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Exclusive: There’ s going to be some glory, curves and rage over at Ava DuVernay’s Array this summer, in all the best ways.

Back for its fifth year, the Array 360 conversation and screening series will feature films and more from directors Patricia Cardoso, Bill Duke Ed Zwick over the next two months.

Starting on August 3, Cardoso will be kicking off the 2024 program at Array’s Creative Campus in LA’s Historic Filipinotown with a screening of her Sundance award winning 2002 film Real Women Have Curves. The director, who helmed a May 30, 2018 episode of the DuVernay created OWN TV series Queen Sugar, will provide live commentary on the acclaimed picture for the Scene on Screen event.

Check out the full Array 360 2024 schedule below

Two week later, DuVernay and Array will be hosting a daylong Filmmaker Tribute for Bill Duke. With a spotlight on the Palme d’Or nominated director/actor...

Samm-Art Williams, whose Tony-nominated 1979 play Home is being revived on Broadway this year and whose TV producing credits include Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, died peacefully today in Burgaw, North Carolina. He was 78.

His death was announced by family.

Born Samuel Arthur Williams on January 20, 1946, in Philadelphia, Williams was a prolific playwright, screenwriter, actor, and producer.

Performing as Samm Williams, he got his start on the New York stage in the early 1970s, appearing in notable plays such as Black Jesus and, with the New York’s Negro Ensemble Company, Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide and Liberty Calland. By the mid-’70s he began performing in other Off Broadway shows under the name Samm-Art Williams.

By the end of the decade, Williams had made his mark as a stage writer, and is today best known for Home, a drama originally staged by the Negro...

Keisha Nash-Whitaker, actress and producer ex-wife of Forest Whitaker, has died, her family confirmed. A cause of death was not released. She was 51.

Whitaker’s daughter True shared the news in an Instagram story, writing “goodbye mommy. I love you 4ever and beyond. the most beautiful woman in the world … thank you for teaching me every single thing I know. I’ll see you in my dreams and I’ll feel you in my heart.”

Whitaker and Nash met on the set of Blown Away in 1994. In a 2020 interview with Essence, Nash said she’d seen Whitaker’s performance in A Rage in Harlem in 1991, before the two had met. “Right away, I thought Forest had a gentle soul and a nice spirit,” she said.

The couple married in Jamaica in 1996. Whitaker filed for divorce in 2018 citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to multiple media reports. The couple shared two daughters, Sonnet,...

Josh Olson shares his top 10 movies from his favorite movie year, 1992, with Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Star Wars (1977)

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

After Dark, My Sweet (1990)

The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)

Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)

The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Popeye (1980)

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Quintet (1979)

​HealtH (1980)

Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

Secret Honor (1984)

The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary

Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...

“Great actors fall into darkness backwards,” Bill Duke likes to say, quoting an early teacher of his who suggested that the leap of faith required for someone to become the person they imagine in their mind requires a sense of self-belief powerful enough to overcome their fear of the unknown. Not only has Duke consistently done that over the course of the actor-director’s 40-plus-year career, he’s done it with an unparalleled degree of excellence and grace.

While cinephiles and casual fans alike may be familiar with Duke’s performances in films like “Predator” and “Menace II Society,” few recognize the full impact of his contributions behind the camera during the ’90s, when he hit his stride with a series of major and enduring work that range from “A Rage in Harlem” and the masterful neo-noir “Deep Cover” to the beloved crowdpleaser “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

Forest Whitaker has shed new plot details about Francis Ford Coppola’s mystery project “Megalopolis,” which is set to start shooting in August.

The actor-producer, who is in Cannes to receive the festival’s honorary Palme d’Or, suggested he had a substantial role in the new movie, and spoke favorably of Coppola’s script, which is a long-gestating passion project that’s been in the works for 20 years. Coppola invested more than 100 million of his own resources to make the film, which is his first as a director since 2016’s “Distant Vision.”

