1. Generic African accents
2. Unnecessary guest stars
3. The idea that Black people can’t sell films
4. Kevin Hart
5. Lack of Black love portrayals
6. No Living Single on DVD or Netflix
7. Olitz
8. Biopics starring Chadwick Boseman
9. Remakes/Reboots
10. Sci-Fi/Fantasy with no Black people
11. Will Smith with a white (blonde) love interest
12. Award shows that don’t recognize Black people
13. Video and audio that don’t sync up
14. Whitewashing
15. Any doubt about your talent and whether you should be a filmmaker (director/writer/actor/cinematographer, etc.)

What are your 2016 resolutions, and what do you want to leave in 2015?

The post 15 Things to Leave in 2015 appeared first on Films of Color.

Football season is upon us, and no season is truly complete without a football film being released. Concussion is the latest film to shine a light into the complex, entertaining, and at times dangerous world of the sport. Billed as a film that will have the NFL on edge, Concussion explores the dark side of football, where injuries can have lasting effects.

Synopsis:

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

Cast:

• Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Prema Mutiso
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Dave Duerson
• Richard T. Jones as Andre Waters
• Hill Harper as Christopher Jones
• Albert Brooks as Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD
• Alec Baldwin as Dr. Julian Bailes
• Luke Wilson as Roger Goodell
• Mike O’Malley as Daniel Sullivan

Concussion is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 25, 2015. Tickets are available here.

The post ‘Concussion’ Trailer appeared first on Films of Color.

It’s already been established that 2015 is the year of the biopic. But it seems that it’s also the year of the remake/reboot. It seems like every week, some series or film is getting remade. Now, we can add The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to that list.

Will Smith has taken the helm with his production company, Overbrook Entertainment. It’s unclear if it will be a reboot or a continuation of the original series, but the pitch is being finalized and will soon be shopped around.

Will this series be connected to the first? Will Aunt Viv be dark skinned or light skinned? Will it star Jaden Smith? Will Geoffrey be there? Does anyone want this series?

The post ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ to Be Remade appeared first on Films of Color.

Will Smith and Jay Z are pairing up again to produce a miniseries about Emmett Till.

Emmett Till was a Black teen who was brutally murdered at the age of 14 in Mississippi while on a family visit. He was accused of flirting with a white woman and killed by her husband and his brother.

The story of Emmett Till is an emotional and racially charged one, playing a role in the Civil Rights Movement. Bringing his story on screen could have an effect similar to Fruitvale Station, which had many viewers in tears upon watching.

Will Smith and Jay Z have worked together before on the film Annie. There are no writers on board yet. The miniseries is due to air on HBO.

The post Will Smith, Jay Z to Produce Emmett TIll Miniseries appeared first on Films of Color.

Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air were two of the biggest sitcoms in the 90s, making Martin Lawrence and Will Smith two of the biggest stars of that era. So of course, it was a big deal when these two collaborated on a film, even if it was directed by the then freshman Michael Bay. It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty years since the release of Bad Boys, but it is still popular enough for another sequel to be the works.

Synopsis:

Marcus Burnett is a hen-pecked family man. Mike Lowry is a foot-loose and fancy free ladies’ man. Both are Miami policemen, and both have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station’s nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other.

Cast:

Martin Lawrence – Detective Marcus Burnett

Will Smith – Detective Mike Lowrey

Theresa Randle – Theresa Burnett

Karen Alexander – Max Logan

Bad Boys is available on Instant Video or bundled together with Bad Boys II on DVD.

The post Throwback Thursday: ‘Bad Boys’ appeared first on Films of Color.

And for good measure, here’s a photo of the cast.

Suicide Squad is scheduled to be released August 5, 2016.

The post Shots of Will Smith as Deadshot appeared first on Films of Color.

It looks like another actor is joining Suicide Squad: Common. At this rate, we might have to consider Suicide Squad a Black film. Common will be joining Will Smith (Deadshot), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc).

Common is slowly but surely making this movie career happening. He’s riding high from Selma onto DC.

We don’t know what character Common will be playing. Which character do you think he’ll play? Who do you want him to play?

Suicide Squad is set to be released August 5, 2016.

The post Common to Join ‘Suicide Squad’ appeared first on Films of Color.

It looks like DC is learning that diversity is a good thing. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was cast as Waylon Jones AKA Killer Croc in the upcoming Suicide Squad. He will be joining Will Smith (Deadshot) and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller). Akinnuoye-Agbaje has recently been in the films Annie and Thor: The Dark World and will be in this season of Game of Thrones. The Suicide Squad cast is shaping up nicely.

Suicide Squad will be released on August 5, 2016.

The post Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Cast in ‘Suicide Squad’ appeared first on Films of Color.

Quvenzhané Wallis has done more in her eleven years than most people do in a lifetime, and she doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This time she took a classic and made it even more lovable. She stars as the titular character in the film Annie, a remake of the Broadway musical of the same name. It features a contemporary storyline and a contemporary soundtrack to boot.

Synopsis:

Quvenzhané Wallis stars as Annie, a young, happy foster kid who’s also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they’d be back for her someday, it’s been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan. But everything’s about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks – advised by his brilliant VP, Grace, and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy – makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he’s her guardian angel, but Annie’s self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it’s the other way around.

Cast:

Quvenzhané Wallis – Annie Bennett

Jamie Foxx – William “Will” Stacks

Rose Byrne – Grace Farrell

Bobby Cannavale – Guy Danlily

Cameron Diaz – Colleen Hannigan

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – Nash

Tracie Thoms – Annie’s fake mom

Dorian Missick – Annie’s fake dad

David Zayas – Lou

Crew:

Director – Will Gluck

Writer – Will Gluck

Writer – Aline Brosh McKenna

Producer – Will Smith

Producer – Jada Pinkett Smith

Producer – Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter

Producer – Caleeb Pinkett

Producer – James Lassiter

Producer – Lawrence “Jay” Brown

Annie is available for purchase here. The soundtrack can be found here.

The post DVD Release: Annie appeared first on Films of Color.

In the second half of February, we’ll be focusing more on the entertainment/art side of Black History. I think Muhammad Ali serves as the perfect bridge. Ali was one of the greatest boxer in the world, but his fight for racial justice was just as admirable.

Ali focuses on a ten year period in the life of Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith. Key points in the film include his epic fight with Sonny Liston, his journey with Islam and its ideals, his refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War and its fallout, and his comeback.

It was nominated for many awards and won several, including three NAACP Image Awards, with both Will Smith and Jamie Foxx winning one. It is available here.

The post Black History Month Day 15 – ‘Ali’ appeared first on Films of Color.