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Posts published in “Movies”

Nigerian Director/Producer Tony Abulu Creates Film "Doctor Bello" To Help Legitimize Nollywood

By goodblacknews on September 30, 2012
Tony Abulu, center; with Bern Cohen, left; and Andre Leigh during the filming of “Doctor Bello.” (Ángel Franco/The New York Times)

On the surface the production that commandeered a few dormant rooms at the Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital on Roosevelt Island this year resembled many other low-budget film projects in New York City. Crew members were each handling multiple jobs. Those from out of town were spending their short nights on friends’ couches. The catering consisted of a box of Dunkin’ Donuts and a carton of coffee, both empty by late morning.

The film “Doctor Bello” also features Genevieve Nnaji, left; Isaiah Washington, center; and Olumide Bakare.
But despite the production’s humble appearance there was a lot riding on it. Its director and producer, Tony Abulu, and his financial backers say the film, “Doctor Bello,” has the potential to chart a new direction for the booming Nigerian film industry half a world away.
That industry, known as Nollywood, is perhaps the world’s third-largest filmmaking industry in revenues, producing more than 1,000 titles every year. But the industry is known for churning out slapdash films with feeble story lines, amateurish acting and sloppy production values. Nearly all go straight to video and are soon forgotten.

Nigerian Director/Producer Tony Abulu Creates Film “Doctor Bello” To Help Legitimize Nollywood

By goodblacknews on September 30, 2012
Tony Abulu, center; with Bern Cohen, left; and Andre Leigh during the filming of “Doctor Bello.” (Ángel Franco/The New York Times)

On the surface the production that commandeered a few dormant rooms at the Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital on Roosevelt Island this year resembled many other low-budget film projects in New York City. Crew members were each handling multiple jobs. Those from out of town were spending their short nights on friends’ couches. The catering consisted of a box of Dunkin’ Donuts and a carton of coffee, both empty by late morning.

The film “Doctor Bello” also features Genevieve Nnaji, left; Isaiah Washington, center; and Olumide Bakare.

But despite the production’s humble appearance there was a lot riding on it. Its director and producer, Tony Abulu, and his financial backers say the film, “Doctor Bello,” has the potential to chart a new direction for the booming Nigerian film industry half a world away.

That industry, known as Nollywood, is perhaps the world’s third-largest filmmaking industry in revenues, producing more than 1,000 titles every year. But the industry is known for churning out slapdash films with feeble story lines, amateurish acting and sloppy production values. Nearly all go straight to video and are soon forgotten.

Zimbabwean Director Mark Tonderai Helms Horror Film ‘House at the End of the Street’

By goodblacknews on September 21, 2012
Mark Tonderai goes over a scene with star Jennifer Lawrence in Relativity Media's thriller 'House at the End of the Street.' © 2011 HATES, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Albert Camicioli

Mark Tonderai goes over a scene with star Jennifer Lawrence in Relativity Media’s thriller ‘House at the End of the Street.’ © 2011 HATES, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Albert Camicioli

House at the End of the Street hits theaters today just as Halloween season approaches.
The horror film, which stars Jennifer Lawrence of The Hunger Games fame, tells the story of a mother and daughter who move to a new neighborhood only to learn that a young girl killed her parents in the house next to them. Lawrence, who plays the daughter,  Elissa, becomes friends with the surviving son and finds that the mystery has only begun to unfold. Oscar nominee Elisabeth Shue stars alongside Lawrence as her mother Sarah.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wphg2Rx9RQY&w=560&h=315]
The director behind the psychological thriller is Mark Tonderai. He first made his debut as a director in 2008 with another horror film called Hush, which received a lot of praise and was nominated for a British Independent Film Award.

1970s Martial Arts Star Ron Van Clief Featured In "The Black Kungfu Experience"

By goodblacknews on September 19, 2012

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdAX75j54C8&w=420&h=315]
Meet kungfu’s black pioneers and heroes who flourished at the junction of African American and Asian cultures. The Black Kungfu Experience traces the rise of black kungfu in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, and resonates in the contemporary martial arts scene in Washington D.C, Los Angeles, The Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Hong Kong.

