Five Favorite Films

Sharon Jones’ Five Favorite Films

by Grae Drake | August 5, 2016

Photo by Getty Images / Theo Wargo

To paraphrase the title of one of her records, Sharon Jones learned it the hard way. The life and times of the former corrections officer-turned-nonpareil soul singer are chronicled in Barbara Kopple’s Miss Sharon Jones!, which follows its subject as she records new music while battling cancer. Jones shared her Five Favorite Films with Rotten Tomatoes; perhaps not surprisingly, she’s got an affinity for musicals.

The Great Debaters (2007)

80%

I was honored to be in this wonderful Denzel Washington movie called The Great Debaters. I liked that movie not just because I was in it, but because I learned a lot from it. I didn’t know about the rich history of all-black colleges back in the 1930s.

Fists of Fury (1971)

65%

Bruce Lee got me to want to go see movies. We’d take the train in from Brooklyn to Times Square to go to the theater there. Back then, 42nd Street was a much different place but was still an entertainment destination.

The Jungle Book (2016)

94%

I really liked the new Jungle Book movie. The animation was great and I loved seeing how that kid fit in with the animals. When I see animals around a watering hole now I think, “What are those animals saying?”

What's Love Got to Do With It (1993)

97%

Truly one of my favorites. I really didn’t know all that much about Tina Turner — other than her music — until I saw that movie. Angela Bassett was fantastic and it really gave me a new appreciation for Tina.

The Wiz (1978)

38%

I really loved The Wiz with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. I remember hearing that Stephanie Mills, who played the part of Dorothy on Broadway, wound up not getting the part. They had to change a lot of the details for the story to make sense for Diana Ross — that’s what got me interested to go see it. And then to see Michael and all the other stars in it. It was also really amazing how they transformed New York City into the fantasy world of an urban Oz.

Miss Sharon Jones! is now playing in limited release.