By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Sean Penn takes a page out of the Liam Neeson book of machismo in this sterile international thriller about a Special Forces soldier-turned-assassin who commits a crime he can’t live with. There’s one key difference between the two actors’ approach to action films: Neeson’s have humane qualities. Penn, as […]
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic The original Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was so magical: British retirees looking for a place to nest were hoodwinked by fancy brochures into taking up residence in a boutique hotel in Jaipur, India. It turned out to be a dump. Yet, they made that hovel a home and became […]
The Divergent Series: Insurgent
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Up until now, The Divergent Series couldn’t hold a candle to The Hunger Games franchise, though they are both cut from the same cloth: teen girl hero, sci fi adventure, mean overlords and hunky boyfriends. The Divergent Series: Insurgent doesn’t change that dynamic much, but during its final minutes, […]
Miami Winters: The Lush Life and Hip Things
The likely antidote for winter melancholia is a trip to a warm climate. Miami comes to mind. And when we think of Miami, South Beach has traditionally been the tourist hub. But these days, it’s only one of the entrees Miami is serving. Downtown, Mid Beach, Miami Shores… If you go to Miami, the lush […]
Focus
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic After Earth, Men in Black 3, Seven Pounds… It’s been a while since Will Smith lived up to his star status in a film worth having his name above the marquee. As Nicky, a con artist’s con artist in Focus, he redeems himself somewhat in a generic but often […]
Black or White
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Race relations can be a touchy subject. Only a very perceptive filmmaker could tackle the topic and be remotely successful. It would require a writer/director to be smart, balanced, sensitive and able to see both sides of the issue. The characters would almost need to be extensions of our […]
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Spike Lee, the old guard of black indie filmmaking, gets his mojo back with this classy, urbane vampireish art film that is a beauty to behold. Sophisticated, demented, eerie, erotic—prepare to be shocked and flabbergasted. The root of the script is Bill Gunn’s 1973 blaxploitation film, Ganja & Hess. Lee […]
Tomorrowland
If you took the world of The Jetsons, and made it a live-action film location, that would describe the visuals for the mysterious, glorious and fantastical place Tomorrowland. Seeing it is easy. Getting there is difficult. All the work it takes to travel to this paradise may not be worth the effort for this film’s […]
BEST FILMS OF 2014
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic As 2014 draws to a close it’s a perfect time to reflect on noteworthy films, strong performances and the strides that black artists made this past year. It’s also a good time to spotlight the top-quality movies that will vie for Oscars and be released in theaters and on […]
Selma
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic R.I.P. Martin Luther King. Your story has been told. Your legacy passed on. Your strategies for non-violent demonstrations shared. Your ability to change hearts, minds and laws well-documented. Selma, in the most inspiring way, relays MLK’s state of grace. It is a worthy homage befitting of America’s most iconic […]
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