Black on Black Cinema | Black Movie Reviews

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to introduce the next film to the reviewed, "Soul Men." The 2008 film follows two estranged soul-singing legends who agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader. The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson and the late great Bernie Mac. Available to stream for free on Tubi.The random topic this week we tackle the complex and difficult incident that unfolded at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards when John Davidson, a Tourette's syndrome activist and subject of the nominated film "I Swear," involuntarily shouted racial slurs—including the N-word—while Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award.This isn't a simple story. It's a collision of disability rights, anti-Black racism, media responsibility, and institutional failure.What happened: Davidson, who has spent decades advocating for Tourette's awareness, experienced involuntary vocal tics throughout the ceremony. His condition causes coprolalia—the uncontrollable utterance of socially inappropriate words. When Jordan and Lindo took the stage, Davidson's tic produced the N-word, audible throughout the venue.The BBC's failure: Despite broadcasting on a two-hour delay (giving them time to edit), the BBC left the slur in the broadcast AND on iPlayer for 15+ hours. Yet they DID edit out other content, including a "Free Palestine" statement and political jokes. The selective editing reveals a catastrophic failure/purposeful behavior in judgment and priorities.The complications: This incident sits at the painful intersection of two marginalized communities. Davidson has no control over his tics—they represent the opposite of his actual beliefs. Yet Black attendees, including production designer Hannah Beachler, experienced real racial trauma. Lindo told Vanity Fair he wished BAFTA had spoken to them afterward. Host Alan Cumming's apology said "sorry if you were offended" was woefully inadequate.Why this matters for cinema: The film "I Swear" was nominated for multiple BAFTAs and won three awards, including Best Actor for Robert Aramayo's portrayal of Davidson. The movie exists to educate about Tourette's. Yet BAFTA and the BBC failed both the disability community AND the Black community in how they handled this moment.We discuss:- The impossible position both communities were put in due to the BBC's actions or lack thereof- Why institutional preparation and response failed catastrophically- The difference between individual accountability and systemic responsibility- How ableism and anti-Black racism played out in the aftermath (including the idea of "he meant that shit" comments)- What should have happened vs. what did happen- The broader conversation about representation, disability, and whose comfort gets prioritizedThis is a conversation about nuance, compassion, and holding institutions accountable when they fail vulnerable communities.Full Black on Black Cinema episodes coming soon. Subscribe so you don't miss our deep dives into Black cinema, representation, and the stories Hollywood tells—and doesn't tellBlack on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss the 2025 psychological thriller, "The Dutchman." Based on Amiri Baraka's groundbreaking 1964 Obie Award-winning one-act play, the film follows Clay (André Holland), a successful but troubled Black businessman navigating a crumbling marriage with his wife Kaya (Zazie Beetz). After a therapy session with the enigmatic Dr. Amiri (Stephen McKinley Henderson), Clay encounters Lula (Kate Mara), a seductive and sinister white woman on a New York subway, who draws him into a dangerous psychological game of cat and mouse that forces him to confront his identity, his marriage, and the concept of double consciousness. Directed by Andre Gaines and co-written with Qasim Basir, the film also stars Aldis Hodge and Lauren E. Banks. The crew digs into the film's exploration of race, assimilation, Black male identity, and whether this modern adaptation does justice to Baraka's original text — or if the meta-theatrical approach gets in its own way.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to announce the next film, 2025's "The Dutchman." The film follows a successful black businessman, haunted by his crumbling marriage and identity crisis, who is drawn into a sexualized game of cat and mouse with a mysterious white woman on a subway that leads to a violent conclusion. Starring Andre Holland, Kate Mara, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Zazie Beats. The random topic this week is on our thoughts of the battle for the Super Bowl halftime shows: Bad Bunny vs cadre of washed up white conservative musicians in their Turning Point USA safe space. A conversation on what and more importantly who has and continues to define American culture.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to review Spike Lee's 1986 directorial debut "She's Gotta Have It." The film follows Nola Darling, a woman who openly dates three men who are aware of one another and possess three wildy different personalities.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, we preview our upcoming review of Spike Lee’s groundbreaking 1986 film "She’s Gotta Have It;" a bold, black-and-white exploration of love, agency, and identity. Our full review drops next week.We also dive into this week’s random topic: Kanye West’s public apology to fans following his past embrace of white supremacist ideology, and Nicki Minaj’s sudden alignment with the Donald Trump MAGA movement. We break down why these moves feel like a betrayal to their Black and LGBTQ fan bases—and what it says about celebrity, power, and politics today.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew is back to discuss the 2025 action thriller film, "Shadow Force." The film stars Omar Sy, Kerry Washington, Mark Strong, Method Man, Jahleel Kamara, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. The movie follows an estranged couple with a bounty on their heads who must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to preview the next film, "Shadow Force." The film follows an estranged couple (Kerry Washington and Omar Sy) with a bounty on their heads who must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them. The random topic is about the unjust murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis at the hand of an ICE agent. The crew discuss what the larger implications of her death will be on the entirety of what's happening in the US at the hands of a seemingly rogue military-like response from the Trump/Vance administration's ICE agency.