Chevalier rights a historical wrong in bringing the story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, to the big screen. “The most talented man in Europe in horse-riding, shooting, fencing, dancing and music.” – President John Adams. In a perfect world, we’d have seen the film in theaters last fall. It was one of four Searchlight Pictures films to hold some sort of premiere during TIFF. Where the other three films were released during the weeks…
"Chevalier: Biopic Rights A Historical Wrong"Tag: Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Austin Butler is phenomenal in Baz Luhrmann’s rock biopic as the titular king of rock and roll in the newly released Elvis. Filmmakers have not learned a single thing since the release of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story in December 2007. Baz Lurhmann attempts to shake up the rock biopic genre but at the end of the day, the efforts fall short. The film is at its best when Austin Butler is rocking and…
"Elvis: Austin Butler Is An Oscar Contender in Rock Biopic"
At long last, the film adaptation of Cyrano is finally opening in wide release after its initial Oscar-qualifying run in December. I had the chance to see the film in New York back at the end of November. It was part of a dedicated CCA press day featuring the cast and crew. At the time, I was thinking I would be running my coverage in mid-January. This is because the plan had been for the…
"Cyrano Is Designed For A Big Screen Experience"
Kelvin Harrison Jr. spoke with Solzy at the Movies about starring in Cyrano, prepping for the role, and writing poetry during the pandemic. Harrison stars alongside Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, and Ben Mendelsohn. Following December’s Oscar-qualifying run, Cyrano finally opens in wide release this weekend. What was it about the script that attracted you to the role? Kelvin Harrison Jr.: It was the relationship between Christian and Cyrano for me. I looked it up prior…
"Kelvin Harrison Jr. talks Cyrano"
The Trial of the Chicago 7, the newest film from writer-director Aaron Sorkin, is one of the best pictures to grace the screen in 2020. Paramount knew they had an awards contender on their hands. With theaters closed and a pandemic also raging, the best decision was to unload the film on Netflix. Many months from now, this will prove to have been a key decision. Listen, people are not going back to theaters in…
"The Trial of the Chicago 7 Is A Masterpiece"
A overworked assistant with dreams of being a music producer reaches a potential turning point in her career in The High Note. Late Night‘s Nisha Ganatra takes the helm behind the camera. After taking us behind the scenes of a late night writer’s room, we now get to experience the life of a musician and those who surround her. Well, more so on at least one person who surrounds said musician. In this particular instance,…
"The High Note Hits In The Middle"
While the subject certainly makes for a compelling film, J.T. LeRoy is merely a conventional biopic at best and we’re all the worse for it. Based on Savannah Knoop’s memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT Leroy, we go behind-the-scenes of the literary hoax. Laura Albert (Laura Dern) hires Knoop (Kristen Stewart) to serve as her public face. I can understand Laura wanting to not have to deal with the the fame. It’s a…
"J.T. LeRoy is Quite The Letdown"
Luce is one of those films that comes along at just the right point in time in which the country needs it in order to spark an important conversation. From the outside looking in, Luce (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is the smartest person in the school. He has it going for him in every which direction. When he’s not in class, he’ll be doing his duties as either the debate-team captain or participating in track. In other words,…
"Sundance 2019: Luce"
A well-made feature film debut led by great performances, Monsters and Men splits the narrative into three while telling an all-too familiar story. Writer-director Reinaldo Marcus Green takes us to Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood just north of Crown Heights. When a father plays witness to–what else–the shooting of an unarmed black man, all hell starts to break loose in their community. This is how Green chooses to start the film and with this, we’re off and running. The…
"Monsters and Men: A Well-Made Debut"