Oh So Worth a View in Black History ~ Ava Duvernay

 (Erik Carter for The Washington Post )

You know her name, you know her work, her filmography; but what you may not know is the mark she has made on
Black History.

Did you know she is the first African American woman to win Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival, for her movie Middle of Nowhere.  For Selma, she became the first Black woman to be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe, and the first Black woman to have a film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.  Her Oscar 1st do not stop there, for she was the first Black woman nominated for an academy award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13TH.  While A Wrinkle in Time, made her the first Black Woman to direct a film over $100 million dollars.  With When They See Us, nominated for 16 Emmy awards, making her one of only two Black women in the history of the Emmy's to receive multiple nominations for directing.

Continuing on her journey of 1st in Black History, her latest project, "Origin", co-written by DuVernay and Isabel Wilkerson, based on Wilkerson's best selling book
"Caste: The Origins of our Discontent", was so impactful at it's showing at the Venice Film Festival that it received a nine-minute standing ovation.  How significant is this, well, it's a first time a Black American Woman has had a film "compete" for the Golden Lion, the grand prize of the Venice Film Festival, in festival's 80 YEAR EXISTENCE.   

DuVernay's contributions are Oh So Worth a View, because her portrayals of blacks and minorities in a society that does not "see" us, her filmography truly reflects the black and minority experience on a day-to-day basis.  Rather it's in a time of fighting for equal rights and to be treated as human, as with Selma, and it's depiction of  "Bloody Sunday" which portrays the horrific violence by state and local lawmen against peaceful protestors simply marching from Selma to Montgomery, for their rights.  Or fighting for your life in a society that punishes you without proof because justice is not the point, When They See Us, DuVernay's Netflix series is a chilling, and as the mother of two black men and three black grandsons, a scary story of just how swift the racism in this country, supersedes the truth on any given day and when that racism is yielded in the form of a badge, all to often, the lives of minorities, especially men, are left irreversibly scared, reduced and in all to many cases, their lives are taken. 
At the time of writing this post, Origin, her latest film, had a limited theatrical release by Neon on December 8, 2023, in Los Angeles and New York and is set to expand to a wide release on January 19, 2024, which I will most definitely will be seeing.  Bringing modern day and societal racism to the forefront of today's society through a personal journey and the perspective of a "Caste" system, I truly believe Duvernay as the writer and director, is the perfect person to tell this story.

Oh So Worth a View in Black History, Ava DuVernay.  

To learn more about Ava DuVernay and why she is Oh So Worth a View in Black History, please view the sites below to learn about her production company, and some of the films, documentaries and series in her body of work.  

Array, Production Company
Multi-platform arts and social impact collective dedicated to narrative change. 
https://arraynow.com/
https://www.instagram.com/arraynow

I Will Follow
Middle of Nowhere
Selma
A Wrinkle in Time
Origin
This is the Life
13TH
Queen Sugar
When They See Us

This is Why I Don't Fuck with People - This Shit Here

How the f*** do you plan something and know everybody is not accounted for and then act like oh yeah we already did that we already made those arrangements like what in the entire f***?

This is why every time I feel like I need to get out of my apartment more I need to socialize more I need to reach out and be more present in the lives of people, this b******* right here tells me no my life is f****** peaceful calm and I don't have to deal with this b*******.

They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer no don't even let the m************ around. Bob and weave socializing in large f****** circles and serve m************ with a long handle spoon and only and I do mean only if it benefits you. 

And don't come for me with you need to make better choices about who you hang around cuz everybody and I do mean everybody is capable of b*******.

So on that note best believe this shit is fucking noted and will not happen again. 

Harlem Season 2

 

I love my girlfriends, I do.  I met them during the pandemic during the lockdown, in the @Questlove sets on Youtube.  We just gravitated towards each other in sets of over 4000 people and to this day, we text daily, we jump on zooms, we email, like these are my girls!!!  So, when I saw Harlem being advertised on @AmazonPrime, I thought, why not, I'm always down for a good girlfriend's show. 

So season l dropped December 2021 with ten episodes of love, career and indecisiveness while also showing how easy it is to get in your own way, the consequence of running away and not handling your business and living in your own head in a state of denial.  I could just see so much of myself and women I know in this show.  

Well, Season 2 is dropping tonigh, and I can't wait to continue to see the ladies figure out that no one has it all figured out and that you're not rowing this boat called life, all alone.  You got your girlfriends.

Oh So Worth a View, Harlem on @amazonprime.

The Outside Story

 

Today my coworkers and I were talking about the pandemic and the lockdown and how we truly hate so many people lost there lives, but we miss the coming together of families, the slow pace of life and just staying home and "making and living" in your home.  I think part of that is why I could relate to the main character in this movie, Charles Young.  

He has a great life, he's in love, he loves where he lives, he's great at his job that he never has to leave his home for, life is great until it isn't. Until you can't stow away in your home cuz you can't even get into your home, you don't know where the one you love is, can't complete your assignment for work and you have no shoes on your feet. 

Learning what you don't know, like who your neighbors are and the lives they lead, their losses, what their home life is like, what it means to just be in someone's presence with no intention just for a few moments can be a harsh lesson to learn but one that gets you out of your own way, so it's necessary.

Reality check with a lightheartedness and thoughtfulness that let's you know it's going to be okay.

Oh So Worth a View, The Outside Story, written and directed by Casimir Nozkowski, starring 

Bryan Tyree Henry and Sonequa Martin-Greene, available on @Hulu.

This Shit Here

 I've decided to write a book.  I think what I have decided to say is because This Shit Here, can't only be happening to me, to be seen by only me, experienced from only my perspective, I can't be the only one...

So, I'm going to create another blog called This Shit Here and each post is a chapter for my book.  I just need to get this out and I just need to see it in front of me so what better way than a blog.

Wish Me Luck!!!

Cheesy Holiday Movies Part 3

Yes, we're back my RomCom lovers so it's time to curl up, cuddle up and bask in another cheesy holiday movie, giving us our dose of Happily Ever After ending.

Cheesy Holiday Movies Part 2

Hello all my RomCom lovers.  It's time to feast on another holidays Rom Com.  Yes, we are back to savor our  predictable plots and stuff ourselves with Happily Ever After endings.