Keepingitreal

Total Recall (2012)

2nd Year Anniversary Issue Swagga Digital Magazine Winter 2011

S.F. Black Film Festival June 17th - 19th 2011

Color Outside The Lines: A Tattoo Documentary

About the film The film is the brainchild of one of the world's most widely recognized black tattoo artists; Miya Bailey. For over 5 years the idea has always been in his head to create a film that not only sheds light on the artform, but also allows the artform to be represented in the right way. There are a lot of stigmas attached to black tattoo artists and their side of the culture; ranging from a lack of creativity to overall poor quality of work. This in turn has lead to artists from other backgrounds and those in the black community choosing to take their business elsewhere in search of quality work. A lot of people also don't understand the purpose of paying a few extra dollars for what appears to be a tattoo anyone is capable of doing, after all, you just need someone with a machine and gloves right? This film sheds light on the dangers of not considering who you let mark your body FOREVER! CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING FILM AND SUPPORT IT SO IT CAN BE MADE AND BROUGHT TO THE BIG SCREEN

Mo'Nique moves to top of Oscar's supporting actress list

Mo'Nique won the supporting-actress Golden Globe Sunday for her role as a loathsome, abusive welfare mother in the Harlem drama Precious, while the blockbuster Up came away with the award for animated film.

The prize marks a dramatic turning point for Mo'Nique, who was mainly known for lowbrow comedy but startled audiences with her ferocious performance in Precious: Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire.

The Globe win could boost Mo'Nique's prospects at the Academy Awards, whose nominations come out Feb. 2.

"First let me say, thank you, God, for this amazing ride that you're allowing me to go on," the tearful Mo'Nique told the crowd.

She went on with gushing praise for Precious director Lee Daniels and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, a best dramatic actress nominee at the Globes with her first film role, playing Mo'Nique's abused, illiterate daughter.

"Lee Daniels, the world gets a chance to see how brilliant you are. You are a brilliant, fearless, amazing director who would not waver, and thank you for trusting me," Mo'Nique said. "To Gabby, sister, I am in awe of you. Thank you for letting me play with you." CONTINUE READING...

'The Book of Eli' Film Review

By Wilson Morales ~ With films such as 'I Am Legend,' 'The Road' and more recently '2012' captivating audiences, the Hughes brothers picked the end-of-the-world genre to seal their comeback after nearly a decade of hiding.

Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis and Jennifer Beales, 'The Book of Eli' is an action-thriller that will have moviegoers wondering why they spent their hard-earned money on yet another post-apocalyptic fantasyWe are first introduced to Washington's character, Eli, who is referred to as Walker because he's been walking the Earth for the last 30 years after the final war left the world in dust and despair. With a backpack containing a Bible, a machete and a shotgun, Eli is able to survive on his own by killing what animal he finds for nourishment. Wearing dark shades to protect his eyes from the blinding sun, he's heading West, where he believes life can be restored.

As he stops by a town to collect water and materials for his long journey, Eli runs into the local kingpin named Carnegie (Oldman), who's been dispatching every degenerate he can find to search for a book that he feels can fuel his power and influence. With his blind girlfriend, Claudia (Beales), reluctantly serving his needs, Carnegie sends her daughter Solara (Kunis) to spy on Eli.

When Solara returns and accidentally reports to Carnegie that Eli has the Bible he's been seeking, the last one on Earth, all hell breaks loose as the two men play a game of cat and mouse, with Solora choosing to stick with Eli for safety. Not too pleased with Solora's choice is Carnegie's henchman Redridge (Ray Stevenson), who wants Solora for himself. As Eli and Solora walk the Earth together, they come upon what looks like an abandoned house. When the occupants inside turn out to be reluctant allies, the last stand between Eli and Carnegie turns into the O.K. Corral, as the Bible holds the key to the future.

The problem with the film, besides the religious overtones, is the lack of continuity. From the guys who brought us 'Menace II Society' and 'Dead Presidents,' the Hughes brothers have too many scenes with too few explanations. It's never clear, for example, how Eli is able to walk around with an M3 player if the war occurred nearly three decades ago?

