Radio girl, Adenike Oyetunde, is seriously angry at YBNL boss, Olamide, over his just concluded OLIC 3 Concert.
Adenike, who is a trained lawyer and a cancer survivor, took time out to pen an open letter to Olamide, making known her disappointment after attending his highly publicized concert.
She wrote:
Dear Olamide, what HAPPENED?I attended #Olic2 and without a doubt, it was by far my BEST event last year. I talked, and talked about it; everyone around me that didn’t go, knew they had to this year.
Imagine my excitement when I saw these pictures by TyBello, I knew #Olic3 was definitely going to be a hit. I needed to see ‘Olamide Live In Concert’ *coughs. In my life, not even at either Canaanland or Redemption Camp had I EVER been stuck in such traffic.
No clear plans on controlling humans (forget that we are peculiar here). The plan was go with Uber. There was a change, and a friend’s friend took @mayowaekpo and I. What should have taken maybe 30minutes max, turned to two years in traffic.
Nobody deemed it fit to tell us that no cars were going into Eko hotel; we were all just hoping; stuck in traffic. Having to walk so far, isn’t always my first option; for obvious reasons.
Then I got into the hall, Olamide, why? I came in just as you were done with your first outing and I figured, he’ll be back. You came back ONCE, while I was there and you played CD. Olamide, CD??? I’m still too lost.
CD… Like, ALL that for ‘DJ, track 2’. Wait first, collect your money from the sound people; BAD, BAD sound. Even Adekunle (God bless his heart) who did LIVE for us, they sha spoilt his sound.
I, Adenike Oyetunde came to see You Olamide, LIVE, (it was a complimentary ticket, FYI), and you hounded me with Comedy. HOW??? How does that even work?
Alibaba’s January 1st Concert is coming, I’ll get comedy there, WHY, did you succumb, Why? I thought you had it all figured out; but, awon aye sold this BAD idea to you.
By the way, were you at Asa’s show? If not, PLEASE, Watch the CD. That’s what LIVE IN CONCERT is on about. I was TOO disappointed and I can’t hide it.
Excellency is KEY. You had ONE year to plan. I honestly didn’t see ANY plan oh; at least, to me. Of course, I still danced, I screamed, I took videos; but, from last year; it could have been WAY better.
I will not comment on that uncle that was jumping arand with you!!! Give us what we ‘paid’ for Nigerian Artiste, PLEASE. People hustled to GET tickets.”
Already buzzing around Ikeja and environs – SuperWavey Records act; Surprise comes through with 2 brand new singles – Omope and Wan Street. Both tracks produced by Jaga Bantu Moor (formerly BlazeBeats).
The organizers of the Headies awards, have finally announced the winner of the‘Rookie Of The Year Award.’
DMW act, Mayorkun, has been unveiled as the winner of this category, a win that saw his label CEO, Davido, excitedly announcing the new achievement via his Instagram account.
Mayorkun defeated the likes ofDremo, Terry Apala, Mz kiss, Dices allies, to emerge winner.
There are oh so many ways to watch the 2016 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival LIVE so no one has to miss out on the fun. From the red carpet to the main show to the backstage show, no part of the night will be left uncovered. Here’s the ultimate guide to watching theMVPs:
Watch on TV. Keep it classic and cozy up in front of your TV for a night of #TheMVPs fun. Not sure what time to tune in? From8pm on DStv Channel 327 and GOtv Channel 75 or in the UK? TalkTalk UK
Watch on the SOUNDCITY app. If you’re looking for an ultra-unique experience of the show you’re going to want to tune into the SOUNDCITY app. The app will be livestreaming all night. Get it on the Google Plat store here and iOS app store here.
Watch on soundcity.tv/watch andsoundcitymvp.com. The official SOUNDCITY site will be livestreaming footage from the red carpet, main show, backstage show and behind the scenes all night. Be sure to check out the site during commercial breaks.
