https://blackgirlnerds.com/omar-epps-and-michael-ealy-star-in-the-devil-you-know/
Boundaries and bonds are tested in this gritty crime-thriller drama about family, morality, and redemption. Once incarcerated Marcus Cowans (Omar Epps) is trying to turn over a new leaf with the support of his loving family. Upon discovering that one of his brothers (Will Catlett) may have been involved in a horrific crime, Marcus grapples with the limits of brotherhood and loyalty. He and his family, increasingly wary of the justice system’s failings, end up in the crosshairs of a seasoned but jaded detective (Michael Ealy). Written and directed by Charles Murray, The Devil You Know evokes the question: Am I my brother’s keeper? And at what cost?
The film stars: Omar Epps, Will Catlett, Glynn Turman, Curtiss Cook, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Erica Tazel, Vaughn W. Hebron, Michael Beach, Keisha Epps, Ashley A. Williams, with Theo Rossi, and Michael Ealy.
Directed by: Charles Murray
The Devil You Know premieres in theaters April 1st.
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Howdy, good people! Welcome to the latest episode of Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review airing this Wednesday at 8 p.m. eastern on BTalk 100. Check out the latest meanderings from your highly favored AFROnerdist hosts as they wax about the following topics: the highly-anticipated Disney plus Ms. Marvel trailer dropped this week and we have our thoughts:
As The Batman continues to excel at the box office, more stories are coming out showing pop culture commentators spewing racist potshots at some of the alleged racebending and minority presence exhibited in the film:
Dburt has some thoughts concerning discourse or debates that begin with speakers beginning their arguments with "I feel" as opposed to "I think." What's the difference? Let's discuss; New Zealand filmmaker, Jane Campion (Power of the Dog), while accepting her 2022 Best Director win at the Critics Choice Awards made some disparaging remarks toward tennis icons, Venus and Serena Williams calling into question White feminism; Can we see the return of Kurt Russel as Snake Plisskin from the cult classic, Escape from New York in the near future?; actor, Nicolas Cage portraying a caricature of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, maybe the comeback we've been looking for; What is American comic book/superhero culture like in Japan or is it nonexistent due to the local fauna of Manga and Anime?; if time permits we will address some topics that were "leftover" from Sunday's Grindhouse show and lastly, our thoughts about actress Zendaya's dad asserting that Black fathers who are largely responsible for their children's success are oftentimes overlooked, disrespected, or ignored by mainstream media.
One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF
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As we’ve seen with cult horror flicks like Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body, and Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, female filmmakers bring a much-needed female perspective to the horror genre, exploring social issues like body image, female sexuality, and motherhood. Horror fans are familiar with names like Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou), Mary Harron (American Psycho), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary), Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark), and the Soska Sisters (American Mary).
Here are just a few women making waves in the horror genre you may not know but absolutely should.
Mimi Cave’s directorial debut Fresh premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and recently began streaming on Hulu. Written by Lauryn Kahn (Ibiza), the horror-comedy explores women’s fears when it comes to modern dating through a single woman’s disastrous encounter with a charming sociopath. While she’s just now getting noticed in Hollywood, Cave’s previous work includes commercials and music videos for artists like Sleigh Bells and Vance Joy. She notes that her background in dancing helps her approach filmmaking from a “physical standpoint” with a “spatial awareness.” With Fresh, Mimi Cave proves that she’s an intuitive filmmaker with a unique eye, who will continue to chill and thrill us.
If you’re a fan of Jordan Peele, chances are you’re familiar with Nia DaCosta, with who he collaborated on Candyman. The film was largely marketed using Peele’s name. Once the film came out, DaCosta showed everyone that she’s the person we should be talking about. She became the first Black female director to have a #1 film at the box office and is currently working on The Marvels. She may be one of the most exciting voices in horror, but she’s just getting started.
In 2016, Julia Ducournau came on the scene with the cannibalistic horror film Raw, a bloody coming-of-age tale that garnered high praise. Last year, the French writer-director won the Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival Titane, making history as the second female director to take the top prize. In an interview with Sharon Stone, she said that she created a character that was “hyper-violent” and went “against every feminist stereotype of softness, being polite, having a great body.” Having already made her way into television, directing episodes of Servant, Ducournau is sure to go on as an iconic filmmaker in horror.
Speaking of making history, Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny recently won Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize, the first horror movie to win the top award. Jusu herself is only the second Black woman to win. Nanny centers on a Senegal woman caring for the child of a wealthy white family in Manhattan while she saves money to bring her son over from West Africa to live with her in New York. Jusu calls the film “a dark, but hopeful, love letter for mothers who have been systematically excluded from the American dream.” Not only is this film centered on a Black woman, but there were several women of color behind the camera including cinematographer Rina Yang (Euphoria), casting director Kim Coleman (Lovecraft Country), and costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones (Judas and the Black Messiah), just to name a few.
