His House

Release Date:  10/30/2020; Netflix
Genre:  Horror
Rating:   TV-14
Director:   Remi Weekes
Studio(s):  Netflx, Regency Enterprizes, BBC Films, New Regency Productions, Vertigo Entertainment, Starchild Pictures
Running Time:  93 mins.

Cast:  Sope Dirisu (Bol Majur), Wunmi Mosaku (Rial Majur), Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba (Nyagak), Matt Smith (Mark Essworth), Javier Botet (The Witch).

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Story:  Bol and Rial are refugees fleeing with their daughter, Nyagak, from war-torn South Sudan. They cross stormy waters on an overcrowded motorboat, along with fellow refugees travelling across the perilous English Channel in search of a better life. Although they survive the treacherous crossing, their daughter and many others do not.  Three months later Bol and Rial are released from a detention center by British officials and assigned a home on a probationary basis.  Bol can barely hide his glee but Rial is unmoved.  The shabby house is located in a low-income suburb on the outskirts of London, with peeling walls and dismal furnishings. They are given strict restrictions or they may face deportation. In addition, they experience racism and hatred from their tenement neighbors.

Bol tries to assimilate but Rial, however, clings to their culture. Both Bol and Rial soon experience strange and disturbing phenomena in their new home, and see visions of Nyagak.  Rial doesn’t take long to work out what the evil in their house is: an apeth or “night witch”. She tells Bol the story of a poor man in her village who accidentally stole from an apeth by the river. When the thief built his home, the apeth moved in with him and haunted him. Rial believes that an apeth has followed them and if they repay their debt, the apeth will bring Nyagak back to them. Bol burns everything they brought with them, but the apeth continues to torment him and things deteriorate between the couple. Rial tells Bol that she wants to leave. Bol locks Rial in the house before he summons the apeth himself, who calls him a thief and claims that Bol has stolen a life that was not his to take.

Rial manages to escape the house but somehow she’s back in South Sudan.  She flashes back to a class room and sees old friends, who are revealed to be victims of a massacre. Rial survived by hiding until Bol finds her and they escape as violence grips the region.  The bus they need to board will only let people with children on. Desperate, Bol sees Nyagak in the crowd and abducts her, falsely claiming that she is their daughter. The couple get on the bus and escape, leaving Nyagak’s real mother running behind the bus, as gunfire erupts. Having accepted what they did to Nyagak which resulted in her death at sea, Bol decides to repay the debt to the apeth lets the apeth into his skin. Nyagak enters the room and returns to Rial. Rial chooses to save Bol instead of accepting this alternate reality, by slitting the apeth’s throat.

Bol and Rial decide to stay in their new home and to go on with the ghosts of their past, including Nyagak.  Sources:  nypost.com; rogerebert.com; Wikipedia; IMDB.  Photo Source(s):  IMDB.

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Ragtime

Release Date:  12/25/1981
Genre:  Drama/Historical
Rating:  PG
Director:  Milos Forman
Studio(s):  Dino De Laurentiis Company, Sunley Productions, Paramount Pictures
Running Time:  155 mins.

Cast:  Howard E. Rollins, Jr. (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), James Cagney (Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo), Moses Gunn (Booker T. Washington), Debbie Allen (Sarah), Brad Dourif (Younger Brother), James Olson (Father), Mary Steenburgen (Mother), Elizabeth McGovern (Evelyn Nesbit), Kenneth McMillan (Fire Chief Willie Conklin).

Details:  Based on the 1975 historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow about a proud black musician who rebels against racism in turn-of-the-century New York.  The movie includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time and features the final film appearance of James Cagney as well as early appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Ethan Phillips, and John Ratzenberger.  The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Harold E. Rolllins, Jr. for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Story:  Pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr. plays ragtime tunes to a silent newsreel montage depicting turn-of-the-20th-century celebrities including Harry Houdini, Theodore Roosevelt, and architect Stanford White.  Millionaire industrialist Harry Kendall Thaw makes a scene when White reveals a nude statue atop Madison Square Garden which is modeled after former chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit who is now Thaw’s wife. Convinced White has corrupted Evelyn, Thaw publicly shoots him dead.

An upper-class family resides in New Rochelle, New York, where Father owns a factory and his wife’s Younger Brother makes fireworks. An African American baby is abandoned in their garden, and upon learning the police intend to charge the child’s mother, Sarah, with child abandonment and attempted murder, Mother takes Sarah and her child in, despite Father’s objections. Coalhouse arrives in search of Sarah, realizes he is the baby’s father, announces his intention to marry Sarah.

Later Coalhouse is targeted by bigoted volunteer firemen led by Willie Conklin, who refuse to allow Coalhouse’s Model T- Ford to pass. Coalhouse finds a policeman and returns to find his car soiled with horse manure.

The policeman insists that Colehouse clean the manure off his car and move on, giving him the choice to do so or be arrested. Colehouse refuses, and is hauled in to the local precinct. After Father arranges for Coalhouse’s release, they discover his car has been further vandalized. Coalhouse pursues legal action, but can find no lawyer willing to represent him. Father and Younger Brother argue over Coalhouse’s legal recourse. At a presidential rally, Sarah attempts to tell President Roosevelt about Coalhouse’s case but is beaten by guards and dies of her injuries.

After Sarah’s funeral, Coalhouse and his supporters kill several firemen. He threatens to attack other firehouses, demanding his car be restored and Conklin be turned over to him. Father is disgusted at the violence but Younger Brother joins Coalhouse’s gang with his knowledge of explosives. Coalhouse’s gang hold the Pierpont Morgan Library’s collection hostage. Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo sends for Walker’s child as a bargaining chip but Mother refuses to give him up.

Booker T. Washington fails to persuade Walker to surrender, as does Father. Conklin is captured by police and forced to apologize to Coalhouse. Police Commissioner Waldo is disgusted by Conklin’s bigotry but cannot submit to terrorist demands and has him arrested. Coalhouse agrees to surrender if Waldo permits his supporters to depart in his restored car and Waldo agrees after Father volunteers to stay as a hostage. Coalhouse’s supporters escape and he drives Father out of the library. Ready to blow himself up, Coalhouse instead surrenders but is shot dead on Waldo’s orders.

Sources:  Rogerebert.com; Wikipedia; IMDB.  Photo Source:  IMDB.

Trailer:

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Redeemed

Release Date:  2/18/21; BET, BET+
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  TV-MA
Director:  Ty Manns
Studio(s):  Action Faith Media, Manns/Mackie Studios, Visions Production, Atonement Pictures, BET+, Green Apple Entertainment
Running Time:  80 mins.

Cast:  Keshia Knight Pulliam (Angela), T.C. Stallings (Tony), Eaddy Mays (Leslie), Cameron Arnett (Marston Drake), Roshawn Franklin (Andre Leath), Shari Dyon Perry (Teresa Lukonde).

Story:  Redeemed, BET’s original film based on Jacqueline D. Moore’s novel, Serving Justice, highlights the corruption plaguing America’s criminal justice system. The movie follows Angela Sylvester, who becomes the youngest female minority judge in her city and finds herself trapped in a ‘Kids for Cash’ prison scam orchestrated by her boss. Fearing her legal career and dream of becoming a federal judge is over, she loses control of her life and career until she returns to her faith and redeems herself of the crimes committed.  Source:  Blackfilm.com; IMDB.

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The Best Man: Final Chapters

Status:  Announced
Genre:   Dramedy
Director:  Malcom D. Lee

Cast:  Taye Diggs (Harper), Nia Long (Jordan), Morris Chestnut (Lance), Harold Perrineau (Julian), Terrence Howard (Quentin), Sanaa Lathan (Robin), Melissa De Sousa (Shelby), Regina Hall (Candy).

Details:  The cast of The Best Man film franchise is reuniting for a limited series that has been ordered at Peacock.  Peacock has ordered 10 episodes, with Malcolm D. Lee and Dayna Lynne North onboard to write and executive produce. Lee previously directed and wrote the two films in the franchise — The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday. 

