Review: "MADEA'S DESTINATION WEDDING" is the Best Netflix "Madea"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 of 2026 (No. 2055) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tyler Perry's Madea's Destination Wedding (2025)

Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)

Rating: MPA – PG-13 for strong language, crude/sexual material, drug material, and some violence

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

PRODUCERS:  Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, and Yolanda T. Cochran

CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Justyn Moro (D.o.P.) and Michael Wilson (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Larry Sexton

COMPOSER:  Jongnic Tontemps

COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring:  Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, David Mann, Tamela J. Mann, Taja V. Simpson, Diamond White, Jermaine Harris, Xavier Smalls,Walnette Carrington, and Brandon Sutton

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SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

Madea's Destination Wedding is a true return to form for the “Madea” film series. Everything that Madea films do well, this film does exceptionally well

The film's beautiful locations make this movie the best-looking “Madea” movie to date. Between the comedy and pretty locations, I felt like I wanted to be there

Madea's Destination Wedding is a long-deserved gift to Madea fans, but it can also work as a good introduction to this series for newcomers

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Madea's Destination Wedding is a 2025 American comedy-drama film from writer-director Tyler Perry.  It is the 14th film in the “Madea” film series.  The film is also a Netflix original and began streaming on service July 11, 2025.  In Madea's Destination Wedding, Madea travels to the Bahamas for her granddaughter's wedding, but tensions, strangeness, and suspicions abound.

Madea's Destination Wedding finds U.S. Attorney Brian Simmons (Tyler Perry) having dinner with his daughter, Tiffany (Diamond White); son, “BJ” (Jermaine Harris); and their mother, Brian's ex-wife, Debrah (Taja V. Simpson).  Tiffany and Debrah surprise Brian with the introduction of Tiffany's boyfriend, Zavier (Xavier Smalls)... and with the news that Tiffany and Zavier are getting married.  The surprises don't stop; the nuptials will happen as a “destination wedding” in the Bahamas.

Now, Brian is forced to lead a caravan of relatives to the Bahamas.  That includes his aunt, Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Tyler Perry); his father and Madea's older brother, Uncle Joe Simmons (Tyler Perry); Madea's daughter, Cora Simmons (Tamela J. Mann); Cora's supposed father, Mr. Brown (David Mann); Madea's cousin, Aunt Bam (Tamela J. Mann), and BJ.  They arrive to find that the Bahamas are beautiful and the hotel is luxurious and opulent.

However, there is more to Tiffany and Zavier's wedding than what appears on the surface, and the results may lead to disaster, heartache, and a canceled wedding.  Meanwhile, Madea and company are enjoying the idea of “put it on the room” too much.

Madea's Destination Wedding is the best Madea movie since 2019's A Madea Family Funeral (which was originally supposed to be the final film in the series).  It is certainly much better than 2022's Netflix original Madea film, A Madea Homecoming.  Madea's Destination Wedding picks up story elements from Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) and Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017), which largely dealt with the melodrama surrounding Brian Simmons' daughter, Tiffany, who is engaged to be married in this new film.

I thoroughly enjoyed Madea's Destination Wedding.  I felt so good after watching it that I didn't want it to end.  It reminds me of the run of Madea films beginning in the 20-10s with Madeas Big Happy Family (2011), which all offered a delightful mix of Christian moralism, family reconciliation and forgiveness, redemption, and lots of yucks from Madea and company.  If Tyler Perry can't make future Madea movies like Madea's Destination Wedding, then, he should retire the series.

I had forgotten to watch Madea's Destination Wedding when it first arrived last year, but I recently watched it in preparation for the new “Uncle Joe” film, Joe's College Road Trip (2026).  I am happy that I got around to watching this.  Madea's Destination Wedding is true to the spirit of the best Madea films, with smatterings of Christian spirituality, faith, forgiveness, redemption, and a great deal of broad comedy and slapstick.  And Madea's Destination Wedding does it well enough to make me feel good about watching it.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 21st to 31st, 2025 - UPDATE #21

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/26 to 12/28/2025 weekend box office is 20th Century's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" with an estimated take of 64 million dollars.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Film and TV mogul, Tyler Perry, is facing a 77 million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit from model, Mario Rodriguez, who appeared in Perry's 2016 film, "Boo: A Madea Halloween," as "Frat Guy No. 10."  The suit also names Lionsgate, the film's distributor, as a defendant.

AWARDS - From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2026 / 26th Black Reel Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" leads with a record 21 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 16, 2026.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/19 to 12/21/2025 weekend box office is 20th Century Studio's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" with an estimated take of 88 million dollars.

AMAZON/NETFLIX - From Deadline:  In a surprise deal between major streamers, Netflix and Amazon Prime, Netflix will stream "James Bond," "Rocky," and "Creed" movies, beginning in mid-January 2026.

OBITS:

From Variety:  American actor, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., has died at the age of 71, Tuesday, December 30, 2025.  Whitlock was best known for the role of corrupt state senator, "Clay Davis," in HBO's former drama, "The Wire."  He also appeared in several Spike Lee films, including "25th Hour" (2002), "She Hate Me" (2004), and "Da 5 Bloods" (2020).  Whitlock was also a voice actor in Disney and Pixar productions such as "Cars 3" (2017), "Lightyear" (2022), and the upcoming "Hoppers" (2026). 

