This week on the latest episode of The Big Show, we celebrate the legacy of black storytelling on screen with our countdown of the top ten black cinema adaptations, from A Raisin in the Sun to Malcolm X, The Color Purple to Beale Street Guitar. We'll explore how books and plays have shaped some of the most powerful moments in black film history. Plus we'll review Eden, Honey, Dun't and Lurker. We'll have all that and more on the latest episode
of Keeping It Real with Film Gordon. Let's go all right and welcome to the latest episode of Keeping It Rail with Film Gordon. I am Tim Gordon. I am joined by Charles Kirkland Junior. Charles. What's going on, bru.
It's hard on in the streets. I'm ducking bullets every day. There's so much crime going on, So.
Sad, so sad. Welcome to the latest episode about show. Charles and I have talked about this before the show. We're not going there because that's not this show. And before we get started. For those who are watching us and I'll you'll notice that this is a backdrop filled with black icons and film stars and Egott winners and legends and I put this up because of course we've been promoting Summer Madness, our series talking about legendary black
actors all month long, and very proud of it this year. Charles, I mean, you know, I know you talked about it a couple of weeks ago when we were on the air, and you know, I made the joke with you that this was probably the first time that I really ever marketed it and kind of like planned it out. I think we got about about ten days left as we're taping this show today with Jamie Fox being our Summer
Madness spotlight today. So we've spotlighted many of the people that are behind me, whether it was Whoopy Goldberg, Silee Tyson, to Roger b Henson, Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and many many others. So if you want to check out the whole series, just go over to the film Gordon dot com and you'll see on our top role there's a Summer Madness drop down, a micro site we
built out some aer Madness will have. It will feature all the people that were spotlighting, and they're also watch lists of movies that you should check out from each of these legends. Man so with that, Charles, Uh.
I'm glad you explained what the what your backdrop was because at first I thought it might have been about the Black Real Awards, which just dropped, and then I saw that they were movie stars more than television stars, and I thought maybe these were all people Uh called and broke wish you a happy birthday as you're coming up on another one. So I'm glad you explain what the backdrop was.
They have not WITHSA happy birthday yet because we have not gotten there. But also I'm glad.
At the time this as we already passed it.
No, my birthday is next week, so yes, next week. Oh yeah, well no, yeah, by the time we do another show, it will impair. Yes, but I'm glad you brought up the Black Real Awards. We had the ninth annual Black Real Awards earlier this week. Of course, the big winner was Abbod Elementary. I think it took home four bolts. And now for people at home, because you have to explain all of this stuff, Charles, the Black Real Television Awards are different from the Black Real Awards.
The Black Real Awards salute Achievement in Film. The Black Real Television Awards honor what Charles television television so much like the Academy Award has the Oscar. Our trophy is that of a lightning bolt, so we call it the bolt. So we just had another bolt. And now we're coming up on the twenty sixth annual Black Real Awards, which will happen on February the nineteenth, twenty twenty six. So I'm getting ready for that now. And submissions are open
because people are asking us questions. Are we able to submit our film for Black Real Award consideration? You absolutely are, So I'm very excited, Charles. Lots of positive stuff happening. And last but not least, you didn't bring this up, but the Light Reel Film Festival, the seventh annual Light Reel Film Festival, submissions open in less than a month, so September fifteenth will be getting ready for a new slew of films that will play in next June's festival.
So we got a lot of stuff happening in Charles, got a lot of stuff happening. And before we get out of this, I want to congratulate my co host who has now just secured a deal and he has another podcast that he is a member of and Charles talk a little bit about your podcast.
Well podcast is called Build Movie Stuff and it's produced by the Defiant Need Meat Network. And so I've been picked up. I've been uh just grinding out some episodes and it's it's again. It's another entertainment podcast. We'll be talking about movies and uh stuff in the industry. And you know, I'm kind of very reverend, so I'm not gonna be like, uh like timism about all these things. But I'm me. So it's if you like being silly me,
that's what's gonna happen on the show. So that's that's exactly what you get.
I'm glad to hear that this silliness is spreading like a virus a podcast. Now He's like, yeah, you just like me, all right, man? So anything else we need to plug. We plugged some of Madness, we plugged your show, Black Real Awards, Light Reel Film Festival. Is anything else is out there that's pluggable?
Well, I do want to correct you on one thing. You said Abbitt Elementary was the big winner. Well they kind of tied because Paradise also had fours and so some we're really happy with that as well. For the Black Real Awards for Television.
Now the other thing that now, I was gonna say the other big winner, because what we normally do is that, you know, our social media presence for the Black Real Awards is always huge because you get a lot of I mean, I'm not gonna go into details, but let's just say that what I've learned over almost twenty six years of doing this stuff is that there are a lot of people that work in this industry that go unnoticed.
