We all need a little bit of romance right now. So often the romance genre offers escapist fairytales of destined love, people whisked away by an unlikely figure from their unlucky loneliness to an assured state of joy. For black folks, the genre spawned several seminal black stories — “Brown Sugar,” “Love & Basketball,” “Waiting to Exhale,” etc. — from the 1990s to the early-aughts. 

Continue reading ‘Really Love’: Angel Kristi Williams’ Debut Is A Timeless Black Romance [AFI Review] at The Playlist.

“Girls Trip” is like a fun vacation with a few minor hiccups. When reminiscing, you won’t remember that you didn’t pack enough pairs of socks, that the hotel coffee was terrible or the measly 15-minute flight delay. Those problems irk in the moment, but they don’t color your memory of the whole experience. Similarly, “Girls Trip” has its issues – its overlong two-hours-plus running time, unnecessary narration, excessive product placement, etc.

Continue reading ‘Girls Trip’ Is Worth Taking, Thanks To A Star-Making Performance From Tiffany Haddish [Review] at The Playlist.

With its elegiac tone and leisurely pace, director Ava DuVernay’s first foray into television feels true to its showrunner while being entirely different than a lot of what is on TV. “Queen Sugar” shares the most DNA with DuVernay’s films “Middle of Nowhere” and “I Will Follow,” as well as SundanceTV’s “Rectify.” Here, there’s a similar emphasis on the importance of family and the promise of second chances without any need to speed through plot or dialogue.

Continue reading Ava DuVernay’s ‘Queen Sugar’ Is A Beautifully Shot, Character-Driven Drama [TV Review] at The Playlist.