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In this collaborative livestream program, film critic and The Black CAPE Magazine founder Jonita Davis joins Christine Pasalo Norland to call attention to exclusionary film and TV critics, critique, and practices, and to identify ways of including reviewers from historically marginalized communities in the reframing of discourse around film and TV projects. The Call Out is based on Jonita's Medium essay, "Why I Am Calling Out All Colonizer Criticism and What That Means for You."

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Replays of episodes 1–3 are available on the Hello Barkada IG Reels feed. A captioned replay of our premiere episode is available at the bottom of the page and the Hello Barkada YouTube channel. 

We'll update this space once details about the next episode are ready! Follow @JonitaLDavis and @HelloBarkada on Instagram to stay in the loop.

Reviews of Turning Red • May 31, 2022

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Writer Lacey Vorrasi-Banis (Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, Romper, Time) joined Jonita and Christine to discuss the coverage of Disney's Turning Red, how the CinemaBlend review of the movie exposes systemic problems in mainstream entertainment journalism, and how talent and PR teams can help reset the film-review landscape to include more reviewers from historically marginalized communities. We looked at the following in prep for this episode:

• "'Turning Red' is a turning point for Asians in film. Why is it seen as unrelatable?" by Deepa Shivram for NPR

• "A "Turning Red" review: Is there a bad way to do representation?" by Quynh Anh Tong for The State News

• "There is More Than One Way to be Exhausted by "Turning Red"" by Jane Hu for The New Yorker

• "‘Turning Red’ Review: Beware the Red-Furred Monster" by Maya Phillips for the New York Times

• "Reviews: Turning Red" by Tomris Laffly for RogerEbert.com

• "Turning Red review: Pixar grows up, gets panda'd in its joyful tween-centered latest" by Leah Greenblatt for Entertainment Weekly

• "‘Turning Red’: How Director Domee Shi ‘Got Away’ with Making a Risky ‘Magical Puberty’ Story for Pixar" by Kate Erbland for IndieWire

• "Review: Puberty runs amok in Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’" by Jake Coyle for AP News

• "Turning Red review – pandas and pop music collide in solid Pixar caper" by Benjamin Lee for The Guardian

See Metacritic for more critic reviews of Turning Red.

BONUS! If you haven't already, watch and read Lacey's interview with Turning Red and Bao director Domee Shi for Entertainment Weekly.

Reviews of Fast Color • April 20, 2022

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In Episode 2, we fan about Fast Color, call out the practice of erasure by Colonizer Critics in their reviews and during press junkets, and share thoughts on how coverage of past films can help those films and future projects. We looked at the following reviews in prep for this episode:

• "Fast Color Needs Your Attention" by Jonita Davis for Hello Barkada

• "SXSW 2018 Review: ‘Fast Color’" by Jamie Broadnax for Black Girl Nerds

• "‘Fast Color’ Film Review: Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Got the Power in Feminist Superhero Indie" by Monica Castillo for The Wrap

• "‘Fast Color’ Review: Another Empowering Black Superhero Movie, But Don’t Expect ‘Black Panther’" by Eric Kohn for IndieWire

• "Review: Drab, lifeless ‘Fast Color’ is another waste of Gugu Mbatha-Raw" by Mick LaSalle for the San Francisco Chronicle

• "Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Futuristic ‘Fast Color’ Is One Hour and Forty Minutes of Gibberish" by Rex Reed for The Observer

• "'Fast Color' Director Points Out Film's Lack Of Marketing And Hollywood's White, Male Gatekeepers" by Jordan Simon for Shadow and Act

Jonita also shared her takeaways from a taping of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Roundtables, during which actor Harold Perrineau described the press around his Epix TV series From, and Christine shared what happened during an EW IG Live interview with Stephanie Hsu that took place on Thursday, April 7, ahead of the wide release of Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Reviews of Bel-Air • March 30, 2022 

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In our premiere episode, Jonita describes Colonizer Criticism and how it comes through in certain reviews of Bel-Air, and then she and Christine discuss reviews that make space for constructive dialogue around the TV series. We looked at the following reviews in prep for this episode:

• "Bel-Air is a Frustrating Reminder That Representation Isn't Enough" by Angelica Jade Bastién for Vulture

• "Roush Review: Where's the Freshness in 'Bel-Air?'" by Matt Roush for TV Insider

• "Bel-Air review – this confused, joyless Fresh Prince remake has no reason to exist" by Jack Seale for The Guardian

• "Bel-Air" may not be fresh, but it has enough going for it to merit an initial investment" by Melanie McFarland for Salon

If you're interested in sponsoring a future episode or a bundle of episodes, please reach out to contact[at]hellobarkada.org. 

Follow @TheBlackCAPEMag, @JonitaLDavis, and @HelloBarkada on Instagram to stay in the loop of The Call Out. Many thanks to Jonita Davis for collaborating with Hello Barkada on this series.

TAGS: PROGRAMS