deerstalker

Ava DuVernay’s upcoming film, A Wrinkle In Time, is brimming with #BlackGirlMagic. Starring Storm Reid, Gugu Mbatha Raw, and Oprah Winfrey, the film follows 13-year-old Meg (Reid) as she tries to find and her missing father and ends up saving the world. In the February issue of ESSENCE DuVernay called her latest project a love letter to Black women and girls, and judging by the soundtrack, she wasn’t kidding. [brightcove id=5712894157001] DuVernay took to Twitter to break a little Wrinkle news Tuesday morning, informing fans that Sade — yes, that Sade — has created an original song for the film. “I never thought she’d say yes, but asked anyway,” DuVernay said of the illusive singer. “She was kind + giving. A goddess. We began a journey together that I’ll never forget.” DuVernay continued, “Proud to announce that Sade has created an original song for WRINKLE IN TIME. It’s entitled ‘Flower of the Universe.’ And it’s a dream come true.” The last time Sade released new music was in 2010 when she dropped her award-winning album Soldier of Love. Known for taking extended breaks, Sade’s decision contribute to the Wrinkle In Time soundtrack is not only a coup for DuVernay, but it’s also a treat for the singer’s fans who have been clamoring for new music for nearly a decade. In addition to Sade, DuVernay also announced Demi Lovato, Chole x Halle, Sia, and Kehlani would also appear on A Wrinkle In Time’s soundtrack. “My hope was to gather dynamic women artists to craft a majestic soundtrack for Meg’s journey,” DuVernay explained. Winfrey has dubbed A Wrinkle in Time this generation’s Wizard of Oz, and DuVernay said the film “was made [with] love for young people. To share ideas about being a light in this often dark world.” We can’t wait. A Wrinkle in Time hits theaters on March 9.

Writer: G. Willow Wilson / Artists: Nico Leon, Ian Herring / Marvel Comics

Yes, Kamala is still out. But the Ms. Marvel corp is still on the mission. Two missions actually. On the one hand, Naftali of the Perfect Sandwich has tracked Kamala from her favorite deli to her favorite video rental spot. *pause* Do they still have video rental spots in Jersey City? *end pause* Naftali is hilariously extra as he “interrogates” the rental store owner, eventually uncovering a clue to be pursued next issue.

I take it back. Naftali isn’t extra. He’s the exact amount of over-acting you’d expect from a 16-year-old who watches too much TV and wears a Post-Cores Cores band t-shirt. He’s dramatic. The Red Dagger. He’s extra.

Why is he parkouring through the suburbs? Everyone else is just, you know, walking. And his lines? They are all direct from a Saturday Morning cartoon. He sounds like Batman. It is great.

I continue to praise the hilarity hidden in these panels. Every page has an inside joke or a hint in plain sight in the background. There are doves and excessive poses and weird dogs. I mean, Leon and Herring are on overtime on their backgrounds and it just adds to the humor of the comic itself.

The stakes have gotten higher for Nakia, Gabe, and Mike, as Zoe has disappeared while investigating the disappearances of some senior citizens from the local old folks home. They’re starting to lose hope in their own inner strength, but they also know they can’t turn back. With their last bit of courage, they face down The Inventor for the second time. He, in typical villain style, drops plenty of clues as to his intentions, but not his end goal — he’s not dumb. Leaving the crew to fight off his minions, he escapes. Finally, they have to admit they are in over their heads. Who to call when Ms. Marvel, the person you always call, is gone? I’ll give you three guesses. Your only hint is this: Civil War is over and someone may have come to their senses.

This remains a light-hearted, sincere, touching comic that encourages all of us to do our best and be our own hero. There’s no better message than that.

8 Unnecessary Parkour Jumps out of 10Reading Ms. Marvel? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.

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I should start by saying I’d like to apologize to whatever Norse Gods I offended that lead to me being assigned reviewing this film. I’ll sacrifice three curried goats plates and seven bundles of virgin Brazilian hair to never end up here again. I should also say before this film I had never watched or read anything Fifty Shades, even that goofy ass Wayans brothers’ parody (truly why in the name of sweet nappy-haired Baby Black Jesus are these things still happening in this here year of our Lord Viola Davis 2018?). I did breeze over two reviews, one from what I believe is a woman of color, who calls it an anti-feminist ignorant hate anthem and one from a white woman who champions it as an ode to consent and the #metoo movement. So, honestly, I went into this with an open mind already knowing I was fucked. So here is a list of 10 things I wish I would have done instead of slowly dying through Fifty Shades Freed.

