I just saw the movie Selma and it was all of the amazing that everybody believed it to be. The acting was great and the story was dope. Since its release, there have been a million reviews of the film and I will not become a million and one. However, I do want to provide a couple of my personal thoughts of this film.
Oyelowo Should have got Best Actor nod
David Oyelowo played Dr. Martin Luther king, Jr, one of the most prominent figures in history. It’s a big enough task to portray the man himself but to take on that role and show him in aspects that many moviegoers never knew about is simply amazing. To have the heroic King shown as scared or vulnerable to troubles in his marriage is simply incredible. One of things I hated about the Notoroious biopic was it seemed to make it one-sided, but Oyelowo does a great job of conveying a range of emotions for King.
Malcolm X needs to be remade
During the film, there were a few references to Malcom X (played by Nigel Hatch) that had the white characters a little uncomfortable. Those instances pretty much painted the picture, which we all knew, that white people were shook of the his aggressive methods as opposed to King’s peaceful strategy. Perhaps it was because if they tried to beat and shoot anybody in Malcolm X’s camp a war would have really ensued. That is why they need to remake the Malcolm X biopic, in order to balance out the civil rights story. It’s no secret both men had differing philosophies but when it is time for the black history story to be told, it’s no secret Malcom disappears into the proverbial filter of universal acceptance. They remake movies everyday so this idea should not be an issue at all.
The Growing Depth of Black Actors
Watching this movie and not seeing Kevin Hart, Denzel Washington or anybody from The Best Man was amazing in its own right. I have nothing against those actors at all but every time I think of a movie to be made such as a Selma, I always wonder who will play what role and not make it look like a Lifetime movie. Selma proved that there is a depth of black actors to play any and every role. Whether it be Lorraine Toussaint (Vee from Orange is the New Black), Corey Reynolds (The Closer) or Stephan James (Jesse Owens in the 2016 film Race). Another reason it is important to recognize this depth, is to also go out and support these films. We’re so quick to criticize an Empire but so slow to boost up a Selma so the aforementioned actors can be able to fill the positive black roles that African Americans are clamoring to see.
Selma was one of the few drama movies I actually enjoyed. Black people have been in sort of a foul mood about recent historic movies such as The Butler and 12 Years a Slave for their depiction of us as servants and slaves. While those stories should be told it is great to see us fighting out of those struggles. It’s not the type of fight where we’re going in and blasting people’s heads off but nonetheless it’s great to see all the obstacles that had to be endured to get some equality. So march on into the theaters and check out Selma!!
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