Sam Kitt Movies
Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee makes the leap from the big screen to the small screen for this Showtime drama concerning the battle waged between black, white, an Asian gangs for control of the San Francisco streets. A modern-day melting pot that has become home to some of the vicious street-gangs in the country, San Francisco is a city teeming with racial tension. When each gang lays claim to the streets in a desperate bid to establish their turf, the simmering tensions soon boil to the surface in a violent eruption of murder and chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Crowley, Ken Leung, (more)
A black family gets a first-hand look at the trials and tribulations of upward mobility and suburban segregation in this pointed comedy. In 1973, Tom (Danny Glover) is an African-American attorney who is determined to raise himself up by his own bootstraps from his position near the bottom of the totem pole at a law firm. Tom takes on a case no one else is willing to touch -- defending a confessed arsonist whose crime claimed the lives of two teenagers -- and when he manages to score a surprising legal victory for his client, Tom is given a promotion and he moves his family to a new home in the suburbs. However, Tom and his wife Mabel (Whoopi Goldberg) discover they're only the second black household to move into the neighborhood (the first was a woman who struck it rich in the lottery), and housewife Mabel soon learns her neighbors aren't especially open to the notion of ethnic diversity in their community. Good Fences was directed by former cinematographer Ernest Dickerson and produced in part by his frequent collaborator Spike Lee; the film was screened in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
New York City may be the city that never sleeps, but that means some people have to stay awake all night to look after the folks whose days begin after the sun goes down; this made-for-premium-cable drama looks at a group of cabbies trying to get by while working the night shift. The Lady Luck Cab Company is a taxi service run by Box (Sarita Choudhury), who inherited the failing business from her late father and is struggling to keep it afloat against long economic odds as Lady Luck's drivers work long shifts in some of the Big Apple's less picturesque neighborhoods. Hershey (Danny Glover), one of Lady Luck's drivers, was once a professional boxer, but when his athletic career went south, so did his wife, and now he drives a hack while trying to romance George (Pam Grier), a good-looking waitress who likes Hershey, but is frustrated with his schedule, which rarely allows him a night off. This is bad news for Hershey, since Ralph (Paul Calderon), a regular at the diner where George works, has been making a play for her as well. Another driver, Salgado (Michelle Rodriguez), is a short-fused Latin American woman who is frequently the victim of sexual harassment from her customers, which makes her all the more difficult to be around. Jose (Bobby Cannavale) thinks he's hit the jackpot when he discovers a briefcase full of cash has been left in his cab, though he has reason to believe it's stolen. And Rasha (Sergej Trifunovic), a refugee from Bosnia, is still tormented by the violence that cost his family their lives, and has trouble concentrating on his driving, leading him into more than one auto accident. While the drivers deal with their individual dilemmas, all of them are suddenly wary of their customers, thanks to reports of a serial killer preying on New York's cab drivers. Produced for the Showtime premium cable network, 3 A.M. was screened at the Sundance Film Festival prior to its broadcast debut, where it earned an enthusiastic reception. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Glover, Pam Grier, (more)
A young African-American couple navigates the tricky paths of romance and athletics in this drama. Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) and Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. They've followed the game all their lives and have no small amount of talent on the court. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball. Love and Basketball was the first feature film for writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who previously helmed several comedy specials for Dave Chappelle. Spike Lee co-produced. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, (more)
In this romantic comedy, a writer finds out the hard way about the consequences of walking a fine line between fiction and real life. Harper (Taye Diggs) is an author whose first novel is soon to be published, just as he's been asked to be Best Man at the wedding of his friends Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Mia (Monica Calhoun). Harper is suffering a worse case of publication-day jitters than most authors, and with good reason: much of his book has been drawn from real life, and he's afraid that his friends and family will spot the sometimes unflattering literary versions of themselves. What's worse, Mia and Harper had a fling years ago, and their affair made it into the book; Lance doesn't know, and Harper would just as soon he didn't find out before the wedding. But one of the bridesmaids, Jordan (Nia Long), has gotten hold of an advance copy of the book. Since Jordan works as a television journalist and devotes her life to digging up dirt on people, Harper is convinced that she'll spill the beans and spoil his friends' big day. The Best Man was the debut film for writer/director Malcolm D. Lee; Spike Lee served as producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Taye Diggs, Nia Long, (more)
- 1996
In this drama, a police sketch-artist finds herself forced to deal with painful events from her past after she begins working with an abused and molested child. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Young, William R. Moses, (more)
- 1976
In this erotic drama, a copywriter learns that the swinging singles life isn't all it's cracked up to be. He had a nice conservative girl friend, but she got tired of his free-wheeling ways and dumped him. His newest gal turns out to be into kinky sex which involves tying him up, telling him her darkest fantasies and forcing him to "play'" with her gay brother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm Groome, Kathleen Seward, (more)
