 12 Angry Men 1997  TV, 117 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Courtney B. Vance, George C. Scott, Mykelti Williamson, Tony Danza, Ossie Davis, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Dorian Harewood, James Gandolfini, Hume Cronyn
This TV remake of the 1957 original Sidney Lumet film features convincing performances by a strong cast portraying jurors deciding on whether or not to convict a Latino youth of murder.
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Baadasssss! 2004 R, 108 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Cast: Mario Van Peebles, Joy Bryant, T.K. Carter, Terry Crews, Ossie Davis, David Alan Grier, Nia Long, Paul Rodriguez, Saul Rubinek, Vincent Schiavelli, Khleo Thomas, Rainn Wilson
In this homage to his father, Melvin, wrote, directed, and independently produced the first blaxploitation film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Mario Van Peebles shows how Melvin was able to get away with showing his 1971 anti-establishment film, which opened Hollywood studios to Blacks.
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Bubba Ho-Tep 2003  R, 92 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Don Coscarelli
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Reggie Bannister, Bob Ivy, Heidi Marnhout, Larry Pennell, Gigi Fast Elk Porter, Harrison Young, Daniel Roebuck, Daniel Schweiger
"Bubba Ho-tep" proposes that Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) is not dead and, instead, is living in an East Texas retirement home. Another resident, John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis), tells his own story of how he missed out on the assassination. Elvis" and John team up to protect the other rest home residents from an evil Egyptian mummy that haunts the facility, and the two valiant souls set off on their mission.
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The Cardinal 1963 N/R, 175 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Otto Preminger
Cast: Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider, Carol Lynley, Maggie McNamara, John Saxon, John Huston, Robert Morse, Dorothy Gish, Burgess Meredith, Ossie Davis
A humble Irish-American priest rises to an exalted position in the College of Cardinals. The film won six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Supporting Actor (John Huston).
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 The Client 1994 PG-13, 126 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony LaPaglia, J.T. Walsh, Anthony Edwards, Will Patton, William H. Macy, Ossie Davis, Bradley Whitford, Anthony Heald, Kim Coates, Kimberly Scott, David Speck
Adapted from John Grisham's best-selling novel, this film has all the suspense that has come to be expected from a Grisham tale. Eleven-year old Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) learns the secret of a Mafia killing. When he goes to the federal prosecutor for help, he is directed to a lawyer, Regina "Reggie" Love (Susan Sarandon). She helps Mark and his family get into the witness protection program and away from the clutches of the Mafia. Sarandon was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.
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Deacons for Defense 2003 R, 95 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Bill Duke
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Silverman, Ossie Davis, Paul Benjamin, Gene Mack, Tyrone Benskin, Mpho Koaho, Melanie Nicholls-King, Serena Lee, Khafre Armatrading, Adam Weiner, Beau Starr
This made-for-cable-TV film was originally aired during Black History Month and focuses on events following passage of the Civil Rights Act. The African-American citizens of a Louisiana town are still considered to be second-rate citizens. The town's mill, controlled by Whites, is the major employer, and the black men are denied upward mobility while being subjected to indignities. Finally, war veteran Marcus (Forest Whitaker) fights back by forming the Deacons of Defense and Justice to help protect the people in Black neighborhoods from combative whites. When more KKK members arrive in town, war is sure to follow.
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Death of a Prophet 1981  N/R, 60 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Woodie King Jr.
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Yolanda King, Mansoor Najeeullah, Tommy Redmond Hicks, Ossie Davis, Sam Singleton, Yusef Iman, Sonny Jim Gaines, Charles Griffin, Kirk Kirksey, Yuri Kochiyama, Amiri Baraka
Using newsreel footage and interviews to supplement Morgan Freeman's portrayal of "The Prophet Minister," this film is loosely based on a day in the life of activist Malcolm X. He knows that he is a marked man, but he continues to go about his day-to-day activities.
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 Dinosaur 2000 PG, 84 min.
Genre: Animation / Family / Adventure
Director: Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag
Cast: D.B. Sweeney, Alfre Woodard, Julianna Margulies, Joan Plowright, Ossie Davis, Samuel E. Wright, Della Reese, Max Casella, Peter Siragusa, Hayden Panettiere
Disney's computer animated technology is excellent in this story about the imminent extinction of dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Age. Warning: this film contains realistic violence that many parents may reasonably consider inappropriate for children.
