| | | A Thousand and One (2023) | A Thousand and One is a character study of one woman’s choices, her love for her son, and the countless obstacles she encounters just getting through the minutia of her life. It is vivid and gutting. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) | A stunning tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022) | With his outstanding analysis, dazzling clips, and compelling reflections, Is That Black Enough For You?! will undoubtedly be a staple in cinema studies and for the causal cinephile for decades to come. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Bones and All (2022) | Deeply intriguing, Bones and All is nothing like one might expect, but in the end, you'll be glad you've devoured every bloody drop of it. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Till (2022) | Through Deadwyler’s powerful performance, viewers will feel the palpable fear of Black mothers knowing they can never fully protect their Black children in white America. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Devotion (2022) | The acting, specifically that of Majors and Jackson, the intense battle sequences, Majors and Powell’s chemistry, and the emotional moments make it worthwhile. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Rise (2022) | Okeniyi and Badaki's performances are particularly impactful as two hardworking and proud people determined to make a better life for their five sons. - RogerEbert.com |
| | | Rodeo (2022) | Raw and gritty, there is a lot about Rodeo that works. Ledru is an enticing first-timer whose constant scowl and determination aid in her ability to navigate the B-Moore boys... - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Five Devils (2022) | Despite the chaos of the mixed genres and the strange narrative, The Five Devils still has standout moments. Dramé is exquisite as the precocious Vicky. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Dam (2022) | Though Maher and his worksite are some distance from the brewing revolution, The Dam suggests that the violence has made its way to them through nature. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Silent Twins (2022) | The Gibbons twins’ story is an important one to tell. Smoczynska gets a lot of it right, infusing the sisters’ actual passages, songs, and writings into the script. However, the nuances of their Black experience are barely highlighted... - Shadow and Act |
| | | Master (2022) | The lessons in Master are haunting and painful, but one thing remains apparent, there is no glory in being a token — history has proven that time and time again. - Essence |
| | | Descendant (2022) | Despite finding Clotilda and the attention brought to Africatown, there is still so much to unpack, and many truths remain buried. - Essence |
| | | Emergency (2022) | Films about racism certainly aren’t a rarity, but what makes Emergency stand out is that it depicts the literal interruption of Black boy joy. - Essence |
| | | God's Country (2022) | It becomes as a whole an intoxicating watch. - Essence |
| | | Nanny (2022) | Amid a wealth of solid performance and some exquisite cinematography, the themes of motherhood, exploitation, and the falsehood of the American dream will undoubtedly spark conversation. - Essence |
| | | Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (2022) | Ebo offers no solutions with her film, but she grapples with very real cynicism from her upbringing in Atlanta megachurches... - Essence |
| | | Alice (2022) | Ver Linden never really decides what she wants her film to be, which suggests this story would have been much better off in another writer/director’s hands. - Essence |
| | | Dune (2021) | By the time its near three-hour run-time comes to an end, and Chalamet's Paul finally encounters Zendaya's Chani, the story is only just beginning to get interesting. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) | Phenomenally dark and wicked, Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth is the most worthy adaptation of a Shakespearean work that has been seen on screen in years. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Harder They Fall (2021) | Though much of the narrative exists in the action sequences, the connections between the characters are profoundly humanizing. Samuel doesn't try to reimagine the Western. Instead, he presents the genre as it always should have been. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Mary J. Blige's My Life (2021) | With "My Life," Blige saved herself -- and reminded her fans their selves were worth saving as well - NBC News THINK |
| | | Fatherhood (2021) | While some portions of Fatherhood are cheesier than others, it is a mostly solid film about the reality of connection between a father and his child -- one that exists for many, if not most, fathers -- especially today. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (2021) | The film doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to action thrillers. But where it does succeed is presenting a character that is entirely different from either Harrison Ford's or John Krasinski's Jack Ryan, which exist in the same Tom Clancy Universe. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Tina (2021) | It is Turner's reflection, her thank-you and her true farewell. With a career that stretched back to 1957, the singer has given us more than we ever deserved. Now, she's saving the rest of it for herself. - NBC News THINK |
| | | (2021) | The electricity and searing vulnerability between the leads in Malcolm & Marie proves Black romance can be ever-evolving. - NBC News THINK |
