Shadow & Act Film School

As Shadow & Act puts it

Continuing S&A's mission to give readers glimpses into the worlds of those who contribute their talents to the production and distribution of the many films we all watch and love...

I have to say that they ARE publishing glimpses into the film world—from people of color!

Our mission at 'Nother Brother Entertainment has always been to further propagate diverse images through development of films and part of that included our own glimpses into the filmmaking process through many posts on this blog.

Over the years many of those posts were ported over from Shadow & Act. Now in an effort to consolidate the posts we will be putting new links to such stories right here in this post.

All of our Shadow & Act posts are linked below and again we have many posts about filmmaking and the film business right here on our blog. Peruse our blog to check them out!

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016

Actors Talk the Acting Process [VIDEOS]

• Check it out right here on our blog here

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April 12, 2013
Interview: Dehanza (Daye) Rogers Talks 'Sweet, Sweet Coutry' (Gbenga Akinnagbe Co-Stars)

Great informative interview with filmmaker Daye Rogers as she talks about her film and how she put the personnel together to make it.

• Read the Shadow & Act interview here

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February 10, 2013

SimonSays Entertainment - You Know Their Work; Now Discover The Enterprising Artists Behind The Brand 

Great in-depth interview with a Production Company for many films we reviewed here

Night Catches Us

Mother of George

• Read the Shadow & Act interview here

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

What Does a Production Designer Do?

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MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012

Shadow & Act Filmmaker Diary Series with Matthew Cherry

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THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2012

Great Interviews About Film Distribution

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011

Black Screenwriters Roundtable

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

Inside Industry info with Melee Entertainment

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TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011

Inside Scoop on the Development of 'Jumping the Broom'

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101 Best-Written TV Series Ever

by Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter
June 2, 2013

Tony Soprano is a made man.

The Writer Guild of America East and West on Sunday night revealed its list of 101 best-written TV series ever, and David Chase's The Sopranos, which aired on HBO from 1999-2007, came in at No. 1.

Landing at No. 2 was Seinfeld, created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, which aired on NBC from 1989-98.

Rounding out the top five are the original Twilight Zone, All in the Family and M*A*S*H.

"At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers who joined their staffs or worked on individual episodes," WGAW president Chris Keyser and WGAE president Michael Winship said in a joint statement. "This list is not only a tribute to great TV, it is a dedication to all writers who devote their hearts and minds to advancing their craft."

The top 10 shows, as determined through online voting by WGAW and WGAE members, can be found below. .

1. The Sopranos (HBO), created by David Chase

2.  Seinfeld (NBC), created by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld

3. The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959), season one writers: Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Presnell Jr., Rod Serling

4. All in the Family (CBS), developed for television by Norman Lear, Based on Till Death Do Us Part, Created by Johnny Speight

5. M*A*S*H (CBS), developed for television by Larry Gelbart

6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS), created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns

7. Mad Men (AMC), created by Matthew Weiner

8. Cheers (NBC), created by Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows

9. The Wire (HBO), created by David Simon

10. The West Wing (NBC), created by Aaron Sorkin

The "TV 101" list, a follow-up to the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays, honors "classic, trailblazing series and miniseries, as well as current and critically acclaimed programs, from comedies and dramas to variety/talk and children’s programming."

On Sunday night, the WGAW hosted a special tribute event, panel discussion and reception to formally unveil the list at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. The event featured a lineup of panelists including iconic TV series creators, showrunners and writers whose shows made the list, including Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues), James L. Brooks (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life), Norman Lear (All in the Family), Steven Levitan (Modern Family), Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), Gail Parent (The Carol Burnett Show), Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Matthew Weiner (Mad Men) and host-moderator Merrill Markoe (Late Night With David Letterman).

The WGAW’s “101 TV” committee, which conceived the initiative, includes guild members Aaron Mendelsohn (chair), W. Bruce Cameron, Michael Conley, Diane Driscoll, Gary Goldstein, Katherine Fugate, Margaret Howell, Ken Pisani, Ari Rubin and Susan Walter.

For WGA's entire list, click here

RELATED
[VIDEO] Writers Guild Presents - Writing in Color

More Posts & Reviews From the 2013 Maryland Film Festival

There's more info to come on this blog, but for now all of our posts are EXCLUSIVELY on our Facebook Page.

CLICK the graphic above to go to our page

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See all of our past posts about the Maryland Film Festival here

42 — Review

42

Written & Directed by Brian Helgeland

Produced by Thomas Tull

Cinematography by Don Burgess

Starring
Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson
Nicole Beharie as Rachel Isum Robinson
Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey
Andre Holland as Wendell Smith
Christopher Meloni as Léo Durocher
John C. McGinley as Red Barber
Lucas Black as Pee Wee Reese

Released: October 28, 2009 (USA)

Summary: The film tells the story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) and, under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). Even though Jackie Robinson is the main character, the story focuses mostly on the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers season and the story surrounding Robinson's signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African-American player to break the baseball color line. 