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Do the Right Thing 1989  R, 120 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, John Turturro, John Savage, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, Paul Benjamin, Frankie Faison, Rick Aiello, Joie Lee, Robin Harris, Miguel Sandoval
Italian-American Sal (Danny Aiello) owns a pizzeria in a Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, and his sons–angry bigoted Pino (John Turturro) and congenial Vito (Richard Edson)–work at the pizzeria. The only Black employee is Mookie (Spike Lee) who drives the delivery truck. One hot summer day, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) arranges a boycott of Sal's pizzeria because of the lack of racial diversity. Tensions rise and erupt in violence. Spike Lee created critical attention with his much discussed finale.
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Doctor Dolittle 1998 PG-13, 92 min.
Genre: Family / Comedy
aka: Dr. Dolittle
Director: Betty Thomas
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff, Kristen Wilson, Jeffrey Tambor, Kyla Pratt, Peter Boyle, Chris Rock, Albert Brooks, Raven-Symone, Steven Gilborn, Norm MacDonald, John Leguizamo, Julie Kavner
Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) treats humans and has forgotten that he once talked with the animals. But, when he nearly runs over a dog, Lucky (voice of Norm MacDonald), his past returns, he is hearing animal voices, and everyone thinks that he has lost his mind. The cast of voices for the animals–which includes Norm MacDonald, Julie Kavner, Reni Santoni, Garry Shandling, Paul Reubens, Albert Brooks, Chris Rock, and Gilbert Gottfried–is a highlight as the animals communicate with the good doctor (Eddie Murphy) who learned as a child to talk to the animals.
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Get on the Bus 1996 R, 122 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher, Richard Belzer, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Harry Lennix, Isaiah Washington, Roger Guenveur Smith, De'aundre Bonds, Hill Harper, Gabriel Casseus, Albert Hall, Bernie Mac, Steve White, Joie Lee
A group of African-American men board a bus in Los Angeles and head for Minister Louis Farrakhan's Million Man March in Washington, D.C., during October 1995. Along the way, conversations reveal the complex racial problems that exist in the United States as the men strive for unity and understanding.
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Gladiator 1992 R, 100 min.
Genre: Action / Drama
Director: Rowdy Herrington
Cast: James Marshall, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert Loggia, Ossie Davis, Brian Dennehy, John Heard, T.E. Russell, Jon Seda, Tab Baker, Cara Buono, Dwain A. Perry, Joan Schwenk, Raul Salinas, Francesca Roberts
Teenager Tommy Riley (James Marshall) is recruited by boxing manager Pappy Jack (Robert Loggia) and turns to a crooked boxing organization as the means for earning money to pay off his father's gambling debt. Tommy befriends the league's top boxer, teenager Lincoln (Cuba Gooding Jr.). Both are under the control of unscrupulous promoter Jimmy Horn (Brian Dennehy) who puts the two friends in the ring together in a fight to the finish.
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Gone Are the Days 1963 N/R, 99 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
aka: Purlie Victorious
The Man from C.O.T.T.O.N.
Director: Nicholas Webster
Cast: Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Sorrell Booke, Godfrey Cambridge, Hilda Haynes, Alan Alda, Beah Richards, Charles Welch, Ralph Roberts
A self-ordained minister, the Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson (Ossie Davis), returns home to rural Georgia with his wife, Lutiebelle (Ruby Dee). The Reverend wants to purchase an old barn and turn it into a church. With help from the liberal son, Charlie (Alan Alda), of the racially intolerant plantation owner, Ol'Cap' Stonewall Jackson Cotchipee (Sorrell Booke), the barn is purchased and turned into a church. This film captures the theme of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
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 Grumpy Old Men 1993 PG-13, 104 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann - Margret, Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis, Buck Henry, Christopher McDonald, Steve Cochran, Joe Howard, Isabell O'Connor, John Carroll Lynch, Buffy Sedlachek, Charles Brin
What happens when a good-looking widow moves into the neighborhood? Lots, when the widow, Ariel Truax, is played by Ann-Margret, and the other roles of John Gustafson and Max Goldman are taken on by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. This is a good flick, set in Minnesota where the winter nights are a lot colder than this street's residents who have been feuding all their lives. Be sure to catch the outtakes at the end of the movie.
