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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 20 december 2018
'If Beale Street Could Talk' is lyrical and lovely

By LINDSEY BAHR and snobbish mother (Aun-
"Every black person born in janue Ellis) and Tish's family
America was born on Beale is one of them. Another is
Street...whether in Jack- a stirringly haunting mono-
son, Mississippi, or in Har- logue from Brian Tyree
lem, New York," reads the Henry, which unfortunately
title card that begins direc- is really his only significant
tor Barry Jenkins' "If Beale scene in the film, and the
Street Could Talk ." third is Sharon's heartbreak-
The quote is from a 1974 ing talk with Fonny's ac-
James Baldwin novel, cuser. All are well-worth the
which Jenkins has adapt- price of admission
ed himself for his first film Not everything works to-
since 2016's "Moonlight." tally, in between these
The story is, loosely, about barnburners there is a lot of
a pregnant woman, Tish sleepy down time (still gor-
(KiKi Layne, a phenomenal geously shot and scored)
breakout) and her partner and a few moments that
Fonny (Stephan James), just don't quite work the
who has been wrongly way they probably should,
jailed for a crime he didn't like Dave Franco as an em-
commit. Tish and Fonny are This image released by Annapurna Pictures shows Teyonah Parris in a scene from "If Beale Street pathetic Jewish landlord
both achingly young and Could Talk." who just loves love.
beautiful, full of promise Associated Press The film plays more like a
and hope even amid all the free verse poem than a tra-
institutional obstacles and identified him as her rapist. ter. Mom, Sharon (Regina Fonny's family over to con- ditional narrative, jumping
injustices that they face in Tish has to tell Fonny she's King in a powerful perfor- tinue spreading the news. back and forth between
daily life in 1970s Harlem, pregnant through a glass mance), sister, Ernestine There are three wholly un- moments chronicling the
like not being able to rent window. Somehow, at least (Teyonah Parris) and dad, forgettable scenes in "If origins of Tish and Fonny's
their own apartment, or at first, the circumstances Joseph (Colman Domin- Beale Street Could Talk," relationship, and Tish's
buy groceries at the local aren't enough to break go), open up the sherry, and the electric showdown struggle to prove Fonny's in-
mart without being reas- their spirits, although there put on a record and call between Fonny's religious nocence in the present.q
sessed by a police officer. is the sense that both are
Their future, however, is just putting on a brave face
dashed when Fonny is for the other. Sandra Bullock's Oscars host solution:
jailed because a woman Back at home, Tish's fam-
across town has wrongly ily celebrates their daugh- Call on random actors

eryone — Bullock says she's
not attending next year's
ceremony, but would par-
ticipate in her idea if she
was.
No host for February's
Academy Awards has
been announced since
Kevin Hart backed out of
emcee duties earlier this
month over backlash to his
old homophobic tweets.
Bullock's idea relied on a bit
of improvisation. She told
Sandra Bullock attends a screening of "Bird Box" at Alice Tully the AP, "I just pulled that out
Hall on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in New York. of my butt. It's amazing."
Associated Press By the end of the red car-
pet for "Bird Box," it already
By JOHN CARUCCI of the audience and read had the support of some of
Associated Press what's on the teleprompter Bullock's co-stars.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sandra to cover a segment of the "I don't think we need a
Bullock has an impromptu show. host anymore, man. I really
idea for how to solve the Organizers "don't even believe it should be a show
Oscars host problem, and it have to tell them it's hap- that we just do," Lil Rel How-
involves a lot of improvisa- pening, just put up the tele- ery said. "Maybe if you can
tion. prompter, and go, 'it's your get celebrities to do some
The Oscar-winning actress turn,'" Bullock said. "You're really funny sketches in-
told The Associated Press an actor, figure it out." stead of one person. Some-
Monday at a screening Bullock says it's a genius so- thing fun."
of her new film "Bird Box " lution that everyone in the Actor BD Wong said if any-
that she thinks random ac- room is perfectly suited to one can pull off Bullock's
tors should be pulled out handle. Well, almost ev- idea, it's her.q