Watch on YouTube. What’s a live stream without YouTube. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube.com/SoundcityTV as we would have all the action streamed, we’d be looking out for your comments as well. Subscrribe now
Watch on Snapchat. Catch all the action as it happens from our SOUNDCITY Snapchat Live Story. One lucky Soundcitizen would get an all access page and access to our snapchat, See #TheMVPs from the eye of a Soundcitizen. This is the account to follow for NSFW footages and most exclusive happenings. Follow#SoundcityAfrica on Snapchat.
Watch on Instagram. We will be bringing live coverage of the red carpet to the @SoundcityAfrica and @SoundcityMVP Instagram Story.
Watch on Facebook Live. The official SOUNDCITY Facebook is going to be the place to catch livestreams of the backstage show, which will include exclusive interviews with the night’s talented acts and artists. Fans can also participate by sending in questions. Like the page here –facebook.com/soundcityafrica andfacebook.com/soundcitymvp
****All of these are available to audience around the world, no limitations or restrictions.
Gzee Magabush finally makes his debut by dropping his first hit single titled “All well”.
An inspirational track that will blossom you away from your sadness and sorrows because in any situation a mankind finds himself either good or bad, he should have the believe that everything is all well.
By the special grace of God Almighty, IT IS WELL WITH OUR SOULS.. ALL WELL.
Headies ‘Artiste f the year’ winner,Wizkid, has achieved so much since he stepped int the limelight couple of years back.
The ‘Daddy Yo’ crooner, who recently attended the Headies award show, took time out recount his grass to grace story revealing that DJ Stramborella, was in-fact one of the few ho stood by him when he first started out in the game.
In his words:
From way back, those wey no know, dem no go know. Na this man house he actually start….
Rapper, Vector, recently sat down for an interview with Thecable Lifestyle, where he talked about his music, the Nigerian music industry and of course, is soon to be released album, Lafiaji.
Read excerpts from the interview:
What’s your creative process like?
I have voices in my head and I’m being honest. I am very aware of my environment and that is key to my music making process. That’s why it’s easy for me to freestyle because I make sense out if everything around me. That’s why it’s easy for me to look around a room and freestyle.
Indigenous, English or Pidgin rap. Which are you most comfortable doing?
I don’t pick, I go with the spirit of making music. One of the biggest songs on the album is Adura and it’s mostly in Yoruba. I am not doing music in whatever lingo because it’s commercial, I do it for compatibility.
What makes Lafiaji different?
Lafiaji is a place on Lagos Island where I grew up and I felt that people needed to experience that, to know what it means to be a barracks Lagos Island boy. Maybe you will understand me better when I am out there and I don’t want to speak to people or when I am not participating in some things. It’s not pride, it’s just that where I am from, if it doesn’t make sense or help you become better, there’s no point indulging in it.
It had to be Lafiaji because that is where I know the most on Lagos Island. I have seen fights and peace on the turf. The area has meant a lot to me philosophical. I just thought it’s time to give back to them because every of my foundational experiences took place in Lafiaji. It’s not a cliche Vector album, it’s an appreciation of where I am from that has not denied me.
Is the hype you built for Lafiaji not too high?
I’m 6 ft 4 inches, I am not scared of heights. I have never been average so why start now? I have always been raising the car. If you see it as too high then I deserve to be there.
Name 5 top rappers in Nigeria
I don’t have 5 top rappers in Nigeria, I have rappers that I respect for doing their thing. It’s not from an angle of pride that I don’t have five top rappers, I just enjoy rap.
What would you attribute the growth of the industry to?
It’s natural, a great football team without a coach could win a match because the footballers can play. The fact that we debate the existence of the industry show that there is one. Is it up to global standards, maybe you could argue that.
We have bodies that function as part of an industry that we claim doesn’t exist. Things can get better but again, I’m tired of talking down Nigeria. We are too quick to damage the image of our country forgetting that we are the country which means that we are damaging ourselves.
