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Written by: Beverly Kwakye 

For moviegoers fond of watching films in which a protagonist battles the inner demons that lie within the subconscious but ultimately affect what is real, The Night Clerk delivers such a story.

Writer and Director Michael Cristofer’s The Night Clerk gives viewers 13 Cameras vibes through the eyes of a watchful 24-year-old hotel night clerk.

Bart Bromley, who has Asperger’s, played by actor Tye Sheridan, uses his unique method of understanding those around him to solve a murder that takes place at his workplace. While relying on internal senses and worldly observations to scope out hotel guests, Bart finds himself uncovering way more than he bargains for when he becomes a suspect in the crimes he’s spent his shifts observing.

Watching evil unfold through the eyes of a young adult on the spectrum intensifies the film by filling the plot with feelings of manipulation, trickery, and deceit. These tactics contribute to and challenge viewers’ thinking. These techniques allow viewers to analyze what did in fact occur or what events in the film were exaggerated by the director to heighten the theatrics of the film. The heightened elements of trickery, deceit, and the burgeoning romance between the hotel clerk Bart and the guest Andrea, played by Ana de Armas, allows viewers to wonder whether certain events were exaggerated.

Trickery and Deceit

Unlike other dramatized films with a semi-predictable plot in which a male protagonist wins the heart of his love interest through his heroic work, Cristofer’s The Night Clerk separates itself from this overused narrative. In this crime-drama, there are several occurrences in the movie that make it appear as if Bart wins the love and affection of Andrea. The filmmaker has the audience convinced that it is Bart’s quirkiness that Andrea ultimately falls for, thus contributing to her siding with him. This makes Cristofer a unique storyteller. He is able to manipulate his audience’s initial thought process until the end of the film. Viewers are led to believe that Bart and Andrea solve a crime together and they end up together.     

Did It Happen?

Bart is a tough character to analyze because his actions suggest that he is set to be the villain of the film. He is watchful and has cameras placed where they shouldn’t be, and that in itself is a criminal act. Bart is on the spectrum and is still discovering details about himself as the film progresses, and so are the viewers. There are several scenes in which Bart appears to be both the perpetrator and the victim of the violent crimes that occur at the hotel. These elements all add suspense to the film and complexity to the character’s development. While there is blood on his hands and he is being interviewed by the detective, viewers can believe that he is guilty of something. This tactic goes back to the filmmaker using Bart to manipulate the audience. Because he is on the spectrum, when Bart works with investigators, his lack of communication skills makes him appear suspect. Bart is able to adjust his mannerisms based on the circumstance and whom he is interacting with. When he interacts with the investigator, he does not want to speak. Instead, he smart talks himself out of the situation.

The Best Films Lead to Reflections

The best films tend to lead to reflections, and The Night Clerk is by far a 4-star film that gets one thinking. Cristofer avoids a cliche conclusion by allowing the character to come to terms with himself and the world around him. Viewers see Bart interact with outsiders by attempting to make cordial greetings. One may ask, why is this important? Why couldn’t the film conclude like other cliche love stories in which Andrea and Bart would most likely leave together after busting the bad guy? “Winning the girl” may be the love story that viewers expect, but it is not the story that Bart needs.

The effect of escaping from this narrative allows the protagonist to grow and learn something from himself and Andrea. If Andrea served a purpose in the film in relation to Bart’s development, she was there to reassure him that it is okay to speak up. Bart speaks up by going against the detective who deems him uncooperative during the crime investigation. Bart also speaks up by going against Andrea, the girl the audience is led to believe he would run away with at the end by leading detectives to the perpetrator. Ultimately, The Night Clerk is a film that presents itself as one that has a predictable plot but surprises viewers as the film concludes.  

The post ‘The Night Clerk’: Crime-Drama Infused with Trickery and Deceit appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

If you’ve ever wanted to bask in the beauty of being Black during Black History Month in more ways than just reposting a few widely known quotes, hitting up some Black-owned businesses or just passing around that “I’m Black Y’all” clip from CB4, we have an idea for you. Why don’t you give yourself a chance to be immersed in our history by going on a trip? You can check out the landmarks in your own city that pay homage, or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can go on an actual road trip with friends or family to a few cities around the country that take you up close to our past, our present and our future.

We selected seven cities and/or towns that have plenty for you to explore. Black History Month is preparing to come to a close, but it’s also a great launch pad for you to start visiting these cities when the ancestral spirit moves you. Check out seven places to visit that should be on your bucket list, because not only are they lovely, but they’re also beacons for African-American history and culture.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

Oakland, Calif.

