Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All and the Inescapable Desire to Belong | Black Writers Week

Maren’s hunger is not just for human flesh but also to belong. When she travels to a different state and meets Lee (Timothee Chalamet), another eater, and feeds with him, she is finally not alone. Maren appears the most comfortable in their meeting and subsequent relationship, no longer punishing herself for her desires, instead leaning … Read more

Sweet Home Chicago Series for Juneteenth: Video Interview with Filmmaker Mark Harris | Black Writers Week

Fiercely independent with a “do for self” motto, he studied as many books on the art form as possible then got started. He wrote over 10 screenplays before finally pitching a project entitled “Zombies in the Hood” to various studios, including ActorProducer Tim Reid’s New Millennium Studios. This eventually led to a number of industry … Read more

The Journey of a Black Film Critic: Breaking Barriers, Inspiring Change | Black Writers Week

According to Zippia, white writers still dominate the industry, comprising 67.3% of the field in 2021. Black critics remain underrepresented, comprising only 6.2% of the profession, a lower number than even in 2010, while women of color face particular challenges in authoring reviews on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes. These disparities underscore the industry’s imbalance. Nevertheless, … Read more

Black Animation and Me: Where We Came From and Where We’re Going | Black Writers Week

During the 2010s, adult animation was the only place Black animated shows were welcomed, specifically under Adult Swim. Aaron McGruder’s hilarious satire “The Boondocks” was one of the block’s most popular marquee titles, the television adaptation of the Blackspoitation parody film “Black Dynamite” became a cartoon, “Mike Tyson Mysteries” was a funny riff on Scooby-Doo, … Read more

An Introduction to Black Writers Week 2023 | Black Writers Week

Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933). Here at Rogerebert.com we will have a week of great features all week. We discuss what it takes to be an independent filmmaker in today’s environment. Coincidentally two of the filmmakers we talk to are from Chicago. Robert Daniels interviewed independent Chicago filmmaker Dewayne Perkins. Perkins’ horror-satire film … Read more

Rise of the Beats: On Hip-Hop and Hollywood | Black Writers Week

Recent releases “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” perfectly demonstrate Hip-Hop’s enormous artistic impact as a cultural influencer and cinematic game-changer. Both movies are heavily punctuated by the culture, but neither is a straightforward Hip-Hop movie. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” seems solely to exist in its 1994 setting to allow … Read more

Black Writers Week 2023: Table of Contents | Black Writers Week

INTERVIEWS Jumanji Meets Saw: DeWayne Perkins on The Blackening by Robert Daniels REVIEWS Surrounded by Peyton Robinson TV REVIEWS Marvel’s Secret Invasion Continues the Franchise’s Dull Slate by Kaiya Shunyata REPUBLISHED FEATURES Considering John Ford’s ‘Apology Western,’ Sergeant Rutledge by Sergio Mims Dignified Defiance: Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) by Robert Daniels Goodbye to a Legend: Tina … Read more

Sweet Home Chicago Series for Juneteenth | Black Writers Week

And it so happens that one of our other bright lights in Chicago, the entertainer and filmmaker Common, is serving as one of our most enthusiastic Ambassadors. He was recently on “The View” where in explaining why Chicago is an ideal city to hold the 2024 Democratic National Convention, he beautifully articulated the spirit of … Read more