There is an industry, yes. Is it at par with the world? Maybe not, but then who is counting. In the industry, we are dealing with too many things like corporations that get established and they are dubious people.
What can artistes do to make more money?
I think we have to reset the Nigerian brain and give them a philosophy to live by because you do business with some people and find out that they have made away with your money and they start giving excuses. We can only hope, pray and work for the better.
It all happened when Wizkid is walking down the stage Jejeli as he approaches Eva side, He tries to hug Eva, this Oyakilome’s brother quickly jumped up to get an hug from Wizkid, but reverse is the case as Wizkid snubbed him to hug Eva. Whose brother is that? Is that Eva’s Boyfriend?
Can we say it’s intentional?
Lol That Moment I will never forget at 2016 Headies Awards. Mehn! Tonight’s Mannequin is the greatest of all, See the short clip with your two eyes below and share your thoughts.
The Nigerian billionaire was guest at the recently concluded Rhythm Unplugged 2016.
The billionaire and father of the popular female disc Jockey, DJ Cuppy appeared at the venue with his old and less costly phones…. see photo after the cut.
comedy video: Emmanuella x Mark Angel Comedy – Keep Your Head Well | Episode 97
So Hilarious!!! This funny video is too hilarious. Emanuella is something else. Please share this video and help people laugh out loud. download comedy video: Emmanuella x Mark Angel Comedy – Keep Your Head Well | Episode 97
Selfloadedng.Com comes with a different package of tallying all of the top 10 African artistes, their endorsement deals, charge per show, businesses they invest and wealth they’ve acquired over the period.
10. Ice Prince
Panshak Henri Zamani is in contract with Record Label, Chocolate City. After signing with them he said:
My record deal with Chocolate City came off of my affiliation with M. I and Jesse Jagz. We are pretty much brothers, we’ve always lived together always been together.
Zamani currently have five (5) studio albums.
Ice Prince Zamani With the Royal Family of Mswati III (Swaziland) / Image Credits: Ice Prince / Facebook
9. Sarkodie
He is a brand ambassador for Samsung Mobile. In 2013, he signed an endorsement deal with FanMilk Ghana. Sarkodie is currently in partnership with Tigo Telecommunications Ghana, a brand that sponsored the 2013 Rapperholic tour. He has his own clothing line called “Sark by Yas clothing line”.
Image Credits: Sarkodie, Facebook
8. Anselmo Ralph
Image Credits: Anselmo Ralph / Facebook
7. 2Face Idibia
Innocent Ujah Idibia, better known by his stage name 2face Idibia, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur. He officially discontinued the use of the name Tuface and selected 2baba or Tu-baba as his stage name. He is one of the most decorated and successful Afro pop artists in Africa.
6. Wizkid
Wizkid signed a whooping ₦128 million Naira deal with GLO in 2015. In February 2014, he was the first Nigerian musician to have over 1 million followers on Twitter.
The top musician has deal with Sony Entertainment and Good Music deal. He signed a deal with ciroc on February 2015 to be the official African Ambassador for Ciroc Nigeria and also the brand ambassador of SLOT, a popular mobile phone and electronic gadget retail outfit in September 2015.
Image Credits: D’Banj / Facebook
4. P Square
The powerful music duo of Nigeria appeared on Forbes Africa, have numerous houses in Nigeria and UK and they fly a private jet.
Image Credits: P-Square / Facebook
3. Lira
On top of the list is, Lira, a multi-platinum selling and a 11x South African Music Award-winning Afro-Soul vocalist who refers to her music as “a fusion of soul, funk, elements of jazz and African. In 2015, she was named by Forbes Magazineas one of the richest female singers in Africa with the net worth in excess of $95 Million. She is currently a member of the coaching panel of The Voice South Africa.
