Christmas Movie Round-Up 2019
A Christmas screen-hop features Black Power, White romance, and Sci-Fi. Guess which one I loved?
Salvation at last: ‘Kill Move Paradise’ at Shotgun
Shotgun delivers one of the year’s best shows with James Ijames’ meditation on Black lives ended too soon.
Happy if She were Nappy: Thoughts on Storm, the Greatest X-Man
When the MCU reboots the ‘X-Men’ film series, here’s the one change they NEED to make.
Haunted Hearth: ‘In Old Age’ World Premiere at The Magic
Mfoniso Udiofia’s multi-play saga takes an oddly supernatural turn in this new chapter by The Magic.
With Attitude: ‘Nigga-Roo’ at The EXIT
Dazié Grego-Sykes’ incendiary Fringe solo show gets a full staging (such as it is) at EXIT Stage Left.
Belated Black History Month Double-Feature: ‘The Last Sermon of Sister Imani’ by TheatreF1rst and ‘Her Portmanteau’ at ACT
In which I catch up with two brand new Bay Area shows based exclusively around Black women.
Xmas Triple-Feature: ‘Into the Spider-Verse’, ‘Creed 2’, ‘BumbleBee’
2018’s holiday haul included a sweet Spidey spin-off, a great non-Rocky sequel, and a Bay-free bot-flick.
And what a Lovely Tale it is: ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
Barry Jenkins uses James Baldwin’s classic novel to create one of the best films of 2018.
Here’s Why I ‘Hate’ It: ‘The Hate U Give’ – A Black Man’s (angry, incoherent) Review
Angie Thomas’ best-selling novel becomes a hypocritical melodrama that exploits BlackLivesMatter.
Ebony Powers: ‘Manifesto’ at Brava
Rotimi Agbabiaka delivers another winning solo show satirizing race, sexuality, and hunger for fame.