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What is Film Noir? These and other intriguing questions are explored in Justin Simien’s new documentary, Hollywood Black

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Justin Simien, Hollywood Black documentary, theGrio.com

What is a black film? How will we comprehend it is a black film? These are slippery questions that belie Dr. Umar’s simplicity about what is and is not black. Is it a black film since it is a story about black characters with black actors? OK, but what if that story about black characters is directed by a white person?Wizard” is a decidedly black story that has a very African-American touch to it. But the director is the good Sidney Lumet, who was white.Violet color” (1995) and “Soldier’s Story” tell deeply African-American stories, but they, too, were directed by white men — Steven Spielberg and Norman Jewison. What about Quentin Tarantino’s film “Jackie Brown”? Even though it was released in 1997, it is essentially a blaxploitation film. But what in regards to the sensible film “Shame” by British legend Steve McQueen? It has no predominant black characters, however the director is a black man.

This query and many more are a part of a captivating new documentary series on the history of black cinema on MGM+ titled “Black Hollywood” by director Justin Simien, best known for steering “Dear White People.” Premiering Sunday, August 11, Simien takes us through an encyclopedic vision of black cinema from “The Birth of a Nation” to Jordan Peele’s complex movies. Simien argues that whoever controls cinema controls history, and the ability to make movies is the ability to liberate. When we take into consideration how moving images can shape the way in which people perceive society, we all know that there have been movies which have contributed to our oppression by highlighting anti-Black stereotypes, and there are movies which have contributed to our liberation by making us look amazing.

Simien interviews a who’s who of black cinema giants like Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Reggie Hudlin, Forest Whitaker, Issa Rae, Giancarlo Esposito, Lena Waithe and more. Together, they work through the genius of Hattie McDaniel, the brilliance of the 1968 documentary “Symbiopsychotacplasma“William Greaves and the Meaning of the 1978 Film”Sheep Killer” by Charles Burnett. This is a deep dive into the history of film noir.

People who know Hollywood’s relationship with black creators often debate a central query: Are we in or out now? As in, are we hot or cold? One of the central questions of “Hollywood Black” is: Are we cyclical or a part of the firmament? Hollywood tends to like black creators for some time and then ignore them. Every boom makes it look like, OK, this time we’re finally a part of the material of this place. And then the energy around black movies evaporates.

In the early and mid-Nineteen Seventies, the Blaxploitation explosion led to lots of black-led movies. By the tip of the last decade, the wave had ended. Black cinema took a step forward in the mid-to-late Nineteen Eighties, when Spike Lee, John Singleton, the Hughes brothers, and others were making hot movies. That boom, too, has waned. In recent years, it gave the impression of we finally made it. From 2016 to 2018, we saw the Oscar-winning “Moonlight“Barry Jenkins, box office champion”Black Panther“by Ryan Coogler, “Get off“by Jordan Peele, “Sorry for disturbing you” by Boots Riley and the large success of Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae, Lena Waithe and others. It looked like this was greater than just one other boom. We were in for good. Right?

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Simien says no. He says that moment is over and now it’s almost unimaginable to do anything unless it is a sequel. It’s back to the drafting board. Anyone hoping to hitch this industry and make black movies needs to be careful. Sometimes Hollywood loves us, and sometimes we are the forgotten stepchild. Your profession will rise and fall based on things that don’t have anything to do with the standard of your work. But as a option to understand what is going on on, watch “Hollywood Black,” an epic history of this epic thing called black cinema.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Power Book II: Ghost Season 4 Episode 7: Dirty Diana Dares to Do Wicked Deeds… and More

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thegrio.com, power book ii ghost, starz

I won’t hold you to it, but “Power Book II: Ghost” is frustrating me. We’re three episodes away from the series finale — not the season finale, but — and as a substitute of solving problems and taking Aaliyah’s (RIP) advice in regards to the need for an answer, our most important characters are finding trouble to get themselves into.

Hey Panama, what are you talking about?

I’m glad you asked.

So dirty cop Det. Lewis (who’s Felicia on this episode; I’ll be switching back and forth) beats up Diana on the road in New York, causing Diana to lose her baby. Of course, Diana wants revenge. This is similar Diana, remember, who spent the higher a part of several seasons telling us she wanted NOTHING to do with the sport. It is smart for her life; the life Monet forced upon her family cost her father, brother/cousin, friends, and sanity. Diana wanted to go to Spelman; as a substitute, she got stuck in Stansfield and got pregnant with Tariq St. Patrick, who literally jumped out of the frying pan. But the cop hurt her, so she wants revenge. Except Diana sucks at hardcore life; as a substitute of shooting Felicia like she must have done outright, she had to do this thing where you explain to the person you are going to kill why they are going to die. So as a substitute of shooting her, Diana gets right into a fight with Felicia and then hits Felicia in the pinnacle multiple times with a cast-iron skillet.

