Summary: After the killer of Clyde Shelton’s (Gerard Butler) family is released on parole, he seeks revenge on all who were involved in the lack of justice for his wife and daughter.

Review: Like many action-revenge movies, Law Abiding Citizen starts strong. The intro scene is always graphic. There is a trigger for why he must take the law into his own hands and before you know it, he is Superman.

Of course, someone who takes the law into his own hands is no original plot. But, in pop movies like these I am not expecting fresh ideas and groundbreaking material. Give me some solid acting, hardcore action and most importantly, a respectably believable plot line and I’m happy. Law Abiding Citizen failed on the believable part, which unfortunately ruined a potentially enjoyable movie.

The director F. Gary Gray is clearly one of the most gifted directors of this generation. I can only assume he started with a messy script and tried his best to make it work. The implausible, like Butler’s character’s laughable demands and epic revenge sequences with no explanations, leave you with a “Huh?” rather than a “Wow!” The man seeking revenge might have been more believable if he was a psychic with X-Men gifts or a god sitting in jail, magically having the power to create chaos behind bars.

The action is good, but the scenarios are so outlandish that it’s hard to enjoy the big explosions. Butler as the family man-turned-psycho is a treat to watch.  Jamie Foxx effectively slips right into his role of the heartless lawyer. Viola Davis, who plays the Mayor of Philadelphia, doesn’t appear until an hour into the movie — you could basically describe her role as a cameo, which was a disappointment. Actually, what might’ve saved the movie is if Viola Davis was the one who was wronged by the justice system and seeking revenge. Ms. Viola could read the back of a Listerine bottle and make it award-worthy!

Law Abiding Citizen is in theaters now.

Jamie Foxx is returning to movies this fall with Law Abiding Citizen, which also stars Gerard Butler and Oscar nominee Viola Davis. Based in Philadelphia, the action-thriller follows the story of a man who wants revenge on the district attorney who prosecuted the case against the murders who killed his wife.

The movie is directed by F. Gary Gary, who also directed the classic Set It Off. Law Abiding Citizen is in theaters October 16th. Check out the trailer below!

Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis are gracing the cover of Ebony Magazine for the May 2009 edition.  The two look amazing and it’s beautiful to see two Black actresses who are obviously happy they both achieved huge success this year.  Both Henson and Davis received Oscar nominations this year for best supporting actress.  Here is an excerpt from Ebony:

In an exclusive photo shoot for Ebony magazine’s May issue, Davis and Henson candidly talk about the challenges that continue to face Black actresses in Hollywood. “Black directors really don’t offer me movies,” says Davis, who takes no offense to this. “Most of the work I do is really in predominantly White films. That’s just how it works.”

That is awful to hear.  There aren’t many Black directors in Hollywood so which ones are turning down Viola Davis?  This issue of Ebony is on newstands Thursday, April 14th.

Check out the DVD releases for this week…

The award winning “Doubt” is on DVD today, which stars Meryl Streep and Viola Davis, who received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

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Keanu Reeves‘ end of the world thriller is available today.  Although bashed by critics, this DVD includes three discs, packed with bonus features.

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Mike Epps‘ stand up DVD, “Funny-Bidness,” hits the streets.  His raunchy but charismatic style is packed in this 90-minute special, which includes behind the scenes footage of Epps on the road.

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Written by T.D. Jakes, Not Easily Broken is officially available on DVD.  The movie stars Taraji P. Henson, Morris Chestnut and Jenifer Lewis.  Click here for our interviews with Chestnut and Lewis.

The 81st Annual Academy Awards aired last night.  It was an epic awards show, clocking in at just less than three and a half hours. The Hollywood elite attended including Will Smith, Halle Berry, Queen Latifah and more.

This year, the Oscars had elaborate monologues from previous winners before each award was given out, which made the show longer, tiring and down right boring at times. Hugh Jackman hosted, and while he is extremely talented, even his performances were not enough to minus the snooze factor.  Jackman sang, danced and popped top hats, making the show feel more like the Tonys than the Oscars.

The always gigging, Beyonce Knowles, performed in a cabaret-like performance with Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens — she even sang a few bars of “At Last”. I’m sure Etta James got a twitch from hearing that one!  Beyonce sure is a stable celebrity, most of these famous people get a case of  “celebrity exhausation” if they work too hard, but Bey keeps rolling down the river!

The most disappointing moment of the night was a tribute to those who passed away in 2008, which included a performance from Queen Latifah — the tribute included Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, but no Eartha Kitt?  Massive insult.

No big shockers this year, Heath Ledger won for The Dark Knight, Kate Winslet snagged best actress and Slumdog Millionaire won best picture. Sean Penn won best actor for Milk, where he played Harvey Milk, a gay activist from the seventies — beating out the favorite, Mickey Rourke.  The always political Penn stressed the importance of equal rights for all people, gay or straight.

