There are always these first and only stories, where it’s like, the first black person to do this, or the first woman to do this, and we need those stores. They are super inspirational. But the thing that’s so exciting to me about this is that none of these women had to be the first or the only. Like the first white computer pool was five women, the first black computer pool was five women. Over time, each of those pools grew tremendously to prove over and over that women are very adaptive and have the right temperament, the right skill set, the right intellectual firepower for this work. That’s truly confidence-inspiring, because you don’t have to face the objections of like, “Yeah, well, there’s just one woman. We know that most women are like this.” It’s like, No, no, no. This is a revolution. The technological revolution that was the space race was carried out with two women and their mathematical talents, because of other women.
August Wilson’s towering play, the winner of the Tony and Pulitzer prizes, has been magnificently put on screen by director/star Denzel Washington, who won a Tony for the play’s 2012 Broadway revival, and who works with much of that show’s cast in this version.
Wilson’s own screenplay wisely avoids the usual impulse to “open up” a play by adding locations and reducing the dialogue. The best known of Wilson’s ten-play “Pittsburgh cycle,” one for each decade of the 20th century, “Fences” is a story of epic scope and mythic resonance. The gorgeous dialog makes poetry out of the kind of talk we hear around us all day: the jokes, mock insults, and bragging of co-workers and long-time friends, the intimate humor of a longtime couple, anguished confrontation, bitter recollection, back-and-forth that skims the surface while the emotions roil and explode below. To the extent that it preserves the artificiality of a theatrical performance, it emphasizes its ambitious reach. If a play has a character named Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson) who is cognitively impaired following a war injury, who carries a trumpet, and who constantly reminds his brother of a betrayal and survivor guilt, if the tile “Fences” is literal and metaphorical and the character building the fence talks about keeping out the actual angel of death, the audience must recognize these signals of serious, profound, dramatic engagement with eternal themes and be grateful for the chance to be a part of it.
Washington plays Troy, a garbageman who was once a star of a Negro Leagues baseball team but was too old to cross over into the Major Leagues the way Jackie Robinson did. He still keeps a bat and ball in the back yard. He still holds onto the bitterness and dashed dreams of his years as a player. But now, he just wants a promotion to driver, a job only held by white men where he works.
His wife is Rose (Oscar-winner Viola Davis, who also won a Tony for her performance in the revival). We first see Troy bragging to his best friend Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson) about how he laid down the law when he met Rose, telling her he was not interested in marriage. She laughs indulgently and affectionately, but makes it clear that it was quite the contrary. “I told him if he wasn’t the marrying kind, then move out the way so the marrying kind could find me.”
Troy and Rose have a son in high school, Cory (Jovan Adepo), a talented football player. Rose sees football as a chance for Cory to attend college, and Cory desperately wants to play. But Troy refuses, saying “The white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway.” His mind and spirit have been so constricted by what he has faced that he cannot bring himself to believe that real opportunity exists for Cory. Or perhaps he cannot face the possibility that Cory will do what he could not.
Troy also has an older son, Lyons (Russell Hornsby), with a woman he never married. Lyons, a musician, asks Troy for a loan, mostly as a way to find a way to talk to him, to find a way to see if he means anything to him. Troy tells him he should not need to ask for money, and Lyons responds, “If you wanted to change me, you should’ve been there when I was growing up.”
And Troy worries about his brother Gabriel, who lived with Troy and and Rose in a home they bought with his disability money, but who has moved down the street because he wants more independence. Troy feels guilty for not taking care of him, and for living in a house he would not have been able to afford but for his brother’s disability.
And so, he makes a bad decision that will shatter his family’s foundation. The scene where Davis goes from disbelief to shock to fury will be used for decades in acting class, but she is just as impressive in the movie’s final moments. While Troy occupies much of the screen time and dialogue, it is really Rose who is the heart of the story. Troy can brood, but cannot change. He can hurt, but he cannot heal. He is so damaged that he cannot offer his sons love or respect. But see Rose’s strength. Her resolve is not grounded in compromise or concession. Her soul has expanded to encompass all of life’s contradictions. And it is the great gift of this film that it expands ours, too.
Parents should know that this film includes themes of racism and adultery, some strong language, sexual references, and a sad death.
Family discussion: Do you agree with Rose’s choice? Why didn’t Troy want Cory to play football? What do we learn from Troy’s relationship with Gabriel?
If you like this, try: “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Desire Under the Elms”
Anna Fricks stars in Wish for Christmas, a sweet Christian faith story about a high school girl who impulsively wishes that her parents were not so religious, mostly so she can go to a school dance on Christmas Eve. When her wish comes true, she is happy at first but then misses the compassion and warmth of her parents’ faith. Her mom and dad are played by the gifted comic actors Leigh-Allyn Baker (best known from “Will and Grace”) and Joey Lawrence (“Blossom”).
It was a pleasure to speak to Ms. Fricks about being in the film.
How did you first get involved with the movie?