From Deadline:   American film executive and film producer, Meyer Gottlieb, has died at the age of 86, Monday, December 29, 2025.  He was a cofounder of "Samuel Goldwyn Film" with Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. in 2000.  Gottlieb was also a co-producer of the Oscar-winning film, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World."  Gottlieb was a Polish Holocaust survivor who live in labor camps in Ukraine during World War II.

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MOVIE AWARDS 2025-26:

From AwardsWatch:  The U.K. Film Critics Association (UKFCA) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 3 awards, including "Film of the Year" and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won six awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) Awards have been announced.  Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet" picked up three wins, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Chloe Zhao), and Best Actress (Jessie Buckley).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up five wins, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 / 60th Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up five wins, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) Awards have been announced.  Director Mary Bronstein's "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" won "Best Film About Women" and Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet" wins "Best Movie by a Woman."

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up five wins, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up four wins, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up five wins, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 6 awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler), and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up four wins, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up five wins, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 5 awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler), and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) Awards have been announced. "One Battle After Another" picked up five wins, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson), and "Best Actor" (Leonardo DiCaprio).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 4 awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler), and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Southern Eastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up three wins, including "Best Film." 

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up eights wins, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson), and "Best Actor" (Leonardo DiCaprio).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won six awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up eights wins, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson), and "Best Actor" (Leonardo DiCaprio).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up nine wins, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson), and "Best Actor" (Leonardo DiCaprio).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" won five awards including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won three awards, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler).

From Empire:  "Empire Magazine" has named director Ryan Coogler's vampire epic, "Sinners," the "2025 Film of the Year."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2025 Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up six wins, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch: The winners at the 2025 Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up nine wins, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) have announced the winners at the 17th Annual AAFCA Awards.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 8 awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler), and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2025 Michigan Movie Critics Guild (MMCG) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 8 awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler), and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2025 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Awards have been announced.  Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" won 10 awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Ryan Coogler), and "Best Actor" (Michael B. Jordan).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Awards winners have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up four wins, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2025 / 51st Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picked up three wins, including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2025 National Board of Review Awards have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" picks up five wins, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson), and "Best Actor" (Leonardo DiCaprio).

From THR:  The nominations for the 2026 / 83rd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "One Battle After Another" leads the film categories with nine nominations. HBO's "The White Lotus" leads the television category with six nominations.  The winners will be announced January 11, 2026 in a ceremony broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

From AwardsWatch:  The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) has announced the nominations for the 2025 SFCS Awards.  Director Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" leads with a record-tying 14 nominations.  Eventual "Best Picture" Oscar winner, "Everything Everywhere All At Once," received 14 nominations in 2022.  The winners will be announced Monday, December 15, 2025.

From AwardsWatch:  The 2025 / 9th Atlanta Film Critics Circle has announced its winners.  "One Battle After Another" picks up seven wins, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Paul Thomas Anderson), and "Best Actor" (Leonardo DiCaprio).

From Variety:  The winners of the 2025 / 91st New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  Director Paul Thomas Anderson's film, "One Battle After Another" wins "Best Film."  The awards will be handed out at a gala ceremony on January 6, 2026 at "Tao Downtown" in New York City.

From Deadline:   The winners at the 2025 / 35th Annual Gotham Awards have been announced.  Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s "One Battle After Another" won "Best Feature." Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi and his Palme d’Or winner, "It Was Just An Accident" were the big winners, picking up "Best International Feature," "Best Director," and  "Original Screenplay."

From AwardsWatch:  Twenty films have made crossed the first hurdle in the race for the "Best Visual Effects" Oscar.  Those films include "Avatar: Fire and Ash," "Captain America: Brave New World," "Frankenstein," and "Sinners."  In a little under two weeks, those 20 will be cut down to 10.

From AwardsWatch:  The site has a list of all 322 films eligible for Oscar consideration in the animated, documentary, and international film categories.

From THR:  The nominations for the 2026 / 38th European Film Awards have been announced.  the winners will be announced at the 38th European Film Awards ceremony, which takes place January 17, 2026.

From Deadline:  Last week (Oct. 14th), the European Film Academy shortlisted the 67 films were available to receive nominations for the 38th European Film Awards, taking place on January 17, 2026.  The shortlist included 44 feature films, 15 documentary films, and eight animated feature films.  Among the list of feature films were "Bugonia" and "Sound of Falling."  The nominations are scheduled to be announced today (Oct. 18th).

From THR:  The nominations for the 2025 / 35th Annual Gotham Films Awards have been announced.  Director Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" tops the list of nominees with a record six nominations, including "Best Feature" and "Best Director" for Anderson.  The winners will be announced December 1, 2025.

