Short Documentary Exposes NYPD’s 250 Procedure
On Tuesday, Worldstarhiphop.com posted a thirteen minute documentary that exposes the New York Police Department’s 250 procedure, better known as their stop and frisk policy. This procedure is done on a basis of suspicion of any New York resident but is used as an excuse to racially profile African Americans and Latinos. Alvin, a New York teen, was stopped and frisked twice within two blocks apart during his walk home. He recorded his encounter with the officers and the recording is the only recording to date of a 250 performed by NYPD. During the procedure, the teen is threatened by one of the two officers and is told that he looks highly suspicious. This procedure is a policy that is required by the police force and there are very serious consequences for officers who don’t meet a “quota” for this stop and frisk procedure. Yet, this is not referred to as a quota by NYPD because New York State law prohibits the use of quotas for arrests, summonses, and stops. Therefore, it’s referred to as a goal or a performance objective by NYPD. Stop and frisk is said to be a procedure that is meant to keep weapons and drugs …
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Lifetime Will Premiere the Remake of ‘Steel Magnolias’
The much anticipated, modern version of Steel Magnolias is set to premiere on Lifetime Sunday, October 7th. The made-for-television film has an amazing line-up and all-black cast, starring Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, Adepero Oduye, Condola Rashad, Jill Scott and Alfre Woodard. Steel Magnolias 2012 is a remake of the play and original 1989 film, which starred Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts. The remake peers into the lives of six women who frequent Truvy’s (Jill Scott’s character) hair salon to beautify themselves. The ladies talk together, laugh together, and cry together. Though they are as delicate as magnolias, they are as tough as steel and truly represent women who bend but do not break. Not only does Queen Latifah star in the movie as M’Lynn, she executive produces the project as well. The film is directed by Kenny Leon, director of A Raisin in The Sun. Condola Rashad stars alongside her mother Phylicia Rashad, making this their first on-screen appearance together. With such a legendary cast, the modern film seems as if it has the potential to give the original a run for its money. How will the remake compare and …
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FILM REVIEW: Won’t Back Down
‘Won’t Back Down‘ is the kind of movie made for audiences to react to. It expects people to feel for characters that aren’t fully realized enough to warrant such regard. Won’t Back Down stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a concerned mother with a dyslexic daughter who takes matters into her own hands when her daughter doesn’t get accepted into a prestigious private school. With the help of a frustrated teacher, played by Viola Davis, they take over a failing school and do battle with a corrupt teacher’s union more concerned with money than educating. The biggest issue with the film is how black-and-white the strokes are painted here. Vilifying teacher’s unions as nothing but greedy and self-serving, while everyone else is just trying to make the best opportunities arise for the children. It’s a little cartoonish in a lot of ways. But it’s a feel good movie, the type of event made to take real complex situations, such as the education dilemma, and put them in simplistic terms. So I guess in that sense it succeeds, but unfortunately the story just isn’t interesting enough to make you forget the problems that persist. Grade: C
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BET News Releases Trailer for the Two-Part Obama Documentary
BET News has released the trailer to their latest documentary, Second Coming? Will Black America Decide 2012. This two-part documentary will follow President Barack Obama’s journey as he strives toward a second term in office as president. The first part of the documentary will premiere on BET October 19th and part two will air on the October 26th, both proceeding the first presidential debate on October 3rd between Obama and Mitt Romney’s The documentary not only takes us back to President Obama’s initial campaign in 2008 through his four years of presidency and his current campaign, but it explores the urgency of getting African Americans registered and committed to voting this November. Second Coming also features a host of President’s Obama’s celebrity supporters such as Snoop Lion, Usher, Eve and many more. Watch the sneak peak of the documentary below and be sure to tune in to BET one October 19th and 26th for the debut of Second Coming? Will Black America Decide 2012. SOURCE
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Spike Lee Works To Revive ‘Porgy and Bess’
Filmmaker Spike Lee is currently in negotiations to create a remake of the 1935 folk opera, Porgy and Bess. According to EURweb, Lee has been attempting to revive the story for over a decade now. “I want to make it, but I’m in long discussions with both estates,” he said, referring to the the estates of the work’s composer George Gershwin, author Ira Gershwin and songwriter DuBose Heyward. In 1959, a film version of the play was shot with Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis, Jr. However, the Gershwin estate was not pleased the final product and pulled the film from release. The play, set place in the early 1920s, follows the life of Porgy, a disabled Black man living in South Carolina, as he attempts to rescue Bess from her violent lover. Despite the setbacks, Lee says his project is “still in the works,” but “as a film not a play.” Here is a clip from a “Porgy and Bess” performance at the 66th annual Tony Awards staring Audra McDonald, David Alan Grier & Norm Lewis From 1959 film SOURCE
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WATCH: Jean-Michel Basquiat Documentary: The Radiant Child
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child is a 2010 documentary film about one of the, if not THEE best artist of our time… Jean-Michel Basquiat. The film is based on footage which director Tamra Davis took when they met in 1985. Its an interesting look at such a creative young man…and his influence on not only those close to him, but the rest of the world. Enjoy!