Right.
I think that's the easiest way to say it. And one of the things that I hope is my legacy, or at least a part of my legacy as it relates to that particular project, is that we see you. Right. That's the easiest way to say it, man, and to this day, and that's no disrespect to any other show that's black that are not awarding people in these categories.
We see you at the Black Real Awards. And I think part of why there's such undying loyalty to us from certain individuals is because we were able to see their performances or see their work, or acknowledge their work when other people were not acknowledging that work. And that's one of the things that I'm most proud of with the Black Real Awards. So yeah, it was a good week.
And I wanted to bring that up because Reginald Huttling had reached out to me because we did a collaboration on posts so that we could share the post with that person and that person shares with their audience, and we just couldn't give Reggie Hutlin's to work at all. And it was funny because he texted me and I was like, I sent them some screenshots. I was like, I don't know, Reggie. He was like, it's weird. I was like, I know. So I sent them the posts
and he I think linked back to us. But yeah, man, so if you get an opportunity, We're on Instagram, not exclusively, but Instagram is where a lot of the conversation around the Black Real Awards and the Black Real Television Awards are going on. But yeah, man, real proud. I'm glad. I'm glad you brought that up. Man. So it gave me an opportunity to say that, man, because that was something that's really near and dear to me. Charles got anything else brought before we launch into our top ten today?
Let's get it. Let's get it because we don't want to be overtime. Let's do this.
You don't want to do overtime. I thought we were gonna thought we had an overtime conversation we needed to have. You don't want to have that time conversation.
Talk about that. Let's let's get into the show. All right, Okay, we want to talk about this top ten list, all right.
Man, So let's break this down. Man. So we're talking about adaptations as cultural landmarks this week now, from the pages of powerful novels and groundbreaking plays to the big screen. Black cinema, adaptations have been a long have been a long, vital part of our storytelling tradition right now. These films just don't translate words into images. They preserve history, amplify voices,
and reimagine culture for new generations. Now, thinking about something Charles like from Lorraine Hansbury, or Raising in the Sun to Alex Walker's The Color Purple from James Baldwins and Beal Street could talk to August Wilson's Fences and my
Rainey's Black Bottom. These works remind us that the written word has always been the foundation for cinematic excellence, and when visionary directors like Spike Lee, Barry Jenkins and Steve McQueen bringing them to the screen, the results just don't become films, they become, as as stated earlier, cultural landmarks.
All right, so now, Charles, before we get started, you and I had a conversation because we usually always talk before we present these lists, because is you know, you notice we have a lot of lists, and a lot of these lists are our ideas that either either I have come up with or Charles and I will collaborate on these ideas. So today this was a Tim Gordon exclusive, right, and Charles asked me a couple of questions, which you're interesting.
So Charles, let's play Devil's advocate man and asked me the questions that we had in our pre show meeting today. Go ahead. What was the first one?
What's the criteria for these for these awards? You, I mean, for this myths? So how do you determine who's on it and what's not on it?
Good question, but that's not the first question I thought you was gonna ask you. Your first question was where do you get this list from?
Hey, they don't need to know the secret Sauce.
Made. I mean, I mean, well, it started because I saw a movie last night that we're gonna review next week, and we didn't get a chance because we were off last week and we didn't talk about highest the lowest. It being an adaptation of a Kira Kirasa was high and low, right, So I was like, oh, we should talk about adaptations today. And I started to talk about adaptations across mainstream film, and I was like, no, let's do it for black film. So that's where the idea
and the concept came up, right. I did some research because Charles will tell you, and he's watching me do this in studio. I just I just know movies, man, So I don't need a lot of prompting to come up with stuff. I just have seen a lot of stuff, right, So I did some research and came up with a list. What's wrong?
I just thought of something that's but I will get there. We'll get there. Yeah, you shocked.
Some whole Okay. So I was saying that.
Start off a film that's not on the list and we'll get to it.
Okay, cool, all right, So Charles to answer his question, we came over to criteria and the criteria was built on several things, and actually I sent it to you, Charles. Do you want to go through just briefly the criteria. Do you have it up?
Yeah?
Sure, Just go through the criteria because if we're going to do a list of something, people need to understand how are we judging what we're judging.
The sixth criteria that to the decision of the list. The first one being foundational source materials, so that this means that adaptations must come from and mark black. A third, there are not plays memois cultural texts that carry historical, literary or cultural for example the Out of Bio Freedom, Out the Mix, or the novel of Alice Walker's novel Purple. The second Cate criteria was cultural and historical impact. These films must have shifted the conversation about black life culture
representation in cinema. They just don't retell stories in five voices, preserved history and redefine how audience engaged with black narratives. Third third criteria is cinematic excellence. Beyond faithful adaptation, these films had to work as cinema powerful performances, strong direction, and compelling storytelling that stood on their own. Four or its recognition and breakthroughs. Many of these film broke barriers at Oscars, em means or industry at large. Recognition was
not required, but the signal cultural validation. Number five is longevity and legacy. These films had to have staying power. They are still taught, referenced, and celebrated decades later. And the last criteria his broad audience resonance. Top ten film reached beyond niche audiences, whether through mainstream theatrical success like Inside Man or the awards prestiged or cultural conversations, so they had to resonate with their audience. Well that's the criterion got you.
All right. So now that we've established that as the benchmark, right, let's before we even get to our top ten, let's talk about some of these honorable mentions. And Charles Who a couple of minutes ago, just went, I guess is this time right now that you can talk about what the is? Yeah?
I think the first well, the first honorable mention that I wouldn't like to mention is is Black Panther. It's not on the list, And we talked about it because what happened is the Black Panther was the comic book that was started by stan Lee and reimagined byel hadn't in all those so the source material is not black in nature, and said, that's one of the reasons why it's it's an honorable mention. It didn't make it into
the top ten. The one movie that I just thought about that is not on the list and has to be listed, as I mentioned, is Precious, which was adapted by from Sapphire's book Push. Now that did not mean the top ten, but and if you think about it, it's culturally significant because for that performance, So I mean, it was more recognizing a lot of people. Precious one of those films that I don't think I've ever watched
it twice. I've watched it once, but it is soh stark in its direction and story that it's it's a really tough film to watch over and over again. And that's probably one of the reasons why it didn't make it into the top Ten's it's a really good movie. It's a lot of significance, but it's a tough movie to watch.
I agree, Yeah, yeah, agree. So let's let's talk about it. The first I'm gonna give you a chance to get some water, because we sounding like I'm not getting full Charles Kirkland did it sounds like it's it's on sound stuff, And I'm like, man, is that brother? Is he alright? He needs you need a glass of water over there? All right? So let me yeah do that. So all right,
so let's go down some of these honorable mentions. So you've mentioned too, Black Panther and Precious Glory was another film that was an honorable mention based on letters from Robert Gould. Now this is also a lot of these that are outside are because to your point, Charles, that the source material that we're honoring or acknowledging today are
those that were written by the Black pen. Right. So either they couldn't crack the top ten because they weren't either significant enough to scale the ten that are there, or they had authors or the writers who initially weren't African American, even if the subject matter may have been African American.
Right.
So that's an example. The next one is a good example, Native Son. Right. Native Son is a Richard Wright book written by brother, and it's been adapted twice, both in eighty six and then in twenty nineteen. Nineteen eighty six and twenty nineteen a good book, but just outside of that top ten range. Charles, you also have The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lax, which was adapted from Rebecca S. K l o O telling book start Over Winfrey outside.
Think about the more Life of Henrietta Lax. It's I mean, we were talking about movies really, so this one and the next one you'll probably mentioned, which both start Over Winfrey. We're actually television, either television movies or television serials, and that will also explain why it's not on the top ten of I.
Was great to say that because Roots Roots is amazing. Man. Like, if we did a list of of TV adaptations, that's a different story.
Yeah.
Wow, So hold on, so let me just double check. Do we have any TV adaptations on here?
Nope, you're not. Oh that was closed?
Oh yeah, yeah one, well y'all won. But it's a movie that was on television. Wow. Yeah, whoa, Okay, that's interesting. We're gonna get in trouble. I can see the angry letters Roots, Roots, Roots, That's all I'll say. Roots is fantastic. Roots is fantastic. So thank you, Charles. The Eyes were watching God from Zora Neil Hurston Queen adapted from Alex Haley The Learning Tree. You know, Gordon park semi Arto Bryah graphical movie from nineteen sixty nine, Losing Isaiah, which
was the seth Mark Goolis novel. And last, but not least, for honorable mentions for colored girls, right, Tyler Perry's adaptation of Into Saki Shot Gays choreo palm. I've never heard of described in that way, but I wanted to make sure I read that choreo palm.
Wow, whatever that means?
All right, Charles, So before we get into top ten Roots Wow? Now what we can explain about Roots which might be different as we get to this list, because I just want to double check something. Okay, Roots, I will say didn't make the list because while we do have a television movie on the list, it is a television movie, not a television limited series. There you go, Charles, That's why Roots didn't make the list. Roots happened over seven nights, where everything else on this list happened in
a single night. When me double check, I want to make sure, uh huh uh huh. Yes. So that's why Roots didn't make the list because Roots is too obvious to miss. Right, if we're talking about adaptation, it's just too obvious, right, So there would be a reason it missed. So so please do not send me angry emails. Go what's over?
Roots?
Roots? Seven nights, everything else, single night? All right, Charles?
So you ready, I have to do a television adaptations that's down in television series that's made down the line somewhere.
I mean absolutely, man. I mean we got some other stuff in the hopper that we haven't finished, that we talked about the day. So we always got lists, all right, Charles, So this comes and I would say no particular order, but we have to always order it because we gotta do this. So coming into number ten, Charles on our list of the top ten black cinema adaptations is the autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Charles, do you remember watching this as a kid?
What? I can't remember how young I was when I saw this INFANTIL had to watch it again as I got older because the significance of what I was watching just went over my head. It was one of those things. It was kind of like Roots in that it was to watch, but it didn't feel it like.
What I mean, Man, I remember watching this and I might have been I'm not gonna tell you my age, but I watched this when it first dropped, right, and what I didn't understand because I was so young, I didn't get the nuance of it. You gotta remember she is being interviewed by a journalist and she is a hundred and ten years old. So the makeup that they used in this, because it it didn't look like it
was not realistic. I mean, it was based on a true story, Like it was not based on a true story, but it's based on the novel of this slave in nineteen sixties who had been a slave since the eighteen hundreds, right, and she wasn't a slave as we were watching it, and like this movie came out in nineteen seventy four.
But her recounting her story of her going from an enslaved person to a person who gained her freedom and all the things that she saw, Cinicely Tyson to me, Charles, I'm just saying this, and she has been acknowledged as
one of our summer madness folks. That she's Sicely Tyson as an actress is just phenomenal and a lot of people who are younger didn't get an opportunity to see films like Sounder and see her in the Autobiography of Jane Pittman and didn't get I mean you saw her and some older stuff that she might have done with Tyler Perry or some stuff that she you know, she was on, you know, with Viola Davis and How to Get Away with Murder. But you guys didn't see the best.
Of Sists Help. She was in The Help.
And The Help. Yeah, you didn't see the best of Sicely Tyson. You didn't see young Cicely Tyson, who was really knocking it out the park man. I mean, she was a dark skinned system, so it wasn't about her being fair skins. She just had talent. And in this movie her playing you know, like four or five different
iterations of her life. Man of telling this story the Autobiography of Jane Pittman with it ending with that fantastic scene where she drinks out of a whites only found because you know, it was still segregated in her part of the South as she's telling the story. I think she lived in the story from like eighteen fifties to like something like sometime in the eighteen fifties to like the nineteen sixties, which is a story.
She was one hundred and ten years old when they were making the film. I remember that right.
So that finish, I'll start off by saying that that was number ten as one of our favorite adaptations, one of our best top ten adaptations. Do you want to do number nine jobs.
Or I can do number nine, which is Tony the adaptation of Tony Morrison's classic book beloved Wow Wow h which I mean free and Glover and fantastic story. It's kind of interesting that we have. It's another slave story, but it's a breaking work. It's even nominated for Oscar and I remember that back in the day. So this was a classic book that was retold in the story that was moving and touching and had some horror, and you know it was it was. It was an experience.
I want to put Dan, Dewie Newton, and Kimberly Elise along with be Richards and Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover Man. You know, it's funny because you think about some of these books and you will talk about them on the show. There's a couple of you notice there are a lot of women or at least his balance with as many
women that have novels on here as there are men. Right, So when you talk about the source novel from Tony Marris and Tony Marrison has so many really good books and I'm not sure if a lot of them have been adapted, right, But Love It is a classic that's like an amazing book and it was one of Oprah
Winfrey's favorites. And the fact that they were able to pull the movie together, I still say, though, Charles, even with Jonathan Demi at the head of this movie, right, like as the director of the story, it's a story that I think was really hard to adapt. And I'm not sure if the story went over people's heads, right, Like, it's not It's not like it's like whoa entertainment? But Love It, We Love It is a hard story man to watch, you know.
And you know, Jonathan Demmy, I think he did an interesting job at telling the whole story. I mean, this is the same guy who did the Silence of the Lamb and Silence of the Lambs in Philadelphia, so he's he's had this ability to to tell these stories that are kind of dark and oh, but somehow he I think he did miss some things that it was going through.
So yeah, but again, the source material was so rich and deep that it's hard to capture every aspect of the story, and I think he did a good job with him.
You know, I just thought of another honorable mention, a lesson before Dying, which I love that movie Man by Earnest Gains. That didn't make yeh list. But yeah, there's just so many of these really good adaptations. So up next is August Wilson's My Rainey's Black Bottom. Now I wanted to talk about this because I don't know about you.
I have had the sincere honor of having seen all ten of the plays in the August Wilson's Century cycle, all Teim, Jim of the Ocean, Radio Golf Jitney, I've seen them all right, Thank God for living in Washington, DC and the Kennedy Center pre you know who. So
let's just start there, right. So this adaptation, which of course is notable as the final film from the great Chadwick Boseman, who literally should have won the Oscar down to the point Charles that they shifted the order that year to announce Best Support Awarding Actor last and he
didn't win. So I apologize for still being salty for that brother over my shoulder right there, who did not win an Oscar, even posthumously, for what I thought was just a courageous and brave performance in this story anchored by Biola Davis, starring Coleman Domingo and Michael Potts and Glenn Turnman, about this band that backed up my raining, And so I thought, this is one of the few directed by George C. Wilson that you know, we've seen
three adaptations of August Wilson's films, right, so of course we and one or two of them may end up on the list. So of course this one. I'm not gonna go into the other ones now because I don't want to preference some of the other ones that may come up. But I really like my Rainey's Black Bottom.
And to me, despite there's so much talent, and that Chadwick Boseman was just electric and to find out how sick he was to to have me to have given us that performance, and it's just it's just I have no words for it.
Charles say that he was acting because he was acting, which I mean, so which brings a level of I mean now that we know, what's going on in his life just makes the performance that he put on the screen just that much more spectacular and and and it's that much more of a shame that he not not received recognition that he should have at that time. And there's no going back. There's something that can do about it.
Nope, all right, So Charles coming into number seven, man, uh is a is a Black classic, The Wiz Man Uh you know, directed by Sendla le May, adapted from the Bomb novel. Now this one is interesting, right now, Charles, we set up a criteria and it's clear to me that this is one that's snuck in. It should not have been on the list. Let mean, I'm just keeping it real, man, Like I do the research, man, and
sometimes we miss. The Wiz should not be on this list, man, because the Wiz source material is not African American in nature. And despite the fact that they made a film that a lot of people revere today, I don't think it aged well. I'm just keeping it real. I watched it recently and I was like, green, the color is green. I was like, come on, cue. So Charles, go ahead, man.
Saying you're talking about the source material. But even the play that was written based off the source material was written by a white man as well, so that the best thing we can talk about is that it was that cute did the music, and that it's the all black cast, and you know it's a celebrated film in our circles. But yeah, it got pasted both of us to be on this list.
All right, So holdant to saying I'm gonna throw audible real quick and replace the whiz with A Lesson Before Dying? How about that? A Lesson Before Dying is the story of a school teacher, Grant Wiggins played by Don Cheetle, who is asked by his grandmother, who's Tatulou played by
cisly Tyson. We just talked about sistly Tyson again, who fires out that a young black man has been falsely accused of killing a white shot owner and she knowing that there's nothing that they can do Charles to reverse the accu I mean to reverse the charges, but for him to go in and die with dignity. And man, I'm telling you, I remember this movie came out in nineteen ninety nine. I don't know how old I was. I cry like a baby watching A Lesson Before dying. Man.
I just thought he said, have you seen this movie recently? But yeah, yeah, oh my god, man, that last scene when you gotta watch the movie. But what happens is that he's a school teacher and once the class finds out that that final scene when they bring the kids to the jail and they have to say goodbye, wow wow. So a lesson before dying. Put that one on the list. Take he's on down the road off the list, and.
We are yes.
Yeah, So I had to call it audible, man, to make sure we got back on point because I didn't want people coming for me. Man. I'm gonna let you do number six, man, because this is a good one.
Okay, Number six based on James Baldwin's novel, directed by the tour Mary Jenkins. We have twenty eighteen's If Bill Street Could Talk? Uh beal Street talks a very as a gripping and tragic romantic story about a young gentleman. And it looks like we're trolling the same kind of tropes here because just like get a lesson for dying, uh, you know, things are going well for this gentleman who gets convicted of a crime that he didn't commit. And so it's it's a lot of the same things you
have Keiki Lane and Stephan James. Regina King is also in this film. Won yeah.
For her performance in this film, man, So.
You're right, I forgot. I forgot all about that. I knew she remember her being in it, but I forgot that she won an Oscar for it. But yeah, it's a fantastic film, Uh, miracle and its presentation. It's just a beautiful film to watch it. Even though it's one of the one of the most tragic stories you can you can hear about. It's not as tragic as that scene any of us and for dying, but it is a moving tale and Barry Jenkins put his foot on in that story.
