With Christmas around, it is only natural to find holiday themed or biblical themed movies. Well, granting your wishes and expectations, God apparently acted in obvious ways through production houses, presenting you with two movies to explore his presence in life. So, now you have the trailers to Black Nativity and Noah out on the internet. Black Nativity is the first to arrive at the scene, opening on November 27. The graceful story recreates a musical from 1961. The movie has an all-black cast, taking the audience into an interpretation of the Christmas spirit through the poignant African-American culture. The movie features heavyweight actors and actresses like Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, and Tyrese Gibson.
Kasi Lemmons directs this film. The fimmaking experience of Lemmons include the movie ‘Talk to Me’ (based on true events), and the period dram from the South, Eve’s Bayou. The film blogger/reviewer community online widely thinks these movies did not get the attention they deserve. So, perhaps, the gentle grace of Black Nativity, in the face of life’s hardships can be the movie that brings Lemmons the recognition she deserves. The story revolves around the life of Langston, a teenager from Baltimore, living with his mother. However, as is the real plight of many homeowners, the family receives an eviction notice just before Christmas. So, circumstances lead Langston to go to New York and live with his grandparents, who severed all contact with his single mother for many years.
Frustrated at the strict discipline imposed by his reverent Grandfather, Langston decides to take a journey back to Baltimore. En route, fate arranges for him to meet different people who help him solve the different pieces of puzzle in his life. He learns valuable lessons on healing, trusting, and loving. The music in the trailer is soulfully beautiful. R&B recording artist Jacob O’Neal Latimer Jr. plays the role of Langston. Most interestingly, the movie derives from a stage musical by black culture icon, Langston Hughes.
Soon following Black Nativity, and taking the esoteric theme of divinity forward, there is Noah. This is going to be an epic film, based in the modern context. Although the film is about to open in March, the trailers to this epic movie just started circulating the internet. Film buffs are keen on feeling the tryst of Noah (Russell Crowe), who brings in his dense acting skills in depicting the trysts of a God’s chosen man. Noah again has to build a boat. He gets dreams, and the real starts to blend with the surreal.
Noah dreams of a watery grave. He cannot just ignore the visions, as they are much too powerful. Anthony Hopkins plays the role of Methuselah, who quotes the bible to say that God is about to reclaim his creation through destruction because man does not mend his ways. The responsibility of constructing the arc comes on Noah. The protagonist has Jennifer Connelly is his wife’s role. She also played Russell’s wife in the Beautiful Mind. Emma Watson, Douglas Booth, and Logan Lerman play the roles of the children. Noah has to defeat an adversary, Ray Winstone, who arrives with an army to capture the ark. A divine battle ensues, setting the stage with heavy flooding and blazing meteors.
