid to push the young man to his limits. Bolstered by the love and support of Ruth Solomon (Shanice Banton), with whom he has a young daughter, Jesse’s winning ways in intercollegiate competitions earn him a place on the U.S. Olympics team…

…if there is to be a team going to the 1936 Olympics at all; the American Olympic committee weighs a boycott in protest against Hitler with committee president Jeremiah Mahoney (Academy Award winner William Hurt) and millionaire industrialist Avery Brundage (Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons) debating the issue. Once Brundage prevails with the committee and U.S. participation is confirmed, Jesse enters a new racial and political minefield after he arrives in Berlin with his fellow athletes.

As filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten of Game of Thrones) readies her cameras to record the Games under the steely gaze of Nazi officials, Jesse reaffirms his determination to compete with excellence and honor. With the world watching, he will place in sharp relief his own country’s history of racism as well as the Hitler regime’s oppressiveness. Forever defining what an athlete can accomplish, Jesse Owens races into history as an inspiration to millions, then and now.

The director, Stephen Hopkins and the stars of the film, Stephan James and Jason Sudeikis gave thoughtful and thought-provoking answers at the press junket:

Hopkins felt the story had a Forrest Gump quality because Owens just wants to run but he ends up turning the Nazi Olympics into the Jesse Owens Olympics. He said track is ideal for a film because it’s an explosive sport and a race takes only ten seconds. He also addressed the question of “What is he running for?” For himself? Or his country with its institutional racism that forced him to sail to Germany in steerage while white athletes traveled in first class?

Hopkins also talked about how the 1936 Olympics were the first corporate branding of a sporting event that originated the modern games we know today. The Nazis invented the opening ceremony with a torch relay and release of doves. They filmed everything with the intention of proving the Aryan race was superior and instead turned a black athlete into the world’s first worldwide superstar.

During breaks while filming Selma, Stephan trained extensively to learn Owen’s running style and spent a lot of time with Owens’ daughters who were instrumental in getting the film made. Although he felt a little intimidated playing an iconic, larger-than-life figure, he wanted to help them carry on their father’s legacy as a man, a father and a humanitarian whose love of his sport made a huge impact on the world.

Jason said the best information he had about Larry Snyder was a quote from Jesse Owens in which he said Snyder was an “accidental non-racist” who believed athletic performance and hard work were the only things that mattered. Snyder’s refusal to judge people based on the color of their skin was his way of dealing with societal pressure and that indirectly sparked a new dialogue about segregation in America.

The connection between Owens and Snyder is a crucial part of the story and Jason said drama and comedy are the same because regardless of the situation, you have to make it feel real and honest. He knew he was involved in telling this “amazing…hopeful…international human story” because the film was independently financed. The major studios were not interested in a complicated period piece about sports featuring a young, unknown actor. He also shared a fun fact: He had his first experience in a period film when his family played extras in the Paul Newman-Joanne Woodward film Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.

Visit the movie’s official site: racethefilm.com

Purchase tickets HERE.

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of RACE In St. Louis

Jesse Owens’ quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.

Watch Jesse Owens make his record-breaking run for the Gold in new clips from Focus Features’ RACE.

Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, Shanice Banton, and William Hurt, the incredible true story of Gold Medal Champion Jesse Owens opens in theaters nationwide Friday, February 19.

WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of RACE on Tuesday, February 16 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

We will contact the winners by email.

Answer the following:

How many medals have US athletes won during the Olympic Summer Games ?

2508
2399
2267

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

3. No purchase necessary

Rated PG-13.

Visit the film’s official site: racethefilm.com

Aloe Blacc Releases “Let The Games Begin” From RACE Movie

Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc releases “Let The Games Begin (From RACE)” today. The song is available now on XIX Recordings/Interscope Records and is available for digital download and streaming via digital subscription services.

“Let The Games Begin (From RACE)” is featured in the new Focus Features movie RACE and on RACE – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album. Also with new music by Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman, RACE-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album will be released February 19th on Back Lot Music.

Catch Aloe Blacc performing “Let The Games Begin (From RACE)” when he headlines a free Opening Night concert at Super Bowl City on Monday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. PT. Blacc’s performance will be televised in the SAP Center in San Jose, Ca, as part of Super Bowl Opening Night Fueled by Gatorade and shown on the NFL Network and streamed at www.nfl.com. For more information click here.

RACE will be released February 19th nationwide by Focus Features. Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. MPAA-rated PG-13, RACE is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.

The film stars Stephan James (“Selma”) as Jesse Owens, Jason Sudeikis, Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, Shanice Banton, and Academy Award winner William Hurt. The film is directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse.

Aloe Blacc released his major-label debut album Lift Your Spirit March 11th, 2014 on XIX Recordings/Interscope Records where it debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The set followed up Blacc’s collaboration as vocalist and co-writer on well-known DJ/producer Avicii’s track “Wake Me Up,” a song that hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on its Hot Dance Club Songs and Dance/Electronic Songs charts, as well as topping charts in more than 100 countries. Blacc’s single “The Man” topped the charts with more than 2.7 million singles sold and Lift Your Spirit received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.

To learn more about Aloe Blacc, visit www.aloeblacc.com and follow him on Twitter (@aloeblacc).

Aloe Blacc “Let The Games Begin (From RACE)”

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/LetTheGamesBegin

Apple Music: http://smarturl.it/LetTheGamesBeginAP

GooglePlay: http://smarturl.it/LetTheGamesBeginGP
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LetTheGamesBeginAMZ

Spotify: http://smarturl.it/LetTheGamesBeginSP

Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons And William Hurt Star In RACE Trailer

Here’s a first look at director Stephen Hopkins’ RACE. Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.

The cast includes Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, Shanice Banton and William Hurt.

Focus Features will release the movie on February 19, 2016.

Yahoo! Movies

According to Biography, he captured four gold medals (the 100 meter, the long jump, the 200 meter and the 400-meter relay), and broke two Olympic records along the way. Owens record for the world broad jump would last 25 years until being broken by Olympian Irvin Roberson in 1960.

While Owens helped the U.S. triumph at the games, his return home was not met with the kind of fanfare one might expect. President Franklin D. Roosevelt failed to meet with Owens and congratulate him, as was typical for champions. The athlete wouldn’t be properly recognized until 1976, when President Gerald Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Visit the film’s Official Site

Stephan James Is Olympian Jesse Owens In RACE Movie Teaser

In 1936, Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympic Games. His long jump world record stood for 25 years.

Now comes the new film RACE.

Check out this preview for the upcoming film and watch the full-length trailer over on Yahoo! Movies on Wednesday, October 14th at 10AM pst.

RACE is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend. It was the African-American participants who helped cement America’s success at the Olympic Games. In all, the United States won 11 gold medals, six of them by black athletes.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, the film stars Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, Shanice Banton and William Hurt.

RACE releases nationwide from Focus Features on February 19, 2016.

Visit the film’s Official Site

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