“The cast is coming together,” said Whittaker, who praised Coppola as an “amazing filmmaker” that he was excited to work with. The “Last King of Scotland” Oscar winner will star in “Megalopolis” alongside Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Jon Voight.

The movie’s plot has been something of a mystery, with Coppola saying in the past that...

Forest Whitaker also produced Cannes’s title ’For The Sake Of Peace’ which will premiere in Special Screenings.

Academy-award winning US actor, director and producer Forest Whitaker will receive the honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony of the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival (May 17-28).

Whitaker first attended Cannes in 1988 as the star of Clint Eastwood’s Bird where he won the best actor prize. He has since returned to the festival for Bill Duke’s A Rage in Harlem, Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers, and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

Forest Whitaker will receive the honorary Palme d’or at the opening ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, following the footsteps of Jodie Foster.

Previous Cannes Palme d’Or honorees include Jeanne Moreau, Bernardo Bertolucci, Manoel de Oliveira, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Agnès Varda, or Alain Delon. The award pays tribute to a “sparkling artistic journey, a rare personality as well as a discreet but strong humanitarian commitment to key topical issues,” said the festival.

As part of the tribute, Christophe Castagne and Thomas Sametin’s movie “For the Sake of Peace,” which Whitaker produced, will play in the Special Screening section on May 18.

“34 years ago, attending Cannes for the first time changed my life, and assured me that I’d made the right decision to devote myself to finding connectivity in humanity through film,” said Whitaker. “It’s always a privilege to return to this beautiful festival to both screen my own work,...

Ava DuVernay’s Array is presenting its fourth filmmaker tweet-a-thon, Array Film Fellowship. The annual daylong social media event is set to kick off on April 30 at 9 am Pt and will run for a staggering 10 hours and feature the voices of over 50 directors.

From Academy Award winners to veterans to legends to new voices the Twitter takeover will feature Guillermo Del Toro, Patty Jenkins, Jon M. Chu, Julie Dash, Jill Soloway, Patricia Cardoso, Mira Nair, George Tillman, Victoria Mahoney, Diane Paragas, Nisha Ganatra, Prentice Penny, Numa Perrier and many more.

More from DeadlineRusso Brothers To Celebrate One-Year Anniversary Of 'Avengers: Endgame' With Live Tweet RewatchSnap Surges 37%, Facebook Follows As Social Media Stocks Rally In Upbeat MarketTwitter Founder-ceo Jack Dorsey Made $1.40 In 2019, Even With Year Before

The filmmakers will wax poetic on the social media platform and share details about their craft, latest projects, take questions from film lovers...

Filmmaker Bill Duke is set to direct The Power of One: The Diane Latiker Story, a film based on Chicago activist Diane Latiker.

Duke has appeared in a number of films including X-Men: The Last Stand, Menace II Society, Mandy, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, which he also directed.

Global Genesis Group is producing The Power of One alongside Jbm Productions.

It follows Latiker’s journey as she fought her way amidst the violence of a Chicago community to found Kids Off the Block, a safe place for children to do school work and be mentored away from the street gangs. Latiker opened her heart and home to at-risk youth in the turbulent Roseland neighborhood, in spite of opposition from local government officials, members of her own family and the vicious gangs. The movie follows Diane’s harrowing and dramatic rise over thirty years ago from working...

As high-ranking executives at the most famous record company in the world, it was essential for us to project the utmost professionalism at all times. We talked in hushed tones nodding politely at staff whom, when we approached lowered their heads once pass the whispered comments began.

Denys Cowan and I were walking the halls of Motown Records. Denys had just joined me at Motown Animation and Filmworks as Senior Vice President. I was giving him the ten-cent tour of Motown’s brand spanking new offices as we discussed plans to take over the world.

“My god, they nodded at us.”

“We’re so blessed.”

“Long live the saviors of Motown.”

“Nay, saviors of the entertainment industry!”

“Nay Nay The World!!”

“Why Y’All Keep Saying My Name?” Said, Nay Nay.

