(***) There’s a race issue in Colombia. A class issue too. Add in right-wing leaders who champion the appropriation of land inhabited by people of African heritage, and the mere existence of the well-grounded, social activist Francia Márquez is a miracle. Her ascension, from local hero to presidential candidate, is a transformation worth studying. Documentary filmmaker Juan […]
Daughters Wins 2024 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and Festival Favorite Award
(****) When you start with a humanizing premise, there’s nowhere to go but up. Documentaries that present solutions, not just observations, should be lauded and rewarded. That’s why praise has been bestowed on this heartwarming film and its mission to reunite daughters and their incarcerated dads. Bring a tissue when you see it. Maybe a […]
I.S.S.
(***1/2) Blast off! This gripping sci-fi/dra/thr holds attention from the moment astronaut Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose, West Side Story) enters the International Space Station (I.S.S.). In the near future and 254 miles above sea level, Foster is welcomed by fellow American astronauts Gordon (Chris Messina, King Richard) and Christian (John Gallagher) as she enters the I.S.S. They introduce her to Russian crew […]
The Book of Clarence
(**) It is written. Making a befuddling satire is a sin and mixing pageantry with ambiguity is not the next coming. That’s why The Book of Clarence flounders. This story of Jesus’s final days riffs off the many Hollywood interpretations that came before it. From 1927’s The King of Kings by Cecile B DeMille to 2004’s The Passion of the […]
Lift
(**1/2) Any film that begins with an elaborate, broad daylight heist deserves viewers’ attention. It’s what comes between that intro and the film’s adrenalin-pumping final hour that may give Netflix audiences reasons to take a refrigerator break. Comedian and comic actor Kevin Hart tries to ditch his funny, smart-mouth persona to play a suave international […]
Society of the Snow
(***) “If I die, I give you permission to feed on my body.” Sounds like the opening line of a cheesy vampire movie. Instead, it’s the turning point in a based-on-fact drama that pits men against the elements and their only weapons are ingenuity, an unflagging will to survive and courage. In 1972, a Uruguayan […]
Good Grief
(**1/2) A tepid rom/com/dra usually breeds ambivalence. That’s the case here. There are chuckles, whimsy, flirtations and tragic twists. But in the end, though entertaining and breezy, nothing cuts as deep as it should. Comic actor/showrunner/writer/producer/director Daniel Levy was laugh-out-loud funny on his Emmy-winning series Schitt’s Creek. As a family went from great wealth to abject poverty in […]
9 New Black-Owned Restaurants To Visit In 2024
Black chefs and restaurateurs are creating new dishes, reinventing traditional ones and preserving the classics. See for yourself. My article on Essence.com will show you the way. Click here.
10 BEST FILMS 2023
As 2023 ends, this year’s best films are vying for awards that will crescendo with the Oscar® race. Film fans don’t have to watch from the sidelines. They can join the fun and view them all in theaters, VOD or on streaming services. Pictures, directors, screenwriters, actors and behind the lens talent have given their […]
Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé
(***) Mother/wife, CEO and performer. Beyoncé knows who she is. Now the rest of the world will too. Just like her BeyHive, a fan club that she showers with love and devotion: “My heart is full. My soul is full.” The Destiny’s Child lead singer has some news. She’s grown as a solo artist. From […]
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