Damn! Martin Luther King Just Got Punched In The Face In The Trailer For ‘Selma’

I love biopics. There is something about knowing how a story ends that allows me to sit back and enjoy the performances of the people onscreen – rather than worrying about whether or not Ray Charles will ever kick that drug habit, or whether or not Johnny Cash will ever kick that drug habit, or whether or not Stephen Hawking will ever kick that drug habit. Selma doesn’t seem to be heavily drug-addict focused, but I am still intent on seeing it. Having already heard how this story ends (both triumphantly and tragically) I am mostly going to be watching Selma for the performances. Sure, most of the key roles in the film are being played by british actors like David Oyewolo playing MLK and Tom Wilkinson playing LBJ, but that just makes me even more confident that the acting is going to be Oscar-worthy. And if I’m wrong and the acting is crap, well, at least some kids will learn some American history. Either way, I get to see a movie where I don’t have to spend a single second trying to anticipate who is going to betray who, or whose character is actually ghost, or what planet Selma, Alabama is actually on. I already know all of this. That’s why I love biopics. Spoilers are welcome.

Selma opens wide January 9th, and Christmas Day (read: eligible for this year’s Oscars) in select theaters.