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Tubi, FOX Entertainment’s free streaming service, will honor Black History Month with a celebration of stories, voices and triumphs, featuring thousands of hours of Black film and television. To anchor this month-long tribute, the service will debut two all-new Tubi Originals: musical drama Howard High, directed by Christopher B. Stokes (“You Got Served”), premiering Friday, February 4; and Pass The Mic, a two-hour Tubi Original documentary spotlighting the careers of Lil Nas X, Lizzo and Kendrick Lamar, debuting Wednesday, February 16. And starting Wednesday, February 2, Tubi will be the only place where viewers can stream the entire first season of FOX’s Our Kind of People for free.

In addition to Howard High and Pass The Mic, more than 1,400 Black Cinema titles will be available on Tubi throughout Black History Month, including the award-winning documentary I Am Not Your Negro; Sorry to Bother You, starring LaKeith Stanfield; Bessie, featuring Queen Latifah, Michael K. Williams, Mo’Nique and more; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; and The Jacksons: An American Dream; as well as Tubi Originals Twisted House Sitter, Most Wanted Santa and Girls Getaway Gone Wrong.

“As home to the largest free collection of Black Cinema, Tubi is dedicated to empowering and elevating Black voices and stories year-round,” said Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer, Tubi. “We’re honored to celebrate Black History Month with a super-charged offering of premium programming, including two exciting new Tubi Originals — the high-energy musical drama Howard High and the inspiring documentary Pass The Mic.”

Premiering February 4, Howard High follows a high school musical group that must compete against a rival school in order to save their arts program, while also battling issues from the inside. Based on the 2020 hit TV mini-series, which will be available on Tubi during Black History Month, Howard High is an entertaining and fun-loving film that also sheds light on the challenges students and school arts programs face in underfunded neighborhoods. In addition to director Christopher B. Stokes, the film from Footage Films features an ensemble cast that includes Chrissy Stokes, Anthony Lewis, Earanequa Carter, Lindsay Davis, Veronika Bozeman, Jarell Houston, Christian Gonzalez, and Kida Burns, as well as Keith Sweat, Marques Houston, Ross Fleming, Hannah Malone, Deonte Jackson, Rayan Lopez, Diany Arias, Asha Franklin, and Lindsay Diann. Additionally, the Howard High original soundtrack will drop on February 4 on all digital platforms.

Premiering February 16, Tubi’s two-hour documentary from FOX Alternative Entertainment, Pass The Mic, celebrates the careers of Lil Nas X, Lizzo, and Kendrick Lamar, risk-takers and rebels who have used music as a way to shatter stereotypes and overcome adversity, embodying the indomitable spirit symbolic of the Black experience. While they build on the movements of those that came before them, they are igniting their own movements – and inspiring a new generation – to ensure their influence will live on.

Additionally, starting on February 2, Season One of FOX’s Our Kind of People‘s will be available on Tubi. The series was inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s provocative, critically acclaimed book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” and takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for more than 50 years. From writer and executive producer Karin Gist and executive producer Lee Daniels, Our Kind of People follows a strong-willed, single mom as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her own mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever. The show is a soapy, thrilling exploration of race and class in America and an unapologetic celebration of Black resilience and achievement.  Produced by 20th Television and FOX Entertainment, the series stars Yaya DaCosta, Morris Chestnut , Joe Morton, Nadine Ellis, Lance Gross, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Kyle Bary, Debbi Morgan, and newcomer Alana Bright.

Additional titles available on Tubi during Black History Month include A Weekend with the Family, Boy Bye, Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, The Bernie Mac Show, Jacob’s Ladder (2019), A Woman Called Moses, A Raisin in the Sun, Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, ATL, Devil in a Blue Dress, Death at a Funeral and more.

Showtime released the official trailer and key art for the upcoming four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, from Emmy-winning director W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell). Offering an in-depth look at the revolutionary career and personal descent of Bill Cosby, We Need To Talk About Cosby will screen at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, ahead of its Showtime premiere on Sunday, January 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. All episodes will be available across all Showtime streaming and VOD platforms on January 30.
 

 
Cosby, the renowned comedian, actor, philanthropist and African American icon, who for decades was revered as “America’s Dad,” has gained infamy as a criminal defendant in a sexual-assault prosecution. The series explores the complex story of Cosby’s life and work, weighing his actions against his indisputable global influence through interviews with comedians, cultural commentators, journalists and women who share their most personal, harrowing encounters with Cosby. Through archival footage, Cosby reveals who he may have been all along – the antithesis of the principled, public figure who became a hero, not only to African American people but to all people.
 
The four-parter sheds new light on Cosby’s cultural contributions and impact at the height of his disgrace – accused of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, and other misconduct by more than 60 women as far back as nearly 60 years. Bell, who grew up idolizing Cosby, unpacks how Cosby’s desire for power, which propelled his professional success, could be the same driving force that motivated his alleged crimes against women. We Need To Talk About Cosby peels back complex layers, portraying the genius performer, philanthropist, and role model, contrasted by the accused sexual predator that now defines him. It offers viewers the chance to reconsider Cosby’s mark in a society where rape culture, toxic masculinity, capitalism, and white supremacy are shaping how we re-evaluate sex, power, and agency.
   
We Need To Talk About Cosby is a Boardwalk Pictures Production in association with WKB Industries for Showtime, directed by W. Kamau Bell. The series is executive produced by Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A. King, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, and Sarina Roma. King also serves as showrunner and Geraldine Porras serves as a co-executive producer. 
 

Almost twenty hours after leaving the theater, I cannot stop thinking about Belle. This film is my latest obsession. It has captivated my entire soul, and all I want to do is tell people how phenomenal this movie is. I know that it is an incredibly difficult ask for someone. I know that the prospect of going to a theater and being in proximity of people is not a trivial one, even with niche anime films that tend not to have full houses no matter what showing you go to. And yet, I find myself extolling the movie and experience. I found myself openly weeping in the theater and letting the ending credits wash over me like gentle waves even though I knew there probably wasn’t a post-credit easter egg (there wasn’t, but I still think you stay through the credits if only to let your fragile emotional state a chance to mend itself). I have told everyone who is willing to listen that Belle is magnificent that if I had the means, I would buy tickets, popcorn, and gas money for anyone who wanted to watch this film just so I could have more people to talk about it with. The soundtrack is the only thing I’m going to be listening to for the next month. I’m exercising a great deal of emotional and physical restraint writing this review instead of seeing the movie again, so I guess I should probably talk about the movie.

When GKIDS started to advertise the US release of Belle, the marketing made it sound like it was an anime interpretation of Beauty and the Beast. The beloved heroine protagonist becomes complicated in the life of a quote unquote beast, in this particular case, The Dragon, and a variety of things happen in the fallout. Even the direct translation of the title, The Dragon and the Freckled Princess, draws a parallel construction to its inspiration and source, Belle is so much more than that.

See, the director and writer Mamoru Hosoda has been creating fantastical interpretations of technology and the importance of personal connection since 1999 with the original Digimon: Our War Game! movie. It was one of the earliest films I ever saw in theaters and one of his first attempts to parse complicated relationships between humanity. He would later revisit the concept of how much the internet has become a part of his life with his 2009 film Summer Wars, and also the different, familiar, and romantic dynamics in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Boy and the Beast. All of this to say, Hosoda has been out here making emotionally resonate media for the better part of two decades, so it’s not actually that surprisingly that Belle manages to live up to its predecessor, but my god, how I am still in shambles.

Now, I could honestly just leave the opening three minute scene here and probably be very satisfied about it as my primary argument for you seeing this movie; However, just in case you’re saving yourself for the spectacle the premise is simple. In an alternate world very similar to our own, there is an app called U. A sprawling digital world, in U, you can start over with a biometrically customized avatar referred to as an AS (presumably “Alternate Self”, but I don’t believe that’s specified in a movie), and the first three minutes showcase the fantastical world of U with a concert by its latest pop star: Belle. Of course, after the concert ends, we discover that Belle is actually just a meek 17-year-old country girl by the name of Suzu. The first act of Belle takes its time explaining Suzu/Belle’s origin and every single scene is poignant and relatable, especially to the many of us who are also children of the Digital Age. Suzu is just a girl trying to process the circumstances of her own life and finds her voice in U as Belle and also several million followers thanks to the viral nature of social media.

