At first glance, the term “urban cowboy” may come across as a contradiction in terms. Those familiar with North Philadelphia, however, know that inner-city horseback riding is a real thing. Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is one of the city’s most prized subcultures. It’s also proof that horsemanship transcends both the town/country dichotomy and racially-based assumptions of masculine identity. Ricky Staub uses Fletcher Street’s stables as the foundation for his directorial debut “Concrete Cowboy.”

READ MORE: ‘Concrete Cowboy’ Is A Lyrical Genre-Bending Western, But It Doesn’t Always Coalesce [TIFF Review]

The film follows Cole, a troubled Detroit teenager sent to Philadelphia to live with his estranged father for the summer and stumbles upon the cowboy lifestyle.

Continue reading ‘Concrete Cowboy’ Trailer: Idris Elba Helps His Wayward Son As An Urban Cowboy In Family Drama at The Playlist.

No genre romanticizes America’s manifest destiny mythos more than the western. For decades, the construct featured white men conquering the frontier from Native Americans and law enforcement. In fact, no image in the American lexicon espouses freedom more than the cowboy, and from the 1860s through the 1880s, Black people accounted for 25% of cowboys. But Black folks — other than having films like “Buffalo Soldiers,” “Buck And The Preacher,” and “Bull” — have mostly been erased from the cinematic and American history of the west.

Continue reading ‘Concrete Cowboy’ Is A Lyrical Genre-Bending Urban Western, But Doesn’t Always Coalesce [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

We’re getting close to seeing what producer Guillermo del Toro and company have in store for the anticipated “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” adaption, and a new trailer has us even more intrigued.

READ MORE: Summer Horror Movie Preview: 15 Films To Watch

Riding off the wave of kids-versus-horror in a small town trope that’s been revived with “Stranger Things” and the “It” adaptation, del Toro and director André Øvredal (“Troll Hunter“) are bringing Alvin Schwartz‘s beloved kid-oriented scary stories to life, and it looks like some of the more creepy PG-13 footage we’ve seen in some time.

Continue reading ‘Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark’ Jangly Man Trailer Hopes To Scare Folks Before Film’s August Release at The Playlist.

When critics and fans complain about the glut of superhero movies, they aren’t talking about films like “Fast Color.” In contrast to the oft-bloated, big-budget blockbusters from Marvel and DC that now take over the marquee at the multiplex multiple times a year – filled with product placement, merchandise tie-ins (a Black Widow banana, anyone?), and numerous A-list stars – this new film is a small, character-driven piece, even though it’s still about a superhero.

Continue reading ‘Fast Color’ Is A Refreshing Superhero Film For Those Craving A More Character-Driven Story [Review] at The Playlist.

20 Performers Who Deserve 2015 Emmy Nominations (But Maybe Won't Get One)

Continue reading 20 Performers Who Deserve 2015 Emmy Nominations (But Maybe Won’t Get One) at The Playlist.