Release Date: 5/23/17 (VOD & DVD) Genre:Thriller Rating: NR Running Time:120 mins. Director:Corey Grant Studio(s): New Breed Entertainment, Breaking Glass Pictures Cast: David Ramsey, Shireen Crutchfield, Mckinley Freeman, Michele Weaver, Lanett Tachel, Tank, Essence Atkins, Dionne Gipson, Dean Cain, Vivica A. Fox.
Story: Sasha and Guy’s marriage is tested when they are independently seduced by sexy, young lovers, both with dark pasts and hidden nefarious agendas. Source: Official Site, Illicitmovie.com.
Release Date: 4/14/17; In Theaters & VOD (2016) Genre:Drama/Comedy Rating: NR Running Time:84 mins. Director: Rob Meyer Studio: Kid Noir Productions, Mighty Engine, Related Pictures, Netflix
Cast: Nelsan Ellis (Mack), Melanie Lynskey (Gina), Armani Jackson (Clark), Oona Laurence (Ambrosia), Miranda McKeon (Julie), Janeane Garofalo (Helena).
Story: Little Boxes is a dramedy that tells the story of an interracial family from New York that moves to the mundane, overwhelmingly white suburb of Rome, Washington. As you may suspect, things don’t really go well for the family.
It’s the summer before 6th grade, and Clark is the new biracial kid in a very white town. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act “more black,” he fumbles to meet expectations. Meanwhile, his urban intellectual parents Mack and Gina try to adjust to small-town living. Accustomed to life in New York, the tight-knit family is ill-prepared for the drastically different set of obstacles that their new community presents. They soon find themselves struggling to understand themselves and each other in this new context.Source: Variety; Shadow & Act.
Release Date:4/21/17; In Theaters (2015) Genre: Comedy Rating:NR Running Time: 86 mins. Director: Luc Annest Studio(s): illicit Producers, The Nola Circus Production, XLrator Media. Cast:Martin Bats Bradford (Will), Vas Blackwood (Marvin), Jessica Morali (Nola), Reginal Varice (Denzel), Kamille McCuin (Karen) Corey Parker (Hathi).
Story: Nola Circus chronicles the lives of the inhabitants of a black neighborhood in a town on the Mississippi River, the lives that intercross around two barber shops facing each other on the main street. On one side there is Will, a black hairdresser who preaches against racial prejudices while having a secret affair with Nola, a young white woman who is dreaming of Broadway.
On the other, there is Marvin, a well-known sex addict who’s having a passionate affair with Karen, a small time pot dealer. The tensions sharpen on the day when Denzel, Nola’s super protective brother, starts sinking into compulsive jealousy, the day when three Ku Klux Klan members show up at Will’s place to kidnap him. Source: Official site.
Cast: Dree Hemingway (Nadine), Lakeith Stanfield (Lewis), Robert Wisdom (Roy), Sam Dillon (Myron), Leonard Earl Howze (Doughboy).
Story: Following a devastating loss, Nadine and Lewis retreat to a small Bahamian island where Nadine’s family has kept a house for many years. As they try to heal and move forward with their relationship, the community on the island shows signs of unraveling — with the island’s mayor squaring off against Doughboy, a human trafficker who manipulates the impressionable homeless teenager Myron into assisting with his smuggling operation. Source: Official site.
Release Date:4/4/17; DVD Genre:Action Rating:NR Running Time:80 mins. Director: Matondo Kiantandu Studio(s): MGFame Entertainment, Maverick Entertainment. Cast: Matondo Kiantandu (Detective Lee Freeman/Tim), Bret E. Benson (Detective Sam Toney/Michael), Demorian Lizana (Ray), Anastasiya Rul (Candace).
Story:Two cops go undercover to investigate a known killer and drug dealer who hides his identity behind a ski mask. When one cop has his fiancé kidnapped and is blackmailed to turn against both sides, his partner is under pressure to kill him. Between corruption within the department and the cops themselves, they must overcome many obstacles. Will corruption prevent them from taking down enemy? Source: Maverick Entertainment.
Cast:Chinedu Oji (JaQuan), Faith Simmons (Coco), Alex West (Trevante), Ruby Lee Dove II (Taliyah), Jaye Alexander (Jasmine).
Story: A very successful black woman named Taliyah finds out that she is in control of everything in her life except one thing. Just when Taliyah thinks her life is in the perfect place she happens to get an unexpected surprise that could cause lust to take control. With the help of two best friends, Taliyah’s search for fulfillment comes to terms in a dangerous love triangle. Source: Maverick Entertainment.
Release Date: 5/23/17 (VOD & DVD)
Black Cinema Connection 