Till

Till (2022)

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu

Screenplay by Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu

Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, and Roger Guenveur Smith

Critics have been praising Deadwyler's performance in this movie. It is wholeheartedly deserved. I knew the story of Emmett Till, but I had some issues with the historical accuracy of the movie.

Chicago 1955. Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler) receives a phone call telling her that her 14-year-old son, who she affectionately called Bo (Hall) was taken from a Mississippi house in the middle of the night. Media coverage surrounded the family. Mamie learns that her son's body was found. He was beaten, shot and drowned in the local river. Consumed with grief, Mamie tries to have the men responsible for her son's death brought to justice, but justice was denied to her.

Any person of color knows about Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, James Byrd, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor. This is not knew. The black community has dealt with bigotry, racism, prejudice for as long as we were brought to America.

Over the years, I have heard the story of Emmett Till. When I watched the movie, I was struck that things that came to light over the past 20 years were not taken into consideration. I heard that Carolyn Bryant recanted her testimony. That was not mentioned in the movie.

The movie puts you in the place of Mamie as she went through the horrors of Jim Crow and segregation. Deadwyler carried this movie on her shoulders. I felt her pain. Anyone could feel her pain. 

I wanted to root for this movie, but I felt like the movie was trying to manipulate you with focusing the emotions. Cool. I felt that the pace of the movie is hampered by just focusing on long lingering shots on Mamie alone in her room or closeups of taking off shoes.

I wanted to love this movie. It should be seen, but I felt that it missed the mark to make a visceral impact on the viewer.

Rating: 7/10

Cyrano

 

Cyrano (2021)

Directed by Joe Wright

Screenplay by Erica Schmidt

Based on the play by Edmond Rostand

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Ben Mendelsohn, Monica Dolan, and Bashir Salahuddin

I was hearing awards buzz with this movie, in particular with Peter Dinklage as the titular character. I am upset that this performance was overlooked. It's a crime.

Full disclosure, I am unfamiliar with the story of Cyrano de Bergerac in the fictional sense. I came into this movie with different feelings. No idea that this movie was a musical. That threw me for a loop. It took me out of the movie when the character broke out into song.

There were mentions about Dinklage's singing voice being compared to Pierce Bronsan in Mamma Mia! I wouldn't get that far. Brosnan's was an abomination. Dinklage was serviceable here. It brought a Sondheim cadence. The talk singing.

I thought that Haley Bennett as Roxanne was very good. I loved her singing voice.

I'm surprised the movie's solo Oscar nomination is for the costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran. The costumes were very lush, especially Roxanne's and the ones for the sisters.

If this movie is in your area, please see it.

Rating: 7.5/10