MGM Releases New Poster for Eli Roth, Bruce Willis' "Death Wish" Remake

From Press Materials:

DEATH WISH
Release Date: March 2, 2018
Genre: Action- Thriller
Director: Eli Roth
Screenplay: Joe Carnahan, based on a novel by Brian Garfield
Producer: Roger Birnbaum
CAST: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone, Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise

SYNOPSIS:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presents director Eli Roth's re-imagining of the classic 1974 revenge thriller Death Wish.  Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of Chicago violence when it is rushed into his ER - until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their suburban home.  With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts his family's assailants to deliver justice.  As the anonymous slayings of criminals grabs the media's attention, the city wonders if this deadly vigilante is a guardian angel or a grim reaper.  Fury and fate collide in the intense, action-thriller
Death Wish.

Paul Kersey becomes a divided person: A man who saves lives, and a man who takes them; a husband and father trying to take care of his family, and a shadowy figure fighting Chicago crime; a surgeon extracting bullets from suspects' bodies, and the vigilante called "The Grim Reaper" who detectives are quickly closing in on.

Updated from the original novel by Brian Garfield, director Eli Roth  and screenwriter Joe Carnahan's (The Grey, Narc) Death Wish also stars Vincent D'Onofrio (The Magnificent Seven, TV's Daredevil and Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Camila Morrone, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) and Kimberly Elise (The Great Debaters). It's a knife's-edge portrayal that challenges our assumptions, and pushes our buttons.

By bringing the complex psychology of Brian Garfield's book up-to-the-moment and injecting new thrills and a stark, unflinchinglook at the American psyche in 2017, Eli Roth and Death Wish brings audiences to the height of unforgettable suspense.

A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures production, Death Wish is set for release on March 2, 2018.  It will be distributed in the U.S. by APR and internationally by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.  Death Wish stars Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone, Dean Norris, Kimberly Elise.  Directed by Eli Roth.  Screenplay by Joe Carnahan, based on the 1974 Motion Picture by Wendell Mayes from the Novel by Brian Garfield.  Producer, Roger Birnbaum.  Associate Producer, Stephen J. Eads.  Executive Producer, Ilona Herzberg.  Director of Photography, Rogier Stoffers.  Edited by Mark Goldblatt.  Music by Ludwig Göransson.  Production Design by Paul Kirby.  Costume Design by Mary Jane Fort.

DEATH WISH Official Channels:
Website: http://deathwish.movie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeathWishFilm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeathWishMovie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DeathWishMovie 
#DeathWishMovie


----------------------------------

BET Annouces Cast for Its Drama Series, "Hit the Floor"

BET Networks Reveals New and Returning Cast of Its Fan-Magnet Original Series HIT THE FLOOR

Singer, Dancer and Actress Teyana Taylor to Join Cast

Kimberly Elise, Dean Cain, McKinley Freeman, Katherine Bailess, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe and Brent Antonello Return to Reprise Their Beloved Roles

James LaRosa to Executive Produce Series with Principal Photography Starting in Los Angeles in November 2017

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks announces the cast of the much-anticipated sexy drama series, HIT THE FLOOR. Singer, dancer and actress Teyana Taylor heats things up as she joins the cast of the much-anticipated original scripted series.

Kimberly Elise, Dean Cain, McKinley Freeman, Katherine Bailess, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe and Brent Antonello will reprise their beloved roles. Acclaimed producer and creator of the series James LaRosa will Executive Produce the one-hour series scheduled to premiere on BET in 2018 with principal photography starting in Los Angeles in November 2017.

Just when you thought TV couldn’t get any more sultry, sizzling new episodes of original series, HIT THE FLOOR, are back to steam up TV screens for a brand new season on BET Networks. The premier professional dance squad for the Los Angeles Devils basketball team, the Devil Girls, returns with more scandal, sex, secrets, intrigue and jaw-dropping dance routines, which captured audience’s hearts.

“HIT THE FLOOR” was created by James LaRosa who also serves as Executive Producer of the series.

For more information on HIT THE FLOOR log on to BET.com and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #HitTheFloor.


About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B ), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER (formerly CENTRIC), a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.