Although Washington is credible in his larger-than-life character, with superhero-like skills that allow him to fend off more than five men at a time, not much is known about him or any of the characters.

Oldman, who plays Commissioner Gordon in the Batman films, is back to playing a mercenary villain with some gusto. While it's not the same intensity he displayed in 'Air Force One' or 'The Professional,' it would have been fun just to hear him say, "Bring me everyone," just once.

Considering it's the end of the world, it's just unbelievable to see Solara walking around town unafraid of anyone and wearing rags that seem to come from Banana Republic.

Not all is lost, though. There is a twist to the film. Unfortunately, though, it can't make up for a big story that falls way short.

Me, Campaign? Just Go to the Film

IT is a convention of the Oscar season that when an actor is among the hopefuls, a phalanx of promoters, publicists and managers go to work, making sure that the star is dolled up and walks miles of red carpets to tell anyone who will listen that she would be “thrilled just to be nominated.”

Mo’Nique has never been much for convention. A stand-up comic from Baltimore, she defined her own version of plus-size beauty, drawing belly laughs along the way by pointing out that it is O.K. to have one. Along with her busy stand-up career, she starred in “The Parkers” for five years on UPN and had movie parts here and there. But it was her role in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” that turned heads. As Mary, the baleful, hellacious mother of Claireece Precious Jones, the illiterate teenager who serves as her punching bag, Mo’Nique created a movie monster who seemed all too real. Her ability to step inside a character of monumental menace has made her a favorite in the best supporting actress category.

Mo’Nique, 42, says she cares deeply about “Precious” and is thrilled to be among the mentioned, but she is not about to reorganize her life or her priorities to get her mitts on an Oscar. “The Mo’Nique Show,” her daily talk show on BET, just began in October, and while other hopefuls are criss-crossing the country for all manner of events, chatting up Oscar bloggers and making sure that everyone knows that they want it, Mo’Nique is mostly here in Atlanta, tending to her show.

She was here at the end of November, in a building in an industrial part of town, getting ready with her “Precious” co-star Gabourey Sidibe for a photo shoot for the Vanity Fair Hollywood issue. In that sense the Oscar race has come to her, a tribute to the magnetic performance she gave this past year.

It is yet another convention of the Oscar season that the star look casually elegant for any news-media opportunity, but when Mo’Nique met with this reporter, she was simply accessorized by a bathrobe, a headband and the “Precious” director Lee Daniels. She looks great — as she herself often affirms in her stand-up and talk show — but there is no artifice, no fluffing for a newspaper interview. (That will come later for the magazine photo shoot.)

Mo’Nique and Mr. Daniels are a pair, cracking each other up into near helpless laughter at the smallest provocation, and are particularly amused by the keening of the Oscar press because she hasn’t paid proper tribute to the needs of the Oscar-industrial complex. “Deny her a nomination and teach her a lesson,” harrumphed Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere.

Mo’Nique can’t really get with that. Her campaign, if there is such a thing, was her performance, simple as that.

“Anytime I’ve been given an award, it has been because of the performance; what else goes into it?” she said, appearing genuinely mystified. “Look, it makes me appreciative any time someone says they may want to honor your performance. I’m appreciative at any talk in reference to any award, but there’s not much I can do about it now. The performance is done.”

It was, without a doubt, one of the most memorable performances of the year. A. O. Scott, a film critic for The New York Times, wrote that Mo’Nique played Mary with “operatic fervor.”

But isn’t she worried that “they” will think she doesn’t want the Oscar?

“I’ve been asked the question before,” she said, “and it’s like, guys, I also have this show called ‘The Mo’Nique Show’ where I tape six shows a week. I have twins who are 4, so I have babies, I have an amazing husband and a son who’s 19. What I can participate in I’m more than happy to.”

Mr. Daniels makes it clear that the support he needed from Mo’Nique for this film came on the set.

“We are in our bubble, and we pay no attention to any talk about what she should and not be doing right now,” he said. “We’ve been told from the start that no one would see a movie about a young black girl, that it wouldn’t make any money, on and on. Instead here we are, with all kinds of people going to see the movie, and even talking about the Oscars.”

