Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heartk
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart will open your mind and your heart to one of America's most beloved playwrights who has inspired generations with her play, "A Raisin in The Sun", but the woman behind those words was a well-rounded human being with a wealth of knowledge, heart and activism.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Robin Williams: Come Inside Your Mind is a loving, gentle tribute to a giant not only in the entertainment industry but in realm humanity itself. His presence will be missed, but thank goodness we have hundreds of images and footage to pull up whenever we need a good laugh.
Whitney Doc Focuses on Talent and Bombshell Sexual Abuse
What you don’t know is Whitney Houston would often times show up un-announced to sing back-up and hit the stage with BeBe and CeCe Winans for their hit song “Hold Up the Light.” How do I know? I was there. The Whitney Houston I encountered was a down-to-earth, kind, generous home-girl from New Jersey. Why wouldn’t she be? She was gorgeous, with that voice that transcended the heavens and was at the height of her career. When she could’ve been anywhere else, she made the decision to help her friends cross-over from the gospel to pop and r&b charts. Whitney Houston was a star. A star that shone…
- AFI Film Festival, Coming Attractions, Documentary Film Review, entertainment, Film Festivals, Film Reviews
AFI DOCS: Deportation of 1917 Bisbee Arizona Revisited in Riveting Documentary
News reports of thousands of immigrants being deported after their contribution to making America great again dominate on a daily basis. As annoyed or shocked as we are about these actions brought about by our current administration, nothing compares to the 1,200 immigrant copper miners snatched from their homes and left to die in the middle of the Bisbee, Arizona desert. Directed by Robert Green, Bisbee ’17 follows the 21st century community of this small mining ghost town as they reenact the 100 anniversary uncovering personal stories and complex family histories along the way. Watching this town put themselves in the shoes of these immigrants, who some of which had…
Ellis Haizlip’s Niece Pays Tribute in Audience Winning Doc Mr SOUL!
A graduate of Howard University, Haizlip set the vibe of the times and changed the minds of what and how Americans viewed what Black American culture was really all about. It was the first time we saw the likes of Nikki Giovani, James Baldwin and even the famed leader of the Nation of Islam - Honorable Elijah Mohammed.
Family, Race, Class and Triumph of Human Spirit Examined in QUEST
For his debut documentary, QUEST, director Jonathan Olshefski spent nearly a decade chronicling the daily triumphs and tragedies of the Raineys, a working class African-American family in North Philadelphia. The father, Christopher “Quest” Rainey, is a local music producer and promoter who hosts a popular freestyle session for aspiring rappers in his home basement studio; the mother, Christine’a “Ma Quest” Rainey, works night shifts at a homeless shelter; and their spirited adolescent daughter, Patricia “PJ” Rainey, is a daddy’s girl who loves to play basketball. QUEST, directed by Olshefski and produced by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, features original music by Christopher “Quest” Rainey. QUEST has its national broadcast and streaming debut on the…
- Documentary Film Review, entertainment, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Focus Features, Sundance Film Festival
Nostalgia is Back with Mr. Rogers Doc “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”
As a kid, Fred Rogers was a part of my life. Not a day went by that I didn’t watch him come through that door and change into his comfy cardigan and sneaks to embark upon teachable lessons with his friends and puppets. What made Mr. Rogers compelling to watch as a child was his soft-spoken calm voice and the fact that he never spoke down to us, but instead communicated in a way that we could comprehend without judgement. What I didn’t know is that Fred Rogers was an ordained minister, single-handedly halted the Nixon administration from putting an end to public television, was overweight as a child and…
- Coming Attractions, Documentary Film Review, entertainment, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Tribeca Film Festival
The Gospel According to Andre Gives Fly on Wall Insight to a Fashion Icon
When I worked as a publicist, one of my assignments was to phone then Fashion Editor of VOGUE – Andre Leon Talley and pitch our client for a feature in the prominent fashion periodical. To my surprise, Andre answered and I could tell right away from his tone that he had no time for foolishness. I was so intimated by his booming voice that I couldn’t quite communicate my pitch properly and to his credit – allowed me to phone back at a later date when I had a little more composure. I did and my clients were eventually featured in a VOGUE fashion spread. I got just a…
Uncharacteristically Honest is Vatican’s Pope Francis: A Man of His Word
Growing up in the Catholic Church, The Pope always felt like this bigger than life figure-head who had a main line to the big guy – GOD. I often wondered if he could get married, fall in love or if his life was totally devout to the almighty and spreading the gospel globally. I also wondered how his name was selected and what drives them to assist church followers in “living biblically.” Pope Francis: A Man of His Word sheds the light on our current Pope. The first from Argentina. The first to be openly critical of church policy regarding homosexuality, ecology and other government heads of state. The first…
Meghan Markle: An American Cinderella and The Royal Wedding
I remember well waking up at 5am to witness Princess Diana marry Prince Charles. The pomp and circumstance, glamour and fairytale element of it all was absolutely fascinating to me as an American. It was the first time my generation had an opportunity to see witness such an event. Well, today little girls worldwide witnessed American Actress Meghan Markle marry Diana’s son Prince Harry, who will both now be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There has only been one Duke of Sussex and his legacy is known for campaigning for the abolition of slavery. Meghan Markle, a Southern California native will make a fantabulous addition to the…