1. Teach Amy Nicholson of Variety Magazine what the word consent means

2. and feminism

3. …and that marriage is not the ultimate contract of consent.

I am a strong believer what we need to stop telling young girls in elementary school that when a boy pushes her off the swings it means he has a crush on her. We need to stop associating abusive behavior with love. The Fifty Shades franchise is a study on possessiveness and mental/emotional abuse. I know, I know, Country First Twitter would lead you to believe a normal consensual practice between two (or more if you’re fun) adults is abuse. That BDSM is somehow shameful or wrong (even though every day some red state politician is getting caught pants down and ball gagged). But it’s not…unless Christian Grey is involved, then it’s like a gender studies 101 section on rape culture. Christian Grey (played by Jamie Dornan), who obviously knows what consent means (I’m lying) when he jokes about how he should have asked Ana before buying their new house, is a case study on gas lighting and masculine fragility. He spends three movies and millions of dollars on molding the perfect partner who is now free (vomits) from her previous small world, innocent ways. But suddenly marriage changes how Ana can be “free”, her lovely beau doesn’t want her to be nude on a nude beach that he took her to. Like bro what the fuck did you expect?

4. Individually pluck all the hairs off my body with tweezers.

5. Clean all the gum and unidentified stickiness off the bottom of the movie theater seats.

6. Take whatever fast & furious class Ana took for that “we’re being followed scene.”

Like seriously, what the fuck? Obviously, I know so little about what came before this film but when did it switch from a multimillion-dollar low budget porn to a Jason Bourne series. Ana whipping through traffic like she trained at the school of Gone in Sixty Seconds. Also, the scene where they start banging in the parking structure after their “near-death experience” is like the director James Foley was like “um yeah… this is supposed to be a steamy movie…uuuuuh drop some sex right here, who cares if it makes sense”

7. Finally watch a movie where attractive women don’t have to be in competition with each other.

I think I see (like very loosely without my glasses, after a long night of drinking tequila and body shots off some hairy dude) how E.L. James intended to make our lovely naïve protagonist Ana Steel (played by Dakota Johnson) stronger in this installment. But what we really got was another tired cliché of a woman who could only find her voice when a, there was another beautiful woman there to establish dominance over (ha get it? vomits) or b, empowered by her beau. Earlier in the film, Ana is talking to the homely cook in their home and desperately wants to be called Ana, not Mrs. Gray and is trying her best to not feel like a privileged trophy wife. Fast forward to meeting the sultry Gia Matteo where suddenly Ana done found the bass in her voice and wants to be called Mrs. Grey and puts that “trick” in her place. Yawn, it’s exhausting, wake me up when a movie doesn’t have a woman threatened by another woman. This same woman couldn’t bring herself to boss up to bae when he cried about her using her maiden name in lieu of his million dollar one so she could establish herself in the workplace.

5. Listen to every sound cloud link sent to me on Twitter.

6. Build a time machine and go back and slap Stephanie Meyers.
Seriously, I can’t believe y’all people sat through Twilight and this shite.

7. Teach a class to young women on the difference between sexual freedom and sexual exploitation. And bring in a guest speaker for the difference between dominance and possessiveness.

I am not in any shape or form an expert on consent or BDSM. But I know what it’s like to be misled by society and movies and skinemax (back when we had to get our porn the old fashion way, hiding from our parents in the middle of the night and hoping the volume on the TV wasn’t up). I know what it’s like to think I am being provocative and edgy and “free,” only to realize months/years and twenty therapy sessions later that I was actually taken advantage of. To look back at all the frogs I called prince and realize I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to have sex that one time… but I also felt bad …and didn’t want to lead him on. Or that the soreness was my fault or okay ’cause it would pass in a few days. Instead of acknowledging the fact that he wasn’t considering my pleasure or comfort at all. To realize how many men treated me like a sex doll but still wanted my emotional investment in them.