Overflowing with Black history, Oakland is where the Black Panther Party’s roots begin. The political organization was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in this very city back in 1966. But aside from the beginnings of the revolutionary group, today, there are so many things to see and do in Oakland. While Black History Month is still going, you can check out the third annual Black Joy Parade on February 23. It is both an actual parade and festival where guests are asked to “be present, be creative, be open and be free.” Outside of just the month of February, there are a wealth of Black businesses that are thriving that you can support, including Feelmore, an adult sex positive shop, Betti Ono, a cultural arts venue, gallery and art and design store, McMullen, a luxury fashion boutique catering to the fierce style of Black women, and Queen Hippie Gypsy, the first Black-owned “crystal botanica” for the quirky Black girl. Whenever you go, whatever you do, don’t forget to visit Marcus Books, which is the oldest independent Black-owned book store in the country, operating on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, fittingly.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

Memphis, Tenn.

A predominately Black city, Memphis is filled with places and spaces that are all about celebrating Blackness. Organizations like the Hattiloo Theatre, one of four freestanding Black theaters in the country, and the CLTV Collective help to cultivate the talents of Black artists and creatives. Memphis Black Restaurant Week in March puts the spotlight on restaurants owned by people of color all around the city, promoting economic diversity. There’s the Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival, which celebrates Africa’s cultural influence through a parade, performers and of course, food. And there are staples like the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, which is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, as well as the legendary Beale Street, a home for blues. Flooded with music, food and entertainment, it’s one of the state’s most popular attractions.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

Selma, Ala.

Selma, in general, is quite rich in history, but it’s especially remembered for its place in the Civil Rights Movement. You can visit the Edmund Pettus Bridge where “Bloody Sunday” took place, when civil rights marchers going from Selma to state capital Montgomery were attacked by law enforcement while protesting against racial discrimination in voting. There’s also the famed Brown Chapel AME Church, where a monument for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands out front (and is located on Martin Luther King Street). The church was the headquarters/starting point for voting rights marches in ’65 and the offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Also check out the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute as well as the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

Atlanta, Ga.

Sure, there are plenty of restaurants, businesses and sites of leisure filled with Black folks in Atlanta, but there are also so many places steeped with history in the city. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site features Dr. King’s birth home as well as his tomb. Visit the campuses of four landmark historically Black colleges, Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta and Morris Brown. There’s also the John Wesley Dobbs Plaza, which features a bronze sculpture of the civil rights activist, political leader and Atlanta native, as well as the Herndon Home, a residence built buy Atlanta’s first Black millionaire, Alonzo Herndon, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

Detroit, Mich.

It’s a must if you step in Detroit that you check out Hitsville U.S.A., aka, Motown’s first headquarters. The space has gone from legendary recording studio to a museum that showcases where some of the greatest singers and musicians recorded classics, along with memorabilia, photographs and Motown artifacts. Also a beloved space, the Charles H. Wright Museum has more than 35,000 artifacts dedicated to the Black experience, as well as being home to hundreds of annual events in its vast space. In addition to that, you can enjoy the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, and support an array of popular Black-owned businesses, including retailers Detroit is the New Black, Source Booksellers, and restaurants like Kuzzo’s Chicken & Waffles, Savannah Blue and more.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

Washington, D.C.

There is, perhaps, no more impressive of a place to visit in all of the country during Black History Month or any month at that than the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The Smithsonian institution, which is located on the National Mall, has only been open since 2016 but has garnered a lot of fanfare in a short time thanks to all the exhibits and objects on display in the 350,000 square foot space. If that’s too much space and stories for you to walk, show love to the great Frederick Douglass by visiting his home for a guided tour. You might be interested in visiting the Shaw neighborhood where Duke Ellington called home, as well as escaped slaves. The area, known as “The Heart of Chocolate City” has some delicious food offerings, too. You can check out the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963, or take a picture in front of him at the much more recent Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Don’t forget to stop by beloved HBCU Howard University‘s campus. There’s no shortage of Black brilliance in Chocolate City.

Source: Tommy de Yampert / iOne

NY

Honor two unforgettable names in Black history by visiting the homes of Harriet Tubman in upstate New York, and Langston Hughes in Harlem. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park features the abolitionist and activist’s house, which you can see the grounds of, as well as the Fort Hill Cemetery where she rests and the landmark Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church.

If you choose to wander to uptown NYC to show some love to poet Langston Hughes at his home on 20 East 127th Street, you’ll find the I, Too, Arts Collective, a non-profit that offers poetry salons and more, honors his memory there. And New York City being New York City, there are all sorts of experiences and events happening around the city that help to celebrate Blackness all-year round, as well as plenty of historical sites. Enjoy a stop at the Apollo Theater, The Cotton Club, Minton’s Playhouse or The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. From there, go to The Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, the African Burial Ground National Monument and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (take dance classes or check out a performance) in Manhattan, and a lot, lot more.

