“Beychella is back: Three main takeaways from Beyonce's “Homecoming” documentary - Amherst Wire” plus 1 more |
| Beychella is back: Three main takeaways from Beyonce's “Homecoming” documentary - Amherst Wire Posted: 01 May 2019 12:00 AM PDT  1. She's done it againEvery Beyonce performance is amazing, we know that. From her 2016 Super Bowl performance with Destiny's Child to her 2011 Billboard music performance choreographed to perfection, while she was pregnant no less, Beyonce is no novice when it comes to putting on memorable shows. But Beychella may have topped it all. The near two and a half hour long documentary details a flawless homecoming for Beyonce after the birth of her two twins. She employs an entire marching band and orchestra of African-American musicians and dancers to help bring cultural representation to the predominately white festival. The musical composition and alignment took four months to put together with the actual rehearsals enduring another four months as well. She studied every past mistake and triumph of her 22-year career and used it to create her two-hour "Homecoming" performance. In her own words, she "Definitely pushed herself further than I knew I could, and I've learned a very valuable lesson, I will never, never, push myself that far again." Her determination to achieve something incredible is obvious in her film and her drive and persistence paid off. "Homecoming" is a collection of culture, dance, music and costume woven together to create possibly the most iconic Coachella performance of all time. 2. Her performance is an ode to African-American culture and excellence.Beyonce is the first African-American women to ever headline Coachella and she made sure to bring cultural acknowledgment to the forefront of her performance. She admits, "When I decided to do Coachella, instead of pulling out my flower crown, it was more important that I brought our culture to Coachella." She made sure to add elements of African-American musical heritage such as stepping, which is when your entire body is used as percussion to create sounds and rhythm through stomps, claps and shouts. She incorporated the talents of many of her performers including marching bands and baton twirlers who came with their own ideas and backgrounds. Her entire performance gives life to a group of performers often marginalized and gives them a spotlight to shine. "It felt like we were connected, and it literally felt like we were in our own University, and struggling together," She remarked of their long rehearsal hours. In between shots of her performance is an in-depth look of the behind the scenes process to put this performance together. The interludes between her performances are often accompanied by the words of Nina Simone, Toni Morrison and more (Reminiscent of her visual album Lemonade that was accompanied by the poetry of Warsan Shire) to remind us of our own worth and value. 3. Her mission for female empowerment is clear as ever.With hits such as "Who run the world" and "Independent women," it's no secret that Beyonce has endorsed women empowerment since day one. "Homecoming" is no exception for she regularly interjected in her performance to preach to all the ladies. "Ladies," she calls out from the stage, "Are we strong? Have we had enough of this bulls***? Show me." Her boss attitude and stubborn outlook during her performance empower everyone watching, just as she's done from the start. What really proves to us that she can do it all is her careful balancing act between motherhood, family and career. The rehearsals for Coachella were an arduous eight months of hard work and sacrifice. All of it took place right after the end of a grueling pregnancy. "My body went through more than I knew it could," she recalls. "I had high blood pressure, I developed toxemia and preeclampsia, and in the womb, one of my babies heartbeats paused a few times, so I had to get an Emergency c-section." She put herself through SoulCycle, steps, long rehearsals and basically a diet of nothing fun in order to achieve her goals all while running back to her trailer in-between breaks to take care of her newborn babies. "What people don't see is the sacrifice," she said. "The hours were unbelievable." She is a shining example of what women can do and achieve without having to choose between career and family. In the word's of Tessa Thompson highlighted in the film, "In each of us, another woman or young girl might see a reflection of herself; of her worth, of her boundless potential." In Beyonce, we can glimpse a moment of our own potential as she continues to break every barrier placed around her. This just touches the surface of the outstanding documentary (and also gives you front row seats to an exclusive music festival performance, free of charge). If you haven't already, definitely give it a watch, but be prepared for a lengthy film. As always, Beyonce reigns supreme and I continue to be in awe of her and all that she accomplishes. |
