For His Mother’s Sake

Details
Year of Release:  1922
Genre:   Drama
Rating:   N/A
Runtime:   Unknown
Black & White
Silent
Studio(s):  Fidelity Pictures Co., Blackburn-Velde Pictures
Director:   Unknown

Cast
Jack Johnson, Adrian Joyce, Mattie Wilkes, Ruth Walker

Synopsis
A man takes the blame for a crime actually committed by his no-good but favored younger brother.  In order to save his mother further embarrassment he flees to Mexico, where he becomes a successful prizefighter.  He returns home a wealthy man, pays his brother’s debt and is reunited with his faithful fiancée.

Notes
This film marked the fiction film debut of ex-heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, who appeared in person at the film’s opening in Harlem at the New Douglas Theater, of which he was said to be a partner, according to an unidentified news item in the George P. Johnson Collection in the UCLA Special Collections Library. The film was made at Cliffside, NJ, and at one point, a sheriff took possession of the negative for alleged non-payment of rent.

Source:  TCM; Photo of Jack Johnson Source:  Biography.com.

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Dear Younger Me

Release Date:  4/7/2020; DVD
Genre:  Drama/Inspirational
Rating:   NR
Director:  Nakia T Hamilton
Studio(s):  Luv Life Entertainment, Maverick Entertainment
Running Time:  80 mins.
Cast:  Brad Elle Jones, Ike McFadden

Story:  After losing his wife and father on the same day, Brandon Moore felt there was nothing left to live for. His dream of finding a cure for cancer to save his wife and win approval for his father was gone. When he decides to take his brothers suggestion and spend the night at the family old ranch, the 12-year-old version of him walks out of the bathroom and spends three days trying to convince him to live again regardless of his loses.  Source:  Maverick Entertainment, IMDB.

Trailer:

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Coins For Love

Release Date:   7/19/20; TV One

Genre:   Romance

Rating:  NR

Director:  Jamal Hill

Studio(s):   TV One, Swirl Films

Running Time:  Unknown

Cast:   Essence Atkins, Stephen Bishop, TC Carson, Kendrick Cross, Karon Joseph Riley.

Story:  TV One follows the success of its popular film Coins For Christmas with the premiere of the sequel, Coins For Love.  The sequel reunites audiences with single mother Madison Morris (Atkins), who finds herself starting over. Madison lands her dream job at a publishing company. To her dismay, however, she must complete a probationary period and will not receive her full salary until the process is over, leaving her in a financial struggle. With a new career and struggling to make ends meet, she works under the demands of her new job while raising two teens on her own. Making matters even more complicated, she finds herself torn between an old flame and a new love interest.  Alec Darby (Bishop) has also started the job of his dreams on a national sports network but soon clashes with his co-host Demarco (Cross). Madison and Alec have a chance encounter and connect to discuss their career challenges, prompting Alec to offer Madison a side gig as his personal assistant to help supplement her income. The two embark on a great working relationship, and sparks eventually start to fly but not before Alec’s ex-fiancée reemerges in the picture. Madison’s ex-husband also comes crawling back with promises of a fresh start adding to the drama. Tune in to see if the couple’s budding relationship will be able to withstand the ultimate test – their Exes – in this romantic drama.  Source:  Blackfilm, TV One.

Trailer:

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P-Valley

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Release Date:  7/12/20 – Series Premiere; Starz
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  TV MA
Director:  Katori Hall
Studio(s):  Chernin Entertainment, Starz!

Cast:  Brandee Evans (Mercedes), Nicco Annan (Uncle Clifford), Shannon Thornton (Keyshawn), Elarica Johnson (Autumn Night), J. Alphonse Nicholson (Lil Murda), Parker Sawyers (Andre Watkins), Morocco Omari (Big L), Skyler Joy (Gidget), Harriett D. Foy (Patrice Woodbine), Brandon Gilpin (DJ Neva Scared), Tyler Lepley (Diamond).

Story:  Introducing to the stage… P-Valley a new series set in PYNK, a strip club in the dirty south.  Down deep in the Mississippi Delta lies an oasis of grit and glitter in a rough patch of human existence where beauty can be hard to find.  Sources:  IMDB, Starz.com, The Hollywood Reporter.

Trailer:

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The High Note

Release Date:  8/11/20; DVD (Original Release – 5/29/20)
Genre:   Drama/Music
Rating:  PG-13
Director:   Nisha Ganatra
Studio(s):  Perfect World Pictures, Working Title Films, Focus Features
Running Time:  113 mins.
Cast:  Tracee Ellis Ross (Grace Davis), Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (David Cliff), Ice Cube (Jack Robertson), Dakota Johnson (Maggie Sherwoode), Bill Pullman (Max).

Story:  Set in the dazzling world of the L.A. music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands but still aspires to her dream of becoming a music producer.  Things come to a head when Grace’s long-time manager (Ice Cube) presents the singer with a choice that could alter the course of her career, and Grace must choose between playing it safe or listening to her heart in a decision that could change her life forever.  Source:  Focusfeatue.com.

Trailer:

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Project Power

Release Date:  8/14/20; Netflix
Genre:  Sci-Fi/Thriller
Rating:  R
Directors:  Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Studio(s):  Netflix, Screen Arcade, Supermarché
Running Time:  Unknown
Cast:  Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Art), Dominique Fishback (Robin), Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Allen Maldonado, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Courtney B. Vance, Machine Gun Kelly, Casey Neistat, Jim Klock, Luke Hawx, Janet Nguyen.

Story:  On the streets of New Orleans, word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch: You don’t know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. But when the pill escalates crime within the city to dangerous levels, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk taking the pill in order to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it.  Source(s):  IMDB; Slashfilm.com.

Trailer:

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