Written by Crystal Tyson on February 1, 2020.
There are movies that win Oscars and then there are CLASSIC movies. Classic movies are those distinguished films or unique works of cinema that have transcended time and trends - impacting our culture as well as our communities. Black History Month has arrived! I wanted to celebrate these beautiful 29 days (thanks Leap Year) with you by presenting 29 movies in black cinema you should (MUST) watch.
Disclaimer: There are so many amazing Black films in the world but please remember I only have 29 days for an endless amount of Black excellence! These are movies that impacted my life whether it be making me laugh, think, cry, or shout! Although we've placed the synopsis of each film, it may suit you best to watch the trailer provided.
Feb 1: Friday
(Drama/Comedy; Rated R) - It's Friday and Craig Jones (Ice Cube) has just gotten fired for stealing cardboard boxes. To make matters worse, rent is due, he hates his overbearing girlfriend, Joi (Paula Jai Parker), and his best friend, Smokey (Chris Tucker), owes the local drug dealer money -- and that's all before lunch. As the hours drag on, Jones and Smokey experience the gamut of urban life, complete with crackheads, shoot-outs and overly sexual pastors, concentrated into one single, unbelievable Friday. *There are 3 movies in this franchise. All three are recommended and pretty funny.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sujATt9Ur0o
Feb 2: Dreamgirls
(Drama/Comedy-drama; Rated PG-13) - Deena (Beyoncé Knowles),Effie (Jennifer Hudson) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) form a music trio called the Dreamettes. When ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx) spots the act at a talent show, he offers the chance of a lifetime, to be backup singers for a national star (Eddie Murphy). Taylor takes creative control of the group and eventually pushes the singers into the spotlight. However, one becomes the star, forcing another out, which teaches them about the high cost of fame.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTgGuFOh2M0
Feb 3: A Time to Kill
(Drama/Thriller; Rated R) - Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) is a heartbroken black father who avenges his daughter's brutal rape by shooting the bigoted men responsible for the crime as they are on their way to trial. He turns to Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), an untested lawyer, to defend him. Brigance struggles to believe that he can get Hailey acquitted in this small, segregated Southern town, given Hailey's race and the deliberate nature of his crimes, but Carl has unshakable faith in him.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE2v4jTL1Kg
Feb 4: Harlem Nights
(Drama/Historical period drama; Rated R ) - In the waning days of Prohibition, Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor) and his adopted son, Quick (Eddie Murphy), run a speakeasy called Club Sugar Ray. When gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) learns that Sugar Ray's place is pulling in more money than his own establishment, the Pitty Pat Club, he pays corrupt cop Phil Cantone (Danny Aiello) to close Club Sugar Ray down. Quick doesn't exactly help the situation when he falls for Calhoune's gun moll, Miss Dominique La Rue (Jasmine Guy).
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOAu8o_7cpI
Feb 5: Malcolm X
(Drama/Romance; Rated PG-13)- A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx4sEvhYeVE
Feb 6: ATL
(Drama/Crime; Rated PG-13) - Four working-class teenagers live in an Atlanta neighborhood where hip-hop music rules and the coolest place to hang out is the local rollerskating rink. As the friends look forward to new horizons after high school, they face challenges on and off the rink that bring about turning points in their lives.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UEkyHS535k&t=19s
Feb 7: Eve's Bayou
(Drama; Rated R) - Over the course of a long, hot Louisiana summer, a 10-year-old black girl, Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), discovers that her family's affluent existence is merely a facade. The philandering of her suave doctor father, Louis (Samuel L. Jackson), creates a rift, throwing Eve's mother, Roz (Lynn Whitfield), and teenage sister, Cisely (Meagan Good), into emotional turmoil. Eve, though, manages to find some solace with her quirky psychic aunt, Mozelle (Debbi Morgan).
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVKP1G95fyM
Feb 8: Beyond the Lights
(Drama/Romance; PG-13) - Though she's been groomed for stardom all her life by an overbearing mother (Minnie Driver), singer Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is having trouble dealing with her success. Feeling unable to cope any longer, Noni tries to kill herself, but luckily Kaz (Nate Parker), the police officer assigned to be her bodyguard, thwarts her suicide attempt. Noni and Kaz feel an instant attraction, but those in their orbit oppose the romance for fear the pair will stray from the course planned out for both of them.
