Chuyển sang chế độ ngoại tuyến với ứng dụng Player FM !
170: Fresh (with David Jamell Moses)
Manage episode 424422044 series 2832298
The film writer David Jamell Moses joins the show for a discussion about a great nineties film that has been flying under the radar for too long, Boaz Yakin’s debut feature Fresh (1994) starring Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson and a 13-year-old actor named Sean Nelson making his film debut, in one of the greatest screen acting performances by a child.
Nelson plays Michael (aka Fresh), a quiet 12-year-old boy who runs drugs for rival gangsters in New York City, including one kingpin who has addicted his sister to heroin and considers young Fresh to be his heir apparent. When Fresh witnesses an act of horrifying gun violence, he takes inspiration from his estranged alcoholic father, a speed-chess master, and applies the principles of the game of chess to carry out a complex strategy to eliminate the gangsters and save himself and his sister from their fates.
Fresh isn’t as well-remembered as other urban crime dramas of the 1990s but David and I love it, and on this episode we go deep on the film’s many virtues; some may be surprised to learn this film was made by a white director but Yakin hardly takes a wrong or phony step to tell this Black story, which functions as a thriller and a tragedy, with magnificent performances and a devastating conclusion.
Plus: how to properly pronounce the name “Giancarlo Esposito”!
Become a patron of the podcast to access to exclusive episodes every month. Over 30% of Junk Filter episodes are exclusively available to patrons. To support this show directly for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) please subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter
Follow David Jamell Moses on Twitter, and check out his writing over at his blog Departures.
Here’s David’s appreciation thread for Fresh on Twitter that inspired this episode
Trailer for Fresh (Boaz Yakin, 1994)
174 tập
Manage episode 424422044 series 2832298
The film writer David Jamell Moses joins the show for a discussion about a great nineties film that has been flying under the radar for too long, Boaz Yakin’s debut feature Fresh (1994) starring Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson and a 13-year-old actor named Sean Nelson making his film debut, in one of the greatest screen acting performances by a child.
Nelson plays Michael (aka Fresh), a quiet 12-year-old boy who runs drugs for rival gangsters in New York City, including one kingpin who has addicted his sister to heroin and considers young Fresh to be his heir apparent. When Fresh witnesses an act of horrifying gun violence, he takes inspiration from his estranged alcoholic father, a speed-chess master, and applies the principles of the game of chess to carry out a complex strategy to eliminate the gangsters and save himself and his sister from their fates.
Fresh isn’t as well-remembered as other urban crime dramas of the 1990s but David and I love it, and on this episode we go deep on the film’s many virtues; some may be surprised to learn this film was made by a white director but Yakin hardly takes a wrong or phony step to tell this Black story, which functions as a thriller and a tragedy, with magnificent performances and a devastating conclusion.
Plus: how to properly pronounce the name “Giancarlo Esposito”!
Become a patron of the podcast to access to exclusive episodes every month. Over 30% of Junk Filter episodes are exclusively available to patrons. To support this show directly for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) please subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter
Follow David Jamell Moses on Twitter, and check out his writing over at his blog Departures.
Here’s David’s appreciation thread for Fresh on Twitter that inspired this episode
Trailer for Fresh (Boaz Yakin, 1994)
174 tập
Tutti gli episodi
×Chào mừng bạn đến với Player FM!
Player FM đang quét trang web để tìm các podcast chất lượng cao cho bạn thưởng thức ngay bây giờ. Đây là ứng dụng podcast tốt nhất và hoạt động trên Android, iPhone và web. Đăng ký để đồng bộ các theo dõi trên tất cả thiết bị.