That was an excellent one.

Really Surprised!

A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Zoe Saldana blacks up to play the difficult, volatile and fiery Nina Simone. Nina took no prisoners and there are people still alive who have the shrapnel wounds to prove it.This film never gets a handle on its subject, it really is all over the place. It sets up to its story from the point of view of Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo) the psychiatric nurse who becomes her assistant and later her manager.Henderson has a difficult task caring for a diva with mental health issues, money problems, a bad reputation and a voice that is losing its edge. Promoters do not make money from her, clubs do not want to book her and audiences refuse to stay silent when she sings.Director Cynthia Mort had her work cut out to make Nina a sympathetic figure despite her support for the civil rights movement. Nina did not want sympathy when she was alive. Nina would sometimes go on stage and wind up the audience by not singing her greatest hits. Apparently Mort did not have the final cut to this film but what we have is a disappointing bio-pic.

This movie is worthwhile watching. If not for its story, at least for Zoe Saldana's magical performance. She is truly a talented woman. So what if the story is from the perspective of Cynthia Mort. Ignore all the negative reviews it has received so far. This movie was very enjoyable.David Oyelowo had a good convincing performance. Although it was a bit odd that he was in a movie that referred to Martin Luther King Jr. We don't see Mr. King in the movie, but he was an important figure in Nina Simone's life.I especially enjoyed the last two scenes in the movie. Very touching and a well prepared climax. Saladan's singing was astonishingly good.

I just have seen the movie and I also have read a lot of debates around it. In my opinion, all that "Zoe is not black enough"seems unbelievable - so many actors are using make-up and prosthetics when playing biopics and none was creating such debate. Due to this movie I discovered Nina Simone ( I honestly was not familiar with her music before), I watched a lot of Nina's songs after the movie, and appreciated a lot her music . I also liked a lot how Zoe interpreted the song "Black is the color" minute 35 of the movie) - I have seen all youtube versions interpreted by various artists but Zoe's is the best in my opinion. Yes, Zoe performed, it's mentioned ... I am sorry that this well done biopic was transformed in a political debate...art should be above this.

I came in with expectations about this film. They weren't particularly high but what I did expect was to a lesser degree the music and vocal styling. Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone missed that mark completely. Unlike Jamie Fox in Ray where he magnificently captured Ray Charles's vocal patterns and musical style, you get none of this with Saldana's Nina. In fact, it doesn't transport you away at all. It's an unpleasant look into Nina's last years of her life, one that you do not wish to fully examine. And then there is the makeup that was applied to Zoe Saldana. It was not a visual look that was welcomed. I don't know if they were trying to capture Nina's appearance but this too was flawed and I go back to Jamie Fox role as Ray. Maybe Zoe Saldana was the wrong choice although I do see her being credited as one of the producers along with David Oyelowo who also has a role in this so maybe this was more of a vanity thing because they did it and figured it was easier for her to play the role. the other thing that bothered me was that they kept jumping from one era to another without any consistency. It was a visual headache to the story that just didn't fit. This was tough to watch.