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FILM REVIEW: Black Mother

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The reward for finding the discipline to sit through Allah’s kaleidoscope of HD video, mini DV, 16mm, Hi8 Tape and Super 8 footage are glimpses of Jamaica that convey harsh realism, history, social dynamics, religion, African heritage, prostitution, birth, families, dying and death.

Published

8 years ago

March 8, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic

Think of this non-fiction film as a meditation and it makes perfect sense. Try and squeeze it into a standard documentary frame and it just doesn’t conform.

At the helm is Khalik Allah, whose most commercial endeavor was his work as a cinematographer and second unit director for Beyonce’s famed Lemonade video (2016). His first documentary, Field Niggas (2015), chronicled the lives of folks on 125^th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem, NY. It was a string of snippets that were more like kinetic photographs. Which makes sense because Allah was a photographer before he turned his lens to motion pictures.

The location for Black Mother is Allah’s ancestral homeland of Jamaica. The format is a string of images and scenes that tourists don’t see on perfectly curated sightseeing trips. The first two parts of this trinary, 77-minute collage require great patience. The focus is on sex workers, their potential johns, street vendors and impoverished people—some with grotesque deformities (a neck cyst the size of a basketball; a bare arm missing a hand; a hole in the middle of a face with the depth of a crater). The visuals are often sobering, if not shocking. Mixed in are clips of nude women, some are pregnant, and other scenes.

The audio track with narration doesn’t always match up with the images on view. If audiences get lost in the deluge of disjointed impressions and sporadic thoughts and lose interest, you can’t blame them. This isn’t linear storytelling, or a traditionally arranged trail of facts. Casual viewers will scratch their heads. Serious ones will stick with it long enough to see the correlation between what’s on screen and the trimesters of a pregnancy.

The reward for finding the discipline to sit through Allah’s kaleidoscope of HD video, mini DV, 16mm, Hi8 Tape and Super 8 footage are glimpses of Jamaica that convey harsh realism, history, social dynamics, religion, African heritage, prostitution, birth, families, dying and death. Landscapes of verdant mountains. Bustling street scenes. The insides of sacred churches during funerals. A man galloping on a horse through a neighborhood. This is Allah’s Jamaica, not the one in the fancy Come to Jamaica commercials. This is his sermon. His camera ministry.

Allah has a perfect eye for composition, color and natural lighting. Many filmmakers are journeymen, able to work their craft. A few are artists, who, if they had a different calling, would be painters, sculptors or poets. This New York-born director fits into the latter category. As the son of a Jamaican mother and Iranian father, he exhibits skills and viewpoints many directors could never fathom. It will be curious to see if he can ever harness his unconventional filmic style and make a cohesive fiction-based feature film, without negating his aesthetics. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos made a very successful transition from his esoteric art to creating The Favourite. It’s possible.

The last section of the Black Mother segues from the poorest neighborhoods in Jamaica to a middle- and working-class family, the kind of people who are the heart and soul of the island/nation. There is an absolutely beautiful and arty sequence where Allah’s camera captures ocean waves from high above, that ebb and flow with white water caps appearing and disappearing. If the film finds an anchor to its puzzling array it is here.

An older man named William Case is at the end of his life’s journey. He’s obviously a very enlightened and religious man who leaves behind a philosophy that is immensely profound. Case says: “If you live a wretched life, boisterous and sinful, you will die in that state. If you live a righteous life, you’ll die in a peaceful state.” It’s a wisdom that is so right for these times. It’s a warning, too.

A very thoughtful avant-garde filmmaker pulls us into his orbit.

Visit NNPA Newswire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

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NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 […]
The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

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Oakland Post

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Hurts said to Simmons after today’s game: “You started that sh**. I had to finish it.”

Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in the first half but he ultimately finished the game. He had four carries and nine yards and one catch for eleven yards. He will get an MRI for his injury, but admitted to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network he was fine.

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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field with a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams was down, writhing in pain after scrambling to his left. After departing the injury tent, Williams raised his right fist, acknowledging the crowd while expressing his frustration. Testing will commence on Monday to find out more details about his injury.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Johnson admitted regarding Williams’ injury. “He’s in good spirits. He’s a team player.”

Williams finished the day with 138 passing yards and one interception.

“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee — that was my first inclination,” Johnson said. “But, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Bryce Young once again dominated the Falcons

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 5-1 against the Atlanta Falcons and is undefeated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Panthers to a 34-3 dismembering of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia Tech alumnus Darren Waller caught two touchdowns and linebacker Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Cooper Rush started his second straight game for the Falcons and it did not go well. The partisan crowd voiced their displeasure after Rush completed 10/17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions. Jack Strand entered the game for Rush prompting cheers from the Falcons fans. The rookie threw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt. Strand was the first QB to accomplish that feat since Sam Darnold in 2018 and is the first Falcons player to do that since Brett Favre in 1991. Strand finished the day with 59 passing yards and 16 rushing yards.

According to reports, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is expected to make his season debut this Thursday at the Green Bay Packers. His return should help the Falcons. They are the first team since the 2008 Rams to not run any plays in the red zone after the first two games to open a season.

The bright spots for the Falcons today were the Spelman College Jaguarettes performing with the Falcons cheerleaders and Florida A&M’s marching band, The Marching 100, also performed during halftime!

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Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow to the same arm during week nine of last season against the Washington Commanders, which led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Master the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework with Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt. Learn every stage, tactic, and win!
The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Negotiation framework stages, tactics, and winning strategies from AutoNetwork

Roosevelt Gist and Roosevelt deliver the complete vehicle-purchase negotiation framework in Episode 8 of The Color of Our Money Is Green. This episode covers the three foundations of every effective negotiation, the full seven-stage negotiation sequence with exact language for every stage, and five of the most common dealership tactics with the specific response each one requires.
What You Learn in This Episode:
The three foundations that make every negotiation tactic work
The complete seven-stage car-buying negotiation sequence
Exact language for every stage of the dealership conversation
Five common dealership tactics — the turnover, the four-square, the packed payment, spot delivery, and forced add-ons — and how to counter each one
Why signing preliminary paperwork isn’t the same as signing the final contract
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“The Color of Our Money Is Green: A Buyer’s Guide to What Cars Actually Cost” — stan.store/RGist
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AutoNetwork helps serious car shoppers inspect any new vehicle online before walking into a dealership. I’m Roosevelt — I’ve been reviewing cars and shaping digital car buying and credit union auto leasing since before YouTube car reviews existed.
You’ll find detailed walkaround reviews, POV test drives, and buyer-focused breakdowns covering comfort, space, features, and real-world value.

How to use the channel:
Watch the walkaround of the car you’re considering
Visit AutoNetwork.com for the full review
Check CouponsOffersAndDeals.com for current dealer specials
Walk in already knowing what you want — and what it should cost

AutoNetwork.com
CouponsOffersAndDeals.com
Affiliate disclosure: some links earn a small commission at no cost to you and help support the channel. Insta360 is one of those partners.

The post The Complete Negotiation Framework — Every Stage, Every Tactic, Every Win appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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The post Mazda CX-90 Luxury: Heated Seats & Premium Comfort! #shorts appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EH5A4eQ4ipY