Fruitvale Station Movie Review: Michael B. Jordan Will Likely Nab an Oscar Nomination

Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Credit: courtesy of The Weinstein Company
In Theaters: Now

It’s not too soon to trumpet Michael B. Jordan as a likely 2014 Best Actor Oscar nominee. The soft-spoken, baby-faced actor — best known for his fine TV work in The Wire, Friday Night Lights and Parenthood — is that powerful in this exceptional drama.

The true story traces the last day in the life of Oscar Grant (Jordan), a 22-year-old ex-con who was shot in the back by an Oakland transit cop in the Fruitvale train station just after New Year’s Eve in 2009. His death and the police officer's ensuing slap-on-the-wrist conviction led to massive protests throughout the area.

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That’s the headline. This film captures the human. Thanks to a series of quietly riveting snapshots, Oscar is shown as a caring father, an aimless pot dealer, a doting boyfriend, and a short-fused punk who angrily threatens his former grocery store supervisor. In a searing flashback scene, Oscar, whose drug-dealing landed in him in jail, gets a visitation from his mom (Octavia Spencer) on her birthday. One minute, he’s nonchalantly conversing with her about his daughter; the next, he’s embroiled in a knock-down fight with a fellow inmate; the next, he’s tearfully begging his mom for a hug as she leaves in a furious huff. It’s an unflinching, 360-degree character portrait.

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Ultimately, Oscar is the hapless victim. Though his demise is set up in the prologue, this doesn’t make his last chaotic moments in Fruitvale any less tension-filled: As he lay handcuffed face-down on the ground unarmed, pleading to the arresting, menacing police officers of his innocence, audiences might get lulled into the feeling that maybe — just maybe — his life will be spared. Instead, his death is played out in haunting fashion. Spencer’s reaction to every parent's worst nightmare is a gut-wrencher.

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All this drama might seem overwrought and manipulative — if it weren't for the actual raw footage, shown in the film, from horrified onlookers who recorded the incident on their Smartphones. In the end, these eyewitness accounts help bring Oscar’s murder to justice. Just know that his unshakeable tale doesn’t bring closure.

Clinton Presidential Center to Host Oscar de la Renta Fashion Exhibit

Oscar de la Renta is the man of the hour. The dapper, Dominican Republic-born designer recently received this year's CFDA Founders Award. And starting next week, his life and career will be displayed with an exhibit at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The exhibit, "Oscar de la Renta: American Icon," will commemorate the fashion designer's impact on the fashion world through his own original designs, featuring more than 30 of his past masterpieces. To celebrate the special display, President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will welcome de la Renta and Vogue's Anna Wintour with a private reception on July 8.

Hillary, who presented de la Renta with the CFDA Founders Award in June, appeared in the December 1998 issue of Vogue and spoke highly of the renowned designer. "Oscar de la Renta is the ultimate statesman of American fashion," said the former First Lady in an interview. "His name alone evokes shimmering elegance and timeless beauty that has helped define global style for generations. He is a true American original."

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As a red carpet and runway favorite, the de la Renta-curated pieces will feature statement-making gowns worn by Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nancy Regan, as well as Hillary and Chelsea. The Great Gatsby-inspired dress worn by Carey Mulligan on this year's cover of Vogue's May issue will also be featured along with couture pieces from the Oscar de la Renta for Pierre Balmain collection.

The exhibit, which runs through December 1, will also feature video interviews with words from de la Renta's friends and colleagues. including the Clinton family, Wintour, Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley, Barbara Walters and Diane von Furstenberg.

In February, de la Renta celebrated 50 years in the fashion industry with his Fall 2013 runway show in New York.