Hot Picks
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Queen Rising
USA 2024
produced by Emily James, Princeton James, Mitch Martin, May Todd, Henry E. Reaves III (executive) for Nero Studios
directed by Princeton James
starring April Hale, Xamon Glasper, Jessie Reeder, Terrion Mayfield, Dash Kennedy Williams, Rekeitha Morris, Darious Robertson, Narita Edwards, Brooke Tolbert, Chris Newsom, Jamel Tate, Kenon Walker, Derek Huner, Jade Benson (= Jade Abrielle), Darius Wallace, Miguela Gary, Brandon McMillion, Sequoia Gray, Adrienne Edney, Orya Reaves, Mark Gilbreath, Alijah Tucker, Christopher Franceschi, Candice Bradburn, Henry E. Reaves III, Cherry Dodson, Bianca McMillian, Xamon Brown, Tony Franklin, Brittany Moore, Andrew Saino, Daniel Johnson, K.J. Baker
story by Henry E. Reaves III, screenplay by Allison Chaney, Henry E. Reaves III, music by Medhat Hanbali
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Madison (Miguela Gary) has always loved her dad (Henry E. Reaves III)
unconditionally, and he always encouraged her to be her own woman - but
then he dies in a brutal attack, and she didn't get along with her abusife
stepdad, for obvious reasons. Fast forward to now: Madison (as an adult
played by April Hale), by now a school teacher, has a difficult
relationship with men, and even keeps her best friend Greg (Xamon Glasper)
at a distance, even though he seems to have only the best intentions -
intentions like getting a lucrative book deal for her, chronicling her own
life story, with Greg as her ghost writer. So she tells her story,
revolving around her college days when she tried out dating and eventually
found a really nice guy, Ben (Dash Kennedy Williams), who really seems to
read her as a book. She couldn't be happier - until she experiences his
bouts of jealousy that have an almost violent streak. And then two of
Madison's exes (Darious Robertson, Christopher Franceschi) are found
murdered, as well as her roommate Shauna (Jade Benson) and Shauna's
boyfriend (Brandon McMillion). Ben disappeared soon after this, and the
actual murderer was never found - which means there's a serial killer on
the loose even today ...
A pretty cool mix of thriller and social drama, and one that
marries the two elements well, as it really uses the story of a black
woman in America finding her own way as a perfect groundwork for its
murder mystery while at the same time also making its murder mystery part
of the film's social commentary. And a subtle directorial effort giving
its solid ensemble cast the necessary space to breathe, giving life to
their relatable characters, help to make this a very enjoyable and
fittingly thoughtful movie.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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