Obba Babatunde Movies

Director Terrah Bennett Smith teams with writer/executive producer Tiayoka McMillan to tell the tale of a tale of an old love that just can't seem to die, and the friendships that keep our spirits raised even in the darkest of times. Having just received the unfortunate news that his college friend Lucky (Tech Holmes) has recently passed away, Dr. Preston Scott (Miguel A. Nunez) begins contacting his old group of friends to organize a memorial service for the recently departed. The only problem is that one of Preston's old friends just so happens to be his ex-girlfriend Rain Jones (Robin Givens). When Preston tells Rain that he has found the woman of his dreams, the lingering pain over their break-up immediately comes back to the surface, prompting bitter Rain to respond with a fabricated story about her engagement to the perfect man. Now, as the memorial service draws near and old friends (Mel Jackson, Randy Goodwyn, Jazmin Lewis, Bianca Lewis) gather to celebrate the life of their fallen college friend, Preston and Rain are compelled to re-examine their past and face up to the fact that sometimes old love has a way of lingering even after romance has died. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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, Rovi

The premise of this UPN sitcom was based on the notion that half-siblings never get along -- at least, not on black-oriented sitcoms with loud laugh tracks. Rachel True and Essence Atkins starred as half sisters Mona and Dee Dee who, despite their oil-and-water personalities (one was footloose, the other an uptight preppie), ended up living in the same apartment building. As if this wasn't hilarious enough, the girls, who shared the same father, were constantly besieged by their respective mothers Phyllis (Telma Hopkins) and Big Dee Dee (Valarie Pettiford), who likewise never saw eye to eye on anything. The air was thick with creative and sometimes amusing personal insults, enabling the series' writers to bypass such irritations as providing plots or character development. Half and Half debuted September 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nelson George directs the made-for-TV movie One Special Moment, based on the romance novel by Brenda Jackson. Hollywood film star Silver (Kirk Taylor) falls for schoolteacher Colby (Tamara Taylor) after they join together for a business deal promoting hip-hop fashions. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

In the conclusion of the series' two-part Season Five opener, up-and-coming singer Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) has put her future in the hands of famous record promoter Gordy Berry (Obba Babatunde)--leaving her original manager Will (Will Smith) out in the cold--and, briefly, out of the Banks house. Predictably, Ashley's ego swells to gargantuan dimensions...and equally predictably, the girl is riding for a very painful fall. Former Three's Company regular Norman Fell shows up in his customary role as a grouchy landlord in this episode, which also features guest appearances by Quincy Jones and Little Richard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season Five of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air begins with the series' 100th episode--actually the first half of a two part story (originally telecast on the same evening). When Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) begins to build up local popularity as a singer, Will (Will Smith) appoints himself his cousin's manager--relegating Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) to the position of his sister's toady. It isn't long before success goes to Ashley's head and Will is fired, as the aspiring vocalist is taken under the wing of famous R&B promoter Gordy Berry (Obba Babatumbe). Ross Bagley makes his first appearance as little Nicky Banks, who in true sitcom fashion has aged several years since the previous season; and as bonus, the inimitable Jazz (Jeff Townes) makes several pointed comments indicating that he knows he's merely a character on a comedy show. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This adaptation of playwright Oscar Wilde's memorable romantic comedy about two wealthy noblemen who begin calling themselves Ernest in hopes of winning the love of two beautiful girls is set in modern times. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A young mother and her daughter end up on the streets in this grim made-for-television movie. Mare Winningham stars as Theresa Johnson, a young mother whose life falls apart when she finds herself suddenly single, unemployed and homeless. With nowhere to turn, Theresa and her daughter Hillary (Grace Johnston) drift through the social system, wandering from shelter to shelter with little hope for the future. Gripping in its portrayal of the cycle of poverty, the film offers no simple solutions -- much like real life. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

A pair of real-life multi-platinum rap artists star in this genial substance abuse comedy recalling the pro-marijuana work of Cheech and Chong and such films as Half Baked (1998). Silas (Method Man) and Jamal (Redman) are buddies who enjoy smoking voluminous amounts of the illegal plant. They end up in the possession of some magical weed that enhances their brainpower during college entrance exams, thus enabling them to enter that esteemed institution of learning, Harvard University. Once firmly ensconced in the halls of academia, however, the pals run out of their supernatural supply and are forced to get creative in the pursuit of an Ivy League degree. Included in their narcotic-addled plans: smoking the bones of dead president John Quincy Adams. Produced by Danny DeVito's Jersey Films, How High (2001) co-stars Obba Babatunde, Fred Willard, and Hector Elizondo. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Comedians Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence team up for a story that wouldn't appear to have many immediate humorous possibilities -- two men serving life sentences in prison for a crime they did not commit. Life opens in Harlem in 1932, where Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy) is a small-time con man in debt to Spanky, a gangster (Rick James). Ray spots would-be bank teller Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence) at a gambling spot and, figuring him for an easy mark, lifts his wallet -- only to discover Claude is broke. Ray and Claude's mutual need to raise some cash brings them together when Spanky offers them a job bringing back a load of moonshine from bootleggers in the deep south. However, things don't go well for Ray and Claude, and they're arrested by a sheriff in Mississippi who recently killed a man and needs someone on whom he can hang the charge. Since Ray and Claude are black, from out of town and have been caught red-handed with a load of illegal liquor, the sheriff figures they're easy pickings and frames them for the murder. Soon the two men are inmates in a Southern work camp, where they spend the next 55 years learning to get along with the other inmates, avoiding the wrath of the guards, seeing younger prisoners come and go and never losing hope that someday, somehow, their innocence will be proven and they'll be released. Life is the second screen pairing for Murphy and Lawrence, who also shared screen time in 1992's Boomerang, and was scripted by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone from an original idea by Murphy. The supporting cast includes Ned Beatty, Clarence Williams III, Bernie Mac, Nick Cassavetes and R. Lee Ermey. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Based on horror author H.P. Lovecraft's writings, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead includes three short stories devoted to the deadly and mysterious "Necronomicon." When Lovecraft (played by Jeffrey Combs) manages to smuggle the legendary book out of a heavily guarded library, he quickly finds himself immersed in its passages, and three short stories take form as he sets off to record the information. In the first, Bruce Payne plays a disgruntled man whose inheritance of an old motel turns out to be more than he bargained for, as there are a nasty group of demons populating its basement. The second story follows a young reporter in search of a doctor who allegedly found the path to immortality, though, like the unwitting motel owner, he wouldn't realize how far in over his head he was until it became too late. The last story features Signy Coleman as a tough-as-nails police officer who descends into a strange set of catacombs in order to find her missing partner -- little does she know that an infamous serial killer is already living inside its subterranean depths. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi