seansoulo73

Kevin Hart's 'Fight Night...' is a promising addition to the black film landscape, showcasing a talented ensemble cast and a captivating storyline. I told ya'll the Philly boy has acting chops! I may have been critical of his last few stand-up specials, but I Kevin can act indeed.

With Hart Beat Productions teamed up with Will Packer Productions again, I hope to continue to see films with strong scripts, strong actors and quality production value that showcases the black experience in its many different facets. We deserve better than we get from Tyler P's revolving battered woman syndrome and low budget Tubi productions.

The stereotypical portrayal of Clifton Powell's 'Mush Mouth' and a few other mob boss characters like Boone, Tex, and Bunker feel overly caricatured. Look, I get that it is an ode to the blaxploitation era, and I'm a huge fan of period pieces, but the only believable figures of the interstate bosses are David Banner, Terrance Howard and of course, Sam Jackson. They can feel out of place in an otherwise well-crafted film.

Anyway, I'm wondering how Kevin got all these heavy hitters in one project, like Don Cheadle, Tarija P. Henson, Terrance and Sam? Not to mention he put together a talented cast of heist bandits who are all rising stars in their own right. Overall, I'm loving this mini-series, and I hope it's just the beginning of many more strong stories to come from Hart Beat Productions; especially in a time when Hollywood seems all too interested in remakes than original stories. You did that Kevin!

So I tried to stomach as much as I could of this Marlon special after barely making it thru his last one. Sadly, I had to turn this one off after the attack on Magic, his disease and his trans child. But worse than that was his overboard attempt at making his elderly parents genitals funny. Damn, it just wasn't and I was weirded out for all of his brother's and sisters that had to watch this bit. Sorry, but this healing journey was a lil sick and twisted bruh! A man explaining his mother's punani for a bunch of strangers was way too weird and not in a funny way. Then making light of which Laker should have died instead of Kobe? I'm from the City of Champions and none of that ish about Kobe, Shaq or Magic was funny. I had to turn it off. This special solidified that Marlon is more of a clown than comic.

Mea Culpa is another tragic attempt at filmmaking that's typical of Tyler Perry. I can't understand for the life of me why a man with all the resources at his disposal continues to make films like an amateur. I only got halfway through this BETesque project with absurd dialogue and pointless plot. From the beginning it was predictable that Tyler refuses to stray from his casting of pretty guys and attractive women. However, I wish Kelly Roland would have passed on this script and Trevante Rhodes too. His portrayals in Mike Tyson and Bruiser show his potential as a solid actor. This role did nothing for him, but add to Tyler's long list of casting hunky guys for his own eye candy I'm sure. Just look at all of his BET shows that follow the same casting formula.

Let me get this right; a highly intelligent, married and successful defense attorney falls for the accused murderer client she's representing, who acts like an overtly demanding, arrogant, womanizing pig because he paints and sleeps with anything in a skirt and could potentially give her any kinda STD. Come on Tyler! But his core audience loves that kinda soap opera nonsense.

I'm all for his success, but it would be refreshing to see Tyler get out of his own way and put some greenbacks behind developing and allowing other filmmakers an opportunity to tell their stories. Not just his own half hearted, written in a single weekend screenplays. He has a major roadblock when it comes to quality storytelling, character development, and filmmaking in general. He chooses quantity over quality, but he's said it works for his audience.

I have literally only seen seven of his movies that I thought were decent, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Why did I get married 1 and Too, the Family that Preys and Daddy's Little Girls, Good Deeds and Jazzman's Blues. I stopped watching anything with Madea in it after his second film featuring that character. That was all I needed.

Bottom line is Netflix bought this latest TP dud, but that's not surprising either. Content is king, quality or not. Here's a thought, Tyler, let someone else write a film you direct or direct a film you write with creative license. Or just produce an awesome film directed and written by a talented filmmaker.

Funny, not so funny is what I was thinking. I get the satire and point of it all in trying to dissuade white folk from exalting and exploiting the worst stereotypes of black people as funny-bone fodder. But isn't that the history of this country, going as back as far as the minstrel shows to motion picture depictions of jigaboo caricatures like Steppin' Fetchit to Aunt Jemima to Buckwheat; the list goes on.

The acting was superb, but I'm not sure why the writer/director felt the need to make a successful black, plastic surgeon (Sterling K. Brown) a coke head. The story is supposed to be a satirical look at America's never-ending appetite for and marketing push behind ridiculous stereotypes of black people, meanwhile the writer/director throws in this blindsiding vice for what reason? Anyway, my wife and I sat in the theater with maybe two other black couples in attendance. The rest of the filmgoers were white folks and they certainly chuckled more than we did. All very telling.

To top it off in the director's attempt to tell this satirical story, the film becomes a mirror image of just that, based on the Oscar buzz and "best picture" chatter circling Hollywood. Talk about life imitating art... Hey, I saw Origin this weekend too and that truly deserves a best picture nod and just as much high praise.

