 Freedomland 2006  R, 113 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Joe Roth
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Edie Falco, Ron Eldard, William Forsythe, Aunjanue Ellis, Anthony Mackie, LaTanya Richardson, Clarke Peters, Peter Friedman, Domenick Lombardozzi, Aasif Mandvi, Philip Bosco
White single mother Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) from Gannon, New Jersey, reports a carjacking in the Armstrong project neighborhood during which a young Black male took off with her car while her four-year-old son was in the back seat. Black detective Lorenzo Council (Samuel L. Jackson) is assigned to the case, he barricades the Armstrong project, and racial tensions erupt between the Gannon and Armstrong residents in this psychological mystery pointing out that racial prejudice still prevails in parts of America today.
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Hangin' with the Homeboys 1991  R, 88 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Joseph B. Vasquez
Cast: Doug E. Doug, Mario Joyner, John Leguizamo, Nestor Serrano, Kimberly Russell, Mary B. Ward, Reggie Montgomery, Christine Claravall, Rose Jackson, Steven Randazzo, Marisol R. Reyes, LaTanya Richardson
This simple story follows four young friends–two African Americans and two Puerto Ricans–as they cruise, argue, laugh, get into trouble, and participate in other adventures on a Friday night in the Bronx. Good performances and direction highlight this film.
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Introducing Dorothy Dandridge 1999  R, 120 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Martha Coolidge
Cast: Halle Berry, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Brent Spiner, Obba Babatunde, Loretta Devine, Cynda Williams, Tamara Taylor, LaTanya Richardson, D.B. Sweeney, William Atherton
The troubled life of Dorothy Dandridge–the first black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress (1954's "Carmen Jones")–is insightfully portrayed by Halle Berry. The story begins with Dandridge's early vaudeville acts and continues through her professional triumphs, which culminated tragically in her fatal overdose on prescription drugs.
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Lorenzo's Oil 1992  PG-13, 135 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: George Miller
Cast: Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Zack O'Malley Greenburg, Peter Ustinov, Kathleen Wilhoite, Gerry Bamman, Margo Martindale, James Rebhorn, Ann Hearn, Maduka Steady, Mary Wakio, LaTanya Richardson
This is the true story of Lorenzo (Zack O'Malley Greenburg) who was dying from a rare disease, ALD, a degeneration of the brain. His parents (Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon) refused to accept the diagnosis without searching for a cure. Susan Sarandon received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
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Losing Isaiah 1995 R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Cast: Jessica Lange, Halle Berry, David Strathairn, Daisy Eagan, Marc John Jefferies, Samuel L. Jackson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Joie Lee, Regina Taylor, LaTanya Richardson
Social worker Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange) adopts an abandoned baby. Two years later, recovered crack addict Khalia Richards (Halle Berry) returns to claim her son.
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 Malcolm X 1992 PG-13, 201 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee, Theresa Randle, Lonette McKee, Debi Mazar, Joe Seneca, Kate Vernon, Tommy Hollis, James McDaniel, LaTanya Richardson
This is a very good biographical film about Malcolm X (Denzel Washington) and his rise from Black activist to influential leader of the Nation of Islam and his assassination at age 39.
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U.S. Marshals 1998 PG-13, 125 min.
Genre: Action / Thriller
Director: Stuart Baird
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr., Kate Nelligan, Joe Pantoliano, Irene Jacob, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, LaTanya Richardson, Michael Paul Chan, Patrick Malahide, Rick Snyder, Johnny Lee Davenport, Donald Li, Marc Vann
In this sequel to 1993's "The Fugitive," Chief Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) leads a team of law-enforcement officers on the trail of the fugitive, Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes). Sheridan just happens to be an ex-CIA agent accused of espionage and the murder of fellow officers. Acting as well as special effects score high, but the film is too long for the material covered.
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When a Man Loves a Woman 1994 R, 124 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Luis Mandoki
Cast: Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, Ellen Burstyn, Tina Majorino, Lauren Tom, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mae Whitman, LaTanya Richardson, Eugene Roche, Gail Strickland, Susanna Thompson, Al Franken
Finally, alcoholism is portrayed as what it is–an illness and NOT a personality flaw. Meg Ryan plays Alice Green, wife, mother, and alcoholic, who hits her low point and recovery begins. The message is great, but there's not much entertainment value.
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| 1. Freedomland (2006)
2. Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991)
3. Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
4. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
5. Losing Isaiah (1995)
6. Malcolm X (1992)
7. U.S. Marshals (1998)
8. When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
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