Celebrating Black Excellence: Must-See Films, TV Shows, Albums and Books of the Last Decade

It is officially Black History Month – a time to celebrate the rich cultural tapestry, resilience, and achievements of individuals throughout Black history. And yes, while that should happen every day; because February is officially designated as Black History Month, I feel it’s only right that I acknowledge it with a specific post.

Unquestionably, there is a plethora of resources and literature on various black history topics, which means there is no way to make a definitive list. However, I wanted to share a few films, television shows, music, and books that have shaped the last decade of black history and culture.  

Here is a curated list of must-see films, television shows, albums, and books to explore this Black History Month.

Films:

• Black Panther – Marvel’s groundbreaking superhero film not only shattered box office records but also brought Afrofuturism to the forefront.

• 12 Years a Slave – Based on Solomon Northup’s memoir, the Academy Award-winning film for Best Picture, offers a raw portrayal of slavery in America, while showcasing the resilience and strength of the human spirit.

• Moonlight – Another Best Picture winner, Moonlight is a poignant coming-of-age story that explores identity, toxic masculinity, and love within the Black gay community.

• Selma – Chronicling the historic 1965 marches from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights, this film is a stirring reminder of the tireless fight for civil rights led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Television Shows:

• When They See Us – This gripping miniseries by Ava DuVernay tells the harrowing true story of the Central Park Five, nee The Exonerated Five, highlighting the many racial injustices and flaws within the criminal justice system.

• Dear White People – A witty and insightful satire, this Netflix series delved into the experiences of Black students at a predominantly white Ivy League university, tackling issues of race, identity, and activism.

• The 1619 Project – Adapted from a New York Times journalism project, the six-episode anthology series is a blistering and unflinching examination of slavery in the United States through various themes and cultural expressions. 

• Black-ish – Created by Kenya Barris, Black-ish offered a humorous yet insightful exploration of contemporary Black family life, addressing social issues with wit and warmth. A must-watch for its blend of comedy and cultural commentary.

Albums:

• To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar – A masterful blend of jazz, funk, and hip-hop, Kendrick Lamar’s magnum opus explores themes of racial inequality, identity, and self-discovery with poetic lyricism and musical innovation. Also, he was totally robbed at the Grammys for Album of the Year (just saying…). 

• Lemonade by Beyoncé – Through a stirring mix of genres, including R&B, pop, and country, Beyonce’s visual album is a powerful ode to Black womanhood, showcasing various themes, including love, betrayal, resilience, and empowerment.

• Ctrl by SZA – Before the career-defining success of SOS, there was Ctrl, SZA’s debut studio album. A raw and vulnerable exploration of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery, the album features soulful vocals and introspective lyrics.

• Black Panther: The Album by Various Artists – Curated by Kendrick Lamar, the soundtrack to the billion-dollar Marvel film is a musical celebration of Black excellence and African culture, featuring a diverse lineup of artists and genres.

Books:

• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates – Coates’ powerful and intimate letter to his son explores the realities of being Black in America, tackling issues of racism, identity, and systemic oppression.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – This groundbreaking YA novel follows the aftermath of a police shooting through the eyes of black teenager Starr Carter. It offers a raw and unflinching look at race relations and activism.

• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi – Gyasi’s sweeping debut novel follows the descendants of two half-sisters, one sold into slavery and the other married off to a British slave-owner. Spanning continents and centuries, Homegoing offers a profound exploration of the intergenerational trauma of slavery and the enduring legacy of family ties.

• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel reimagines the Underground Railroad as a literal train network, following the journey of a young enslaved woman named Cora. Whitehead’s gripping storytelling shines a light on the harrowing realities of slavery while infusing elements of magical realism.

Whether on screen, in music, or through literature, there is a wealth of wisdom and creativity to explore this Black History Month. Let us take the time to honor and uplift these diverse voices, stories, and contributions and remember to celebrate Black excellence not just in February, but every day of the year.

Golden Globes 2018 Predictions

The 2018 Award season is officially underway, with the first major ceremony, The Golden Globes, taking place this Sunday. Regularly billed as one of the biggest and best parties of Awards season, this year’s ceremony is expected to take on a far more somber tone, in light of the black cloud of sexual scandal that enveloped the industry last year.

