Akua Gyamfi

Comments

Crooklyn

A beautiful cast. A beautiful story. Led by a talented young actress.

Semi-autobiographical, so the poignancy and soulful relatability, even

to a young woman who didn't grow up in a Brownstone in New York in the

70s, is so on point I wished it were my story.

Extra marks for being one of the very few coming-of-age stories for black girls.

Stand by Me

I was a huge Stephen King fan as a child. And the short story 'The Body' stuck with me.

Where it's difficult to adapt a book for screen. Especially when you have such a vivid world-builder as Stephen King, Stand By Me is one of the best ever adaptations I've ever watched.

The cast perfect. The story so simple but so filled with teenage 'stuff'

Cry. Each. And. Every. Time at the summation at the end.

The Harder They Fall

Who knew a British Black filmmaker from West London could successfully push the boundaries of a genre we all know so well!?

Perfect cast. Brilliant story. Reclaiming the narrative and history without being on the nose or shouty or defeatist or victimising. Just us being us at a time when we existed just being us.

It's a romp that I can watch over and over again.

The Devil Wears Prada

What's not to love about this coming-of-age/maturity story wrapped in fashion.

It's perfect. (It's not perfect... Nate why did you give Andy such a hard time? Like for real? All for the sake of a plot line!)

A film which delivers wonderful new talent and celebrates well-loved, established actors.

Juice

Powerful. Classic. All the elements. Tupac. Omar Epps. Undeniable Soundtrack.

Voice of the moment. Of a culture.

Excellent.

The Color Purple

Obviously.

Set It Off

Another underrated classic. Four phenomenal black women leads. An action-packed crime story with heart.

They did wrong. But we didn't care. We understood and empathised. A humanising insight into how easy it is to make that decision between right and 'wrong' when you live on the more difficult side of the tracks.

Brilliant.

The Lost Boys

The epitome of an 80s teen movie. With vampires thrown in, to boot.

Who wouldn't love this film! The two Coreys at their best friend finest.

Another unforgettable soundtrack.

Pop culture classic.

The Original Kings of Comedy

Four of the best ever comedians in history. Whose moment in time was so well captured by Spike Lee.

Yes, it's 'just' a camera on four comedians on stage. But whose idea was it?

Because it has provided punchline filled vocabulary for me and my cultural circle for x2 decades+

RIP Mr Bernie Mac. Classical Comedy Classic, Classic.

Farming

Extremely biased entry. Because the story is so personal to myself and many of us who experienced being farmed. For a debut film that dared to reveal the horrific side of fostering. Brutal. Honest. Rough round the edges. But how effective!

And Damson Idris. This film was shamefully overlooked. And slightly exposed the reluctance

to face the brutal truth of racism in the UK.

It's a hard watch, and not one that's easily rewatched. But it's an important reference to an untouched / hidden history. History of all of us from the UK, Black and White.

Further remarks

This was fun.