John W. Simmons Movies

Darryl Littleton's insightful book Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh serves as the inspiration for Robert Townsend and Quincy Newell's take no prisoners documentary offering a critical overview and insider's perspective on the cultural impact of black comedy. Icons of comedy Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, and Keenan Ivory Wayans, among others, all weigh in on what it means to be a black comic in America, while cultural critics, noted scholars, and prominent politicians trace the evolution of black comedy from the days of Stepin Fetchit and blackface minstrels straight through the small screen success of The Jeffersons and Good Times and on to the cinematic superstardom enjoyed by Eddie Murphy and Whoopie Goldberg. Dave Chapelle's controversial career serves as a rich topic of debate, while the implication of corporate attempts to capitalize on the remarkable success of Spike Lee's Original Kings of Comedy and Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam highlight the ways in which individuals can inspire change in a cultural level. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Lost's Jorje Garcia stars alongside Nathan Stevens and Cameron Richardson in this comedy about a rebellious high school sophomore whose life crumbles into chaos after his best friend is accused of murder. The year is 1976, and high school sophomore Jay Skibness is perfectly content to hang out with good friends, listen to good music, and smoke good reefer. But when Jay's best friend is linked to the murder of a kid from a rival clique, the laid back teen finds his conscience in direct conflict with his sense of character. His best friend consumed by guilt, Jay gradually begins forms a bond with free spirited beauty Wendy. Wendy sees Jay as dangerous, and as the two grow closer Jay quickly realizes that both his loyalties and lifestyle are rapidly shifting. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Written in 1976 and staged on Broadway the following year, D.L. Coburn's two-character play The Gin Game was first televised in 1981 with the play's stars Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy repeating their roles as a pair of oil-and-water residents in a dismal nursing home. This 2003 remake, produced for PBS, pulls off the spectacular clue of reuniting Dick Van Dyke Show stars Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, casting them in parts that are as different from Rob and Laura Petrie as it is possible to get without traveling to another planet. Van Dyke plays Weller Martin, an irascible oldster who considers the day wasted if he doesn't fill the air with the foulest language imaginable. Not surprisingly, Weller gets along with no one at the home -- which would suit him fine if he wasn't a gin-rummy addict. Enter Fonsia Dorsey (Moore), a prim, proper senior citizen who has only two things in common with Weller: She has been effectively abandoned by her family, and she loves playing cards. Inevitably, the mismatched duo embarks upon a series of spirited gin games, punctuated by terse verbal combat, at least one physical assault, and, ultimately, a touching display of tenderness and concern. For those PBS outlets whose viewers were not prepared to hear and see two TV icons swearing like sailors and striking one another, the network prepared a "clean" version of The Gin Game, where at least the language was toned down (if not the play's original bite and bitterness). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The two-part British miniseries The Stretch served to reunite Anita Dobson and Leslie Grantham, who had risen to fame as co-stars of the long-running serial East Enders. On this occasion, Dobson was cast as Samantha "Sam" Greene, while Grantham played her husband Terry. Sentenced to 20 years on a murder charge, Terry insisted that he was innocent, and expected Sam to prove his innocence. Unfortunately, he also expected Sam to take charge of his vast criminal empire, of which she'd been completely ignorant throughout their marriage. Reluctantly, Sam agreed to assume the responsibilities of a "drug kingpin" -- all the while endeavoring to find the person guilty of the murder for which Terry was languishing in Durance Vile. Produced by Paul Knight Productions for the Sky One satellite service, The Stretch originally aired on November 12 and 19, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Actor-turned-director Tim Reid follows up the success of his 1996 opus Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored with this tense psychological thriller. The film opens with two upwardly mobile couples having a ball at a fairground. Chance (Blair Underwood) and his very pregnant wife Roberta happily board a Ferris wheel with their best friends Michael (Michael Beach) and his fashion designer wife Lauren (Debbi Morgan) when a freak accident strikes, and Roberta and the baby are killed. Michael and Lauren let Chance grieve at their luxurious abode. Soon Lauren reveals that she recently had a secret abortion because she did not know if the child was Michael's or Chance's. Grief-stricken and jealous, Chance starts stalking Lauren and doing everything in his power to wreck her marriage. This film was screened at the 1999 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

A six-year old African-American girl scores very well on early scholastics tests and is chosen by the New Orleans school district to be the first of her race to be integrated into that city's public school system. ~ All Movie Guide

Veteran actor Bernie Casey made his debut as a writer and director with this allegorical drama. Three prominent and prosperous African American men meet at an expensive restaurant for dinner, where they enjoy a meal and discuss racial issues in America. Brother Man (Doug Johnson) is a well-known jazz musician, Young Brother (Wren T. Brown) is a well-heeled businessman, and Good Brother (Casey) is a U.S. Senator who enjoys a profitable sideline as an art dealer. As they finish their meals, they leave one at a time; Good Brother, the last man at the table, has risen from the table and is about to exit when a shot rings out, killing him. At the funeral, it becomes obvious that one of his two dinner guests pulled the trigger and plans on killing the third member of the group next. Jazz guitarist Kevin Eubanks, best known as the bandleader on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," composed the film's original score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This a locally-made documentary of the explorations of inner-city youths into the area ravaged by a riot in 1992. The youngsters were guided through the filmmaking process by civic-minded filmmakers, and were assisted by a professional cameraman and director. Engaging mostly their own relatives and friends, they ask questions of those affected by the riots. A great deal of time is spent exploring how the residents of South Central L.A. regard the police, and how they regard their fellow residents in the area. The jazz soundtrack was provided by Delfeayo Marsalis, one of the less well known of the musical siblings from that clan. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

For those with a taste for the repugnant comes this gory blood-and-guts fest that tells the horrific story of a British fellow who gets kidnapped by aliens and three years later is returned carrying infectious spores that have transformed him into a kind of crab thingy that causes all kinds of perverse sexual and violent mayhem. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide