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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | The Dolby Experience!

by Julie Jones
written by Julie Jones

After four long years, Marvel Studios has finally blessed us with a Black Panther sequel: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Having been released mere days ago, the film is already the highest grossing theatrical debut for the year and 13th highest opening weekend grossing film of all time. How do we suggest you see this top crossing film? On a Dolby screen, of course. And here’s why…

To begin, much of the film is a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away in 2020 of stage III colon cancer at the age of 43. Dolby’s ultra-vivid colors and sound system make seeing Boseman’s face on the silver screen feel like we never lost the talented actor at all. Beginning with T’Challa’s (Boseman) death, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is now at the helm, running an empire that is rich in vibranium, a metal used to make weapons and armor. Tensions rise when other nations attempt to procure this scarce resource via taking it by force or tracking missions in the Atlantic Ocean led by the US government.

The Atlantic is populated by the Talokan and led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), who wishes to keep Talokan secluded. However, the tracking mission threatens exposure to his secret empire. Infuriated, Namor goes to Wakanda, claiming them responsible for the mission and asks for help to kill the lead scientist who built the vibranium tracking device, but Wakanda refuses, thus spurring conflict between the two worlds. What ensues is a complex tale of colonialism, struggle, and loss.

Seeing the world building executed by Ryan Coogler on the Dolby screen enriched the experience for the viewers. The Dolby screen unlocked the emotional impact of every scene and enhanced the costume design that defines each character within their respective communities. And thanks to Dolby’s superior sound capabilities, the audience felt like they were part of the action scenes.

In all, if you want to be one of the millions who have seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the silver screen, our suggestion is to experience the beauty and power of this film on a Dolby screen near you.

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Film

Why ‘8 Mile’ is the best Rap Movie

by Richard Schertzer
written by Richard Schertzer

It has been 20 years since the phenomenal release of Eminem’s semi-biographical feature 8 mile and it has only grown in relevance with the forthcoming years.

I, for one, have always been a huge fan of Eminem. I appreciated his lyricism and artistry as a rapper and his body of work has only grown exponentially since the release of the film. 

The film takes place in Detroit where a young man named Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith (Eminem) attempts to break out into the rap scene. It becomes difficult for him as he is the only white man to attempt to compete in the 90s to early 2000s zeitgeist. 

This film had the muster and energy that you would expect from any high-octane Eminem single off of one of his fire albums. 

 

This film proves to be a gritty and raw look at the life of a young man making his way through a strange and dangerous world in Detroit. Its realism is what contributes to its artistry and makes it a thing of beauty that other hip-hop movies like Get Rich or Die Tryin’ failed to achieve. 

8 Mile is a feat in, not only the film genre, but also in songwriting, as Eminem became the first rapper to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. “Lose Yourself” is easily one of the greatest rap songs of the decade if not the century. It is played in every gym and almost every motivational video for a reason. 

The song has a unique quality that has remained ubiquitous in its use wherever it is played. The song, much like the film, deals with struggle and perseverance with a message of never giving up no matter what happens. 

That is what everyone needs to keep the drive and spark inside of them burning. It’s the only thing that gives up hope for a better tomorrow. That’s what keeps me up and running throughout the day. 

 

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Netflix Hosts Sensational ‘Wednesday’ Night Function to Celebrate Fierce Addams Family Reboot

by Jonathan Tolliver
written by Jonathan Tolliver

Wednesday was a DRAG, baby. Netflix x Most put together a rowdy, revelatory soirée in honor of ‘Wednesday,’ their upcoming Addams Family  reboot focused on everyone’s favorite moody teen girl. From the clips they showed at the event, this show is whip smart, funny and gorgeous. C’mon, art direction!

TS Madison

The night was hosted by the divine TS Madison, who was absolutely part of my queer awakening back in the day. She got us all riled up and ready for some haunting drag numbers.

Crystal Methyd (Drag Race Season 12) performed in a self-made ‘Thing’ look, aka a giant hand. It was hilarious and fun and a fantastic kickoff to the night’s performances.

Mo Heart (Drag Race Season 10, All Stars 4, UK vs The World) delivered the tightest lip-sync of the night; a sultry, sexy number where she skulked around stage seducing us all.