2. Don Jazzy
Multi award winning Nigerian record producer, Don Jazzy is the CEO of Mavins Record. He is having several deals with Samsung, MTN and Loyal Record Milk. He has Beyounce, D’Banj, Kanye West and Jay Z on his production credits.
Image Credits: Don Jazzy / Facebook
1. Akon
The CEO of Konvict Music tops the list of the African richest musicians in 2016. His selfless nature has opened doors to many African musicians. He started a project lightening up about 15 countries in Africa in 2014.
Image Credits: Akon / Facebook
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Oscar will play for Chinese football club Shanghai SIPG 2017 onwards.
Chelsea's Oscar said he was looking forward to joining his "new family" on Friday after Shanghai SIPG sealed terms on what will be China's fifth Asian-record signing in less than a year.
The 25-year-old Brazil midfielder, snared for a reported £60 million (70.5 million euros), becomes just the latest top player in his prime lured to the mega-rich Chinese Super League.
He is due to finalise the deal in Shanghai in the "coming days", said the Chinese club, which is coached by ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas.
"I'm very happy to sign to SIPG. This is an important day for me to join to my new family in China," Oscar said in a video statement released by SIPG.
As well as Asia's record signing, Oscar will also become Chelsea's biggest sale, beating compatriot David Luiz's £50 million move to Paris Saint Germain in 2014.
Chinese Super League clubs have already splashed out more than $400 million on players this year, after President Xi Jinping laid out a vision of turning the country into a football power.
Chinese teams broke the Asian record three times in just 10 days in the January-February transfer window, and moved it still higher when Brazil's Hulk joined SIPG for 55.8 million euros in July.
Significantly, Chinese clubs are now competing with European rivals for world-class players, who are opting for China's astronomical pay packets over the chance of a career in football's top leagues.
Twenty-somethings
Oscar's ex-Chelsea team-mate Ramires 29, and Alex Teixeira, 26, are other highly rated Brazilians in their twenties to join the Super League for record sums this year.
Other world-renowned players in China include Hulk and Jackson Martinez, both 30, and Ezequiel Lavezzi and Graziano Pelle, both 31.
According to reports, some of the players are now among the highest paid footballers in the world.
A Chelsea statement said Oscar will join SIPG at the start of the January transfer window, noting he has won the Premier League, League Cup and Europa League titles during his four-and-a-half years at the London club.
"Shanghai SIPG has formally completed the transfer agreement of Brazil football player Oscar with Chelsea," the Chinese club said on its official social media account.
"Oscar will arrive in Shanghai in the coming days to officially join SIPG."
He has been a target of Shanghai's new manager Villas-Boas since the Portuguese managed Tottenham Hotspur in the 2012/13 season, but opted to join Chelsea instead.
Last week Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, when asked to comment on Oscar's impending transfer, called China's financial muscle "a danger for all teams in the world".
Chinese state media has also warned of a "bubble" developing in China's football industry, saying total spending this year had topped $1 billion.
Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said 8 billion yuan ($1.15 bn) had been spent in 2016, a sum which "far exceeded the economic value brought to the league".
The breakneck spending shows no sign of slowing, however, with Argentine forward Carlos Tevez also expected to move to China when the transfer window opens in January.
AC Milan defeated arch-rivals Juventus via penalties to win the Italian Super Cup in Doha on Friday. This is their first title since 2011.
Wild celebrations started after the Milan-based club's Mario Pasilic blasted home the final spot kick to give AC Milan a 4-3 victory on penalties after a hard fought match was locked at 1-1 after regulation time.
Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala missed their spot kicks for Juventus with Gianluca Lapadula the only Milan player not to convert his penalty.
It is the second time Milan have beaten Juventus, who lead Serie A by four points, this season.
In October, they won 1-0 in the San Siro.
A delighted Milan coach Vincenzo Montella said he hoped the victory would serve as a springboard for his side.
"I would like to think that this match is the beginning of a new era, we would like to consider it a starting point," he said.