Mr. Daniels is more interested in the opinions of Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom signed on as executive producers and supporters of the film. Ms. Winfrey, who was nominated for her 1985 supporting role in “The Color Purple,” sent an e-mail message saying that Mo’Nique is a very legit contender regardless of how busy she is.

“Her performance is so raw and so searing and without a doubt Oscar-worthy,” Ms. Winfrey wrote.

It was all the more remarkable for its audacity. Mr. Daniels said he was convinced that a large, wisecracking comic could portray a character who makes Faye Dunaway’s depiction of motherhood in “Mommie Dearest” seem almost cuddly by comparison.

“Actors want to act,” he said. “Mo’Nique doesn’t act. She saw what this role was about, and she just snatched it. She didn’t outsmart herself like so many actors do.”

Most actors tend to speak in mystical tones about roles, especially difficult ones, but Mo’Nique said her biggest accomplishment was just doing what she was told.

“I so believe in his vision, brother, I’m going there,” she said, looking at Mr. Daniels. “I’m not asking no questions, I’m not asking you why.”

During the interview the film was described as “dark” one too many times. CONTINUE READING...

'PRECIOUS,' 'FROG' SCORE PRODUCERS GUILD NOMS: Films among 10 up for group's top award.

The Producers Guild of America revealed Tuesday that "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" is among the 10 films nominated for its top Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award. The other nominees are "Avatar," "District 9," "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Invictus," "Star Trek," "Up," and "Up in the Air." Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," featuring the studio's first black princess voiced by Anika Noni Rose, received a nomination in the animation category. The movie faces competition from Pixar/Disney's "Up" (the first animated film to score a PGA nom for the Zanuck Award), "9," "Coraline" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox." The awards will be presented Jan. 24 at the Hollywood Palladium.

Outfest: Off and Running

Bratts roll out 'La Mission,' hometown-style

The San Francisco International Film Festival's opening-night party was a double homecoming for Benjamin and Peter Bratt: It took place in the Mission District, where the brothers grew up and where they shot "La Mission" - the family drama that inaugurated the 2009 festival - starring Benjamin and directed by Peter.As kids, they would sneak into the New Mission Theater a few blocks away from where the partygoers gathered. The Bratt boys' love of movies was sparked watching "Planet of the Apes" in the back of the theater when they were barely out of kindergarten. Thursday night's festivities were held in another grand movie house from their youth, the El Capitan. Sadly, all that's left of it is a splendid Mexican Baroque facade. The gutted foyer, now used as a parking lot, offered ample space for festivalgoers to congregate. The night was a bit nippy for milling around outdoors and for the dancers dressed in sequin halters and short shorts who perform with one of the bands. People could be heard lamenting the fact that the party hadn't been Monday, during the city's brief hot spell. As Thursday night wore on, they spilled over into Bruno's restaurant next door to keep warm. The Bratts were too exuberant to notice if they were cold. Asked how it felt to have their movie open the festival in their hometown, Benjamin said, "As you can imagine, it feels wonderful." This is the second time that Benjamin - who became famous as a detective on TV's "Law & Order" in the 1990s and recently appeared in the A&E series "The Cleaner" - has been directed by his older brother. The first was "Follow Me Home," a 1996 indie that wasn't seen much but has developed a following."We've formed an eternal theater troupe, and whatever Peter does I am going to be in now and forever," he said. CONTINUE READING...

Obsessed: Movie Trailer

The Outfest Legacy Project Screening Series

April 24, 7:30pm
WORD IS OUT at the UCLA Festival of Preservation

Dir. Mariposa Film Group (Peter Adair, Nancy Adair, Veronica Selver, Andrew Brown, Robert Epstein, and Lucy Massie Phenix), 1978, USA, 35mm, 135 min
Quite possibly as relevant today as it was on its debut over 30 years ago, Word Is Out: Stories Of Some Of Our Lives is widely considered the first feature-length documentary on gay and lesbian identity. Offering a vastly different perspective on gay and lesbian identity in America than the common views of the time, the film presents 26 diverse gay and lesbian individuals, who with profundity, honesty and humor, describe their struggle to live a decent life in America, despite prejudice, discriminatory laws and society's unwillingness to treat them with respect and equality.
Preservation funded by The David Bohnett Foundation with additional support provided by The Andrew J. Kuehn Jr. Foundation and the members of Outfest

