Keith David Movies
Actor, singer, and voice actor Keith David has spent much of his career on the stage, but also frequently works in feature films and on television. A native of New York City, David first performed as a child, singing in the All Borough Chorus and later attended the prestigious High School of Performing Arts. Shortly after graduating from Juilliard, where he studied voice and theater, David landed a role in a production of Coriolanus at Joseph Papp's Public Theater. He starred opposite Christopher Walken. David made his Broadway debut in Albee's The Lady From Dubuque (1980) and, two years later, had his first film role in John Carpenter's The Thing. He would not appear in another feature film until he played King in Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986). In between, David alternated between stage and television work. He appeared in five films in 1988, including Clint Eastwood's Bird, where he gave a memorable performance as jazz sax player Buster Franklin. In 1992, David showed his considerable skill as a singer and dancer and won a Tony nomination for starring in the musical Jelly's Last Jam, opposite Gregory Hines. David's film career really picked up in the mid-'90s, with roles ranging from a gunslinger in Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead to a New York cop in Spike Lee's Clockers to an amputee who owns a pool parlor in Dead Presidents (all 1995). In 1998, David had a brief but memorable role as Cameron Diaz's boisterous stepfather in the Farrelly brother's zany Something About Mary. In one of the film's funniest scenes, David tries to help Diaz's prom date, Ben Stiller, extricate himself from an embarrassingly sticky situation. He is also well known to animation fans for his voice work in, among other projects, Disney's Gargoyles, HBO's Spawn, and the English-dubbed version of the Japanese-animated film Princess Mononoke. In 2000 he appeared in Requiem for a Dream, Pitch Black, and Where the Heart Is, as well as providing the narration of Ken Burns documentary on the history of jazz. He continued to work steadily in a variety of projects including Barbershop, 29 Palms, Agent Cody Banks, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the 2005 Oscar winner for Best Picture, Crash. He also found work in Transporter 2, The Oh in Ohio, Meet Monica Velour, Lottery Ticket, and the 2010 remake of Death at a Funeral. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 2011
- PG
- Add The Greening of Whitney Brown to Queue Add The Greening of Whitney Brown to top of Queue
A privileged urban teen struggles to learn an important life lesson after her family falls on hard times and move to her grandparents' farm in order to get back on their feet. Whitney Brown (Sammi Hanratti) was raised in the lap of luxury; her parents (Aidan Quinn and Brooke Shields) gave her everything a child could ever want. But when the economic climate takes a turn for the worst, the well-to-do family must find a new place to live. Initially dejected by the slow pace of rural life, Whitney starts to perk up after befriending a majestic Gypsy Vanner horse named Odd Job Bob on a ranch owned by cantankerous Dusty (Kris Kristofferson) -- whose connection to her family is stronger than she suspects. It isn't long before the change of scenery, the quality family time, and the idyllic days spent with her new equine friend allow Whitney the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for nature and to understand the importance of occasionally stepping back to put your life in perspective. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sammi Hanratty, Aidan Quinn, (more)
Five cousins gather an old dark house to compete for a massive inheritance, only to find that winning it may be murder as occult secrets and supernatural occurrences cast a dark shadow over the grim proceedings. Summoned to the sprawling family estate by their mysterious Uncle Melvin (Keith David), cousins Karen (Golden Brooks), Henry (D.B. Woodside), Tyrone (Darrin Dweitt Henson) Lily (Rochelle Aytes) and Simpson (Shawn Michael Howard) learn that they are all heir to a vast fortune that has been hidden away since the days of slavery. Back then, tradition was paramount. And though the family has long since been shattered, breaking family custom can still yield dire consequences. Later, as evening gives way to night, Aunt Felicia (Adriane Lenox) shows up to expose the family's occult roots, and deliver a dire prophecy about events that will soon come to pass. Now, as the secrets of their ancestors are dragged screaming into the light, the five cousins who dreamt of untold riches will discover just how much their ancestors were willing to sacrifice in order to secure their freedom. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keith David