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss the 2024 dark comedy drama, "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl." The film follows Shula, who on an empty road in the middle of the night, stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to announce the next film to be reviewed, "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl." The film starts on an empty road in the middle of the night, where Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. The random topic of the week is all about Juelz Santana's comments on kids not needing to know how to read in the modern era and that it is somehow more important to know how to start a business instead. The host discuss the levels of anti-intellectualism that is within these ideas and why we as a community need to push back on them hard.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss the 2024 film, 40 Acres. The film follows a Black and First Nation family in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by famine. Their routine has kept the fed and safe for many years. The household is headed by Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) who's connection to her family is put in peril when their farm is attacked by cannibals.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to introduce the next film, "40 Acres." The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with food scarcity, as a Black family of Canadian farmers, descended from American Civil War migrants, they defend their homestead against cannibals trying to seize their resources. The random topic this week is all about the November 4th special elections that happened around the country. While it certain was a positive night, we discuss this but also what the real fight ahead looks like and why people like Charlemagne tha god's advice to Democrats is not only hypocritical but also deeply wrong.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss the 2025 horror film, Him. The story follows a young college athlete who descends into a world of terror when he's invited to train with a legendary champion whose charisma curdles into something darker. The film stars Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to preview their next film review: Him (2025) — a chilling psychological horror story about a promising young athlete whose invitation to train with a legendary champion quickly descends into manipulation, control, and terror. This gripping thriller explores the dark side of mentorship, power, and identity.In this week’s discussion segment, we deliver a 10-month check-in on the Trump administration’s catastrophic return to power. From devastating ICE raids in major cities, to soaring food prices, and farmer bankruptcies triggered by renewed tariffs, we break down how everyday Americans are paying the price — literally and figuratively — for nationalist policy failure. Is the country unraveling under the weight of authoritarian overreach and economic instability?Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss the 2024 film, Blink Twice. This directorial debut of actress Zoe Kravitz follows a waitress named Frida (Naomi Ackie) who is invited to the private island of celebrity billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) and his friends. Things start to get odd, and Frida starts to question her situation.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to announce the next film to be reviewed, Zoe Kravitz directorial debut, "Blink Twice." The film follows tech billionaire Slater King who meets a cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. As strange things start to happen, and Frida questions her reality. The random topic this week is about a conversation between NY Times writer/podcaster Ezra Klein and Ta-Nehisi Coates who go back and forth about statements Klein and others made in the immediate aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss director Spike Lee's latest film "Highest 2 Lowest" starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky. The film follows a music mogul, David King, who's life gets flipped upside down when his son is kidnapped and held for ransom.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to announce the next film to be reviewed, Spike Lee's "Highest 2 Lowest" starring Denzel Washington, and Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and A$AP Rocky. The film follows a titan music mogul who is targeted with a ransom plot, causing him to be jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. The random topic this week is about the recent public killing of rightwing hatemonger Charlie Kirk in front of thousands of college students in Utah. At the time of this recording, the suspected shooter (Tyler Robinson, 22, white male) had not be apprehended by the FBI.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew return to discuss the 2022 film, "Brother." An adaptation of David Chariandy's award-winning novel of the same name, the film centres on the relationship between Francis and Michael, two Black Canadian brothers growing up in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario in the early 1990s. The film stars Aaron Pierre as Francis and Lamar Johnson as Michael, with supporting cast members including Kiana Madeira, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Lovell Adams-Gray, Maurice Dean Wint, and Dwain Murphy.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

We apologize for the audio quality on this episode as Jay was not in his studioThis week on Black on Black Cinema, we return from our hiatus to announce the next film, "Brother." The film follows sons of Caribbean immigrants, Francis and Michael as they face questions of masculinity, identity and family amid the pulsing beat of Toronto's early hip-hop scene. The movie stars Lamar Johnson, Aaron Pierre, and Marsha Stephanie Blake.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).

This week on Black on Black Cinema, the crew returns to discuss the 2020 film, All Day and A Night. The film follows a young man who committed a homicide and now has to deal with the repercussions of his action. The film stars Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, and Isaiah Jon, Kelly Jenrette, and Shakira Ja'nai Paye. Written and Directed by Joe Robert Cole.Black on Black Cinema is a long-running podcast featuring in-depth Black movie reviews and frank conversations that matter to the Black community. We review Black films across every genre — from Black horror and Black sci-fi to indie dramas, comedies, and blockbuster action. Covering filmmakers like Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and more. Hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara. Featured on RogerEbert.com. A TNP Studios production. New episodes weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. For more TNP Studios content, check out The Nerdpocalypse (movie & TV news), Look Forward (progressive politics), and Dense Pixels (video game news).