Della Reese, born Delloreese Patricia Early, was indeed one of the greats, her internationally stellar career spanning more than a half-century as vocalist, actor and television personality. Discovered by gospel immortal Mahalia Jackson as a teenager (she graduated high school at 15), young Della sang on radio, went on tour, and later formed her own Meditation Singers […]
Movies
Movies: a space for local and national arts and entertainment stories, with an emphasis on stories pertaining to African and African Americans.
Posted inArts + Culture
Denzel delivers Oscar-quality performance as attorney with Asperger’s
Roman J. Israel (Denzel Washington) is a high-functioning savant on the autism spectrum who has been practicing law in L.A. for the past 36 years. The brilliant attorney has spent most of his career under the radar, writing legal briefs in a rear office for indigent criminal defendants, while his partner, William Henry Jackson, served […]
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Courtroom drama recounts case argued by Thurgood Marshall proxy
Prior to becoming America’s first African American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) enjoyed a legendary legal career as a civil rights lawyer. While serving as chief counsel for the NAACP, he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court 32 times, most notably, the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case ending segregation in public schools. This […]
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Three families linked by tragedy in moving modern parable
Faith-based films ordinarily have limited appeal beyond the church community because most tend to be heavy-handed morality plays just preaching to the choir. A Question of Faith represents a refreshing change of pace, since it downplays the proselytizing in favor of character development and a compelling plot. This carefully-crafted, modern parable explores a timely mix […]
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Actor Cory Hardrict helps kick off 15th Annual Twin Cities Black Film Festival
This year the Twin Cities Black Film Festival (TCBFF) will take place on both sides of the river. The annual four-day festival of films and shorts is set for October 12-15. “I’m super excited” of this year’s lineup, exclaimed TCBFF Founder-Director Natalie Morrow in a recent MSR interview. As in previous years, Morrow worked hard […]
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‘New Neighbors,’ a succinct gem that cuts straight to the crux
New Neighbors (Tru Ruts) debuted at Sundance Film Festival 2017, a crowning achievement for illustrious collaborators, co-producers E.G. Bailey and Shá Cage. Founding internationally renowned Minnesota Spoken Word Association, the husband-wife team own strong individual track reputations. Bailey broke onto the Twin Cities scene supporting Louis Alemayehu and J. Otis Powell, strengthening the seminal prose-poetry troupe Sirius B. The rookie brandished as a […]
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Courtroom docudrama ‘Crown Heights’ recounts real-life miscarriage of justice
In the spring of 1980, Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield) was wrongfully accused of murder on the streets of Brooklyn by a 15-year-old juvenile delinquent (Skylan Brooks) who picked him out of a photo lineup provided by the police. That supposed “eyewitness” testimony was the only evidence linking Colin to the crime, but it didn’t prevent […]
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Ms. Hall’s Curtain Call!
Regina Hall launched her career in the late ’90s while still earning a master’s degree from New York University. The accomplished actress will soon appear in Naked, a remake of the 2000 Swedish film Naken. The romantic comedy co-starring Marlon Wayans is set to be released on August 11th. In 2016, Regina appeared opposite Morris Chestnut in […]
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‘Detroit’ movie screening: personal reflection and audience reaction
After an advance screening of the film Detroit, a patron asked how much of it was real and how much was just a movie. As a Detroit native, I felt like a lyric from Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly”— “Telling my whole life with his words” — while watching director Kathryn Bigelow’s film, based on […]
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Claustrophobic docudrama revisits ’67 riots
Detroit’s ’67 riots broke out in the wee hours of July 23, in the wake of a police raid on an unlicensed bar where folks had been toasting a couple of vets who’d recently returned from Vietnam. Word spread like wildfire through the Black community that the cops had arrested all 82 people they found […]
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Minnesota: a hidden market for film and television talent
New head of Minnesota Film and TV Board promotes opportunities “When filmmakers, networks and producers consider Minnesota as a location,” says Melodie Bahan, new executive director of the Minnesota Film and TV Board (www.mnfilmtv.org), “they’re thinking about snow and Norwegians. A lot of them may not be aware of what a rich community of artists of […]
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‘Girls Trip’ Review: BFFs party in New Orleans in raunchy reunion romp
Ryan (Regina Hall), Sasha (Queen Latifah), Dina (Tiffany Haddish) and Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) have been friends since their college days in the ’90s. Back then, the tight-knit Flossy Posse partied as hard as they hit the books. After graduating, they curtailed the carousing considerably for the sake of their professional careers. Today, journalism major Sasha’s still struggling to […]
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Acting legend Giancarlo Esposito in new Netflix film ‘Okja’
South Korean movie director Bong Joon Ho had a job subtitling bootleg DVDs while he was in film school decades ago. One of the films he worked on was Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and one of the actors in that film, Giancarlo Esposito, made a huge impression on him. Esposito was so memorable […]
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Local filmmaker explores emotional toll of youth violence in North Mpls.
To define Brian Few, Jr. as simply creative would be an injustice. Few, 27, is a lifelong resident of North Minneapolis and director of Angels Walk, a short film about the emotional effects of gun violence in North Minneapolis. Following the death of Tabyis Paskins in August of 2016, Minneapolis’ then-18th homicide of the year, Few was […]
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‘Everything, Everything’: a bittersweet coming-of-age tale
It’s Maddy Whittier’s (Amandla Stenburg) 18th birthday, but she won’t be celebrating the occasion at a party or restaurant. In fact, she won’t be leaving the house or even having friends over any time soon. That’s because she has SCID, a rare genetic disorder that basically makes her allergic to everything. Consequently, she’s been stuck […]
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‘Lowriders’ bound to be a classic
Rarely do urban tales balance authenticity with solid drama elements and strong emotion. Boyz n the Hood and Straight Outta Compton are perfect examples. Lowriders is in their league; it checks all the boxes: acting, direction, writing and production elements. This groundbreaking film about the Latino experience in East Los Angeles will become as classic […]
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FILM REVIEW: ‘I Called Him Morgan’
Bee Bop. Jazz. The ’50s and ’60s were a hotbed for cool music, and the hip musicians who played those genres on records and in smoky, dimly lit nightclubs, were a special breed. Years later, most people still revere legendary trumpeters like Miles Davis and Chet Baker and are amazed by the lives they led. […]
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Oyez! Oyez! Oyelowo! David Oyelowo talks to Kam Williams
David Oyelowo is a multiple Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor and producer who has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. Later this year he’ll be seen in the third film in the Cloverfield horror franchise, and as the lead in the as-yet untitled Nash Edgerton film, co-starring Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton […]
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‘Kong: Skull Island’ — an engrossing reboot of classic franchise
The beloved classic King Kong (1933), starring Fay Wray, revolved around an expedition to an uncharted island in the Indian Ocean inhabited by an array of prodigious prehistoric creatures. The explorers proceed to capture and cage a gigantic ape with plans to put him on exhibition in New York as the “8th Wonder of the […]
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‘The Obama Years: The Power of Words’ – riveting retrospective revisits president’s defining moments
How many immortal speeches have been delivered by U.S. presidents and other American icons? Lincoln’s “Four score and seven years ago” Gettysburg Address; FDR’s “We have nothing to fear but fear itself;” Eisenhower’s beware of the “Military-Industrial Complex” farewell address; JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you” inaugural address; Dr. King’s “I […]