I have a dream, that one day little ginger boys like Nick can walk hand in hand with whatever the heck Darryn is, and not be judged by the colour of their (head and body) hair but the content of their character.
I have a dream that the suits in Hollywood will one day finally make a biopic about US Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, that measures up to the man himself, that portrays the leader in an honest, unflinching light with an actor that can hold audience’s attentions just like the real man did and…
Oh, wait. It seems like that dream has already come true (the Martin Luther King Jr one, I mean – sorry ginger Nick and beastly Darryn) if the early buzz for Selma can be believed. Most of the LA film press got to see the Ava DuVernay directed film on Monday, and they were positively lighting up social media with the all the praise and accolades they were heaping on it. At the AFI Fest, where the film screened on Tuesday, it received a standing ovation from those in attendance. Positive buzz – and awards talk – was flying all around, but most have singled out the performance of David Oyelowo (The Butler, Jack Reacher, Spooks) as King, with many claiming that he may just be the frontrunner for the Best Leading Actor Oscar next year. Hell, one film journo even called it one of the best performances you will ever see in your life!
We still have some ways to go before we can see for ourselves whether Oyelowo lives up to that hyperbole, but until then we have the first trailer for the film to tide us over. Luckily its a good one.
“SELMA” is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Selma also stars Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Andre Holland, Omar J. Dorsey, Tessa Thompson, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Roth, Wendell Pierce, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Colman Domingo. The film is scheduled for a limited release on Christmas Day, but then gets a wider international bow on January 9, 2015. Unfortunately, there’s no local release date pencilled in yet.
Last Updated: November 13, 2014