BEST PICTURE TRACKER:

"Hamnet" (2 wins):  Iowa Film Critics Association; Women Film Critics Circle

"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" (1 win):  Women Film Critics Circle

"One Battle After Another" (22 wins):  Atlanta Film Critics Circle; Austin Film Critics Association; Boston Online Film Critics Association; Chicago Film Critics Association; Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association; Florida Film Critics Circle; Georgia Film Critics Association; Gotham Awards; Kansas City Film Critics Circle; Las Vegas Film Critics Society; Los Angeles Film Critics Association; National Board of Review; New York Film Critics Circle; New York Film Critics Online; Philadelphia Film Critics Circle; Phoenix Critics Circle; Phoenix Film Critics Society; St. Louis Film Critics Association; San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle; Seattle Film Critics Society; Southern Eastern Film Critics Association; Toronto Film Critics Association

"Sinners" (10 wins):  African American Film Critics Association; Boston Society of Film Critics; Dublin Film Critics Circle; Indiana Film Journalists Association; Michigan Movie Critics Guild; North Texas Film Critics Association; Online Association of Female Film Critics; San Diego Film Critics Society; U.K. Film Critics Association; Washington DC Area Film Critics Association

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Review: Tyler Perry's "STRAW" Gets the Best of Taraji P. Henson

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 of 2025 (No. 2035) by Leroy Douresseaux

Straw (2025)

Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)

Rating: not rated by the MPA / TV-MA

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

PRODUCERS:  Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, and Tony L. Strickland 

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Justyn Moro (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Nick Coker

COMPOSER:  Dara Taylor

DRAMA/CRIME

Starring:  Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Sinbad, Rockmond Dunbar, Ashley Versher, Mike Merrill, Glynn Turman, Shalet Monique, Diva Tyler, Derek Phillips, Tilky Jones, Katrina Nelson, Justin James Boykin, and Gabby Jackson

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

-- Taraji P. Henson gives a tour-de-force performance in Straw, the third Tyler Perry film in which she has been the lead and her fourth Perry film, overall. It is a treat to watch so skilled and talented an actress in this film

-- However, as good as it is, Straw is very sad and mournful. Straw is not a tear-jerkier. It is a python of sadness that will squeeze the tears out of you, dear readers.

Straw is a 2025 psychological drama and crime film from writer-director Tyler Perry.  The film is a “Netflix Original,” and it began streaming on the service June 6, 2025.  Straw focuses on an African-American single mother who is forced by a series of unfortunate events into inadvertently taking hostages at a local bank branch.

Straw introduces Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson).  She is a single mother living in a dilapidated apartment with her frequently ill daughter, Aria (Gabby Jackson).  Janiyah has been able to hold things together, but one particular day, everything starts to fall apart.  Aria's school is demanding $40 for lunch money, and the landlord at her apartment complex is threatening to evict Janiyah if she does not come up with the rent money.

Janiyah's mean boss, Richard (Glynn Turman), at the “Super Center” grocery store is also threatening to fire her over being late for work and for often having to leave work early.  Then, the unthinkable happens, and Janiyah finds herself at “Benevolent Bank & Trust,” where a misunderstanding becomes a major incident.  Now, the bank's manager, Nicole Parker (Sherri Shepherd), and a female police detective, Detective Kay Raymond (Teyana Taylor), may be the only ones who can save Janiyah from more tragedy.

Straw is the fourth Tyler Perry in which actress Taraji P. Henson has appeared, and the third one in which she has been the lead.  I have seen 2009's I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Henson's first starring role in a Perry film, but I have yet to see her second Perry lead, 2018's Acrimony.  Straw is very different from I Can Do Bad All By Myself, which also has Henson play a desperate single mother, but that film was nowhere near as heavyhearted as Straw.

Straw is so gloomy and mournful that it would not be much of an exaggeration to say that I could cut the sadness with a knife and make sandwiches out of it.  I don't want to spoil the film because as crazy as it seems that everything starts to fall apart for Janiyah on the same day, an even crazier or perhaps surreal ending to the film is in the works the entire time.

For all that is unbelievable about his film's plot, Tyler Perry has made Straw into a statement about and indictment of a system that makes it really expensive for poor African-American women to be poor.  Henson, in another sterling performance, makes Perry's eccentricities in Straw convey both his melodramatic goals and socioeconomic messages.  If people think a film like Straw is beneath Henson's talents, they would be wrong.  The very least one can say is that Tyler Perry is not under-utilizing Taraji P. Henson's talents the way the broader... film industry is.

Once again, I can say of a Tyler Perry movie that there is nothing like Straw.  It is one of Perry's better directorial efforts because for all its intensity, Straw's is less melodrama and more cinema verite-ish.  Perry and Henson make me feel that Straw is reality and that its possibilities and speculations are realistic.  Sure, the film doesn't so much as jerk the tears out of the viewer as it squeezes the tears out of the viewer.  Still, Straw reveals that in the lives of certain Americans, the last straw really has many other straws coming behind it.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, July 6, 2025

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 8th to 14th, 2025 - UPDATE #15

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Stars of the original "Spaceballs" film, Rick Moranis and Bill Pullman, will return as their respective roles, "Dark Helmet" (Moranis) and "Lone Starr" (Pullman), for Amazon MGM Studios' planned sequel "Spaceballs 2."  Pullman's son, rising star Lewis Pullman, and also Keke Palmer will join the cast, according to Deadline.

DISNEY - From Variety:  At the Annecy Animation Festival, Pixar offers the first preview of "Gatto," the new animated film from "Luca" director, Enrico Casarosa, that is due in 2027.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix has released a trailer for Tyler Perry's upcoming "Madea" film, "Madea's Destination Wedding."  Debuting July 11th, it is Perry's 13th "Madea" film and his 30th feature film overall.

STAR TREK - From THR:  Ahead of the debut of Season 3, Paramount+ has announced that "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" will end with a shortened six-episode Season 5, which won't arrive until 2027 or 2028.