IN PERSON: Director Nancy Adair., Lucy Massie Phenix
Location: Billy Wilder Theater
Tickets/Information: www.cinema.ucla.edu

 May 11, 8:30pm
WATERMELON WOMAN at REDCAT,
co-presented by the Outfest Legacy Project

Los Angeles theatrical revival
Dir. Cheryl Dunye, 1996, 85 min., screened in Beta SP

Cheryl Dunye's "saucy, daring, insidiously smart debut" (The Boston Phoenix) stands as the first-ever theatrical feature directed by an African American lesbian. The Watermelon Woman tells the story of Cheryl, played engagingly by Dunye herself, who develops a fascination with 1930s actress Fae Richards--a fictional character confined to playing "Mammy" roles in movies by a Dorothy Azner-type director. As part of the production, New York photographer Zoe Leonard shot cleverly constructed still images of Fae Richards and in the process (re)invented a history running counter to the invisibility of black women in early Hollywood and black lesbians in general. The winner of the Teddy (the Berlinale) and Outstanding Narrative Feature (Outfest) awards, The Watermelon Woman also managed to raise the hackles of unreconstructed reactionary Jesse Helms, who called the work "flotsam floating down a sewer." Funded in part with generous support from Wendy Keys and Donald Pels. In person: Cheryl Dunye
Location: ROY AND EDNA DISNEY/CALARTS THEATER, 631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets/Information: http://www.redcat.org/season/0809/fv/dunye.php

May 17, 7:00pm
A Tribute to Tom Graeff (TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE, TOAST TO OUR BROTHERS, ISLAND SUNRISE)
Legacy Project Screening Series at UCLA
This evening's program celebrates the life and career of Los Angeles filmmaker Tom Graeff. Low-budget auteur, eccentric rabble-rouser, religious fanatic sent to save the world--Graeff was all of these. Unknown in his own lifetime, his fascinating, earnest and campy work is ripe for re-discovery.

TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE
Dir. Tom Graeff, 1959, USA,16mm, 86 min. In 1956, Graeff made his second independent feature film, Killers from Outer Space. Three years and several title changes later, Warner Brothers released it as Teenagers from Outer Space and a cult B-movie science fiction classic was born. Starring Graeff's boyfriend Chuck Roberts (as David Love), Teenagers was written, produced, directed, shot, and edited by Graeff, who also acted in it, supervised the music and created the notorious special effects.

Preceded by.
ISLAND SUNRISE
Dir. Tom Graeff, 1954, USA, Beta-SP, (rev. 2008), 4 min.
This short was originally created to introduce Graeff's boyfriend Chuck Roberts to Hollywood and was recently contextualized and updated by filmmaker and Graeff biographer, Jim Tushinski.

TOAST TO OUR BROTHER
Dir. Tom Graeff, 1951, USA, Beta-SP, 23 min.
Shot mainly on the UCLA campus, Graeff's delightful student film depicts campus life and the rewarding aspects of fraternity brotherhood.

Location: Billy Wilder Theater
Tickets/Information: www.cinema.ucla.edu
OUTFEST members receive $1 off admission at the box office.

Trailer: Tyson Documentary

'PUSH' FILM CAUGHT IN STUDIO TUG-O-WAR: Lionsgate and Weinstein Co. sue each other over film rights.

