Deon Taylor Talks 'The Intruder' And Making the Films He Wants To Make

More than a decade after his feature film debut, Chain Letter, Deon Taylor is diving headfirst into the genres that first sparked his love of filmmaking.

In his new thriller, The Intruder, Taylor turns his lens on Annie and Scott Russell (Meagan Good and Michael Ealy), a married couple who purchase a stunning estate in Napa Valley from an older gentleman, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid). Unfortunately, though the couple is determined to make the home their own, Charlie refuses to let go of the house--or of his obsession with Annie.

Ahead of the film’s premiere, Taylor spoke with Shadow And Act about moving from pro-basketball to film, The Intruder, and why he has never given up.

Taylor has always been interested in telling stories on film. However, —there wasn’t always a clear path for him to do so. That never deterred the Gary, Indiana native. Instead, he dug deep and gathered every resource at his disposal to begin making the films that ignited his soul.

"This script was one of the first scripts that I read, and I said, ‘This is me,’" he said. "I've always like[d] other people's scripts. However, being an independent artist, I've always been forced to write my own thing because I've been trying to find that one thing that speaks to me. I just liked everything about The Intruder. It was such a fun read, and it took me on a ride. It was the blueprint to a lot of the things that I really wanted to do film wise. I'm a rule breaker. Everything just really spoke to me as a blessing because David Loughery is such a great writer, a much better writer than me. But, it was just fun to read something that really sparked.”

Though screenwriter David Loughery didn’t initially have a Black cast in mind to portray Annie and Scott, Taylor knew this was an opportune time to put a spotlight on Black people in the thriller genre. "It was an opportunity to show a millennial couple that just so happens to be African American," said the Meet the Blacks director. "I loved that I could drop them in there and have them buy a $3.5 million house. Casting wise, they were all my choices. I've always loved Meagan and Michael and what was interesting about this movie was sometimes when you get ready to put together these types of films you wanna go after people that audiences recognize. Michael Ealy is such a strong, dynamic actor. I just feel like Meagan is just someone that I've been a fan of for a long, long time. I had never seen Meagan do this. I'm always trying to play someone against [a] type, which is what I did with Paula Patton in Traffik."

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

'The Apollo' Solidifies Black Harlem's Past But Leaves Uneasy Questions About Its Future [Tribeca Review]

Located in Harlem, New York, a vibrant neighborhood in Manhattan, the iconic Apollo Theater has stood for nearly 90 years on 125th street as a pillar of Black culture and community and a safe space for Black creatives. In his sweeping documentary, The Apollo, Roger Ross Williams chronicles the history of the Apollo Theater which began when it first opened its doors in 1934. Though the golden era of Harlem is known for the Savoy and the Cotton Club, spaces where legendary entertainers like Duke Ellington and Josephine Baker graced the stage, these venues were not open to Black Americans and certainly not for the Black residents of Harlem to be patrons. In the 1930s that all changed. With the help of talent scout/"Amateur Night" creator Ralph Cooper, the Apollo owner Frank Schiffman would bring Black entertainment and entertainers home to their people.

Using breathtaking archival video from inside of the Apollo and the streets of Harlem across the decades, Williams gives his audience a true sense of the giants that the Apollo introduced to the world. From 12-year old Stevie Wonder blowing on his harmonica in 1962 to Lauryn Hill in the early ‘90s getting booed off the stage for her pitchy vocals, it’s all there. The archives of this place are almost overwhelming. Choosing to place his interview subjects within the famed building as they provide history lessons and historical context also gives Williams’ The Apollo a certain authority.

There are interviews with icons like Patti LaBelle, Apollo historian and tour guide Billy “Mr. Apollo” Mitchell, who has been giving tours there for over fifty years, and other icons like Eva Issac, the "Queen of the Apollo." The Apollo is sprinkled with gems. Williams places his film within the context of Black history in this country while providing anecdotes about the theater itself. The audience hears from folks like Leslie Uggams who performed at the Apollo as a child star and watched Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington from the theater wings. She recalls how affectionate they all were towards her and how they adored Black people.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

History Maker: 19-Year Old Director Phillip Youmans Talks the Black Church, 'Burning Cane' and Trusting His Vision [Tribeca Interview]

In 19-year-old Phillip Youmans’ feature film debut, Burning Cane, the filmmaker showcases how individual choices can ricochet off of other people, derailing everyone's lives.

Set in rural Louisiana in the late-‘90s, Burning Cane opens amid the burning season, when the sugar cane is set ablaze so that it’s easier to harvest. Burning Cane is a poetic narrative that follows Helen (Karen Kaia Livers), a concerned mother who is desperately trying to navigate her relationship with her unemployed, alcoholic adult son, Daniel (Dominique McClellan), and her recently widowed pastor, Revered Tillman (Wendell Pierce). Like Daniel, Rev. Tillman is also seeking to find solace in the bottle. Though Helen deeply empathizes with both men, when their actions begin to suffocate her and her grandson, she decides she has to take drastic action.