This all comes to a head during the second act where the Dragon interrupts her latest concert and a series of events unfold in both U and the real world throughout the rest of the film that I dare not talk about in too much detail because I want you to experience this for yourself. However, while I won’t divulge any narrative points, I will exclaim at the wonderful construction of the story and how exceedingly satisfying every story beat is.

From both a visual and aural standpoint, this movie is nothing short of a marvel. Studio Chizu combined traditional 2D animation for the real world and 3D CGI animation for U to create a delightfully expressive world on both fronts. The character designs on both sides work beautifully, and the set pieces are everything you could ever ask for from a Beauty and the Beast inspired story set in a fictitious online world. And the music… the soundtrack… oh it had me in tears at several points. The opening theme had such flourish and such personality that I instantly fell in love. My first viewing was subtitled, so I was treated to the talents of Kaho Nakamura as Belle (all of the voice actors did an impeccable job), but you will likely be equally enthralled by Kylie McNeill’s rendition of the songs and character if the YouTube videos I currently have on repeat in the background are any indication.

Belle is a movie about so many things. It is a critique and celebration of social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. It is a coming-of-age story about the masks we put up and what it means to reveal our true selves. It is about artistry, music, and learning how to create and express. It’s about standing up for what’s right and protecting the things we hold dear. And I hold this movie dear.

There are plot points that are rushed past and over, some odd jokes that don’t quite land, but the experience as a whole was one of the most emotionally moving pieces of media I have experienced in recent times so I am more than willing to overlook the small things. Please see this movie, if not now, the moment it becomes available on streaming services so you can understand why I have fallen for the Dragon and the Freckled Princess. Every movie in 2022 is going to be judged against how Belle made me feel as far as I’m concerned, and I’ll be waiting for more people to watch eagerly.

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In the Cards

Looking from a video game developer’s perspective, one can see the appeal of cards. Taking a game concept from prototype to finished product is easier when working with something familiar. It’s why, even outside of the crowded digital deck-building market, most titles feel like they’re referencing each other. 

So it’s completely understandable that, on its face, Daniel Mullins Games’ Inscryption is yet another ‘deck-builder with roguelike elements.’ What isn’t as understandable, however, is everything that happens after the player continues the game.

At the beginning of Inscryption, your controls are limited as you take in your surroundings. The first-person POV reveals a darkened cabin with your most immediate concern staring out of the darkness, opposite your seat at a wooden table marked with a grid. Your shadowy opponent begins to explain the deck of cards you have at hand.

Welcome to Die

All of the cards are themed after various real or imaginary beasts. Playing these cards on the table’s grid deal damage to the mysterious cabin dweller. To put most cards into play, however, will require blood. Inscryption’s ‘blood’ is one of its types of currency, only obtainable by ‘sacrificing’ cards that are in play.

Winning the match via your blood-summoned cards reveals that the eyes in the shadows are not only your opponent, but the game master running this bizarre tabletop session. A map is unfurled, and you are given a player piece to move across a makeshift board game. Players will perish early and often at the gnarled hands of this cabin-bound gamemaster.

Dead Man’s Hand

As you do, however, more options open up – both at the table and beyond. It’s easy to dismiss as some bizarre take on Yu-Gi-Oh! by way of the Saw movies, but the antique graphical style and basic structure hide astonishing surprises. Most impressive is that each new narrative twist is merged with new ways to play the game. 

That’s because at its strange, twisted heart, Inscryption is a treatise on games and the people who make as well as play them. As torn as this reviewer is between wanting to shake the hands of these developers or punch them in their mouths, Daniel Mullins Games should be proud of the digital chain letter they’ve created.

9.0 out of 10 Cursed Objects

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