A familiar urban legend gets a chilling new twist when a group of high school friends all receive a chain e-mail claiming that someone close to them will soon die if they fail to keep the message circulating. At first Jessie Campbell (Nikki Reed) thought it might just be a sick joke, but when her friends break the chain and people start to die, she realizes it's only a matter of time until the Chain Man comes to claim her, too. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nikki Reed, Keith David, (more)
In this offbeat independent comedy, Spork (Savannah Stehlin) is an awkward junior high student with bad skin and worse hair. Spork has one other thing that causes her grief -- a penis. Though she lives as a girl, Spork is a hermaphrodite (hence her nickname -- "not a spoon, not a fork"), and her sexual ambiguity makes her the target of constant bullying by overwrought mean girl Becky Byotch (Rachel G. Fox) and her clique of harpies in training. Things are not much better at home, where orphaned Spork lives with her slobby brother, Spit (Rodney Eastman), and his sedentary girlfriend, Felicia (Elaine Hendrix). Things start to look up for Spork when she makes friends with the highly attitudinal Tootsie Roll (Sydney Park), who embraces her as a fellow outcast in a school of obnoxious conformists, and with the help of Tootsie Roll, overweight Asian Chunk (Kevin Chung) and cheerful Justin Timberlake fan Charlie (Michael William Arnold), Spork learns how to dance and decides to show off her new moves at the school talent show. Spork was the first feature film from actor-turned-writer/director J.B. Ghuman Jr. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Savannah Stehlin, Sydney Park, (more)
A kid from the projects scores the jackpot in the lottery and fights to protect his ticket over the course of a treacherous holiday weekend in this all-star comedy featuring Ice Cube, Charlie Murphy, Terry Crews, and Loretta Devine. With the Fourth of July fast approaching, Kevin Carson (Bow Wow) purchases a pair of lottery tickets and settles down in front of the television to catch the winning numbers. When Kevin realizes he's just won 370 million dollars, he knows his neighbors will all come knocking the moment word of his massive windfall gets out. And he's right, too; before long, the local thugs are looking to take the ticket by force, and the sexiest girls in the neighborhood are begging to bear his children. Unfortunately for Kevin and his grandma, the lottery-claims office doesn't open until Monday, and over the next 72 hours there are more than a million ways the winning ticket could fall into the wrong hands. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson, (more)
Frank Oz's 2007 black comedy Death at a Funeral is given the remake treatment with an urban spin in this Chris Rock-produced production. When a dysfunctional clan reuintes to mourn the passing of the family patriarch, a respectful funeral quickly turns into an all-out fiasco marked by bitter resentment, blackmail attempts, and scandalous revelations. Dean Craig penned the script for director Neil LaBute (The Wicker Man), with Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, and Danny Glover co-starring. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keith David, Loretta Devine, (more)
A young man meets his dream woman (and isn't the least bit troubled that she's a washed-up porn actress 30 years his senior) in this independent coming-of-age comedy. Tobe Hulbert (Dustin Ingram) is a 17-year-old high school graduate who is the working definition of a loser -- he's nerdy and socially inept, he lives with his eccentric grandfather (Brian Dennehy), his closest friend, Kenny (Daniel Yelsky), is only 12 years old, and he drives a beat-up hot-dog wagon with a giant frankfurter bolted to the roof. Among his other obsessions, Tobe is fascinated with adult movies of the 1970s and '80s, and his favorite actress is Monica Velour (Kim Cattrall), who in her heyday was the hottest star in porn. When Tobe discovers there's a collector living in Indiana (Keith David) who is willing to buy his wagon for a good price and Monica Velour will be appearing at a gentleman's club nearby, he decides fate is smiling on him and hits the road. However, the "gentleman's club" turns out to be a sleazy dive and time hasn't been kind to Monica; when several patrons begin shouting insults at her, Tobe defends her honor and gets beat up for his trouble. Monica gratefully befriends Tobe and lets him stay at the trailer park she calls home; he begins to imagine he might have a chance with the woman of his dreams, but while she sees Tobe as a kindred spirit, she has bigger things to deal with, including a career that's going nowhere, an ugly relationship with her ex-husband, and a contentious battle to win back custody of her daughter. The first feature film from writer and director Keith Bearden, Meet Monica Velour received its world premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Cattrall, Dustin Ingram, (more)