We need more of this refreshing stylized filmmaking. Jeymes Samuel hit us over the head with "The Harder They Fall" and I hope to continue to see this brilliant musician turned director's work for many years to come. I still love watching his Bullets video with Rosario Dawson. He's obviously a period piece junkie like myself, and his ability to capture the essence of old with a touch of new is chic to say the least. Super dope!

Keep elevating our stories and giving them the production value they deserve. The cast was outstanding, the story was well developed and the location couldn't have been more perfect. Only thing is, I really wish they would have given Teyana Taylor a larger piece of the story because she has that IT thing. And the message...well, take it for what it was depending on your own belief system. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish!

This show is one for the books! I ordered BET+ just to give Average Joe a try and to support Deon Cole. It's a surprising breath of fresh air, well written and well acted by the entire cast. A cranky, crime dramedy that ranks up there with shows like Fargo and Breaking Bad. And it's just nice to see such a diverse cast with black folks at the helm, embroiled in a story line that is anything but typical. This Average Joe project is so far removed from what you'd expect from the BET network.

The show's creator put some serious thought into the story and it just hits on all cylinders. Not sure where this will go after the first season or if it's simply meant to be one season, as BET is notorious for greenlighting shows and cancelling after one season. Hopefully Average Joe keeps going past one season or simply goes down as one of the best original shows the network has ever seen. Either way, bravo, Deon Cole and cast...bravo!

Marlon is one of those physical, animated comedians, and although the Wayans family is known for its pool of talented members Marlon goes overboard sometimes. This special was all about him interjecting himself into the life stories of the Will, Jada and Chris Rock drama.

He had a personal bone to pick with Rock, but I was scratching my head as he belabored how much he enjoyed watching Will slap Chris. I was like, when is he gonna move on to the next joke or topic? He never did! There was a dry spell for a bit until he began to explain the history and beef he had with Rock, Will and Jada, and luckily turned the show around.

If you watch, I was about ready to agree with what his brother, Damon Wayans told him after being heckled by Rock! It did get better, but I wouldn't suggest doing what he did... Staying on a singular topic. He called the trio his "friends" while talking major ish about them in the same breath. Well, if that's how Marlon treats his friends, I'd hate to see what he says about his enemies.

Seems everybody has a "I woulda did..." Story if Will had slapped them, but no one knows for sure until in the moment. Overall funny, but took about 20 minutes to get there.

I was hoping for a serious comeback after all the hoopla surrounding Mo'nique's public outrage over unfair pay with Netflix. Maybe now we see why she was offered $500K (and I don't think this special was worth that much).

It was non-stop cussing from the onset with every expletive you could imagine coming out of her mouth with no punchlines whatsoever. Me and my wife watched about 15 minutes and didn't laugh once...not once. It's sad, because I was hoping for so much more, but maybe Netflix simply let her put the nail in her own cauffin by releasing this tragedy.

She needs writers and better material, because filling every sentence with MFs, Ns, Fers, Bees, ain't gonna cut it. And I do mean every sentence.

Been rockin' with the Best Man franchise from day one and although I didn't know what to expect with the switch from film to a TV series, Malcom D. Lee and company pulled it off wonderfully. I'm about the same age as all the cast members, so in '99 I was a single man who had already walked away from an engagement. By the second installation I was married with kids, and now with this latest and final reboot, I'm 20 years in on this marriage journey.

This film captured every facet of black marital excellence, struggle, stress, sickness, tribulation, triumph and loss. Binge watched it from start to finish with my wife today and we could relate on so many levels. Bravo to the entire cast! Ya'll did that! Take a bow.

I hope we are not about to see the Shyamalan effect with Jordan Peele, where the debut film is amazing and everything that follows leaves you scratching your head. I feel like I'm on that road with Peele's body of silver screen work. "Get Out" was a masterpiece, while "Us" jus didn't do it for me and now "Nope!"

Keke Palmer did her thing in the role she played (she is the star of this movie for sure) and Daniel kept up with a good performance in his own right, but the film itself was something outta the Twilight Zone. More of a sci-fi thriller than a horror flick, it had too many holes and unanswered questions for my liking. Peele's approach to filmmaking is amazing, much like Shyamalan, but the stories, like Shyamalan's are starting to fall short of being good films.

Jordan may have dreamt this story and woke up at 5am and jotted down every detail he could remember. And like our weird dreams, they never make any sense and we forget a lot of the details by the time we wake up! Nope was like one of those weird a... dreams!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Despite the cluster fxxk of a bank job plan or lack thereof, this flick was non-stop action from the jump. Truly a hold onto your hat and seat, wild ride the whole film.

Since Jordan Peeled created "Get Out" there are more and more of these racially charged thriller / horror projects emerging and none of them come close to being as good as Peele's project. I am a huge Regina Hall fan, but this movie was straight up weird and failed to hit the mark for me.

This was probably the darkest caped crusader installment yet. I love the serious dramatic element of the DC Comic hero over the light hearted, comedic Marvel characters. Acting was awesome, but there are so many new twists and turns in Bruce Wayne's backstory with each reboot. Zoe was definitely the best Catwoman to date.

