Varsity Blues

Who would have known in retrospect that 1999 would produce two fairly notable football movies that in some interesting ways have stood the test of time? Any Given Sunday closed the end of 1999, that Oliver Stone flick being extremely prescient and forward thinking with the issues it brought to the forefront. Opening 1999 was […]

Premature (2019)

You know what they say about love, it comes when a person least expects it. Seventeen-year-old Ayanna (Zora Howard) seemingly has things figured out. She’s graduated high school and is off to college in the fall to chase her dreams of being a writer. In the interim, she just wants to hang out with her […]

The High Note (2020)

Who are you doing it for once there are no more surprises? Surprises rarely happen anymore for Maggie (Dakota Johnson), a personal assistant for some odd years to one of the greatest singers and entertainers of all time, Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). Maggie does everything, whether that be getting Grace’s car, her dry cleaning, […]

Vanilla (2019)

“Things can be dumb and amazing.” At least, that’s what’s said by Kimmie (Kelsea Bauman), who aspires to be a standup comedian. For now, she works in an NYC pizza parlor where she tests out her material—often in painful fashion—to patrons and her manager/uncle, Sal (Eddie Alfano). The Big Apple is also home to Elliott […]

Marriage Story (2019)

That’s marriage. The union between actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and theatre director Charlie (Adam Driver) has become tenuous and clearly headed for divorce. Still, they’re nowhere near Nick and Amy Dunne levels, and plan to make every effort to split as amicably and as clean as humanely possible (they don’t want to bring lawyers into […]

Queen & Slim

Cherish the ride, no matter where it goes. Tinder brings together two people in a Cleveland, Ohio diner. One, “Queen,” (Jodie Turner-Smith) is a defendant lawyer. The other, “Slim,” (Daniel Kaluuya) is…not a lawyer. He’s a God-fearing family man, totally different from Queen, who’s a nonbeliever and distant from her kinfolk. The date isn’t bad, […]

Long Shot (2019)

So you’re telling me there’s a chance? A successful presidential term is only as successful as the people of who the man in charge surrounds himself with. For bumbling President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk), one of those people is Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), a woman of immense poise, intellect, and beauty. Wanting to […]

Isn’t It Romantic (2019)?

Can always use more of Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles. At an early age, a once-idealistic view on love existed in the heart of Natalie (Rebel Wilson). That is, until her mother informed her, rather bluntly, that the type of things seen in Pretty Woman, Sleepless in Seattle, any J. Lo movie, and the like don’t […]

What Men Want

Women, always the fairer and more intelligent sex. Welcome to Atlanta where the (sports) players play and the agents try to recruit their talents to their respective agencies. One of these agents is the super successful Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson), holding her own and grabbing many of the imaginary brass rings in this male-dominated […]

If Beale Street Could Talk

Love is never without hardship. Ever since they were kids growing up in Harlem, Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) and Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephan James) were inseparable. Almost seamlessly, their friendship turned into love. The 1970’s have opened up a few things for blacks, but by-and-large, the day-to-day difficulties are still present. Their bond is strong […]