When a couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) and their two sons face a life and death crisis on a ski trip in Austria, the husband’s response to the situation leads the spouses to examine their entire relationship.

Downhill is an intense, psychological thriller and while it sometimes drags, overall, it’s a thought-provoking experience and earns a See It! rating.

Often in relationships, it’s not the major issues like cheating or abuse that threatens the bond. It’s an incident or response to a situation that causes individuals to question each other’s commitment. Not only was the wife greatly disappointed as to how her husband reacted to the threat, but that he wouldn’t even acknowledge his wrongdoing. Her frustration is exacerbated by his dishonesty even about cell phone conversations he has during the trip.

We often hear the cliché’ phrases like Oscar-worthy or Oscar-caliber performances. I’ll simply say Julia Louis-Dreyfus nails this role. This film does not work without her. There are also colorful characters like Charlotte (Miranda Otto), an amusing libertine that the family meets upon their arrival at the ski lodge.

Downhill is a downer when it comes to cast-diversity. Today, people of all colors ski, but that’s not reflected in this movie, earning Downhill an “F” for cast diversity.

The most valuable aspect of Downhill is, you’ll talk about it and strongly identify with this couple’s issues. Downhill is rated “R” (for language and some sexual material) and about 90 minutes in length.

Downhill is a See It!

When a young journalist, Michael Block (LaKeith Stanfield), visits the home of a veteran seaman, a living room photograph grabs Block’s attention. When Block returns home to New York City, his interest in the image leads him to ultimately meet the now deceased photographer’s daughter, Mae (Issa Rae) who also resides in the Big Apple. Their attraction is immediate. While Mae learns some truths about her mother, she and Block try to figure out if they’re meant to be.

Movies with rich, well-developed characters have always appealed to me. The Photograph is that kind of film. The characters are black. But there’s no violence. No one calling each other the “N” word. No one’s on drugs or in prison. They do fall in love. They have close family bonds and loving and supportive friends. It is important to note that this representation of African Americans is authentic because some see only portrayals of black people engaging in seedy behavior as realistic.

Michael and Mae sizzle together. Writer and director, Stella Meghie, has created very deep, very believable characters. When the couple discussed personalities, Mae wonders if we’re all just the people who fit in with those we’re with at that moment. There are also amusing and honest situations. One evening when the couple is alone, he notices that she seems to be praying. She admits that it’s for will power.

With a very strong cast across the board, the story travels back and forth through time when Mae’s mother is young and first moves to New York City, through Mae’s early childhood and then of course into her adulthood.

At $16 million, the film is low-budget by Hollywood standards and film quality is a bit grainy. The story is set in the mid to late 1980s, but only car buffs will realize that a lot of the cars, even those that are supposed to be new, are from the mid-70s.

The Photograph doesn’t reflect New York City’s true diversity. Other than Chelsea Peretti who plays Blocks’ quirky boss, there’s not a lot of non-blacks in this movie. And it gets a C- for cast diversity.

The Photograph, rated PG-13 for sexuality and brief strong language, is 106 minutes long, and is every bit a See It!

The story behind the newest edition of this series, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is relatively simple. A virus which threatens all humankind is up for grabs. Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) team-up to keep the virus out of the hands of mechanical man, Brixton (Idris Elba). Brixton represents a group that wants to use the deadly serum to weed out those they believe to be inferior. The situation is complicated by the fact that the virus is housed in a capsule implanted in the arm of a British agent, named Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), who also happens to be Shaw’s sister.

Fast & Furious is fabulous. There’s frankly not much new about the storyline. Hobbs and Shaw don’t like each other. It’s not that unusual to have a conflict between guys on the same side. Of course, there has to be eye candy which Vanessa Kirby provides. Like all films of this genre, there’s punching and kicking that would break faces, arms, and legs in real life but of course, in the movies, characters walk away from these battles unscathed. Finally, there are the must-have daredevil car and trucks feats.

The director, David Leitch takes all of this we have seen before and makes it seem new.

There’s a lot of verbiage in this film. Much of it is tied to the bickering between Hobbs and Shaw. There are also lines that are difficult to disgust. When confronted with an unexpected situation, Hobbs says, “What the fresh turkey hell!” If I were Johnson, I would have used my prerogative as a star to rephrase or skip that line all together!

The action is indescribable and is simply a feast for the eyes.

The cast is exceptional. Johnson, Statham, and Elba meld together in a way that leads to the excellent execution of this script. However, Hollywood has been criticized for sexism and ageism especially pertaining to women. Deckard and Hattie are siblings. Childhood photos show that he’s five to six years older than her. However, Statham is actually 21 years older than, Kirby, his onscreen little sister.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw gets an A- for cast diversity. It is strongly diverse except for the absence of prominent appearances by Hispanics.