First time writer/director Jake Goldberger takes the helm for this thriller about a man who returns to his hometown after receiving a letter from his high school sweetheart, who claims to be dying. It's been 25 years since Don McKay (Thomas Haden Church) turned his back on his hometown, and he never imagined he would ever return. But when a letter from his former girlfriend Sonny (Elisabeth Shue) appears in Don's mailbox, he can't resist visiting his old flame one more time, before her light disappears forever. When Don comes home and realizes that his memories of Sonny don't match up with the woman she is now, it quickly becomes apparent that he harbors a shameful secret from years gone by. Meanwhile, Sonny's doctor (James Rebhorn) and caretaker (Melissa Leo) don't warm quickly to the returning visitor, and a chance run-in suddenly compounds Don's buried secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue, (more)
Set in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century, The Princess and the Frog concerns a poor African-American girl named Tiana who has a knack for cooking, and dreams of opening her own restaurant. Her best friend since childhood is a privileged white girl whose wealthy father employs Tiana's mother as a dressmaker. When the friend's family hosts a party for Prince Naveen of Maldonia, Dr. Facilier, an expert in black magic, turns the visiting royal into a frog. The now amphibious Naveen convinces Tiana that a kiss will reverse the spell, and if she obliges him he'll provide the money she needs to open her dream eatery. However, their smooch not only fails to turn him back into a human, but transforms Tiana into a frog as well. The duo then sets out to find a voodoo priestess who can set everything right. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, (more)
A brilliant crossword-puzzle designer travels across the country in hopes of convincing a CCN cameraman that the pair is meant to be together, only to find her quest taking an unexpected turn in this romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, andThomas Haden Church. Despite the fact that she has only gone on one short date with the man, a love-struck puzzle creator becomes enamored with a successful cameraman and follows him to a series of media events in hopes that the feeling is mutual. While she is saddened to discover that it is not, she soon becomes involved with a group of misfits who selflessly accept her at face value. First-time feature filmmaker Phil Traill directs a screenplay penned by License to Wed scribe Kim Barker. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, (more)
A young girl walks through a secret door and discovers a parallel reality that is eerily similar to the life she already knows, yet deeply unsettling in a number of ways, in director Henry Selick's animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's international best-seller. Eleven-year-old Coraline Jones (voice of Dakota Fanning) is fearlessly courageous, and perhaps far too adventurous for her own good. Coraline and her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) have recently relocated to Oregon from Michigan. Bored in her new home since her parents are distracted by work and she has yet to make any new friends, Coraline passes the time by exploring her new neighborhood with an annoying local boy named Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.). But after paying a visit to her eccentric neighbors Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Forcible (Dawn French), a pair of aging British actresses, and crossing paths with the outright weird Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), the precocious young girl becomes convinced that her new surroundings are just as dull as she'd initially suspected. Shortly thereafter, Coraline discovers a hidden door in her new house, and decides to investigate. Venturing into the eerie passageway inside, Coraline emerges into an alternate version of her own reality. At first glance, this strange new world seems even better than the real thing; there her parents aren't distracted by work, and Coraline is always the center of attention. There's even a mysterious Cat (Keith David) that's fascinated by her every move. But when Coraline's button-eyed Other Mother (also Hatcher) attempts to make her stay permanent, the frightened young girl must summon her resourcefulness and bravery in order to find her way back home and save her real family. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, (more)
