Movies
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It’s a Wrap! Urbanworld Closes Its 22nd Year With a Very Promising Slate of Fall Films
Collaboration, innovation and the power of women—these were recurrent themes at the 2018 Urbanworld Film Festival, which brought unseen gems, highly-anticipated box office hits, and established and up-and-coming filmmakers and talents from all over the world together for five incredible days in New York City. The week, which opened with the Tiffany Haddish and Kevin…
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An Argument for Why Donald Glover in The Martian Is the Greatest Magical Negro Ever
We’ve seen myriad depictions of the Magical Negro on screen. Some, like Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty, are omnipotent. Some, like Chris Rock in Dogma, bring comedy relief and strange hair. And then others, like Anthony Mackie in The Adjustment Bureau, are basically motion-sensor lights for white people. But none of these Magic-ass Negroes are…
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Better Than the First Time? Space Jam 2 Lines Up Constellation of All-Stars
If you’re of a certain age, Space Jam was an integral part of your childhood. You watched it in the theater. You watched it at sleepovers or when you were putting off homework after school. You listened to the soundtrack—a lot. Which is why it’s hard to fathom one-upping the iconic film, in which Michael…
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About Aibileen: Viola Davis Says She Regrets Playing Maid in The Help
It’s not often that an actor expresses regret about taking an Oscar-nominated role, but that’s exactly what Viola Davis did in a recent interview with the New York Times. Fielding a question submitted by a reader on whether she had any regrets on roles she’s passed on, Davis flipped the question, and addressed roles she…
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Sterling K. Brown Responds to Predator Backlash After Olivia Munn Calls Out Cast for Shunning Her
As the Toronto International Film Festival kicked into gear last week, much of the discussion around the film Predator, which showed at the festival, hasn’t been about the film, but about director Shane Black’s decision to cast a longtime friend and registered sexual offender in the film without alerting his cast-mates to his history. Actress…
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Meet the Black Woman Behind Reversing Roe, Netflix's New Documentary About the Legal Battle Over Abortions
Like many women in media—particularly women of color—Keli Goff wanted to be like Oprah. But not for the fame or the Oprah-size paychecks. “I always admired the fact that, for her, being on camera was really a starting point,” Goff said, praising the media’s mogul’s ability to transform that platform into other avenues to tell…
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After Backlash, the Oscars Backtrack on the Best Popular Film Category (for Now)
Looks like the Oscars are putting that whole Best Popular Film category idea on ice, at least for the moment. On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced they would not be introducing the new category this year because of the “challenges” posed to films that have already been released. “The Academy…