Burning Cane had its debut during the Tribeca Film Festival, making Youmans the youngest direct to ever have a feature film in the festival. At Tribeca, Shadow And Act sat down to chat with Youmans about writing Burning Cane, bringing it to life and what it means to be a fearless storyteller.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Slick Woods Reflects On Her Turbulent Past In Her Film Debut ‘Goldie’

At 22, she has already taken the fashion world by storm. Now, Slick Woods is sizzling in her film debut, Goldie, which recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The stunning model has strutted her stuff in all of her gap-toothed, shaved-head glory on runways for Marc Jacobs and in campaigns for Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. But for Goldie–helmed by director Sam De Jong, Woods had to get super personal. In the film, the Minneapolis native stars as the titular character, Goldie, an 18-year-old dancer determined to follow her dreams. Unfortunately, an opportunity to star in a music video for rapper Tiny (A$AP Ferg), is undermined when Goldie’s mother, Carol (Marsha Stephanie Blake), is arrested and she’s left to care for her younger sisters Sherrie, 8, and Supreme, 12 (Alanna Renee Tyler-Tompkins and Jazmyn C. Dorsey).

Determined to follow her dreams and keep her sisters out of the foster care system–Goldie uses every trick in her toolbox to keep her sisters safe while plotting to buy a gorgeous canary yellow fur-coat for the video. Though Goldie’s story is fictional and set in the Bronx–the character’s trajectory is eerily similar to Woods’. The Instagirl was homeless for many years after her mother was imprisoned for manslaughter.

Reliving her past wasn’t always easy for Woods, and throughout the 21-day shoot during a blazing hot New York summer in 2017, she often found herself at odds with De Jong. “Me and Sam argued the whole damn time,” she revealed. “But we got very close, and I respect everything about him because he always stood up to me. When I argued with him, he’d be like ‘No.’ Even times when I was crying, he was like ‘I need more! I need more!’ And I was like, ‘Fu*k this!’ Every time I cried, it was real. Goldieresonated with me because of what I’ve been through in my life. I was homeless on the street for twelve years –so being on the street again…it’s like I had PTSD.”

Ahead, this is what Woods had to say about her film debut, why Goldie was like therapy for her, and why acting forces her to step outside of her comfort zone.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Image: Instagram.

'What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali' Is The Legendary Boxer's Eulogy to Himself [Tribeca Review]

“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” --Audre Lorde

During a time when Black people as a whole were being labeled with various stereotypes, or forced into certain boxes, Muhammad Ali was redefining what it meant to be a Black celebrity and athlete. Bold and fearless, he used his platform to speak out against racial injustices and inequality; Ali refused to allow the world to define him.

In his exquisitely done two-part documentary, What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali, acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua chronicles Ali’s life and legacy. Beginning with his early days in the 1950s as an amateur boxer in Louisville, Kentucky to the later years when he became a global citizen and political ambassador while battling Parkinson’s disease, Fuqua paints an extensive portrait of an extraordinary human being.

Composed entirely of archival footage, and void of talking head interviews, input from historians, or people who knew Ali— Fuqua allows the sports legend and civil rights icon to speak entirely for himself—and he’s darn good at it! Pulling from never-before-seen interviews, both audio and video, newspaper clippings, and footage from his Deer Lake Training Camp in Pennsylvania, What’s My Name is Ali's eulogy to himself. Born with the gift of gab, the heavyweight champion never stops talking--not even when he's in the boxing ring.

A brilliant and graceful competitor with panther sharp instincts and reflexes, Fuqua shows all facets of the sports icon's personality. Normally jovial in spirit, Ali is often seen playfully taunting his opponents before and during matches. However, when provoked, he wasn’t afraid to get vicious.

In 1964, at the age of 22, Ali converted to the Nation of Islam shedding his birth name Cassius Clay for Muhammad Ali.  In doing so, Ali effectively made himself even more of a target for the U.S. government, Islamophobia, and racism. Three years later Ali was still fighting to shed his old name. He would use both his fists and his words to get his point across.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Director Storm Saulter On His New Film 'Sprinter' And How Jamaican Cinema Is Dashing Into The Future

"No man can outrun the choices he makes." A police commissioner delivers these lines to Akeem Sharp (Dale Elliott) —the protagonist in filmmaker Storm Saulter's second feature, Sprinter. Beautifully shot and delivering an expansive view of Jamaica, Sprinter follows Akeem, a burgeoning teen track and field phenom who is desperate to qualify for the World Games in Los Angeles and snag a scholarship to a U.S. school.

Despite his obvious talent, Akeem's family life —an absent mother (Lorraine Tousant) who has lived in the U.S. illegally for years sending money home, a drunken father (Dennis Titus), a criminally minded brother (Kahdeem Wilson)—and his own immaturity threaten to derail Akeem's success before he even gets started. However, a no-nonsense coach (David Allen Grier), a track legend, and his own self-determination might just get Akeem across the finish line.

Ahead of Sprinter’s U.S. debut, Shadow And Act sat down to speak with Saulter about his sophomore feature, the landscape of Jamaican cinema today, and why he’s already looking for what's next.

"I always wanted to create a story in the world of track and field," Saulter explained. "Obviously with Jamaica's dominance, I knew there was a massive audience and interest in track. Beyond that, I wanted to tell a story about a modern Caribbean family that did not rely on stereotypes. It wasn't this extreme life and death situation, because that's not our lives, and everyone's not fighting to survive. People are living normal lives; they're trying to make the team, they're trying to pass the test, they miss their mom, they're trying to get with a girl they like that's not paying them any attention. In telling a story that's not relying on these major extremes, it's actually slightly more radical."