Nay Nay commented that we “Looked like GQ cover models.” Denys was in Armani, I wore Boss— we both...

Actor Forest Whitaker is ending his marriage with wife Keisha Nash Whitaker after more than 20 years of matrimony. Whitaker filed docs Thursday in Los Angeles to call it quits. The two got married in 1996 and have 3 adult daughters together. It's currently unknown what led to the split. Whitaker cites irreconcilable differences in his divorce petition. There are no minor children, so no custody issues. He's also asking the court to terminate any spousal support ... but...

Since Bill Duke the Sundance Special Jury-prize winning film “The Killing Floor” (1984), the multi-hyphenate talent has rarely been out of sight on screens big and small.

In the ’90s, Duke directed acclaimed crime films focused on black themes and characters, including the Cannes Fest competitor “A Rage in Harlem”; “Hoodlum,” with an enviable cast that included Laurence Fishburne, Queen Latifah and Cicely Tyson; and the Spirit Award-nommed “Deep Cover.”

Duke, one of TV’s most-in-demand character actors, has racked up dozens of credits in shows ranging from “Battlestar Galactica” to “Lost.” His big-screen directors include Steven Soderbergh, Paul Schrader, Jim Sheridan and the legendary Sam Fuller, who once assessed Duke as “the best film director in America today.”

Duke’s autobiography, “Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and Behind the Camera,” was published last month, but Duke was first noted in Variety for his role in the 1972 ABC Afterschool Special,...

Glinwood worked with Roman Polanski, Jeremy Thomas, Karel Reisz and Terry Jones.

UK industry veteran Terry Glinwood has died aged 82 following complications from surgery for a minor complaint.

Glinwood’s career spanned fifty years as a producer and sales executive during which time he worked closely with some of the European industry’s leading figures.

He entered the business in the 1960s as a production controller working on Roman Polanski films Repulsion and Cul-De-Sac.

In the 1970’s he would work closely with fellow-producers Ned Sherrin and Beryl Vertue and director Bob Kellett on a string of UK comedies including Up Pompeii and The Alf Garnett Saga as well with UK producer John Heyman and Grease and Saturday Night Fever producer Robert Stigwood.

In the same decade Glinwood struck up a fertile collaboration with Rpc boss Jeremy Thomas for whom he would work in a sales and financing capacity on Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Last Emperor and [link...

After exploring the world of the documentary for the past few years, with films such as the controversial “Dark Girls”, actor/director Bill Duke (“Hoodlums”, “Sister Act 2”, “Deep Cover”, “A Rage in Harlem”) is returning to direct feature films, with… Continue Reading →...

Carol producers Christine Vachon and Elizabeth Karlsen Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

On the morning of the press conference for Todd Haynes' Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, I met up with fellow First Time Fest juror Christine Vachon of Killer Films and Number 9 Films' Elizabeth Karlsen. Christine and Elizabeth executive produced the disturbing Mrs. Harris, starring Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley, directed by Phyllis Nagy, who is the screenwriter for Carol.

Cate Blanchett as Carol: "She [Cate] was attached to it before Todd and I came on board." Over eggs and coffee at Essex House, we discussed Mara's resemblance to Jean Seberg, Jean Simmons, Audrey Hepburn and the timing of David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, A Rage In Harlem Cincinnati connection, Patricia Highsmith's The Price Of Salt turning into Carol, Perry Como, production designer Judy Becker, casting with Laura Rosenthal, an upcoming...

Screen Film Summit: UK producers and financiers talk finance.

Producer Elizabeth Karlsen, speaking at the Screen Film Summit in London on Monday, revealed how experience, long-time industry relationships and “googling” were crucial in pulling together the finance for Todd Haynes’ New York-set lesbian love story Carol.

An adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952, New York-set novel The Price of Salt, the film stars Cate Blanchett as a wealthy woman in a loveless marriage who falls for a young shop girl, played by Rooney Mara.

“It’s a period, lesbian love story and that has a certain price tag in the marketplace, even though we eventually got an A-list cast of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara on board, and that’s around $15m,” said Karlsen.

