Movies & Television
Film Review: Bad Boys for Life
They first teamed up for Bad Boys in 1995, to great box office success. There was an encore in 2003, Bad Boys II, which was distinguished by incredible stunts. Now, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence go back to the same well one more time. Is there any water left? Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon) directed the first two films, with…
Read MoreGolden Globe Awards Blackout — Travesty or Testament?
By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Entertainment and Culture Editor Many cultural critics and pundits were in an uproar over the shutout of black talent at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards held Jan. 5. The Golden Globes are voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press, which is a non-profit organization composed of journalists, photographers and media…
Read MoreTHE BLERD BINDER: Watchmen is a testament to trauma
By Noah Washington The Blerd Binder covers nerdy news for the Black nerds of the world. We welcome all as we talk about subjects ranging from Movies to Music and Tech to Toys. (Check out Noah Washington’s previous articles on “Watchmen” and other topics in Black Nerdom. NOTE: If you haven’t seen Watchmen, there are spoilers…
Read MoreFilm Review: Les Misérables
An itchy trigger finger shoots a gun. Someone gets hit and now there’s blood on the streets… Writer/first-time feature director Ladj Ly masterfully pays respect to the most crucial elements of cop/crime/thrillers. And though, in his first feature film, he respects genre norms he also exceeds expectations, using lively characters and true events from his past to…
Read MoreBlack News Channel Network Launch Fulfills Lifelong Dream of JC Watts
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Washington, DC — On January 6, 2020, the Black News Channel (BNC) will become the nation’s only 24-hour news and information television network focused primarily on African Americans. The historic launch of the BNC will fulfill the business dream and vision of J.C. Watts, Jr., a…
Read MoreTHE BLERD BINDER: A letter to the haters of HBO’s “Watchmen”
By Noah Washington The Blerd Binder covers nerdy news for the Black nerds of the world. We welcome all as we talk about subjects ranging from Movies to Music and Tech to Toys. Exciting, insightful, and incredibly strange. Those are the words I choose to describe HBO’s “Watchmen” series. HBO made the right decision in…
Read MoreFilm Review: Just Mercy
It’s a story about justice and redemption. A young Harvard-educated lawyer, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), could have his pick of law firms. Instead, he heads to rural Alabama to set up a small practice. In the deep south, with all its confines, he seeks to reverse death row sentences for wrongfully convicted prisoners. Stevenson…
Read MoreFilm Review: Clemency
This poignant, behind-the-scenes look at the inhumanity that follows death penalty convictions could point the heated debate about capital punishment in a new direction. Part of Bernadine Williams’ (Alfre Woodard) duties as a prison warden is to carry out death row executions. She’s organized and directed the last moments of countless prisoners’ lives. Sensitive, prepared and orderly—almost…
Read Morerue21 and Spike Lee’s Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks & Defend Brooklyn Partner to Offer A Limited Edition 30th Anniversary “Do the Right Thing” Collection
Fashion retailer rue21, along with Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Spike Lee’s production company, and Defend Brooklyn, have collaborated to offer a limited edition 30th Anniversary Do the Right Thing Collection exclusively at rue21. Beginning December 12, 2019, rue21 will offer a Limited Edition 14 piece Do the Right Thing men’s and women’s collection—sweatshirts, t-shirts…
Read MoreFive African-American Films Added to 2019 National Film Registry
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced this month the annual selection of 25 of America’s most influential motion pictures to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Selected because of their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage, the films in the class of 2019 range from Prince’s 1984 autobiographical hit…
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