Miss Juneteenth – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 8, 2021 – Team #MOTW’s Best of 2020

January 3, 2021February 14, 2021 Jennifer Merin ammonite, antigone, blow the man down, Coded Bias, grizzlies, hilma aft klimt beyond the visible, lucky grandma, luxor, misbehaviour, Miss Juneteenth, motw, Movie of the Week, Old Guard, radicle monarchs, swallow, yellow rose

We’re saying a final farewell to 2020, a year that has but few fond memories for most folks. But, among the good remembrances are fine films that sustained us not only by providing stress respite, but also by opening minds to much-needed contemplation about the way we live, and by energizing heartfelt aspirations for change for the better. Throughout the year, AWFJ’s #MOTW feature served as a beacon, a guiding light for moviegoers seeking excellent and inspiring entertainment.

Reviews

MISS JUNETEENTH – Review by MaryAnn Johanson

June 19, 2020June 19, 2020 MaryAnn Johanson 0 Comments Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth, nicole beharie, sxsw

Writer-director Channing Godfrey Peoples’s feature debut is a beautiful cinematic experience, bursting with a gorgeous sense of place and character the likes of which are rarer onscreen than they should be. Nicole Beharie brings a strength and a weariness to Turquoise Jones, a former beauty queen and single mom trying to make a better life for her teen daughter.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 19, 2020: MISS JUNETEENTH

June 14, 2020June 21, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments Alexis Chikaeze, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Channing Godfrey Peoples, kathia woods, leslie combemale, loren king, marina antunes, Miss Juneteenth, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nicole beharie, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sharronda williams, susan wloszzyna

In a time when too much of the world is very belatedly waking up to the significance of Juneteenth — the holiday marking the day in 1865 when enslaved Black people in Texas finally learned of Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Emancipation Proclamation — Channing Godfrey Peoples’ coming-of-age drama Miss Juneteenth offers a thoughtful, relevant glimpse inside Black life in Texas more than 150 years after that momentous day.

Reviews

MISS JUNETEENTH – Review by Sharronda Williams

June 10, 2020June 19, 2020 Sharronda Williams 0 Comments Alexis Chikaeze, Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth, motw, Movie of the Week, nicole beharie

Channing Godfrey Peoples’ Miss Juneteenth is a beautiful exploration into the dreams we have for our children and the lengths we go to make sure they are realized. Nicole Beharie delivers a phenomenal performance as her character explores the regrets of her life choices while also showing how Black women continue to overcome no matter what life brings their way. Peoples delivers a promising debut that will leave many excited to see what is next in her bright career.

Reviews

MISS JUNETEENTH – Review by Leslie Combemale

June 10, 2020June 19, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Alexis Chikaeze, Channing Godfrey Peoples, june 19, Miss Juneteenth, motw, Movie of the Week, nicole beharie

Miss Juneteenth is about former pageant winner Turquoise Jones (Nicole Beharie), a single mom, who struggles to keep the lights on by working two jobs. She has a bone-deep desire to see her beloved 15-year-old daughter Kai (Alexis Chikaeze) take the Miss Juneteenth throne, and use it to thrive in ways she herself each could not.

Reviews

MISS JUNETEENTH – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

June 10, 2020June 19, 2020 Susan Wloszczyna 0 Comments Alexis Chikaeze, Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth, motw, Movie of the Week, nicole beharie

There are many films about parents who want their offspring to fulfill the youthful dreams that they never achieved, but Miss Juneteenth brings extra emotion because the characters live in an underserved Black community where most residents just scrape by. The pageant provides a coveted college scholarship for the winner. Director Channing Godfrey Peoples injects enough atmosphere on screen to make us feel for these folks and their travails.