As I predicted, Penelope Cruz won best supporting actress, beating out Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis, who both looked beautiful and will hopefully have doors open for future Oscar-worthy films.

View highlights from all the fashion at the Oscars!

Click here for a complete list of winners.

The Oscars are this Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 8 PM EST / 5 PM PST, which will probably be another drawn out awards show. However, according to EOnline.com, Beyonce is scheduled to perform along with Hugh Jackman. The Oscars are being produced by Bill Condon, who produced Dreamgirls and according to him the performances will, “shake things up.”

Here are my Oscar predictions, which are not etched in stone — there can always be an upset, but I don’t see many shockers coming this year.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Should win: Viola Davis in Doubt. Although her role was small, her character was pivotal to the film and her scene with Meryl Streep was classic. Of course I loved Taraji’s performance, but Davis moved me just a bit more and she has been acting for over 13 years.

Will win: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. This is her second nomination and now that Kate Winselt isn’t in the category, this award is all Penelope’s.  However, I do think there is a slight chance Marisa Tomei might snatch it for The Wrestler.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Will win/should win: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. As long as Robert Downey, Jr. doesn’t win I will be happy. This award has the late, great Heath written all over it — even if he was alive the award would still be his. The only actor to receive an Oscar posthumously was Peter Finch in 1977 for Network.

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Melissa Leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Should win: Honestly, Melissa Leo in Frozen River gave the best performance, but there is no way she will win over Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet.

Will win: After six nominations and her complaints, this award is going to Kate Winslet for The Reader. It would be pretty hilarious if for some reason they gave the award to someone else, but I doubt it.

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Should win: Sean Penn for Milk. The former bad boy played a character so far removed from himself (a gay activist who was murdered) and did it so perfectly that this award should be his. However, he has already won his Oscar—I doubt he will win.

Will win: This is Mickey Rourke’s year. It’s the comeback story that dreams are made of. My only issue is his character in The Wrestler is so much like himself. Nonetheless, Rourke is going to be the winner of the evening.

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Should win/will win: It’s all about Slumdog Millionaire. This is one of the few times that a film is not overrated and deserves all the accolades it receives.

The Oscars airs this Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 8 PM EST / 5 PM PST.  Come back here on Monday for a full recap!

The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards aired last night. There were very few African-Americans nominated and none won. Viola Davis, who was nominated for Doubt, and Taraji P. Henson, who was nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, lost to Kate Winslet in the best supporting actress category for The Reader. This is Winslet’s first SAG Award and it’s obviously her year, she has already won two Golden Globes.

The legendary television and theater actress, Phylicia Rashad, was nominated for her role as Lena Younger in Raisin in the Sun and lost to Laura Linney for John Adams. I find it startling Rashad, who has been in the industry since the early seventies, has never won an Emmy and this was only her first SAG nomination.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards gave a lifetime achievement award to James Earl Jones. Oscar and SAG winner, Forest Whitaker, presented the iconic Jones with the award saying the “mesmerizing, deep valley voice.”

The most entertaining moment of the night was when an animated Meryl Streep won best actress for Doubt. She thanked her cast and when thanking Viola Davis she shouted,

“The gigantically gifted Viola Davis — my God, somebody give her a movie!”

If the SAG Awards are any indication of the Oscars then Davis and Henson might not have the greatest chances. However, the ladies still gave outstanding performances and as Meryl Streep said last night there is no such thing as the “best” or “greatest” actresses.

Slumdog Millionaire snagged the biggest award of the evening for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Click here for a full list of winners.

The 2009 Oscar nominations were announced this morning by Sid Ganis, president of the Academy, and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button garnered 13 nominations and The Dark Knight racked up 8 nominations, including a best supporting actor nod for Heath Ledger – on the one year anniversary of his death. Slumdog Millionaire, the underdog favorite, received 10 nominations, but no acting nods.

Only two African-Americans were nominated in the main categories. Taraji P. Henson received a best supporting nod for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Viola Davis earned a nod in the same category for Doubt. I cannot think of the last time, if ever (don’t quote me on this!), two black women were nominated in the same year for best supporting actress.

Shortly after the nominations were announced, Davis told the CBS Early Show, “Sometimes you don’t find this role in a whole movie, especially for an African-American actress.” She also added, “I entered this job just wanting to do a good job. I didn’t have the anticipation of any of these awards, this is just a blessing to me.”

Some shockers were Leonardo DiCaprio receiving no nominations. Kate Winslet, who recently won two Golden Golbes for best actress and best supporting actress, only received one best actress nod for The Reader. The Dark Knight was shunned for best picture. Also, Robert Downey, Jr. was nominated for best supporting actor for a white character who was playing black in Tropic Thunder.