AMAZON - From Variety: So Amazon MGM Studios is developing a sequel to Mel Brooks' 1987 "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."  The sequel will be led by actor Josh Gad and is slated for a 2027 release.  Mel Brooks will return as the "Yoda" parody, "Yogurt."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Chaos reigns at the New York sexual assault retrial of former movie studio mogul, Harvey Weinstein.  Yesterday (June 11th), Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree against Miriam Haley, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.  However, he was found not guilty of the same charge against Kaja Sokola. The jury did not deliver a verdict on a similar charge involving Jessica Mann.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Gloria Reuben has joined the growing cast of "Boston Blue," the spinoff of the long-running CBS police drama, "Blue Bloods" (2010-24).  Donnie Wahlberg will reprise his "Blue Bloods" role as "Detective Danny Reagan" in the series which to debut Fall 2025.

BUSINESS - From Variety:  Warner Bros Discovery is splitting into 2 companies.  One company, Streaming & Studios, will control WB Television, WB Pictures, WB Games, DC Studios, HBO, HBO Max + their film & TV libraries.  The second company, Global Networks, will control cable networks: CNN, TNT Sports, Discovery, Discovery+ & other TV networks.  David Zaslav, current President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, will serve as President and CEO of Streaming & Studios. Gunnar Wiedenfels, current CFO of Warner Bros. Discovery, will serve as President and CEO of Global Networks. Both will continue in their present roles at WBD until the separation sometime in mid-2026.

From THR:  When Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is split into two companies in the coming year, the second company, "Global Networks" will be saddled with 37 BILLION DOLLARS of WBD debt.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Super television creator, producer, writer, Taylor Sheridan ("Yellowstone"), has entered the bidding war for the rights to the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 6/6 to 6/8/2025 weekend box office is Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" with an estimated take of 32.5 million dollars.

TELEVISION/STREAMING - From Variety:  The documentary series, "Couples Therapy," has been renewed for a fifth season on the "Showtime" cable network and for the "Paramount+" streaming service.

OBITS:

From RollingStone:  American recording artist, singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, Brian Wilson, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, June 11, 2025.  He is best known as founding member of the influential rock band, "The Beach Boys."  Considered a genius, Wilson became known for his novel songwriting, song arrangements, productions values, and recording techniques.  "The Beach Boys" had a string of hits, including "Surf City" (1963), "California Girls," and "Good Vibrations" (1966), to name a very few.  Wilson received four Grammy nominations for his work with The Beach Boys, all of them having to do with "Good Vibrations" at the 9th Annual Grammy Awards in 1967.  He received five other Grammy nominations and won two of those.

From TheNewYorkTimes:  American recording artist, songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, Sly Stone, has died at the age of 82, Monday, June 9, 2025.  Born Sylvester Stewart, Stone was best known as the leader of the band, "Sly and the Family Stone" (active: 1966-83), which was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, R&B, rock, and psychedelic music.  They were the first band to have a racially-integrated, mixed-gender lineup.  The band scored multiple hits, including the #1 singles, "Everyday People," "Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Again)"/"Everybody is a Star," and "Family Affair."  In addition to the 10 albums Stone recorded with Sly and the Family Stone, he also released two solo albums.

From BBC:  The English novelist and journalist, Frederick Forsyth, has died at the age of 86, Monday, June 9, 2025.  At least six of Forsyth's film were adapted for film or television, including "The Odessa File" (1972 novel, 1974 film).  Forsyth's 1971 novel, "The Day of the Jackal," has been adapted several times.  The best known are the 1973 film by director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Kenneth Ross and the current Sky/Peacock TV series, "The Day of the Jackal." 

Review: Tyler Perry's "DUPLICITY" - Come On, Man

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 of 2025 (No. 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tyler Perry's Duplicity (2025)

Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)

MPA – R for language and violence

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

PRODUCERS:  Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, and Will Areu

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Corey Burmester (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Larry Sexton

COMPOSERS:  JimiJame$ and Wow Jones

DRAMA/THRILLER/CRIME

Starring:  Kat Graham, Meagan Tandy, Tyler Lepley, RonReaco Lee, Joshua Adeyeye, Nick Barrotta, Jimi Stanton, Shannon LaNier, Kim Steele, Betty Mitchell, Angela Halili, and Kearia Schroeder

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

-- Tyler Perry's Duplicity is for Tyler Perry's hardcore fans

-- The last 20 minutes of “Duplicity” are by far the best, but they are also filled with implausible and crazy crap, too

Tyler Perry's Duplicity is a 2025 drama and crime thriller from writer-director Tyler Perry.  The film is an Amazon “Prime Original,” and it began streaming on the service April 20, 2025.  Duplicity finds a high-powered attorney taking on her most personal case when she attempts to find the truth behind the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man by a White police officer.

Duplicity opens in Atlanta, Georgia and introduces the high-powered female attorney, Marley Wells (Kat Graham).  Her best friend is Fela Blackburn (Meagan Tandy), a co-anchor for the television station, Channel 3's “Early for Us” morning TV show.  One day, while jogging, Fela's husband, Rodney (Joshua Adeyeye), is shot and killed by a white rookie police officer, Caleb Kaine (Jimi Stanton).

Marley becomes the grieving widow, Fela's attorney, and suddenly she is taking on the city in a wrongful death civil suit.  Marley's boyfriend, Tony (Tyler Lepley), a private investigator and disgraced former police officer, helps her investigate the case.  Fela's Channel 3 colleagues – Shannon Markus (Shannon LaNeir), her co-anchor, and Sam (Nick Barrotta), the station's chief investigator – also volunteer their services for Marley's investigation.