Reality and video games merge in this high-concept sci-fi action thriller from Crank creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. In the not too distant future, mind-control technology allows humans to control the actions and movements of other humans, allowing reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) to create the ultimate video game. It's called "Slayers," and it's a mass-scale, multiplayer online first-person shooter that's as controversial as it is popular. In the world of gamers, Simon (Logan Lerman) is a rock star; miraculously managing to keep his character alive week after week, he racks up frags like Billy Mitchell jumps barrels. But unlike Mitchell's Mario, Simon's video-game avatar is a living, breathing human being named Kable (Gerard Butler). Defying the odds to keep Kable running and gunning though even the most explosive battles, Simon captures the imagination of a global audience. Torn from his family, thrown into prison, and forced to fight against his will, Kable realizes that his only hope of ever seeing his family again is to somehow escape the game, reclaim his identity, and expose Castle's dehumanizing technology on live television. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gerard Butler, Amber Valletta, (more)
Gospel-minded playwright David E. Talbert produces, writes, and directs this urban crime comedy concerning a pair of criminals who take a group of church parishioners hostage while attempting to rob the holy house, only to find their captives slowly convincing them to repent and give up their lawless lifestyles. Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) are two best friends with a special knack for petty crime. Upset at discovering that his ex-girlfriend is planning to move out of state with the couple's young son, Durell knows that the only way to keep his fractured family in close proximity to one another is to raise the 17,000 dollars needed to pay off her growing debt. In order to get the money before his ex decides to make the big move, the desperate Durell enlists the aid of his scheming best buddy to rob their neighborhood church. But someone has beaten Durell and LeeJohn to the punch, and if they ever hope to get their hands on that quick cash, this bumbling pair will first have to spend an entire night in the presence of not just the almighty lord, but some of his most fervent followers as well. Katt Williams, Keith David, Regina Hall, and Chi Mcbride co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ice Cube, Katt Williams, (more)
When an uptight federal agent's sexually liberated mother enters into an affair with a man suspected of being involved in an international art-theft ring, it's up to the fresh-faced agent to keep an observant eye on the couple in question in writer/director George Gallo's lighthearted romantic comedy. Colin Hanks, Selma Blair, Antonio Banderas, and Meg Ryan star in a Millennium Films production. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Meg Ryan, (more)
After spoofing disaster films in Airplane!, police shows in The Naked Gun, and Hollywood horrors in Scary Movie 3 and 4, producer David Zucker sets his satirical sights on the superhero genre with this anarchic comedy lampooning everything from Spider-Man to X-Men and Superman Returns. Shortly after being bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly, high-school outcast Rick Riker (Drake Bell) begins to experience a startling transformation. Now Rick's skin is as strong as steel, and he possesses the strength of ten men. Determined to use his newfound powers to fight crime, Rick creates a special costume and assumes the identity of The Dragonfly -- a fearless crime fighter dedicated to keeping the streets safe for law-abiding citizens. But every superhero needs a nemesis, and after Lou Landers (Christopher McDonald) is caught in the middle of an experiment gone horribly awry, he develops the power to leech the life force out of anyone he meets and becomes the villainous Hourglass. Intent on achieving immortality, the Hourglass attempts to gather as much life force as possible as the noble Dragonfly sets out to take down his archenemy and realize his destiny as a true hero. Craig Mazin writes and directs this high-flying spoof featuring Tracy Morgan, Pamela Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Marion Ross, Jeffrey Tambor, and Regina Hall. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, (more)
Chance Templeton (Rick Yune of The Fast and the Furious) has every reason to be angry. At a young age he learned to channel the pain of witnessing his parents' grisly murder through an intense mentorship with a professional hitman (The Thing's Keith David). Ever since, he's been a remorseless contract-killing machine. But when his latest hit turns out to be the pop singer whom his dear adopted brother (Bokeem Woodbine) has been assigned to protect, Chance finally comes across a kill he can't make. Now the bounty is on the heads of Chance and the ones he loves, and, if he wants to make it out alive, he must use his lethal skills against the underworld that bestowed them to him. The Fifth Commandment was also penned by Yune.. ~ Jonathan Frey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rick Yune, Dania Ramirez, (more)
- 2007