“To shoot a period film in New York, you’re going to be hard pressed to do it for less than $25m.”

Produced by Number 9 Films, the London-based...

Just a reminder folks, that the 20th anniversary edition of the Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago, starts this Friday, and ends on Thursday, August 28th.. As mentioned previously (here), on opening night, the festival will be honoring Roger and Chaz Ebert; and, later, during the festival, there will be a special screening of Bill Duke’s "A Rage in Harlem," with Duke himself doing a Q and Aia Skype, after the film (read more on that here). And with some 50 films - including features, shorts and documentaries - that will be screened (the largest number, even in the history of Black Harvest), such as James Richard’s wonderful and endearing feature,...

In my recent piece about the film versions of Chester Himes' characters, NYPD detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger H Jones (Here), I mentioned that "A Rage in Harlem" would certainly be counted as one, even though Coffin Ed and Grave Digger are basically supporting characters and not the leads in the film. Regardless, director Bill Duke’s 1991 film version of Himes’ novel is a wonderfully evocative and entertaining film that somehow hasn’t gotten the kind of fervent love and devotion that other black films have gotten from that period, such as, "Love Jones" (which is still a mystery to me). For my money "Harlem" - about a gangster’s...

I know everyone talks about wanting to see Octavia Butler’s novels up on the big screen but, speaking for myself, the writer whose works I would love to see most on the big screen is Chester Himes. And by that, I mean his series of detective novels with his two immortal characters - the NYPD detective team of Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Those novels, "The Real Cool Killers," "The Heats On," "The Crazy Kill," "All Shot Up," "The Big Gold dream" and "A Rage in Harlem" are incredibly exciting, funny, visceral, fast paced thrillers, and Himes had an extraordinary visual sense and style to his works. They seem...

Having seen some of his output, this writer can safely say that Andrew Neel is one of the most interesting new filmmaking voices to arrive on the scene and is here to stay- having directed the likes of Darkon, which explores the world of the LARPer and Alice Neel, a fascinating look at the life of his Grandmother, the famous painter, Neel manages to create films that not only raise questions but also entertain, with engaging and very human narratives- be they subjects he points a camera at or something he constructs.

He is one quarter of New York Film Production outfit SeeThink Films- one of SeeThink’s latest films, King Kelly, is Andrew’s first narrative feature and was a hit at SXSW which has enjoyed huge success.

Andrew was kind enough to take up his time to discuss the philosophical layers of King Kelly, how they managed to shoot the film,...

A new series of short online dramas take inspiration from the novel A Rage in Harlem. Laura Barnett meets the writers – including hip-hop star Akala and playwright Bola Agbaje – bringing black Britain to life

A man paces up and down his prison cell, recalling the act of revenge that put him there. In a Middlesbrough shopping centre, two brothers fence goods to buy medicine for their ailing mother.

These are some of the stories told by 10by10, a remarkable new project combining theatre and film. Commissioned and directed by Dawn Walton, whose Sheffield-based Eclipse Theatre is one of the UK's foremost black-led theatre companies, the project consists of 10 short films written by and starring some of Britain's brightest young playwrights and actors.

The stolen stuff being sold in Middlesbrough is perfume, which gives its name to the film by Ishy Din; Din grew up there and worked as a taxi...

Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon and Samuel L. Jackson will be available to read you a bedtime story tonight. Hathaway, Winslet, Jackson and Sarandon are featured in the first string of releases in a new line of audio books from Audible.com, which brings celebrities and literary classics together for people who, for whatever reason, prefer others to do their reading for them. In the initial installments -- available Thursday -- Hathaway tackles L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," while Jackson gives voice to Chester Himes' "A Rage in Harlem."...

Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway and Susan Sarandon are fronting a new line of audio books, reading classics like The Wizard Of Oz and Emile Zola's Therese Raquin.

The trio have signed up to give voice to Audible.com's A-List Collection - a selection of literary classics narrated by Hollywood stars.

