Black on Black Cinema | Black Movie Reviews

In 1950, Hollywood put a young Black doctor, a hateful patient, and the language of racism on screen in a way audiences hadn't seen. This week on Black on Black Cinema, we're discussing No Way Out (1950), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's landmark social drama and the film debut of Sidney Poitier.Poitier stars as Dr. Luther Brooks, a young physician assigned to a prison ward whose care is rejected by a patient, Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark), who then accuses him of wrongdoing and sets a community on edge. Linda Darnell and Stephen McNally co-star, and the film features early screen appearances by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, making their first film together.We break down Poitier's debut, Linda Darnell's convincing performance, the film's Oscar-nominated script, how it handled race in 1950, and how it holds up today, including whether its perspective centers Black characters or the white audience Hollywood was courting.New episodes of Black on Black Cinema are available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.#BlackOnBlackCinema #NoWayOut #SidneyPoitier #ClassicFilmBlack 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 why Nicki Minaj is being floated as White House Press Secretary, and the growing list of Black celebrities that feel the need to saddle up to the Trump administration. The next film to be reviewed will be the 1950 film "No Way Out." The film follows two hoodlum brothers who are brought into a hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one of them dies the other accuses their black doctor of murder.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).

A mysterious VHS tape shows up in the mailbox, a children's TV host steps out of the television, and one mother has to get her son back. This week on Black on Black Cinema, we're reviewing Mr. Crocket (2024), the Hulu Original horror film from first time feature director Brandon Espy, just in time for Halloween.Jerrika Hinton stars as Summer Beverly, a mother starting over in 1993 after losing her husband, opposite Elvis Nolasco as the sinister Mr. Crocket, with Ayden Gavin, Kristolyn Lloyd, and Alex Alomar Akpobome. The film expands Espy's 2022 short for Hulu's Bite Size Halloween and wears its 80s and 90s horror influences openly, with practical puppets, a nightmare kids' show, and Black characters at the center of the story.In this episode, we break down the performances, the puppet and practical effects work, how the film uses nostalgia and 90s TV, and where it works and falls short as Black horror. Is Mr. Crocket a new Halloween staple or a missed opportunity? Spoilers ahead, so watch first if you haven't.New episodes of Black on Black Cinema are available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.#BlackOnBlackCinema #MrCrocket #HorrorBlack 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).

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted the whole country to watch the military's Dec. 3 capital punishment of Fort Hood terrorist, Nidal Hasan, and the Pentagon confirmed it would be livestreamed. In this preview episode of Black on Black Cinema, we argue the plan is a sign of American increased barbarism under the Trump administration, and that you can believe Hasan should face his sentence and still believe broadcasting globally crosses a line a democracy shouldn't cross(Update: This episode was recorded Oct. 14. On Oct. 15, President Trump said the Pentagon will not livestream the event, though victims' immediate families may attend in person).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).

Black on Black Cinema reviews "Antwone Fisher" (2002), Denzel Washington's feature directorial debut, based on the true story of Antwone Fisher, a young Navy sailor sent to a psychiatrist who must face his painful past and search for the family he never knew. Derek Luke makes his film debut in the title role, opposite Washington as Dr. Jerome Davenport, with Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Viola Davis. Fisher wrote the screenplay himself, drawing on his memoir "Finding Fish." We break down Luke's breakout performance, Washington's choices as a first-time director, how the film portrays a Black man opening up in therapy, and whether it holds up more than two decades later.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).