No best original song nod for Cadillac Records, which received a Golden Globe nomination. Rock icon, Bruce Springsteen, was passed in the same category, even though he won for the same category at the Golden Globes.

Click here for the complete list of nominations.

The Oscars will air live on Sunday, February 22nd 8 ET / 5 PT on CBS.

The 66th Annual Golden Globes  aired last night on NBC.  Big winners included Tina Fey for best actress in a television series for 30 Rock, the late-great Heath Ledger for best supporting actor in The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire, which racked up four, including best picture.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was considered a favorite, lost all five nominations.

The few African-Americans who were nominated did not win. Viola Davis was nominated for best supporting actress but lost to a deserving Kate Winslet for The Reader.  Winslet also won a second time for best actress in The Revolutionary Road.  Winslet has been nominated for five Golden Globes since 1996 and lost — these are her first wins.

Beyonce Knowles and the five other songwriters of  “Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records lost best original song to rock icon Bruce Springsteen for his song from The Wrestler.

Blair Underwood for In Treatment lost best supporting actor (miniseries or  motion picture) made for television to Tom Wilkinson for John Adams.

Raisin in the Sun, which starred Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Phylicia Rashad was nominated for best miniseries or motion picture made for television and lost to John Adams.

However, the most entertaining moment of the night was Tracy Morgan’s acceptance speech for 30 Rock winning best television series.  An animated Morgan said he made a deal with Tina Fey that if Barack Obama won he would speak for the cast.  Morgan shouted, “I am the face of post-racial America. Deal with it, Cate Blanchett!”  You can always count on Tracy Morgan to energize the crowd!

Click here for the full list of winners.

Well, the year is officially over.  2008 has been a quiet year for African-Americans in film.  Last year we had The Great Debaters, American Gangster, Talk to Me — however, this year there were very films telling stories about African-American life.  Still, you can’t ignore the performances, whether heavy and emotional or fun and fashionable.  Here are the best performances from African-American actors in 2008:

10. Will Smith in Seven Pounds

While not the best film, Smith still gave a great performance.  If anything was right about Seven Pounds, it was Will Smith.

9. Jada Pinkett Smith in The Women

Okay, I know The Women was an awful movie.  Nonetheless, it was Jada’s character that gave the film some life.  She played a lesbian, which was not in the original movie and managed to add some soul to a drab cast and trite script.  Jada makes anything look good.

8. Jennifer Hudson in Sex and the City

J-Hud beat out Kelly Rowland for this role and while some criticized her for taking a supporting role after winning an Oscar, this was a good look.  She played the role of Louise, who was Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant.

7.  Brandon T. Jackson in Tropic Thunder

Jackson held his own with comedic legends like Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr. Tropic Thunder wasn’t without its controversy (Downey playing a white guy who is playing black), Jackson’s character said everything black audiences were thinking.  Hopefully we will see more from Jackson in the not so distant future.

6. Douglas Silva in City of Men

Douglas Silva is a Brazilian actor who starred in the critically acclaimed City of God and the television series City of Men.  City of Men the film was released in the U.S. this year, which tells the story of Acerola (Silva) and his best friend turning eighteen.  A drug war breaks out and the two friends are tested beyond their limits.

5. Thandie Newton in Rocknrolla

The always stunning Newton gave a sizzling performance as the sassy and edgy Stella in Guy Ritchie’s Rocknrolla.  The Brit action-comedy revolves around clumsy criminals trying to get rich quick.

4. Sophie Okonedo in Secret Life of Bees

Okonedo is another underrated actress and her brilliance is hard to deny in any film.  She was the standout in Secret Life of Bees, holding her own among Grammy and Oscar winners.

3. Viola Davis in Doubt

Davis has been in film and television for over ten years and is just getting the attention she deserves.  Her performance in Doubt has already earned her a Golden Globe nomination and an Oscar nod is a strong possibility.

2. Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Taraji P. Henson might possibly be the next Halle Berry. She has grown from her days in 2001’s Baby Boy.  Now, she is getting recognition across the world for her performance as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Henson received a SAG nomination and might battle out the Oscar with Viola Davis.

1. Jeffrey Wright in Cadillac Records

Littered with mixed reviews, Cadillac Records wasn’t the smash hit everyone hoped for. Whatever the case, you can’t ignore Wright’s performance as the legendary Muddy Waters.  Nearly every review praised his skills and he definitely has a bright future in Hollywood. If Cadillac Records would’ve been better written and executed, Wright would’ve had the year Jamie Foxx had with 2005’s Ray.

See you in the ‘09!