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 […]

“Some people fail to remember where power is derived from,” threatens Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe. He would know. He’s been the de facto leader of Zimbabwe for decades. As he faces the completion of a new constitution, the possibility of term limits and a decline in his power, he is dismissive.  Will […]

It seems like just yesterday—well three decades ago—when a brash Australian actor, Mel Gibson, stormed on to the screen in the post-apocalyptic Australian Outback action film Mad Max. The original director/writer George Miller has breathed new life into that classic franchise and the result is an absolutely riveting, visually arresting and perfectly acted film that […]