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Stanley Nelson's 'Boss: The Black Experience in Business' Rewrites the Narrative On Black Entrepreneurship [REVIEW]

Black businesses have been the cornerstone of Black communities in this country for more than a century. With his new PBS documentary, Boss: The Black Experience in Business, prolific director Stanley Nelson explores the history of Black business. Traveling back in time during the antebellum period and stretching forward into the 21st century, Nelson unpacks 150 years of Black business in America.

Opening with James Brown’s 1973 soul hit, “The Boss,” Nelson turns his lens on Ursula Burns, the former CEO of Xerox. Burns' rise in corporate America wasn't assumed. Like many Black folks, she came from a working-class family and was encouraged to step into a “practical career" like nursing or education to make a living for herself. However, a summer internship at Xerox changed the path she would take. Burns joined the company after college, working her way up to the CEO’s Executive Assistant and eventually taking the top spot herself. As the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company, Burns' story seems improbable and in many ways it is. However, what Nelson unveils in Boss is that the roots of Black business in America are literally embedded in the country's soil and history.

rom the 19th century forward, Nelson chronicles the rise of Black business from apprenticeships that enslaved peoples held to the birth of barbershop franchises, Black banks, and insurance companies during the Reconstruction era and into the 20th century. Due to Jim Crow laws that forced Black people out of white spaces, Black businesses became a necessity and a source of pride. Black business owners were able to provide affordable and dignified services directly to their people. By elevating these little known narratives, like the hundreds of businesses on Black Wall Street in Tusla, Oklahoma, or the legacy of Madame C.J. Walker, the film reveals just how tenacious and ambitions these Black business owners were—especially when they had very little capital or knowledge about what it meant to run a successful company.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Why We’re Still Falling For 'Love & Basketball' 19 Years Later

Black movies came thundering through Hollywood in the 1990s. Films like Boyz n the Hoodand Menace II Society gave the world a glimpse into inner city African-American life. Meanwhile, movies like Waiting to Exhale and Soul Food gave audiences a window into the lives of professional black women. Despite this new wave of Black cinema, romance films with African-American casts had not yet made their appearance.

Love Jones and The Best Man broke the mold by showcasing the trials and tribulations of black love. However, when it came to putting the first inklings of love and sensuality on screen outside of dangerous environments, young black people —teens, in particular, had to look toward mainstream films like She’s All That or 10 Things I Hate About You for some sort of connection. Black characters may have been sprinkled throughout these films —but they certainly weren’t the central focus. 

In 2000, Gina Prince-Bythewood shattered the standard for romance, black love, and sensuality in cinema with her acclaimed drama, Love & Basketball. Set in the early ’80s and moving into the ‘90s, Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy’s (Omar Epps) romance begins at age 11 when Monica and her family move next door to Quincy’s. Rambunctious and feisty pre-teens— the pair have an instant rivalry and mutual respect because of their shared love of basketball. 

From the moment the film opens with Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” spinning in the distance, these kids speak the same language. As they step into their teen years, Monica and Quincy’s admiration for one another grows—as does something a bit more sensual that begins to burn under the surface. However, basketball, the politics of gender, and the perils of adulthood start to crack the foundation of their love and friendship. 

The best romance films speak to our souls because our investment and the love we have for the characters tug at our hearts, and awakens some common connection we have in our own lives. Monica and Quincy’s story builds over four quarters (like a basketball game) instead of a meet-cute, confrontation, and resolution told over three acts. Instead, writer/director Prince-Bythewood takes the time to reveal the characters in all of their beauty, humanity, desires, and internal conflicts.

By the Second Quarter at age 18, both Quincy and Monica are formable basketball players with vastly different styles on the court. While Quincy seems to float across the hardwood flooring, Monica is vicious in her defense and offense. As she dribbles down the court, the audience is privy to her inner-dialogue, and her desperate desire to prove herself as one of the best players out there, regardless of gender.

Historically, women have never been allowed the full emotional capacity for sportsmanship.  As a result, Monica’s constantly attitude gets her in trouble during games, and further alienates her from her traditionally-minded mother, Camille (Alfre Woodard).

Quincy also has a lot to live up to. His father Zeke (Dennis Haysbert) is a pro-basketball player whom he idolizes. As Quincy matures — the facade that Zeke has built around himself as a father and a husband begins to unravel, threatening to break Quincy’s spirit and perception of self. Though Quincy is king of their high school and Monica stands on the outskirts—their mutual passion has kept them connected over the years. Through Prince-Bythewood’s lens, they are constantly orbiting around each other. At night, instead of listening to his parents fight, Quincy crawls out of his bedroom window and into Monica’s where she offers him a pillow, blanket, and space on her floor. His secrets remain safe with her. Also, it’s Quincy that Monica trusts when it comes to opening her recruitment letter from the University of Southern California (USC). 

