25 Movies 'Every Black Woman Should Watch'

Being the huge movie fan that I am and an avid reader of Essence Magazine, I found it very interesting to see their recommendations of the "Top 25 Movies Every Black Woman Should Watch". So figured I would take a look and provide my own remix version!! Check it out below (in no particular order):

1. Love Jones: 

A classic love story and a true showcase of black love. Larenz Tate and Nia Long have the perfect chemistry. A movie that I can watch over and over again, and never get tired.

2. Malcolm X:

Here is a movie that has the perfect equation...Eye Candy (that is Denzel Washington)+ History of an Icon that was heavily discussed in school= Amazing film and performance!! Many have said this is not just a movie, but a movement!!

3. What's Love Got To Do With It? 

Probably one of the best performance from Angela Bassett. She nailed this roll to a tee. And what was not to like a about seeing a black triumph and make it BIG!!

4. The Best Man:

And as an added bonus we get a sequel!! YES...YES...YES!!

5. Mahongany:

This movie is the perfect example of a true transformation. This film channels everything fashion, modeling, and a dramatic love affair with fine as wine Billy Dee Williams.

6. Sparkle (1976)

Family, Fame, and Love...each has its place in this girl group's lives.

7. The Color Purple:

Another classic book to film adaptation that examines the many facets of the black woman and her struggle to survive, maintain strength, and being true to one's self inside and out.

8. Eve's Bayou

"Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain. The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old." Now that is some deep stuff coming from a young child. I can remember watching this film and being hooked immediately. Director Kasi Lemmons shocks each and every one of your senses, and potentially even cast a spell on you. :-)

9. Waiting to Exhale:

I really like this movie! It showed the real deal of what happens in the lives of black women, everything from sex, dating, scandal, hurt, pain, love, and so much more. We could relate to at least one of the ladies or at least some part of them. The bond that each of these sistas had was truly genuine! And to top it off, it was accompanied by an awesome soundtrack!!

10. Daughters of the Dust: 

This quote said it best: "I've never seen another movie like it. It's a uniquely African and African-American story, but also a universal one at the same time. It's the lyrical story of a Gullah family on St. Helena Island on the eve of their move to the mainland (US/South Carolina). The visuals are stunning, the acting is great, and the story is original. To boot, the filmmaker, Julie Dash was the first Black woman to have her feature film (this one) distributed theatrically nationwide. The Library of Congress selected the film for the National Film Registry." --Akkida McDowell, Deputy Research Editor, ESSENCE Magazine 

11. Boomerang

"If you don't know the dialogue from this film, you need to learn it ASAP. Boomerang really created the blueprint for the Black creative executive. Love, money, drama, and sex. What more could you ask for? --Emil Wilbekin, Editor-at-Large, ESSENCE

12. Friday

Comedy, Chris Tucker, Bernie Mac, No Job!!

13. Foxy Brown

Pam Grier paved the way for ALL women to be able to play an action heroine, in a lead role. And she did it in true style!! Foxy was not one to mees with!!

14. Cleopatra Jones

Here is a woman who takes down a whole gang of men, by herself, and looks real fly at the same time. The sista got it going on!! You can't tell me Cleopatra was not a diva!

15. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands...enough said!! True Legends.

16. School Daze:

Everything from "Good or Bad Hair...see if I care" to HBCU Homecomings, to Campus Revolutionaries!! You betta wake up!!

17. Their Eyes Were Watching God:

"It's a fantastic movie adaption to the famed book by Zora Neale Hurston starring Halle Berry and Michael Ealy. Not only does the main character, Janie Crawford (Berry) represent many women struggling to find themselves in life, she also fights to not let love rule her." --Derrick Taylor, Associate Editor, ESSENCE.com

18. Coming to America

"She's your queen to beeeee...." and "Sexual Chocolate (drops the mic)" 

19. Brown Sugar:

Hip Hop and Black Love, works for me!!

20. The Wiz:

"This lavish musical production of an all-Black retelling of The Wizard of Oz, showcased some of the greatest talents of all time."

21. I Will Follow: 

This movie was phenomenal, you can't help but look at your own self and family and see big or small pieces of your own life. I could totally relate with the main character Maye, when you invest so much emotionally into a something or someone, you can drain every bit of existence. But somehow that light at the end of tunnel becomes a little clearer and you can begin the fight again!

22. Set It Off:

Hats off to F. Gary Gray for this film right here. A movie about black women who stick together all the way to the end, despite the obstacles that are presented in front of them. Friendship at its finest. One of my fave movies of the 90s.