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Hot Stuff 1979  PG, 87 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Dom DeLuise
Cast: Dom DeLuise, Suzanne Pleshette, Jerry Reed, Ossie Davis, Luis Avalos, Marc Lawrence, Richard Davalos, Bill McCutcheon, Sydney Lassick, Pat McCormick
A sting operation by Miami cops lacks support from the department, so those involved find a unique way to fund their project: they resell the stolen goods! 1 User Review
| User Review |
| | Anonymous 01/20/2007 | | This movie is one that you watch and laugh all the way through it. Humor is clean but funny. Stars are great together. A gathering of comedians that you don't see around anymore. You don't see these kinds of movies anymore. Just have fun and laugh. |
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 I'm Not Rappaport 1996 PG-13, 131 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Herb Gardner
Cast: Walter Matthau, Ossie Davis, Amy Irving, Craig T. Nelson, Martha Plimpton, Ranjit Chowdhry, Ron Rifkin, Boyd Gaines, Guillermo Diaz, Elina Lowensohn, Marin Hinkle, Nancy Giles, Irwin Corey, Salem Ludwig, Josh Pais
Two elderly men, Nat Moyer (Walter Matthau) and Midge Carter (Ossie Davis), spend their days sitting on a bench in Central Park. They stop at nothing to maintain control of the world that seems to be passing them by, and problems come to a head when Midge is threatened with retirement from his job of apartment manager. While Nat steps in to help Midge, they take on a drug dealer, The Cowboy (Craig T. Nelson), and a mugger, J.C. (Guillermo Diaz), and, in the process, stop The Cowboy from harming young Laurie Campbell (Martha Plimpton).
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Joe Versus the Volcano 1990 PG, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Ossie Davis, Dan Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, Carol Kane, Barry McGovern, Jayne Haynes, David Burton
When hypochondriac Joe (Tom Hanks) learns that he has only six months to live, he agrees to a deal giving him a trip to the South Seas. There is only one catch: he must jump into a volcano.
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Jungle Fever 1991 R, 132 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Spike Lee, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson, Lonette McKee, John Turturro, Frank Vincent, Anthony Quinn
This Spike Lee offering, "Jungle Fever" (Lee's term for an unhealthy interracial sexual affair), is very amusing, psychologically powerful, and supported by impressive performances. The story involves a married Black man who has an affair with a White woman and how their actions affect those around them.
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King 1978 TV, 300 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: King: The Martin Luther King Story
Director: Abby Mann
Cast: Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson, Roscoe Lee Browne, Lonny Chapman, Ossie Davis, Cliff De Young, Al Freeman Jr., Clu Gulager, Dick Anthony Williams, Steven Hill, William Jordan, Warren J. Kemmerling
This TV miniseries is a good chronicle of Martin Luther King's (Paul Winfield) early peaceful protests against segregation through his assassination in 1968.
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Let's Do It Again 1975 PG, 112 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Sidney Poitier
Cast: Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Calvin Lockhart, John Amos, Jimmie Walker, Ossie Davis, Denise Nicholas, Mel Stewart, Julius Harris, Val Avery
Two Atlanta members (Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby) of a fraternal lodge find a way to con gamblers by using the occult to turn Bootney Farnsworth (Jimmie Walker) into a winning prizefighter. This film follows "Uptown Saturday Night" and is followed by "A Piece of the Action."
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 Malcolm X 1972 PG, 92 min.
Genre: Documentary
Director: Arnold Perl
Cast: James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis
This is a good portrait of civil rights activist/leader Malcolm X. James Earl Jones narrates the documentary, which was taken largely from Malcolm X's autobiography. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.
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A Man Called Adam 1966  N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Leo Penn
Cast: Sammy Davis Jr., Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra Jr., Peter Lawford, Mel Torme, Lola Falana, Jeanette Du Bois, Kenneth Tobey, Johnny Brown, George Rhodes, Michael Silva, Michael Lipton
Jazz trumpeter Adam Johnson (Sammy Davis Jr.) has many problems: prejudice against Blacks, feeling guilt for an accident that killed his family, a non-caring agent, etc. When the only White member of his band is beaten by racists, it's too much for our hero. A depressing story, but the all-star cast and good music throughout help save it.