The film is estimated to have cost a whopping $200 million to produce. It should make that back and more! It’s rated PG-13 and is a lengthy two hours and 18 minutes. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw gets a See It rating!

Jordan Peele is back with another thriller, and you get at least two opportunities to see Taraji P. Henson and Michael Ealy in movies in 2019

1. What Men Want

What Men Want is a twist on Mel Gibson’s 2001 movie, What Women Want, and is the story of a female sports agent (Taraji P. Henson) who has been constantly edged out by her male colleagues. Once she learns to listen to men’s thoughts, she shifts her strategy in her race to sign the NBA’s next LeBron James. Among the costars is Richard Roundtree who back in the 70s played John Shaft who was a bad mother. . . shut your mouth! Just remembering Shaft!

What Men Want is expected to open on February 8, 2019. 

2. The Upside

Inspired by a true story and based upon a hit 2011 French film, The Upside stars Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston in a warm comedy about a recently paroled ex-convict who begins an unlikely friendship with a paralyzed billionaire. Bet you can guess who plays the ex-con and who’s the billionaire. The Upside opens on January 11, 2019. 

3. Us 

After his provocative 2017 megahit Get Out there was no doubt that Jordan Peele would be back writing and directing, but he's holding the storyline for Us close to the vest. Nevertheless, we do know, it will be a thriller and it stars Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss, and Black Panther’s Winston Duke. Us is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 22, 2019, but if you’re going to South by Southwest, you might be able to catch the World Premiere of Us on March 8, 2019. 

4. Pet Sematary

This a remake of the 1989 film based upon Stephen King’s seminal horror novel, Pet Sematary. This version is set in rural Maine where Dr. Louis Creed, his wife, Rachel, and their two young children find a mysterious graveyard hidden deep in the woods near the family home. When tragedy hits the family, the doctor turns to his eccentric neighbor, Jud Crandall for advice, setting off a horrific series of events that the doctor could have never imagined. Pet Sematary opens on April 5, 2019, and stars, Jason Clark and Jon Lithgow. 

5. Jacob’s Ladder

After his brother dies in combat, Jacob Singer, played by the blue-eyed brother, Michael Ealy, returns home from battle-worn Afghanistan only to fall into a deep state of paranoia as he comes to believe that his brother is still alive, and life is not what it seems. Jacob’s Ladder, a remake of the 1990 film of the same name, doesn’t have a release date as of yet. However, the film’s distributor, LD Entertainment, says Jacob’s Ladder is expected to open in 2019.

6. Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral

A fun-filled family reunion becomes a disaster as Madea and her kin travel to backwoods Georgia, where they plan a funeral that could unearth some deep dark family secrets. Of course, Tyler Perry heads the cast in Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral, along with Courtney Burrell, Patrice Lovely, and Ciera Payton. Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral opens on March 1, 2019.

7. The Best of Enemies

Inspired by the true events during the civil rights era, The Best of Enemies stars Taraji P. Henson as Ann Atwater, a fiercely determined civil rights activist in North Carolina, and Sam Rockwell as the Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan. The two conduct a 10-year battle, which ends in an abrupt and unlikely way in 1971. The Best of Enemies is based on the book, The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson opens on April 5, 2019. 

8. The Intruder

Michael Ealy (yes, him again) and Meaghan Good star in The Intruder, a psychological thriller about a young married couple who buys a beautiful Napa Valley home only to find that the previous owner (Dennis Quaid) simply won’t let the property go and will stop at nothing to drive them out. The Intruder opens on May 3, 2019. 

9. Fighting With My Family

Fighting With My Family is based on the 2012 documentary, The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family, depicting the WWE career of the professional wrestler, Paige. The movie stars Florence Pugh as Paige, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson makes an appearance. Fighting With My Family opens at Sundance on January 28, 2019, and nationwide on February 14, 2019.

10. Aladdin

The musical romantic fantasy Aladdin returns. Having been released in an animated version in 2017, this edition features real living and breathing humans. Aladdin stars Mena Massoud as the title character alongside Will Smith as the Genie.

The Jurassic World Theme Park has been closed for four years to the public but the dinosaurs thrive on Isla Nublar without paying onlookers. Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to the island when a volcano threatens to end all life there. Owen is especially concerned about Blue, the raptor he bonded within the last Jurassic edition.

