Tag: featured

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

a/k/a Billie

Release Date:  2/26/21; Hulu
Genre: Drama/Biography
Rating:  NR
Director:  Lee Daniels
Studio(s):  Paramount Pictures
Running Time:  TBD

Cast:  Andra Day as Billie Holiday; Trevante Rhodes as Jimmy Fletcher; Garrett Hedlund as Harry J. Anslinger; Tyler James Williams as Lester ‘Prez’ Young; Natasha Lyonne as Tallulah Bankhead; Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Roslyn; Evan Ross as Sam Williams; Dana Gourrier as Sadie; Erik LaRay Harvey as Monroe; Melvin Gregg as Joe Guy; Miss Lawrence as Miss Freddy.

Story:  Based on the book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari, the film follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. The pic will intimately examine Holiday’s struggles with addiction, fame and heartbreaking love.  Source:  Wikipedia; IMDB.

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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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The Available Wife

Release Date:  12/17/20 UMC (Original Release – 8/22/20; American Black Film Festival)
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Director:  Jamal Hill
Studio(s):  Available Wife, Luna Ray Films, MegaMind Media, BondIt Media Capital
Running Time:  100 mins.

Cast:  KJ Smith (Nicole), Roger Guenveur Smith (Walter), Clifton Powell (Mitchell), Anwan Glover (Soshi), Terayle Hill (Kingston), Angel Love (Alecia), Brave Williams (Maxine), Mark McKinnon (Drew).

Story:  When money, affairs, power and lies collide, a beautiful and successful music CEO’s life is about to crumble in front of her.  When Nicole Wright leaves her husband and son, the lies that have built her music empire threaten to tear her down. While having an affair with Kingston, the sexy artist on the rise who promises her everything, Nicole learns the hard way that looks can be deceiving and his motives are as dark as the secrets she keeps.  Source(s):  abff.com/2020; IMDB.

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Fatale

Release Date:   12/18/20; In Theaters (Limited)
Genre:  Drama/Thriller
Rating:   NR
Director:  Deon Taylor
Studio(s):  Hidden Empire Film Group, Lionsgate
Running Time:  Unknown

Cast:  Michael Ealy (Derrick Tyler), Hilary Swank (Detective Valerie Quinlan), Mike Colter (Rafe Grimes), Danny Pino (Carter Haywood), Tyrin Turner (Tyrin Abenathy), Sam Daly (Officer Stallman), David Hoflin (Officer Lowe), Damarius Lewis (Tracie Tyler).

Story:  After a wild one-night stand, Derrick (Michael Ealy), a successful sports agent, watches his perfect life slowly disappear when he discovers that the sexy and mysterious woman he risked everything for, is a determined police detective (Hilary Swank) who entangles him in her latest investigation. As he tries desperately to put the pieces together, he falls deeper into her trap, risking his family, his career, and even his life. Fatale is a suspenseful and provocative psychological thriller and an unpredictable game of cat and mouse where one mistake can change your life.  Source:  Movieweb.

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Sylvie’s Love

a/k/a Sylvie

Release Date:  12/25/20; Amazon (Original Release – 1/27/20 – Sundance Film Festival)
Genre:  Drama/Romance
Rating:   PG-13
Director:  Eugene Ashe
Studio(s):   Iam21 Entertainment
Running Time:  114 mins.

Cast:  Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eva Longoria, Aja Naomi King, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Jemima Kirke

Story:  The jazz is smooth and the air sultry in the New York summer of 1957. Sylvie helps around her father’s record store as she waits for her fiancé to return from war—until sweet saxophonist Robert walks in looking for a day job to subsidize his residency at the Blue Morocco lounge. This chance meeting kindles a deep passion in each of them unlike anything they’ve felt before. Sylvie’s mother immediately disapproves and reminds Sylvie of her engagement, while Robert’s band books their first big gig overseas. As time passes, the sexual revolution begins, and Motown becomes king, the two fall in and out of each other’s arms, but never out of love.  Sundance.org.

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