-----------------------------

Usher, Maxwell, The Roots Head Special Prince Celebration at 2016 BET Awards

Usher, Future and Bryson Tiller Join Alicia Keys, Maxwell and Special Prince Celebration Performers, Sheila E., D’Angelo, The Roots and Janelle Monae at the 2016 “BET Awards”

DJ Khaled, Gabrielle Union, Tinashe, Fantasia, Regina Hall, Nate Parker and More Announced as Presenters

Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross to Host 2016 “BET Awards” Airing Live on Sunday, June 26 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, CA at 8 P.M. ET

BET Experience at L.A. Live Presented by Coca-Cola® Takes Place June 23-26, 2016

#BETAWARDS

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks revealed that Usher, Future, and Bryson Tiller will join the ultra-talented line-up of performers at the 16th annual “BET Awards” 2016 on Sunday, June 26, 2016. Hosted by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, the “BET Awards” will also include previously announced performances by Alicia Keys and Maxwell. As revealed last week, Sheila E., The Roots, D’Angelo, and Janelle Monae are also slated as the first artists to be part of the special celebration paying homage to the creative genius of Prince.

DJ Khaled, Gabrielle Union, Tinashe, Fantasia, Regina Hall, BET’s “Music Moguls” (Damon Dash, Birdman, Jermaine Dupri and Snoop Dog,) Aja Naomi King, Nate Parker, Terrence J, Morris Chestnut, J.B. Smoove, Kimberly Elise, Omar Epps, the cast of BET's New Edition Biopic (Bryshere Y. Gray, Elijah Kelley, Luke James, Algee Smith, Keith Powers and Woody McClain) and BET’s “F in Fabulous” cast (Kamie Crawford, Eny Oh, Stephon Mendoza and Savannah Lynx) were also announced today as presenters for the annual highly-anticipated televised event.

A full list of the 2016 “BET Awards” nominees is now available here.

In addition to this exciting line-up, “BET Awards” has a secret performer! Find out who it is by using the hashtag #BETAwardsReveal on Twitter and Facebook. Once the hashtag is used, your social avatar paired with thousands of other BET Awards fans will reveal a photo of the must-see performer.

The “BET Awards” 2016 will premiere around the world on BET’s international network. It will air in the UK on Tuesday, June 28th at 9:00pm BST, in Africa on Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00pm CAT, and in France on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00pm CEST.

Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment serves as Executive Producer. Stephen G. Hill, BET’s President of Programming; Connie Orlando, BET’s Senior Vice President of Music; and Specials and Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials serve as Executive Producers for BET Networks.

The “BET Awards” will take place along with the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles from June 23-26, 2016. BET.com is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show. VIP Packages for the BET Experience weekend are now on-sale. In addition to VIP amenities throughout the weekend and incredible seats for the STAPLES Center shows, three levels of BETX VIP Packages offer guests the only opportunity to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated BET Awards, broadcast live from Microsoft Theater. The 1,000+ VIP Packages sold out in 2015, so guests are encouraged to purchase now before the allotment is depleted. Full package amenities and pricing for the Diamond, Platinum and Gold VIP Packages can be found by visiting BETExperience.com or by calling (877) 234-8425.


ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT “BET AWARDS”
The “BET Awards” is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA®
BET Networks, an entertainment powerhouse, and AEG, the leading world’s leading sports and live entertainment companies and developer/operator of L.A. LIVE, have teamed up once again to create the BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE (BETX), June 23 - 26, 2016 presented by Coca-Cola®. This four-day festival will be filled with music and comedy concerts taking place at The Novo by Microsoft and STAPLES Center; FREE BET Fan Fest at the Los Angeles Convention Center including seminars, celebrity basketball games, celebrity meet & greets; and other special appearances. The weekend will be capped off with the “BET Awards” on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at Microsoft Theater.

ABOUT AEG
AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns, operates or consults with a collection of companies including over 100 of the world’s preeminent facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), PlayStation Theater (Times Square, New York), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney, Australia), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin, Germany), and The O2 arena and entertainment district (London, England). Developed by AEG, L.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, & entertainment district featuring Microsoft Theater and a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination. In addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, assets of AEG Sports include franchises such as the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and the Amgen Tour of California cycling stage race. Along with AEG Facilities, other global divisions include AEG Live, the world’s second largest concert promotion and touring companies comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions and AEG Global Partnerships, responsible for worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships, naming rights and other strategic partnerships. In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH environmental program featuring the industry's first sustainability report while in 2011, AEG introduced AXS a comprehensive entertainment platform serving as the company’s primary consumer brand including AXS Ticketing which provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets directly from their favorite venues via a user-friendly ticketing interface, Examiner.com and the AXS TV network, a linear cable channel focusing on live entertainment and lifestyle programming available in nearly 40 million homes. AEG’s European headquarters are located in London. Global headquarters are in Los Angeles. For more information, visit: www.aegworldwide.com

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT
Jesse Collins Entertainment is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, Collins has played an integral role in producing some of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. Formerly Executive Producer/EVP of Cossette Productions, Collins has produced ground-breaking and award winning television programming including the BET Awards, the GRAMMY Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Honors, UNCF An Evening of Stars, ABFF Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Collins is an executive producer of the hit TV series, Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart and the upcoming original miniseries based on the iconic music group New Edition that will debut on BET in 2017. He has worked with a myriad of superstar talent including Will Smith, Chris Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Prince and Mariah Carey. Follow Jesse Collins Entertainment @JesseCollinsEnt on Twitter and Instagram and go to http://www.jessecollinsent.com/ for more information on the company.

Follow BET @BET_PR AND @BETAWARDS

-------------------

Review: "The Manchurian Candidate" Remake a Missed Oppurtunity

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 166 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence and some language
DIRECTOR:  Jonathan Demme
WRITERS:  Daniel Pyne and Dean Georgaris (based upon the film screenplay by George Axelrod and based upon a novel by Richard Condon)
PRODUCERS:  Tina Sinatra, Scott Rudin, Jonathan Demme, and Ilona Herzberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tak Fujimoto, ASC
EDITORS:  Carol Littleton, A.C.E. and Craig McKay, A.C.E.
COMPOSER:  Rachel Portman
BAFTA Award nominee

DRAMA/THRILLER with elements of mystery and science fiction

Starring:  Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise, Jeffrey Wright, Ted Levine, Anthony Mackie, Bruno Ganz, Simon McBurney, Al Franken, and Miguel Ferrer

The subject of this movie review is The Manchurian Candidate, a 2004 thriller and drama film from director Jonathan Demme.  The film is an adaptation of the 1959 novel, The Manchurian Candidate, from author Richard Condon.  It is also a re-imagining of director John Frankenheimer’s 1962 film adaptation of the book.  In the 2004 film, a war veteran begins to believe that during the Gulf War, soldiers in his U.S. Army unit were kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.

If you’re going to remake a great movie, you should try to make the new movie also be a great film, or at the very least try to make it a…very good film.  The Manchurian Candidate, Jonathan Demme's (The Silence of the Lambs) update of the Frank Sinatra classic of the same title, which was directed by John Frankenheimer, is neither great nor very good.  It’s the worst thing one could get from the esteemed filmmakers involved in the project, all of whom have glowing resumes.  The new The Manchurian Candidate is a flat out average film that’s barely worth an exciting trip to the video store.

In the original 1962 film, the Manchurian Candidate was a sleeper agent/assassin trained by the Red Chinese.  In the new film, the sleeper agent is Raymond Prentiss Shaw (Liev Schreiber).  Raymond Shaw is the subject of a mind control project by Manchurian Global, a huge conglomerate with its hands in everything from providing services to the military to funding political campaigns and owning politicians.  With the help of their political cronies and Raymond’s mother, Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw (Meryl Streep), Raymond, a young Congressman from New York, is made the Vice-Presidential nominee on the opposition (likely the Democrats, but not directly named) party’s ticket in the upcoming presidential race.

Raymond had once been Sergeant Raymond Shaw back in 1991 during Operation Desert Shield just before it became Operation Desert Storm.  He answered to U.S. Army Major Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington).  Washington, Shaw, and the rest of their platoon were ambushed in Iraq, but all they remember about the incident is that Shaw single-handedly saved the lives of the entire platoon (except for two men who were killed during the attack) after Major Marco had been knocked unconscious.

However, Ben Marco runs into another platoon buddy, Corporal Al Melvin (Jeffrey Wright), after a Boy Scout assembly where Marco recounts Shaw’s heroism.  Melvin is disheveled, and he tells Marco a fantastic tale of strange dreams he’s been having about their platoon being kidnapped and experimented on after they were ambushed.  Melvin’s story contradicts the official version of what happened in Kuwait, the one that made Shaw a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.  Although, Marco is uncomfortable with Melvin’s tale, he knows there is a ring of truth to it because he also has never been comfortable with the official version of the ambush and their rescue.  He thinks someone was inside his head after his platoon was ambushed, and he wonders if the same thing happened to Shaw.  Marco must find out, and he’s running out because the nation just may be voting for a man whose mind is controlled by sinister forces.

It’s supposedly not always fair to compare the new version of something to the old, but it happens anyway.  Nearly everything that made the classic black and white The Manchurian Candidate an unusually creepy and unique suspense thriller is present in the 2004 version, but the filmmakers have taken the characters, plot, and settings (Korea becomes the Persian Gulf in the new film) and made a flat thriller, in which the thrills only occasionally register.  The surprises are mild, and while the changes made for the new film seem like novel ideas, the filmmakers don’t get much heat from them.

I blame everybody.  Denzel Washington’s performance is either phoned in or overwrought, but it’s his worst in a long time.  Meryl Streep tries to get traction from her evil character, but it’s a performance wasted on an all-too-phony character; besides, Ms. Streep just can’t replace Angela Landsbury’s mega evil mom from the original.  I place the most blame on director Jonathan Demme.  Back in the 1980’s, his novel spin on pedestrian film stories and his quirky characters were stunningly refreshing.  He hit the big time with the hugely entertaining and very well done The Silence of the Lambs, but since then, he has become a big time Hollywood player making mediocre films.  He continues that trend with The Manchurian Candidate.

Early Internet rumor mongering about The Manchurian Candidate described this film as a hot political potato that took sharp swipes at President Hand Puppet and his administration, swipes that would draw blood like Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 did, but no such luck.  You wouldn’t miss much if you waited for this to appear on TV – basic cable TV.

4 of 10
C

NOTE:
2005 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Meryl Streep)

2005 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Meryl Streep)

2005 Black Reel Awards:  2 nominations:  “Best Supporting Actor” (Jeffrey Wright) and “Best Supporting Actress” (Kimberly Elise)

Updated:  Sunday, November 10, 2013


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Woman Thou Art Loosed" Stirring, Powerful

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004)
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, sexual content, and drug use
DIRECTOR: Michael Schultz
WRITER: Stan Foster (from the novel by T.D. Jakes)
PRODUCER: Reuben Cannon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Reinhart “Rayteam” Peschke
EDITOR: Billy Fox
Black Reel Award winner

DRAMA/RELIGIOUS

Starring: Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Michael Boatman, Clifton Powell, Idalis DeLeon, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Sean Blackmore, Jordan Moseley, Philip Daniel Bolden, Destiny Edmond, and Ricky Harris

The subject of this movie review is Woman Thou Art Loosed, a 2004 religiously-themed drama that is directed by famed African-American filmmaker, Michael Schultz. The film is an adaptation of the 1994 self-help book of the same name.

Woman Thou Art Loosed, adapted from Bishop T.D. Jakes best-selling self-help book for women, begins with Michelle Jordan (Kimberly Elise) committing a murder at a revival. Later, Bishop T.D. Jakes (playing himself) visits Michelle on death row. Told through flashbacks, we then see Michelle, just released from prison and determined not to return to her self-destructive life of drugs, stripping, and prostitution, struggle with the demons of her past, including being molested by her mother Cassey’s (Loretta Devine) boyfriend, Reggie (Clifton Powell). At the encouragement of Twana (Debbi Morgan), a family friend, Michelle begins attending Bishop Jakes’ three-day revival, the scene of Michelle’s ultimate tragedy. Can Bishop Jakes help Michelle to accept the healing power of Jesus’ love?

Woman Thou Art Loosed is a beautiful and spiritually engaging film. What it lacks in refinement and technique, it makes up for with religious fervor. Directed by Michael Shultz (Cooley High and Car Wash among others), who was probably the only black film director to consistently direct movies during the 1970’s and 80’s, the film is mostly disjointed for the first half of its running time. Actually, the film is quite hard to follow for the first 20 minutes or so, but then the narrative seems to miraculously come together and flows smoothly the rest of the way. The tragedy of the film is that the script, which tells a very good and compelling story, is short of characterization and character development. Rich characters fill this story, but we only get a taste of them, just enough to irritate because the story doesn’t give more.

What makes this clunky movie soar is Kimberly Elise’s brilliant and searing portrayal of Michelle, young woman who seemingly can’t stop making bad decisions once her innocence is destroyed when she is a child. Ms. Elise has a magnetic screen presence and her performance as a young woman with trials and tribulations is much truer than Oscar winner Hilary Swank’s tepid routine as a trailer trash boxer in Million Dollar Baby. Also stirring is the ministry and preaching of Bishop Jakes.

Though there are moments in the film when the revival seems a bit over the top, 80 percent of the time, it is awe-inspiring and stirs the soul and awakens the intellect. Bishop Jakes’ message of hope and Ms. Elise’s performance, as well as the other actors who give excellent supporting performances in spite of a limp script, make this a fine religious drama. What it lacks as art, Woman Thou Art Loosed makes up for with spirit and hope.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2005 Black Reel Awards: 2 wins: “Best Actress, Independent Film” (Kimberly Elise) and “Best Director, Independent Film” (Michael Schultz); 2 nominations: “Best Actor, Independent Film” (Clifton Powell) and “Best Independent Film” (Reuben Cannon)

2005 Image Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film;” 2 nominees: “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” (Kimberly Elise) and “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Loretta Devine)

"Pride" is Also About Determination

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 115 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Pride (2007)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for thematic material, language including some racial epithets, and violence
DIRECTOR: Sunu Gonera
WRITERS: Kevin Michael Smith & Michael Gozzard, J. Mills Goodloe, and Norman Vance, Jr.
PRODUCERS: Brett Forbes, Patrick Rizzotti, Michael Ohoven, Adam Rosenfelt, and Paul Hall
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew F. Leonetti
EDITOR: Billy Fox, A.C.E.

DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise, Tom Arnold, Brandon Fobbs, Alphonso McAuley, Regine Nehy, Nate Parker, Kevin Phillips, Scott Reeves, Evan Ross, and Gary Sturgis

Pride is a 2007 biopic and drama starring Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac. The film is loosely based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach, James “Jim” Ellis, who, in 1971, formed the first swim team made of African-American swimmers.

In 1973, Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard), a college educated African-American, arrives in Philadelphia looking for work. He lands a job with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation to begin closing the Marcus Foster Recreational Center. Instead, he refurbishes the rundown center’s abandoned swimming pool, and then, shocks this local inner city community by forming a swim team. With the help of the center’s janitor, Elston (Bernie Mac), Ellis forms Philadelphia’s first black swim team. He recruits from a group of young men who hang around the center, and eventually adds one female swimmer.

They struggle to be a winning swim team, but soon, Team PDR (Philadelphia Department of Recreation) is earning respect and also the ire of an all-white team, the Barracudas, the swim team of the affluent Main Line Academy. Team PDR heads for their biggest competitive test at the Eastern Regional Swimming Final, but a dark incident from Coach Ellis’ past might sink their dreams.

Pride might come across as an amalgamation of many different Hollywood sports movies, especially those based on true stories or real life events. Out of its clichés, however, comes a truly inspirational film that is both an uplifting and moving story about a teacher who encourages his pupils to be not just proud, but also determined and resolute in pursuing their goals.

The film isn’t marked by any great performances, but both Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac give high-quality turns as the fatherly and stern, but loving African-American role models. Howard as Ellis seems strangely serene, but he cleverly hides Ellis’ passion and firebrand spirit until the moments that it is most needed. Mac’s performance exposes Elston as a terse, but gentlemanly father figure who simply wants more for the young people of his community. In a time when so many are cynical without really knowing why they should be, a film like Pride will seem like a stereotype. Taken in context, however, Pride is a winning film about a man who taught marginalized children to be proud.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Image Awards: 2 nominations: “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Terrence Howard) and “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)” (Sunu Gonera)

Review: "Set It Off" (Happy B'day, Queen Latifah)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 63 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Set It Off (1996)
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong graphic violence, pervasive language, some sex and drug use
DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray
WRITERS: Takashi Buford and Kate Lanier; from a story by Takashi Buford
PRODUCERS: Oren Koules and Dale Pollock
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Marc Reshovsky (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: John Carter
Image Award nominee

DRAMA/ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, Blair Underwood, John C. McGinley, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Ella Joyce, Dr. Dre and Anna Marie Horsford

Set If Off, the second film from music video director F. Gary Gray, was almost the best film ever made about the plight of impoverished African-American women at the turn of the century. Instead, the filmmakers settled on making a film that is a decent drama and a cathartic action movie. Part western and part girl movie, Set If Off resonates with the pain of these female characters although the film only scratches the surface of who the characters are.

After some neighborhood acquaintances of Francesca “Frankie” Sutton’s (Vivica A. Fox) rob the bank where she works and kill a few people, her supervisors at the bank fire her because they find the fact that she knew the culprits disturbing. Her diligence and hard work (only a day prior, she’d counted $240,000 by hand to help one of her bosses) don’t matter one bit. Detective Strode (John C. McGinley), the lead detective in the case, also considers her to be in cahoots with the robbers.

Lida “Stony” Newson (Jada Pinkett) has been plans for her brother Stevie (Chaz Lamar Shepard) to attend UCLA. Stevie is a friend of one of the bank robbers. He visits him after the robbery, and a pack of cowardly, punk cops murders Stevie when they mistake him for the bank robber. Thinking Stevie has a gun, they shoot him down like a dog, only to discover that he was trying to show them that all he had in his jacket was a bottle of champagne a friend had given him for his birthday.

Tired of being on the beating end of the stick, Stony and Frankie join two other downtrodden friends, Cleopatra “Cleo” Sims (Queen Latifah) and Tisean “T.T.” Williams (Kimberly Elise, in a sparkling debut), as bank robbers themselves, to make a little money to get ahead in life and to stick it to the evil, white tyrants who go out of their way to oppress a sister.

This movie could have been so much more than it ended up being, maybe an intense urban drama about what these young women go through and the ends they meet when they finally lash out (perhaps blindly and unwisely) at the world for their pain. However, I will review this movie for what it is. The drama is about average. I caught on to what the story was about; I felt the sisters’ pain. Still, other than Stony, the film mostly relegates the characters to being ciphers, and the script only skims the surface of Stony’s character, for that matter. The filmmakers feel compelled to spend much of the film’s time detailing the intricacies and violence of bank robbery, and they do that quite well. As robbers, the four women are clumsy, but they’re raw and eager. Their crimes are swift and abrupt, and Gray presents it all in a bracing fashion in which the camera lovingly follows the ladies’ every move.

I wanted this film to be more, but, honestly, I really enjoyed what I got. The drama, as mishandled as it was, it still touching and visceral, and the action had me cheering my girls every step of the way. As things fall apart for them, I couldn’t help but feel the emotions and bond they shared, both strong enough to make them sacrifice for one another.

The acting is also quite good. This was a breakthrough role for Queen Latifah, who is full of snarling and barely checked rage; the camera loves her. Ms. Pinkett easily revealed the depth of her talent as a strong dramatic actress, but this performance didn’t earn her lots of new roles, being of the jigaboo persuasion. Ms. Fox’s character barely registers, but that’s the fault of the script. This was a good start for Ms. Elise; her large expressive eyes make her a film natural in her ability to convey feelings.

For all its shortcomings, Set It Off is a very good film, and we need more like it, albeit of a higher quality, that detail the hard lives of poor people and their willingness to fight back when they need to. See this film, and then watch it again.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
1997 Image Awards: 3 nominations: “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture” (Jada Pinkett Smith), “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture” (Queen Latifah) and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Blair Underwood)

--------------------

2011 NAACP Image Award Winners in Film Categories

The 42nd NAACP Image Awards ceremony was held Friday night (March 4th) at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The Image Awards celebrate and honor the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of film, television, music, and literature. The awards also honor individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

This honor isn’t just for African-Americans/Black people, as Latino and Asian and Asian American artists have also received awards and nominations. In fact, Sofia Vergara, the Columbia-born actress and star of ABC’s hit series, “Modern Family,” won an Image Award this year. I was unable to watch the entire awards broadcast (on FOX), so a hearty thank you to the website Current.com for their complete winners list.

42ND NAACP Image Awards Film Winners List:

Outstanding Motion Picture: “For Colored Girls”

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Denzel Washington – “The Book of Eli”

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Halle Berry – “Frankie and Alice”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Samuel L. Jackson – “Mother and Child”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Kimberly Elise – “For Colored Girls”

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture: “Frankie and Alice”

Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture: “Biutiful”

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television): TIE

• Mary King, Anna Waterhouse, Joe Shrapnel, Marko King, Jonathan Watters, Cheryl Edwards – “Frankie and Alice”

• Michael Elliot – “Just Wright”

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television): Tyler Perry – “For Colored Girls”

Review: "For Colored Girls" is Sho Enuf Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

For Colored Girls (2010)
Running time: 134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)
MPAA – R for some disturbing violence including a rape, sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
WRITER: Tyler Perry (based upon the play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange)
PRODUCERS: Roger M. Bobb, Paul Hall, and Tyler Perry
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alexander Gruszynski
EDITOR: Maysie Hoy

DRAMA

Starring: Kimberly Elise, Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Whoopi Goldberg, Macy Gray, Michael Ealy, Omari Hardwick, Richard Lawson, Hill Harper, and Khalil Kain

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf is a 1975 stage play written by American playwright and poet, Ntozake Shange. It is my understanding that the Obie Award-winning play is a series of 20 poems or poetic monologues that express the struggles and obstacles that African-American women face throughout their lives.

Tyler Perry, the playwright turned prolific film director, adapted Shange’s play into the 2010 film, For Colored Girls. The film explores the lives of nine modern African American women, interconnected by one way or another, and uses poetic vignettes to illuminate their struggles, suffering, and conflicts (abuse, rape, and abortion, among others).

Among the characters is Joanne “Jo” Bradmore (Janet Jackson), a magazine publisher whose husband, Carl Bradmore (Omari Hardwick), is unfaithful. Promiscuous Tangie Adrose (Thandie Newton) and troubled teenager, Nyla (Tessa Thompson), are estranged sisters who find their mother, Alice Adrose (Whoopi Goldberg), to be the thing between them. Crystal Wallace (Kimberly Elise), who works for Jo, fails to see the true danger her abusive boyfriend, war veteran Beau Willie Brown (Michael Ealy), poses to her and her children. Meanwhile, watching everything and hoping to bring everyone together is apartment manager, Gilda (Phylicia Rashad).

I’ve always thought that Tyler Perry is as capable of directing moving film dramas as he is at staging broad comedies, and For Colored Girls affirms that, although 2009’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself already proved Perry could do drama. I’m surprised that this film has gotten such negative reviews, especially because Perry has taken the black social pathologies this story depicts and has transformed them into riveting tales of human pathology with a universal appeal.

Perry’s nuanced staging and graceful directing of the camera transform what could have been downbeat into a mesmerizing panorama of compelling character dramas. Seriously, if For Colored Girls looked exactly the same and a white filmmaker like Stephen Daldry, David Fincher, or Christopher Nolan was credited as the director, film critics would be turning verbal cartwheels to praise this film. Perry’s work here as a director can be described as, at least, occasionally virtuoso, and while his screenwriting here is weaker than his directing, Perry, as both writer and director, has done a superb job turning these poetic vignettes into a powerful film.

Perry gets some fantastic performances from his cast, especially the actresses, who all hit strong emotional notes. I hate to single out any, but if I had to pick favorites, I would go with Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, and Phylicia Rashad. Every moment she is onscreen, Elise delivers magic; her every move and glance makes you believe that Crystal Wallace is real. Thandie Newton is effortless in her brilliance (as usual), and Rashad shows colors, shades, and textures in a performance that certainly surprised me. I never knew she was that good.

However, all the women in this film shine, giving stirring performances that help For Colored Girls to ring true. Even if Tyler Perry doesn’t get his due from critics and haters, he has given us our due – a great African-American drama about Black women.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, February 18, 2011

-----------------------

42nd Image Award Nominees Announced

The nominees for the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards were recently announced. The press release is long, so I’m breaking it up over several posts:

“42ND NAACP IMAGE AWARDS” NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Special Airs Live Friday, March 4, on FOX

The 42ND NAACP IMAGE AWARDS nominees were announced today during a live press conference from the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA. Actresses Kimberly Elise and Sanaa Lathan, actor/rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson, actor Columbus Short and Actor/Comedian Affion Crockett joined NAACP IMAGE AWARDS chairman Clayola Brown and 42ND NAACP IMAGE AWARDS executive producer Vic Bulluck to announce the categories and nominees.

The 42nd NAACP IMAGE AWARDS celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film. The awards also honor individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors during the two-hour event airing live Friday, March 4 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. ABC and NBC lead the nominees in the TV categories, each with 18 nominations, followed by TBS with 12, CBS with 10, and Lifetime Movie Network with 9. In the recording category, Columbia Records leads with seven nominations, followed by J Records and Island Def Jam Music Group both with six and Epic Records with 5 nominations. Lionsgate/34th Street Films leads with seven nominations, while Fox Searchlight followed with six, and Magnolia Pictures with five in the motion picture category.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. The organization’s half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Event sponsors for the 42nd NAACP Image Awards include FedEx, UAW/Chrysler, Wells Fargo, Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company, Bank of America, and Hyundai.

African-American Film Critics Choose Christopher Nolan

Didn't know they existed: The African-American Film Critics Association.  Apprently, the AAFCA is a nationwide group composed of African-American media professionals.

Like just about every critics group, they have chosed The Social Network as their "Best Picture."  The surprise, however, is that they gave Christopher Nolan their "Best Director" citation for Inception instead of to David Fincher for The Social Network.  They also seem to be the first group to notice Halle Berry for Frankie and Alice.

Best Picture: The Social Network


Runner-Ups/the rest of the Top 10:

2. The King's Speech
3. Inception
4. Black Swan
5. Night Catches Us
6. The Fighter
7. Frankie & Alice
8. Blood Done Sign My Name
9. Get Low
10. For Colored Girls

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Actor: Mark Walhberg, The Fighter

Best Actress: Halle Berry, Frankie & Alice

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Ealy, For Colored Girls

Best Supporting Actress: Kimberly Elise, For Colored Girls

Best Song: Nina Simone "Four Women", For Colored Girls

Best Documentary: Waiting for Superman

Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted): Tanya Hamilton, Night Catches Us

http://www.aafca.com/

Lionsgate Releases First Image from Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls"

This is the first image from Tyler Perry's upcoming film, For Colored Girls.

Pictured are from left to right: Anika Noni Rose (as Yasmine), Kerry Washington (as Kelly), Janet Jackson (as Joanna), Kimberly Elise (as Crystal), Phylicia Rashad (as Gilda), Loretta Devine (as Juanita), Tessa Thompson (Nyla) and Thandie Newton (Tangie) in "For Colored Girls." Photo credit: Patrick Harbron

Lionsgate recently announced that the film's release date has been moved up from the Martin Luther King holiday weekend in 2011 to November 5 2010.
 
To see this image at a larger size, go here.

Review: "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" Funny and True

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 103 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for drug content, thematic elements, crude sexual references, and some violence
DIRECTOR: Darren Grant
WRITER: Tyler Perry (based upon his play)
PRODUCERS: Reuben Cannon and Tyler Perry
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Claessen
EDITOR: Terilyn A. Shropshire

DRAMA/COMEDY/RELIGIOUS (CHRISTIAN) with elements of romance

Starring: Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Tyler Perry, Shemar Moore, Cicely Tyson, Tamara Taylor, Lisa Marcos, Tiffany Evans, and Judge Mablean Ephriam

On the surface, Helen McCarter (Kimberly Elise) seemingly has the perfect life, living in a big mansion with her husband Charles McCarter (Steve Harris), a powerful Atlanta attorney, but even she knows that trouble is also bubbling beneath that same surface. All of a sudden Charles wants a divorce, and he kicks her out of their home on the eve of their 18th wedding anniversary and replaces her with a woman who has, unbeknownst to Helen, had two children for Charles. Helen is forced to return to “the ghetto,” where she finds refuge with the relatives Charles made her give up long ago because they didn’t fit in with his new high, life style. Helen finds solace and some comedy in the tragedy of her life through the insane antics of her pot smoking, gun toting, and much beloved grandmother figure, Madea (Tyler Perry). Helen also reunites with her mother, Myrtle (Cicely Tyson) , meets a new man, Orlando (Shemar Moore), and begins to keep a journal of her trial, tribulations, and recovery – The Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Tyler Perry has made a name and a fortune for himself (after being homeless early in his career) with his black southern gospel theatre stage plays – six of them going back to 2000. Diary of a Mad Black Woman was first staged in 2001, and a recording of the Diary stage performance became part of a hit DVD series of Tyler Perry stage plays. After Fox Searchlight rejected Perry’s screenplay adaptation of Diary, he submitted it to Lions Gate Film, which green lit the project back in the Spring 2004, and for that we’re lucky.

The quality of the acting is mixed. For instance, Kimberly Elise’s voiceovers are dry, and Tyler Perry’s over-the-top antics, which may work well on the stage (I’ve never seen one of his plays performed live), is occasionally too forced even for the big screen. The script is also a bit dry, but makes some wonderful points about charity, forgiveness, Christianity, love, family, and marriage. Darren Grant’s directing holds the film together even through the clunky bits. However, the film ultimately comes together as a fabulous inspirational look at coming to terms with the trials of life, but most importantly coming to terms with one’s family: the one into which we are born, the ones which adopt us, and the ones into which we marry.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is inspiring, uplifting, shocking, provocative, and always surprising. The message is familiar, but the ways in which the film gets us there is never dull and 99.9 percent of the time engaging. Although this is a film with a predominately black or African-American cast, Diary is universal and good for all Christian souls, even both the nominal and the sanctimonious ones.

7 of 10
B+

----------------------