Lionsgate and the Weinstein Co. [TWC] on Wednesday filed lawsuits against each other over the Sundance hit "Push," throwing into question who owns distribution rights to the urban drama directed by Lee Daniels.  In its suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Lionsgate claims that TWC does not have "any right, title or interest" in the picture, which won both the grand jury and audience drama prizes in Park City, and is seeking a judge's declaration to that effect. Lionsgate filed the suit, it argues in the complaint, because of "threatened litigation" on the part of TWC over theatrical rights to Lee Daniels' inner-city tale.Several hours after the announcement of Lionsgate's suit, Weinstein Co. reps said the company had filed its own suit against both Lionsgate and sales agent Cinetic Media for breach of contract and inducing breach of contract. TWC argues there was a contract in place for the New York company to buy the movie."TWC reached a firm agreement for the rights to "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire.' Behind their backs Cinetic Media tried to make a better deal with Lionsgate. Lionsgate was well aware of the TWC contract but went forward anyway," said Bert Fields, who along with David Boies represents TWC. Typically in breach-of-contract cases, a plaintiff would either want the contract honored or, in its place, monetary compensation."Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire," which tells the story of an illiterate, pregnant inner-city teen and her attempts to set her life right, stars Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Mo'Nique, Lenny Kravitz and Paula Patton. The story revolves around an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.The Weinstein Co. and Overture had been among the distributors circling the movie in the wake of its strong performance in Park City. Lionsgate eventually won rights to the film, it said in an announcement earlier this week, paying in the ballpark of $5 million for North American rights to the film and enlisting Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey as supporters. According to the Lionsgate suit, producers told Lionsgate that while there were discussions between producers and the Weinstein Co., no deal was made because parties couldn't come to terms over issues such as international rights and profit-sharing. The Weinstein Co., via its breach of contract suit, feels otherwise. SOURCE:EURWEB.COM

Pan-African film festival seeks a broader audience

THE executive director of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival knew from its inaugural year in 1992 that the 12-day event would be a success. “Nobody was bringing together the diverse voices of the black world,” Ayuko Babu says. “We knew our perspective as a result of colonization and slavery… . We knew we tapped into an enormous experience.” Experience expressed in “Ray,” “Lackawana Blues,” “Redemption,” “Days of Glory” and the Oscar-winning “Tsotsi” – all of which played the festival. For its 16th year, which begins tonight, more than 175 films from the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada are featured, as well as fine art shows, panels and workshops, a festival for students and children, a spoken-word fest and a comedy night.Annual attendance hovers around an impressive 200,000 people. Not as impressive, and surprising to Babu, is the low turnout from the white community. “We haven’t been able to get the middle class white filmgoers … they’re not coming in the numbers I would have anticipated. You have a lot of people who are interested in Barack Obama … but trying to get them to know about the festival or come and participate… .”Babu suspects white viewers don’t want to leave the comfort zone of their neighborhoods. But the trip to the Magic Johnson Theatres – one of the festival’s main venues – couldn’t be easier, as he points out: “Get on the [10] Freeway and get off at Crenshaw.”The 16th annual festival opens with “Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation,” Charles Burnett’s (“The Killer of Sheep”) latest film about the long struggle waged by the African country for independence. Danny Glover and Carl Lumbly star. “It’s an epic film,” says Burnett, who hopes festival exposure will lead to a distribution deal. “It is based on true life stories. It’s living history.”Closing the festival is the premiere of the Depression-era drama “Kings of the Evening,” starring Lynn Whitfield, Tyson Beckford and Reginald T. Dorsey, who also produced the drama.“We’re working on getting a distributor” says Dorsey, who’s especially proud that the film presents African American culture in “very dignified terms… . I made a promise to myself that I would only do positive projects that had these types of sentiments.” MORE INFO ON FILMS

Mike Tyson a hit at Sundance

Mike Tyson didn’t pull any punches about his tumultuous life at the Sundance premiere of the documentary “Tyson.”“I never used to understand why people perceived me as such a monster, and then I saw the movie and it all made sense,” the heavyweight said at Bon Appetit’s Supper Club bash post-screening.But Tyson hasn’t completely changed his ways. For one thing, he’s still a control freak. “Mike told staffers he wasn’t going to come into the dining room until everyone was seated and ready for him,” said one insider.Due to more pressing events (like the inauguration, perhaps?), we had to leave the slopes in Park City, Utah, but Gatecrasher pal Neil Janowitz stuck around for the event. The ESPN the Magazine editor told us Tyson’s speech had a one-two punch.“Mike talked about how surreal the whole experience was and how the movie captured the ups and downs of his life,” Janowitz recalled. “When he hit rock bottom and things were awful, he never wanted to go through that again. But now, with the film coming out and being in Sundance, Mike says he’s the toast of the town again.”Tyson went on to say that “people are offering me a lot of p—y and a lot of money again.”When everyone in the room laughed uncomfortably, Tyson corrected the chucklers.“It’s not funny,” Tyson chided. “This stuff is detrimental. I had a hard time controlling it in the past.”The film, which sold at Sundance to Sony Pictures Classics, chronicles the boxer’s rise and fall. It begins with a young Tyson getting beaten up in the rough area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he grew up. There, Tyson got his first KO during a scuffle over ... pigeons.“Mike collected and raised them on his roof in Brooklyn,” Janowitz explained. “He had his first fight after an older kid killed one of his birds and threw it to the ground. After Mike punched his lights out, he saw that more people respected him, and he felt better.”While no one brought up Tyson’s winged friends, reporters did ask how he’s been passing the time lately.Said the former champ: “I’m trying to stay clean, trying to stay sober — and trying to stay out of trouble.” SOURCE OF THIS POST

