Black in Period Films

A family clash over an heirloom piano explodes.  The Piano Lesson is Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut. Washington co-wrote the screenplay with Virgil Williams and is an adaptation of the 1987 Pulitzer-prize winning August Wilson play. The battle between brother (John David Washington) and sister (Danielle Deadwyler) — one hopes to sell it, the other refuses to give it up — unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy.  Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, Gail Bean, Danielle Deadwyler, and Corey Hawkins. The film will be in select theaters November and on Netflix November 22.

 Apple TV+ has given us the trailer for their up and coming series Manhunt.  The seven part miniseries is based on the nonfiction book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. Its the story of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.   In the trailer you can see Lovie Simone as Mary Simms,  Antonio J Bell as Milo Simms, and Roger Payano as Oswell Swann. According to the series IMDb page Mary Simms will be in 4 episodes while both Milo Simms and Oswell Swann will be in 2 episodes.  Lovie Simone and Antonio J Bell as Mary and Milo Simms Lovie Simone as Mary Simms Lovie Simone as Mary Simms Roger Payano as Oswell Swann Roger Payano as Oswell Swann Roger Payano as Oswell Swann All of these characters are based on real people who were involved with the real life events surrounding the trail of  John Wilkes Booth. There isn't much from the POVs of these people, but I'm looking forward to seeing these little kno

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ lovers the world over were excited when news of a new adaptation of the 1844 novel was reported. As a big fan of the 2002 adaptation, I was included in this group. I have always found the Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet tale of revenge to be exciting, passionate, and full of intrigue. However, I must admit that I have not read the book and so my love of the story is based strictly on what some book fans consider to be a less than stellar retelling of the original novel. Perhaps this Bille August directed series will be just what some book readers are looking for. I’m often on the “book reader who isn’t completely happy with the adaptation” side of things, so I really hope this retelling makes them happy. It’s going to be an eight-part series, which bodes well since the book is 1,000+ pages. Novels of that size are usually better told in series form.  Sam Claflin (Enola Holmes and Daisy Jones and The Six) will play the lead Edmond Dantes. Poster for the