It was a volatile time. Malcom and Martin had been assassinated in recent years. Civil uprisings and riots had just simmered down. The summer of ’69 was a chance for a much-needed cultural R&R and reawakening. That happened in Harlem’s Mt. Morris Park, when program director Tony Lawrence created the summer-long Harlem Cultural Festival. Three-hundred […]
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival Spotlights Non-fiction Films
Documentaries were front and center at the 20th annual Tribeca Film Festival. These are just a few of the non-fiction films worth noting. All the Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997) (**1/2) In the late ‘80s, NYC rappers and skaters cross-pollinated creating a hybrid subculture. Their haven was DJ Yuki Watanabe’s Mars Nightclub on […]
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival Shines a Light on Feature Films
The 20th annual Tribeca Film Festival brimmed over with feature films that focused on our multicultural world. Check out some of the most unique ones. Brighton 4th (***) Every immigrant has a backstory. The elderly Kakhi (Levan Tedaishvili) was a champion wrestler back in his country of Georgia, before he came to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn to live with his son in […]
Black Films Glow at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival
For the 20th annual Tribeca Film Festival necessity was the mother of invention. To accommodate social distancing and other COVID concerns, the innovative fest took its screenings outdoors. Venues like Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, Pier 76 on the Hudson River, Brooklyn’s MetroTech campus and other open-air places hosted movie fans. Films were played on gigantic screens under the […]
F9
Twenty years after The Fast and the Furious’ debut in 2001, the crew is still driving fast and acting furious. Back in the day, these streetwise, emotionally connected twentysomethings broke the mold for on-screen multicultural friendships, long before inclusion became a thing. Have they gone off the road? Fans will make that decision. There was something […]
The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
On a moment’s notice, these three eccentric actors can bring the crazy. Toss in cursing, car chases, gun fights, con games, whining, denying and betrayals and Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson are in their glory. The vehicle for their sardonic deceptions is this sequel to 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard. In that violent tale […]
In the Heights
Once upon a time, in Nueva York, the streets of Washington Heights were paved with Latinx residents who dreamed of a better life. That’s the premise of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda. That same spirit propels this over-the top screen adaptation. It’s entertaining, jubilant but doesn’t exhibit the same absolute […]
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America
It’s a revelation. The rich history of Black heritage cooking and how it has influenced American cuisine is on view in this enlightening, heartfelt and surprisingly well-crafted documentary. The host for this four-part Netflix epicurean travelogue is Stephen Satterfield, founder of Whetstone Magazine, which is dedicated to food origins and culture. He starts his culinary journey in […]
City of Ali
Can we ever get enough of Muhammad Ali? No! And so, another documentary about him is automatically good news on some level. Particularly during these troubled times when stirring up memories of “The Greatest” can connect us back to the best in humanity. First-time director Graham Shelby and producer Jonathan McHugh largely focus their efforts on the last […]
A Quiet Place Part II
“You can’t stay!” Those aren’t the words a nerve-frayed family running from killer demons wants to hear. Yet, as they seek refuge, they encounter resistance in this sequel to one of the most innovative drama/horror/sci-fi films ever made, A Quiet Place. AQP was uniquely wondrous and scary. Is AQPPII equally frightening? It’s still a mystery how the actor-turned-director/co-writer John […]
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