Today, BET+ announced the new original drama from Tyler Perry, Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, will premiere Thursday, March 19, 2020, exclusively across all platforms the service is available.

Multiple episodes of the 24-episode one-hour drama, will be available to stream with new episodes launching every Thursday. “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” is the first new original series from Tyler Perry to stream on BET+, a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios. The series continues BET+’s mission to deliver a spectrum of original and compelling stories.

Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, a spin-off of the hit television series Tyler Perry’s The Oval, tells the riveting story of a woman named Ruth who kidnaps her young daughter to join her in the dark underworld of a fanatical religious cult. Tyler Perry’s Ruthless stars Melissa L. Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Hervé Clermont, Anthony Bless, and Bobbi Baker.

Tyler Perry’s Ruthless is executive produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed will also serve as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios.

The post ‘Tyler Perry’s ‘Ruthless’ to Premiere on BET+ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Last week, Square-Enix revealed new gameplay footage and details about the upcoming Outriders. Though functionally a looter shooter, this next-gen title distinguishes itself by being a story-centric experience first and foremost. Ignoring the Games-as-a-Service [GAAS] model seen in similar titles, Outriders promises to give players a complete game at launch. People Can Fly have sunk many years into this project. Based on my hands-on time with it, Outriders has the potential to be a massive next-gen success.

While at the Los Angeles-based event where I played the game, I had the chance to chat with Game Director Bartek Kmita and Lead Writer Joshua Rubin. During our discussion, I asked the two about Outriders’ origins and its focus on story and characters. I also delved into character customization, multiplayer, and how the studio plans to handle potential DLC.

What was the inspiration for Outriders? What made you want to create this type of game?

Kmita: I already had the idea for Outriders when I spoke with Epic about it. I told them and my team about it and they said: “Let’s do this.” There isn’t only one thing that inspired it. It came from the games and movies that already inspire me as well as aspects of my life. That’s how it came together.

Rubin: I think we take from everything we’ve seen growing up. There’s a lot of shared inspiration we all kind of dig into. Since we had the opportunity to create an IP from scratch, which is such a rare experience, we wanted to make something that would stand on its own. We wanted to create something new but also something that would hold a mirror up to humanity and the problem that is being human and try to say some weighty things.

You’ve finally shown the game to people. What do you think about their initial reactions?

Kmita: It was scary but it’s super exciting to show people what we’ve been cooking. It’s good to get feedback. We’ve been working on it for so long and objective feedback helps us know if we need to balance the gameplay since it’s such a big and complex title. Fresh eyes with different perspectives tell us what we may have to change and perhaps push things in a different direction so people can enjoy it more.

Rubin: From a story point of view, it’s amazing — watching people respond to your story and getting to wander through as people are playing. This is something you don’t get to do with a movie. You can’t wander through the audience and watch people respond out loud. That’s so cool. You just never know what people are going to bring to the experience so that’s super fascinating to watch.

Would you actually change anything in the narrative based on feedback?

Rubin: So far the reaction has been pretty positive. There’s nothing that would jump out at me that I’d want to change. We did go back in the last half-year and redid a lot of the beginning. With most games, you start at the beginning, get to the end, then go back to the beginning and think: “Oh, that’s what we were trying to do.” Thanks to Square-Enix, we had the opportunity to rethink a lot of the beginning. Now I get to see it and I think it’s some of the best work we did. I’m really excited.

Kmita: We know there are people who will not like some aspects but we won’t change much if anything. We want the game to be like this. Our hero is not a guy in shiny armor or a tough mercenary who had a lot of problems in his life. We are not creating a game about saving princesses. If someone is looking for that kind of experience… sorry.

We have a lot of “looter shooters” these days (The Division, Destiny, Anthem). How is Outriders going to distinguish itself from titles like these?

Kmita: We’re old enough to take inspiration from the original Diablo. For Outriders, development began before those games you mentioned came to the market. But for inspiration, I would say it’s Diablo, not other shooters. As you get deeper into the game, you’ll see how we add RPG elements (like customization) and meld them with a shooter.

Rubin: I think the balance of magic and guns is unique to this game. They’re very much equal, which is incredibly fun to play. Another major element is that it’s so story-forward. This is not a game like Destiny where you can go any direction at once. We’re telling a very powerful, character-driven linear story with an ending that we want to get to and want to blow your mind away with. Not only are there 90 minutes of cutscenes, but there are also an additional two hours of sidequest cutscenes. It’s a very expansive story and a very story-driven world.