Yes, yes and yes! Truth hurts, but Quake was on time with every topic. I'm approaching 50 with 2 kids, one 18, and one almost grown, raised in the suburbs and not the inner city like I was. Nothing but facts from start to finish? And the Trump supporters who are mad about his comments fail to look at what Jan. 6th woud have looked like if it were black protesters climbing walls, destroying property and beating police. We get killed for less.

The boy Coodie did this documentary justice! Brilliant depiction of his childhood friend...the God MC, Kanye West! Despite all his trials and tribulations that play out in the public eye, this doc reminded me of how nice Kanye is on the mic as well as on the beats! His conviction of his own abilities was apparent from day one! Even when no one at the Roc took him seriously, he proved his greatness. Bravo!

This is an attempt at a gritty crime drama, but hardly believable. In other words, "where they do this at?" The unnofical "mayor" who's an ex-con that's openly connected to prison politics, while working as a known CI for the feds and a go-between/mediator for the police force, plus prison gang shot callers? Come on bruh. Writing that gave me a headache.

They guy "Bunny" is make believe. I'm not buying his gangster at all. And how in the world does a so called gang leader sit in the front yard of projects selling drugs all day long, everyday in broad daylight, with the feds watching under his nose? Imagine the amount of evidence they have against him. He's gotta be the dumbest criminal ever. He acts like a petty drug dealer and not a boss. And if he's such a gangster, why is he so afraid to leave his projects? He's said more than once if he leaves the kingdom, he will die. I grew up in South Central and Inglewood and never seen a real gangster confined or scared to travel outside their own hood. You take what comes with that life if you truly about it. And who are Bunnies so called enemies? The "mayor" has never traveled to the other side, if one exists. I mean he is supposed to be a mediator of sorts trying to keep peace, if you will...

There's alot going on with each episode and not really sure where this show is going. Alot of moving parts and storylines all over the place. I liked Fuqua's "Ice" more than this, but we'll see where it goes. Hopefully, it gets better.

This was a bit too melodramatic for my taste. Denzel's previous directorial productions were better. No doubt, Michael B. And Chante Adams delivered, but the flashback sequences were overdone and confusing at times. From the black perspective, the casting was odd. The lead character didn't have one real black friend? Just co-workers/friends? Also, wondered why the child/Jordan looked mixed when clearly, it's hard to imagine Michael B. And Chante producing a kid to look like he did. I noticed that the real life kid has a lighter complexion, but so did the real dad and mom. Guess they had to attach a big name to get it green lit.

Sorry, I only watched Season two, but the wife enjoyed both seasons. I thought Marcus was a little too square at first, like Mia did (lol), but he proved to be an alright guy with commitment issues much like other young fellas trying to figure out this thing called love.

Again, I can only speak on Season 2, but from the writing to the acting, the storylines to the soundtrack, this was a perfect production. You'll laugh, feel sad, hurt, pain, joy and elation. Christopher Powell was hilarious from start to finish. The 6 foot beauty, Jessica Williams opposite William Harper was a little weird because she towered over him in some scenes, but opposites attract in real life, right? Still, the chemistry between the two was spot on. This was a rom-com for the ages. Hope to see much more of these young talents.

Sorry, but why Hollywood feels the need to make sequel after sequel or prequel is beyond me. Watched on HBOMax and it barely kept my attention. Not sure why we needed this installment.

Mental illness is a very real thing, but I really thought this was going to be a sci-fi flick with an ounce of truth to what our main character was experiencing. Turns out...well, you gotta watch, but the story could have been way better. Lead performances were all great still.

Love is love. Love is complicated. Love is hard and often paid by sacrifice. This was a serious gesture of unselfish love towards one's family in a most helpless situation. Could many men make the same choice Cameron did in the face of limited time, feelings of jealously, regret and sheer hopelessness?

Mahershala, Naomie, Aquafina and Glenn close all delivered.

Yes, Kevin has done it again. Keep up the good work. I dug into Kevin in the past for some of his lax approach to his last few comedy specials, but I always maintained that the boy can act. I was also glad to see Wesley redeem himself since that fiasco remake, "Coming to America." The chemistry between Hart and Snipes just worked and the Philly soundtrack was s on point!

I hadn't read the books before discovering this series, but I was hooked from the gate. Looking forward to seeing where this goes and I'll definitely read the books in due time.

A musical classic seen when I was a kid and still in my top 10 American movie classics. Speilberg's version is a bigger budgeted, perfectly reimagined ode to the original. Superb all around!

A cool little artsy indie flick. I'm old enough to have seen "Love Jones" as a twenty-something young man, in love at the time, with a young lady who lived in another state. Maintaining such a relationship is difficult to say the least. The long distance, young love theme is not new and was most recently revisited in "The Photograph," which was also a good flick; but didn't compare to "Love Jones" either.

The black, bohemian urbanites of the world will appreciate this film; especially the millineals whom it targets. Love is a universal theme, so there's something for everyone in this film, but because I've seen it done and redone before, on a grander and slightly better scale, it was again, just a cool flick in my opinion. That fire between Nia Long and Larenz Tate back in '97 that lit up the silver screen is tough to match!