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Miss Evers' Boys 1997 PG, 118 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph Sargent
Cast: Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburne, Craig Sheffer, Joe Morton, Obba Babatunde, Von Coulter, Thom Gossom Jr., Ossie Davis, E.G. Marshall, Robert Benedetti
Seen through the eyes of a nurse on the scene, the focus of this film is the infamous 1932 Tuskegee Study of Untreated Blacks With Syphilis.
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Night Gallery 1969 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Steven Spielberg, Boris Sagal, Barry Shear
Cast: Roddy McDowall, Ossie Davis, Joan Crawford, Sam Jaffe, Barry Sullivan, George Macready, Richard Kiley, Tom Bosley, Norma Crane, Barry Atwater, George Murdock, Byron Morrow, Garry Goodrow, Shannon Farnon
In this three-story anthology, the offering "Eyes" is Steven Spielberg's directorial debut. It features Joan Crawford as a blind woman who dreams of seeing. Other stories, "The Cemetery" and "Escape Route" were directed by Boris Sagal and Barry Shear.
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No Way Out 1950 N/R, 106 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Sidney Poitier, Stephen McNally, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Harry Lauter, Stanley Ridges, Will Wright, Jack Kruschen, Mildred Joanne Smith, Harry Bellaver, Dots Johnson, Robert Adler, Ray Teal
Revenge based on racial prejudice is the name of the game in this movie that marks Sidney Poitier's film debut. Poitier plays medical intern Dr. Luther Brooks who is blamed for the death of Ray Biddle's (Richard Widmark) brother George (Harry Bellaver). The Biddle brothers are shot during a robbery and taken to a county hospital. The Biddles are racists, and when Brooks arrives to treat Ray, he refuses treatment because Brooks is Black. George dies while under Brooks' care, and Ray blames Brooks. He calls on his gang to cause violence in the Black neighborhoods, but the Blacks fight back. Ray escapes from the hospital with Brooks as his hostage and plans to kill him. But, Ray's girlfriend Edie steps in and thwarts his plans.
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The Outsider 1967 TV, 98 min.
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Director: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Darren McGavin, Anna Hagan, Edmond O'Brien, Sean Garrison, Shirley Knight, Ann Sothern, Audrey Totter, Ossie Davis, Joseph Wiseman, Nancy Malone, Mario Alcalde, Madame Spivy, Kent McCord
Detective David Ross (Darren McGavin) is a private-eye/ex-con hired by a theatrical manager to investigate possible embezzlement in this pilot for a TV series that followed the movie. Ross investigates the suspect, and, when she is found dead in his office, Ross becomes the prime suspect.
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Proud 2004 PG, 88 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Proudly We Served
Director: Mary Pat Kelly
Cast: Erik LaRay Harvey, Ossie Davis, Albert Jones, Jeffrey Nash, Stephen Rea, Rashad Haughton, Kiesha Whitaker, Aidan Quinn, Darnell Williams, Vernel Bagneris, Denise Nicholas, Edward O'Blenis Jr.
Veteran Lorenzo DuFau (Ossie Davis) tells grandson Larry (Albert Jones) the story of his military service during World War II with the predominantly Black crew that manned the Navy war ship, U.S.S. Mason. Flashbacks are used to illustrate many points of the story.
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Queen 1993 TV, 283 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Alex Haley's Queen
Director: John Erman
Cast: Halle Berry, Jasmine Guy, Tim Daly, Martin Sheen, Ann - Margret, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Winfield, Raven-Symone, Charlotte Moore, Ossie Davis, Jane Krakowski, Jasmine Guy, Samuel E. Wright, Peter Maloney, Tim Guinee
Alex Haley's saga continues. His first story, "Roots," involved seven generations of his mother's family. The miniseries "Queen" is based on Haley's father's family. Haley passed away in 1992 before completing his story, which was then completed by David Stevens. The plot revolves around Queen (Halle Berry) who was the daughter of a slave, Easter (Jasmine Guy), and plantation owner James Jackson Jr. (Tim Daly). Queen is light skinned and tries to pass for a White person, but in the aftermath of the Civil War, she faces many obstacles along the way.
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Sam Whiskey 1969 PG, 96 min.