In the age of Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, it seems stunning that sex and sensuality amongst black people was almost non-existent on screen up until the mid-’90s. Love & Basketball helped usher in a new era of black intimacy and desirability in film. For black women, regardless of socioeconomic background or religion –many of us been grounded in a tradition of silence when it comes to sex as a way to undermine stereotypes of hypersexuality. Black women have often been taught to suppress their sexuality, or we’ve been shamed into silence about physical needs and desires. It’s a mold that has slowly been chipped away in the last thirty years or so in popular culture. 

In Love & Basketball, Prince-Bythewood presents sex as a celebratory act —a moment to be enjoyed. In Quincy’s arms —Monica is not merely desired, she’s also protected, and she never needs to be put on display. Sex scenes —especially when they are meant to capture a first-time encounter aren’t often given the care and consideration that should be expected of the experience. With Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work” in the background Prince-Bythewood presents the beauty and candor of sex (with the visual use of a condom and verbal consent). Though we see Quincy’s reactions to Monica and her body — his appreciation, and reverence of her is evident —the experience is presented through her perspective. She isn’t an object to be ogled or placed on display. Instead, because the camera stays on her face, the audience  is privy to her emotional state and the romance of the encounter. 

Continue reading at The Spool.

DeWanda Wise Talks Sisterhood, Soulmates And Netflix's 'Someone Great'

The landscape of cinema has been changing slowly but surely. With more women and people of color behind the camera, genres are stretching and shifting. Different types of stories are finally being showcased to the masses. With her directorial debut, Someone Great, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson shatters the generic tropes of romantic comedies. Instead of turning her lens on a romantic relationship, Robinson puts the bonds and commitments that women have amongst their friends at the forefront.

Someone Great follows Jenny (Gina Rodriguez)— a New York-based music journalist who has been offered a career-making position in San Francisco. Instead of making the move with her, her long-term boyfriend Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) ends the relationship. Grappling with heartbreak and her impending relocation, Jenny leans on the women who’ve had her back from the beginning. There's Blair (Brittany Snow), a Type A marketing executive and Erin (DeWanda Wise), a carefree top-selling real estate agent with commitment issues of her own.

Ahead of Someone Great’s debut on Netflix, Shadow And Act sat down to chat with Wise about friendships, looking back at our twenties, and the new landscape of cinema.

"I’ve never seen this," the She’s Gotta Have It actress explained. "It's kind of remarkable when you're like, 'Oh, wow. This seems like it should be more plentiful.' Or, 'I should have seen more of this.' But hey, I'm happy to be slightly ahead of the curve. Someone Great was one of those scripts that I read where I was like, 'Oh, this is so true. This looks and feels how my life was or is.”

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

'The Twilight Zone': Sanaa Lathan And Damson Idris On Their Time-Bending Episode, "Replay"

More than sixty years after the classic sci-fi series aired on television, horror mastermind Jordan Peele has reimagined The Twilight Zone for the 21st-century. As the series narrator and host, Peele takes his audience through ten episodes that explore the intricacies of the modern world through the Us director’s haunting lens. The third episode of the series, “Replay,” starring Sanaa Lathan and Damson Idris, is one of the most superb of the electric first season.

In the episode, Lathan stars as Nina, an acclaimed attorney who is driving her son Dorian (Idris) to get him settled into his first day at a fictional Historically Black University. Eager to capture the memories, Nina records their road trip on an old camcorder. When the mother/son duo find themselves in the crosshairs of a racist state trooper (Glenn Fleshler), Nina discovers that the camcorder can rewind time.

Ahead of the “Replay” premiere, Shadow And Act sat down to chat with Damson Idris and Sanaa Lathan about stepping into The Twilight Zone and why this particular episode will stick with the audience for a good long while.

"I used to watch the re-runs of the original, and I was always just so fascinated with them," Lathan explained. "To this day I remember images from some of the episodes. When I read the script I was like, 'Sign me up!' It's a whammy what this woman, Nina Harrison, goes through. She goes on this real emotional journey, and I just was super excited to play her."

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Reconstruction: America After The Civil War connects America's troubling present with its horrific past

The circumstances and conditions of the current social and political climate in the United States can seem dizzying, as the civil rights of citizens who are not rich, white, and male are trampled over. Rampant white supremacy has stepped out of the shadows, marching its way back into the White House, and other branches of the United States government. The truth is that racism was never truly snuffed out in our democracy, which is how it’s managed to rise to the surface once again. In his new PBS miniseries, Reconstruction: America After The Civil War, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., unpacks the seldom discussed twelve-year period just after the Civil War. As America tried to restructure itself as a country without the foundation of slavery, while grappling with the status of millions of newly freed African Americans —former slave owners also had their own agenda. They began writing a revisionist history of slavery and the Civil War while using widespread casual violence to terrorize and disenfranchise black people and sympathetic white people.

In the second decade of the 21st-century, little has changed. We have seen the horrors of the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and the massacre of nine black worshipers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Charleston, South Carolina. Though shocking and nightmarish, these conditions and acts of terror are not new. In many ways, America has ignored its history or tried to revise it. But we face our past and reconcile with it, we will continue spiraling in cycles of immense progress and devastating regression.