8. Let a budding tattoo artist practice on me.

9. Go onto Chat Roulette.
Like honestly I’d rather deal with the random dick rotation that watch this again.

10. Get romantic advice from Steve Harvey and Tyrese.

The alabaster love child of E.L. James and James Foley is extra cringe-worthy and uncomfortable and not sexy and wiggity wiggity wack. Women deserve better stories, better #relationshipgoals, and better sex.

2 out of 10 “Reclaiming My Time” memes

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The post Instead of Listening To Every Sound Cloud Link Sent To Me On Twitter I Reviewed Fifty Shades Freed and I Made The Wrong Choice appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Warning: Serious spoilers are ahead for the Star Wars Rebels season four episodes, “Jedi Night” and “DUME.” Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episodes yet.

Star Wars Rebels is unique in the greater Star Wars universe for myriad reasons. It’s enriched mythology and exploration of the Force in ways we haven’t quite seen before. The animated series focuses on a family, and not family related by blood, but family that’s chosen each other. The show’s shown one of the few mother-daughter relationships in the galaxy with Sabine Wren and her mother Ursa. And now, it adds another first: Star Wars Rebels lost a key character in Monday’s episode and took the time to face grief and the different ways it can manifest.

Leia Organa watched the Empire destroy Alderaan. She had no time to dwell on emotion because of the looming attack on the Death Star. Han perished in The Force Awakens, but characters had to worry about getting away from Starkiller Base and then evacuating the rebel base on D’Qar. I could give more examples, but other than brief or symbolic scenes of grief, we haven’t had the opportunity to get up close and personal with loss in Star Wars.

Kanan Jarrus, voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr. (I cannot give enough praise for his performance in “Jedi Night”), sacrificed himself to save his family. After rescuing Hera from the Imperials, he used the Force to hold back a massive explosion that would have engulfed him, Hera, Ezra, and Sabine. It’s the ultimate Jedi act to be so selfless. In Kanan’s final look at Hera, he regained his sight. He viewed things clearly. I couldn’t see any fear, only determination. It was a heartbreaking but beautiful end for the character who’s gone from a reluctant teacher to a wise warrior and mentor.

To kill a central character is no trivial matter. Not in Star Wars. We’ve watched some major characters we’ve known and loved for decades pass in recent films, sure, but this isn’t Game of Thrones—you don’t expect a key death every other episode. And, though it’s easy for me to forget, Rebels is a children’s TV show. That’s why it’s especially important to see the rest of the Ghost crew react.

Kanan’s death had a huge impact on his family. That’s obvious. I could say so without on-screen evidence because we know they all cared for one another. But we saw every member of the crew process the news. Zeb and Sabine grieved through anger; they wanted to exact revenge upon the Empire, a life for a life. Ezra responded with fear. He lost his teacher and a father figure; he admitted to the loth-wolves he was afraid. Hera was despondent. She’d just told Kanan she loved him; she reacted with sadness and regret and guilt.

As the second episode, “DUME,” progressed, each character took small steps forward. They honored Kanan’s memory by remembering his optimism and his teachings. They were assisted by Chopper (by the way, Chopper taking Hera’s hand nearly broke me) and by the mysterious loth-wolves, including one giant one called Dume, which is Kanan’s true last name. Kanan’s loss is going to be painful for a long time. This is the first personal loss for the group, and given how long they’ve been fighting the Empire, that’s kind of remarkable. This will leave scars on all of them.

Nothing about grief is straightforward. It’s complex with flowing threads primed for tangles and knots. The feelings can come and go in waves. While we only saw the beginning of how the rebels grapple with their new reality without Kanan, it was impactful, well-crafted, and performed with precision and grace.

What do you think of what happened to Kanan? How about the reaction of the Ghost crew? Tell me in the comments.

Images: Disney XD/Lucasfilm

Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.

More Star Wars Rebels!

• How Mortis is tying into Star Wars Rebels.
• Dave Filoni on Hera and Kanan’s kiss earlier this season.
• Filoni discusses why Kanan cut his hair.