Honor among thieves? Not with this bunch. These guys are playing a mean duplicitous game, and as they do, you can’t guess who will survive. That’s the mark of a solid, tense cop/crime/thriller. A good one will keep you speculating, until the last bullet leaves its chamber.   Terrell Tompkins (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Russell Welch (Norman […]

Too soon. As the opening credits start to roll, you wonder why the producers didn’t’ give moviegoers a real break between Ride Along (2014) and Ride Along 2 (2016). Two years is not enough time to make audiences yearn for more, not enough time to take this franchise to the next level.   Bad Boys […]

Movies have become a great comfort in what has been a tumultuous year. They’ve entertained us. Made us laugh, feel courageous, scared, romantic and educated us too. It’s a perfect time to reflect on the films, performances and black artists who made 2015 special. And might as well get a head start on the high-quality […]

The 1940s and ‘50s weren’t kind to people whose politics flirted with the far left, especially those in the Hollywood artist community. Writer Dalton Trumbo, Oscar-nominated for Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, got caught up in the “Better Dead Than Red” hysteria. His story, his fight against Congress’s House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and Commie haters […]

In the U.S., we revere Susan B. Anthony’s groundbreaking efforts for leading the fight for a woman’s right to vote in the late 1800s.  In England, Emmeline Pankhurst, a feminist who used demonstrations, civil disobedience and violence to property for publicity and agitation, spearheaded their cause. The director (Sara Gavron) and screenwriter (Abi Morgan, The […]