Cut Throat City

Release Date:   7/31/20 – VOD
(Original Release:  3/14/20 – SXSW Film Festival)
Genre:  Action
Rating:  R
Director:  RZA
Writer:  Paul Cuschieri
Studio(s):  Rumble Riot Pictures, Lydiard Films, Patriot Pictures, Well Go USA Entertainment.
Running Time:  132 mins.

Cast:  Shameik Moore, Demetrius Shipp, Jr., Denzel Whitaker, Keean Johnson, Ethan Hawke, Eiza Gonzalez, Kat Graham, Isaiah Washington, T.I., Terrence Howard, and Wesley Snipes.

Story:  The plot follows four boyhood friends in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward who return after Hurricane Katrina to find their homes decimated.  With no jobs, no help from FEMA and out of options, they reluctantly turn to a local gangster, who offers them one shot at turning their situations around – by pulling off a dangerous heist in the heart of the city.  When the job goes bad, the friends find themselves on the run, hunted by two relentless detectives and a neighborhood warlord who thinks they stole the heist money.  Source:  Deadline.  Photo Source:  Movie Insider.

Trailer:

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The 24th

Release Date:  8/21/20
Genre:  Drama/History
Rating:  NR
Director:  Kevin Willmott
Studio(s):  EMJAG Productions
Running Time:  105 mins.

Cast:  Trai Byers (Boston), Bashir Salahuddin (Big Joe), Aja Naomi King (Marie), Mo McRae (Walker), Tosin Morohunfola (Franklin), Mykelti Williamson (Sgt. Hayes), Thomas Haden Church (Col. Norton), Lorenzo Yearby (Lucky).

Story:  The 24th tells the true story of the all-black Twenty-Fourth United States Infantry Regiment, and the Houston Riot of 1917.  The Houston Riot was a mutiny by 156 African American soldiers in response to the brutal violence and abuse at the hands of Houston police officers. The riot lasted two hours and led to the death of nine civilians, four policemen and two soldiers. It resulted in the largest murder trial in history, which sentenced a total of 19 men to execution, and 41 to life sentences.

America has just entered the Great War, but is refusing to send black troops into combat. Instead of heading to the front lines, the Twenty-Fourth Infantry is sent to Houston, Texas to oversee the construction of Camp Logan for the Illinois National Guard. William Boston is forced to choose between his love for a young woman and leading an attack by 156 African American soldiers on a brutal and racist police force. This incident lead to what is now called the Houston Riot of 1917.  Source(s):  Deadline; sxsw.com.

Trailer:

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Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

Release Date:  3/20/20; Netflix – Limited Series
Genre:   Drama/Biography
Rating:  NR
Director(s):  Kasi Lemmons and DeMane Davis
Studio(s):  Netflix, SpringHill Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television

Story:  The four-part limited series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker will debut on Netflix on March 20.  In the series, Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer stars as Sarah Breedlove, known as Madam C.J. Walker, the black hair care pioneer and mogul who overcame hostile turn-of-the-century America, epic rivalries, tumultuous marriages and family challenges to become America’s first black, female self-made millionaire.  The series is inspired by the book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles. Walker overcame post-slavery racial and gender biases, personal betrayals, and business rivalries to build a ground-breaking brand that revolutionized black hair care, as she simultaneously fought for social change.

Self Made also stars Blair Underwood as her husband C.J. Walker, Tiffany Haddish as her daughter Lelia, Carmen Ejogo as Walker’s business rival Addie Munroe, Garrett Morris as Walker’s father-in-law, Kevin Carroll as her longtime lawyer Freeman Ransom and Bill Bellamy as Ransom’s cousin, Sweetness.  Source(s):  Deadline; Elle.com.

Trailer:

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Open

Release Date:  3/14/20; BET & BET Her
Genre:  Drama/Romance
Rating:  NR
Director(s):  Cas Sigers-Beedles
Studio(s):  Nina Holiday Entertainment
Running Time:   87 mins.

Cast:  Essence Atkins (Wren), Keith Robinson (Cameron), Matt Cedeño (Mars), Kerri J. Baldwin (Tea Cup), Franceli Chapman (Viv), Imani Duckett (Luna), Marquita Goings (Courtney), Jason Graham (Ed), Chantal Maurice (Kendall), Roxzane T. Mims (Ruth), Margaret Morris (Paula), Ernestine J. Morrison (Zoey) and Jasmine Guy.

Story:  Open is a romantic drama that showcases the alternative perspective of open relationships.  As a child of divorce and a woman noticing the infidelities in the world, main character Wren (Essence Atkins) decides to ask her husband Cameron (Keith Robinson) for an open marriage, after eight years, to avoid the pain of him cheating behind her back. Navigating the struggles of her bakery business, social life and marriage, Wren finally thinks she has it all figured out until she reconnects with a childhood friend.  Looking through the lens of polygamy, Open teaches viewers the full scope of these oftentimes taboo relationships.   Source:  IMDB; Blackfilm.

Trailer:

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Domestic Warfare

 

Release Date:   3/3/20; DVD (Original Release – 2019)

Genre:  Thriller

Rating:   NR

Director(s):  Bobby Peoples & Renee Peoples

Studio(s):   The Peoples Network, Maverick

Running Time:  75 mins.

Cast:   Shatareia Stokes, Ron English, Princess Elmore, Nic Starr.

Story:   When a generational curse catches up to Sisley, she must try to overcome all the obstacles throughout her life and learn to forgive or suffer mentally for all eternity.  Source:  Maverick Entertainment.

Trailer:

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29 Days Of Black History – Day 29: When They See Us

a/k/a Central Park Five

Release Date:  5/31/19; Limited Series – Netflix
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  TV-MA
Director:  Ava DuVernay
Studio(s):   Forward Movement, Harpo Films, Participant Media, Tribeca Productions, Netflix

Cast:  Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Justin Cunningham, Freddy Miyares, Jharrel Jerome, Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Chris Jackson, Joshua Jackson, Omar J. Dorsey, Famke Janssen, Aurora Perrineau, William Sadler, Aunjanue Ellis, Kylie Bunbury.

Story:  Four-part limited series about the Central Park Five, a group of teenagers from Harlem — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — who 30 years ago were wrongly convicted of rape.  The series will span 25 years, highlighting their exoneration in 2002 and the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014.

Ava DuVernay, who created and directed the film, said in a statement, “In 1989, five black and brown teen boys were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and branded The Central Park Five, a moniker that has followed them since that time.  In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories.  In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of color unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system.  Sources:  TV Line; Coming Soon; IMDB; Deadline; Variety.

Trailer:

 

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