Task completed. New problems arose.

Of course, as you may imagine, the entire episode is in regards to the Tejada family and Tariq trying to kill this cop who’s involved in Detective Carter’s task force. Yo, Detective Carter is literally the worst boss ever. So he ropes in a few of his guys to let drug dealers sell drugs and then kill other guys. But also, Detective Carter kills Congressman Rashad Tate’s brother, Detective Kamal Tate, and then blames the murder on individuals who couldn’t have done it, causing just a little little bit of friction in his own camp.

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Yo, let this be a lesson to anyone who has to work their way up through a pyramid scheme; the home of cards all the time collapses, which is clearly what’s going to occur here. I actually have little question that Detective Carter will likely be killed by someone, I just do not know who will do the killing.

By the time I get to Dru Tejada, I can already see the top in sight. Felicia (Detective Lewis), who sent Diana to kill Zion within the last episode, got a recording (so silly) of Tariq and Brayden killing him. Diana after all blamed Tariq for the murder so Diana would not have to. Anyway, because it happened in a police secure house, Detective Lewis has the entire thing on camera. Detective Carter didn’t know she blamed Diana OR that she stomped on her, so he’s rightfully pissed. Oh well, he sees the recording and keeps it. I think this little plot device will come back to bite Tariq and Brayden within the ass eventually. I think Tariq will kill Detective Carter, but not before the recording results in the hands of the police, sending Tariq to prison for all times. Although on this twisted world let’s fast forward and see that Councilman Tate is now president and finds out that Carter killed his brother (Tariq) and pardons Tariq who then opens a series of automotive dealerships in upstate New York, but I’m getting just a little ahead of myself.

Monet is a large number. Blah blah blah. Let’s speak about Dru Tejada. When this show began, Dru was an excellent kid from a foul family who, despite wanting to join the family business, really wanted to be an artist and love his different faces. In the course of who, Monet turned Dru right into a future franchise assassin. Seriously, forget Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher, we’d like a Dru Tejada franchise where he’s an antihero who kills drug dealers in an attempt to defeat the demons his mother has fed him since he was a baby. Dru is here, killing people in prison like a professional. He’s also doing it so tactically – Dru definitely has a future within the mercenary game if he makes it out alive. In fact, Dru and Cane could do a buddy-murder movie and spend the identical period of time fighting one another. I’m just saying that to me, it’s crazy how Dru Tejada’s character arc is. Everyone else is just about the identical as they were at the start of the show, just in numerous situations. Dru is the just one who has transformed into the version of herself she least wanted to be. I hate that about him, but could we get a Dru spin-off? Probably not.

Effie is finally going to Stanford, if she doesn’t die first. Hurray, success story…possibly.

We’ve got three episodes left, we’d like to start eliminating the vital bodies ASAP – NOT ALL of them will make it to the top alive.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Maya Rudolph Wins No. 6 Emmy of Her Career, Angela Bassett Wins Her First Emmy in Creative Arts

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Angela Bassett, wins creative arts Emmy, theGrio.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maya Rudolph won her sixth profession title Emma On Saturday night, she took home the trophy for Best Character Voice Acting for her work on Big Mouth on the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, while Angela Bassett won her first award for narrating the National Geographic show Queens.

A former and future “Saturday Night Live” star, Rudolph is nominated for 3 consecutive Emmy Awards. Her voiceover work as Hormone Monstress in the Netflix animated series “Big Mouth” earned her 4 Emmy Awards.

“I’m really proud to be a part of this show,” she said. “It humanizes being human.”

She became moved as she spoke in regards to the privilege she has of with the ability to do what she loves in life.

“I’m crying because I’m going through menopause,” Rudolph said.

She won the primary of the two-day Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which honor artistic and technical achievements in television and are a precursor to the foremost award (*6*)Emmy Awards ceremony, hosted by Dan and Eugene Levywhich is able to air on September 15 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

Bassett apparently took home the award for Best Narrator, a category that is frequently star-studded but in which the winner, like last 12 months’s Barack Obama, rarely appears.

“Oh my god, wow, my first Emmy,” Bassett said with emotion. “I couldn’t be more excited and grateful.”

Bassett said backstage that she was drawn to the wildlife documentary project because of its all-female production team, a rarity in the medium.

“It just touched my heart,” she said. “So I said yes.”

Bassett has been nominated for an Oscar twice and received an honorary Oscar earlier this 12 months.

Other winners included the recently retired Pat Sajakwho won the award for Best Game Show Host for his final season on “Wheel of Fortune.” It was his fourth win in the category and first since 1998.

“Saturday Night Live” found success in the craft categories, winning six awards, including those for makeup and production design.