BEST OF THE EAST LA CHICANO FILM FESTIVAL

One night only to see the the terrific winning films for Cine Sin Fin: the 14th Annual East LA Chicano Film Festival 2008. Awards Ceremony includes: Best Documentary Best Short Film Best Feature Film The John Alonzo Award for Cinemetography The Anthony Quinn Award for Acting The Lalo Guerrero Award for Best Sound Tract The Corky Gonzales Righteousness Award Friday, November 21, 2008, 7:00PM to 10:00PM Echo Park Film Center 1200 N. Alvarado Street Los Angeles, CA 90026 Admission price: $5 donation Discount: Students, seniors and handicapped Contact 323-265-2344 For Schedule and other info: http://www.alabrava.com

Urbanworld Film Festival (Sept.10-14) Starts Today

The start of the Urbanworld Film Festival gets underway today with the opening of 'Still Trippin'' which stars Steve Harvey in an all-new, live stand-up performance. Dedicated to the exhibition of independent and mainstream cinema by and about people of color, Urbanworld will screen 85 films at this year's festival in New York City from September 10-14. All festival screenings will be held at the AMC Loews 34th Street Theaters.

This year's selection showcases New York-based films and filmmakers celebrating local artists and communities, as well as a strong representation of international filmmakers from around the world. The 2008 slate will culminate in the special closing night screening of The Secret Life of Bees, followed by a Q&A with talent from the film including Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo ('Hotel Rwanda'), and screenwriter/director Gina Prince-Bythewood ('Love & Basketball').

The five-day festival includes feature, documentary, and short film screenings, as well as panel discussions, live staged screenplay readings and the celebrated Actor's Spotlight, featuring Queen Latifah.

Among the films being shown at the film are:

'Jazz in the Diamond District' (Director Lindsey Christian) - When Jasmine 'Jazz' Morgan loses her mother to cancer, she can only focus on one thing: pursuing her dream of becoming a singer. Defying the wishes of her father, who prefers that she return to college, Jazz spends the summer entrenched in the D.C. underground music scene. One night, after an impromptu audition, Jazz is invited to join a go–go band. With ease she falls in love with the stage and together she and the band reach new heights of popularity. But just as quickly as her success builds, so does the pressure, and Jazz desperately tries to maintain control of her increasingly chaotic life. Cast includes Wood Harris, Monique Cameron, Erica Chamblee, Andre' Strong, and Clifton Powell.

'Phantom Punch' (Director Robert Townsend) - Sonny Liston, the controversial former world heavyweight boxing champion, is brought to life by actor Ving Rhames in the biopic PHANTOM PUNCH. The film chronicles a career that began with the discovery of his boxing talent while serving time at the Missouri State Penitentiary and effectively ended with the infamous "phantom punch" by Cassius Clay. Cast also includes Stacey Dash, Nicholas Turturro, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.

