One on One with ‘Winning Time’ Stars John C. Reilly and Quincy Isaiah

February 28, 2022February 28, 2022 Adonis Gonzalez

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty takes viewers on a stylized journey through one of the most important times in the team’s legacy; the beginning of the 1980s. Known as the “Showtime Era,” this moment in NBA history changed the league immensely, revitalizing public interest in basketball, and introducing the world to the Lakers dynamo squad of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Norm Nixon. These star players ball alongside the rest of the packed Lakers team, coached by Jerry West, and led by Jerry Buss.

Movies, Streaming

Colman Domingo and Chris Rock Lead the Cast of ‘Rustin’ Biopic

October 5, 2021October 5, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

Many heroes are lost to time, but legends never die. Bayard Rustin isn’t a name people know as well as Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X. But much like his fellow Freedom Riders and speakers for justice, that kind of notoriety probably wouldn’t have interested Rustin all that much. Nevertheless, it’s a name we’ll all hopefully be getting more familiar with thanks to a new biopic from the ingenious mind of George C. Wolfe.

Movies, Reviews

‘When I’m A Moth’ is Beautiful but Doesn’t Say Anything

September 19, 2021September 24, 2021 Bray Lawrence

Waking from a dream never felt so unfinished as it did when I reached the end credits of When I’m A Moth, an independent film directed by Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak, written by Cotler. It’s a film that on paper has all the markings of being an arthouse darling — a small cast, eerie poetic dream visuals, pontifications on choice and fate with a going nowhere protagonist and yet, as I rose from my seat afterwards, it felt as if I was remembering a half dream. Unable to finish the thought of what it wanted to be but fascinated by the parts I could remember.

Movies, Sports, Streaming

Will Smith Sets the Stage as Venus and Serena Williams’ Father in ‘King Richard’

August 1, 2021August 1, 2021 Jamal Michel

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.

Music, Streaming, Television

First Look: Lily James is Unrecognizable as Pamela Anderson for Hulu’s ‘Pam & Tommy’

May 7, 2021May 15, 2021 Laura Sirikul

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.

Interview, Movies, Streaming1 Comment

NOC Interview: ‘Small Axe’ Star Sheyi Cole Talks ‘Alex Wheatle’

December 9, 2020May 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

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.

Interview, Streaming, Television

Hiromi Kamata On Growing Up with Selena’s Music and Directing Netflix’s Biopic Series

December 3, 2020May 15, 2021 Lauren Lola

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”

Interview, Movies

Raymond Bagatsing on Becoming Manuel Quezon in ‘Quezon’s Game’

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 Lauren Lola

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’”

Movies, Reviews

‘Just Mercy’ Effectively Calls for Justice with Emotional Impact

January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 Lauren Lola

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”

Interview, Movies

Bryan Stevenson Hopes ‘Just Mercy’ Will Lead to Conversation and Action

December 24, 2019January 10, 2020 Laura Sirikul

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

Movies1 Comment

Spare Parts: An Emotional Roller Coaster at the Theme Park of Broken Immigration Policy

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 Eric S.B.

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.

Continue reading “Spare Parts: An Emotional Roller Coaster at the Theme Park of Broken Immigration Policy”