Continue reading at The A.V. Club

Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Talks His New PBS Series 'Reconstruction: America: After the Civil War'

To understand the 2015 massacre of nine Black worshipers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina at the hands of a white supremacist — or to begin unpacking the long history and continued terror of Black people at the hands of whites, we must understand the history of America. Often, the antebellum period, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement are referenced. However, in his new four-hour PBS series, Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. argues that much of the racial turmoil, violence, and inequities in this country stem from the collapse of the Reconstruction era.

Ahead of the series premiere, Professor Gates hosted an evening at the New York Historical Society where he discussed Reconstruction, why it was vital to unpack this time period, and what it all means for us now. Shadow And Act was on hand for his keynote address.

"Between 1865 and 1877, Black people experienced more freedom and rights than at any other time in American history," Gates explained. "It's the embodiment of [Abraham] Lincoln's new birth of freedom, from the Gettysburg Address or what scholars later have called America's second founding. But most schools don't teach much about Reconstruction. They’re skipping from [General Robert E.] Lee's surrender at Appomattox to Rosa Parks, Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.], and the civil rights movement."

If you think about the ten year period that was Reconstruction— it seems nearly unfathomable. Black people owned land and were opening businesses. Black men were voted into various branches of the government, and some Black men had the right to vote. So, how did we go from this vision of a new America to Jim Crow, the civil rights movement and the rampant white supremacy of the 21st century?

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders gives a hauntingly dark Native Son some 21st-century texture

Adapting Richard Wright’s 1940 novel, Native Son, to the big screen in the 21st-century was always going to be a monumental feat. The controversial story had already been actualized on the big screen twice—once in a 1951 film starring Wright himself, and then again in 1986 for PBS starring Oprah Winfrey. For his feature film debut, conceptual artist-turned-director Rashid Johnson thrusts Wright’s narrative into the modern day, bringing with it all of society’s failings surrounding race, class, and privilege.

Using Wright as a guide along with Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ screenplay, Johnson invites us into Bigger Thomas’ (Moonlight standout Ashton Sanders) world. Separated into three parts—Fate, Fear, and Flight—the film opens with Bigger’s voice-over. Arrogant and peculiar, Bigger is a lanky and quiet young black man. His green hair sits in sharp contrast to his shea butter-slathered dark skin. Bigger seems aloof, and he has an aura of superiority, though he still lives in his widowed mother’s (Sanaa Lathan) tiny apartment along with his younger siblings.

Set in present-day Chicago, a city that Johnson presents in all of its grandeur on screen, Bigger complains about the complacency he sees around him. Yet he seems almost offended when others suggest he spread his wings to seek something more meaningful than his job as a bike messenger. As Bigger weaves in and out of the towering skyscrapers in downtown Chicago, he stands out. Bigger desperately wants to be thoughtful and radical, but it’s clear from the film’s opening that he’s sleepwalking through life.

Continue reading at The A.V. Club.

Aretha Franklin's Gospel Documentary 'Amazing Grace' Is A Profound Gift [Review]

Forty-seven years ago — at the height of her career, Aretha Franklin traveled to Los Angeles where she created the soul-searing gospel album, Amazing Grace. It would become the best-selling gospel album of all time and the best-selling album of the soul singer's career. For two nights in January 1972, in the unassuming New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles —Franklin would take her audience to church —literally. Accompanied by her four-piece band, Reverend James Cleveland, and the Southern California Community Choir, Franklin returned to her gospel roots, effortlessly belting out sublime renditions of hymns like “Never Grow Old” and “Precious Memories.”

Amazing Grace was always supposed to be more than an album. Franklin assumed it would be a part of cinematic history. Warner Bros. had hired filmmaker Sydney Pollack to capture the album's recording on film, but the movie was left incomplete and did not see the light of day until now. Franklin had the film shelved after being dissatisfied with the finished product, and it is only after her death—with her family’s blessing—that Amazing Grace is getting the audience that it deserves.

Much more than a music documentary, Amazing Grace is a historical moment and an heirloom to Black history. Amazing Grace acts as an entry point into the historic Black church—a throughline for many members of the Black community—inviting its audience into the core of the institution to seek God, a higher power, or some sense of solace and understanding through Aretha Franklin’s voice.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Leland Martin Shatters Gender Expectations on BET’s 'Boomerang'

Leland B. Martin won’t let you define him. The hunky actor’s voice booms out confidently just a couple days after the seventh episode of Boomerang aired on BET. “Pride” gave fans a deeper insight into Martin’s character, Ari Thomas. Like Martin —Ari is smooth, confident and sexy. Though he’s the most carefree among his ragtag group of friends which includes Simone (Tetona Jackson), Bryson (Tequan Richmond), Tia (Lala Milan), Crystal (Brittany Inge) and David (RJ Walker), it became clear in “Pride” that Ari isn’t afraid to stand his ground.

Ari’s reliance was one of the reasons the character spoke to Martin. When the rest of us were scratching our heads trying to figure out how Lena Waithe and Halle Berry  —who serve as executive producers on the series —were going to remix the iconic Eddie Murphy-led 1992 flick Boomerang into a modern -day TV series —Martin could already see the vision unfolding before his eyes.

“Halle Berry and Lena Waithe were already attached to it when I went in for my audition,” Martin explained.  “That’s what really what drew me to it. Lena Waithe, in my opinion, is as a genius who’s really making her mark in the industry and Halle Berry is iconic. She’s someone who has a very, very, stamped resume. So, when it comes to these two particular individuals and then everybody that came along with it; it was a no-brainer for me.”