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REVIEW: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer
This past weekend, I got a chance to attend an advance screening of Spike Lee’s newest film “Red Hook Summer’ Quick Synopsis: The film tells the story of Flik Royale, a sullen young boy from middle-class Atlanta who has come to spend the summer with his deeply religious grandfather, Bishop Enoch Rouse, in the housing projects of Red Hook. Having never met before, things quickly get off on the wrong foot as Bishop Enoch relentlessly attempts to convert Flik into a follower of Jesus Christ. Between his grandfather’s constant preaching and the culture shock of inner-city life, Flik’s summer appears to be a total disaster..until he meets Chazz Morningstar, a pretty girl his age, who shows Flik the brighter side of Brooklyn. Through her love and the love of his grandfather, Flik begins to realize that the world is a lot bigger, and perhaps a lot better, than he’d ever imagined. For me walking into this film…I didn’t really know what to expect, after watching the trailer I could tell that this was going to be a refresher for Spike Lee stepping away from the documentary mode he’s been in the past few years and returning to cinema stories… The …
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Nina Simone’s Daughter: Biopic is ‘Unauthorized’
Just two days after it was announced that Zoe Saldana had taken over the role of Nina Simone in a biopic about the iconic jazz singer, Simone’s daughter, known mononymously as Simone, took to Facebook to express her discontentment over the project. “Please note, this project is unauthorized,” Simone writes. “The Nina Simone Estate was never asked permission nor invited to participate.” While Simone does not directly address Saldana’s casting, she does seem to imply that she’s not quite pleased with the film’s new leading lady either. Simone writes, “If written, funded and CAST PROPERLY a movie about my mother will make an lasting imprint.” Mary J. Blige was previously attached to lead the project but later moved on due to funding issues. According to Simone, the biopic will chronicle the romance between her mother and her mom’s former nurse, Clifton Henderson. Simone has an issue with that, too, on the grounds that Henderson was allegedly gay. “Clifton Henderson was gay,” Simone writes. “He was not attracted to women. So, the truth is…Nina Simone and Clifton Henderson NEVER had a relationship other than a business one. Please correct me, but isn’t a biopic the story of one’s life?” There’s still no word from Saldana’s …
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HEY DC!!!: Occupy DC Documentary Screening (Includes Trailer)
DC: Remember when McPherson Square was full of tents? Almost a year after the Occupy movement first came to town — and some seven months since Occupy DC’s controversial, reportedly rat-infested encampment came down — you can relive the whole maddening and compelling experience while eating vegan nachos. If you’ve missed watching people get arrested while chanting about the need for campaign-finance reform, you’ll want to check out “American Autumn: an Occudoc,” a documentary about the Occupy movement’s early days that will be screening from 7-10 p.m. at Busboys and Poets in Mount Vernon Triangle on Monday. (You can watch the film’s trailer above, or the full film on YouTube if you’d prefer to make your own vegan nachos at home.) “American Autumn” sets out to answer two questions: What does the Occupy movement stand for? And what are the movement’s demands? To answer those questions, the movie shows demonstrators in D.C., New York and Boston talking about the issues they care about and the problems they see in the world around them. Demonstrators get arrested. They sing. They try to stop some evictions. They wear a lot of wool hats and dangly earrings. A smattering of star appearances, Naomi …
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WATCH: Film Captures Awkwardness Of Turning 30
Birthday parties are always awkward. This is even more so the case, we imagine, when they involve a landmark year like 30, a best friend who is secretly in love with you, a boyfriend who has been sleeping with your friends and a sister who is there to conveniently narrate it all. Good thing there is cake and copious amounts of alcohol in the upcoming indie flick “The Kitchen.” “The Kitchen” is an ensemble comedy taking place entirely in…well, a kitchen, adding a theatrical touch to the indie-music driven plot. The film stars Laura Prepon of “That Seventies Show,” Bryan Greenberg as her unfaithful ex and Dreama Walker as her sister. The trailer features a lot of shot taking, awkward glances, thick-rimmed glasses and self-deprecating humor. Lena Dunham paved the way for the acceptance of twenty-something problems in all their awkward glory, and it looks as if “The Kitchen” is pushing the age limit into the thirties. While this may be alarming for humanity, it will certainly be amusing in a film. Also, if you are into alt-rock, the soundtrack is sure to tickle your fancy, featuring indie darlings like Fun., Harlem Shakes, and Superhumanoids. “The Kitchen” closed out the …
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