The first four books, which will be available online from Thursday, will be A Rage in Harlem (read by Samuel L. Jackson), The Wizard of Oz (Hathaway), Therese Raquin (Winslet) and The Member of the Wedding (Sarandon).

The celebrities reportedly chose their own projects.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Annette Bening, Colin Firth, Hilary Swank and Jennifer Connelly will read the next batch of audio books.

Audible.com has introduced the A-List Collection, a new line of audio books narrated by Hollywood stars. The first four books will be available March 8, with another ten planned for later in 2012. The initial batch includes Samuel L. Jackson performing Chester Himes’ A Rage in Harlem, Anne Hathaway doing the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Kate Winslet’s rendition of Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin and Susan Sarandon performing The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. The actors helped chose their own projects. Jackson said he chose the story of a man who falls in love with a

read more...

Kate Winslet, Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman are among the A-list names signing up to read 'talking books'

An array of Oscar-winners and A-list stars have signed up to narrate literary classics of their choice for the rapidly growing audiobook market. Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman and Colin Firth are among Hollywood's biggest names to set the trend.

Not so long ago, audiobooks were the poor cousins of the publishing world, particularly in the UK, where "talking books" were largely abridged. Jobbing actors were usually recruited as readers. Now, with worldwide demand soaring, the stars want to be heard reading unabridged books.

A dozen A-list names have already been cast as narrators, inspired by the chance to read a favourite book. Seven are Oscar-winners. Winslet, who won the 2009 best actress award for The Reader, has long wanted to film Zola's gripping murder story Thérèse Raquin but, as Hollywood is yet to be convinced,...

Washington, Oct 4: Hollywood stars Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet and Anne Hathaway will all be lending their voices to Audible.com, a new series of audio books which will make listeners go to sleep.

While Dustin Hoffman will lend his voice for Jerzy Kosinski's 'Being There', Jennifer Connolly will read Paul Bowles' 'The Sheltering Sky', and Jackson for Chester Himes' 'A Rage in Harlem'.

This will not be Jackson's first attempt at reading a bedtime story, as he had narrated 'Go the F**k to Sleep', a book which pleads with children to fall asleep in calm but expletive-laden verses.

Other actors included for reading are Colin Firth, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, Naomi Watts and Kim Basinger, Contactmusic.

Hollywood stars Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet and Anne Hathaway are lending their voices to a new series of audio books to send listeners to sleep.

Actors Colin Firth, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, Naomi Watts and Kim Basinger are also among the host of celebrities taking part in the Audible.com releases, while Dustin Hoffman will tackle Jerzy Kosinski's Being There, Jennifer Connolly will read Paul Bowles' The Sheltering Sky, and Jackson will bring to life Chester Himes' A Rage in Harlem.

The titles are due to be released early next year, reports TheWrap.com.

It won't be Jackson's first attempt at reading a bedtime story - he also narrated Go the F**k to Sleep, a book which pleads with children to fall asleep in calm but expletive-laden verses.

Starting early next year, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Kim Basinger and a host of other stars will be available to read you a bedtime story. Audio-book company Audible.com announced Friday that it's launching a new line of audio books read by some of Hollywood's biggest talents, including the above names. Also participating in the line: Jennifer Connolly (who'll read Paul Bowles' "The Sheltering Sky"), Dustin Hoffman (who's tacking Jerzy Kosinski's "Being There") and Samuel L. Jackson (who shall recite Chester Himes' "A Rage in Harlem" -- to which he'll hopefully bring the...

Celebrities read! They do. I think. Regardless, a new reading series from Audible.com features A-listers reading famous works of literature. The first in the series, Kate Winslet, already completed her assignment - Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, and raved about the project:

“You use a different part of your brain and it keeps your creative juices flowing. It is challenging, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well. As a listener, being able to tune out and be taken into another world, an atmosphere, an environment that is being created entirely for you by somebody else’s voice is really a wonderful, magical thing.”