| Summer Movies Preview 2019: 27 Films To Watch - NPR Posted: 21 May 2019 02:00 AM PDT  (Clockwise from top left) Toy Story 4, Aladdin, The Kitchen, Dark Phoenix, Men In Black: International, Late Night. Disney/Pixar, Daniel Smith/Walt Disney Studios, Alison Cohen Rosa/Warner Bros. Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Giles Keyte/Sony Pictures, Emily Aragones/Amazon Studios hide caption  (Clockwise from top left) Toy Story 4, Aladdin, The Kitchen, Dark Phoenix, Men In Black: International, Late Night. Disney/Pixar, Daniel Smith/Walt Disney Studios, Alison Cohen Rosa/Warner Bros. Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Giles Keyte/Sony Pictures, Emily Aragones/Amazon StudiosIs it weird to keep asserting that Summer Movie Season starts Memorial Day weekend, when Avengers: Endgame, the ultimate summer movie, and also the year's (the decade's! the century's!) biggest blockbuster, opened last month? Maybe. Sure. Who cares? "Summer movie" is a term, after all, that has taken on a negative connotation, as it tends to be deployed by those looking to sniffily dismiss the whole crop of films that come out in the months without an R. See also: "popcorn movies," "comic-book movies." This year, as every year, there's a lot of genre fare to consume — including an unusually robust crop of biopics. Sure, there are capes and cartoons aplenty; we've listed several below. But the NPR movies team also took care to point you to some of the smaller, quieter, weirder movies coming to screens in the coming months. (We haven't seen 'em yet, in most cases — this is just a list of 27 films that piqued our interest.) Note: This year's release calendar remains volatile — several premiere dates have shifted and continue to do so. But as of publishing, here's what the schedule looks like. Aladdin (May 24): Disney's live-action revamps of their beloved '90s animated films proceed apace, though there's some worry that this one may miss a step or two. The promo materials have focused on Will Smith's Genie, which makes sense — he's a hugely charismatic screen presence, even when he's digitally painted a deep cerulean blue. But girls and boys who grew up crushing on the animated Aladdin have expressed dismay at the film's decision to slap a loose, thick shirt under our hero's (Mena Massoud) iconic vest. But they can't screw up those Alan Menken/Howard Ashman songs, right? Right? — Glen Weldon Booksmart (May 24): Actress Olivia Wilde makes her feature directing debut with this delightful story of two best friends (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) who want to use their last night of high school to make sure they don't miss anything. A combination of a wild-night-out comedy and a sweet coming-of-age story about staring down adulthood, ready or not, it's a beautifully observed meditation on friendship. The paradox of permanence and the inevitable disruptions of our closest teenage attachments is rarely so richly understood, and great performances from both leads as well as Billie Lourd and reliable supporting players such as Jason Sudeikis and Jessica Williams make it a standout. — Linda Holmes Brightburn (May 24): Now that director Zack Snyder's glum take on the Superman mythos is a thing of the past, we're getting a spin on the Man of Steel that's even darker — and much, much bloodier. When the kindly rural couple played by Elizabeth Banks and David Denman find an extraterrestrial baby and raise him as their own, they discover the tyke's got powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men: check. But unlike Clark Kent, this one is less about Truth, Justice and the American Way, and more about grisly, superpowered murdering. — Glen Weldon Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31): What's huge, scaly, sometimes incomprehensible and OH DANG IT'S COMING RIGHT AT ME? Why, a Godzilla movie, of course! This one stars Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things in her first big post-Eleven role. She plays the daughter of a monster-hunting scientist (Vera Farmiga), and the two of them get into all kinds of scrapes as Godzilla fights some of his old pals like Mothra and King Ghidorah. You probably know whether you are a Godzilla person or not so much a Godzilla person, but there's something to be said for a summer monster movie, and this one is pretty hotly anticipated. — Linda Holmes  Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman. David Appleby/Paramount Pictures hide caption  Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman. David Appleby/Paramount PicturesRocketman (May 31): A biopic about a flamboyant queer rock icon of the '70s and '80s: What could possibly go wrong? While critics drubbed last year's Bohemian Rhapsody, it