Movies
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After Oprah Backs Out, HBO Max Steps in to Stream Film About Russell Simmons’ Accusers
After Oprah Winfrey and Apple TV Plus backed out of plans to back a documentary film on the women accusing hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct and assault, HBO Max has stepped in, saying it will stream the film on its service that launches in May. As the New York Times reports, this news…
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First Look: The Children Are Our Future In HBO's We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest
It’s Black History Month and The Root is here to give you the most adorable inspiration ever. Growing up black meant realizing that the most important speech ever uttered was by a man named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Four words, “I Have A Dream,” would be embedded in the minds of every black kid…
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The Color Purple Returning to the Big Screen for Black History Month
“I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it,” Shug Avery famously says during a watershed moment in one of the best movies ever, which was adapted from one of the best books ever. Stephen Spielberg’s masterful adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel…
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12 Thoughts, Facts, and Opinions About Tyler Perry’s Wildly Ridiculous, Entertaining Movie, A Fall From Grace
There will be spoilers. 1. Guys, A Fall from Grace is a Tyler Perry (TP) movie. At this point, there is NOTHING more indicative of what a movie will be than having the words “Tyler Perry” attached to it. Expectations should never even exist. I watch his films because they exist and because I’m rooting…
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Sundance 2020: A List of Black Movies to Watch While You’re in the White Mountains
It’s a brand new decade, but we have a familiar festival season! Like last year, I’m going to give you the scoop on some black-ass films I’m looking forward to. The mountains may be white, but we are going to stay black, always. I, along with most of Hollywood, will be lollygagging in Park City,…
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Negro Noir: A Fall From Grace and the Curious Case of Wigs, (Diner) Wine and Wayward Filmmaking
Movies that are “so bad, they’re good” are one of life’s unsung treasures. And like anything, adding blackness to that principle is like adding proper seasoning. Thus, I introduce you to our new series reviewing/recapping bad black movies, Negro Noir. As our queen-in-chief Danielle Belton pointed out, it’s so black, the title of the series…
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Comeback Kings: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys for Life Breaks Box Office Record With $100 Million Opening
One thing that I learned in this business is to never write people off. Especially ones with real talent, skill, and tenacity. And staying power. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith proved that they are not to be forgotten with their latest movie offering, Bad Boys for Life, which shattered box office records during its opening…
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How to Win an Oscar If You’re Black
The #OscarsSoWhite, they called the police on the BET Awards. The #OscarsSoWhite, Pete Buttigieg was almost nominated for an award. The #OscarsSoWhite, Cuba Gooding Jr. tried to marry his statue. On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards and, as usual, they’re rooting for everybody…
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BAFTAs 2020: Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Ward Receive Rising Star Noms, Rest of Film List Full of Colonizers
In such a rich film year, how can the awards season be so damn bland and predictable? Oh right, that good ol’ unseasoned concept known as systemic racism. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced nominations for their 2020 Film Awards and it definitely looks like a colonizer’s wet dream. The…