'Ball Don't Lie' (Director Brin Hill) - With the electricity, humor and sweat of street basketball, BALL DON'T LIE is the coming-of-age story of Sticky (newcomer Grayson Boucher), a skinny 17-year-old high school junior living in Venice, California. Stuck in a foster care system that has forgotten him and living life as an outcast, it's at a community gym that he finds his home and on the basketball court that he becomes a star. After years of building walls, Sticky overcomes the greatest of odds to find acceptance and surrender to love in the unlikeliest of places. Cast includes Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nick Cannon, Rosanna Arquette, Emilie de Ravin, Harold Perrineau, Grayson "The Professor" Boucher, Kim Hildalgo, Mykelti Williamson, Dania Ramirez, Nick Chinlund, Ricardo Chavira, Steve Harris, Melissa Leo, Robert Wisdom, James Pickens Jr., Lamman Rucker, Matthew St. Patrick, Mums de Schemer, Cress Williams, Rachel Nicks.

'I Used to Love Her' (Director Mark Harris) - I USED TO LOVE HER tells the tale of Simee Smith (Turner) a pop singer who has lost her morals in the music industry. Fed up with what her life has turned into, she heads back to her hometown of Chicago. While seeking to restore her sense of self–worth and self–respect, Simee falls in love with an unlikely match, Ramadan El–Amin (Roberson), who in turn plays a crucial role in her growth and development as a "new woman." Life gets better and better, but you cannot run from your past forever. Everything comes to light. Will Simee's history ruin her future? Cast includes Mel Roberson, Toya Turner, Simeon Henderson, Sheree Bynum, Dori King, Tiffany J. Curtis, Lil Rel, Lorenzo Hunt.

'Up With Me' (Director Greg Takoudes) - When Francisco, a teenager from Harlem, is admitted to an upstate boarding school on scholarship, he is torn between his life at home and the new environment. But when his best friend puts his own life in danger as a loyalty test to Francisco, Francisco is forced to become the one thing in boarding school that he resisted becoming in Harlem: a drug dealer. UP WITH ME is a creative collaboration between Greg Takoudes and non-professional teenagers from Harlem. The screenplay is based on months–long writing workshops with the teenagers, who also star in the movie.

'The Express' (Director Gary Fleder) - Based on a true story, The Express follows the extraordinary life of college football hero Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. His fight for equality and respect forever changed the face of American sports, and his story continues to inspire new generations. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania coal-mining country, Davis hurdled social and economic obstacles to become one of the greatest running backs in college football history. Under the guidance of legendary Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), he became a hero who superseded Jim Brown's achievements and set records that stand to this day.

'This is the Life' (Director Ava DuVernay) - THIS IS THE LIFE chronicles a group of young artists from South Central L.A. In the early 90s, these teenagers would gather weekly at The Good Life, a health food store on Crenshaw Boulevard, to create music together. Their underground recording in 1994 influenced such stars as Ice Cube, Mos Def and Black Eyed Peas. Largely unknown to mainstream audiences, these young people attracted an almost cult-like international following.

'Tennessee' (Director Aaron Woodley) - Two brothers, Carter (Adam Rothenberg) and Ellis (Ethan Peck), embark on a journey from New Mexico to find their estranged father in the hopes of saving Ellis, who has been diagnosed with terminal leukemia. Along the way they meet Krystal (Mariah Carey), an aspiring singer who flees her controlling husband (Lance Reddick) to join them on their journey.

'Zane's Sex Chronicles' (Screenwriter Zane) - CINEMAX, in association with New York Times best–selling author Zane and Oscar® nominee and two–time Emmy® winner Suzanne de Passe, presents a new urban late night series based on the wildly popular book series of the same name. The series follows heroine Patience James and her girlfriends Maricruz, Lyric, Eboni and Ana Marie as they take on their lives in the big city, look for love and make time for male "eye-candy" and many steamy rendezvous. ZANE'S SEX CHRONICLES celebrates empowerment and liberation – both in and out of the bedroom – while weaving together unforgettable characters and intoxicating eroticism to seduce the minds – and eyes – of both men and women.