I had a friend who was a director and she knew Alexandra Boylan, the co-writer and co-producer. She reached out to me and told me that she had these friends that were casting a movie and if I was interested then she could try to get me in the room for it. So, it kind of just fell into place. I was the first person to audition for the role of Anna and I went in and it just kind of fit. It was really awesome and I had a few more callbacks after that and I went to go meet them again to do a few more scenes and then I got the phone call.
What were they were looking for and how did they describe the character to you?
She was a mean girl. She is pretty straightforward like that and she’s very selfish, very conceited, and self-absorbed but she also had a big heart. That really helps me connect to the character, knowing that she still loves people even though she is very caught up in her own world and her own things. That’s what carries throughout the whole film. If you really pay attention you can see that even when she is not very nice to anybody she still treats people she cares about with love in her own way. So that to me was important to get across in my audition, her humanity. Mean people aren’t just mean people, they still have their loves and their joys. That was really important for me to show in her from the beginning. And as far as the change went and the way that she progresses throughout the movie, that was important as well. It’s easy to make it seem unreal. Because it’s a wish movie, you’re kind of like, “Oh that doesn’t really happen,” but it does have a little different twist because of the faith aspect of it. So making it real, making it seem really real was difficult but I really enjoyed that.
I particularly enjoy the interaction between your character and her parents, both before the wish and after the wish.
Yes, it was really fun, the first few days on set it was just me. And then they came in and it was totally different, not what I was expected because they just brought a new life to the set. There was never a dull moment. It was really fun. The first scene we did together was the scene at the breakfast table. It was interesting to just have that energy, and talking and laughing before the shooting and then they said “Action” and in an instant going into the character, but also including improv. We all added our own things and words and stuff and so that was really fun too. It made it a lot more loose and comfortable. So, they made it a lot easier to get work done.
Your parents are played by such experienced and talented comic actors. What would you say that you learned about acting from working with them?
Leigh-Allyn really helped me a lot just because she is very comedic and improvs a lot. I’m more of a traditional actress but working with her really made me love comedy and the improv aspect of it. So, talking with her about that and working with her on that just made me see the beauty of adding your own thing to the lines and just kind of having your own take on things, so that was really cool. It’s always inspiring to work with other actors anytime on any set and so when they’re really that good it’s absolutely awesome and I can walk away from that learning so much.
One thing I think that anybody who sees the movie can identify with is the stress between a teenage girl and her parents where she wants to do whatever she wants and they want to impose rules on it. Was that something that you could draw from your own life or people you observed around you?
Yes, I could totally draw from my own life. It was very easy to relate to that because I’ve been there, not as much anymore now that I’m older but when I was a preteen and a young teenager it was difficult. I grew up in a Christian home so it was very much that way when my friends could do things that I couldn’t and it just didn’t make sense to me. Now looking back, I think, “Thank goodness that they were like that because I would be a completely different person.” So, it’s really a “be careful what you wish for” type of situation that I can totally relate to.
When did you first know that you wanted to act?
The first time I ever did anything with acting, I was three years old and I somehow still remember being on that stage and loving it. So, it’s kind of crazy because I have been acting my whole life. I’ve always loved it. I’ve always wanted to do it. So when I was younger I don’t think I really knew what it meant to be an actress and to have a manager and agent. So my mom actually told me when I was younger, “Okay, we’ll wait until you’re about 16 and then, if you’re still serious about it, if you still want to, then we’ll pursue it.” So I took some classes in Atlanta, which is where I am from, all through my preteen years. I stayed serious about it, I learned about it, took classes, everything I could do and then when I was 16 I said, “Hey mom, you remember that promise you made me? I’m still interested. I want to do it.” So, that’s when I started pursuing it seriously, so sort of all my life but it definitely took some time to really start making it a career.
What’s the best advice you ever got about acting?
Just to make sure that you really love it because it’s a really difficult business to be in. Hollywood is a difficult place and the industry is kind of crazy at times. So make sure that you love it and make sure that it’s what you think you’re supposed to do. I think the only way that things have worked out for me is truly because of Jesus and following him because I’m striving to do it for His glory. So, I don’t know how else to explain that but I think if it’s truly what you think you should be doing then you should actually pursue it with all your heart.
Do you have a favorite Bible verse?
I do, Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
And Psalm 37:4, it is “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” In anything you do, delight yourself in the Lord and the desires of your heart will be His and not your own. So, He’ll make your heart full of His desires. So, that was really important for me to understand going into acting which was that this might be something I want but it’s also something that He has for me.
And you hope in your acting to exemplify some of the principles that are important to you?
Absolutely. I hope it will go far but for now I’ll just give Him the glory and I hope I can really be a light in the darkness that is Hollywood or on sets to be an example because you are actually going into people’s homes when you’re on their television screens or their computer screen. It’s like you’re a part of them for a second. So, I think it’s really good to be a good example for them and important as a Christian in this industry to really be that light and stay in Christ.
“Passengers” is beautiful to look at, a pretty story about pretty people in a pretty (outer space) setting, but it cannot overcome the ick factor of its premise.
