#kelvin harrison jr
Fighting with My Family
In the opening scene of Waves, the camera pirouettes around two lovers as they belt out a car sing-along, all the while hinting at the possibility of an incoming collision. From Trey Edward Shults, writer-director of tense thriller It Comes At Night, it’s a sequence that perfectly captures the sensibilities of his compelling new drama, which feels alive with the giddy excitement of youth, but looms with the threat of imminent disaster.
Shot with an intimate camera style that effortlessly places us in the headspace of its protagonist, we follow Tyler (a brilliant Kelvin Harrison Jr.), an American teenager who seemingly has it all: high-school popularity, a promising gift for competitive wrestling, and a dreamy girlfriend (Mid-90s’ Alexa Demie). Yet, this lifestyle is accompanied by great pressure on the part of his well-meaning but overbearing father (Sterling K. Brown), whose enormous expectations threaten to push Tyler to breaking point.
You never quite know where this is heading, but this probably makes it more difficult to tear your eyes away. The best thing you can say about Waves is that it feels reminiscent of Moonlight, offering a sensual and poetic look at the social pressures and expectations attributed to black males, who have to work harder to match the achievements of their white peers.
If this doesn’t quite reach those heights, it still convincingly carves out a world of its own. Shults’ vision of adolescence is one that will be entirely recognizable to teenagers today (right up to its hip hop soundtrack), whether it’s taking a moment to ‘flex for the gram’ or angrily reciting rap lyrics when things don’t go your way. Told with enough authenticity to suggest a basis on real-life experiences, it’s also strengthened by a charismatic performance from newcomer Harrison Jr., whose struggles to balance different responsibilities feel instantly empathetic. Ably communicating his frustrations and feelings of powerlessness, Tyler’s character arc is perfectly played, building up the tension before a devastating crescendo.
Where the film falls short is in balancing Tyler’s story with that of his sister, Emily (Taylor Russell). While it makes sense to the story and its themes of forgiveness and restoring broken bonds, it too often feels like a dissatisfying detour, never matching the energy of everything that goes before it. Still, even this segment has interesting material, like a warm romance with the likeable Lucas Hedges, and reveals a more human side to Tyler’s father, brilliantly played by Brown. It helps that everything is masterfully shot by cinematographer Drew Daniels (also responsible for the trippy visuals of Euphoria), whose beautiful images of the Florida Sea are brimming with positivity and hope.
Though slightly let down by an overlong final act, this is an impactful, thoughtful film about the healing power of forgiveness, with arresting visuals and immersive direction that immediately connects you to its world.
★★★★
The Power of the Dog(12/1)
Wolf(12/3)
Agnes(12/10)
The Tragedy of Macbeth(12/24)
Cyrano(12/31)
Introducing The 2020 Culture Shifters
Sometimes it feels like we’re at peak everything. There is so much to consume. Prestige TV, an endless parade of Marvel movies, viral memes and hot takes dominate our conversations online and off. In today’s cultural landscape, it can be hard to discern what’s new and paradigm-shifting and what’s just noise.
Enter the Culture Shifters list, HuffPost’s way of shining a light on those who are shaping today’s culture in exciting ways and setting the tone for what is possible for our future.
In this inaugural list, we’ve chosen people across the United States in the realms of film, television, activism, fashion, literature, nightlife, food and comedy. They are people who aren’t simply getting a seat at the table in their respective industries, but are creating their own tables, cultivating their own spaces, and forging untraditional paths within traditional institutions.
Among the honorees are a young Asian American culture writer changing the conversation around representation with brilliant essays and celebrity profiles, a nightclub collective that hosts legendary and affirming parties exclusively for queer people of color, a 12-year-old activist fighting for clean water across America, a young Black actor challenging how we define the Hollywood male lead, and a beauty entrepreneur whose makeup line reenvisions what beauty even means.
This list isn’t just about who is hot right now. Instead, it is about people who have the potential for long-lasting impact, people who spark important conversations and, in big and small ways, are shifting the culture.
✨Head here to check out all of the incredible profiles.✨
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With the first Monday in May comes The Met Gala. This year’s theme is the second part of 2021’s theme IN AMERICA. The first year was the Lexicon of Fashion, this year’s theme “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” had a mission statement of celebrating the “ storytelling and a historical context (of fashion), starting with the development of American fashion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the emergence of an identifiable American style and the rise of the name designer.” The dress code was "gilded glamour and white tie.”
This year’s chairs were Anna Wintour, Tom Ford as honorary chair and official co-chairs Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Regina King (who did not attend).
Of course nearly everyone just did whatever the hell they wanted to do.
Like Conan Gray
Like the cast and creative behind the upcoming film ELVIS, all clad in Prada.
Costume designer Catherine Martin, Alton Mason Kelvin Harrison Jr, Olivia DeJonge, Austin Butler, Elvis’ ex-wife Priscilla Presley, Jerry Schilling, Kacey Musgraves who has a song on the soundtrack and Martin’s husband, director Baz Luhrmann.
Butler and girlfriend, Kaia Gerber
Cyrano (2021)
A new, high-anxiety trailer has been released for “It Comes at Night” which opens in the US next Friday (9 June). The film is receiving rave reviews from critics and festival-goers who have been at the preview showings, and it currently has a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com. Joel’s performance as a desperate Dad has also been receiving high praise….
“Flexing a rugged masculinity, Edgerton plays Paul as the quintessential protective father, his spooked eyes a by-product of the horrors he’s seen. Paul’s initial resistance to helping Will (Christopher Abbott) is born from his vigilance to safeguard his family, but once he allows them into his home, he wrestles with trust issues – not to mention a passing concern that his wife and son don’t need him as much now that they have other people in their life. Of course, such a taciturn man never expresses these feelings, but Edgerton’s precise, muted performance telegraphs the character’s shifting emotions.”
“It Comes at Night” cast mates Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ojogo, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. share some laughs whilst describing the things they did to bond as a family on the film, and reveal who they think would be the most capable survivor in a post-apocalyptic world…
Click on the attached link to watch a very informative 30 mins. interview with Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and writer/director Trey Edward Shults as they discuss their new film, the deeply disturbing “It Comes at Night.”
Joel, Carmen, and Kelvin provide some particularly interesting insights into how they appproached creating a family on screen.
https://build.aol.com/video/5935acf4f3bdc946b9a35e58/#nav-videos
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![“These are good people in this movie [‘It Comes at Night’] driven mad by illness](https://64.media.tumblr.com/b5d8bbfa0deefd81c7168e58724c44a2/tumblr_or8czocgEj1r9myx5o1_1280.jpg "“These are good people in this movie [‘It Comes at Night’] driven mad by illness")
![“These are good people in this movie [‘It Comes at Night’] driven mad by illness](https://64.media.tumblr.com/122c7201e95fe3a70a72f134c81624ab/tumblr_or8czocgEj1r9myx5o2_1280.jpg "“These are good people in this movie [‘It Comes at Night’] driven mad by illness")
“These are good people in this movie [‘It Comes at Night’] driven mad by illness and paranoia and claustrophobia. Like wild animals backed into a corner, the inhabitants of this household lash out at one another at the slightest sign of trouble, unable to trust one another, and quick to turn on anyone who starts to show signs of the plague that has infiltrated their once safe world. They are torn apart by their survival instincts; made monsters by their own self preservation. It’s tragic and unsettling, but it oozes with authenticity and heartbreak.”
Photos: “It Comes at Night” cast members Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbott and Kelvin Harrison, Jr. at the film’s New York premiere earlier this week.
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