Robert Hurst Movies
For fifteen years the Reverend Fred Phelps has been unleashing a torrent of hate-filled fire and brimstone rhetoric on his congregation at the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, and in this documentary filmmaker K. Ryan Jones sets out to interview both current members of the church and former members have since turned their back on Rev. Phelps and his followers. Well-known for his inflammatory condemnation of the homosexual lifestyle, Rev. Phelps claims that America's tolerance of the homosexual lifestyle is leading the country down the path to certain destruction. In recent years his congregation has courted more controversy than ever by targeting military funerals as a venue to preach their particularly confrontational brand of Christianity. In addition to interviewing the Rev. Phelps and various outspoken members of his fellowship, director Jones also turns his lens towards other dissenters, theologians, and ministers in an effort to explore precisely how religion can be interpreted to suit any agenda given enough passion and a talent for skillful manipulation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Phelps Sr.
A woman wonders if it's just friendship or real love she feels when a close male friend announces he's tying the knot in this romantic comedy. Dre (Taye Diggs) and Sidney (Sanaa Lathan) became best friends when they were ten years old -- the same time that both first became aware of the first rumblings of the Hip Hop revolution in New York City. Today, Dre runs a successful record label, and Sidney is a respected music journalist; both have managed to turn their love for the music into careers, and both are still close friends. Close enough, in fact, that many of their pals wonder why they've never become boyfriend and girlfriend. While both have always denied their attraction to one another, Sidney begins to have second thoughts when Dre proposes to his girlfriend Reese (Nicole Ari Parker), a lawyer. Even though Sidney has a relationship of her own with professional basketball player Kelby (Boris Kodjoe), as Dre's wedding draws closer, Sidney begins to suspect that her longtime best friend is actually the love of her life. Brown Sugar features supporting performances form real life Hip Hop stars Mos Def and Queen Latifah; former basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson served as executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, (more)
A man who's uncertain about the biggest step forward of his life steps back to take a look at his younger days in this comedy/drama. Roland (Taye Diggs) is a few hours away from getting married, and he is starting to have second thoughts; as much as he loves his fiancée, he can't stop thinking about Tanya (Tamala Jones), his first serious girlfriend in high school. Roland is hanging out with his two best friends, whom he also first met in school, Mike (Omar Epps), a solid regular guy, and Slim (Richard T. Jones), a flashy personality who plays pro basketball in Europe. They talk about the old days and flash back on growing up in Inglewood, California (nicknamed "The Wood") in the 1980's, when Run DMC and Eric B & Rakim were the happening sounds, and guys used to argue over who was hotter, Vanity or Apollonia. At the last minute, Roland takes off, wanting to pay Tanya a visit, and Mike and Slim are determined to track him down and make sure that he gets to the altar on time. The Wood was the debut feature film for writer/director Rick Famuyiwa, whose first short subject, Blacktop Lingo, won an enthusiastic response at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Epps, Sean Nelson, (more)
- 1992
- R
In the mid-'80s, saxophonist Branford Marsalis emerged as one of the most acclaimed (and most popular) new artists in jazz. A member of a distinguished musical family and a stylistic innovator as comfortable working with pop and rock musicians as fellow jazz artists, Marsalis brought challenging contemporary jazz to a mass audience as the bandleader of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; he also toured and recorded with Sting and the Grateful Dead, as well as recording and performing with his own ensemble. Branford Marsalis: The Music Tells You is a 1992 documentary about Marsalis' life and career that explores the challenges and the realities of life as a jazz artist, as well as featuring Marsalis and his group performing several of their compositions. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Branford Marsalis, Robert Hurst, (more)
