Remembering the L.A. Riots and the Rodney King beating vividly, I was surprised to become enlightened about all the elements and incidents that were popping off. I had no idea that a young LatashaHarlins was shot in the head over some orange juice by the shop owner. No idea that Karen Toshima, a budding artist, was gunned down in Westwood. No idea that James Mincey, Jr. was murdered based on the stereotype that he "looked" "big and threatening" or that innocent families had their homes ransacked for drugs leaving their abode inhabitable.
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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For decades, scientists had been collecting tissue samples from patients without consent, searching for cells that could live outside the human body. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks entered a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and everything changed.
Read MoreBorn In China
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In celebration of Earth Day, DisneyNature releases "Born In China." This remarkable documentary is narrated by John Krasinski and takes audiences on a breathtaking journey into the wilds of China.
Directed by Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan, produced by Disney’s Roy Conli and renowned nature filmmakers Brian Leith and Phil Chapman, "Born In China" shows an authentic side of nature in China that global audiences have never seen before,” says director Lu Chuan. “These animals are metaphors. They give birth, like we do and do their best to raise their cubs, like we do. They succeed and they fail. Their drive to do what is best for their families resonates with all of us.”
Read MoreSmurfs: The Lost Village
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If Beyoncé' lit a match under millennial women with her concept album "Lemonade", Smurfette is the ringleader for the Female Smurf Nation. At least until she stumbles upon the "lost village", which is saturated with female Smurfs. These dolls have a strong sense of self, confidence and identity. For all these reasons and more, Smurfs: The Lost Village will really strike a chord with young girls.
Read MoreBeauty and The Beast
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Love and stories about love never go out of style. These types of stories make us sentimental, long for a lost love or a love that was never to be realized. Disney's Beauty and Beast stays true to form with this latest incarnation of "a tale as old as time"!
Read More#inspiringWomanPBS Maya: And Still I Rise→
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We don't know the heartbreak of never having a lifetime love. We don't know how isolating and lonely it is to be a strong, intelligent, independent black woman. We don't know what it is to balance love for a parent, even when that parent treats you as if you have rocks for a brain. These are the Maya Angelou private images that we would never know...until now.
Read MoreAn Inconvenient Sequel - Truth to Power
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Al Gore has been instrumental in keeping the conversation front and center, but like any issue that reaps the benefits of government assistance, he has been met with resistance and criticism from likely and unlikely sources. His biggest critic? The 45th President of the United States - Donald J. Trump. Trump has gleefully boasted that global warming is a hoax and at one point demanded that Gore's Nobel Peace Prize be taken away.
Read MoreMarches, Trump, The Blackhouse and HBCU's at the Forefront of Sundance 2017
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Hosted by Jessica Williams, the 2017 awards ceremony was a celebration of independent film, but also a detestation of the new administration of President Donald Trump. With Executive Orders banning citizens from a number of Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. for the next several months and more, his January 20 inauguration threw a shadow over the festival, coming one day after this year’s Robert Redford-founded shindig kicked off.
Read MoreStranger Things hit SAG Awards with Viola Making History and Hidden Figures Blasting Off
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The Screen Actors Guild Awards are always a highlight of the award season because the love comes directly from the acting community. Needless to say, actors showed up and showed out casting their Ensemble votes for Hidden Figures and giving Fences mad love by honoring Best Actor Denzel Washington with his very first "actor" along with Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor (Moonlight) and Supporting Actress Viola Davis for her mind-blowing performance in Fences. Davis is making history all over the place in 2017.
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Bright Lights: RIP Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
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As many people have seen in numerous posts over the years, I unequivocably love my mother. She's my sheroe. She taught me that it was never too late in life to accomplish ANYTHING. She is one of the bravest women I know, loves me unconditionally and sometimes behaves as if she doesn't want to ever let me grow up. One day, as we prepared to go out somewhere, she was tugging on my clothes annoying me to no end. Being a smartass I quipped, "You're always going to be my mother aren't you?". She quickly snapped, "Well, what did you expect...of course I am".
Read MoreOne Piece Film: Gold
/Musicals are the "it" thing this year and even the anime game is getting in on the action with the release of Funimation Films...One Piece Film: Gold! The opening montage is complete with a Swinging Big Band, showgirls, kick lines and pirates ships. The Gran Tesoro, where most of the action is set, reminds me of a golden version The Venetian Hotel on the Vegas strip. Aboard the Gran Tesoro, where it rains gold upon a golden river, The Straw Hat pirates become enamored with their VIP status and 300 Million dollars line of credit. However, deception is king and the crew soon discovers that all that glitters is NOT gold.
Based on the wildly popular hit anime manga and television series, One Piece Film: Gold follows the Straw Hat pirates to the big screen in an all-new high-flying adventure. The Batman-like graphics, slot machine sound effects and high-octane music keep the energy of this entertaining flick moving and grooving.
Originally a Japanese manga series, One Piece was adapted into a television series by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon) that has since aired over 760 episodes. As of August 2016, the original manga series has more than 380 million copies printed worldwide – the best-selling manga series in history.
The new film One Piece Film: Gold is a standalone film that does not require new audiences to be familiar with previous content to enjoy the thrill of this new adventure. Do the Straw Hat pirates luck turn them into billionaires? Or, are they turned into gold slaves? You can find out for yourself when On Piece Film: gold begins its North American Release begins TODAY through January 17th. Click Here to Grab Tickets to One Piece Film: Gold
Hidden Figures and Fences Get No BAFTA Love - 2017 BAFTA Nominations→
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BAFTA nominations were announced today and the love toward American artists in general was a little less than stellar. American Cinema has always outstretched our arms embracing artists from other countries...particularly the Brits. How many times have we nominated Dames Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Emma Thompson or Sir Anthony Hopkins?
Read MoreFENCES
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Recreating their award-winning roles, Davis and Washington are masterful as Rose and Troy. Set in 1950's Pittsburgh, we watch the demise of a family unit for a variety of complex, yet familiar reasons. Troy (Washington) constantly relives his days from the Negro Baseball League with the realization that his life as a sanitation worker are less that what he dreamed for himself and his family.
Read MoreMaya: And Still I Rise→
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Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise gives a rare glimpse to the world of Angelou that has rarely been seen through the eyes of close friends and her only son.
Read MoreMANCHESTER BY THE SEA
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Manchester By The Sea is taking this American Cinema award season by storm...literally. With award-winning performances by Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges, the audience is taken on the journey of what it feels like to have to go back home when a tragedy strikes.
Read MoreHIDDEN FIGURES→
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I'm getting real tired of history lessons from Hollywood feature films. All I ever heard growing up was about Harriett Tubman, Crispus Attucks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Nat Turner and Rosa Parks.
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NOCTURNAL ANIMALS→
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Nocturnal Animals is almost like being at a carnival and becoming stuck in the fun house mirror house for a few hours. The only real hint of color is the red hair and lipstick of the characters. This flick shows what types of evil really lurk at night once the sun goes down and how we should all be just a little more mindful when out and about.
Read MoreMISS SHARON JONES→
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Too short. Too Black. Too Fat. This is what record execs told Sharon Jones while she pursued a record deal. Man, did she prove everyone wrong...including herself!
Read MoreROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY→
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This much-anticipated installment takes us back to the humble beginnings of how Princess Leia ends up with the plans for the Death Star, setting up for the epic saga we now know as Star Wars. It is that moment when you realize, "Oh yeah...this is why I love tis franchise"!!!
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