While saving the prehistoric creatures from a threat from nature, Owen and Claire learn of manmade threats to destroy the animals completely and another which would exploit them for financial gain.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom struggles to develop underlying plotlines when the entire purpose of these films is to showcase the dinosaurs. The stories are weak, predictable and plagued by a number of “coming out of nowhere rescues” by both humans and creatures.

Returning stars, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, add stability and familiarity to the film. But among the human cast, the real star is young Isabella Sermon, who plays Maisie Lockwood, whose grandfather, Benjamin helped create the dinosaur-cloning technology. Isabella is amazing!
For cast diversity, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom gets a B+. One of the featured stars, in addition to Pratt and Howard, is a young black actor, Justice Smith playing Franklin, a nerdy, easily frightened, computer tech. There are also other people of color in supporting and minor roles.

Ultimately, the Jurassic Park Series is about the special effects and the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom doesn’t disappoint. And that’s enough to garner a “See It!” rating.

The film is PG-13 for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril and is 129 minutes in length.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom also hints at the next film in the series.

A film critic for over 20 years, T. A. Moreland, also produced and hosted a film review television program in New York City for four years.

Moreland wrote for The New York Amsterdam News, The Harlem World Magazine and a Harlem Critic Blog on World Press. His reviews have appeared in USAtoday.com and international publications: interceder.net and www.newstin.com. Similarly, he provided commentary on the entertainment industry for Essence magazine and BET.

Moreover, T.A. Moreland’s description of the 2008 film “Valkyrie” as a “True Life Mission Impossible” was prominently featured and was the lead quote in the nationwide and international ad campaign for the film starring Tom Cruise.

A prolific writer, T.A. Moreland has written three screenplays and numerous television treatments.

T.A. Moreland resides in Harlem and is an attorney who specializes in energy and economic development issues. He holds a B.A. from Indiana University in Bloomington, Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton, and Masters from the University of Pennsylvania.

Taraji P. Henson, Nate Parker, Birth of a Nation, and Barbershop 3: The Next Cut, Get No Love from Golden Globes

The nominations for the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning on NBC's "Today" live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Denzel Washington, Ruth Negga, Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Tracee Ellis Ross, Anthony Anderson, Issa Rae, Courtney B. Vance, Thandie Newton, Donald Glover, Kerry Washington, and Sterling K. Brown are among the actors vying for a Golden Globe Award. Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and Benjamin Wallfisch are nominated for Best Original Score – Motion Picture for Hidden Figures. The song, How Far I'll Go (Moana), written by Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is nominated for Best Original Song – Motion Picture.

Although Washington received a nom for Best Actor in a Movie, Drama category for Fences, he failed to receive a Best Director nomination for directing the film. The movie, based on the August Wilson play of the same name, which also stars Viola Davis, who received an acting nomination, also failed to receive a nomination in the Best Picture - Drama category.

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins received a nomination for Best Direction – Motion Picture for Moonlight, and the film received a Golden Globe Best Motion Picture – Drama nomination.

Actors Don Cheadle, Laura Dern, and Anna Kendrick were joined by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Lorenzo Soria, Dick Clark Productions' executive VP of television, Barry Adelman, and the Miss Golden Globe trio — Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone in announcing the nominees. Yes, the young ladies of the Miss Golden Globe trio are related to actor Sylvester Stallone; they are his daughters and will assist in handing out the trophies during the ceremony.

Produced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globe Awards will air live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on NBC on Sunday, January 8, 2017, at 8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT. The ceremony will be hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon.

Here is the full list of 2017 Golden Globe nominations:

Best Motion Picture – Drama:

"Hacksaw Ridge"
"Hell or High Water"
"Lion"
"Manchester By The Sea"
"Moonlight"

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

"20th Century Women"
"Deadpool"
"La La Land"
"Florence Foster Jenkins"
"Sing Street"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Casey Affleck – "Manchester By The Sea"
Joel Edgerton – "Loving"
Andrew Garfield – "Hacksaw Ridge"
Viggo Mortensen – "Captain Fantastic"
Denzel Washington – "Fences"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Amy Adams – "Arrival"
Jessica Chastain – "Miss Sloane"
Isabelle Huppert – "Elle"
Ruth Negga – "Loving"
Natalie Portman – "Jackie"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Colin Farrell – "The Lobster"
Ryan Gosling – "La La Land"
Hugh Grant – "Florence Foster Jenkins"
Jonah Hill – "War Dogs"
Ryan Reynolds – "Deadpool"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Annette Bening – "20th Century Women"
Lily Collins – "Rules Don't Apply"
Hailee Steinfeld – "The Edge of Seventeen"
Emma Stone – "La La Land"
Meryl Streep – "Florence Foster Jenkins"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