"I am sure that this win will give us confidence."
The victory was just about merited by Milan who responded well after early Juventus dominance.
Juve, Italian league and cup double winners last season, had taken the lead in 18th minute after Giorgio Chiellini flicked home a Miralem Pjanic corner.
At that stage it was all Juventus and it was not until the 36th minute that Milan had their first shot on target, a tame effort from midfielder Juraj Kucka.
But they drew level just before half-time when Giacomo Bonaventura beautifully glanced home a Fernandez Suso cross.
Suso was a constant irritant to the Juve defence and set up several fine chances including an 83rd minute header for Carlos Bacca, who was denied by a great save by evergreen Gianluigi Buffon, making his 600th appearance for Juventus.
Romagnoli also went close, hitting the bar with a header.
Juventus also had their chances, most notably in extra time.
In the 111th minute Patrice Evra put the ball in the net only to be ruled offside, then Dybala missed a great chance, spooning a shot over when unmarked from just eight yards with only four minutes remaining.
A "very angry" Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said he was upset at the way his team had lost control of the game and become nervous.
"The match started well for us, the first 30 minutes Juventus were at their best," he said.
"We should have been more focused."
Chiellini echoed his coach.
"The first 20 minutes we played well and we had two further chances of scoring," said the defender.
"But after 20 minutes we played badly, we made many mistakes and gave too much space to Milan."
The match, the second time the Super Cup has been played in Qatar, was watched by a near capacity crowd of 11,356.
Born Ojiko Isaac Ebimobewei, Hip Hop Artiste Zeeko is a graduate of Fine & Applied Arts from Delta State University Abraka (DELSU).
He is a Multi talented instrumentalist who plays the Bass Guitar & Keyboards as well; he is a prolific rapper who expresses himself in English, Yoruba, Ijaw and Pidgin English.
Zeeko who was recently signed by Des Entertainment, cites Olamide as one of his mentors in the industry but has his own distinct style as evident in his new Single titled “Go Low” which was produced by Popito.
Connect with Zeeko on Social Networks :
Twitter: @Zeekojiko,
Instagram: @OfficialZeeko.
Afro Pop and Reggae Artiste/Song writer, Klawd Nainn, Whose real name is OjugboMonday and a Graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University who had been featured in several songs like “Never Forget” and “Jembele” by Spaceland Ent drops this club banging Jam titiled “Para Para”. As Produced By Aj for Afrobank Music. Download, Listen and Share your thoughts.
PEOPLE CHANGE PEOPLE ENTERTAINMENT presents new tune around the corner from Adewunmi Ibrahim Wasiu, better known by his stage name RIMO YANKEE. He’s a Nigerian singer, songwriter, performer, and has launched another beautiful tune THANKSGIVING ( IGBA OPE ) which shows the celebratory method of Christmas and New Year appreciating God for a successful ending.
La La Land’s immense popularity with critics and industry insiders isn’t hard to understand: Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood, and cinephiles love movies about loving movies. Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to Whiplash is both. His swoony, playful, often deeply melancholy musical fantasy about two Hollywood up-and-comers (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling) echoes the classic Hollywood musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, imitating their energy, then stepping back to enjoy a warm, longing nostalgia for their heyday. Choreographer Mandy Moore deliberately quotes Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, and Jerome Robbins, so the dance sequences feel comfortingly familiar. But Chazelle’s film has its own visual verve, and its own tragic reflection on the struggle for fame, and the cost of winning it. It’s also one of the year’s most intense emotional roller coasters, zooming from joy to sorrow while making both look beautiful.
