Daughters Of The Dust

daughters-of-the-dustRelease Date:  11/18/16; Re-Release In Theaters
(Original Release Date: December 1991)
Genre:   Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  112 mins.
Director:  Julie Dash
Studio:   American Playhouse, Geechee Girls, WMG Film, Kino International

Cast:  Cora Lee Day (Nana Peazant), Alva Rogers (Eula Peazant), Barbarao (Yellow Mary), Trula Hoosier (Trula), Umar Abdurrahamn (Bilal Muhammad), Adisa Anderson (Eli Peazant), Kaycee Moore (Haagar Peazant), Bahni Turpin (Iona Peazant), Cheryl Lynn Bruce (Viola Peazant), Tommy Redmond Hicks (Mr. Snead).

Story:  Daughters of the Dust is a drama about the struggle between tradition and progress. Set in the early 1900s, it is the story of the Pazants on the eve of the family’s migration from their Sea Island home to the mainland, leaving their land and legacy behind. Nana Pazant, the eighty-eight-year-old matriarch of the family, fights to keep the family she raised together on the island to maintain the traditions handed down by her African ancestors. Eula, her granddaughter, is pregnant with the baby of a man whom her husband believes raped her. Haagar Pazant would like to throw off the traditions of the past for the opportunities of the future which await her and her family in the North. She wishes to establish herself as the family matriarch of the New World. Cousin Yellow Mary has returned from Cuba “ruint.” but on this eve of departure, she comes to reclaim her family place.

Daughters of the Dust is the first dramatic feature film to explore the traditions of the Gullah, the descendants of African slaves who once worked the indigo, rice and cotton plantations and later inhabited the many islands dotting the South Carolina and Georgia coastlines. These African Americans speak with a distinct accent known as “Gullah” or “Geechee.”  Ms. Dash, herself a descendant of the Gullah, drew heavily from their oral traditions and extensively researched her ancestors for five years with the assistance of Geechee scholar Margaret Washington Creel. Thus, the film represents a historical document.  Source:  Sundance.org.

Trailer:

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Jean Of The Joneses

jean-of-the-joneses

Release Date:  10/23/16; TVOne
Genre:  Comedy
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  86 mins.
Director:  Stella Meghie
Studio(s):   Search Engine Films, Circle Blue Films, Pokeprod, GPA Films

Cast:  Taylour Paige, Sherri Shepherd, Erica Ash, Michelle Hurst, Mamoudou Athie, Francois Arnaud, Demore Barnes, Anna Hopkins, Gloria Reuben.

Story:  A comedy about a dysfunctional family of women who have happily sent all the men in their lives running and a daughter who’s desperate to break the tradition.  To say that twenty-something writer Jean is at a crossroads would be putting it kindly — she really doesn’t know which way she’s headed. A vista of unenticing career prospects opens before her, and her latest relationship has just unceremoniously ended. Chronically self-analyzing, she often hangs out with her two aunts, mother, and grandmother Daphne. The women constantly bicker and judge each other’s life choices, a routine that’s interrupted when the estranged patriarch of the family literally dies on their doorstep.  Ray, the paramedic who takes their 911 call, falls fast for the acerbic Jean. The feeling is more or less mutual, but their potential romance will have to take a back seat to the chaos leading up to the funeral. In a series of sometimes harsh, always-spirited discussions — fueled by a complex family history, a few drinks, and the occasional toke — the women will do their best to figure themselves out, and to understand each other.  Source:  Tribeca Film Institute; Tiff.net.

Trailer:

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Basketball 3:16

basketball-3-16Release Date:  10/18/16; DVD
(Original Release Date: 2014)
Genre:  Drama/Inspirational
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  75 mins.
Director:   Ramasses Head
Studio(s):  Famous Filmworks, History In The Making Entertainment, Where Media Meets, Touch the Heart Productions, Maverick Entertainment.
Cast:  Pharoah Powell (Calvin Nichols), Karen Cox (Mary Nichols), James Earl-Rockefeller III (Reverend James Morgan), Brian Hooks (Derrion Nichols), Jonez Cain (Constance Thomas), Marcus D. Spencer (K Money).

Story:  Sometimes there comes a point in your life where you need to grow up, but only you know when that time comes. That time always comes in one shot and sometimes it’s your last shot. The Lord can be found in many places; a Church, a book or even a basketball court. Growing up is not about an age, it turns out it’s about a mindset. When you’re a child, you speak as a child, think as a child and reason as a child… when you become a man you put away childish things. The question of the day is… “How many shots does a man need to get it right, or does he ever get it right?”  Source(s):  Maverick Entertainment; Amazon; IMDB.

Trailer:

 

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Surviving Compton:  Dre, Suge & Miche’le

michele-biopic-stillRelease Date:  10/15/16; Lifetime
Genre:  Drama/Biography
Rating:  NR
Director:  Janice Cooke
Studio(s):   Sony Pictures Television and Thinkfactory Media.
Cast:  Rhyon Nicole Brown (Michel’le), Curtis Hamilton (Dre), Jamie Kennedy (Jerry Heller), R. Marcos Taylor (Suge Knight).

surviving-compton-stillStory:  The blockbuster film Straight Outta Compton mesmerized music fans with its vivid look behind the scenes of the pioneering hip hop collective N.W.A.  Now get ready to hear a shocking new side of their story.  Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le, tells the tale of Michel’le Toussaint, who rose to fame in the early days of rap as the so-called “First Lady of Ruthless Records.”  Surrounded by industry titans like Eazy-Z, Tupac Shakur, and obviously Suge Knight and Dr. Dre, she achieved major chart success – only to have it tarnished by betrayal and corrupt business dealings.  Her romantic relationship with Dre lasted for nearly a decade, during which time she veered further into a world ruled by substance abuse and crime. A blossoming affair with Knight, Dre’s friend and business partner, would offer temporary salvation, but ultimately complicate all of their lives.  Source(s):  People; Billboard.

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Reunited

reunitedRelease Date:   9/27/16; DVD
(Original Release Date:  2011)
Genre:  Romance/Inspirational
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  84 mins.
Director:  Priscilla Adams
Studio:   Maverick Entertainment Group
Cast:  Kenneth McDonald (Broderick White), Priscilla Adams (Angel), Dondria Fields.

Story:  Angel Adams is independent, beautiful and successful and has everything a woman wants, except a man.  Could that change when her high school crush returns to town? Separated by a twist of fate over 10 years ago, they’ve now been given a second chance. Caught up in a whirlwind romance, Angel lets her guard down, and opens her heart to Broderick, but their romance comes to a skidding halt as they are forced to face one of the most critical, yet TABOO issues facing our world today.  Is a life together worth the risk…or out of the question?  Source(s):  Maverick Entertainment; Amazon.

Trailer:

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Barry

barry-still

Release Date:  2016
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  104 mins.
Director:  Vikram Gandhi
Studio(s):  Cinetic Media, Black Bear Pictures
Cast:  Devon Terrell (Barack Obama), Anya Taylor-Joy (Charlotte), Avi Nash (Saleem), Jason Mitchell (PJ), Ellar Coltrane (Will), Ashley Judd.

Story:  Set in New York City, in 1981, and inspired by true events, Barry tells the story of a young Barack Obama as he tries to find his way as a college student in a new city, while faced with questions about race, culture and identity during what would be a crucial year in the future President’s life.  Source(s):  Shadow & Act, The Hollywood Reporter.

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