N'Bushe Wright Movies
Beautiful N'Bushe Wright started out as a dancer, trained at the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Center and the Martha Graham School of Dance, but then switched to acting, enrolling at Stella Adler's studio. Within a year, Wright was starring in Anthony Drazan's Zebrahead (1992). That year, she won the recurring role of Claudia, a black civil rights activist fighting for equal opportunities in education in the acclaimed but short-lived NBC television drama I'll Fly Away. She received positive reviews for her moving portrayal of the drug-addicted older sister of the title protagonist in Boaz Yakin's Fresh (1994). The following year, Wright played an idealistic Black Panther in the Hughes Brothers Dead Presidents (1995). A native of New York City, she is the daughter of jazzman Suleiman-Marim and a Board of Education psychologist. Wright attended the Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
When a successful young attorney becomes involved in the deteriorating marriage of a longtime friend, the repercussions of his actions could spell disaster for all involved in this tense martial thriller from director Reggie Gaskins. Dontae McNeil loves his wife Diane deeply and strives to be the best husband he can, but Diane simply isn't happy in the marriage. Russell Jenkins is a powerful defense attorney with a beautiful wife and a sprawling home. An old friend of Diane's, Russell has everything she has ever wanted in life. When Diane comes seeking Russell's advice on how to handle her marital problems and the pair grows increasingly close, Dante soon begins to suspect that Diane and Russell may be having an affair. Upon confronting Diane, Dante's erratic behavior causes his frightened wife to seek a restraining order against her husband. Infuriated that the woman he loves so deeply could take such drastic measures, Dante becomes consumed by his anger. When Diane makes the fatal mistake of asking Russell to discuss the matter with the increasingly irrational Dante, the fury of being confronted by the very man he suspects his wife of sleeping with drives Dante over the edge of sanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Givens, Sean Blakemore, (more)
- 2004
- Add He Say... She Say... But What Does GOD Say? to QueueAdd He Say... She Say... But What Does GOD Say? to top of Queue
Sin, salvation, and song come together in this blend of comedy and drama from the pen of playwright David E. Talbert. Soul Theater Series: He Say...She Say...but What Does GOD Say? takes place in inner-city Detroit, where a small storefront church is located next to a nightclub that's a meeting place for local gangsters. Neither church member Deacon Witherspoon (Tommy Ford) nor mobster Satin Jones (Clifton Powell) is willing to give up their place in the neighborhood, and each leads their followers in an ongoing effort to drive their rivals away. Soul Theater Series: He Say She Say but What Does God Say? also features several songs from gospel vocalist Brent Jones. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2003
First-time filmmaker Harry Davis directs the drama MVP from a screenplay by award-winning filmmaker Greg Pak, filmed entirely in southeastern Michigan. Wood Harris stars as Tony Smalls, a public defender in Detroit. Fed up with the legal system, he wants to quit being an attorney and leave town. His sister Nia (N'Bushe Wright), however, convinces him stay and defend her boyfriend Big Boy (Christian Mathis). This proves to be complicated by the fact that Big Boy is the supposed leader of the gang known as MVP. Tony finds that the case strains his relationship with his wife Kim (Melle Powers). Also starring Roger Guenveur Smith, MVP was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wood Harris, N'Bushe Wright, (more)
- 2003
Created by John Ridley and Sofia Coppola (whose father Francis Ford Coppola was among the producers), the weekly UPN series Platinum could be described as Dynasty for the hip-hop generation. At the center of the intrigue was a black-oriented record company called Sweetback, owned and operated by the Rhames brothers, Jackson (Jason George) and Grady (Sticky Fingaz). Though they had supped full of success, the brothers' label was in dire financial straits, forcing them to take drastic measures (some funny, some violent) to remain players in a cutthroat business. During the first few episodes, the Rhameses' biggest headache was their top artist, a pugnacious white rapper named VersIs (played by real-life rap artist Vishiss), who in addition to making enemies left and right was also romancing Jackson and Grady's kid sister Monica (Davetta Sherwood). On top of everything else, the white-dominated media despised the Rhameses, and were waiting baited breath to see them crash and burn. Others in the cast included Steven Pasquale as the brothers' long-suffering financial adviser, and N'Bushe Wright as a barracuda-like rival producer. Originally titled Empire, Platinum premiered April 14, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Television director Neema Barnette directs the forceful drama Civil Brand, based on a story by Preston A. Whitmore II. Shot with a micro-budget of 500,000 dollars, the film stars confrontational rap and hip-hop artists Mos Def, MC Lyte, and Da Brat. The story concerns a women's prison that exploits its largely African-American inmate population as cheap labor to manufacture products for a corporation. Mostly incarcerated due to domestic violence situations, the inmates also face sexual abuse as the hands of the prison staff, headed by Captain Deese (Clifton Powell) and Warden Nelson (Reed McCants). Accused of murder, Frances Shepard (Lisa Rae) joins forces with inmates Little Momma (Lark Voorhies), Wet (Monica Calhoun), and Nikki Barnes (N'Bushe Wright), as well as law student Michael (Mos Def), in order to start an uprising. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Adapted by Lynda LaPlante from her own 1983 British miniseries of the same name, the ABC four-parter Widows was set in motion by a bungled art heist, in which three thieves (and a possible fourth) were betrayed and killed. Rather than grieve over their fallen husbands, the three widows of the thieves -- Dolly (Mercedes Ruehl), Linda (Rosie Perez), and Shirley (Brooke Shields) -- join forces to complete the original "caper," and to track down their spouses' murderers. The ladies are joined by exotic dancer Bella (N'Bushe Wright), whose missing-in-action boyfriend may have been slaughtered along with the other three crooks. The American version of Widows debuted August 6, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mercedes Ruehl, Rosie Perez, (more)
Noted hip-hop producer DJ Pooh, who co-wrote the urban comedy Friday, makes his directorial debut with this comedy-drama. A young African-American man is enjoying his freedom after his second stretch in prison. Under the "three strikes and you're out" law, another brush with the police could mean life behind bars, so he's determined to stay out of trouble. He quickly learns, however, that trouble has a way of finding him, no matter where he goes. DJ Pooh also stars in 3 Strikes, alongside N'Bushe Wright and Brian Hooks. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Hooks, N'Bushe Wright, (more)
British director Stephen Norrington helmed this David S. Goyer adaptation of the Marvel Comics character created in 1973 by scripter Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan. In the Tomb of Dracula comic book origin, just before Blade's mother gave birth to Blade, she was bitten by a vampire, which made Blade immune to vampires. Now a vampire hunter, Blade, joined by vampire detective Hannibal King and Dracula-descendent Frank Drake, stalks vampires. In the 1990s (in Marvel's Nightstalkers), Blade teamed with Drake and King in an agency created to fight a variety of supernatural beings. The Marvel origin is retold in this 1998 Norrington film, with Blade's mother dying as he is born. Thirty-some years later, Blade now exists somewhere between the two worlds, not human but not fully vampire. He has become a relentless and superhuman vampire hunter, out to avenge the death of his mother and protect the rest of humankind from the evil vampire race. In this pursuit, Blade storms a notorious vampire nightclub and in a virtual bloodbath manages to wipe out most of the blood-lusting denizens. But the burnt corpse of vampire Quinn (Donal Logue) is reanimated at the hospital morgue and bites hematologist Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright). Blade magically appears at the hospital just in time to whisk Karen to his hideaway, a machine-shop run by his mentor Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), who once rescued Blade and who now produces a antidote to keep Blade from turning into a full-fledged vampire and who builds custom weapons for Blade to use against his evil foes. Meanwhile, Blade's vampire arch-nemesis Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) uses computers to translate the Book of Erebus, with the ultimate aim of bringing down the old-guard vampire council, headed by Dragonetti (Udo Kier), and triggering the Blood Tide -- an event in which everyone in the world becomes a vampire. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, (more)
Jealousy, infidelity, and a missing finger are the key ingredients in this dark independent comedy. Carol (Caroleen Feeney) and Glenn (Liev Schreiber) are a young couple whose first baby is due any day now. The last few months of her pregnancy have left Carol with little desire for sex, much to the annoyance of Glenn. As Carol is chopping carrots while making dinner, Glenn surprises her with a hug; she's so startled that the knife misses its mark and she instead slices off Glenn's pinky. The finger flies out the window, which sends both Glenn and Carol out into the street to look for it. The search for the lost digit leads to an argument, with Carol accusing Glenn of infidelity and Glenn accusing Carol of intending to hack off his penis instead. Carol finds the finger, but she holds it hostage until Glenn will name the other women he's been sleeping with. Eventually, the argument finds its way over to the home of Carol's best friend Pam (Cynthia Watros). It seems that Pam is also having marriage problems; she's jealous of her husband Nick (Michael Rispoli), but the truth is that Pam is the one who has been unfaithful. Nick, however, shows up just as Pam is making her confession to Carol. Glenn, meanwhile, just wants his finger back. His and Hers also marked the screen debut of noted actor and playwright Danny Hoch as Lenny. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liev Schreiber, Caroleen Feeney, (more)
- 1997