Set in present-day Atlanta, BET’s Boomerang follows Jacqueline Boyer’s (Robin Givens) son, Bryson, and Marcus and Angela Graham’s daughter, Simone and their tight-knit group of friends they attempt to step out of their parents’ shadows to create their own legacies. However, as all millennials know—careers, friendships, and love lives aren’t easily balanced. Young, fresh, and sensual the series has an aura of authenticity around it, which Martin credits to his close bond with his castmates.

“It’s very rare that you get a group of people like the six that we’ve got together,” the former financial advisor said. “Everybody gravitated toward each other from jump street. There were no egos. It was more of a family feel. We got together, and we started getting to know each other right off the bat. We made it a point to make sure that we got to know each other so that we could start to develop that chemistry. You see it on the screen because we’re really friends. We really hang out. We built that.”

Boomerang is a true ensemble show giving each character time in the spotlight. “Pride” centers around Ari as he struggles to find his footing in his career. In the episode, he also addresses a former lover who tries to shame him for his queer identity. From what Martin implies, there are many layers to Ari, and they are only just starting to be revealed. “I would love to see how Ari expands as a professional,” Martin said thoughtfully.  “We saw a little bit of it in “Pride” when he saves the day as far as his directing is concerned and starts to move forward in that vein. I would love to see where he goes as far as his craft.”

When it came to stepping into his character and truly understanding what made Ari tick, the alaskaLand actor did not approach the task lightly. After all, Ari is one of the only modern depictions of a young, sexually fluid Black man on television. “There was a lot to talk about who the character was, how the character looked, how exactly was the character unapologetic, and in what ways and things like that,” Martin revealed.  “Dime Davis was very instrumental when it came to crafting the pilot episode and the flow of the show from the beginning. All of us sat down with her and with Lena and discussed who these people were, and we started to craft the look of Ari. In the beginning, we were still making decisions. Does Ari have dreads? Does Ari have twists? What’s Ari’s style like? That type of thing. It was very much a collaborative effort as far as his identity.”

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Discovering The Hill: The Real Cowboys of South Central LA

Cowboys have a majestic nature, which is why there is such a timelessness to Hollywood Westerns. When considering the genre, we immediately think of John Wayne and James Garner in classic films like The Great Escape and The Alamo. Brown-hued men like Sidney Poitier in Buck and the Preacher are hardly ever put forth as examples. With his documentary Fire on the Hill director, Brett Fallentine pulls the curtain back on the history and heritage of Black cowboys.

Fire on the Hill paints a stunning portrait of three modern-day Black Cowboys in South Los Angeles —struggling to hold on to the legacy of riding culture in the area while juggling their personal lives and responsibilities. The Hill was the area’s longest-operating stables which birthed Charles Sampson, the first Black rodeo world champion– and has kept generations of Black men off the streets.  We chatted with Fallentine about his Los Angeles Film Festival winning doc —the legacy of Black equestrians and telling an authentic story.

“I was speaking to a friend who is a social worker in South L.A., and she mentioned off-hand that every time she was down there, she would see these guys riding around on horseback in the streets,” Fallentine revealed about discovering The Hill. “I was taken by that image, and I wanted to check it out myself. When I got there, I found horse manure. It became this trail that led to The Hill. As soon as I found The Hill, I jumped out with my camera, and I asked one of the older guys, Ray, if I could ask him a few questions. It just grew from there.  Ray introduced me to Ghuan Featherstone —and Ghaun invited me out on a ride with him. I started to get to know these cowboys more and more. I was so curious about what this culture was, and where it came from —why it was in South L.A. However, about six months into it —The Hill caught on fire.”

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'The Things We’ve Seen' Is Unsettling & Predictable

Mistakes are what make us human. No matter how old we might be —or what paths we’ve taken in life, we’ve fallen, grumbled, and being flat out wrong at one time or another. Luckily, for many of us, we’re able to walk away unscathed —leaving our mistakes in the past where they belong. We are able to move forward learning from bad choices, while embarking on new journeys and experiences. Unfortunately, not everyone has the chance for reinvention.

In his dark drama, The Things We’ve Seen, filmmaker Tre Manchester turns his lens on a small Indiana town. The film centers around a close-knit community full of working-class people. However, things begin to fracture and crack when the town’s mill burns to the ground, leaving two-thirds of the workforce unemployed --imploding the already precarious local economy. Economic devastation is crippling in and of itself, but when the sheriff (John D. Carver) and the townspeople decide they need a scapegoat for the fire, an entire family’s wellbeing is put on the chopping block.

There is no levity in Manchester’s work which is why the tone of The Things We’ve Seen is so convincing. The film opens with a standoff between the police and mill workers as the fire blazes in the background. The man at the center of the chaos is Rayford Boem (Randy Ryan) —a former musician with a notorious reputation. Whether he has anything to do with the blaze or not, Rayford is blamed for the fire which leaves his entire family vulnerable.