Mahershala Ali – "Moonlight"
Jeff Bridges – "Hell or High Water"
Simon Helberg – "Florence Foster Jenkins"
Dev Patel – "Lion"
Aaron Taylor-Johnson – "Nocturnal Animals"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

Viola Davis – "Fences"
Naomie Harris – "Moonlight"
Nicole Kidman – "Lion"
Octavia Spencer – "Hidden Figures"
Michelle Williams – "Manchester by the Sea"

Best Director – Motion Picture:

Damien Chazelle – "La La Land"
Tom Ford – "Nocturnal Animals"
Mel Gibson – "Hacksaw Ridge"
Barry Jenkins – "Moonlight" 
Kenneth Lonergan – "Manchester by the Sea"

Best Original Screenplay:

"La La Land"
"Nocturnal Animals"
"Moonlight"
"Manchester By The Sea"
"Hell or High Water"

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language:

"Divines" – France
"Elle" – France
"Neruda" – Chile
"The Salesman" – Iran/France
"Toni Erdmann" – Germany

Best Motion Picture – Animated:

"Kubo and the Two Strings"
"Moana"
"My Life As a Zucchini"
"Sing"
"Zootopia"

Best Original Song – Motion Picture:

"Can't Stop The Feeling" – "Trolls"
"City Of Stars" – La La Land
"Faith" – Sing
"Gold" – Gold
"How Far I'll Go" – Moana

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:

Nicholas Britell– "Moonlight"
Justin Hurwitz – "La La Land"
Johann Johannsson – "Arrival"
Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka– "Lion
Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Benjamin Wallfisch – "Hidden Figures"

Best Television Series – Drama:

"The Crown"
"Game of Thrones"
"Stranger Things"
"This Is Us"
"Westworld"

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy:

"Atlanta"
"Black-ish"
"Mozart In The Jungle"
"Transparent"
"Veep"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama:

Rami Malek – "Mr. Robot"
Bob Odenkirk – "Better Call Saul"
Matthew Rhys – "The Americans"
Liev Schreiber – "Ray Donovan"
Billy Bob Thornton – "Goliath"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama:

Caitriona Balfe – "Outlander"
Claire Foy – "The Crown"
Keri Russell – "The Americans"
Winona Ryder – "Stranger Things"
Evan Rachel Wood – "Westworld"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy:

Anthony Anderson – "Black-ish"
Gael García Bernal – "Mozart in the Jungle
Donald Glover – "Atlanta" 
Nick Nolte – "Graves"
Jeffrey Tambor – "Transparent"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy:

Rachel Bloom – "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – "Veep"
Sarah Jessica Parker – "Divorce"
Issa Rae – "Insecure"
Gina Rodriguez – "Jane the Virgin"
Tracee Ellis-Ross – "Black-ish"

Best Limited Series:

"American Crime"
"The Dresser"
"The Night Manager"
"The Night Of"
"The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television:

Riz Ahmed – "The Night Of"
Bryan Cranston – "All The Way"
Tom Hiddleston – "The Night Manager"
John Turturro – "The Night Of"
Courtney B Vance – "The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:

Olivia Colman – "The Night Manager"
Lena Headey – "Game Of Thrones"
Chrissy Metz – "This Is Us"
Mandy Moore – "This Is Us"
Thandie Newton – "Westworld"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:

Felicity Huffman – "American Crime"
Riley Keough – "The Girlfriend Experience"
Sarah Paulson – "The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"
Charlotte Rampling – "London Spy"
Kerry Washington – "Confirmation"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television:

Sterling K Brown – "The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"
Hugh Laurie – "The Night Manager"
John Lithgow – "The Crown"
Christian Slater – "Mr. Robot"
John Travolta – "The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"

WATCH VIDEO: Actress Suzzanne Douglas talks about her role as a mother of African-American children in a low-income urban environment in the 1990s

What’s The 411 co-host Roceania interviews actress Suzanne Douglas for her role in the movie, Jason’s Lyric, which also stars Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett, Bokeem Woodbine, Anthony “Treach” Criss, Eddie Griffin, and Forest Whitaker, was written by Bobby Smith, Jr., and directed by Doug McHenry.

Ms. Douglas gives one of the most passionate and powerful responses regarding the state of urban youth and families in 1990s America. In the film, her character recognizes that she has lost one son to the streets and she plans to do whatever she can to save her second child. Although Ms. Douglas is not a mother, she is clear that we should never give up on our children.

Brian McKnight contributed to the movie's soundtrack.

Circa 1994.