Everyone’s favorite boy we wish lived next door, Chris Pratt, plays a likeable ordinary guy who works with his hands named Jim Preston, one of 5000 passengers and 250 crew in a spaceship on a hundred-year journey to a hospitable colonized planet. Like the spaceship in “Wall-E,” it is set up with every luxury, from sushi restaurant to a genial robot bartender (Michael Sheen). The people on board are in suspended animation for a hundred years, to be awakened four months before arrival, to enjoy the ship’s amenities and prepare for their new home. The ship is gorgeous, though I am not sure how practical it is.
But somehow Jim awakens 90 years early and there is no way to return to his hibernation. He is alone on the spaceship and his plan to emigrate to the new planet is not going to happen. Instead of being a pioneer in a fresh, optimistic new world, he is doomed to spend the rest of his days stranded, sure to die before anyone else on the ship is awake. The ship’s help kiosks briskly inform him that malfunction of the hibernation units is impossible, a reminder of the Titanic’s “unsinkable” hubris. He tries to send a message to the home base on earth, only to learn that it will be more than 30 years before he can get an answer.
So, he basically turns the spaceship into a man cave, living in dirty sweats, growing a beard, drinking, and playing one on no one basketball and one on avatar dance video game. Finally, almost mad with loneliness, he starts looking at the files of the 4999 people still sleeping on the ship, and finds himself captivated with one of them, a journalist from New York with the fantasy name Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence). After many discussions with the robot bartender, he can no longer help himself. He knows it is wrong, but he wakes her up, and he lets her think it was due to the same malfunction that woke him.
Decades ago, movies used to have scenes where the guy grabbed the girl and she beat her fists helplessly against his chest, crying, “I hate you!” until he forced her into a passionate kiss, after which she melted into his arms. These were mostly romantic comedies, but we saw some of this and worse in drama, too. Remember Rhett carrying Scarlett up the stairs in “Gone With the Wind,” and 30 years later, Laura falling for her rapist, Luke, on “General Hospital.” (Also see: Zeus and Europa, the Sabine women, the silent classics “The Sheik” and “Son of the Sheik”) But that just doesn’t work any more.
Aurora is entirely a fantasy figure. Even her nudity is highly sexualized, where his is not. By taking away any shred of agency or consent the script sets up an insurmountable obstacle to any kind of relationship for Jim and Aurora, which it makes the fatal mistake of treating as surmountable. There’s the getting-to-know-you part, and then she she-learns-the-truth part and then the not-talking-to-him part, and then the work-together-or-everyone-dies part, but nothing can really support the idea of the romance it tries to persuade us is happening.
Parents should know that this film includes extended sci-fi action and peril, sad death with characters injured and a sad death, some disturbing images, issues of predatory behavior and consent, brief strong language, alcohol, sexual references and situations, and nudity.
Family discussion: Why did Aurora make that choice at the end of the film? What would you do if you were left alone?
If you like this, try: “Gravity” and “The Martian”
I am proud to be a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and proud of our awards for 2016. We give out traditional awards for the best of what we saw this year and also the EDA awards for the best and worst treatment of female filmmakers and characters.
Copyright 2016 Plan B Entertainment
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Best Screenplay, Original: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan
Best Screenplay, Adapted: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins
Best Documentary: 13th – Ava DuVernay
Best Animated Film: Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Best Actress: Ruth Negga – Loving
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis – Fences
Best Actor: Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director: Moonlight – Yesi Ramirez
Best Cinematography: Moonlight – James Laxton
Best Editing: Moonlight – Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders
Best Non-English-Language Film: The Handmaiden – Park Chan-Wook
Copyright 2016 Disney
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
These awards honor WOMEN only.
Best Woman Director: Ava DuVernay -13th
Best Woman Screenwriter: Kelly Reinhardt – Certain Women
Best Animated Female (tie):
Judy in Zootopia – Ginnifer Goodwin
Moana in Moana – Auli’i Cravalho
Best Breakthrough Performance: Ruth Negga – Loving
Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry:
Ava DuVernay – For 13th and raising awareness about the need for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
Actress Defying Age and Ageism (tie):
Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert – Elle and Things to Come
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award : Rules Don’t Apply – Warren Beatty (b. 1937) and Lily Collins (b. 1989)
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent: Jennifer Aniston – Mother’s Day and Office Christmas Party
Bravest Performance: Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t have been Made: Ben Hur
AWFJ Hall of Shame Award: Sharon Maguire and Renee Zellwegger for Bridget Jones’s Baby
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS: AWFJ, a not-for-profit corporation, is an international association of professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to raising the volume on women’s voices in the film community by broadening opportunities for women who write about film and supporting films by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras – through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting EDA awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies.
ABOUT THE EDA AWARDS: The AWFJ presents EDA Awards to honor women’s achievements in front of and behind the cameras. In addition to the annual end of the year awards, AWFJ presents EDA Awards for Best Female-Directed Films at select film festivals,including IDFA, Whistler Film Festival, DOXA. Edinburgh Film Festival. St. Louis International Film Festival and others. The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, Eda Reiss Merin, a stage, film and screen actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. A dedicated foot soldier in the industry, Eda was one of the founders of AFTRA and a long standing member of AMPAS.
