Phels High


Release Date:  6/17/23 – American Black Film Festival; 6/20/23 – VOD
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  85 mins.
Director:  Kevin J. Nelson
Studio(s):  1804 Films, Prowrite Productions

Cast Omari Hardwick (Principal Floyd), Elise Neal (Tina Lloyd), Michael Hyatt (Captain Bailey), T.J. Atoms (Beef), Allen Maldonado (Meat), Marc John Jefferies (Melvin).

Story:  The film is about a bond between four friends which gets destroyed when one of the boys, who gets bullied, takes matters into his own hands by taking the life of the kid that bullied him. The school’s peace is shattered by gunfire and the boys end up barricaded, trying to devise a plan. Beef (the shooter) figures he may have a chance of having a future if he takes the life of his best friend to come out on top of his messed-up situation. He plots to look like a hero instead of the villain that he is, but his plan falls short and an innocent life is taken due to his choices.  Source:  Variety.com.

Murder City

Release Date:  6/16/23; American Black Film Festival
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:   NR
Running Time:  85 mins.
Director:  Michael D. Olmos
Studio(s):  HBK F.C., Village Roadshow Pictures
Cast Mike Colter (Neil), Antonio Fargas (Graham), Stephanie Sigman (Ash), Medina Senghore (Molly), James Udom (Laz).

Story:  After losing his job on the police force, Neil is forced to work with a ruthless female narcotics trafficker to settle the debts of his estranged, deadbeat father and protect his wife and son.  Murder City is the second movie filmed under Village Roadshow Pictures’ Black Noir Cinema franchise, co-founded by NBA great Kevin Garnett.  Inspired by classics like Shaft,” Super Fly and Cleopatra Jones, Black Noir Cinema, aims to adapt and redefine the Blaxploitation genre and translate its spirit of empowerment to a new generation of Black audiences.  Source:  Variety.com.  Photo Source:  abff.com

Kindred

Release Date:  12/13/22; FX/Hulu (Series Premiere)
Genre:   Drama/Fantasy
Rating:   NR
Director(s):  Alonso Alvarez, Janicza Bravo.
Studio(s):  FX Productions, Protozoa Pictures, Disney+, FX Network, Hulu

Cast:  Mallori Johnson (Dana James), Micah Stock (Kevin Franklin0, Ryan Kwanten (Thomas Weylin), Gayle Rankin (Margaret Weylin), Austin Smith (Luke), David Alexander Kaplan (Rufus Weylin).

Story:  The series centers on Dana James, an aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own. But, before she can settle into her new home, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time. She emerges on a 19-century plantation, a place remarkably & intimately linked with Dana and her family. An interracial romance threads through Dana’s past and present, and the clock is ticking as she struggles to confront secrets she never knew ran through her blood. Adapted from Octavia E. Butler’s celebrated, critically acclaimed novel of the same name.  Source:  firstshowing.net.

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Colin In Black & White

Release Date:  10/29/21 – Miniseries; Netflix
Genre:  Drama/biography
Rating:  NR
Directors:  Ava DuVernay, Sheldon Candis, Robert Townsend, Angel Kristi Williams, Kenny Leon.
Studio(s):  ARRAY Filmworks, Netflix

Cast:  Colin Kaepernick (Narrator), Jaden Michael (Young Colin Kaepernick), Amarr (Eddie), Mace Coronel (Jake), Howard M. Lockie (Coach Parker), Chris O’Neal (Dwayne), Klarke Pipkin (Crystal).

Story:  The six-episode scripted drama, created by Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick, chronicles Kaepernick’s coming-of-age tackling the obstacles of race, class and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family in Central California. Kaepernick narrates the tale as high school Colin (Jaden Michael) faces adversity on his way to becoming an All-Pro quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and later a cultural icon and activist.  Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker play Colin’s parents Rick and Teresa, while Kaepernick’s voice guides viewers through historical and contemporary contextual moments.  The series is executive produced by DuVernay, Kaepernick and Michael Starrbury, the latter of whom wrote the series.  Source:  Deadline.

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Our Kind of People

Release Date:  9/21/21 – Series Premiere; Fox
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Directors:  Tasha Smith, Keesha Sharp

Studio(s):  20th Century Fox Television, Fox Entertainment, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Propagate, TheGistofIt Productions, Fox Network.

Cast:  Yaya DaCosta, Morris Chestnut, Alana Bright, Joe Morton, Nadine Ellis, Lance Gross, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Kyle Bary, Debbi Morgan, L. Scott Caldwell.

Story Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s provocative, critically acclaimed book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful black elite have come to play for over 50 years. Our Kind Of People follows a strong-willed, single mom as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her own mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever. The show is a soapy, thrilling exploration of race and class in America and an unapologetic celebration of black resilience and achievement.  Sources:  hypeabout.com; fox.com (official site).