23. Love and Basketball

Friendship, Basketball, Memories...in the end love prevails!

24. Harlem Nights

"You shot my pinkie toe!!" If you have not seen this movie, stop right now and  go to Netflix and be prepared to laugh all day and all night!!

25. Poetic Justice

Before Kendrick Lamr made this into a hit track, the movie had already did the job.

Now this is just my take, but feel free to chime in on what might be on your list!!

Entire cast returns and Forest Whitaker Directs "Waiting to Exhale" Sequel!!

The news we have been waiting for... (drum roll please)...Today was the day, on the CBS show "The Talk"guest Angela Basset would reveal that everyone from the original cast of the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale is on board and that Forest Whitaker will be directing. (YAY!!) This is great news as we were all wondering if the entire cast would be returning. So we will get the chance to see

"She (McMillan) wrote Getting to Happy and she's written the screenplay...Loretta, Lela, Whitney, Forest. Forest is working on the script now," Basset said.

As you know Waiting to Exhale was a huge commercial success bringing in over $81,000,000+. Despite mixed reviews this film made a huge impact, and I think the sequel will do just the same if not better.  So ladies and gentleman are you ready for this? Well I can't wait!!

"Friends are the people who let you be yourself, and never let you forget it."

Angela Bassett to join wedding comedy "Jumping the Broom"

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Angela Bassett will star alongside Paula Patton in Jumping the Broom, a wedding-themed ensemble comedy.

Also joining the cast of the Columbia Pictures project are rapper/actor Romeo Miller and Laz Alonso.
"Broom" revolves around the clash of two black families from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum meeting for the first time during a weekend wedding in Martha's Vineyard. Bassett will play Patton's mother, an heiress and a pillar of the Washington elite.

Miller plays Patton's cousin, a senior at Yale. Alonso will play Patton's love interest. Shooting begins soon in Nova Scotia. TV veteran Salim Akil ("Girlfriends") will direct.

It has been a minute since we have seen Ms. Angela on the big screen, and I am excited for her return. Also just recently, Bassett has wrapped-up shooting Green Lantern, playing Dr. Amanda Waller in the comic-book adaptation. In addition to these two upcoming films, she is casting her directorial debut, United States, which is slated to go before cameras in the fall.

Rewind Wednesday: Waiting to Exhale

"Friends are the people who let you be yourself... and never let you forget it."

How many of you remember back in 1995 when the movie Waiting to Exhale debuted? I was just starting high school and all the guys were saying "not another male-bashing movie". But the innteresting thing about it was that a male (Forest Whitaker) directed which might make go hmmmm...it sure did for me. It was a pleasant surprise to see a male take on the role of an all-female cast. It should also be noted that this movie is notable for having an all-black cast. The success of the film proved that there is an audience for black movies. The LA Times called it a "social phenomenon".

The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Its story centers on four female friends living in the Phoenix, Arizona area and their relationships with men and one another. All of them are "holding their breath" until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man. Thus being able to "exhale"!

It features a nice ensemble that manages to have good chemistry while also allowing certain performers to step into the limelight and really dominate certain scenes. As someone who has read the book and seen the movie, think there is a great correlation between the two. Pretty much any film whether black or white could attest to this film in some sort of way. This movie is filled with sweet moments, great laughter, and maybe some tears. Just a wonderful movie that shows what friendship is about. I also believe it show great strength as strong women taking a stand for themselves to pull themselves together and stay strong and realize they have the ability to make themselves happy no matter the situation they are in. And not to forget, there is a fabulous soundtrack that accompanies this great film.

This is one of those films that has become a classic for me especially in Black Cinema, everytime time it comes on tv I can't help but watch it, even though I have the DVD...lol

Biggie Biggie Give Me One More Chance!!

You know your movie has done well when you seen grown men come out of a movie theater teary-eyed. Notorious did just that!! After watching this film I could honestly say that this portrayal was "Amazing"! Notorious is a 2009 biopic film about the life of hip hop star Christopher Wallace aka Biggie Smalls bka The Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie who, through raw talent and sheer determination, transforms himself from a Brooklyn street hustler to become the greatest rapper of all time. His story charts his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectation and redefines our notion of "The American Dream". (Fox Searchlight)