The fatal police shooting of Rodney becomes a hot-button political issue and protests and violent riots erupt.  The case seems to be going in Marley and Fela's favor, but Marley is soon forced to stop ignoring the troubling signs and unanswered questions that surround the shooting.

I thought that Mea Culpa, a “Netflix Original” film released in February 2024, was likely Tyler Perry's craziest non-Madea film to date, being even wackier than his 2013 film, Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.  However, Perry's 2024 Amazon Prime Video drama-thriller, Divorce in the Black, released mere months after Mea Culpa, is Perry's craziest non-Medea film, at least of the ones I have seen.  Perry's latest Prime Video film is not quite as crazy as Divorce in the Black, but neither is a good film (although I would say that Divorce in the Black is a little better than Duplicity).

Duplicity is simply an empty film, and I think the reason is the screenwriting.  Watching this film, I got the idea that Tyler Perry wasn't trying very hard, either as a director or writer, and especially not as a writer.  One of the reasons the performances seem so listless is that the actors really don't have much with which to work in terms of story or character.  Also, Duplicity really is not a police shooting movie, nor a “Black Lives Matter” movie, nor even social commentary, for that matter (despite some flatly delivered “commentary” at the end).  I can't say much more than that.

The last 20 minutes of the Duplicity are by far the most watchable, but even those minutes are filled with implausible and frankly inadvertently comical moments.  However, I must admit that there is a particular set of violent acts in the last act that are cathartic.  Ultimately, Tyler Perry's Duplicity is for Tyler Perry's biggest fans – alone.

3 of 10

D+

★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, April 5, 2025

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 26th to 31st, 2025 - UPDATE #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry's slate of "Netflix" films and series, includes a new "Madea" film, a new Taraji P. Henson, headliner, and the "She the People" show.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Matthew Lillard is one of the latest "Scream" legacy actors to join the cast of "Scream 7," which is due February 2026.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix is going to produce a new version of Laura Ingells Wilder's beloved book series, "Little House on the Prairie."  I'm guessing everyone remembers the former NBC drama, "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-83).

MOVIES - From Variety:  Christopher Nolan will shot part of his adaptation of "The Odyssey" on "goat island" where scholars say Odysseus landed with his crew.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  At Sundance 2025, Quentin Tarantino reveals that he hasn't been making movies lately because he is in no hurry to jump into production.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney dropped a teaser trailer during Sunday's NFL AFC Championship game (Jan. 26th) for the upcoming FX/Hulu series, "Alien: Earth."  Developed by Noah Hawley, the series is set two years before the events depicted in the film, "Alien" (1979).

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/24 to 1/26/2025 weekend box office is Lionsgate's "Flight Risk" with an estimated take of 12 million dollars.

MOVIES - From THR:  "Barbarian" director Zach Cregger will co-write and direct the latest attempt at rebooting the "Resident Evil" movie franchise, which is based off the legendary video game.  Constantin Film, which has held the film rights for at least a quarter-century, will produce the reboot with Playstation Productions.  Four studios, including Warner Bros. and Netflix, are vying to distribute the film.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From THR:  The winners for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" won "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" and "Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language."  "The Brutalist" won "Best Motion Picture - Drama."  "Wicked" won in the new category, "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement."  "Flow" won "Best Motion Picture - Animated."

From AMPAS:  The nominations for the 2025 / 97th Academy Awards have been announced the winners will be announced Sunday, March 2, 2025.

From THR:  The nominations for the 2025 / 36th Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sat. Feb. 8th.

From BBC:  The nominations for the 2025 / 78th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) have been announced.  "Conclave" leads with 12 nominations.  The winners will be Sunday, Feb. 16th, 2025.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 77th Annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  In the awards' marquee category, "Theatrical Feature Film," the nominees are Jacques Audiard ("Emilia Perez"), Sean Baker ("Anora"), Edward Berger ("Conclave"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), and James Mangold ("A Complete Unknown").  The winners will be announced February 8th.

From EW:  The Screen Actors Guild has cancelled the 2025 / 31st SAG Awards nominations announcement live-stream because of the current wildfires sweeing through the Los Angeles area.  The nominations will be announced Thursday morning, January 9th via press release and on SAG Awards website.  The SAG Award ceremony will be hired Feb. 23rd.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2025 / 56th Annual NAACP Image Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "The Piano Lesson" leads with 14 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 21st and 22nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The International Press Academy has announced the winners at the 2025 / 29th Satellite Awards in Motion Pictures and Television.  "The Brutalist" won "Motion Picture, Drama" and "Anora" won "Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Pittsburgh Film Critics Association (PFCA) Awards have been announced. This is the association inaugural awards announcement.  "The Substance" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Chicago Independent Critics (CIC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won seven awards, including "Best Indepent Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore).  "Dune: Part Two" won "Best Studio Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) Awards have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" wins "Best Movie About Women."  Coralie Fargeat's "The Substance" wins "Best Movie By a Woman" (directing)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the annual Portland Critics Association (PCA) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" won in 10 of the 13 categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" took four awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Awards have been announced.  "The Wild Robot" won two awards - "Best Picture" and "Best Animated Feature."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the Minnesota Film Critics Association (MNFCA) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has taken five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Music City Film Critics Association (MCFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has won four awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has won "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Challengers" has won "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Luca Guadagnino).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 DiscussingFilm's Global Film Critics Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" won "Best Picture."

