Category: Upcoming Films

Strive

a/k/a Striver’s Row
a/k/a Dream

Release Date:  6/12/19 – 6/16/19; American Black Film Festival
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Director:  Robert Rippberger
Studio(s):  Aletheia Films, Prodigium Pictures, El Ride Productions, Captivated Artist Productions.
Running Time:  82 mins.
Cast:  Joie Campbell, Ricky Flowers Jr., Chelsea Williams, Danny Glover, Shaylin Becton.

Story:   Strive is a story about an underprivileged girl with a dream of obtaining a great education, and a better life. Kalani is a teenager living in Harlem with her older brother Jacob, and her younger sister, Bebe, while her mother struggles to make ends meet.  As Kalani’s siblings get caught up in a myriad of hardships, Kalani teeters on the brink of ruin as she struggles to keep both her family and her dream intact. Strive reminds us that hard work, optimism, and perseverance, in the face of overwhelming adversity, is the essence of what it is to be an American. Blackfilm.com.

Trailer:

by Categories: Upcoming FilmsTags: , Leave a comment

Always A Bridesmaid

Release Date:  9/28/19; BET
Genre:  Comedy
Rating:  TBA
Director:  Trey Haley
Studio(s):   AAB Film, Tri Destined Studios, Little Brown Girl
Running Time:  TBA
Cast:  Javicia Leslie, Jordan Calloway, Yvette Nicole Brown, Richard Lawson, Michelle Mitchenor, Jasmine Brown, Amber Chardae Robinson, Tosin Morohunfola, Marcelle Spears, Richard Lawson, Affion Crockett, Anita Baker, Brandon Michael Hall, Bernard David Jones, James Bland, Joy Brunson.

Details:  Community alum Yvette Nicole Brown is in production on Always A Bridesmaid, an indie film she wrote, marking her screenwriting debut. She is also serving as an executive producer on the project.  It follows Corina James who has been a bridesmaid so many times that she is starting to wonder if she will ever be a bride. Always A Bridesmaid ponders the question, ‘Is love and marriage for everyone?’ And if so, how do you get over your own stuff in order to find and keep your one?

Story:   At the crossroads of old-fashioned courtship and modern-day hook-ups, Corina (Javicia Leslie) is stuck being everyone’s bridesmaid but never the bride. While juggling a whirlwind of weddings, Corina questions if love and marriage can coexist and what that means for her future. Deciding to no longer be a lady-in-waiting, Corina bravely re-enters the dating scene. But, can she find a true romance when the games of love, commitment, and understanding are changing at every turn? Time will only tell if Corina will always be a bridesmaid or if the love of her life is around the corner.  Sources:  Deadline; Tridestined.com, official site.

Trailer:

by Categories: Upcoming FilmsTags: , Leave a comment

21 Bridges

a/k/a 17 Bridges

Click here to purchase this title

 

Release Date:  2/18/2020; DVD/Blu-Ray (Original Release Date: 11/22/19)
Genre:   Drama/Thriller
Rating:   TBA
Director:  Brian Kirk
Studio(s):   AGBO, Huayi Brothers, STX Entertainment
Running Time:  TBA

Cast:  Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, Keith David, Stephan James, Taylor Kitsch, Gary Carr, Shayna Ryan, J.K. Simmons.

Story:   21 Bridges’ follows an NYPD detective (Boseman), who is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers from escaping Manhattan as the authorities close all 21 bridges to prevent any entry or exit from the iconic island.  Source:  Indiewire.

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

by Categories: Upcoming FilmsTags: 1 Comment

Queen & Slim

Release Date:  11/27/19; In Theaters
Genre:   Drama
Rating: R
Director:  Melina Matsoukas
Studio(s):   Universal Pictures, 3Blackdot, BRON Studios, De La Revolución Films, Hillman Grad, Makeready.
Running Time: TBA
Cast:  Daniel Kaluuya (Slim), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen), Bokeem Woodbine (Uncle Earl), Chloë Sevigny.

Story:   The script is described as a Bonnie and Clyde story that centers on a black couple out on a first date whose night goes terribly awry. They end up killing a police officer in self-defense and, on the run, head to Cuba.  According to Universal, Queen & Slim explores America’s social and political climate through the lens of a genre-defying love story.  The film was written by Lena Waithe and will be directed by Insecure executive producer, Melina Matsoukas in her feature film directorial debut.  Sources:  IMDB; Indiewire; Essence.com.  Photo Source:  Essence.com/NBCUniversal.

Trailer 1:

Trailer 2:

by Categories: Upcoming FilmsTags: , , Leave a comment

Black and Blue

a/k/a Exposure

Release Date:  10/25/19; In Theaters
Genre:  Action/Drama
Rating:  Unknown
Director:  Deon Taylor
Studio(s):   Royal Viking Entertainment, Screen Gems
Running Time:  Unknown
Cast:   Nafessa Williams, Mike Colter, Frank Grillo, Reid Scott, Beau Knapp, Tyrese Gibson.

Story:   A rookie Detroit African – American female officer witnesses the murder of a drug dealer by corrupt cops and captures the footage on her body cam.  With the crime pinned on her, the rookie then faces a fight for survival, hunted by the cops desperate to destroy the incriminating footage and the drug dealers seeking revenge.  Source:  Flickering Myth.

Trailer:

by Categories: Upcoming Films Leave a comment

See You Yesterday

Release Date:   5/17/19; Netflix
Genre:  Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating:  TV-MA
Director:   Stefon Bristol
Studio(s):   40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Netflix.
Running Time:  86 mins

Cast:  Eden Duncan-Smith (Claudette ‘CJ’ Walker), Dante Crichlow (Sebastian J. Thomas), Astro (Calvin Walker), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Phaedra Walker).

Story:   As two teen prodigies try to master the art of time travel, a tragic police shooting sends them on a series of dangerous trips to the past.

After her brother is killed in a miscarriage of justice, aspiring inventor Claudette ‘CJ’ Walker uses her scientific mind to create two time machines, one for her, and the other for her friend Sebastian. As they use the machines to try and alter the day CJ’s brother died, they come to learn the ultimatum of time travel: All Actions Have Consequences. Produced by Spike Lee.  Source:  Netflix, official site; IMDB.

Trailer:

by Categories: Upcoming FilmsTags: , , , Leave a comment