Chevalier

Release Date:  4/7/23
Genre:  Drama/Biography
Rating:   PG-13
Director:  Stephen Williams
Studio(s):  Element Pictures, Searchlight Pictures, Stillking Films

Cast:  Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges), Samara Weaving (Marie-Josephine), Ronke Adekoluejo (Nanon), Lucy Boynton (Marie Antoinette), Marton Csokas (Montalembert), Alex Fitzalan (Philippe), Minnie Driver (La Guimard).

Story:  Based on the incredible true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette and her court.  Source:  Searchlightpictures.com.  Photos Source:  IMDB.

Trailer:

Devotion

Genre:  Drama
Rating:   PG-13
Director:  J.D. Dillard
Studio(s):  Black Label Media, STX Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Stage 6 Films, STX Entertainment

Cast:  Jonathan Majors (Jesse Brown), Glen Powell (Tom Hudner), Christina Jackson (Daisy Brown), Joe Jonas (Marty Goode), Thomas Sadoski (Dick Cevoli), Serinda Swan  (Elizabeth Taylor).

Story:  Devotion, an aerial war epic based on the bestselling book of the same name, tells the harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.  Sources:  Official site, devotion.movie.  Photo source:  Sony Pictures.

Fantasy Football

Release Date:  11/25/22; Paramout+
Genre:  Comedy; Family
Rating:  NR
Director:  Anton Cropper
Studio(s):  Awesomeness Films, Genius Productions (II), NFL Films, Nickelodeon Movies, Nickelodeon Network, The SpringHill Company, Nickelodeon Network, Paramount+.

Cast:  Marsai Martin (Callie Coleman), Kelly Rowland (Keisha Coleman), Omari Hardwick (Bobby Coleman), Rome Flynn (Anderson Fisher), Tony Gonzalez (Coach Lance Evans).

Story:  Everything changes when Callie A. Coleman discovers she can magically control her father’s performance on the football field. When Callie plays as her dad, Bobby Coleman, a running back for the Atlanta Falcons, in the videogame “Madden NFL 23,” Bobby is transformed from a fumbling journeyman to a star running back bound for superstardom alongside his daughter and wife Keisha. With the NFL Playoffs looming and the pressures of Callie’s new commitment to her friends on the robotics team mounting, the two must forge ahead to keep the magic a secret as they juggle the highs and lows of their newfound success, all as they rediscover what it really means to be a family.  Source:  IMDB.  Photo Source:  Just Jared Jr.

Trailer:

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

Series Premiere Date:  12/22/23; Peacock

Genre:  Dramedy

Director(s):  Malcolm D. Lee, Robert Townsend.

Studio(s):   Blackmaled Productions, Hivemind, Peacock, Universal Television.

Cast:  Morris Chestnut (Lance Sullivan), Melissa De Sousa (Shelby Taylor), Taye Diggs (Harper Stewart), Regina Hall (Candace Murchison), Terrence Howard (Quentin Spivey), Sanaa Lathan (Robyn Stewart), Nia Long (Jordan Armstrong) and Harold Perrineau (Julian Murchison).

Story:   The eight-episode series will catch up with the beloved cast as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissanceSource:  Deadline.  Photo Sources:  Shadow & Act.

Teaser:

California Love

Release Date:  10/24/21; TBA
Genre:  Biography/Drama
Rating:  NR
Director:  Preston A. Whitmore II
Studio(s):   Brandani Productions, Preston Picture Company, Sunset Pictures
Cast  Allen Payne as Leon Watkins
Christa B. Allen as Joanne Beck
Columbus Short as Norris
Robert Ri’chard as Jay Hunter
Michelle Lee as Lisa Yuen
Michole Briana White as Pat
Carson Fagerbakke as Sandy
Markice Moore as DeAndre
Natasha Marc as Evelyn Watkins
Draya Michele as Beverly
Kevin Thoms as Phil
Malea Rose as Jessica Beck
Philip Boyd as Morgan
Tatum Shank as Jack Beck
Jensen Atwood as Doctor
Broderick Hunter as Angelo Adams
Joel Steingold as Jay’s Father
Christina Fuursted as Bartender
Sue Cremin as Ruth Beck
Amanda Henn as Amanda Richards
Lamar Usher as Keyson
Six Reasons as Vonte
Omar Bolden as Marquise
Natasha Makin as Cece
Tammie Sellers as Sis

Story:  Based on a true story, California Love takes place in 1992 Los Angeles. Joanne Beck (Christa B. Allen) is a young, aspiring entrepreneur whose idealistic outlook suffers a blow when she experiences sexism in the workplace. Looking for a change, Joanne volunteers at community leader Leon Watkins’ (Allen Payne) help center in South Central. Meanwhile, reputed gang member Jay Hunter (Robert Ri’chard), back on the streets following a bid in prison, is nearly killed in a drive-by shooting. When Jay comes to Leon for a loan, he meets Joanne, and their fate is set in motion. The unlikely duo defies social constructs and forms an organization that gains national recognition in the fight against racial injustice. Along the way, they experience love, tragedy, and the deep-seated racism that continues to plague America, ultimately leaving behind a legacy that is as relevant today as ever before.  Source:  filmifeed.com.

Trailer:

The Forgettable Life of Liam White

a/k/a Liam White

Release Date:  11/3/21 – 11/28/21 (American Black Film Festival)
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  TV-14
Director:  Harold Jackson, III
Studio(s):  8 Picture House, Legacy Distribution
Running Time:  87 mins.
Cast:  Shaun Woodland, Jasmine Guy, Terrence “TC” Carson, Brave Williams, Tamieka Chavis.

Story:  For author Liam White (Shaun Woodland), his career has peaked, to put it kindly. His agent and manager are frustrated with his lack of enthusiasm to make public appearances and finish the next novel. His life and work are uninspired. Adding to his problems, Liam is told by his oncologist that his cancer has returned. He is hesitant to once again go through chemotherapy and considers other options – including doing nothing. Now resigned to the fact that his life will soon come to an end, Liam begins a journey of reflection. Unfortunately for him, it involves his always disappointed and emotionally distant father, Liam Sr. (Terrence ‘T.C.’ Carson), and his mother (Jasmine Guy), who left him and his father as a small boy. Helping him along the way is an old flame, Adrianna (Sasha Wakefield), who gives Liam a much-needed perspective on being a man and a human being. Yet all is not lost. Just at the moment when Liam is about the give up, he meets a woman at a support group. She tells him about a potential treatment that extended the life of her brother for several more years.  Source:  IMDB; ABFF.com.