Rudolph won two Emmys as a solid member and was nominated for 2 more for her work hosting the sketch institute last season. The Emmys can be presented Sunday.

She will return in the autumn to play the vice chairman. Kamala Harris on the fiftieth season of “SNL” just a few weeks before the election.

“I feel like I’m somehow connected to an amazing time in this country and an excitement I haven’t felt in a long time,” she said backstage Saturday.

She can be nominated on the foremost Emmy Awards for best actress in a comedy for her Apple TV+ series “Loot.” Her probabilities of winning the award are slim, with Jean Smart for “Hacks” and Ayo Edebiri for “Bear” which takes first place in the comedy category with 23 nominations.

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Ron Howard’s documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man” won 4 times, while “Welcome to Wrexham” won thrice, including best unstructured reality show. “Shark Tank” won best structured reality show. In an awards crossover, the Oscars telecast won 4 Emmys, including best live special.

Dick Van Dykewho turns 99 next month, could have stolen the show when “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years Of Magic” won for best pre-recorded variety program.

Van Dyke did a brief dance and announced “this hurts” later. As the winners were played offstage, he said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to my memorial. I don’t have a date yet, but I don’t feel great.”

Van Dyke became the oldest person to win an Emmy for a daytime television show when he accepted the award in June for his appearance on “Days of Our Lives.”

The highest nominated in all the season, “Shogun” scored a victory of sorts Saturday when the team that creates the post-show footage won an Emmy. The FX series itself is nominated for 25 Emmys. Seventeen of those can be presented Sunday, with the series specializing in scripted television.

Many big names, including Oscar winners, will compete in the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday Jamie Lee Curtis AND Da’Vine Joy Randolph and nominated for an Oscar Ryan Gosling.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Morris Chestnut Previews Final Episodes of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Season 2: ‘Lots of Twists’

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Morris Chestnut reveals what viewers can expect from the ultimate five episodes of Reasonable Doubt’s second season.

In the recently aired episode titled “Primetime,” fans watched as Jax’s friend and Corey’s client, Shanelle Tucker, unpacked the start of her abusive relationship together with her husband, JT, whose murder Shanelle was accused of. The episode also featured Shanelle’s first televised interview from prison, the top of Corey’s relationship with a renowned television journalist, and a pregnancy announcement that would impact the Stewart family.

That may appear to be loads of shocking stories, but Chestnut says there are more.

“We’re shooting a lot of stuff. I’m not sure how much of it there will be, but there will be a lot of twists and turns in the show,” the actor shares. “I think that’s one of the things I realized while shooting the show. I didn’t know exactly how everything was going to end, what was going to happen, and none of the crew knew either. We’re always guessing. I’d say probably 95 to 98 percent of people were wrong about what was happening, and I love that.”

Morris Chestnut attends the Peacock premiere of “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” at Hollywood Athletic Club on December 7, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

“I love taking those scripts and reading them in terms of the episode and saying, ‘Oh, wow, what happened next?’ So what can you expect? Lots of twists and turns, and things might not go the way you expect them to.”

This season of Reasonable Doubt not only explores Jax and Corey’s legal challenges, but in addition gives viewers a more in-depth have a look at intimate partner violence and abuse. The series explores how gaslighting, emotional manipulation and escalating violence contribute to the physical abuse victims can experience. Corey, from Chestnut, is a defense attorney who focuses on such cases, defending women who acted in self-defense against their abusers.

“I personally always like to have a little compassion in everything I do, depending on the role,” Chestnut explains. “But in this case, it’s something I draw from because it’s what I really feel. I mean, it’s a very real issue that affects more people than we realize because people don’t always talk about it. Especially the victims who go through it, they’re going to be silent for a long time.”

Chestnut praises showrunner Raamla Mohamed, who she says “puts (the issue of domestic violence) on the table.” She highlights how “Reasonable Doubt” shows National Domestic Violence Helpline phone number (1-800-799-SAFE) and website address at the top of each episode, offering victims who could also be viewing the show a way out.

“That was huge for me,” Chestnut says of being included. “I just have such genuine sympathy for anyone who has to go through that. I felt like I was doing my part to help in any way I could, and sometimes that’s what art does. That’s sometimes the benefit of being an actor, of being on a show like that, that can have a positive impact on someone’s life who might have had a tragic, negative experience.”

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“Raamla and Emayatzy are the leaders of this set, and it’s literally one of the best sets I’ve ever been on,” Chestnut gushes. “They have such a working machine there. I was excited. It was easy to get my footing. Being on a TV show and in a production, you become like a family. You spend so much time with everyone there. (The cast) welcomed me with open arms. Everyone was so nice and friendly. It was really easy for me to come in and be a part of it.”

New episodes of Reasonable Doubt might be available on Hulu every Thursday through October 17.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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