THE HANDMAIDEN
Park Chan-Wook’s adaptation of Sarah Waters’ fantastic romantic novel Fingersmith moves the action from Victorian England to 1930s Korea, and brings in the obsession with bloody revenge that Park explored in Oldboy, Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, and other films. But it’s still a remarkably close adaptation. Park preserves the surprise romance, the creepy mystery, and the startling twists, as a young Korean criminal agrees to help a con man seduce a rich, sheltered shut-in. But Park plays up the erotic horror, and the pain and satisfaction of first loves, until the tension becomes nearly unbearable. The performances are elegant and startling, and the composition is endlessly striking — this is a lavish banquet of a film — but the compelling story is what makes all the agony and ecstacy meaningful.
AMERICAN HONEY
The story behind Andrea Arnold’sAmerican Honey is just as compelling as the film: She assembled a cast of young amateurs she found by haunting Walmart parking lots and spring-break hangouts, then took them on a road trip across America, filming as she went. The results are loose-limbed and easygoing, and entirely immersive. First-time actress Sasha Lane plays a trailer-trash runaway who joins up with a crew of magazine peddlers run by a mercenary monster (Riley Keough) and her pet sales head (Shia LaBeouf), and all three vie for dominance during the cross-country trip. Music, alcohol, the uncomplicated affection of pets, and the complicated affection of hookups all loom large in the story, which tracks how people with no money and no future find pleasure in the moment. American Honeyis thorny and wandering, but it’s a pure pleasure itself.
THE LOBSTER
Yorgos Lanthimos’ endlessly bizarre fantasy takes place in a world where single people are rounded up and confined to an eerie hotel for 45 days, then changed into animals if they don’t fall in love before their time runs out. It’s a strange premise fit for a fairy tale, but Lanthimos plays it straight-faced and tragic, using strange metaphors and a dose of looming inevitability to mock the ways society judges people who aren’t in relationships, and enforces a limited set of norms around what “relationship” means. Colin Farrell gives the kind of egoless, flashless performance that tends to confuse awards voters — his charisma and self-awareness are entirely buried under the doughy, desperate surface of his frustrated protagonist. Like his performance, the entire film around him is precise, thoughtful, and subdued. It’s one of the year’s most uncomfortable films, but one of its most surprising, creative, and compelling as well.
HELL OR HIGH WATER
American movies love their outlaws, but the best American movies examine why we love outlaws, and what it means to become one. David Mackenzie’s taut Western crime drama Hell Or High Water does that from both sides. On one hand, it follows a pair of desperate, empathy-inducing brothers (Ben Foster and Chris Pine) robbing banks with a specific agenda. On the other, it tracks the Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) on their trail. It’s one of those lean, efficient movies that doesn’t waste a line or a moment. And it uses its efficiency to great effect, powering breathtaking action scenes, and depicting a hungry, despairing part of West Texas where the relationship between predatory banks and desperate farmers parallels the government’s predatory practices against Native Americans generations earlier. Mackenzie doesn’t blatantly spell out the film’s subtexts — he lets stellar performances and low-key charisma tell the story — but he builds his visually gorgeous, emotionally racking movie around the fundamental idea that outlaws are necessary in a system that outlaws survival.
Walt Disney
MOANA
Walt Disney Animation’s latest musical feels like the logical end of 80 years of iteration on the studio’s most basic story: a fairy-tale-derived coming-of-age narrative about a young girl who leaves her family and heads out on an adventure. As formulaic and familiar as this story is, Moana finds new depths in it, thanks in part tosongs by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Te Vaka frontman Opetaia Foa’i, and Grammy-winning composer Mark Mancina. The lyrics of those songs keep circling back to the metaphor of oceanic navigation as self-awareness and self-discovery — “We know where we are / We know who we are,” a wayfinder sings in one joyous magical flashback — and Moanaembraces the theme with a wholehearted joy. In an era where every film has to carefully tiptoe around issues of representation and diversity, Moana leaps fully into South Pacific culture (thanks to acarefully chosen brain trust of cultural caretakers) without making an issue of it, but while the film is aware of all the little important details — like finally creating a heroine who isn’t a wasp-waisted, doe-eyed princess — what comes across is the sheer verve of the visuals, the songs, and the storytelling. This is one rousing whoop of a movie.
