I probably wasn’t in love with the cover art. The title One Night didn’t grab me, perhaps. I’m not sure why I let this Eric Jerome Dickey book sit on the shelf for quite some time before actually reading it. When I finally did pick it up, I was underwhelmed with the story in the first few chapters. I wasn’t sure what to make...
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I attended a Dead Prez show at the Echoplex last week in Los Angeles, California and I was so moved to see that Dead Prez still carries the banner of nonstop Hip Hop consciousness as they continue to progress in ways that marvel me. When Stic Man announced to the crowd that Dead Prez has started their own label RBG Fit Records and that...
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I could not have imagined a better shero! Lale, played by Günes Sensoy, the youngest of five sisters in Mustang, leads the pack in defying the new restraints set on the five girls by their grandmother and uncle who is determined to rule with an iron fist. After a harmless co-ed game at the beach with a few male classmates, the threat of a scandal...
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Black Syrup Media met with Leslee Udwin at the San Diego Film Festival for an amazing interview on her documentary India’s Daughter. Udwin gives an overview about the film, the problems she’s faced since the film’s release, India’s ban on the film and what we must all do to promote change in our world.
India’s Daughter. Wow! I sat in the audience at the screening of India’s Daughter at the San Diego Film Festival, trying not to cry, trying not to cringe. I was only somewhat successful. I knew of the incident because I am a diehard fan of Amy Goodman and DemocracyNow.org. Amy Goodman covered the brutal gang rape of Jyoti Singh Pandey, the 23-year-old medical student by...
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October 1, 2015 was the night that the Museum of Contemporary art in San Diego became the gathering place for likeminded fans to pay homage to people in the film industry that are making progressive change. Adrien Brody was this year’s recipient of the Cinema Vanguard Award. Celebrated for his work in The Pianist, Houdini, The Grand Budapest Hotel and a slew of...
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Yes, I know I am very very late to the party. Mother of George premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, January 2013 and I am just writing this review nearly 3 years later. However, no matter how much time has passed, Mother of George still deserves many marvelous reviews. Director Andrew Dosunmu has given us a treasure that raises the bar for African films in...
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2015 Labor Day weekend marked the 7th annual Leimert Park Village African Art and Music Festival in Los Angeles, California. From the opening day African drum procession to the African drum circle that closed the weekend’s cultural events, jazz, blues, reggae, R & B, Afro beat, hip hop, rock, and neo soul music was the soulful soundtrack of the festival. The stage was also filled...
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Ester Lou Weithers is a 21st century storyteller, eager to write and direct stories that reflect the cares of her generation. The daughter of a pastor, Ester learned the power of story at a young age. However, her strict religious upbringing in Houston by her Caribbean immigrant parents prompted her to work in corporate America after leaving Florida A&M University. She flirted with a career...
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After venting about the portrayal of dark-skinned black women in Straight Outta Compton, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all of the female characters in Survivor’s Remorse are played by coffee-colored sisters. I discovered Survivor’s Remorse at the beginning of the second season via a billboard on Sunset and La Brea. I binged-watched all the episodes in Season 1 and then began season...
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