REFLECTION & REASON

Wakanda Forever review, written by guest blogger Mutendei Writes With reviewing a monumental movie like Wakanda Forever, just as I did for the first Black Panther movie, any review must be held against what makes this movie, just like the first one so important, and what better place to start than with the title, Wakanda Forever . With the weight of Black Panther and Wakanda ’s historic and cultural linkages to Black and African heritage, consciousness and communities, and their inherent pro-anti-oppression and self-determination movements, the Black Panther movie, and its sequel Wakanda Forever , cannot measured without dissecting it through a multi-layered socio-political lens held against a backdrop of global racial – geo-politics. Consequently, the Black Panther series as the wonderful first movie depicted is steeped in the mythology of Black/ African political, geographical, and spiritual independence, presented as a holistic haven construct, (akin to the Afrolantis , Corne...

It ain't Shottas . It ain't Dancehall Queen , and it ain't The Harder They Come . Slightly closer to Belly , and very far from Cool Runnings . That being said, writer/director/producer Nick Cannon went hard with his movie King of the Dancehall , released on September 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). No: he doesn't speak with a Jamaican accent (phew!), and yes: the movie is thoroughly entertaining. This film was definitely electric and definitely gave viewers an inside look at Jamaica and the world of dancehall music and movement. I will give Nick Cannon credit where credit is due: this is a good movie. And it's funny! In fact, just minutes into the movie I was wide-eyed and excited to hear dancehall music through the speakers of the Scotiabank Theatres in downtown Toronto. I was pleased to see images of Jamaica, beautifully arranged, and I was thankful that the 35-year-old American superstar took the time to visit, study, and communicate the...

I'll be the first to admit that my taste in movies is very simple: I like to laugh, I like to see reality, I like a little bit of drama (nothing too over-the-top or complicated) and I love a good "black" movie. Now, to classify Jumping the Broom as a "black" movie is not to take away from its writing, direction, production, or the crazy star power that made this film a hit. In fact, as a film with any other race and the same general plot and hilarity...it would have remained a good film. But as a writer, and an as an official connoisseur of "'black" movies...I really just love the familiarity of it all. Even the stereotypes (at times), the predictability of it (often), and especially the faces (always). I've grown up watching Angela Bassett on screen. Loretta Devine , and even the younger cast members Meagan Good and Paula Patton . I've seen Lil Romeo practically as a toddler, so of course it's hilarious to see him flirting on-scree...