Yes, all right, man, let's get the number five and again we returned back to the master August Wilson for Fences Man and this one directed by Denzel Washington. Uh, and I'll just say again, I know I just said this a couple of minutes ago when I talked about Chadwick Boseman and another August Wilson adaptation. Denzel Washington should have won the Oscar along with Vi Davis Viola Davis
won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. In this, Denzel Washington should have won the Oscar for Best Actor, losing to Manchester's By the Sea. What is his name? Ac Denzel Washington should have four Oscars. This should have at least been three, right this cause you know, he didn't win for Malcolm Max. He didn't win for this film, and I think this one bothered him because I really thought he thought he should have won for this one
as well. But this story man based on August Wilson's book with a role originated by James Earl Jones on Broadway, and the son in it played by Courtney b. Vance in this version is Denzel Washington. And I don't remember the young actor who played his son in this, but Viola Davis is in this and she's fantastic and she won the Oscar. Denzel Washington, you know, he is an actor that we acknowledge with our series. As you can see his face behind me. Denzel Washington is simply one
of the greatest actors of his generation. I'm not gonna say he's the best. He's one of the best actors of his generation. And he is a super duper double threeat right, it's not just about. He has marquis amazing looks, but he has the skills to match his looks. Denzel Washington is the man. This guy's been a leading man for forty plus years. Well, let me take that back.
He's been a leading man for thirty plus years because he didn't become a leading man officially until probably Jungle Feever, I mean not Jungle Fee More Better Blues, because after
More Better Blues he never did supporting anymore. Because remember there was a Soldier Story, Power, Cry, Beloved, Freedom, Mighty Quinn, Glory and all those rolls, and then after that Denzel Washington, they was like put him as number one on the call sheet, and after that he was number one on the call sheet from like nineteen ninety one or ninety two to now, I mean serious, like and I'm sorry, mo Bunny Blues nineteen ninety. So Denzel Washington has been
a leading man from nineteen ninety to today. So that's like thirty five straight years of being number one on the call sheet. Every time you call Denzel Washington up to be in a film, he's number one on the call seat man. And there's a reason that he resonates and fences resonate so much. His performance was fantastic in that film. Man, all right, Charles, I'm gonna have to do I'm gonna have to skip you and go to
number four. And I'm only going here because this is one of my favorite performances again of all time from the great Sidney Poitier and Lorraine hands Berry's are Raisin in the Sun?
How do you? How come you get all the acting icons you just did Denzail on now you want to do?
Sidney, Sir, my birthday is coming up in a couple of days. Let me have some fun on this podcast. Is that by car Houlding the birthday car Look look a Raisin in the Sun? Ruby d the late great Diane sans Claudia McNeil masterpiece. Uh we did? We did a rundown about nineteen ninety nine of the one hundred Greatest Black Films of All Time and Raising in the Sun finished number one. We need to probably go back
and do that list again. But this if if Denzel Washington's greatest performance is in Malcolm X, Sidney Potier's greatest performance to me was in this film where he played Walter Lee Younger and Charles that scene when his business partner comes to his house and talks about going up to Springfield to spread some money around, and the guy took their money and Charles, you've heard me.
Do this on the show Willy.
Not with dad money. Willie whoa Denzel I mean Denzel Sidney partier toured the force in this film and it also co starred a very young young Lewis Goatson Jr. Who he called them with them effiity white shoes on that I can't say the word now, but it was in style in sixty one. But so that what what are your thoughts and impressions about Raisin in the Sun.
Man, I'm not don't have time to talk about the raising and Raisin in the Sun because we still got some other film sold. Let's let's keep moving. I think he did it well enough.
All right, sir. Coming into number three, man is The Color Purple, another movie that was based on Alice Walker's novel which has had two adaptations, in nineteen eighty five, which is My Color Purple, the remake in twenty twenty.
The Real Color Purple.
Stop it, man, I'm just being nice, but Color Purple man launched the careers of E Got Winner Whoope Goldberg, of course, Oprah Winfrey, Uh, Lawrence Fishburne is in this movie. A young Raydn Chong. God, man, this is so many Adolph Caesar, Danny Glover, this is so much. These these are iconic films. Man, But go ahead, Charles Mark, you can keep on going there. I forgot about her My Apologies and miss Avery.
Directed by the original directed by Steven Spielberg, It's good Dominations, and came away.
With no no.
This was this was like the Travesty's in in uh history and my and I could how do you get eleven nominations and not with one or not a single one? It was crazy.
Tied with the turning point from nineteen seventy seventy only two films are the two most nominated films. Both of them got eleven nominations, took home nada, and Steven Spielberg would be redeemed less than ten years later when Schindler's List came out and they was like, oh well, never mind, I'm not going down that road. That's another conversation coming in at number two. Charles said this earlier about Precious, which was an honorable mention. Here's another one off is
what I call these films. Solomon north Room's memoir directed by Stephen McQueen from twenty thirteen, Twelve Years of Slave, Charles, I remember you and I have talked about this. I went to the screening to see this movie and I still describe it the exact same way today as I did twelve years earlier. It felt like sitting on a roller coaster that you couldn't get off of, and I remember sliding down in my seat. Man. And my tagline
today is the same as twenty thirteen. It's the closest one can experience slavery with or being an enslaved person without being an enslaved person. Like it or love it, light it or hate it. Steve McQueen did a powerful adaptation of this felt powerful to this day, Charles.