Ken Burns continues his exploration of massive, sweeping subjects with his 15-hour documentary The War; in this case, the conflict in question is World War II. Yet within the scope of that gargantuan subject, Burns and co-director Lynn Novick narrow their scale of emphasis, honing in on four "average" American towns and charting the experiences of individual young men who enlisted to go overseas and fight against the encroaching shadow of fascism. The film covers each major "region" of the U.S. by transporting audiences to the west coast (Sacramento, California); the south (Mobile, Alabama); the east coast (Waterbury, Connecticut) and the Midwest (the farming community of Luverne, Minnesota). Within that geographic framework, Burns uncovers a series of astonishing tales about bravery in the midst of adversity - from the story of a young man who transported 12 American soldiers from the Normandy beach on D-Day, to the accounts of innumerable young men who falsified their ages and enlisted early. Burns and Novick thus repeatedly emphasize the human side of war - an aspect all too often glossed over when documentarians treat WWII on a broader scale. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Frazier, Sam Hynes, (more)
When a hard-luck blue-collar worker and his two best friends are mistaken for Army Reservists by a tough-talking Army sergeant, the plane set to fly them to the front lines of Iraq mistakenly drops them in the middle of Mexico to disastrous results in a freewheeling military comedy starring Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and D.J. Qualls. Larry (the Cable Guy) has lost his job and his woman in the short span of 24 hours. Convinced that some suds and target shooting are just the right remedies for a broken, jobless heart, Larry sets out with his next-door neighbor Bill (Engvall) and their trigger-happy pal Everett (Qualls) in order to blast off some rounds and down some brews. Their relaxing weekend soon takes an unexpected turn, however, when hard-case Army sergeant Kilgrove (Keith David) mistakes the trio as slacking Army reservists and loads them in a plane bound for Fallujah. Subsequently air-dropped over Mexico due to pilot error, the clueless, wannabe war heroes become convinced that they're actually in the Middle East and set out to save a rural village from what they assume to be an insurgent uprising. Though the thankful locals champion the noble but dimwitted trio for their heroism, the celebration is short-lived as ruthless warlord Carlos Santana (Danny Trejo) pays a personal visit to the town with a plan to confront the fearless warriors who dared to challenge his iron-fist rule. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, (more)
When the population of planet Earth is threatened by the very same force once created to protect them, a fearless rebel fighter will learn to think and fight like a machine in order to ensure the survival of the human race. At first the Drone Police were the perfect soldiers; that is until the very warriors charged with preserving civilization became hardwired for destruction. Now, as all hope for humanity continues to slip away, an electronically enhanced soldier named Tallis (Don Wilson) will rescue a beautiful rebel with the heart of a warrior (Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff). Vigorously trained by her android mentor to think with the precision of a computer and fight with the ferocity of a machine, this brave future gladiator will become our last line of defense against the ultimate enemy of humanity. Bokeen Woodbine, Keith David, and Steven Bauer co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Katee Sackhoff, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, (more)
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Clifton Collins Jr. portray a pair of former gang members who trade in their colors for badges, only to discover that life on the other side of the law isn't much different than life on the streets, in Nightstalker director Chris Fisher's tale of crime and corruption in the highest ranks of the inner-city police force. As anti-gang task force cops Armando Sancho (Collins Jr.) and his partner Salim Adel (Gooding Jr.) make their way through the sweltering concrete jungle of a decaying city, the lines between the law and the lawless grow increasingly blurred. His conscience stirred by his involvement in the murder of an innocent man, Sancho begins weighing the prospect of participating in an Internal Affairs investigation against his loyalty to his amoral partner and best friend Adel. When Sancho and Adel are called in by their division lieutenant (Cole Hauser) and assigned the task of delivering confiscated dope to the henchmen of feared gangster Damien Baine (Wyclef Jean), the deal is sweetened by Baine's offer to cut the pair in on the profits if they agree to bust a gang of newly arrived Canadian drug dealers looking to establish roots in the city. The task is complicated however, by the revelation that not only does the Canadian gang have direct ties to a well-established crime syndicate headed by ruthless Latino crime lord Roland (Robert La Sardo), but that the disgruntled girlfriend of a noted police informant is looking to exact deadly revenge on Adel for a previous wrongdoing as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cuba Gooding, Jr., Clifton Collins, Jr., (more)