The Things We’ve Seen isn’t really about Rayford and his failings as a father, husband, and man. Instead, the film examines how his actions affect his loved ones and leave them helpless to the abuse and judgments of others. When Rayford vanishes after the fire and standoff, his wife, Ivory Joy (Shani Salyers Stiles) and teen sons, Reagan (Jarrett Maier) and Neely (Noah McCarty-Slaughter) are left defenseless and exposed.

With a dark tone and themes, what’s most interesting here are Manchester’s examinations of broken familial bonds. Despite the town's opinions of Rayford, the eldest Boem son Reagen—honors his father at the expense of his relationship with his loving and ever-present mother. The issue here is that though Rayford is positioned as the villain of sorts —he lacks a complexity that makes antagonists interesting in films. Instead —his troublesome and selfish actions lead everyone around him on a path of destruction that never really seems to engulf Ray himself.

On the surface —The Things We’ve Seen certainly has some compelling themes. Unfortunately, they are never truly explored. As Reagen clings to the idolized version of Rayford, his mother and younger brother are left to suffer in the wake of his anger and the Boem patriarch’s abandonment. In fact, it the most innocent in the film bear the most burdens.

Since the movie lacks a ton of dialogue it needed a lot more twists and turns, and at times, more poignant acting to keep the audience invested in the narrative. With so little story, The Things We’ve Seen meanders towards a predictable end with very little resolution or character development. It would have been more intriguing to dig a bit deeper not just into Rayford and Reagan’s relationship —but into Ray’s past as a whole. At one point Rayford says, "Sheriff, if I was to put out half the abuse that was put into me, I would’ve burnt this town down a long time ago.” Unfortunately, the audience is never given the opportunity to learn exactly what that means.

The Things We’ve Seen is now available on iTunes, GooglePlay and Amazon as well as on DVD and Cable VOD

Aramide A. Tinubu is a film critic and entertainment writer. As a journalist, her work has been published in EBONY, JET, ESSENCE, Bustle, The Daily Mail, IndieWire and Blavity. She wrote her master’s thesis on Black Girlhood and Parental Loss in Contemporary Black American Cinema. She’s a cinephile, bookworm, blogger and NYU + Columbia University alum. You can find her reviews on Rotten Tomatoes or A Word With Aramide or tweet her @wordwitharamide 

'For Now' Feels Jumbled & Harried

Sibling relationships aren't often a focal point in cinema. Though there have been some examinations of the dynamics of elder and adolescent siblings —the connections that we forge with our siblings are hardly ever explored during our twenties. Early adulthood is typically the time when sibling relationships begin to shift and change. Real authentic friendships are forged, and childhood labels and expectations are often stripped away or peeled back. In their film, For Now —writer/directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes examine a sibling relationship over the course of a short road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

For Now follows Hannah (Hannah Barlow), a twenty-something, Australian ex-pat and aspiring actress who is trying to form a career for herself while juggling her continually fractured relationships with her live-in beau, Kane (Kane Senes) and best friend Katherine (Katherine DuBois) —who is currently crashing on the couple’s couch. When Hannah’s younger brother Connor (Connor Barlow) flies into town to audition for the San Francisco Ballet Company —the foursome use the opportunity to embark on a road trip. Their journey soon pushes them all to examine some very harsh truths about themselves and their relationships with each other.

The majority of For Now is a chaotic jumble. Both Kane and Katherine are self-involved to the point of nausea. Additionally, the lack of boundaries and the disfunction between the group make the movie difficult to watch. Barlow and Senes chose not to use a traditional script when shooting the film. Instead —all of the scenes were 100% improvised. Unfortunately, this did not work entirely in their favor. Instead of a film focused on the uncertainty of the future and the frailties of youth, the audience is left adrift —landing in the middle of a party we neither understand nor wanted to be invited to in the first place. The characters are so all over the place that they become more frustrating than relatable.

Despite the frenzy of the film, Hannah and Connor are most endearing— leaving the audience wanting to know more about their relationship and how they’ve individually dealt with the tragic loss of their parents. However, because of the grating and conflicting personalities of the foursome as a whole —unpacking the siblings' relationship gets bogged down in a disorganized and harried tone of the movie. We're left instead with an exhausting plot full of bad decisions and tropes about entitled millennials.

Still, For Now has some merits. In the final twenty minutes of the movie —the siblings, who have been dancing around one another have a major showdown —unveiling years of pain, misunderstanding, and expectations. But, as soon as For Now reigns us in, it's over.

It would have been more poignant to examine grief, loss and how that can twist and bend the ties that siblings have with one another. The pain of losing her parents in a tragic car accident has made Hannah loving but overbearing. Meanwhile, Connor has becoming increasingly detached. As Hannah's dreams continue to slip through her fingers, she’s desperate for Connor to grasp on to his —even if that means sacrificing his happiness. The family home videos sprinkled throughout the narrative were also effective in creating a space for the brother/sister duo to exist in a different time and space.

Though their lives are chaotic at the moment, these videos prove that a sense of stability and constant love was once very much a part of Hannah and Connor existence. It also allows the viewer to connect with Hannah, who no matter how overbearing or Type A she may be seems like the only person with a sense of purpose or trajectory in the film.

The themes in For Now —loss, transition, and connection are all present. Regrettably, the film's jumpy narrative and wholly unlikeable characters don’t allow those topics to shine through. Instead, the audience is left with a puzzling display of selfishness and aloofness that does a disservice to the stellar acting in the film.

