Author: blackcinemaconnection

Release Date:  1/20/23; Sundance Film Festival

Genre:  Drama

Rating:  NR

Running Time:  105 mins.

Director:  Qasim Basir

Cast:  Amin Joseph, Skye P Marshall, Omari Hardwick, Cory Hardrict, Dana Gourrier, Maryam Basir.

Story:  Muhammad, a strong, handsome Hollywood film director, makes his way through the gorgeous and alluring landscapes of a rebuilt Detroit — the glistening legacy of his newly deceased stepfather Khalid, a beloved and highly regarded building contractor. Muhammad has returned for the funeral, but his own battle with addiction, which he hides from the world, drives him to immediately fade away into the sultry, late-night, drug-saturated after-hours of Detroit and an equally intoxicating romantic relationship. As he struggles to cope, Muhammad’s family and friends look to him as a leader and provider, and he forges ahead shouldering all of their needs, claiming he’s got this, even though it’s a lot — maybe too much.  Source/Photo Source:  festival.sundance.org.

Release Date:  1/22/23; Sundance Film Festival

Genre:  Drama

Rating:   NR

Running Time:  116 mins.

Director:  A.V. Rockwell

Studio(s):  Sight Unseen Pictures, Focus Features, Hillman Grad, Makeready

Cast:  Teyana Taylor (Inez), Will Catlett (Lucky), Josiah Cross (Terry), Aaron Kingsley Adetola (Terry, Age 6).

Story:  Struggling but unapologetically living on her own terms, Inez is moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. With her 6-year-old son Terry in foster care and unable to leave him again, she kidnaps him so they can build their life together. As the years go by, their family grows and Terry becomes a smart yet quiet teenager, but the secret that has defined their lives threatens to destroy the home they have so improbably built.  Source/Photo Source:  festival.sundance.org.

Release Date:  1/22/23; Sundance Film Festival & 3/31/23; In Theaters
Genre:  Drama
Rating:   NR
Running Time:  105 mins.
Director:  Thembi Banks
Studio(s):  Confluential Films, MACRO, No Label

Cast:  Cory Hardrict (Desmond), Algee Smith (Brandon), Sanaa Lathan, Mike Epps, Sierra Capri, Jahking Guillory (Apollo).

Story:  Being a teenager is rough, and Brandon is no different. Between struggling in school, caring for his two younger siblings, and having just been let go from his job, Brandon often uses his art as an escape from the confines of his subdued day-to-day life. Enter Cassidy, a bedazzled bad girl dripping in confidence, freedom, and danger. Lured in by her whimsy, Brandon teams up with Cassidy, seamlessly slipping into the role of Clyde to her Bonnie as they make their way down an increasingly perilous path.  Source/Photo Source:  festival.sundance.org.

Release Date:  1/20/23; Sundance Film Festival
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  124 mins.
Director:  Elijah Bynum
Studio(s):  Los Angeles Media Fund (LAMF), Tall Street Productions

Cast:  Jonathan Majors (Killian), Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige (Pink Coat), Mike O’Hearn (Brad Vanderhorn), Harrison Page (William Lattimore), Harriet Sansom Harris.

Story:  Killian Maddox lives with his ailing veteran grandfather, obsessively working out between court-mandated therapy appointments and part-time shifts at a grocery store where he harbors a crush on a friendly cashier. Though Killian’s struggles to read social cues and maintain control of his volatile temper amplify his sense of disconnection amid a hostile world, nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of bodybuilding superstardom, not even the doctors who warn that he’s causing permanent damage to his body with his quest.  Source/Photo Source:  festival.sundance.org.

Release Date:  1/27/23; Netflix
Genre:  Comedy
Rating:  R
Running Time:  117 mins.
Director:  Kenya Barris
Studio(s):  Khalabo Ink Society, Misher Films, Netflix, Strong Baby

Cast:  Eddie Murphy (Akbar), Jonah Hill (Ezra), Lauren London (Amira), Nia Long (Fatima), Deon Cole (Demetrius), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Shelley), Travis Bennett (Omar), Mike Epps (Uncle EJ), La La Anthony (Shaela), David Duchovny (Arnold), Molly Gordon (Liza), Andrea Savage (Becca), Elliott Gould (Mr. Greenbaum), Rhea Perlman (Bubby), Yung Miami (Tiffany), Sam Jay (Sam Jay).

Story:  A new couple and their families find themselves examining modern love and family dynamics amidst clashing cultures, societal expectations and generational differences.  Source:  Variety.com.  Photo Source:  IMDB.

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