tHe aNtoine FuQua stoRy- #bEiNspiRed

Antoine Fuqua- Actor, Producer, & Director- photo credit LA Times

Today i would like to share an interesting and inspiring story about someone i believe to be one of the most consistent, but underrated film directors in the world.

Meet Antoine Fuqua, a very talented but also very creative Director, Producer & Actor. You may not recognize him or even have heard his name before but i am certain you have seen his work. Training Day, The Replacement Killer(1998), Shooter (2007), King Arthur(2014), Brooklyn's Finest(2010), Olympus has fallen(2013) & recently The Equalizer  (2014)  are just some of the movies Antoine has directed in addition to directing music videos for Tony Braxton, Prince, Stevie Wonder (Find your love, 1995), Usher(Bedtime, ver. 2), Lil Wayne (Mirror, 2011), and wait for it Coolio (Ganster's paradise, 1995) yeah! He also has a few TV Commercials to his credit which include: Pirelli Tires (The Call, 2006), Reebok, Toyota, Armani.. I could go on and on but you see what i mean by 'underrated'

I found his story particularly inspiring, because like him, a lot of us started our chosen career paths with nothing. He used his 'lack' as fuel and motivation to make something out his his life. 

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 19th of January 1966, He credits his big break and turning point to getting Shot at the age of 15-(Did i hear you say weird? keep reading..). Yes at 15 he got shot on the streets and he says that pushed him to stay away from the streets and engage in everyday activities like going to the movies and playing basketball. This probably set him on his artistic course.

Before long he landed a Basketball scholarship to study Electrical Engineering at the West Virginia University, He did not graduate- (Lesson: though a degree gives you some level of social standing and job market leverage, it doesn't determine all you can be in Life, because if you lack the strength to impose your terms on Life, then you deserve the terms Life imposes on you). 

His first major influence in directing was from Akira Kurosama, the director of 7th Samurai, shortly after he put his rent money into a short film called 'Exit' a story about a drug dealer and his illusions of Stigma and suicide. He sent it out to major record labels who didn't know what to make of it. Not long after that, he got a call from the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer who invited him to make a music video with Coolio, for a movie he was working on. He recalls being sent on coffee runs by people he was supposed to be meeting who mistook him for a production assistant and who didn't realize he was the director presumably because he was black. 

His fire comes from the believe that sometimes unfortunate things happen to people in Life, you have to take those experiences and use them as leverage to propel yourself to your dreams and not go backwards. Burn that bridge behind you so the only way for you is forward, Believe in yourself, Open up your mind to better ways of doing things.

Antoine Fuqua is married to Lela Rochon also an actor. He currently has an estimated net-worth of about $18,000,000. He says if he wasnt a film maker, he would be in some Government Military organization. He hates the 'black' label some media people attach to his personality or achievement. He feels that movie making should be about elevating the idea of what we are and who we are as people in the cinema, and that movies like 'Soul Plane' keep dragging us back down. 
..lol

What would you say has marked your turning point or biggest leverage in your career that has propelled you to an even greater path?  let me know in the comment box. thank you for reading along.

- @gozzim

sources: MyFirstBigBreak, Wikipedia, IMDB, bbc.co.uk

mOtHeR dENzeL

Remember this next time you walk up to the ticket window of your local movie theater with $10 in your hand. The Media (Accidentally?) missed this one!!!! Please read this: The troops oversees would like you to send it to everybody you know. Subject: Denzel Washington, and Brooks Army Medical Center. Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center , in San Antonio , Texas, (BAMC) the other day. 

 

This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States , especially burn victims. There are some buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a Hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the Hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time. 

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it. The question is - why do: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood fluff make front page news with their ridiculous anticsand Denzel Washington's Patriotism doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the Local newspaper in San Antonio . A true American and friend to all in uniform! This needs as wide a distribution as we can create. Please share it!

~courtesy Travis Augustine

Final destination2

This has to rank as my favorite horor(*well i think semi horor) movie of all time. I always had the impression that if you wanted a good story line in a movie, horors movies where the last place to turn. I dare say that the director of this movie has got a very twisted mind and a keen attention to details.

From the visually disturbing scenes, to the creative patterns by which each of the major casts where haunted by death,it is apparent that this is an amazing movie to watch.

The movie directed by David R. Ellis, stars Ali Larter and A.J Cook who both play individuals who cheated death by having premonitions through which they were able to save lives except that the survivors begin to die in mysterious ways after the said premonitions, which prompts them to stick together for survival

The downside to this movie for me was: after such an intense script I would have expected a more dramatic end. In conclusion this movie gets 7 G-stamps from me out of 10.

M.I quits Music: PR stunt or True Story

I have struggled for almost a week with stories of M.I leaving music for acting. As much as i believe in the full exploitation of artistic brands, it bothers me: one because i have been a fan from the very beginning, two because i had the rare privilege to work as part of his PR team back in the days. The following statement has further escalated the rumors:

“I think its time for me to try something new, I’ve loved music all my life but its time to try something new. Acting is something I’ve always had a passion for and I think its time for me to tap into that area…”

Haven given the whole idea some thought, (though it may be a fact that he was in a movie) i couldn't help but think of artistes like kanye west and 5ocents who have been known to stretch creative limits to stand out. My honest opinion is this: " as much as i would like to believe the stories, i still think a greater part of  rumors is a publicity stunt for the upcoming album"

::Nigerians in Hollywood::Raz Adoti | season2

Sometime in May 2008, I started a series of posts on this blog called 'Nigerians in Hollywood', for some reason there was a long pause after sophie Okenedo's review. We also reviewed Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje , popularly known as 'Eko' from the lost series. Season two opens with a review of another huge talent Raz Adoti.


Born in England to Nigerian parents, Razaaq Adoti (a.k.a. Raz) is the second eldest of five children. After graduating high school, Raz's first intention was to work behind the scenes as a cameraman, but he fell in love with the stage instead. At the age of 17, after his first year in college, Adoti landed his first job in theater.

Before graduating, Adoti was cast as Nathan Detroit in the National Youth and Music Theatre Company's (NYMT) production of Guys and Dolls. The tour took Adoti to Japan, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and numerous other places across Europe. Additionally in 1991, he secured a part in NYMT's production of the opera Aesop, which won a Fringe First Award

In 1992 he was accepted to train at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama (former students of the academy include Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave). At CSSD, Adoti earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in acting. Upon graduation, he was signed by one of London's most reputable talent agencies and his professional career was truly under way.

Within a year of leaving drama school Adoti's dream of performing on stage came true. In 1997, he was cast in a major supporting role in Steven Spielberg's new epic, Amistad. He was humbled to be a part of the distinguished cast assembled to chronicle a very important chapter in American history. The ensemble included: Sir Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman and Matthew McConaughey. After completing Amistad, he returned to London with newfound determination. He worked on various television and film projects.

In 2001, Hollywood came calling again and this time, Adoti was given the chance to work with another Oscar®-winning director, Ridley Scott. Adoti played the main antagonist in Scott's Black Hawk Down, Yousuf Dahir Mo'alim. Since then he has gone on to co-star in director Paul
Anderson's Resident Evil: Apocalypse, opposite Milla Jovovich.

Adoti's past television credits include Sky One's award-winning television drama Dream Team, BBC's BAFTA award-winning miniseries Holding On, ITV's award-winning television drama, Soldier Soldier and Channel 4's controversial miniseries Men Only. Raz last vistited Nigeria in 2008 and comes home regularly. He says he feels a strong connection to his roots.

Next week we would also be taking a trip to the world of Chiwetel Ejiofor. Another Nigerian born, screen genius. I bet they all make us proud some how.