| | | My Name Is Pauli Murray (2021) | Tightly edited and informative, My Name is Pauli Murray is a knockout documentary proving that despite American society's fragility, the strides that we have made are often the work of the most underprivileged. - Shadow and Act |
| | | R#J (2021) | R#J never quite delivers a refreshing and bold take on Romeo and Juliet, the ideas are there, but it never quite comes together. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) | More than anything, what Judas and the Black Messiah presents is a full tapestry of a young man who was truly for the people. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Soul (2020) | Soul is nuanced and layered, but it's not perfect. Yet, despite the serious themes, the richness of the narrative and the stunning jazz score make it more than worthwhile. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) | Portraying the Mother of the Blues and dripped in fur and indignation, Viola Davis' Ma bursts through the screen and confinements of Rainey's era, standing tall and vibrant in each buttery frame of the film. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Between the World and Me (2020) | Between The World And Me is mostly even and well-paced, though some moments stay with you longer than others. All the while, Coates' pragmatic and realistic view of the world is woven throughout the piece. - AV Club |
| | | Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) | With Jingle Jangle, Talbert has reimagined what a Christmas musical can do and what it can represent for Black girls in particular. - NBC News THINK |
| | | The Boy Behind the Door (2020) | 'The Boy Behind the Door' Is a Terrifying and Realistic Journey. The realism in the story is also profoundly compelling as Bobby tries to meander his way through the old labyrinth-like home searching for his friend, who has been chained and bound. - Showbiz Cheat Sheet |
| | | Akilla's Escape (2020) | Saul Williams' 40-year old Akilla Brown juxtaposed with Mpumlwana's 15-year old Akilla fortify Officer's crime drama. Instead of a movie about a drug deal gone wrong, Akilla's Escape is a film about manhood, mercy, and second chances. - Showbiz Cheat Sheet |
| | | Coastal Elites (2020) | Since it's not saying anything new or offering much in the way of entertainment, it simply feels like an endless, exhausting echo of the exact parts of our lives that drive us to seek escape in the movies. - NBC News THINK |
| | | Comfort Farms (2020) | It's certainly not a pretty picture, but that's what makes it one of the most powerful docs on veteran experience out there. - A Word with Aramide |
| | | Da 5 Bloods (2020) | Spike Lee takes his audience on a journey across the decades, putting a spotlight on the Black veteran experience in a way few filmmakers ever have. In doing so, he successfully links a film nominally about the Vietnam War to today's cultural battles. - NBC News THINK |
| | | We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020) | This film is about being seen, the power of words and understanding that if we allow children to examine the world through their own eyes, we might be alright in the end. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Photograph (2020) | Stella Meghie's The Photograph adds to the canon of Black Love on screen and shows that Black sensuality, romance and love stories can be beautifully illustrated without the backdrops of financial hardships or jilting trauma. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Last Shift (2020) | The film never gets to the root of their issues or the reasons for their disconnection. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Time (2020) | While most films on mass incarceration and prison reform place their audiences in jails and courtrooms, Time does something different. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Farewell Amor (2020) | It's a captivating and well-acted character study about connection, loss and the emotional labor needed for second chances. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Sylvie's Love (2020) | Sylvie's Love is a film that has romance, beauty and the delights and wonder of Black life. - Shadow and Act |
| | | The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020) | Vulnerable but vibrant in all of it's black, white and grey-hued glory, The 40-Year-Old Version is an ode to BLACK Harlem, fearlessness and the art of putting yourself on. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Zola (2020) | Zola sparkles because of the brilliant performances and the sheer insanity of it all. - Showbiz Cheat Sheet |
| | | Softie (2020) | Softie is a grim assessment of both the cost of revolution and modern-day manhood. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Miss Juneteenth (2020) | Despite its earlier stumbles, sticking with Miss Juneteenth is beyond rewarding. In addition to Beharie's absolute magnetism, what is unveiled is a stunning mother/daughter tapestry about the sacrifices of motherhood. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Cuties (2020) | More than a commentary on the predatory behaviors of men, and the adultification of young girls, Cuties is a reminder that young minds are fragile and eager. - Shadow and Act |
| | | Bad Hair (2020) | ... despite the great acting and nuances of Black womanhood, especially as it pertains to our relationship with our hair... Bad Hair doesn't quite know what it wants to say, leaving its audience stumbling around for answers. - Shadow and Act |
