"Ghost Town to Havana" - Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 14th Oakland International Film Festival

 

"Ghost Town to Havana"

 A life rampant, street level story of mentorship and everyday heroism in tough circumstances. An inner city coach's son, estranged in his youth from his father, spends five years on ball fields in inner city Oakland and Havana, following the lives of two extraordinary youth baseball coaches, Roscoe in Oakland and Nicolas in Havana. The coaches meet on videotape and two years of red tape later, Coach Roscoe and nine Oakland players travel to Havana to play Coach Nicolas' team. For one week, the players and coaches eat, dance, swim, argue and play baseball together. But when the parent of an Oakland player is murdered back home, it brings back the inescapable reality and challenges of life in an American inner city. (Written by Anonymous from IMDB)

See the film's trailer here

Tuesday, April 5, 2016
5:30pm 8:30pm
Holy Names University
3500 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619
 

Ghost Town to Havana will open the 14th Oakland International Film Festival at Holy Names University on April 5th, 2016. For the past 11 years, the Oakland Film Society has presented the annual Oakland International Film Festival. Plans are on the way to grow the festival each year to promote the independent film industry in Oakland and around the world.
Click HERE to purchase tickets 

18th Annual Madam C.J. Walker Awards, Friday, April 8, 2016, San Francisco

		National Coalition of 100 Black Women (OBAC) presents 18th Annual Madam C.J. Walker Business & Community Awards Luncheon For ticket and sponsor information, click here!

"The Man in 3B" Movie on BET - Based on the book by Carl Weber (They Don't Want You To See This Movie!)

I read the book, "The Man in 3B" by Carl Weber when it came out a few years ago.  At the time, I remember thinking, "This would be a great movie."

Turns out, I wasn't the only person who felt that way.  But, alas, as often happens with African American movies, we don't get the "screen time" in theaters we deserve.  So, unfortunately, my book club didn't get to catch it on the big screen because it never played at any theaters in our area.

And that's why we need BET.  "The Man in 3B" movie premieres this weekend.  Check your local listings for times.

"Darryl Graham (Lamman Rucker) has just moved into a Jamaica, Queens apartment building and his neighbors, both male and female alike, can't stop talking about him. He immediately becomes intertwined in each of the tenants' lives... but when a murder happens in the building everyone becomes a prime suspect. Starring Lamman Rucker, Christian Keyes, Brely Evans, Anthony Montgomery, Robert Ri'chard, DB Woodside, Kellita Smith, James Black, Olivia Longott, Trisha Mann, with Jackee Harry, Marla Gibbs and Billy Dee Williams"

And here's a trailer:  "The Man in 3B" Movie

Color me old-fashioned - Zoe Saldana is a Fine Actress, but she should not be playing Nina Simone

 

Nina Simone (nee Eunice Kathleen Waymon)

 

 

 

Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone

I get that acting knows no bounds.  I understand it when you put a new and much needed twist on an old story, like "Birth of Nation" by Nate Parker.

But, I'm sorry, there is no way that Zoe Saldana should be playing the late Nina Simone, who died in 2003 at the age of 70, in what is essentially "blackface."

Not only is it poor casting - there are plenty of actresses who are not only as talented but look a whole lot more like Nina Simone than Ms. Saldana.  Viola Davis immediately comes to mind.

And it just makes me wonder if we aren't going backwards instead of forward.  Are we still favoring light-skinned actors over darker sisters?

It almost cancels out the whole point of telling the story  of Nina Simone who was way ahead of her time as far as race matters.

I can imagine Nina penning a new song, "Hollywood God___________!"

"Deception" A Novel by Shakir Rashaan - In Bookstores and Online

PRESENTED BY ZANE

"Deception" Book 2 in the Kink P.I. Series