Each character in this film was able to shine and at the same time complement the main character of focus, the Notorious B.I.G. aka Christopher Wallace. Angela Bassett who plays Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mom does a outstanding job of showing the strong-willed, no-nonsense having mother. And even though she is not a Jamaican she was able to pull it off successfully with the accent. Next, Derek Luke (Sean "Diddy" Combs) will make you laugh and make you say wow, "I have a greater respect for Diddy and his craft. To be able to have something and lose it in an instance and then rise above it speaks volumes!! And I can't forget, Luke had them dance moves down to a tee, a mirror image. And last but certainly not least, Jamal "Gravy" Woolard who plays the Notorious B.I.G. That was Biggie on the screen, no doubt. His walk, his talk, his charisma, his mannerisms, NO ONE could tell me any different. It was so evident that its scary!! Every time he talked, walked, moved I got chills to my soul because it was just that REAL. To be able to encompass all that they did in the two and some change was truly a magnificent feat. Director George Tillman Jr. should be commended for the finished product of this film. All of the hype that came with this film was definitely worth, no disappointments on this end. Thank God there are still films that portray a true to life biopic story. Hip-hop lost a great soldier in the Notorious B.I.G. and the fact that his legacy lives on even almost twelve years later makes me give him mad respect as an artist and an individual.

" When you read magazines and you see everybody having fun, you think, 'okay, that's where I want to be.' But once you get in it and you achieve the sucess that you want, it seems like that's where the player hating starts. You know that's where everybody's like, 'Well it's not all that." -Notorious B.I.G.

This film reminds us that as easy as it is to get something it is even easier to lose it in an instance. All can say is "Where Brooklyn At?!!"


Grade: A

Top 30 Sexiest Black Actors and Actresses

According to AOL Black Voices they have compiled a list of the 30 Sexiest Black Actors, now sometime back they also had also complied a list of the Sexiest Black Actresses (see below).

All I know is Denzel betta be on this list...lol...You be the judge...

30. Nick Cannon, 28
29. Don Cheadle, 44
28. Jesse L. Martin, 35
27. Richard T. Jones, 36
26. Phillip Michael Thomas, 59
25. Common, 36
24. Mekhi Phifer, 33
23. Hill Harper, 42
22. Ron O'Neal 67 (at time of death)
21. Taimak, 44
20. Taye Diggs, 36
19. Henry Simmons, 38
18. Leon, 46
17. Terrence Howard, 39
16. Richard Roundtree, 66
15. Blair Underwood, 44
14. Harry Belafonte, 81
13. Tupac Shakur, 25 (at time of death)
12. Boris Kodjoe, 35
11. Jim Kelly, 62
10. Columbus Short, 26
9. Dwayne Johnson, 36
8. Michael Jai White, 41
7. Morris Chestnut, 39
6. Billy Dee Williams, 71
5. Dijmon Hounsou, 44
4. Shemar Moore, 38
3. Denzel Washington, 53
2. Idris Elba, 36
1. Will Smith, 40


Featured Story: http://www.blackvoices.com/entertainment/top-30-sexiest-actors

Hmmmm.... I would have to adjust the Top 3 but nonetheless the list looks pretty good to me. Nice mix of ol school and new school!!


Top 30 Sexiest Black Actresses

30. Thandie Newton
29. Tracy Camilla Jones
28. Vivica A. Fox
27. Robin Givens
26. Paula Patton
25. Nichelle Nichols
24. Eartha Kitt
23. Vanity
22. Lauren London
21. Stacey Dash
20. Tamara Dobson
19. Kerry Washington
18. Lisa Raye
17. Lynn Whitfield
16. Diahann Carroll
15. Zoe Saldana
14. Nia Long
13. Janet Jackson
12. Beyonce'
11. Vanessa L. Williams
10. Sanaa Lathan
9. Gabrielle Union
8. Jada Pinkett-Smith
7. Lela Rochon
6. Angela Bassett
5. Josephine Baker
4. Meagan Good
3. Halle Berry
2. Dorothy Dandridge
1. Pam Grier

Now this list could have been different in many ways some of these young ladies could have been taken off but who am I!

Featured Story: http://www.blackvoices.com/entertainment/top-30-sexiest-actresses

A "Behind the Scenes" Pass for Notorious

I will have to admit I am actually pretty excited about this film, Notorious. As an individual who loves hip-hop this movie will do a more classic showing of a hip-hop legend Notorious B.I.G. This is definitely not a bootleg adventure considering the individuals who are playing the roles (Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie, just to name a few).

Just watching this trailer I got chills because its just that REAL!! Definitely a great film to start of the New Year right!! Also a great film for the Hip-Hop heads!!




Here's is also another lil peek "behind the set" with the Notorious cast. Some deep stuff, words to live by.





Notorious hits theaters on January 16th, 2009