 The Best Man: Final Chapters will feature returning cast members Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau.  The Best Man premiered in theaters in 1999 and made $35 million at the box office. The sequel, The Best Man Holiday, came 14 years later in 2013 and earned more than double the original film at the box office.

Story:  The series will catch up with Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.  Source(s):  Variety; MSN.  Photo Source(s): Variety, MSN.

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Carib’s Gold

Release Date:  9/30/1956
Black & White
Genre:  Drama
Director:  Harold Young
Studio(s):  Splendora International, Onyx Pictures
Running Time:  71 mins./62 mins.

Cast/Role: 
Ethel Waters as “Mom” Ryan: Ryan’s mother, owner of Duffy’s bar and restaurant.
Coley Wallace as Ryan: a diver who discovers sunken treasure.
Peter Dawson as Neely: skipper of the shrimping boat, the Capt. Geech.
Richard Ward as Lechock: a diver hired to help salvage the shipwreck, but who steals some of the treasure and murders Barb.
Cecil Cunningham as Barb: Mate/deckhand on the Capt. Geech.
William T. Hill as Cap: Owner & manager of the Capt. Geech.
Cicely Tyson as Dottie: Barb’s wife.
George Renna as Bartender.
Diana Sands as Bar Girl.
Henry Hayward as Willie: a deckhand on the Capt. Geech.
Ruth Sawyer as Baby: Ryan’s wife.
Geoffrey Holder as Voodoo Dancer.

Synopsis:  When Ryan, a sailor on a shrimp boat fishing off the Florida Keys, finds a sunken treasure of gold while diving to repair some nets, the demeanor of the boat’s crew changes. A diver hired to help salvage the wreck kills a crew member, then escapes with part of the treasure and is pursued through the Keys by the harbor police. After hijacking a car, the killer continues his escape, but when he hears a radio news broadcast report that a roadblock has been set up to prevent his going to the mainland, he returns to Key West. Ryan tracks the killer by searching the local bars. He  eventually finds the killer and turns him over to the police.

Notes:  Carib Gold was filmed almost entirely in Key West, Florida, with locally-cast musicians and extras. It is most notable for its largely African-American cast headlined by Ethel Waters, and was the feature-film debut of actresses Cicely Tyson and Diana Sands. It also marked the debut of dancer-actor Geoffrey Holder.  According to the LA Mirror-News review, Holder performed a voodoo dance in the film.

The film premiered on Sunday, September 30, 1956, exclusively at the Strand and Monroe Theaters on Duval Street in Key West. The film’s premiere was segregated, with the Strand screening the film for whites and the Monroe screening it for blacks. Following its premiere, the film had a very short run, being shown in both theaters for only two more days.  No national release date for the picture has been located.

According to documents in the Department of Defense [DOD] Collection the footage was shot for the Navy Diving School in Washington, D.C. for “a series of navy productions concerning diving equipment and procedures.”  Permission was granted to the production company to look at the requested footage and copy portions of it at the company’s expense. Although reviews of the film mention the inclusion of extensive underwater footage, it has not been determined if those sequences consisted partially or exclusively of the Navy footage.  Modern sources state that the underwater sequences, were shot at the then newly constructed Miami Seaquarium.

Thought lost for decades, the film is now in the public domain and was digitized in early 2012 and released online for free public viewing by Southern Methodist University.  Sources: tcm.com; Wikipedia; youtube.com.  Photo Sources:  moma.org; youtube.

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Sweet Mahogany 2: Pure Indulgence

Release Date:  2/23/21 (DVD)
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:  NR
Director:  Karlton T. Clay
Studio(s):  Victory Productions, L.L.C., Maverick Films
Running Time:  86 mins.

Cast:  Jessica Lark, Kineh N’Goajia, Ronza Bee, April Davis, Michael Mykkel, Niya Kerr.

Story:  Mahogany Andrews appears to be in the fight for her life as she is battling Tony Hawkins for custody of their daughter, Rachel. However, another fight is beginning to ensue as Cassie Pearson is doing whatever it takes to keep her entire family, which includes Mahogany, together and Khalil Pearson is battling internally to figure out what he truly wants and needs out of life and his marriage.  Source(s):  Maverick Entertainment; IMDB.

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