Via THR, here's the remaining performers slated to read:

Nicole Kidman, To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Anne Hathaway, The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dustin Hoffman, Being There by Jerzy Kosinski

Kim Basinger, The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Annette Bening,...

Celebrities read! They do. I think. Regardless, a new reading series from Audible.com features A-listers reading famous works of literature. The first in the series, Kate Winslet, already completed her assignment - Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, and raved about the project:

“You use a different part of your brain and it keeps your creative juices flowing. It is challenging, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well. As a listener, being able to tune out and be taken into another world, an atmosphere, an environment that is being created entirely for you by somebody else’s voice is really a wonderful, magical thing.”

Via THR, here's the remaining performers slated to read:

Nicole Kidman, To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Anne Hathaway, The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dustin Hoffman, Being There by Jerzy Kosinski

Kim Basinger, The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Annette Bening,...

* Wendell Pierce has long been one of Hollywood's true unsung talents. Starting from the first time I noticed him in A Rage in Harlem, to being the greatest standout(sorry Idris Elba!) in every season of The Wire, the guy always gives top notch performances. He still does every single week for HBO in the series, Treme. Now he's finally getting the lead role he's so rightly deserved, as he'll...

Late last week, after I saw For Colored Girls, I got into a conversation with Ms Cynthia (who works behind-the-scenes here at Shadow And Act) about the kinds of books written by black authors, that tell stories primarily about black people, that have been optioned and made (or will soon be made) into films.

We all know by now that Hollywood loves to adapt novels (amongst other kinds of original sources), and during our conversation I realized that there might indeed be a pattern or two worth noting, when one looks at the “black novels” that have been given big screen treatment.

One common complaint I’ve heard about the For Colored Girls adaptation is that the material is a yet another woman-centered black pathology tale, and a lot of you aren’t interested in that kind of narrative anymore, and understandably so. I think a lot of us feel the same way.

You've heard of the classic Hollywood film Taxi Driver, now you will soon get to see The Driver and starring in it is none other than the bad man of Bollywood - Gulshan Grover. If that wasn't tempting enough read this... he'll be starring opposite the sultry Latino Salma Hayek in the film. Directed by Hollywood biggie Bill Duke, who has done some rather exemplary work with A Rage in Harlem, Hoodlum, Sister Act 2 and Not Easily Broken, this film will be a starry delight. While in La, Gulshan was spotted by Bill at a charity event, with a meeting fixed, Gulshan read the script, liked it and signed it on. Gulshan was just the actor Bill was looking for with his versatility, experience and ability to improvise. Gulshan Grover will be acting alongside a number of Hollywood stars. A story about hope, Gulshan's character is that of a rank and file accountant,...

New Delhi, Oct 17 – Bollywood badman Gulshan Grover has been roped in as the lead opposite Mexican beauty Salma Hayek in Hollywood director Bill Duke’s next film ‘The Driver’.

‘I was in La (Los Angeles) and Bill Duke saw me at a charity event. Later on a meeting was fixed and we met where I read the script, liked it and signed it on,’ Gulshan told Ians.

Duke has earlier wielded the megaphone for movies like ‘Not Easily Broken’, ‘Hoodlum’, ‘A Rage in Harlem’, Sister Act 2: Back.

"I consider myself a hustla," says Gabrielle Dennis, and she is in the very best sense of the word. After graduating from Howard University, Gabrielle moved to Hollywood and landed her first job within a month.  She's followed it up with standout roles on Showtime's "The Underground" with Damon Wayans, and on CW's "The Game." She's currently playing the role of Denise Roy, the controlling girlfriend of the star running-back in Spike TV's outrageous new series "Blue Mountain State." Gabrielle exhibits a natural confidence in person, peppering her conversation with dazzling array of wry and witty remarks. Chosen as this week's Girl2Watch, Paula will be featured in a series or articles, fun facts, and social media tweets through this week for subscribers of Girl2Watch.com. Actor2Watch: What was your first real break as an actor?Gabrielle Dennis: It might've been "A Rage in Harlem" with Gregory Hines.