From EW:  The nominations for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" leads with 10 nominations.  The winners will be announced January 5, 2025 on CBS and Paramount+.

From THR:  The winners at the 2025 National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) Awards have been announced. "Nickel Boys" has won the award for "Best Picture" of 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) Awards have been announced.  "Conclave" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Edward Berger), and "Best Actor" (Ralph Fiennes).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Conclave" has won three awards, including "Best Narrative Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Columbia Film Critics Association (COFCA) Awards have been announced. "The Substance" has won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore), 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 29th Capri, Hollywood-International Film Festival Awards have been announced. "Emilia Perez" won six awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Critics Association of Central Florda (CACF) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 UK Film Critics Association (UKFCA) Awards have been announced. "Dune: Part Two" won "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) Awards have been announced. "Anora" has won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" won six awards, including "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat). and "Best Leading Performance" (Demi Moore).  "The Substance" shared the "Best Film" honor with "Anora."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Awards have announced.  "The Beast" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Bertrand Bonello).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Nevada Film Critics Society (NFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has taken six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Zone of Interest" was named "Best Film" and its director, Jonathan Glazer, won "Best Director."  Although the film was released in Dublin this year, it was eligible for the Academy Awards in 2023.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critic Association (DFWFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has won three awards: "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Southeastern Film Critics Associations (SFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch: The winners at the 2024 New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Awards.  "The Substance" has won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Leading Performance" (Demi Moore), and "Best Supporting Performance" (Margaret Qualley).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (RaMell Ross)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Awards have been announced. "Dune: Part Two" has won three awards, including "Film" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the nominations in the category of "Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures." The winners at the 2025 / 39th Annual Producers Guild Awards will be announced Saturday, February 8, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. "Anora" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) Awards have been announced. "The Brutalist" has taken five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has won six awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (RaMell Ross). "Sing Sing" has won "Best Actor" (Colman Domingo) and "Best Supporting Actor" (Clarence Maclin).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has been named "Best Picture."  The films four total wins including for "Best Director" (Brady Corbet) and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Chicago Film Critics (CFC) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Sing Sing" won "Best Picture," won of three awards it received.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Michigan Movie Critics Guild (MMCG) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture," one of its four wins.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Film," one of four awards it won.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Washington Area Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Wicked" has won the award for "Best Feature."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 49th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture."  Marianne Jean-Baptiste (for "Hard Truths") became the first Black woman to win a lead performance honor in the groups history.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners for the 2024 / 27th British Independent Film Awards have been announced.  The Irish film, "Kneecap," wins "Best British Independent Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) have been announced.  "Anora" wins "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison), and "Best Original Screenplay."

From AFI:  The American Film Institute has named its top ten films and television series.  Among the films honored are "Dune: Part Two," "Nickel Boys," and "Wicked."

From THR:  The winners at the 2024 / 37th European Film Awards have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" wins the award for "European Film."  It also won the directing (Jacques Audiard), writing (Audiard), and actress (Karla Sofia Gascon) honors.

From NBR:  The National Board of Review has named its 2024 film honorees.  "Wicked" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (for John M. Chu).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.  Cannes 2024 Palme d'Or winner, "Anora," and "I Saw the TV Glow" each lead with six nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, February 22, 2025.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2024 / 90th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  Director Brady Corbet's three-hour epic, "The Brutalist," has won "Best Film" and its star, Adrian Brody, has won "Best Actor."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards have been announced.  Writer-director Aaron Schimberg's "A Different Man" has won the "Best Feature" award.

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film.  Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 27th British Independent Film Awards have been announced.  The Irish film, "Kneecap," leads with 14 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, December 8, 2024.

BEST PICTURE WINNER COUNT:

From AwardsWatch:  This link will take you, dear readers, to "AwardWatch's" article, "Who Won What? - The 2024/2025 Film Award Precursor Guide."

"Anora": 16 wins (Atlanta Film Critics Circle; Austin Film Critics Association; Boston Society of Film Critics; CACF: DFWFCA; Georgia Film Critics Association; IFCA; LAFCA; Michigan Movie Critics Guild; North Dakota Film Society; OAFFC; NTFCA; Philadelphia Film Critics Circle; Satellite Awards; SFBAFCC; SFCA)

"The Beast": 1 win (Florida Film Critics Circle)

"The Brutalist": 12 wins (AWFJ; BOFCA; Chicago Film Critics; Golden Globes-Drama; HFCS; MNFCA; Nevada Film Critics Society; NYFCC; Phoenix Critics Circle; Phoenix Film Critics Circle; Portland Critics Association; Satellite Awards)

"Challengers": 1 win (GWNYFCA)

"Conclave":  2 wins (North Carolina Film Critics Association; Oklahoma Film Critics Circle)

"A Different Man": 1 win (Gotham Awards)

"Dune: Part Two" - 6 wins (Chicago Independent Critics; LVFCS; Music City Film Critics Associations; St.LFCA; UKFCA)

"Emilia Perez":  4 wins (Capri, Denver Film Critics Society; Hollywood-International Film Festival Awards; European Film Awards; Golden Globes-Comedy or Musical; WFCC)

"Kneecap": 1 win (British Independent Film Awards)