Recovering from a disastrous romance, graduate student Jennifer Cole (Lisa Rinna) is attracted to the brilliant, charismatic and unpredictable aspiring author Adam (Rob Estes), whose manuscript she has been hired to type. Adam's proposed novel concerns a serial killer who has systematically targeted eight women for death--and as the work progresses, Jennifer cannot help but worry that Adam intends to convert fiction into fact! Unable to convince her parents, her professors or even the police that Adam may be a dangerous killer in the making, Jennifer takes matters in her own hands, offering to be Adam's "accomplice" in hopes of preventing a bloodbath. A definite change of pace for its stars (both of whom had also worked together on Melrose Place), the made-for-TV Close to Danger originally aired January 13, 1997 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Albert Hughes and his brother Allen Hughes followed their striking debut Menace II Society with this ambitious look at the social and political lives of the African-American community in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate) is a young man coming of age in the Bronx in 1968. Working two part-time jobs -- one as a milkman's helper and another for local numbers runner Kirby (Keith David) -- Anthony is torn between doing the right thing and trying to get by in a environment that offers few opportunities to young black men. After graduating from high school, Anthony decides to join the Marines, news that is not well-received by his parents, who want him to go to college, or his girlfriend Juanita (Rose Jackson), with whom Anthony recently lost his virginity. After serving a horrific tour of duty in Viet Nam with his friends Skip (Chris Tucker) and Jose (Freddy Rodriguez), Anthony finds himself back home in 1973, where Juanita has been raising the child he fathered before he shipped out, drugs and crime have crippled his community, and honest job prospects are practically nil. Eventually, Anthony falls in with Kirby, Skip, and Jose, who have teamed with Juanita's sister Delilah (N'Bushe Wright), a Black Power activist, and Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine), in a scheme to rob an armored truck taking worn greenbacks ("dead presidents") to a mint to be destroyed. Martin Sheen and Seymour Cassel appear unbilled in small roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larenz Tate, Keith David, (more)
A bright young African-American boy attempts to survive life in the city by acting as an errand boy for a drug dealer in this thoughtful, sharply plotted drama. Known as Fresh, the young man must use his delivery jobs to support himself and his troubled sister, receiving nothing from his distant, alcoholic father but the occasional chess lesson. His intelligence and quiet determination serve him well, as he wins the trust of his employer and settles into an unpleasant but survivable routine. Even this small comfort disappears, however, when Fresh accidentally witnesses the killing of a classmate and becomes a potential target himself. Forced into an impossible situation, he puts his experience and strategic ability to good use, developing a tricky plan to protect his own life and defeat the killers. First-time director Boaz Yakin emphasizes restraint and realism, presenting potentially sensationalistic material with a minimum of violence and flash. Instead, attention is placed on the strong, layered performances, particularly Sean Nelson as Fresh and Samuel L. Jackson as his embittered father. While some have questioned the film's treatment of inner city life, the film was generally acclaimed, thanks to its seriousness and complexity. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1993
This final episode of Homicide's first season was originally telecast out of sequential order, requiring an opening title explaining that the action takes place "One Night Last September" (a title still retained in all syndication prints). The air conditioning in the squad room has broken down on a particularly hot night, and with no "outgoing" cases, everyone is stuck in the same room to swelter. Among the "incoming" cases on the board this evening: A suspect in the Adena Watson murder case is brought in; an abandoned baby is found in a cage in the building's basement; an out-of-season Santa Claus is thrown in the slammer, only to disappear; and everyone would like to find out who lights that candle in the squad room every night -- and why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
An interracial romance sparks social upheaval in this indie drama from first-time writer/director Anthony Drazan. Jewish high school student Zack Glass (Michael Rapaport) lives with his widowed, womanizing father (Ray Sharkey) in one of the nicer areas of Detroit. His pop and grandfather own a pair of vintage record stores full of everything from swing and jazz to soul and disco; Zack carries on the vinyl-centric family tradition by selling hip-hop mix tapes out of his locker and mixing fiddles and Puccini into his DJ sets at local parties. One day at school, beautiful New Jersey transfer student Nikki (N'Bushe Wright) witnesses Zack's girlfriend unceremoniously dumping him; when it turns out that Zack's best friend, Dee Wimms (DeShonn Castle), is Nikki's cousin, the stage is set for romance -- the first interracial pairing for each teen. Dee is happy to play matchmaker, but members of the Wimms clan aren't as pleased with the romance. Nikki's mother, Marlene (Candy Ann Brown), asks Zack point-blank if he's curious about black women -- or just slumming it. Such mild disapproval is nothing compared to the rage felt by Nut (Ron Johnson), a young troublemaker who wants to romance Nikki himself. When Nikki overhears Zack making a racially insensitive comment about her to his pals at a party, she questions the viability of their relationship; the next day, she finds herself making time with Nut, who displays an unexpected tender streak. When Zack shows up at the local skating rink to talk to Nikki and sees Nut pestering her, things spiral out of control. Soon, the lines are drawn in a community-wide debate about interracial dating and urban violence. Zebrahead earned a Filmmaker's Trophy for Drazan at Sundance in 1992 and launched the successful careers of Rapaport and Wright. Indie fans will notice Kevin Corrigan in an elliptical subplot involving the industrial disintegration of the Motor City. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- N'Bushe Wright, Paul Butler, (more)
