Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Release Date:  12/18/20 Netflix
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  R
Director:  George C. Wolfe
Studio(s):  Netflix
Running Time:  93 mins.

Cast:   Viola Davis as Ma Rainey; Chadwick Boseman as Levee; Glynn Turman as Toledo; Colman Domingo as Cutler; Michael Potts as Slow Drag; Taylour Paige as Dussie Mae; Jonny Coyne as Sturdyvant; Jeremy Shamos as Irvin; Dusan Brown as Sylvester.

Story:   Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) – who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories, truths, and lies that will forever change the course of their lives.  Adapted from August Wilson’s play.

Details:  With his career cut short, it seems that Netflix’s upcoming Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, an adaptation of the famed August Wilson play, will be Boseman’s last film. Here’s what we know about the movie.  It’s based on the August Wilson play of the same name.  The story follows the members of a band in 1920s Chicago as they await the arrival of the lead singer, Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), for a recording session. As the day unfolds, Ma fights with her white producers for control over her music, and ambitious trumpeter Levee (Boseman) lets his hot head get the best of him. Source(s):  Wikipedia; IMDB; Netflix.

 

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Da 5 Bloods


Release Date:  6/12/20; Netflix
Genre:   Drama
Rating:  R
Director:  Spike Lee
Studio(s):  40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Netflix
Running Time:  154 mins.

Cast:  Delroy Lindo (Paul), Jonathan Majors (David), Norm Lewis (Eddie), Clarke Peters (Otis), Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (Melvin), Chadwick Boseman (Norman), Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser (Simon), Jean Reno, Veronica Ngo (Hanoi Hannah), Giancarlo Esposito, Johnny Tri Nguyen.

Story:  The story of four African American Vets – Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), who return to Vietnam searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure.  Our heroes, joined by Paul’s concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature, while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.  Source:  IMDB; Vanity Fair.

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21 Bridges

a/k/a 17 Bridges

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Release Date:  2/18/2020; DVD/Blu-Ray (Original Release Date: 11/22/19)
Genre:   Drama/Thriller
Rating:   TBA
Director:  Brian Kirk
Studio(s):   AGBO, Huayi Brothers, STX Entertainment
Running Time:  TBA

Cast:  Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, Keith David, Stephan James, Taylor Kitsch, Gary Carr, Shayna Ryan, J.K. Simmons.

Story:   21 Bridges’ follows an NYPD detective (Boseman), who is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers from escaping Manhattan as the authorities close all 21 bridges to prevent any entry or exit from the iconic island.  Source:  Indiewire.

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Marshall

Release Date:  10/13/17; In Theaters
Genre:   Drama/Biography
Rating:  Unknown
Running Time:  Unknown
Director:  Reginald Hudlin
Studio:   Chestnut Ridge Productions, China Wit Media, Starlight Media, Super Hero Films, Open Road Films (II).
Cast:  Chadwick Boseman (Thurgood Marshall), Josh Gad (Sam Friedman), Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, James Cromwell, Sterling K. Brown, Keesha Sharp, Jussie Smollett, Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas.

Story:  The film covers Marshall’s early years as a young lawyer tasked with defending a black chauffeur in a highly publicized sexual assault case.  Paired with young Jewish lawyer Friedman in a segregationist court, he’s forced to fight prejudice as he and Friedman work their case — which helped set the stage for the future Civil Rights Movement.  Source:  Indiewire.

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Message From The King

message-from-the-kingRelease Date:   2016
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:  R
Running Time:  142
Director:  Fabrice Du Welz
Studio:   Entertainment One Features
Cast:  Chadwick Boseman (Jacob King), Teresa Palmer (Kelly), Luke Evans (Wentworth), Tom Felton (Frankie).
Story:  Chadwick Boseman stars as a man from South Africa who has suddenly lost all contact with his younger sister and travels to Los Angeles only to find evidence that she has gotten involved in the city’s dark underbelly. He then takes it upon himself to avenge her.  Source(s):  The Hollywood Reporter.

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Get On Up

 

Get On Up 2Release Date:  August 1, 2014
Genre:  Drama/Biography
Rating:  Not Available
Running Time:  Not Available
Studio:  Universal Pictures
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast:  Chadwick Boseman (James Brown),  Viola Davis (Susie Brown), Octavia Spencer (Aunt Honey), Nelsan Ellis (Bobby Byrd), Jill Scott, Dan Aykroyd (Ben Bart), Lennie James (Joseph James), Tika Sumpter (Yvonne Fair)

Story:  Based on the incredible life story of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, the film will give a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown, taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. (Synopsis taken from comingsoon.net).

Details: The Godfather of Soul led a very turbulent life, which included drug abuse and four marriages. Producer Brian Grazer and longtime friend of James Brown, started working on Get On Up with the soul legend himself involved in the development of the project up to his death in 2006. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who also knew Brown, is also on board as a producer.  (Source:  Movie Pilot; Photo:  Universal Pictures).

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