Yeah, you said you compared it to the bull coaster, But coasts are fun. This is this is like a house of course, you know, you go into the mirrors, the mirrors, and it's just scary the whole time. This movie is just like the most intense and press a film that you could ever experience. And Mike, you said, it's hard to watch this one the second time. I don't think I've ever even touched it the second time. But yeah, it's it's it's yeah, it's it's number two
for a reason. Wow, but yeah, it's really hard.
Well. Number one, man, God, you know how many times can we talk about this one movie on our show? But we got to do it again. The number one, you know, number one adaptation of a of a novel to the screen is Malcolm X. All right, and Charles, you know how I feel about Malcolm X. Man, I think it's Denzel Washington. You just heard me say earlier
that you know. It's It's interesting that the two actors that are the most revered in our community, Sir Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington's best performances are on this list, right. Denzel Washington is the anchor of Malcolm X. The movie is three hours in nineteen minutes. He's on screen like three hours of it, bare minimal. We see him as Red, we see him as young Malcolm in prison, we see him as el Hadje Malik Shabaz at the end, Denzel Washington.
I think halfway through the movie. I always tell people he stopped being Denzel Washington. He was Malcolm X. Even Spike Lee talks about man. There was some scenes that we had where I didn't even say cut and he just kept going. It was almost like Malcolm's spirit channel through Denzel in the making of this movie. The fact that he did not win the Oscar for this and al Pacino, who had been nominated six previous times, one
for Scent of a Woman still to me. Yeah, I was ready to say that still to me, along with Casey ad flack One and some other ones. If you have a list of the biggest omissions in Oscar history, this is absolutely on the list. And it's a fantastic film that gave us Delroy Lindo, gave us al Freeman Junior, gave us Albert Hall a young Angela Bassett as Betty Shabbaz, a role she would reprize again about four years later in Panther. There's just so much in this movie that
Spike Lee got right and it's a fantastic adaptation. Charles, go ahead, man.
I was gonna say, you know, you talk about the Aino winning the award instead of Denzel at nice al Pacino, the Heights of Oscar with Casey Afflecka. He's never gotten back to them to that level. Again. So it's you know, some people can kind of explain the Alpuchino Ward as a lifetime achievement thing, but it really comes across as you guys are really not seeing this movie. And I think a lot of things happened in the Academy because
of reaction that from this film. But people just aren't watching these black films, and there's no sit through this film and not recognize how powerful. And it was not just for and Sail, but for also for Spike, and so yeah, this is the magnum opus. This is the number one of all time for as a black cinema adaptation, and for a good reason.
All right, man, we got about less than ten minutes ago, and normally when we had to do reviews we would freak out because we wouldn't have enough time. But guess what, Charles, We now have the film Gordon dot com where all these reviews are up. We're just kind of going lazing over this. If you want to read the full reviews of what we're about to talk about, they're all on the site. Man, So I'm good with that. Sore you ready, Let's just have a little discussion about some of these movies,
and like I said, the reviews are already there. Man, all right? So first up this week, Man is Eden, Right, a survival thriller set in the Galapagos Islands, directed by Ron Howard. Now, Charles, I thought, despite a strong cast Jude Law and the armist Vanessa Kirby Sidney Sweeney, this film, to me, struggled to balance this historical fact based narrative with character, leaving it visually impressive but dramatically uneven. Charles, did you get a chance to see this movie yet?
Did get a chance to see this movie? Yes? Indeed, And I agree totally with you. There there's a lot of good things to look at, but the substance is not there. So I agree that it's wealth shot, it's well directed, but there's some narrative issues that are missing for me in this film. And I think you're Tim Bourdon is having a moment think because he grated this film higher than I would have. But go ahead and tell me what your break was first seaminess. But yeah,
I gave it a C minus. It's good to look at, but its substance and like I said, it is not there, and so it's kind of hard to follow at times. So I don't know.
Well. I gave the film a C plus, man, because I thought that it had some elements that that I thought worked, But overall I just thought that it you know, if you think about it as a garment, they just never strung it together that we can walk out of the theater and wear it. You know. It just felt like it's just falling all off me. Man, So eating in theaters this weekend, Man, you can check it out
up next. Man is a film that Charles and I both set a couple of seats away from each other and watched a couple of nights ago, called Honey Don't and of course as Ethan Cohen's follow up to his lesbian B movie trilogy with his wife Tricia Cook, and it aims for a noir meets dark comedy starring Margaret Quality, many of you guys will remember from the Substance Arvey Plaza and Chris Evans. The film has moments of wit, but it's undone by total inconsistency, sloppy pacing, and characters
who feel more like sketches than fully realize people. Charles Kirkland, what say you about Honey Don't?