- 2006
- PG13
- Add ATL to Queue Add ATL to top of Queue
A tightly knit group of working-class Atlanta teens spend their time bonding over hip-hop and roller skating while pondering life after high school in director Chris Robinson's coming-of-age comedy drama that draws inspirations from the real-life childhoods of Dallas Austin and Tionne Watkins. For a kid growing up on the south side of Atlanta, the Cascade roller-skating rink is the place to be seen, and it's the place where the orphaned high school senior Rashad (Tip Harris) and his little brother Ant (Evan Ross) go every weekend to forget their financial troubles, hang with their friends and get their groove on. But outside the rink, the brothers have problems they can't avoid: Ant is being recruited into the posse of charismatic drug dealer Marcus (Outkast's Antwan Andre Patton, aka Big Boi). Meanwhile, Rashad's three best friends -- including the ambitious Esquire (Jackie Long) -- are pulling him in different directions, and his new girlfriend New-New (Lauren London) may not be as "street" as she seems. As Rashad tries to hold on to his little brother, he also comes to the realization that if he's ever going to make something of himself, he's going to have to step out of his skates and into the real world. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tip "T.I." Harris, Lauren London, (more)
- 2006
- R
- Add Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil to Queue Add Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil to top of Queue
North Korea is threatening to flex its nuclear muscle, and it's up to a team of US Navy SEALs to prevent a catastrophe in this action-packed sequel to Behind Enemy Lines starring Bruce McGill, Keith David, and Peter Coyote. Everything was going as planned, but when the mission is aborted after the troops have already deployed, four American soldiers are forced to fight for their lives deep in enemy territory. As the rebel forces close in on the stranded men, the battle heats up and the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A woman gets a belated introduction to the joy of sex in this comedy. Priscilla (Parker Posey) is a thirtysomething public-relations agent with the unenviable job of trying to lure new businesses to Cleveland, OH. Priscilla is married to Jack (Paul Rudd), a high-school teacher who is reaching the end of his patience with his career. Things aren't going especially well at home for Priscilla and Jack -- she seems unable to have an orgasm, and while Priscilla insists she's perfectly happy with their sex life, Jack is driven to distraction by his inability to arouse his wife. When Kristen (Mischa Barton), one of Jack's students, begins displaying an extra-curricular interest in him, he throws caution to the wind and begins an affair with her, and has soon moved out of the house. Left on her own, Priscilla finally begins feeling sexual frustration, and turns to Alyssa (Liza Minnelli), an outspoken sex therapist who advises her to learn how to pleasure herself. Alyssa's advice proved to be right on the money, and soon Priscilla is a changed women who is looking for a new man in her life. She soon finds one in Wayne (Danny DeVito), a swimming-pool salesman whose sloppy appearance belies his talent in the bedroom. The Oh in Ohio was the first feature film from director Billy Kent, who previously established himself making television commercials. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, (more)
- 2006
Robert S. Levi writes and directs this Emmy Award-winning documentary focusing on the life of pioneering gay composer and jazz musician Billy Strayhorn, whose compositions for Duke Ellington included such timeless classics as "Satin Doll" and "Take the A Train". The driving creative force behind the Duke Ellington Orchestra from the 1940s through the 1980s, Strayhorn produced a staggering body of work that included everything from jazz greats to orchestral suites and even film soundtracks. Though historians and scholars alike are quick to single out Strayhorn as one of the most woefully overlooked American composers in history - he was a virtual unknown when he succumbed to throat cancer in 1967 - his influence lives on even at the dawn of the 21st Century. With this film, Levi offers a comprehensive view of who Strayhorn really was as both a person and a musician, while simultaneously exploring why he remains a relative unknown even to ardent jazz enthusiasts. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.