'Wu: The Story of the Wu Tang Clan' (Director Gerald Barclay) - WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN is the compelling and provocative story of one of the greatest acts in Hip Hop history. Written and directed by the group's childhood friend and former video director, Gerald "Gee- Bee" Barclay, and remixed for BET Networks by Emmy Award winner P. Frank Williams (AMERICAN GANGSTER, BET Awards), Wu provides a backstage pass to rare live performances, television appearances, and new interviews with group members RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Steve Rifkind, former CEO of Loud Records. Wu-Tang fans will love every moment of this captivating film.SOURCE:BLACKVOICES.COM

 

Movie review: 'Traitor'

Like Matt Damon's Jason Bourne, Don Cheadle's Samir Horn is an extremely reluctant, traumatized action hero: The opening scene is a flashback of a young Horn watching his father get killed in a Jeep explosion. He would probably object to even being called an action hero, although his ninja moves and steady supply of beautiful leather jackets give him away. In that deeply American way, he's just a guy doing what he's got to do. But Horn might have the honor of being the first Muslim action hero in an American big budget film. "Traitor" tells the story of former Army Special Forces explosives expert Horn, a devout Muslim and suspected terrorist, who is hunted by FBI man Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce of "Memento," who looks like a gaunt Brad Pitt) in a multinational chase. They first meet when police in Yemen, where Clayton and his partner happen to be, pick up an uncooperative Horn. The evidence mounts that Horn, who had been living in Chicago, has gone to the dark side. Writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff got the inspiration for the film from none other than executive producer Steve Martin, who apparently began talking about "what if" scenarios a few years ago. This is Nachmanoff's second full-length feature, his first big-budget one, and he shows an excellent understanding of pacing. The narrative is bifurcated, moving between Clayton's hunt and Horn's dangerous ascent up the ranks of an al Qaeda-like terrorist group that he joins in a Yemen prison, where he befriends a young follower named Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui from "The Kite Runner"). Although the action is broken up by occasional conversations about the nature of belief, the morality of terrorism and factoids about Islam (did you know that the literal translation of the word "Islam" is "submission"?), the film only accessorizes with deep thoughts. Horn, from the start, is the moral compass of the film, risking death to give a man food in a Yemeni prison yard, and broad hints as to his real identity are dropped from the get-go. Like any number of Western heroes and comic book good guys, Horn is a man born into his position of hero. It chose him. Cheadle plays Horn with hangdog eyes and a dour face; he takes no joy from his physical prowess, bomb-making ability and stylish wardrobe. Among "The Dark Knight," the Bourne trilogy and this, one longs for another silly Bond movie. At least Bond gets the girl every now and then, and smiles. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

AMERICAN BLACK FILM FEST DOES L.A. AGAIN: Founder Jeff Friday kicks off screening weekend.

The 12th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) kicked off in Los Angeles this week with a star-studded opening night screening of the classic film “Carmen Jones.”Introduced by Academy Award winner, Halle Berry, the film captures this year’s festival theme;romance and sexuality in black cinema. Spawned from the need to see and showcase films of, by, and about African Americans, the event is capturing great artists, great audiences and the eye of Hollywood.“The ABFF is an international film festival that started about 12 years ago at the Acapulco Black Film Festival,” said fest founder Jeff Friday. “It’s a five-day event geared to give black filmmakers from around the world the opportunity to showcase their movies, as well as give black actors and black artists a chance to showcase their work. [This] is bringing the aspiring artists community together with the accomplished community and with media and corporations, and throwing them all in one captive environment and watch all the magical things happen.” Based on the history of American cinema and black films, for that matter, it’s no wonder it took Friday to create this kind of internal “magic” in order to bring black film to a much deserved platform. “It’s important because there are not many vehicles to showcase black art and that extends beyond film and entertainment,” Friday said of the spark that led to the creation of ABFF. “I used to go to the mainstream festivals around the world just as a film fan and I would rarely see films that were either made by black people of starred black people or were really about the black experience. You just wondered, 'Do African Americans make movies?' Then in 1997 I was with two good friends, and we decided to model a festival after Sundance – a black film festival. What we discovered is that there are many black films. In fact, we had 19 film submissions our very first year and this year we got 400. There are black movies out there, it’s just somebody’s got to take it on to give them a place to be seen and that’s what we decided to do.” Originally, the festival was held in Acapulco, Mexico and held the name the Acapulco Black Film Festival. After a five year stay in south of the border, the festival came Stateside in 2002 and became the American Black Film Festival –it’s new host town, Miami. After another five-year stint, Friday and co switched coasts and headed to Hollywood, and for the second year, the event is taking place in Los Angeles. SOURCE:EURWEB.COM