Since, like you said, it's a sequel to Totally to Drive Away Dolls, which also start Margaret Qualley, but in a totally different role. So there's no looking between the two films. And I really felt like there was no connection in the film itself. So there were a lot of times where I'm watching it and I'm like, what's going on? This was one of those movies where it was an experience to be there, and experience is a negative.
It's only an hour and a half long, but it felt like two hours maybe two and a half, because it was just dragged and it just didn't give you anything. And I think to me that the title of the film is an advisory to the people who want to go see it. Honey don't.
He stole my line, Man, I hate you so much, man, So what did you give the film? Man? D I gave it a D, all right, and so did I Man, So, honey, don't man, it is a serious D all right. And last, but not least, and I'm not even gonna say it, here's a film that I saw as sun Dance, And of course the film is called Lurker, right, Uh, you know, Alex Russell's psychological drama thriller and presses with his tension
and style. And it features Theodore pellerin Archie Mamatic, Medocui and Quinn Say It Again, Queen thank You and Havana Rose Lou And it delivers a gripping exploration of a paranoia and fractured identity. Those slow burning it lingers long after the credits. Let me just give you a little background. So pretty much what Lurker is about is if you think about films like All about Eve right, about how
some young person latches themselves onto an established person. In this case, this kid works in a retail store and a pop star walks in, and he gets the pop stars attention, and before long he has infiltrated the pop stars in a circle and everybody around the pop star Charles can see this kid is no good. That the man himself who as a story evolves, some things happen. I don't want to spoil it. It's a brilliant film. It's like one of the films like if I had to do a top ten list of movies I saw
at Sundance, this one would be on the list. As you can tell. For my grade, I gave it a B plus. And if you have an opportunity at some point. I'm just gonna keep it a hundred with you right now, because this is what I do. I told people last night I've reached the age where I stopped lying to people. I would wait for this on a streaming platform. I would watch this if it comes to a platform. I'm not getting any money from the studio for this, so there's no reason for me to tell you I would
not go to a theater to watch this. I would wait for this on a streaming platform. Now watch this as a president of a film critic association, as say association, please go see this movie at the theater. As Tim Gordon The Citizen Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Apple is your friend with Lurker. Lurker is a good movie. But you've heard me say on this show every movie is not a movie that should be in theaters, or it shouldn't be a film you gotta run to the theater to see.
But Lurkers really good. I saw it in the theater. You don't have to do what I did, just.
Saying pay for it, pay for it?
Why this have a service? Pay for it? Just not to pay in the theater. You don't need the popcorn, the candy just need a movie. So those are the movies that are are that are all that will that are all in theaters on platforms this weekend. As I said, if you want to read the four reviews, please go over to the film gordon dot com. Charles Kirklin and Tim Gordon are over there doing some master work with
these film. Charles, you realize we're over one hundred and twenty reviews for the site and we haven't even gotten out of August yet. And remember we've got Tiff coming up next month. We got Middleburgh coming up. Charles doesn't know it yet and he's hearing it here for the first time in front of everybody. Tim Gordon did all the heavy lifting at Utah back in January, and he's doing the heavy lifting in Toronto next month. Charles Kirkland is gonna be a superman in October, and he knows
exactly what that means. If I wrote all those reviews and those other two festivals, you got it, Because I'm going to Middleburgh this year, I would be like this challenge except it Okay, remember they're about I think there are forty films at Middleburgh and how many can you see it? Day? Charles, is it like I think they start? I think it's about four or five. Yeah, so let's say four movies a day, so that means the Thursday film and Friday Saturday. Yeah, Charles, you should be able
to kick out fifteen? Can you do fifteen? Is that? Is that just asking? I mean, I don't know. It's fifteen? Good?
Oh man, fifteen? I can handle that.
All right, child's accepted. We got a minute to go. Man, we can ready to get out of here. Man, any anything on the close, Charles. Before we wind it up.
Make sure you check out the Black Real Awards for Television, the Black Real Television Awards on the site at Black Reel Awards dot com.
All right, and that wraps up today's big show. Make sure you stay connected at Film Gordon. You know our social media platforms. Visit the Film Gordon for reviews, features and festival coverage. And don't forget you can listen to Keeping it Real on podcast channels everywhere. And as we tell you every week, please see something good at the movies. Until next time, Keep it bold, keep it true, but always remember to keep it real. I'm Tim Gordon, that's Charles Kirkland. We out peace