was a phenomenal international hit, fueled by a widespread cultural affection for the songs of Queen. The bones of Rocketman seem very similar — with important, and encouraging, differences. Star Taron Egerton will be singing, not lip-syncing. The film will reportedly engage Elton John's homosexuality directly and openly. And while Egerton will wear variations of John's hilariously tall platform shoes, his teeth ... will be his own. — Glen Weldon Dark Phoenix (June 7): This is among the last X-Men films produced by 20th Century Fox before the whole gang heads to Marvel/Disney, and you can't say they're not taking a big swing. The Dark Phoenix Saga, which sees Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) play unwilling host to a destructive cosmic force, is the single most beloved X-Men tale of all time. It's one that Bryan Singer tried to tell in his original X-Men trilogy — and seriously biffed it. The trailers aren't doing this film any favors, full as they are of portentous dialogue, operatically anguished expressions and telegraphed plot beats. At least we get to see Hot Magneto (Michael Fassbender) one last time. — Glen Weldon The Last Black Man in San Francisco (June 7): Gorgeously shot and arresting from its opening moments, this offbeat dramedy about gentrification stars Jimmie Fails as a man whose childhood memories have brought him back to the historically black Fillmore district. Camping out in his best friend's place, he dreams of reclaiming the house where he grew up — a two-story Victorian mansion built by his grandfather. A Sundance Film Festival sensation, the film won first-timer Joe Talbot the festival's directing prize. — Bob Mondello Late Night (June 7): Mindy Kaling wrote this story of a woman (whom Kaling plays) brought on as the "diversity hire" at a late-night show hosted by another woman (Emma Thompson) who's getting hints that she might be past her prime. Reviews out of the Sundance Film Festival were solid if not quite ecstatic, but the number of comedies this year that will engage race at all, let alone racism in writers' rooms, is bound to be tiny. Kaling and Thompson alone make this a strong candidate for a trip to enjoy some popcorn and air conditioning with a friend, and every summer season needs an upbeat comedy with a killer cast. — Linda Holmes Pavarotti (June 7): An adoring documentary in which director Ron Howard (did we know he was an opera buff?) sings the praises of Luciano Pavarotti, the most broadly popular operatic tenor of his era. There's the requisite footage of the budding star making good, the surprising assertion that he suffered from stage fright, an explanation for that handkerchief he always held in his left hand when singing concerts and lots of adulation about the philanthropic work that led him to partner with stars from Bono to Stevie Wonder. — Bob Mondello  Bill Murray (left) as Officer Cliff Robertson, Chloë Sevigny as Officer Minerva Morrison and Adam Driver as Officer Ronald Peterson in writer-director Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die. Abbot Genser/Focus Features hide caption  Bill Murray (left) as Officer Cliff Robertson, Chloë Sevigny as Officer Minerva Morrison and Adam Driver as Officer Ronald Peterson in writer-director Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die. Abbot Genser/Focus FeaturesThe Dead Don't Die (June 14): Historically, Jim Jarmusch has been a director of anti-spectacle. He has busted no blocks in his time and has seemed blissfully happy to turn out small, charming, shaggily plotted, character-driven films about the kind of people the wider world ignores. That he's about to dive headfirst into the turbid waters of genre filmmaking with a zombie comedy seems puzzling, at first — but then you remember he has done a Western and a vampire film already, and then you see the cast list. Jarmusch regulars Tom Waits, Tilda Swinton, RZA and Bill Murray join Jarmusch newbies like Selena Gomez (and many, many more) in what promises to be a pleasantly shambling story about shambling ghouls. — Glen Weldon Men In Black: International (June 14): There's no reason to believe that the only thing Men In Black: International will have going for it is the sizzling Chris Hemsworth-Tessa Thompson chemistry that they've already shown off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (For one thing, it will also have the fact that they both look unreasonably great in suits.) The film also has a blockbuster legacy. Years after the Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones movies that set up the Men In Black organization and its regulation of alien life on Earth, Hemsworth and Thompson are the new agents on the job, and they're still wearing shades, fighting beasties and getting things done. — Linda Holmes Paris Is Burning (June 14): This iconic 1991 documentary sashayed so RuPaul's Drag