"Nickel Boys": 4 wins (AAFCA; DiscussingFilm; National Society of Film Critics; TFCA)

"Sing Sing": 1 win (San Diego Film Critics Society)

"The Substance": 9 wins (Chicago Independent Critics; COFCA; Indiana Film Journalists Association; KCFCC; NYFCO; OAFFC; Pittsburgh Film Critics Association; Seattle Film Critics Society; WFCC)

"Wicked": 2 wins (National Board of Review; WAFCA)

"The Wild Robot":  1 win (Utah Film Critics Association)

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Review: "THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT" Delivers Potent Drama and Powerful History

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2025 (No. 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Six Triple Eight (2024)

Running time:  127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for language including racial slurs, thematic material and some war violence

DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

WRITER:  Tyler Perry (based on the magazine article by Kevin Hymel)

PRODUCERS:  Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, Nicole Avant, Carlota Espinosa, Keri Selig, and Tony L. Strickland 

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Michael Watson (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Maysie Hoy

COMPOSER:  Aaron Zigman

DRAMA/HISTORICAL/WAR

Starring:  Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Sarah Jeffery, Pepi Sonuga, Moriah Brown, Jeanté Godlock, Dean Norris, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon, Oprah Winfrey, Gregg Sulkin, Donna Biscoe, and Baadja-Lyne Odums

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

The Six Triple Eight is one of the most beautiful and powerful films about World War II that has ever been made.

Its true story about a battalion of Black women soldiers who broke the logjam of mail that kept overseas American servicemen and their families back home from connecting will bring tears to your eyes

The Six Triple Eight is one of the year's best films, and Kerry Washington gives the heroic performance of her career.

The Six Triple Eight is a 2024 wartime drama and historical film from writer-director Tyler Perry.  The film is based on the article, “WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion,” written by Kevin M. Hymel and published in the February 2019 issue of WWII History Magazine.  The article details the contributions of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black and all-female battalion, in World War II.

The film is a Netflix Original,” and it began streaming on the service December 20, 2024, after a limited theatrical run that began December 6, 2024.  The Six Triple Eight the movie focuses on battalion of Black women soldiers who go overseas and take on the forces that are keeping American service personnel and their families back home from simply exchanging mail.

The Six Triple Eight introduces high school students and longtime friends, Lena Derriecott (Ebony Obsidian), a Black girl, and Abram David (Gregg Sulkin), a Jewish White boy.  They are reckoning with the difficulties of their budding romance in Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, a small town outside Philadelphia, in the year 1942.  David is enlisting in the U.S. military in order to serve in World War II, and he wants to be a pilot.  David wants Lena to wait for him to return from the war when he will propose marriage to her, and, in the meantime, he gives her a promise ring.

Meanwhile, in rural West Virginia, a mother waits everyday for news about her two sons who are serving overseas in the war.  She never gets any mail from her sons, and she later discovers that this is a problem all over the country.  It turns out that there is a terrible backlog of undelivered mail.  The mother approaches First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon), and she approaches her husband, President Franklin Roosevelt (Sam Waterston), and philanthropist and civil rights activist, Mary McLeod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey), to solve the overseas military mail problem.

Meanwhile, Lena has received terrible news, and it spurs her to join the Women's Army Corps (WAC).  She travels to Georgia for basic training with the 6888th battalion – also known as “the Six Triple Eight” –  where she meets her battalion commander, the indomitable Captain Chasity Addams (Kerry Washington).  Despite being well trained, Capt. Adams and her battalion are never given any orders to serve from the War Department.  Then, thanks to the efforts of the Roosevelts and Miss Bethune, the 6888th becomes “The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.”

Now, they must travel to Glasgow, Scotland where they have six months to sort through 17 million pieces of undelivered mail and packages.  The must fight, however, a war on all fronts, fighting segregation and racism at home and abroad.  Many White military commanders, officers, and soldiers do not believe they can sort through the backlog.  Plus, some of these crackas will do everything to stop the Six Triple Eight from being successful.

If you, dear readers, wanted to watch World War II films based on on true events, you can find over eight decades of Hollywood films, including everything from recent films like Saving Private Ryan (1998), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), and Dunkirk (2017) to golden oldies like Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) and Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).  However, the those films focus on White servicemen.

When it comes to the service of Black personnel during WWII, there is a virtual Hollywood wall of silence that has only rarely been broken by such films as the HBO television movie, The Tuskegee Airmen (1995); Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna (2008), and the George Lucas-financed Red Tails (2012).  Director Budd Boetticher's Red Ball Express (1952) is about a racially integrated platoon, but the film's leads are White males.

Tyler Perry, a filmmaker whose TV and film work, has been reviled by both Black and White critics and detractors, breaks the wall of silence that exists in front of the story of African-American WWII personnel.  He has done it with The Six Triple Eight, the first such film in over a decade.

The film is filled with star-making turns by a cast of young African-American actresses who could see this movie launch their careers. Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott and Shanice Shantay as Johnnie Mae Burton are the most obvious, but though they shine, all the actors make the most of their roles in this film.  I must say Dean Norris kills it as the Southern racist cracka-ass General Holt.  However, Kerry Washington practically devours this film with her power-move turn as the wily, strong, survivor, Captain (later Major) Chasity Adams.  In some ways, Adams is the co-lead with Derriecott, but there other times when the following point is clear.  The real-life “Six Triple Eight” probably would have not survived without Adams, and The Six Triple Eight the film probably would not survive without Washington as Adams.