Ruth Paxton’s feature directorial debut A Banquet follows a widow raising her two teenage daughters, the eldest of which experiences a spiritual awakening and stops eating. Paxton was drawn to Justin Bull’s great script and felt she could make the well-written characters even more authentic. “I know these relationships, I know these women, but I think I can deepen the characterization here,” she said. The result is a deeply unsettling, authentically feminine portrait of complex mother-daughter relationships, the psychology of food, personal spirituality, and more.
Another recent horror hit out of Sundance is Mariama Diallo’s Master, an atmospheric thriller following three Black women as they navigate a predominantly white university. Like other films on this list, Diallo’s personal experience as a Black woman in America gave her the tools to authentically portray the common microaggressions people of color deal with on the daily. The director recently told BGN, “There’s a responsibility that I feel to do it properly and to do it honestly and not to do it in a way that feels kind of crass or exploitative…” Something that the horror genre offers filmmakers is a sense of freedom. Diallo perfectly blends horror with drama, mystery, and thriller, to tell a very real story.
Writer-director Rose Glass solidified her status as a modern horror auteur with her debut film Saint Maud, a surreal psychological horror about a young hospice nurse and her fanatical Catholic faith. Maud’s personal relationship with God intensifies, leading to hallucinations and an obsession with her female patient. Glass told Film4, “I’m interested in brains and bodies and the fact they can go wrong.” Given the focus of this list, she’s clearly not alone since most of these women find themselves fascinated with the macabre. As she says, “Women love messed up stuff.”
The month of March is recognized as Women’s History Month and is dedicated to the celebration of women and their accomplishments. It’s always a good time to celebrate Black women, in particular, who are empowering generations to break down barriers. Let’s look at 10 Black women and their historic firsts.
Kamala Harris made “herstory” on January 20, 2001, when she was sworn in to become the first Black and South Asian woman Vice President of the United States. She wore a string of pearls in tribute to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and took the pledge while placing her left hand on a bible that belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice. Watch Kamala Harris’ swear-in ceremony.
Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first youth poet laureate, captivated us all listening to her deliver the Inauguration poem on January 20, 2021. In doing so, the 22-year-old became the nation’s youngest inaugural poet. The Harvard graduate’s work centers on the intersection between feminism, race, youth, and community. She delivered her poem, The Hill We Climb, which touched on a number of topics, including race and national unity. Read the full poem here.
Jennifer King was hired in 2021 to serve as an assistant coach for the Washington Football Team, making her the first Black woman to do so in the National Football League’s 101-year history. King says her appointment is a step forward towards changing the narrative surrounding racial and gender representation in sports leadership. “Representation means so much,” King said in a statement. “It’s really important right now to be a good representative, what I didn’t have growing up. I didn’t have anyone that looked anything like me working. To be able to see that, I think, is big. It’s super cool to be a part of this.”
All you have to say is say “Oprah,” no last name required, and everyone knows who you’re talking about. Her name is synonymous with Black excellence. In 2003, Oprah Winfrey registered a net worth of $1 billion, making her the first Black woman to accumulate that much wealth. As a philanthropist, she’s established educational scholarships and built a school for girls in Africa.
Nia DaCosta has been confirmed as the director for Captain Marvel 2 for Marvel Studios. This makes her the fourth woman to direct a Marvel Studios picture and the first Black woman to do so. A graduate of The NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she also has directed “Top Boy,” the British Netflix drama about two London drug dealers. After directing the 2021 film Candyman, it also makes DaCosta the first Black woman director to debut at No. 1 at the U.S. box office.
Mariya Russell is honored and overwhelmed to be the first Black woman to receive a Michelin star in the Guide’s 94-year history. It has taken a long time for a Black woman to break this barrier, and she has reached this prestigious milestone. The Michelin Guide is one of the oldest guide books that started out rating restaurants and hotels. The Michelin star is now also a mark of excellence for restaurateurs and one of the highest honors a chef can receive.
I have loved Whoopi Goldberg since she played Celie in The Color Purple, one of my all-time favorite movies. She’s the first Black woman to win an EGOT – the acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Goldberg won an Emmy two times (2002, 2009), a Grammy in 1985, an Oscar in 1990, and a Tony in 2002. Whether on the daytime talk show The View or in the series Harlem, we are definitely watching to see what Whoopi does next.
Robin Ransom is the first Black woman appointed to the state of Missouri’s Supreme Court. In my home state, this is a big deal. Ransom stated, “While I may be the first African-American woman to be part of this court, I’d also like to say that I have never lived by a label or by any identity that anyone’s tried to put upon me.”
At 14-years-old, Zalia Avant-Garde became the first African-American to win the coveted Scripps National Spelling Bee. She correctly spelled murraya, which is a type of tree, to win the competition and a $50,000 cash prize. This young lady is also great at basketball and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for most dribbles in one minute. No doubt that we can expect even more big things from Zalia in the future.
Keechant L. Sewell is currently serving as the 45th New York City Police Commissioner. She is the first woman to serve as the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. Sewell’s appointment in 2021 was at a time of national crisis. A time of distrust in policing and when there were efforts to defund departments, even as murder and shooting rates remain higher than they were before the pandemic. As she told the New York Post, “I am here to meet the moment.”