REVIEW
This is a terrific film! I knew about Jackie Robinson, but really nothing about his life and surely nothing about the impact he had on baseball. Like I wrote in the summary “Even though Jackie Robinson is the main character, the story focuses mostly on the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers season and the story surrounding Robinson's signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African-American player to break the baseball color line.”

This is NOT the Jackie Robinson story from birth to death; it’s about his IMPACT on the world of baseball. You get to see what the team owner Branch Rickey had to go through with the league and other owners and even his own team. You get to see that Rickey, as played by Harrison Ford in one of his most real performances in years, had to go through a lot as well. 

The other supporting characters were great in their parts as well especially Andre Holland as Wendell Smith the black reporter who is assigned to write about Jackie breaking the color line and Nicole Beharie as Jackie’s wife Rachel.

The film also has lush cinematography by Don Burgess and wonderful direction by Brian Helgeland with crafted moments that treads the line of maudlin, but effectively highlights the racism Jackie Robinson fought.

As it should be though the film belongs to Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. Boseman does a really great job and conveying some of what the real Jackie Robinson had to go through. 

42 is a great feel good movie and really good biopic of a legend.


Note: In its Opening Weekend April 12-14, 2013 42 earned an estimated $27.3 million for its opening weekend, the best premiere for a baseball themed film in Hollywood history. Entertainment Weekly

RELATED
After you see 42 you should really check out the documentary program "Jackie Robinson SportsCentury" featured on our sista blog Cool Black Media here

Opening Weekend Numbers for '42'

Real Beauty Sketches [VIDEO]

People may know that not only do I love film, but as a creative entity I love anything creative especially when it comes to media.

I've posted about television ads here and at Cool Black Media, and even created a "commercials" playlist at YouTube for some of my favorites.

"Real Beauty Sketches" was a campaign by advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather [Brazil] and filmed by John X Carey of the production company Paranoid.

This ad below is quite frankly one of the best ads I have seen in a long time. As my Twitter friend Cinematographer @CybelDP might say #AdWin!

Also shout out to Twitter friend @Merlange for retweeting this ad

R.I.P. Roger Ebert

I don't write many remembrances for this blog, but in this instance I had to for Roger Ebert was my favorite film critic.

I don't read reviews before I see a film, but afterwards I do and what Roger said more often than not mirrored my own thoughts and those that know me know that I am discerning.

On the rare occasions, when I'm on the fence about a film, I would go straight to Roger's review to be the decider.

I enjoyed his TV show with both his regular co-host Gene Siskel and then Richard Roper and was sad that he had to leave the air due to his health problems.

I became such a fan I even read several of his books and still plan on reading more I enjoyed his writing so much.

Apart from enjoying his reviews I just enjoyed his writing. Roger was an accomplished journalist who could tell a story without getting pedantic.

Having majored in film and minored in journalism in college I guess I appreciated every facet of Roger's talents.

Due to his health problems Roger lost his audio voice years ago, but in later years I still appreciated his written voice and his voice will be missed.

Read all of our posts about Roger by clicking his photo below

RELATED
Excellent profile about the life of Roger Ebert at The Hollywood Reporter

At the blog Reel Talk Chaz Ebert Issues a Statement on the Death of Her Husband Roger

Gimme The Loot — Review

Gimme the Loot

Directed by Written and Directed by Adam Leon

Produced by Natalie Difford, Dominic Buchanan and Jamund Washington

Cinematography by Jonathan Miller

Released: January 2, 2013 (USA)






Starring:
Ty Hickson as Malcolm
Tashiana Washington as Sophia
Zoë Lescaze as Ginnie
Meeko as Champion
Sam Soghor as Lenny
Joshua Rivera as Rico

Summary: Malcolm and Sofia, two determined teens from the Bronx, are the ultimate graffiti-writers. When a rival gang buffs their latest masterpiece, they must hatch a plan to get revenge by tagging an iconic NYC landmark, but they need to raise $500 to pull off their spectacular scheme.

Over the course of two whirlwind, sun-soaked summer days, Malcolm and Sofia travel on an epic urban adventure involving black market spray cans, illicit bodegas, stolen sneakers, a high wire heist, and a beautiful, rich girl’s necklace that is literally their key to becoming the biggest writers in the City.

Review: Gimme the Loot is one of those special films that at first you wonder where it’s going, but soon you start to fall in love with the characters. Those characters in this film are Malcolm and Sophia.

From Left to Right: Tashiana Washington as Sophia and Ty Hickson as Malcolm

Malcolm and Sophia are two teens worried about teen things. The most important thing in their teen lives is graffiti. All adventures we follow are related to this and their “spectacular scheme”.

‘Loot’ is a wonderful “day in the life” of teenagers that we’ve seen before, but this time in an urban setting and with black teenagers that doesn’t involve gang violence. It shows a story about urban life that’s not all about gangs, guns and crack. Gimme the Loot is a marvelous, funny and touching story that has you at the end wishing this couple of friends have everything their hearts desire.

COMMENTARY
I have to add that as a native New Yorker this film has one of the most real depictions of urban New York as I have seen in cinema since probably Do The Right Thing.

ADDITIONAL
Gimmie the Loot won the 2012 Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW (South By Southwest) Film Festival