The HairyKat Chronicles

I had the privilege of attending a movie screening of Black Nativity a  Cinematic Musical based on the original Off-Broadway play written by Langston Hughes. The Movie stars Jacob Latimore, Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, and Tyrese Gibson. While I think it was a great movie.  I also think it should remain on stage. There's something about timing in  a play that can't be translated on film.  The transition into the songs made some parts of the movie a bit awkward for lack of a better word. I would prefer that the movie follow the model of a typical film and leave the songs to a soundtrack because the music was absolutely amazing, but incorporated into the film, overshadowed the flow of the storyline. I would've rather seen the expressionism that each song emphasized as opportunities for the characters to ...act....simply put. Don't get me wrong, I do think the acting was great. I especially enjoyed Jacob Latimore's performance, he de...

Last night I had the privelege to attend a private screening of 12 Years A Slave a Steven McQueen film hosted by John Singleton. The film was amazing. So amazing that I can't stop thinking about it and all the implications it has for me and my life as an African-American woman smack dab in the middle of America raising a African-American male, solo. The film was simplistically artistic. There were subtle moments that were touching because they were so raw. I don't want to give away the film because I think its an important piece to experience and dialogue about. It was full of expressionism and this subtle angst that was played out beautifully. Its touching, its heavy content , its raw, its poetic, and has a great deal of symbolism, yet simple. Its a simple film. Almost too simple to the point that if you don't get it you miss it. It wasnt over-dramatized, there wasn't this huge build up. I enjoyed the musical score that gave this sort of daunting, horror-lik...