Category Archives: Movie Reviews

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NETFLIX’s ‘Family Reunion’ Starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict & ‘Brian Banks’ Movie Starring Sherri Shepherd To Be Screened at ESSENCE Festival!

Hello World,

I still haven’t made it to NOLA for the renowned ESSENCE Festival(which is really sad considering it’s the 25th year anniversary of the festival’s beginning), but if you will be in the mix from July 5-7, please go to the screening room to check out  family sitcom “Family Reunion” and movie “Brian Banks.”

Below are descriptions of both:

About Family Reunion

When the McKellan family moves from Seattle to Georgia to be closer to extended family, the transition is like being a catfish out of water. From 3 hour church services and huge humidity hair to M’Dear’s home cooking and family bonding, the everyday ups and downs of Family Reunion are real, memorable, toe tapping, heart stopping, laugh out loud authentic moments.

Cast

Loretta Devine (M’Dear), Tia Mowry-Hardrict (Cocoa), Richard Roundtree (Jebediah), Anthony Alabi (Moz), Talia Jackson (Jade), Isaiah Russell-Bailey (Shaka), Cameron J. Wright (Mazzi) and Jordyn Raya James (Ami)

Launch Date

July 10, 2019 on Netflix

Trailer

&

About Brian Banks

The inspirational true story of Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge), an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL. Clink on this LINK for more of Banks’ background.

Cast

Aldis Hodge (Clemency, “City on a Hill”), Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd and Melanie Liburd (“This is Us”)

Launch Date

In Theaters August 9, 2019

Trailer

Also, the casts of “Family Reunion” and “Brian Banks” will be in the Screening Room at the ESSENCE festival! I so want to go, but I can’t make it…maybe next year…Anyone want to sponsor my trip? 🙂 Like the kids say, Cash App me. J/K. I don’t even have a Cash App account…LOL…

Any thoughts?

 

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Dr. King’s Church Ebenezer Baptist Church Hosts ‘Worship in Wakanda’ Today Ahead of Tonight’s Oscars!

Hello World,

Tonight is the Superbowl of the movie industry! In other words, the 91st Academy Awards aka The Oscars, as fraught with controversy as it may be and has been, is tonight at 8 pm! Of all of the nominees, I’m most interested in “Black Panther” as a nominee for Best Picture! “Black Panther” was the highest grossing film of 2018 and was the third highest grossing film in the United States EVER and should definitely win tonight!

And if you did not know, “Black Panther” was filmed in Atlanta, which has been called the real Wakanda, the fictional destination in the movie where black excellence is fostered and celebrated every day of the year not only during Black History Month! I don’t know if this on purpose, but Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King and his father Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. served as pastors, is hosting “Worship in Wakanda” today at its church services.

And here I am in my African garb to see the movie!

According to the flyer, on this Black Emphasis Sunday, African heritage, highlighting black genius and creativity, will be honored. Also, members are being encouraged to wear Afr0-centric or Afro futuristic attire. And “Black Panther” costume designer Ruth E. Carter could be the first black person to win an Oscar for costume design if she wins tonight! Remember when erebody was posting pics of themselves in African garb to see the movie? #WakandaForever!

Another Atlanta hero and civil rights giant Congressman John Lewis will be one of the best picture presenters tonight!

And speaking of civil rights, today begins the last week that the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta is free to visit! Coca Cola paid the admission for all to visit for free during Black History Month! I’ve visited and what I loved the most is seeing the collage of mug shots of the young people of all races who were willing to be arrested for the cause of civil rights back in the ’60s. Some of them looked as young as my 17-year-old nephew…

Anywho, I’m watching the Oscars tonight! What about you?

Any thoughts?

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Robin Givens of ‘Boomerang’ & ‘RHOA’s Kenya Moore to Star in Tonight’s Episode of ‘Saints & Sinners” on Bounce TV! (VIDEO)

 

Hello World,

If you came of age in the ’90s like I did, then you remember Robin Givens from ABC sitcom “Head of the Class!” And then her star power surged when she married and later divorced world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. My favorite role of hers is when she portrayed the brash and boss chick Jacqueline Broyer in the 1992 classic movie “Boomerang” starring Eddie Murphy. She had Eddie Murphy’s character Marcus Graham sprung in a way that women are typically portrayed as sprung – sniveling and sappy when the object of affection suddenly withdraws the “affection!”

 

 

(I’ve said (typed) it before, and I will say (type) it again the ’90s was the golden age of black cinema and television although black cinema and television seems to be heating up right now!) But since then, I haven’t heard that much about her. Have you? I see she is on that show “Riverdale,” but I don’t watch show.  Do you? Well, if you want to see the original mean girl, tune into tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET to watch “Saints & Sinners” on Bounce TV!

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” Kenya Moore, a real life mean girl turned reluctant reality star now that she is actually a wife, will also star in tonight’s episode of “Saints & Sinners” although you can probably see her on Round Two of RHOA’s Season 10 Reunion show coming on tonight as well.

Saints & Sinners” tells the story of the conflicts among the members of a Baptist church in small-town Georgia. The plot consists of greed, corruption and murder.

Season 3 of “Saints & Sinners” sees all hell breaking loose in Cypress, Georgia. A vicious, no-holds-barred battle for Greater Hope Baptist Church erupts between the old guard, Mayor Johnson (Vanessa Bell Calloway) and Rex (Clifton Powell), and the young bloods Levi (Christian Keyes) and Jabari (J.D. Williams) while Kendrick (Tray Chaney) tries to survive a life-threatening predicament to expose his grandmother, Leona (Donna Biscoe who is my old taebo instructor!) as a killer. Miles (Keith Robinson, who I went to school with at the University of Georgia) is once again caught between his wife and his one-time mistress, Christie (Jasmine Burke) as Tamara’s (Demetria McKinney) wild allegations threaten to put Christie away forever. Detective St. Charles (Afemo Omilami) has his hands full with chaos and crime running rampant in Cypress in season three. “Saints & Sinners” is produced in partnership with Swirl Film’s Eric Tomosunas (Undershepard, 35 and Ticking).

Below is a video clip from tonight’s episode!

 

The much-anticipated third season premiere of Bounce’s hit original drama series “Saints & Sinners” on Sun. April 8 at 9:00 p.m. (ET) averaged 681K Total Viewers, an increase of +20% over the show’s season two premiere, to set a network record as the most-watched original in Bounce history. Saints & Sinners was the third most-watched program on Sunday night (9-10 p.m.) behind only AMC (The Walking Dead) and Bravo (Your Husband is Cheating on Us) among all ad-supported cable networks in the delivery of African Americans.

Bounce TV is the first FREE African -American broadcast network, featuring a programming mix of theatrical motion pictures, sporting events, documentaries, specials, inspirational faith-based programs, off-network series, original programming and more. Bounce TV’s founders include Martin Luther King III and Ambassador Andrew Young.

Any thoughts?