South African actor who helped break the taboos of apartheid

On a steamy evening in a rundown Johannesburg club in September 1961, two actors premiered The Blood Knot, a play about brothers with different fathers, both men black but one light enough to enter white society. For each of them, the black actor Zakes Mokae, who has died aged 75, and the white playwright Athol Fugard, the night launched their careers. Fugard's play toured South Africa for six months, and although he travelled first-class on the train while Mokae travelled third, the two had broken a taboo by being the first black and white actors to appear on a public stage in apartheid South Africa. The success of The Blood Knot brought Fugard to international attention and kickstarted Mokae's long and varied career in theatre, film and television.

Mokae was born and grew up in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, the son of a policeman and a housemaid.

Bill Duke made a spectacular transition from hulking character actor to big-screen filmmaker with the impressive one-two punch of 1991's A Rage In Harlem—a flavorful adaptation of a Chester Himes novel—and 1992's Deep Cover, a mesmerizing thriller that combined the moral haze and sinister rhythms of classic film noir with a nuanced critique of the hypocrisy and compromises of the war on drugs. Duke has alternated between acting and filmmaking since then, but the abundant promise of his first films has gone egregiously unfulfilled. Duke hits his directorial nadir with the dire Christian message movie Not ...

Bill Duke made a spectacular transition from hulking character actor to big-screen filmmaker with the impressive one-two punch of 1991's A Rage In Harlem—a flavorful adaptation of a Chester Himes novel—and 1992's Deep Cover, a mesmerizing thriller that combined the moral haze and sinister rhythms of classic film noir with a nuanced critique of the hypocrisy and compromises of the war on drugs. Duke has alternated between acting and filmmaking since then, but the abundant promise of his first films has gone egregiously unfulfilled. Duke hits his directorial nadir with the dire Christian message movie Not Easily Broken, a clunky adaptation of a novel by celebrity super-pastor and "Prosperity Gospel" proponent T.D. Jakes. It's as simplistic, reductive, and heavy-handed as Deep Cover was gloriously ambiguous. Morris Chestnut (who also produced) stars as a former college-baseball hotshot whose dreams of major-league glory ended with a career-killing injury. Chestnut channels his.

American Cinema International

Not since Sharon Stone uncrossed her legs has there been a cinematic interrogation scene as hilarious as the one that runs periodically through Cover, the inept crime thriller/morality tale directed by Bill Duke. While this actor-filmmaker has delivered such worthy films as A Rage in Harlem and Deep Cover in the past, this misbegotten effort would be instantly forgettable if not for its potential as future camp classic.

Said interrogation is of Valerie (Aunjanue Ellis), a housewife and part-time photographer who's being questioned on murder charges by an ambitious district attorney (Clifton Davis) and a seen-it-all detective (Louis Gossett Jr.). A series of flashbacks reveal the backstory, with Valerie and her psychiatrist husband, Dutch (Raz Adoti), falling into marital trouble after they relocate from Atlanta to Philadelphia.

The MacGuffin of the plot has to do with black men living life on the "down low," a sociological trend which is explored here with all the subtlety of Reefer Madness. Suffice it to say that if another man offers to remove the dust from your eye, you can bet it only means one thing.

The overly complicated story line also involves such laughably drawn characters as Dutch's too-intense buddy Roger Guenveur Smith) and his wife (Paula Jai Parker); Valerie's best friend (Vivica A. Fox), suspicious of men ever since she caught her husband cheating; and a charismatic rap star (Leon) who makes it a point of trying to screw everyone in sight.

Cover somehow manages to live up to its name by covering all the negative bases: ugly, video-shot photography; over-the-top performances; laughably inane dialogue; and stilted direction. Add to that the numerous unintentionally funny scenes depicting the meetings of a church-sponsored women's support group (including Patti LaBelle as the mother of a gay son) and the risible homophobia on display, and you have a perfect storm of movie badness.