I like that Tyler Perry's direction captures the desperation of families on the home front and of the service personnel overseas who are not connecting because the mail isn't being delivered.  Perry does not need to summon his usual melodramatic tropes to convey this to his audience, nor does he.  Perry plainly states what his audience can clearly understand; the mail backlog is a desperate situation.

And what better way to portray how much the racist and segregated system was at work against the women of the 6888th than to detail how some thought it was more important to sabotage the women of this battalion than to actually let them do their jobs and get the mail through.  Perry could have fallen back time and time again on depictions of verbal and physical racist violence, yet he didn't.  The word, “nigger,” does not make many appearance in The Six Triple Eight.  Perry merely had to show that in war we are sometimes our own worst enemy, and he showed the white devils who were against the “Six Triple Eight” in all their infamy.

The Six Triple Eight is Tyler Perry's best drama since 2010's For Colored Girls.  Although there will likely be no Oscar nods for this film, The Six Triple Eight does not need them.  It is more important that a Black filmmaker gets a chance or takes the opportunity to pierce the wall of silence about the honorable and heroic service of Black men and Black women during World War II.  The Six Triple Eight is the soaring symphony that, at least for now, shatters that silence. 

10 of 10

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

You can read Kevin M. Hymel's original article about the 6888th, "WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion," here.

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Tyler Perry's "DIVORCE IN THE BLACK" is Shamelessly Shameless

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 of 2024 (No. 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Divorce in the Black (2024)

Running time:  143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)

MPA – R for language, some sexual content and violence

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

PRODUCERS:  Will Areu, Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, Diane Ashford, and Meagan Good

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Michael Watson (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Storm Evans

COMPOSER:  Sheri Chung

DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring:  Meagan Good, Cory Hardrict, Joseph Lee Anderson, Taylor Polidore, Shannon Wallace, Richard Lawson, Debbi Morgan, Mark Elliot Brewer, Rakeem Laws, Berry Williams, Jr., Jeffrey Creightney, and Ursula O. Robinson

Divorce in the Black is a 2024 drama and thriller from writer-director Tyler Perry.  The film is an Amazon “Prime Original,” and it began streaming on the service July 11, 2024.  Divorce in the Black follows a young woman who is left heartbroken after her husband abandons their marriage.

Divorce in the Black introduces 37-year-old Ava (Meagan Good).  She is the daughter of a preacher, Clarence (Richard Lawson) and a demur church-going woman, Gene (Debbi Morgan).  Ava married Dallas Bertrand (Cory Hardrict), one of five sons from a family of trifling Negroes who were raised (not reared) by their obnoxious mother, Linda (Ursula O. Robinson)

Ava and Dallas's marriage was troubled from the start and is troubled now.  The recent troubles begin with the funeral of Dallas' 39-year-old brother, Cody Bertrand, who had just been released from prison when someone he attempted to mug shot him to death.  Ava's preacher father, Clarence, officiates the funeral, and he believes that he cannot lie and act as if Cody had been a decent person.  Clarence's words about Cody lead the Bertrands to commit a horribly disgusting act in order to put an end to the funeral service.

Shortly after the funeral, Ava and Dallas return to their home in Atlanta.  Dallas is feeling resentful, mainly egged on by his remaining brothers and his mother.  He tells Ava that he wants a divorce and that he has already taken care of everything.  He says all she needs to do is sign the divorce papers.  Ava is heartbroken and grief-stricken by this terrible turn of events.  She returns to her parents home in rural Georgia.  Eventually, she finds solace and friendship by reuniting with an old friend, Benji (Joseph Lee Anderson), which could turn romantic.  Dallas, however, starts to feel cheated when he discovers that Ava and Benji are seeing each other, and he begins to grow increasingly violent.  Now, Ava will have to make the toughest decisions of her life.

I thought that Mea Culpa, a “Netflix Original” film released in February (2024), was likely Tyler Perry's craziest non-Madea film to date, being even wackier than his 2013 film, Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.  Now, I'm declaring that Divorce in the Black, released mere months after Mea Culpa, is Perry's craziest film.  In many ways, Divorce in the Black is not a good film.  After its jaw-dropping opening act, the film's narrative has a hard time finding its footing.  It meanders, mostly focusing on Ava's grief over the sudden divorce announcement.

[Apparently, “divorce in the black” means a divorce in which you gain something or remain in the positive after the conclusion.  “Divorce in the red” means to lose something or end up in the negative after it is all over.]

Divorce in the Black redeems itself with an entertainingly outrageous and outrageously entertaining last act.  I wouldn't call Dallas' actions throughout the film over-the-top.  They're quite believable, and, in fact, I've known or heard of men like him.  What makes the ending of Divorce in the Black so satisfactory is Ava's change in attitude and Dallas' comeuppance.  I can't remember the last time I so enjoyed an African-American male character suffering something similar to Dallas' fate.  However, dear readers, you have to wade through a lot of mixed-bag storytelling and almost two hours of questionable runtime to get to the end's immense satisfaction.

I mainly watched Divorce in the Black because I wanted to do some Tyler Perry catch-up before I watched his latest “Netflix Original,” the historical drama, The Six Triple Eight.  So I judge Divorce in the Black as mainly being fit for fans engaged in watching most of, if not all, of Perry's filmography.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

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