For Now is now available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Amazon and Vudu along with cable providers DirecTV and Comcast.

Aramide A. Tinubu is a film critic and entertainment writer. As a journalist, her work has been published in EBONY, JET, ESSENCE, Bustle, The Daily Mail, IndieWire and Blavity. She wrote her master’s thesis on Black Girlhood and Parental Loss in Contemporary Black American Cinema. She’s a cinephile, bookworm, blogger and NYU + Columbia University alum. You can find her reviews on Rotten Tomatoes or A Word With Aramide or tweet her @wordwitharamide 

'Hummus! The Movie' Is Informative and Well-Framed

Every day the world seems increasingly divided about politics, religion and the nuances of human life. Now, more than ever —it appears that there is very little that we can agree on as a people. Instead of coming together, we’ve learned to turn our backs on one another, closing our ears and our hearts to those whose beliefs differ from our own. However, there is one thing that people still connect with and take pleasure in—food. When you evaluate food for what it is —fuel for the human body, it certainly doesn’t seem that revolutionary. And yet, in his documentary, Hummus! The Movie award-winning filmmaker Oren Rosenfeld unpacks just how critical hummus and its history are to the human spirit.

Set across various regions in Israel —Rosenfeld explores the history of hummus, examining its origins the Middle East and its journey west into homes in the United States. The film follows Jalil, a Christian-Arab restaurateur who has taken over his family’s eatery and is looking to expand it beyond its traditions as the only Kosher restaurant around for miles. There is Eliyahu; a former migrant turned Hasidic Jew who has several hummus based restaurants across Israel. Oliver the Monk takes turns with his brothers preparing meals, and most interestingly, Suheila —the only woman to own her own restaurant in the Arab market. At age 50 having never been married — Suheila delights in her self-sufficiency and the diligence that she puts into her business each day. Through hummus and the people whose lives revolve around it, Rosenfeld seeks to examine the binds the hold us together as people instead of the ones that break us apart.

Hummus! The Movie is interesting enough. The film explores how the superfood is at the core of so many dishes across the Christian and Arab world. It is the through-line when it comes to traditional dishes that individual groups gravitate towards. Still, what’s most intriguing about the film is its examination of the dogged amount of work that it takes to maintain a restaurant and its customer base. All of the owners/ chefs work tirelessly day after day in the midst of a world where Muslims, Jew, and Christians co-exist. However, there is also a ton of competition surrounding the “best hummus” in the region so pride and familial legacies are also at the core of this film.

The documentary is beautifully shot, with images of the city and the county sprinkled throughout the film. We see everything from the gas fires burning in hot restaurant kitchens to camels grassing on grasses. Rosenfeld has turned his lens on a world that has often been erased from or overlooked in film. Instead of putting the spotlight on the Israel that we know from the news headlines —the filmmaker steps into the country to get a more compressive look at daily life from its people.

Though the film was very even when it came to examining its various subjects — it may have been stronger had it just focused on one person. Suheila's story was most profound. A stickler for cleanliness with a near-magical worth ethic— she shatters all of the stereotypes that have been put forth in popular culture about Muslim women and the lives that they lead. This was especially compelling because restaurant work has traditionally been considered men’s work in the Middle East.

Overall, Hummus! The Movie was informative and well-framed. Centering a dish that seems so inconsequential to so many, Rosenfeld delivers a unique project that unpacks the history of hummus, traditions, and how we connect to one another on a human level.

Hummus! The Movie is now on DVD, and digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, as well as on DVD.

Aramide A. Tinubu is a film critic and entertainment writer. As a journalist, her work has been published in EBONY, JET, ESSENCE, Bustle, The Daily Mail, IndieWire and Blavity. She wrote her master’s thesis on Black Girlhood and Parental Loss in Contemporary Black American Cinema. She’s a cinephile, bookworm, blogger and NYU + Columbia University alum. You can find her reviews on Rotten Tomatoes or A Word With Aramide or tweet her @wordwitharamide 

'Eve's Bayou' 22 Years Later: Filmmaker Kasi Lemmons Reflects On Her Classic Film

Black girls often get erased in Hollywood. There have been few instances like Spike Lee’s 1994 film Crooklyn or the forthcoming Marsai Martin-produced movie, Little that have centered Black girls. With her 1997 directional debut, Eve's Bayou filmmaker Kasi Lemmons blew the lid off of a new type of storytelling by honing in on the perspective of a young Black girl. Set in lavish Louisiana in the 1960s, Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou follows 10-year-old Eve Batiste, a tenacious and curious young Black girl who chronicles the summer of her father’s death. When the film was released, its story and cast— including Jurnee Smollett, Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Witfield, Debbie Morgan, Meagan Good, and Diahann Carroll— got glowing reviews. It became the highest-grossing indie film of that year.

Twenty-two years later, we are still celebrating the film’s success and legacy. At a recent special screening of Eve's Bayou in partnership with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science at the Metrograph in New York City—Shadow and Act spoke with Lemmons and acclaimed film editor Teri Shropshire about the journey to make the film, what it represents today and Lemmons’s upcoming Harriet Tubman biopic.

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