Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
New film "Precious" gets big push from Oprah
Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:36pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Frank McGurty
TORONTO (Reuters) - When it comes to generating Oscar buzz, a film like "Precious" could do far worse than having Oprah Winfrey's backing.
America's most influential tastemaker said she came to the project late, signing on as executive producer only after the Lee Daniels-directed tale of the abuse and redemption of a big city teenage girl was mostly ready for the big screen.
Judging from the reaction to its weekend screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, long considered a launch pad for Academy Award campaigns, "Precious" is likely to have a powerful impression on film audiences and Oscar voters.
"It is so raw that it sucks the air out of the room by the end of the film," Oprah told reporters before the movie's gala presentation in Toronto.
"I think it is a good thing that you are taken to that level of engagement with this film," Oprah said, seated alongside newcomer Gabourey Sidibe who plays the title role. "A film like this comes along once in a time."
Set in Harlem in 1987, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," tells the harrowing story of an obese, illiterate teenager named Claireece "Precious" Jones, who was impregnated by her own father for a second time.
Walking through life in sullen silence, Precious endures brutal physical and emotional abuse from her mother (Mo'Nique), a welfare cheat who spends her waking hours in front of a grainy TV set in their darkened tenement.
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
"Precious" is a gritty drama, just the kind of movie that Oscar voters like. Yet, in this recession when audiences have favored uplifting tales, "Precious" also gives filmgoers a story of survival and redemption.
John Anderson, critic for showbusiness newspaper Variety, called it "like a diamond -- clear, bright, but oh so hard."
Precious eventually finds her way to a school where a caring teacher nurtures the inner self-worth that glows inside her. Exactly how she overcomes the demons that seem to stalk her every step gives the story its power.
"For people who have endured that kind of situation -- me being one those people, its message is hope," said Tyler Perry, perhaps best-known for Madea, his African-American matriarch character. Perry, who has said he grew up with an abusive father, serves an executive producer on "Precious."
"(Precious) walks away with her life, she walks away with her faith, her life, and love for the first time ... That's what I'm hoping people walk away with," said Perry, who as a director scored his second No. 1 movie of the year this weekend with "I Can Do Bad All By Myself."
Many of the people involved with "Precious" said making the film had a powerful emotional impact on them.
Mary J. Blige, whose song "I See in Color" resonates during a key scene in the movie, was particularly moving when asked about the emotions she wanted to tap when writing the lyrics. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Whitney Houston says mom rescued her from drugs
Also On Reuters
Video
Video: One year on, Lehman victims still fighting
Know thy enemy? A guide to surviving the office
Slideshow
Slideshow: Highlights from New York Fashion Week
More Entertainment News
Whitney Houston says mom rescued her from drugs
Kanye West outburst mars MTV music video awards
Struggling NBC takes the Leno leap
Apocalypse now? Dark visions at Toronto film festival
Ricky Gervais' "Lying" is hilarious, to be honest
More Entertainment News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Police: body found in lab is missing Yale student
Kanye West outburst mars MTV music video awards
Bin Laden warns U.S. on Israel ties | Video
UPDATE 3-Obama warns against scare tactics over healthcare
Bail set at $30 million in Dugard kidnap case
Tax evaders rush to beat amnesty deadline
U.S. tire duties fuel trade tension with China | Video
Israeli war film "Lebanon" wins top prize in Venice
Obama warns Wall Street to get behind reforms | Video
Serena earns a place in the tennis hall of shame
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Japan's next PM
Caution: Man eating spiders
Mortars hit Mogadishu hospital
HK elevator accident kills 6
Bangkok's luxury sale
Chavez secures Russian arms deal
Lehman victims fight on
American, Delta eye Japan Airlines
Deadly fire at Kazakh drug clinic
Press freedom protest in Hong Kong
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.