Trailer:

Queens

Release Date:  10/19/21 – Series Premiere; ABC
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Director:  Tim Story
Studio(s):  ABC Signature, American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Cast:  Eve (Brianna), Naturi Naughton (Jill), Brandy Norwood (Naomi), Taylor Selé (Eric Jones), Nadine Velazquez (Valeria), Pepi Sonuga (Lauren Rice).

Story:  Brianna, Jill, Valeria and Naomi once appeared as the “Nasty Bitches” in the 1990s. Together, the four of them not only turned the world of hip-hop upside down, but also achieved legendary status through their music. The four women are now in their forties, unworldly and largely estranged. By reuniting the four, there is now a chance to return to old fame and vigor. But will the former megastars, also known as Professor Sex, Butter Pecan, Da Thrill and Xplicit Lyrics, manage to achieve this ambitious goal?

Actress and Grammy-winning musician Brandy will play Naomi. Twenty years ago, Naomi was better known as Xplicit Lyrics — the highly skilled musical engine of the Nasty Bitches. A true artist with boundless musical talent — Naomi was certain she’d go on to mainstream success after the group’s demise. She hasn’t, singing and playing her guitar in crappy dive bars where all people want is her old persona. When the group gets back together, Naomi is reunited with the only man she ever loved, and the rival bandmate who stole that man from her. But what Naomi wants more than anything is to build a relationship with the daughter she was never really there for — if she only knew how.

Naturi Naughton plays Jill, aka Da Thrill, a founding member of the Nasty Bitches — the group she formed with her high school friends. Da Thrill lived fast, had rugged rhymes and a troubling drug habit. Today, Jill couldn’t be more put together. She’s a devout Catholic living a quiet life in Montana with her husband. But everything isn’t as idyllic as it seems. Jill is haunted by past secrets.  The Nasty Bitches reuniting allows Jill to escape her issues at home, but returning to her persona as Da Thrill conjures up difficult memories. But a friendship with a young rapper that she has almost nothing in common with will hilariously help Jill figure out the person she needs to be.

Eve will play Brianna. Twenty years ago, Brianna was Professor Sex — one fourth of the iconic 90s hip-hop group, the Nasty Bitches — rapping about money, sex and her all-around glamorous lifestyle. Today, Brianna is a proud wife and mother of five — in a stained sweatsuit who barely has a second to breathe. Not glamorous. But Brianna loves her life. The Nasty Bitches are a distant, distant memory. But when an opportunity arises for the group to reunite, Brianna will grapple with whether or not she still has the swagger and confidence that made her an icon decades ago… Eve will record and perform songs as her character.

Nadine Velazquez plays Valeria, known in the 90s as Puerto Rican rapper, Butter Pecan, is the fourth member of the group,  Valeria wasn’t an original member, added by the groups’ manager, Eric, for her effortless star quality. It worked. The ladies catapulted into superstardom with a number-one record and iconic video. Valeria quickly became the face of the group, ruffling the other members’ feathers along the way. But she could care less. She’s not here for friends, she’s here to win. Valeria is an ambitious and ruthless hustler with cunning charm born out of a difficult childhood. When we catch up with her twenty years later, she’s the only member of the group still in the limelight. Valeria hosts The Shade — America’s top-rated morning talk show. So, Valeria has no reason to reunite with the group when the opportunity arises. However, when her blind ambition trips her up, Valeria considers turning back to the only family she’s ever had: the Nasty Bitches.

Taylor Sele will play Eric Jones. In the late 90s, Eric Jones struck gold when the group he managed, the Nasty Bitches, reached the pinnacle of hip-hop. A Queens hustler through and through, Eric is always looking for how to secure his next bag, and he’s really good at it. A handsome playboy with a magnetic smile, Eric’s dalliances with women were partly to blame for the Nasty Bitches’ break up. Today, Eric remains one of the top music managers in the business, representing hip-hop’s current “it girl,” Lil Muffin. But Eric is in the throes of mid-life crisis as he takes stock of his life, past mistakes and the woman that got away. Driven by nostalgia, Eric sets the wheels in motion for the Nasty Bitches’ reunion. The question is: will he find what he’s looking for?

Pepi Sonuga plays Lauren Rice, a sweet young woman from Atlanta. But she’s better known as Lil Muffin, a brash, colorful emcee. Ever since her debut record, Candy Cane, dropped — Muffin has been on a nonstop rocket ship to superstardom. She is hip-hop’s it girl with legions of fans, piles of cash, wild style and access to everything under the sun. What Muffin doesn’t have is control of her career and her image, both of which are being masterminded by a cadre of men who care more about keeping the gravy train rolling than Muffin’s well-being. The pressure of fame is taking its toll. But Muffin unexpectedly finds the support she needs and the sisterhood she craves when she links up with the Nasty Bitches — a group of women who know exactly what she’s going through because they lived it themselves 20  years ago.  Source:  Deadline.

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