Miss Virginia

Release Date:  10/18/19; In Theaters & VOD
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Director:  R.J. Daniel Hanna
Studio(s):   Moving Picture Institute, Vertical Entertainment.
Running Time:  102 mins.

Cast:  Uzo Aduba (Virginia Walden), Vanessa Williams (Sally Ray), Aunjanue Ellis (Congresswoman Lorraine Townsend), Amirah Vann (Shondae Smith), Adina Porter (Annette Johnson), Niles Fitch (James), Nadji Jeter (Bonz), Matthew Modine (Congressman Clifford William).

Story:   Based on a true story, Miss Virginia stars Uzo Aduba as a struggling single mother who is losing her fifteen-year-old son to the rough streets of Washington, DC. Unwilling to see him drop out and deal drugs, she places him in a private school. But when she can’t afford the tuition, she launches a movement to change the system that is destroying him and thousands like him. Attacked and threatened by those who don’t want change—from corrupt politicians to the local drug lord—Virginia must discover depths of strength she never knew she had.  Source:  Official site, missvirginiamovie.com.

Trailer:

Deadly Dispatch

Release Date:  7/28/19; TV One
Genre:  Drama/Thriller
Rating:  NR
Director:  Morenike Joela Evans
Studio(s):   Swirl Films; TV One

Cast:  Tamala Jones (Tiffany), Dominique Perry (Amber), Wayne “Bone Crusher” Hardnett (Shawn), Steven Gregory Norfleet (Marcus).

Story:   Deadly Dispatch chronicles the tragic murder of Shawn (Bone Crusher), a well-liked owner of a struggling taxi company. Tiffany (Jones) is a local salon owner and Shawn’s longtime, high-school best friend who becomes intertwined in the puzzling circumstances surrounding his death. Unsatisfied with the police’s classification of the case being a robbery gone wrong, Tiffany becomes suspicious of Shawn’s grieving widow Amber (Perry). Motivated to find out what really happened to her friend that fateful day, Tiffany embarks on a quest that will not only endanger her strained marriage, but her life as well. Will she be able to come to terms with a deep secret shared between her and Shawn while seeking justice?  Inspired by actual events, the original movie is part of TV One’s Love, Lies & Murder series of stories that explore the dark side of love including deceit, betrayal, obsession and jealousy.  Source:  TV One.

Sins Of The Father

Release Date:  7/7/2019
Genre:  Drama/Thriller
Rating:  NR
Director:  Jamal Hill
Studio(s):   Swirl Films; TV One

Cast:  Deitrick Haddon (Pastor Clarence Burnett), A.J. Johnson (Detective Phylicia Richardson), Clifton Powell (Deacon Kevin Williams),Terayle Hill (Robert Banks), Angela Love (Chevelle).

Story:   The movie follows Clarence Burnett, a pastor in Atlanta who’s happily married to Karen. The couple’s world is torn apart when Karen is brutally murdered outside their Atlanta home, sending shock waves through their close-knit community. As police delve deeper into the Burnett’s inner circle, they discover secret lives filled with lust, cruelty and unearth a sinful conspiracy of biblical proportions.  Inspired by actual events, the original movie is part of TV One’s Love, Lies & Murder series of stories that explore the dark side of love including deceit, betrayal, obsession and jealousy.  Source:  TV One.

In Broad Daylight

Release Date:  7/14/19; TV One
Genre:   Thriller
Rating:  NR
Director:  Kenn Michael
Studio(s):   Invent Films, TV One
Cast:  Chyna Layne (Jordan Boudreaux), Curtis Hamilton (Steve), Shad “Bow Wow” Moss (Malik).

Story:   In Broad Daylight, tells the story of Jordan Boudreaux (Lane), who gets abducted by her obsessed and estranged boyfriend Steve (Hamilton).  Jordan’s family rallies the community while her closest cousin, Malik (Moss), makes it his personal mission to find and bring her home safely. The family, community and police band together to find Jordan before it’s too late.  Inspired by actual events, the original movie is part of TV One’s Love, Lies & Murder series of stories that explore the dark side of love including deceit, betrayal, obsession and jealousy.  Source:  TV One.

 

Come Sunday

a/k/a Heretic

Release Date:  1/21/18; Sundance Film Festival
Genre:  Drama
Rating:   NR
Director:  Joshua Marston
Studio(s):  Netflix
Running time:  106 mins.
Cast:  Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, Condola Rashad, Jason Segel, Lakeith Stanfield,
Martin Sheen.

Story:   Every Sunday, Bishop Carlton Pearson—evangelical megastar, brilliant orator, and television host with millions of followers—preaches the fundamentalist gospel to six thousand supplicants at his Higher Dimensions Church.  He’s the pride and joy of his spiritual father, Oral Roberts, and the toast of Tulsa.  One day, rattled by an uncle’s suicide and distraught by reports of the Rwandan Genocide, Pearson receives an epiphany.  Suddenly it’s crystal clear—God loves all humankind; everyone is already saved, whether Christian or not; and there is no hell.  But these ideas are heretical, violating sacrosanct doctrines.

The next Sunday, when Pearson unveils this theology of inclusion to his flock, shock waves sweep the enormous hall.  Church leaders and members begin to defect in droves, and his empire topples. Based on the true story of a controversial and courageous man of God, Come Sunday elegantly and respectfully captures the authentic texture and tone of Pearson’s devout world, never resorting to hyperbole.  Source:  Sundance.org.

Trailer:

Faith Under Fire

Release Date:   1/27/18; Lifetime
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  N/A
Director:  Vondie Curtis-Hall
Studio(s):  Topanga Productions Inc., Lifetime Television
Running time:  85 mins.
Cast:  Toni Braxton (Antoinette Tuff), Trevor Morgan (Michael Hill), Yaya DaCosta (Kendra), David Manzanares (Benito ‘Benny’ Medina), Jesse C. Boyd (Jim Sterling), Mell Bowser (Curtis Madison), Malik Yoba (Lt. Franklin), Kelvin Han Yee (Harlon Moline).

Story:   Seven time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton stars as Antoinette Tuff, a struggling single mom from Georgia who heroically averted a tragedy, saving hundreds of lives when she convinced a deranged gunman who stormed an elementary school to surrender. On August 20, 2013, shortly after arriving to work at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Georgia, Antoinette the school’s bookkeeper, was in the front office when Michael Hill (Trevor Morgan), a young man with a history of mental illness, snuck in, armed with an AK-47 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.  As the school went into lockdown, Antoinette was left alone with Michael, who repeatedly threatened to kill everyone.  Showing enormous courage and empathy, along with nerves of steel, Antoinette convinced Michael to surrender by using her own life struggles to connect with him. Antoinette’s faith in God guided her through the toughest moments of her life, ultimately preparing her for that fateful day.  Source:  Lifetime.

Trailer: