Will Smith’s legendary resume of star biopic roles continues to grow with the upcoming release of King Richard. The biographical drama directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin captures the life and times of father and coach of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams.
Continue reading “Will Smith Sets the Stage as Venus and Serena Williams’ Father in ‘King Richard’”
Having a Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee film surrounding their infamous sex tape from the ‘90s was not on my 2021 Bingo card, but here we are.
Continue reading “First Look: Lily James is Unrecognizable as Pamela Anderson for Hulu’s ‘Pam & Tommy’”
With his bold and multifaceted Small Axe anthology, Steve McQueen has made the films of the moment. Three of the five films — Lovers Rock, Mangrove, and Red, White and Blue — have premiered to a great reception at the NYFF. The films capture vividly the lives of London’s West Indian community in the 1970s and ’80s and their force of will against systemic racism and discrimination. “I dedicate these films to George Floyd, and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere,” the director said in May.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: ‘Small Axe’ Star Sheyi Cole Talks ‘Alex Wheatle’”
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, otherwise known as Selena, was and still is hailed as the Queen of Tejano music. Performing since childhood, she made waves in the predominantly male music scene and is still held in high regard in the Latinx American community. Her origin story, her rise to stardom, and the sacrifices her family made along the way are the subject of the new biopic series for Netflix, Selena: The Series. Continue reading “Hiromi Kamata On Growing Up with Selena’s Music and Directing Netflix’s Biopic Series”
From 1937-1941, under the leadership of President Manuel Quezon, the Philippines opened their doors to Jewish refugees fleeing from Europe, at the beginning of what would eventually become the Holocaust. Approximately 1,300 lives were saved.
It’s a little known history about the Philippines, but what is even less known is how much Quezon had to fight to make it happen, due to the country being under occupation by the United States at the time. It’s this story that’s explored for the first time for the big screen in the film, Quezon’s Game.
Continue reading “Raymond Bagatsing on Becoming Manuel Quezon in ‘Quezon’s Game’”
It’s no secret that the justice system in the United States is a mess like no other. However, the odds of navigating it and coming out unscathed — if at all — are worse for the Black community. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, witnessed just how brutal it is, as he worked tirelessly to free Walter McMillian from death row, after being arrested for a murder he did not commit. Just Mercy tells that story.
Continue reading “‘Just Mercy’ Effectively Calls for Justice with Emotional Impact”
Bryan Stevenson is a busy man. He’s a widely acclaimed public interests lawyer and prison reform advocate. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. He’s a motivational speaker, … Continue reading Bryan Stevenson Hopes ‘Just Mercy’ Will Lead to Conversation and Action
The number of PG or PG-13 films that really move or inspire me is not that large. Somewhere at the top of that list is Finding Neverland. It’s tough to remember exactly what was going on with me at the time, but I remember it hit me hard. There is now a new contender: Spare Parts. The movie is based on this Wired article about four undocumented high school students from Arizona with a shoestring budget that enter and win a national robotics competition. Oh, and they end up at the college level knocking off the likes of MIT students.
