This is my final look at movies that will be premiering in theaters in the fall. This is a look at December, and in a word as far as Black performers are concerned, it’s pretty disappointing. Hollywood usually saves the blockbusters for the busiest movie-going time of the year, and the Christmas holiday delivers the mother-lode of films so to speak.
Black male actors fair much better than their female counterparts. Actress Zoe Saldana continues to be the Black-Latina of choice, and thank goodness for Tyler Perry because he does star at least two Black actresses in his upcoming film.
Zoe Saldana and Forest Whitaker star in “Out of the Furnace.” Russell (Christian Bale) and his younger brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast—a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.
Saldana stars as Lena, Russell’s love interest. “Out of the Furnace” is in theaters December 6.
Madea is back. And this time she is celebrating Christmas as only she can. Bring on the drama and bring on the laughs; it’s Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Christmas.”
Heading the cast is Tyler Perry (Madea), Kathy Najimy, Anna Maria Horsford, Tika Sumpter and Larry the Cable Guy. As you can see, this is not an all-African American cast; not even a predominantly Black cast, the story goes this way—Madea gets coaxed into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country for Christmas, but the biggest surprise is what they’ll find when they arrive. As the small, rural town prepares for its annual Christmas carnival, new secrets are revealed and old relationships are tested while Madea dishes her own brand of Christmas spirit to all.
Not a lot of information, we’ll just have to wait and see. Perry’s “A Madea Christmas” is in theaters Dec. 13.
Nonso Anozie stars as Embee in the CIA action packed thriller “Jack Ryan.” This British actor is getting a lot of face time on television and on the silver screen.
“Jack Ryan” is back in the body of Chris Pine, who is stepping into the shoes of Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and most successfully Harrison Ford. Tom Clancy’s tough Jack Ryan, is a young covert CIA analyst, and uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. This movie follows Ryan from the start of his career. The movie also stars Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, and Kenneth Branagh, who also directs.
“Jack Ryan” is in theaters Christmas Day.
Kevin Hart matches wits with Sylvester Stallone, and Robert De Niro in “Grudge Match.” A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout—50 years after their last match. Hart will play the fight promoter who gets two retired brawlers (DeNiro and Stallone) back in the ring. “Grudge Match” is in theaters on Christmas Day.
This list of movies in no way represents all the films that will be released in December. They do, however represent the Black performers who will have the opportunity to entertain audiences worldwide during the holidays.