THE WITCH
Robert Eggers’ carefully planned and plotted directorial debut The Witch shows an astonishing level of attention to detail. But it all serves as a backdrop to a tremendously tense thriller about an exiled Puritan family trapped in the wilderness with a malevolent witch — or possibly, just with their own suspicions and judgments. Initially billed as a terrifying horror film, The Witch frustrated theatergoers who were expecting Don’t Breathe and got something closer to an Ingmar Bergman movie. But The Witchremains one of the year’s biggest and best surprises. It’s an almost unbearably gorgeous movie, soaked in dread and anticipation, and brought across by actors who make 17th-century dialogue sound natural, and religious awe and horror feel like a default way of life.
QUEEN OF KATWE
A terrific cast, a terrific real-life story, and a thoughtful angle on the usual underdog sports journey all help make Queen Of Katweone of the year’s most uplifting and winning films, while keeping it from descending too far into familiar tropes. The story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi has its predictable share of triumphs and setbacks, but it isn’t about the Big Match, or some jerky rich rivals who need to be put in their places. Director Mira Nair (The Namesake,Mississippi Masala) draws out a more thoughtful plotline, about what it means for a poor kid from a Ugandan slum to step into an international spotlight, experience luxury and acclaim, and then have to go home again. Nair doesn’t try to turn Mutesi into a perfect poster child: She lets her be fearful, frustrated, and even bratty as she navigates growing up along with growing into her role as Uganda’s chess ambassador. Lupita Nyong'o as Mutesi’s mother and Selma’s David Oyelowo as Mutesi’s chess coach each get their own arcs, which helps give this story some depth to go with its programmed but thoroughly satisfying uplift.
MOONLIGHT
Director Barry Jenkins and playwright Tarell McCraney have made one of the year’s most celebrated movies in Moonlight, but it’s one of the year’s most startling and artful as well. Told in three chapters, with a gay black protagonist finding his way in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, it’s part coming-of-age story and part love story, but it’s far moodier and more reticent than that description implies. Jenkins gets tremendous force out of his unusual soundtrack choices, wide framing, slow motion, and especially his casting, which ties together the movie’s segments by making his protagonist soulful, sad, and silent at all three ages. It’s an absorbing and empathetic experience, with some startling moments of physical and emotional violence, and a lived-in feel that comes from McCraney’s personal experience.
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
Writer-director Taika Waititi is fresh off What We Do In The Shadows and currently hard at work on the Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok. The distance in concept and scope between those two movies and his 2016 film Hunt For The Wilderpeopleis mindboggling, but Waititi is somewhat of a specialist inworking his own angular sense of humor into different kinds of stories. Loosely inspired by a popular New Zealand kids’ novel, the film is about as different as it gets, which is much of the charm. Julian Dennison stars as a fat, lonely Maori kid regarded as a juvenile delinquent both before and after he goes on the lam through the bush with his adoptive father (Sam Neill), a crotchety loner who regards his new ward as a pain in the ass. Much as with What We Do In The Shadows, Waititi’s humor here is all about perverse good cheer in the face of self-created crisis, impotence in the face of disaster, and straight-faced laugh-out-loud surprise humor that frequently comes from unexpected places. It’s a wacky little charmer of a film, unpredictable and amiable at every turn.
KING JACK
Felix Thompson’s debut feature shares a few things with Waititi’s movie — a pudgy, sullen kid; a story about loneliness and alienation; a tendency to regard adults as distant, dangerous, and more than a little crazy. Both films also have the benefit of standout performances from young actors capable of bringing nuance and emotion to their characters without overplaying their hands. But tonally,King Jackis an entirely different beast. It’s a small-town exploration of a 15-year-old boy balanced on the edge between living out his emotions — his crush on a schoolmate, his anger at a bully, his pride at being just a little more knowledgeable than his 12-year-old cousin — and repressing them to protect himself. The story sprawls out over one endless summer day in a small town that feels like a sunlit cage. It’s a small stage for small troubles and small confrontations, but Thompson ably captures the way teenage confrontations and connections can feel apocalyptic, and how every small shift in status can have crucial personal consequences.