Race could chantay. It werked so Pose could ... pose. Director Jennie Livingston got inside the black and Latinx ball culture of 1980s Manhattan, letting trans women and drag queens speak their unglamorous truth to her camera — and reveal their arrant fabulousness on the ballroom floor. Livingston has supervised a digital restoration of the film, which demands to be seen on a big screen in all its gorgeous glory. — Glen Weldon Toy Story 4 (June 21): Bonnie's favorite toy, Forky, a spork she decorated herself, has run away, and Woody and Buzz have to ... oh, you don't really need to know anything else, do you? After that bleary-eyed ending to TS3, we're all on board with whatever Pixar wants to do this time, right? All the same voices return, plus some new ones, including Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) as Forky. — Bob Mondello Yesterday (June 28): Imagine there's no Beatles. No White Album, no Sgt. Pepper's, no "I Want to Hold Your Hand." That's the world in which a wannabe songwriter played by Himesh Patel (EastEnders) wakes up one day, following a gigantic electrical storm that leaves him the only human who remembers the Fab Four. (You probably shouldn't ask too many technical questions.) Now, imagine he remembers their songs and lyrics because he has been singing cover versions in pubs, trying to catch a break. And imagine such a premise helmed by writer Richard Curtis (Notting Hill) and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) — with a little help from their friends. — Bob Mondello  Michelle (Zendaya) catches a ride from Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home. JoJo Whilden/Columbia Pictures hide caption Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2): Marvel has given mixed signals about whether this film starts a new "phase" for the Marvel Cinematic Universe or if it belongs to the previous one, but who cares? It's led by the preternaturally charming Tom Holland as Peter Parker, who, having helped save the world (spoiler!) in Avengers: Endgame, is now looking to take a European vacation. Said plans get interrupted by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio, who — in the comics at least — is Spidey's most goofy, most outré, most over-the-top, most wears-a-fishbowl-on-his-dang-head supervillain. — Glen Weldon Midsommar (July 3): Last year's Hereditary left viewers shaken — and reevaluating their familial bonds. Now writer-director Ari Aster follows up that dark and moodily terrifying tale with a bright, sunlit film that promises to get even creepier. A group of Americans visits a remote and bucolic Swedish village just in time for its midsummer festival, an event involving bizarre rituals in brilliant meadows. Think The Wicker Man, but replace tweed and salt spray with crisp white robes and wildflowers. — Glen Weldon The Art of Self-Defense (July 12): In what struck SXSW audiences as a darkly sinister comedy about toxic masculinity and social conditioning, Jesse Eisenberg plays a painfully shy accountant who is maybe the least macho man who has ever signed up for karate classes. He is afraid of the dark, his own shadow, his clients and especially other men. They intimidate him. "I want to be what intimidates me," he tells the sensei. But as he gains skills and confidence, he starts to realize something strange is going on at the dojo. Might be the summer's cult comedy. — Bob Mondello The Farewell (July 12): Awkwafina had scene-stealing comic turns in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians, but nothing she did there will prepare you for the fierce, soulful sensitivity she brings to the central role in Lulu Wang's bittersweet charmer (based on a This American Life story) about a Chinese family that decides not to tell their beloved grandmother, Nai Nai, that she's dying of lung cancer. In Beijing this is viewed as a kindness — a taking-on of the weight of the illness — but to Awkwafina's increasingly indignant Billi, it just feels like lying. Terrific ensemble dramedy. — Bob Mondello Sword of Trust (July 12): Lynn Shelton's loose, loopy and mostly unscripted comedy centers on the titular relic — grandpa's bequest of a sword he thought was proof that the Confederacy won the Civil War. At the town pawnshop, his granddaughter discovers gramps wasn't alone in his delusion; and upon the arrival of a passel of conspiracy theorists, high jinks and general madness ensue. The cast is comprised of improv-savvy comics — Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins and Dan Bakkedahl — and they sure know how to sell a shaggy-dog story. — Bob Mondello  Dave Bautista (left) as Vic and Kumail Nanjiani as Stu in Stuber. Mark Hill/20th Century Fox hide caption  Dave Bautista (left) as Vic and Kumail Nanjiani as Stu in Stuber. Mark Hill/20th Century FoxStuber (July 12): Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is