That said, there are still a number of awards to hand out during the night and amazing performances, shows, and movies that deserve to be celebrated. So here are my predictions for this year’s ceremony, keeping in mind of course that often the most predictable thing about the Globes is how unpredictable it can be. Without further ado…

Television

Best Actor (Drama) – Based on the many predictions I’ve read, seems most would place their bet on this being a slam dunk for Sterling K. Knight for his brilliant portrayal of Randall on NBC’s weepy family drama This Is Us. And it would certainly be well-deserved. But I’m not so sure that is what’s going to happen. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has always had a thing for freshmen shows with notable stars (see Christian Slater winning for Mr. Robot while Rami Malek has been continuously snubbed), and so my gut says this will be a win for Jason Bateman for Ozark. As for who I personally want to win – well that’s easy, Freddie Highmore. Admittedly I haven’t been an avid viewer of The Good Doctor but I feel like a Highmore win will be a nice consolation for the many years he was completely ignored for his brilliant performance on Bates Motel.

Best Actress (Drama) – Conventional wisdom says this is Elisabeth Moss’ award to lose. Her stirring and brilliant performance in The Handmaid’s Tale has already nabbed her an Emmy and countless rave reviews and critical acclaim. However, there’s that pesky nagging feeling again in me that says the Globes are rarely ever so predictable and clear-cut. And so I’m going for the far out there prediction and saying Katherine Langford may pull off a major upset for her brilliantly tragic performance in 13 Reasons Why.

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical) – I personally think this should be one of the easiest categories to pick a winner and in my opinion that should be Anthony Anderson for his consistently excellent performance on the brilliant Black-ish. In my opinion, a win for Anderson is well overdue. Possibly the only other option I may be okay with, is Aziz Ansari for Master of None. I cannot accept a win for Macy, no matter how brilliant he is, as Shameless has been awful for multiple seasons now and truly needs to pack it in. I am equally unimpressed with the idea of rewarding McCormick for a rehash of an almost ten-year-old character that should have remained in the past. As for Kevin Bacon, while his performance may be good, it’s on a show that’s awful. So it’s Anthony Anderson for me.

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) – I have to admit that I haven’t watched a number of the shows for which these women are nominated for and so I don’t really have a strong opinion on who will or should win. If we go by the HFPA’s habit of rewarding freshman shows and fresh faces, pretty much any of these women, with the exception of Issa Rae (this is the second straight year she’s been nominated for Insecure) can win this. Will be funny if this is the time they reward Rae though.

Best Actor (Limited Series/TV Movie) – An interesting dichotomy about the HFPA is that while it loves rewarding and celebrating freshmen shows and fresh faces, it also likes kissing the ass of big-name stars. Thus, you’re likely to find them rewarding the bigger names when they take a turn in some limited series and made for television movie. And so, I see this category possibly coming down to Robert De Niro for The Wizard of Lies and Geoffrey Rush for Genius – two legendary and very well respected actors. It also helps that their other nominees, while all good enough, weren’t exactly indisputably brilliant.

Best Actress (Limited Series/TV Movie) – And the award goes to Nicole Kidman – ‘nuff said. She’s a critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning actress with a lot of name cred and both her performance and the show Big Little Lies was continuously lauded. She’s got this. Frankly, the more important question about this category is how much money did Justin Timberlake pay to bribe the HFPA into nominating Jessica Biel? Sorry…not sorry.

Best Limited Series/TV Movie – Big Little Lies seems the obvious choice here but of course, anything can happen at the Globes. Top of the Lake: China Girl and The Sinner both seemed to come out of nowhere as surprise nominees so there’s no telling that either one can’t pull off a surprising win. However, my money’s on the HFPA to stay the course on this one and award Big Little Lies the prize.

Best Comedy/Musical – So I can tell you which show I want to win and that’s Black-ish. In my opinion, Black-ish has been one of the most consistently brilliant comedies on television since its premiere. Funny, brutally honest, insightful almost to the point of being uncomfortable at times and just almost always hitting it just right. However, I don’t think it’s going to happen. The HFPA lavished a lot of nominations on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and it’s just the kind of new and offbeat type of show they love rewarding with a win for their first season.

