In Blood Diamond, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Zimbabwean ex-mercenary utters a line that became one of those oft-heard film quotes. As a means of explaining the way things work – or don’t work – on the continent, he tells co-star Jennifer Connelly, “TIA.” When she doesn’t get his homemade-acronym the first time around, he spells it out: “This. Is. Africa.” It may have taken over a decade, but you could say Black Panther is the cinematic blockbuster retort to that. A long-awaited clap-back in the form of a roar. This is Africa. Yes, it’s a heightened, idealized version of it — where vibranium, not diamonds — is the major resource. Yes, it’s…
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Entertainment Express: Lupita Nyong’o, CFDA Awards, Oliver Stone, Jack White, Sinead O’Connor
Hello – is it shlock you’re looking for? I enjoyed this New York Mag article while unashamedly turning up Don’t Stop Believin’ on full blast. * The image above is what Lupita Nyong’o posted on her Instagram feed to confirm another long-swirling rumour around the Star Wars Episode VII movie – that she is in! Add this to the confirmation last week that the Oscar-winner scooped the rights to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s hit novel Americanah, and Nyong’o’s second half of the year looks to be on solid footing. Let’s hope she plays more of a role in Star Wars than she did in the movie Non Stop though, where she barely spoke a line! Gwendoline Christie, best known…
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Entertainment Express: Lupita Nyong’o, Stephen Colbert, Neil Patrick Harris, Robert Downey Jr, The Pixies
On the day of Shakespeare’s birth, I bid you hello. * Stephen Colbert dropped by his soon-to-be-predecessor David Letterman’s show on Tuesday night. The two joked heartily, about, among other things, Stephen’s salary for the gig – he revealed he’d once turned down an opportunity to intern at the Late Show because he wasn’t going to be paid. Come 2015, that should be a fond memory for Colbert. * We’ve loved him as Barney, and before that Doogie Howser, and now Neil Patrick Harris is earning high praise for his role as Hedwig in John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The new version of the production opened on Tuesday…
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Oscar Sunday
It’s been threatening to rain for the past few days and then it did – downpours of the torrential kind. Hopefully Mother Nature has got it all out her system by now because no one likes a wet red carpet… Yesterday in Santa Monica, the annual Independent Spirit Awards were handed out by Film Independent, the organization that aims to promote indie films and actors. In this ceremony, gems like Fruitvale Station and Short Term 12 had the chance to be included among the nods to great films of the past year. The ceremony (which also has a relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the midday drinking that’s encouraged) was hosted by…
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Interviewing the Cast of 12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave, beyond the Oscar buzz and nominations, is a film experience worth taking in – even though it is a difficult watch. Steve McQueen brings the true story of Solomon Northup to life in such artistic detail, and with such a measured force, it leaves the audience a little more understanding, a little more kinder – at least that is the deep hope – than when they first went into the cinema. I was lucky enough to sit down with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyongo’ from the cast of the movie, as well as director Steve McQueen, who spoke about the impact of telling this story, which…
