The Filtered Excellence: August 25, 2016
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.
WATCH THIS:
Floyd Norman: An Animated Life. The colorful life of animator Floyd Norman is the subject of this new documentary by Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey. As the first Black animator at Disney Studios, Norman started as an ‘inbetweeener’ on Sleeping Beauty, developed the story for The Jungle Book and became a key player on such films as Mary Poppins and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Norman left the company after Walt Disney’s death in 1966, and co-founded Vignette Films, which created the original Fat Albert TV special, and produced segments for a new children’s TV show called Sesame Street. Norman would also write and draw for several Hanna-Barbera and Ruby Spears shows during their peak runs. Norman would eventually return to Disney and Pixar as a contributor to the Mickey Mouse comic strip, the animated feature film version of Robin Hood, Toy Story 2, and Monsters, Inc among other projects. Whether he’s discussing craft, racism, or ageism, alone or interacting with colleagues and collaborators, it’s easy to see why Norman is so loved: Norman has a laid back, joyous yet rebellious streak that is infectious. By combining animation, archival video and footage specifically for the film, Fiore and Sharkey have put together a loving and inspiring tribute to an animation giant. Floyd Norman: An Animated Life opens this Friday. You can also go to www.FloydNormanMovie.com for more information.
Southside With You. This new film from writer/director Richard Tanne looks at the first date between law firm associate Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) and lawyer Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter). The daylong date takes them from The Art Institute Of Chicago, the movies (they see Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing), a community meeting at a church and ends up an ice cream parlor. Barack is interested from jump, while Michelle isn’t ready to call it a date. Not yet anyway. Tanne’s script is free of politics and instead focuses on two upstart legal eagles trying to make their mark in the world. We do get hints from both as to where the future will eventually take them, but it’s a love story first and foremost anchored by solid performances from its lead characters. It’s a great date movie to close out the summer. Southside With You opens this weekend. You can also go to http://www.southsidewithyou.com/ for more information.
LISTEN TO THIS
Church by Kelsey Lu. After working with such artists as Blood Orange and Nappy Roots, Kelsey Lu steps up to the spotlight with the release of this new EP. Recorded live in single takes in a Brooklyn church, the classically trained cellist and singer uses loops to create multi-layered vocals and melodic string lines to create a sound that is hypnotic, otherworldly and what her friends like to call ‘Lu-thereal’. While Lu works on her much anticipated full length album, check out this incredible EP that truly defies definition. Church by Kelsey Lu is available now through Amazon, iTunes and all major music retailers.
READ THIS
Writings On The Wall: Searching For A New Equality Beyond Black & White by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. For anyone who has read any of his best-selling books or his columns for The Washington Post, TIME magazine or its website, TIME.com, it’s no secret that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the nation’s leading cultural and societal observers. Now in his new book, Kareem candidly gives his takes on racism, parenthood, and politics, all peppered with stories based on his own personal experiences as an athlete, a Black man and a Muslim. By combining plain talk, street smarts, and an exceptional intellect, Kareem has put together a collection of essays that is not only his best work, but stands alongside anyone in literature today. Writings On The Wall is available now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other major book retailers. You can also go to http://www.kareemabduljabbar.com/ for more information.
DO THIS
New York City: Afropunk. A DIY film that is now a global campaign, Afropunk has emerged as the premier music festival for artists of color who don’t fit neatly into music industry boxes. This year’s lineup includes Ice Cube, TV On The Radio, Janelle Monae, Laura Mvula, George Clinton, Saul Williams, Cee-Lo Green, an all-star jam featuring members of Living Colour, Bad Brains and Fishbone, and much more. As in previous years, it’s more than just a concert – there will be activities, vendors and booths dedicated to an array of social causes. Get ready to let your freak flag fly and be free while rocking out. Afropunk Fest 2016 will be at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn August 27th and 28th. You can go to http://www.afropunk.com/ for tickets and complete information.
Return Of The Double Feature. Before there was binge watching, there were double features: Two films for the price of one. It lead off with a ‘B’ movie, low budget with fewer stars. Then came your feature film, a big budget star driven project. It marked the peak a golden age for anyone who was involved in cinema. When the average length of a movie expanded to near two hours, the double feature quickly became associated with shorter, action driven flicks before disappearing altogether. Film Forum is bringing back the concept with an emphasis on the works of specific directors (Hitchcock, Altman, Charlie Chaplin, Elia Kazan, Terence Malik) and genres (film noir, musicals). For anyone looking to re-create or experience for the first time what ‘a day at the cinema’ was like during Hollywood’s Golden Age, make your way over to Film Forum. Return Of The Double Feature runs through September 13th. You can go to http://www.filmforum.org/ for a complete list of films and showtimes.
FYF Fest. What started out as an upstart, DIY, anti-establishment festival has now become one of the go to events of the summer. The lineup for this year’s fest includes headlining sets by Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem, and Grace Jones along with equally strong acts such as Explosions In The Sky, Charles Bradley and a DJ set by Moby. With Exposition Park as its backdrop, The FYF Fest is a great way to close out the summer season on the Left Coast. It runs August 27th and 28th and if you haven’t bought tickets, get on it because what’s left is moving fast. You can go to http://www.fyffest.com/ for all info.
Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends
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