an Uber driver and Vic (Dave Bautista) his passenger, a detective who's hot on the trail of brutal drug dealers, in what looks like an uber-violent action comedy. Stu's been on the receiving end of too many racist, one-star reviews to say "no" to anything, but Vic's just had Lasik surgery and can barely see. The producers seem to be thinking 48 Hours meets Mr. Magoo and stressed at their SXSW screening that the film was a work-in-progress. — Bob Mondello The Lion King (July 19): From the footage that has been released, The Lion King looks like a nearly shot-for-shot remake of the animated favorite, this time with super-realistic computer animation. The voice cast – including Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Oliver, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and one Beyoncé Knowles — has generated a lot of excitement. But as Disney continues churning out live-action (or here, live-action-ish) remakes of its successful animated musicals, it's bound to run out of luck at some point. Beyoncé makes it seem less likely it will happen here, but the appetite for this is probably not unlimited. Nevertheless, the original The Lion King is quite beloved, and they've still got James Earl Jones on board. — Linda Holmes Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26): Quentin Tarantino's period piece stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio as a TV actor and his stuntman making the rounds in a rapidly changing Hollywood. As the sun sets on the town's golden age, the film re-creates the meticulous details of the era, rebuilding the facades of Hollywood Boulevard circa 1969 down to the mailbox and featuring a cast of characters that includes Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme and Mike Moh as Bruce Lee. — Nina Gregory  Aldis Hodge stars as Brian Banks in Tom Shadyac's Brian Banks. Katherine Bomboy/Bleecker Street hide caption  Aldis Hodge stars as Brian Banks in Tom Shadyac's Brian Banks. Katherine Bomboy/Bleecker StreetBrian Banks (Aug. 9): The true story of an All-American high school football star (played by Aldis Hodge) who committed to USC, then got railroaded into a decade in prison/on probation for a crime he didn't commit. After his release, with the help of the California Innocence Project, he made a bid to reclaim his life — and to play in the NFL. A definite change of pace for director Tom Shadyac (Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor). — Bob Mondello The Kitchen (Aug. 9): Based on a pleasantly pulpy comic-book series, The Kitchen is a gritty mafia tale set in midtown Manhattan at the height of its 1970s steaminess. A can't-miss cast — Melissa McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss and Tiffany Haddish — plays women who take over their husbands' mob duties when the men get sent to prison. The twist is that the women are way better at it: more ruthless, more deadly, more efficient. The comic is tough-minded and tightly plotted; here's hoping the film captures its essence. — Glen Weldon Blinded by the Light (Aug. 14): An obsession with Bruce Springsteen did little to make a high school-age Sarfraz Manzoor cool in Margaret Thatcher's England. But when he later wrote a memoir about it, and Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha pitched a movie treatment, and The Boss said "yes" to using his music ... well, the adult Manzoor was pretty ecstatic. British critics and audiences have been as well. — Bob Mondello Good Boys (Aug. 16): Seth Rogen produced what amounts to a Superbad for sixth-graders. Three foul-mouthed, innocent (but trying not to be) 12-year-olds are intrigued by sex, drugs and alcohol — and anxious to make it through a day's worth of mortifying adventures so they can attend a party. There, they'll get a chance to score their first kiss. — Bob Mondello  Cate Blanchett in Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Wilson Webb/Annapurna Pictures hide caption  Cate Blanchett in Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Wilson Webb/Annapurna PicturesWhere'd You Go, Bernadette (Aug. 16): Maria Semple's 2012 comic novel has a twisty and complicated premise: Basically, Bernadette is a wife and mother who vanishes, and her teenage daughter, Bee, tries to reconstruct what happened. Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Boyhood) might not seem like the most obvious writer-director for the adaptation, but the cast — Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer — seems exquisitely assembled. Given the hit that the novel was, it's surprising it took this long to come to the screen, but it's a hard story to wrap your head around even on paper, and it's fascinating to contemplate what it might look like on film. — Linda Holmes Patrick Jarenwattananon and Nina Gregory produced and edited this story. |
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