Best Drama – The Handmaid’s Tale seems the likely choice, especially coming off its big win at the Emmys. Also, the HFPA rarely rewards the same show multiple times (it happens, but not often) so that makes a two-peat for The Crown unlikely. I’m fine with a win for The Handmaid’s Tale but I have this nagging feeling that Stranger Things may be the surprise winner. The show hasn’t won before and its second season further catapulted its popularity and cemented its cult status.

Movies

Best Actor (Drama) – The experts are split down the middle on this one with many predicting a win for newcomer Timothee Chalamet for his beautiful performance in Call Me By Your Name and just as many placing their bets on Gary Oldman for his almost unrecognizable turn as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. My prediction – the kid’s got this.

Best Actress (Drama) – This appears to be one of the more predictable categories, with the overwhelming consensus that this is Frances McDormand’s award to lose. I mostly agree. After all, McDormand is an Oscar-winning actress with a long history of critically acclaimed performances and a lot of industry respect. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is also one of the most acclaimed films of 2017. That said, I do see the potential for a Sally Hawkins upset. Hawkins has gotten raves for her performance in The Shape of Water and HFPA voters are clearly fans of the film, as it leads the pack with the most nominations.

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical) – My guess is James Franco is going to win for his bizarrely brilliant performance in The Disaster Artist and I’m more than okay with that. I know there is some disagreement amongst a few critics who believe Daniel Kaluuya should win for his amazing performance in the deeply disturbing Get Out, but I disagree. Don’t get me wrong, I think Kaluuya’s performance was amazing, as was the film. I just don’t think anything about the performance qualifies it as comedic in any way. So in the interest of fairness, I’m all for Franco’s winning.

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) – Saoirse Ronan or Margot Robbie? That seems to be the big question regarding this category. I think it’s a tough one to call. Ronan’s been here before (nominated in the Drama category for her quietly brilliant performance in Brooklyn) and she has received raves, as well as a few awards already for her performance in Lady Bird. However, Robbie’s performance was a revelation and in many ways a career-defining moment for her. I do think this one’s kind of a toss-up so I’m going to play it safe and just make my prediction a tie and say it can go either way.

Best Supporting Actor – Quite possibly one of the toughest categories of the night, with almost all of the nominees very deserving. The consensus seems to be that it’s a two-man race between the always amazing Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project and Sam Rockwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Dafoe has been the critics’ fave but Three Billboards… has garnered a lot of industry and voter love, which may extend all the way to a win for Rockwell. The outlier here is that HFPA voters may want to try to make some sort of statement and award Plummer the win for his 25th-hour replacement of Kevin Spacey in All The Money in the World. I’m conceding that this one may be too close to call. But just because the Globes can be so unpredictable at times, I’m tentatively going to call this one for Plummer.

Best Supporting Actress – Like the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical, this category really seems to be a race between two women – Allison Janney for I, Tonya and Laurie Metcalf for Lady Bird. Even the precursor awards have been fairly split with Metcalf winning a few and Janney winning a few. Let’s face it, both of these women are brilliant character actors with long and respectable careers and a win for either would be deserving. But if I had to guess, my money’s on Allison Janney. As a quick aside, I would like to point out that a win by Mary J. Blige would not be a completely left field. But for right now, I’m sticking with Janney.

Best Comedy/Musical – This a category where what will likely happen is definitely not what I think should happen. My guess is this will either be a win for Lady Bird or Get Out, with the latter more than likely prevailing. However, as I noted above, I disagree with Get Out being categorized as a comedy (because it’s not) for the Globes and so I can’t agree with it winning in said categories. Personally, I’m throwing my hat in the ring for The Greatest Showman. Sure it may not have been the greatest movie or even the best acted but it sure fits the musical descriptor.

Best Drama – Conventional wisdom would say that The Shape of Water, which leads the pack with the most nominations, is the likely favorite to win and that would be a more than reasonable assumption. However, The Post boasts an all-star cast, which includes legends Tom Hanks and Meryl Street and a story that feels particularly relevant in the current media vs. the administration era. So which way will HFPA voters lean? My gut says The Shape of Water.