1970s Martial Arts Star Ron Van Clief Featured In “The Black Kungfu Experience”

By goodblacknews on September 19, 2012

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdAX75j54C8&w=420&h=315]

Meet kungfu’s black pioneers and heroes who flourished at the junction of African American and Asian cultures. The Black Kungfu Experience traces the rise of black kungfu in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, and resonates in the contemporary martial arts scene in Washington D.C, Los Angeles, The Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Hong Kong.

Angela Davis Documentary Brings Life Of Revolutionary To Big Screen

By goodblacknews on September 10, 2012

 

Willow Smith, Jaden Smith, producer Sidra Smith, director Shola Lynch, actors Will Smith, Angela Davis and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 'Free Angela & All Political Prisoners' premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 9, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

From Ebony.com: Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, a new film by Shola Lynch, in which Angela Davis, 68, speaks openly for the first time in forty years about the tumultuous events of her twenties, debuted at this week’s Toronto International Film Festival. Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, who introduced the doc at the festival, just announced that their Overbrook Entertainment have partnered with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation as executive producers of the documentary about the scholar who came to embody Black power and Black radical feminism.

Jeffrey Wright Cast In “Hunger Games” Sequel “Catching Fire”

By goodblacknews on September 9, 2012

The strangely awesome cast of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” just got a little bit more strange and awesome. Lionsgate announced Friday that world-class actor Jeffrey Wright has been cast as Beetee in the second installment of the franchise. Back in July, Variety had reported that Tony Shaloub was the front-runner for the role.

Jeffrey Wright Cast In "Hunger Games" Sequel "Catching Fire"

By goodblacknews on September 9, 2012


The strangely awesome cast of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” just got a little bit more strange and awesome. Lionsgate announced Friday that world-class actor Jeffrey Wright has been cast as Beetee in the second installment of the franchise. Back in July, Variety had reported that Tony Shaloub was the front-runner for the role.

CBS Lands Eddie Murphy and Shawn Ryan Redo Of “Beverly Hills Cop”

By goodblacknews on September 5, 2012
The revival of “Beverly Hills Cop,” which landed at CBS Tuesday with a pilot production order and hefty penalty if not picked up to series, started with talk last fall between Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner of doing a fourth installment of Paramount’s action-comedy franchise.

Murphy and Ratner had finished working on “Tower Heist” earlier in the year and were preparing to team up for the Oscars (though that was not to be for either man). But even before “Tower Heist” opened to underwhelming B.O., Murphy had reservations about bringing his Axel Foley character back to the big screen. He did, however, think it could work as a TV series if the storyline centered around the character’s son, also on the Beverly Hills police beat.

As Murphy’s reps at WME helped him shape the concept, they suggested a range of comedy writers to execute the next-generation concept. But Murphy’s focus was very clear: He didn’t want a comedy writer, he wanted a seasoned cop writer. Enter Shawn Ryan, creator of “The Shield” and one of TV’s most sought-after showrunners.

Ryan pounced on the idea within minutes of being pitched the idea on the phone by his WME rep, and he and Murphy clicked at their first lunch meeting.

CBS Lands Eddie Murphy and Shawn Ryan Redo Of "Beverly Hills Cop"

By goodblacknews on September 5, 2012
The revival of “Beverly Hills Cop,” which landed at CBS Tuesday with a pilot production order and hefty penalty if not picked up to series, started with talk last fall between Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner of doing a fourth installment of Paramount’s action-comedy franchise.
Murphy and Ratner had finished working on “Tower Heist” earlier in the year and were preparing to team up for the Oscars (though that was not to be for either man). But even before “Tower Heist” opened to underwhelming B.O., Murphy had reservations about bringing his Axel Foley character back to the big screen. He did, however, think it could work as a TV series if the storyline centered around the character’s son, also on the Beverly Hills police beat.
As Murphy’s reps at WME helped him shape the concept, they suggested a range of comedy writers to execute the next-generation concept. But Murphy’s focus was very clear: He didn’t want a comedy writer, he wanted a seasoned cop writer. Enter Shawn Ryan, creator of “The Shield” and one of TV’s most sought-after showrunners.
Ryan pounced on the idea within minutes of being pitched the idea on the phone by his WME rep, and he and Murphy clicked at their first lunch meeting.