WEINER
After the latest sexting scandal and an unfortunate role in the 2016 election, Americans can be forgiven if they feel like they’ve had enough of repeatedly disgraced former New York congressman Anthony Weiner. It’s just a pity that such an attitude might keep viewers away from the mesmerizing documentary Weiner, about the politician’s abortive run at New York’s mayoral seat in 2013. Directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg come on board to document what looks to be a tremendous comeback story, and it starts off that way. Then Weiner ruins it all, with the cameras there to watch as he torpedoes his career yet again. Weiner can’t fully explain the man’s self-destruction — what’s most missing from any story about him is a real, personal explanation of why his sexting habit gets the better of him over and over — but it does capture his candidacy candidly and intimately, with style and humor, and it makes for fascinating viewing.
MORRIS FROM AMERICA
Chad Hartigan’s charming new movie Morris from America feels like a minor movie next to the sturm und drang of the year’s big prestige films, with their big, performative wallowing in pain and grieving. This is just a story about a black teenager navigating the cultural alienation of life in an all-white German town, where his single dad (comedian Craig Robinson, who is terrific here) is a soccer coach. Casual racism, general teen disaffection, the inevitable crush and crash, and the usual journey toward identity all play a part in the story. But Hartigan finds unusual, surprising ways to navigate them all, and he keeps pulling the story away from expected routes, and onto paths that give his protagonist (played by Markees Christmas) a unique and specific identity. There’s some significant and touching dads-and-sons drama here, and some autobiographical humor (inspired by Hartigan’s adolescent forays into hip-hop and how Robinson’s own dad navigated the friend-vs.-father divide), but what stands out is the way Hartigan veers away from pat drama and pathos, and dives into his characters’ relatable day-to-day humanity instead.
SING STREET
Once and Begin Again director John Carney has made a short career out of the redemptive power of song, and in Sing Street — which heavily mines his own youth — he’s back on the theme, with a story about an uncertain kid forming a band to get a girl, and finding an identity for himself in the process. Not as raw as Once, and not as polished-and-processed as Begin Again, Sing Street still does what those films do best: it captures the joy of creating music with likeminded people, and finding an emotional footing in the music other people have made. The whole film is a bit of a weightless fantasy, an open evocation of 1980s music videos where a soulful, tousled boy meets a scowling, tousled girl, and they stroll off into a garish video effect together. But like those videos, and Carney’s other work, it’s riding high on a wave of good feeling about the place where music and romantic fantasy intersect, and Sing Streetwinds up being compelling in part because it’s so shamefully happy about songs, and the simple, satisfying places they send people.
LIFE, ANIMATED
Roger Ross Williams’ documentary about autistic 23-year-old Owen Suskind feels a little like a too-good-to-be-true ad for Disney magic. Suskind withdrew from the world at age 3, then learned to speak and relate to the outside world through the intermediary of animated Disney movies, which helped him relate to people, absorb dialogue, and understand the emotions he saw reflected back on other people’s faces. Williams follows Suskind as he attempts to live alone for the first time, but he also tracks how the Suskind family relates to Owen, how they used Disney as a teaching tool and a bridge, and how Suskind’s childhood fantasies gave him a self-image and a sense of the world. It’s a surprising story with a little bit of sharp humor, but mostly it’s just deeply personal and unique. Williams’ access into Suskind’s life makes the film intimate and approachable, but there’s a larger story here — about how we relate to the world through art, about how everyone sees different things in familiar cultural touchstones, and how the simplest things can become lifelines when they speak to one person in a specific and much-needed way.
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