Local 4 movie critic Greg Russell got the chance to talk to some of the minds behind two new films coming out this weekend, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Wolfwalkers.
The first film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is one that Russell says is sure to secure plenty of nominations this awards season. In the movie, Viola Davis plays Ma Rainey, a real blues singer from the turn of the 20th century. The late Chadwick Boseman stars alongside Davis as a strong-willed member of her band. Their big personalities clash over the course of the film, which Russell says is great to watch.
Davis talked about how playwright August Wilson would often play with the idea of two characters representing the material and spiritual world, and how it’s always the spiritual world that wins out.
She also spoke about her experience working with Boseman, saying that “you were in the presence of someone who was only going to get better. What you saw with Chadwick was artistry and a lack of ego, and immense kindness.”
Next Russell took a look at an animated film called Wolfwalkers. The story follows an Irish girl and her dad as they move to another part of the country. He’s a wolf hunter, but she ends up meeting and getting to know a wolf pack. She learns that they aren’t as evil as she had assumed when she meets Maeve, a girl with the ability to turn into a wolf.
For Russell’s full reviews and more on where you can watch these films, watch the video above.