Genre: Comedy / Western
Director: Arnold Laven
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Clint Walker, Ossie Davis, Angie Dickinson, Rick Davis, William Schallert, Woodrow Parfrey, Del Reeves, Anthony James, Robert Adler, Chubby Johnson, Sidney Clute
Lovely widow Laura (Angie Dickinson) offers Sam Whiskey (Burt Reynolds) a job to retrieve gold bars (that her late husband stole) and return them to the Denver mint before they are missed. But, the gold is on a sunken ship in the Platte River. No way, you say. The team he puts together to carry out his plan could be thwarted by the bad guys who would love to get rich.
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The Scalphunters 1968 N/R, 103 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Sydney Pollack
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Shelley Winters, Telly Savalas, Ossie Davis, Armando Silvestre, Dabney Coleman, Nick Cravat, Paul Picerni, Jack Williams, Chuck Roberson
Joe Bass (Burt Lancaster) acquires a slave, Joseph (Ossie Davis), who proves to be much smarter than Joe. Together, they track down a group of scalp hunters led by Jim Howie (Telly Savalas) and his mistress, Kate (Shelley Winters).
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 School Daze 1988 R, 120 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell, Joe Seneca, Ellen Holly, Kyme, Art Evans, Ossie Davis, Spike Lee, Bill Nunn
Through the medium of comedy, Spike Lee shows the racial problems that exist throughout the world. The message is clear that there are injustices that must be fought, and one student activist takes the lead in fighting for the cause of sense at a college in the South.
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 She Hate Me 2004 R, 140 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Ellen Barkin, Monica Bellucci, Jim Brown, Ossie Davis, Jamel Debbouze, Brian Dennehy, Woody Harrelson, Reynaldo Rosales, John Turturro, Q-Tip
Jack Armstrong (Anthony Mackie) was fired after he exposed corrupt business practices, and now he is desperate for cash–until a big deal comes along: Jack will impregnate lesbians and get paid big money for it.
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Slaves 1969  N/R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Herbert J. Biberman
Cast: Ossie Davis, Stephen Boyd, Nancy Coleman, David Huddleston, Shepperd Strudwick, Gale Sondergaard, Dionne Warwick, Julius Harris, Marilyn Clark, Eva Jessye, Robert Kya-Hill
Luke (Ossie Davis) suffers at the hands of a cruel plantation owner, McKay (Stephen Boyd), in this very out-dated film about racial relationships. Highlight: Gale Sondergaard returns to films after 20 years, having been blacklisted for her political views in the late 1940s.
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The Stand 1994 TV, 366 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
aka: Stephen King's The Stand
Director: Mick Garris
Cast: Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Ray Walston, Matt Frewer, Rob Lowe
A deadly virus from a government lab decimates most of the world's population, but this end of the world is just the beginning. The few human survivors dream of either the mystical Mother Abigail (Ruby Dee) or of the amiable Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan) whose smile seems a bit diabolical. These two characters represent either good or evil; followers on both sides prepare to take a stand.
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| 1. 12 Angry Men (1997)
2. Baadasssss! (2004)
3. Bubba Ho-Tep (2003)
4. The Cardinal (1963)
5. The Client (1994)
6. Deacons for Defense (2003)
7. Death of a Prophet (1981)
8. Dinosaur (2000)
9. Do the Right Thing (1989)
10. Doctor Dolittle (1998)
aka: Dr. Dolittle
11. Get on the Bus (1996)
12. Gladiator (1992)
13. Gone Are the Days (1963)
aka: Purlie Victorious
aka: The Man from C.O.T.T.O.N.
14. Grumpy Old Men (1993)
15. Harry and Son (1984)
16. The Hill (1965)
17. Hot Stuff (1979)
18. I'm Not Rappaport (1996)
19. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
20. Jungle Fever (1991)
21. King (1978)
aka: King: The Martin Luther King Story
22. Let's Do It Again (1975)
23. Malcolm X (1972)
24. A Man Called Adam (1966)
25. Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
26. Night Gallery (1969)
27. No Way Out (1950)
28. The Outsider (1967)
29. Proud (2004)
aka: Proudly We Served
30. Queen (1993)
aka: Alex Haley's Queen
31. Sam Whiskey (1969)
32. The Scalphunters (1968)
33. School Daze (1988)
34. She Hate Me (2004)
35. Slaves (1969)
36. The Stand (1994)
aka: Stephen King's The Stand
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