Photo by Ron Clark

Gottmik (Drag Race Season 13)  was all gusto in his goth glam rock number. He had the best look of the night in a witchy black ensemble. Face beat, hair slicked. Here for it.

 

Photo by Ron Clark

Violet Chachki (Drag Race Season 7) had me sweating with a burlesque performance that hit all the right notes. Damn, ma!

We then danced the night away to spooky mashups of pop hits, took photos at the IG-friendly lil setup and generally had the time of our lives.

Be sure to check out ‘Wednesday’ when it drops November 23rd. It’s gonna be a moment.

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Exclusive: Taylor Russell, Luca Guadagnino and David Kajganich talk Bones And All

by Sydney Hargrove
written by Sydney Hargrove

It’s rare to find such a strong feeling of humanism in a horror film, even if the true meaning of horror is up to interpretation, but if anyone can do it, it’s Luca Guadagnino. The Call Me By Your Name director has one again joined forces with Timothée Chalamet to bring audiences an unconventional love story that you are simply unable to get out of your head, even long after you’ve left the theater.

Taylor Russell Stars as Maren, who harbors a secret that is, quite literally, eating her up inside. After being abandoned by her father, Maren is forced to go off on her own to find a place where she belongs. It’s somewhere down the road that she meets Timothée’s Lee, who shares her secret. Within each other they find a solace that they never expected to have with another person. The two connect with each other through everything from car rides to carnival rides, and as their time together stretches on they begin to learn that they are not as alone in the world as they once thought. At its very core, the film shows a story of first love in its most vulnerable light. Combine it with the magic of Guadagnino’s directing and Chalamet and Russell’s unparalleled performances, and it’s truly not something you’ll want to miss.

We sat down with the unparalleled cast and crew of Bones and All, check out the conversation below!

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Film

On the Scene: NewFest Film Festival

by Lenique Vincent
written by Lenique Vincent

NYC based LGBTQ+ film festival, NewFest, teamed up with Netflix to create the New Voices Filmmakers Grant. Four recipients, Blanche Akonchong, Livia Huang, Rodney Llaverias and Nyla Moon, were honored at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn on October 17.

Winners of $25,000 each and a year of mentorship, the filmmakers gathered for a panel to discuss their films and journey’s thus far.

Blanche Akonchong directed “Mercury Afrograde,” a film depicting a family’s struggle when their secrets are revealed during mercury retrograde. “I edited it, colored it, I composed the music,” Akonchong told the Knockturnal. “I literally spent the whole first quarter of the pandemic just working on it. It was my catharsis.” The film received NewFest’s Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Director Award in 2020. Blanche is an actor, writer, director and musician who hails from Riverdale, Georgia with Cameroonian roots.

New York native filmmaker and actor, Nyla Moon, created “How Not to Date While Trans.” “I realized that there wasn’t a lot of stories by trans women about the trans experience,” Moon noted. “This is such a fun film and it’s like a love story to the trans community because everyone always talks about our experiences but they don’t listen to us, so I wanted to create this story so people could understand what it’s like actually dating as a trans person.” With this accomplishment, Moon continues to produce and act in more original works.

Working on the development of their first feature film while living between the Dominican Republic and Bogota, filmmaker Rodney Llaverias  won the New Fest prize for “The Two-Headed Calf.” In the film, the protagonist comes to terms with their sexuality; a monumental event for most  audiences don’t get to see from the queer point of view. “I really wanted to tell this story,” Llaverias admitted on the panel. “I had a very late flourishing when it came to my sexuality (…) I was really tapping into my past, my past traumas; I really wanted to talk about my relationship with my father and what that meant for me.”

“More Happiness,” by Livia Huang also explored parental relationships. “I think we all have evolving relationships with our mothers,” Huang said. “I just had these conversations that I couldn’t really let go of, and ‘More Happiness’ has this conversation with a real mother and daughter pair interspersed with the protagonist’s past memories about the past love affair with her ex girlfriend.” Huang, a Baltimore bred director, created the film as a thesis for Brooklyn College, two years ago.

Creating safe havens for queer communities since 1988, New Fest also dedicated the evening to celebrating thriving artists including Big Mouth’s Brandon Kyle Goodman, Wendell & Wild’s Sam Zelaya and Dead End: Paranormal Park’s; Zach Barack.

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