That’s good to hear. With games like Destiny or The Division, it can feel like you’re doing random missions that aren’t connected to anything. That’s not the vibe I’m getting with Outriders. The main character actually speaks and emotes.

Kmita: It was important for us to have a character that has a personality. Playing in multiplayer, everyone will see this character as the main hero. The other players will be in the back. This was very important to us. But we’re not open world. This is a linear game that still gives you sidequests and other activities. You can even replay some previous missions.

Rubin: It’s a journey that starts with this f*cked up warzone that people have been trapped in for 30 years fighting over the few scraps that remain. Then it goes way beyond the edge of that into this journey of exploration of the world and the classic journey into the heart of darkness.

A lot of games don’t have anything substantial to say. I’m sure folks will be happy to know there’s more to Outriders than just being a shooter with crazy powers.

Rubin: This is a planet populated with the last refugees from planet Earth. It’s a world where everyone is a refugee and they’re all trying to find a way to survive together and it’s not easy because it’s not easy being human. The hardest thing is trying to see each other as humans. As long as we don’t see each other as human we will always be fighting aliens.

As you said during the presentation, this is not a GAAS title. Was this the mindset from the beginning of development or was it a reaction to all of the GAAS games out the market?

Kmita: We had this story we wanted to tell and we decided [GAAS] wouldn’t work for our game. We wanted to present a complete experience and a complete story. That’s why we’re not doing GAAS. And we don’t like loot boxes so we just said f*ck all that [laughs].

With that said, how do you plan to keep people invested in Outriders long-term if you’re delivering the full experience at launch?

Kmita: When people buy Outriders we want to give them all the endgame content to keep them engaged. If people like the game and want to stay in this world, we will create some additional content. But even now I want people to think of it as a complete product. We are really not thinking about additional content right now. The team wants to focus on developing a lot of content that people can play and replay. We’ll see where it goes.

Let’s talk co-op. One of the problems I have playing co-op games is that it’s difficult to focus on the story when you’re playing with others. Did you do anything to address this?

Kmita: Overall, the story in co-op games is very tricky. Some players will like sharing the experience together. But we are very aware some people will want to skip the cutscenes. Those who miss the cutscenes can go back and experience the story.

Rubin: One of the fun things we do is that when you’re playing with your friends, your character is the main character and your friends are in the background with all of their gear and customization. If they’re playing with you they simultaneously see the same scene with them as the main character and you’re in the background.

Outriders has characters with amazing powers and abilities. How did you balance the different powers so they weren’t too overpowered while still making you feel bad-ass?

Kmita: It was a total nightmare [laughs]. It’s a co-op game you can play online with two or three players. There are different difficulties, skills, items, and skill tree progressions. It’s super hard. That’s why we’re collecting data to see how people play. What we don’t want is bullet sponge enemies that people have to sit and shoot all day. Still, it happens so we’re trying to fix it. Overall, the balance is very complex so we’re working on this. We’re doing a lot of playtests. We’re doing our best to deliver as good a game as possible because we know unbalanced games can destroy the experience.

In the demo there were some enemies like that but it was fine because they at least had a ton of armor on them.

Kmita: They are easy to kill with skills. With guns, it’s not so easy but with skills, you can take them down fast.

What can you tell me about the guns? I noticed some were conventional and some were outlandish.

Kmita: We start with 20th-century weaponry in the beginning but the anomaly changes whatever it touches. It mostly destroys but sometimes it changes things in a good way. There are modifications that can change your playstyle and change your character. We really have a lot of crazy loot, a lot of crazy guns later in the game. It starts with typical guns but the more you progress, the more crazy and twisted weapons become.

What feeling do you want people to walk away with after playing Outriders?

Kmita: It depends on the person. Some will invest more in the story and world so we want them to enjoy this world we’ve created and enjoy the darkness [laughs]. On the other hand, we have fun gameplay that merges different elements in unique ways. After killing enemies we want you to feel powerful and feel that it was fun.

Rubin: Obviously it’s about having a lot of fun playing the game. I also think it’s about creating a world you can get deeply invested in; that there are mysteries in this world that are going to hook you — that you want to keep finding out what happens next. What is that signal out there and what is the anomaly? What the hell happened on this planet and why did it change? Why wasn’t it the planet we thought we were going to? We give you all these mysteries to delve into. And if you play all the way through, you see the resolution of these mysteries. That’s going to be very satisfying but it’s also going to f*ck with your head in ways you can’t imagine.