(***) A winner! That would describe this very reflective look at women’s professional basketball. From the OG players to today’s socially conscious, media-savvy Gen Zers. For the past year, the face of the WNBA has been Brittany Griner. The 6’9” athlete was accused of carrying hashish oil at an airport near Moscow. She was detained, […]
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(**1/2) They’re back. This interspecies, intergalactic hodgepodge group of rambunctious space marauders-turned-crusaders is trying to make another bloated Marvel epic fly. Kids and diehard fans will be onboard. Adults may wait for the next flight. They’re cross-galaxies adventurers. Close knit and lose knit all at the same time. In this third installment of the Guardians of […]
Discover Black Toronto
Visit Toronto and you’ll encounter one of the most multicultural/multiracial cities in the world along with a thriving Black community of 400K+ African heritage people. People who can trace their roots back to the Caribbean or African Americans who fled to Canada from the U.S. during slavery in the 1800s or immigration from Africa—the motherland (Somalia, […]
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
(***) “No man left behind.” During America’s Revolutionary War that was the First Continental Army’s motto. That credo is a driving force in this very engaging war/act/thr. This film’s unlikely creator is director Guy Ritchie, who’s noted for making smug, densely plotted British capers (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and lavish family films (Aladdin). […]
Juneteenth Juice
You’ll find “Juneteenth Juice” in the May/June issue of Essence Magazine.
Chevalier
(***1/2) It’s not the same as it was. This retelling of 18th century French violinist-composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ life is steeped in history but rocked with a modern imagination. Screenwriter Stefani Robinson’s (Atlanta) research and ingenuity resurrects Bologne (Kelvin Harris Jr.) as a European superstar, given the honorary title Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Queen Marie […]
Sweetwater
(**) This b-ball, biofilm dribbles but can’t shoot. The direction, acting, script and production team are all in play, but nothing scores. Part of the problem is its subject. OG b-baller Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton was a pioneer. His achievements are worth retelling, but a bit murky. Technically, he was the first African American to sign an NBA contract. In fact on November 4th, […]
Little Richard: I Am Everything
(***1/2) Shut up!!! Before Elvis, David Bowie, Prince, Harry Styles and Lil Nas X there was Little Richard. The bright, shiny North star of rock and roll. Richard Penniman, a pioneer rock ‘n roller, was the third of 12 children in 1930s Macon, GA. His brash personality got him the attention he desired. Banging piano keys like […]
Air
(***1/2) “I love that brown ball.” That’s what a 7-Eleven cashier says to a Nike basketball exec as he buys magazines with NBA stars on the covers. The young man expresses what kids, teens and adults around the country feel. An affinity for basketball, its heroes and camaraderie. A fellowship. There are legends in sports, but […]
A Thousand and One
(****) She’s like the girl next door. The young woman from around the way. The one you think you know, but you don’t. Mary J. Bilge has radiated that kind of approachable vibe her entire career. It’s disarming and endearing. That don’t-I know-you feel helps Teyana Taylor turn a very feisty and troubled mom into […]
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