THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE Movie Review + 2026 Oscars Nominations | SEATED Podcast | Ep. 20

Hosts Tre'vell Anderson and Ray Love Jr. prepare for a spiritual awakening in this week's review of THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE.

Starring Amanda Seyfried in a transcendent performance as the founder of the Shakers, the film paints a lush, reverent portrait of a woman claiming her divinity against the backdrop of the 18th century.

Ray and Tre'vell explore the quiet power of the biopic, but can't help wondering about who usually receives this specific type of soft, prestigious lighting. They ask the central question: What would it actually look like to give a Black woman this kind of cinematic grace?

Tune in for their verdict: is this religious drama a "Seated," "Stream It," or a "Skip It?"

Plus, the hosts play a special "Five On It" edition of the Black Cinema Games, highlighting Black films that share similar spiritual themes. Finally, they close the show with Good Vibes Only, sharing what's bringing them joy this week.

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00:00:08 - Skip Intro

00:00:53 - 2026 Oscars Nominations

00:21:50 - The Testament of Ann Lee Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

00:44:02 - Seated, Skip It, Stream It Verdict

00:46:50 - Rotten Tomatoes Ratings

00:47:25 - Black Critic Spotlight: Sarah Vincent, SarahGVincentReviews.com

00:48:33 - Black Cinema Games: Five On It

00:58:21 - Good Vibes Only: Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006), Sol And The Gang

CONNECT

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• Website: https://www.seatedshow.com
• Email: [email protected]

CREDITS

Hosts: Tre'vell Anderson and Ray Love Jr.

Produced by: Slayzhon and FiftyLeven Media

Editor: Ray Love Jr.

Theme Music: Buckroll

Animation: Agung Adhi

Location Partner: The WalkGood Yard ( @WalkGoodLA )

Creative Consultant: Jade Fox ( ⁨@iamjadefox⁩ )

Publicity: House of Heralds

APPENDIX

• The Testament of Ann Lee starring Amanda Seyfried (Directed by Mona Fastvold)
• All Day Movie Stay by Chris K. aka Chris Cinema
• Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit starring Whoopi Goldberg, Lauryn Hill, Sheryl Lee Ralph (Directed by Bill Duke)
• Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. starring Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, Nicole Beharie, Conphidance (Directed by Adamma Ebo)
• The Color Purple (1985) starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey (Directed by Steven Spielberg)
• The Five Heartbeats starring Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon, Harry Lennix (Directed by Robert Townsend)
• The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale starring Fantasia Barrino, Loretta Devine, Kadeem Hardison, Viola Davis (Directed by Debbie Allen)
• Bugonia starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau (Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos)
• Frankenstein (2025) starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz (Directed by Guillermo del Toro)
• F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem (Directed by Joseph Kosinski)
• Hamnet starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn (Directed by Chloé Zhao)
• Marty Supreme starring Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler, the Creator, Odessa A'zion (Directed by Josh Safdie)
• One Battle After Another starring Teyana Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro (Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson)
• The Secret Agent starring Wagner Moura, Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria (Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho)
• Dreamgirls starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson (Directed by Bill Condon)
• Sentimental Value starring Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, Cory Michael Smith, Shira Haas (Directed by Joachim Trier)
• Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo (Directed by Ryan Coogler)
• Train Dreams starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones (Directed by Andrew Haigh)
• Diary of a Mad Black Woman starring Kimberly Elise, Jennifer Lewis, Shemar Moore, Tyler Perry (Directed by Darren Grant)
• Madea's Family Reunion starring Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Boris Kodjoe (Directed by Tyler Perry)