A.J. Johnson Movies
An unthinkable nightmare punctures the facade of a seemingly perfect life in director Sacha Parisot's critically acclaimed thriller Skin Deep, which was an official selection of the 2003 Chicago International Film Festival. Successful Silicon Valley businessman Anthony (Mailon Rivera) seems to have everything as he bides his time between his uninterested wife, Victoria (Kristen Shaw); his increasingly unhinged lover, Alex (Debra Wilson); his resentful best friend, Michael (Steve White); and his demanding job. Tragedy strikes when Michael and his wife, Sarah (A.J. Johnson), arrive for an afternoon of partying and hot tubing and a body appears, leading everyone involved into a paranoia-fueled rage of anger and betrayal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mailon Rivera, Steve White, (more)
Ten years later, writer and director John Singleton returns to the South Central Los Angeles neighborhoods of his debut film Boyz 'N the Hood (1991). Tyrese Gibson stars as Jody, a jobless 20-year-old African-American man who has fathered two children by two different women, Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) and Peanut (Tamara LaSeon Bass), although he still lives with his 36-year-old mother Juanita (Adrienne-Joi Johnson). As Jody grapples with the increasing pressures of adult responsibility, he also contends with his troubled best friend Sweetpea (Omar Gooding) and new adversary Rodney (Snoop Doggy Dogg). Then there's his mother's live-in boyfriend Marvin (Ving Rhames), a reformed gangsta who agrees with Juanita that her son should grow up, move out, and move on. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrese Gibson, Omar Gooding, (more)
Christina (Susan Dey) is a cocaine addict in a tumultuous relationship with an equally drug-addicted boyfriend. When she becomes pregnant, the baby is born not only prematurely but with the chemical dependency of its mother. Now Christina is in a fight to make her life clean and stable so that social services will allow her to have custody of her daughter. But first, she'll have to convince not only her jaded case worker, but herself, that she can. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Dey
- 1991
- R
Two beefed-up twins (played by the Paul brothers, Peter and David, who have appeared in several programmers as "The Barbarian Brothers") operating on opposing sides of the law, team up to stop a nefarious crook in this actioner. Peter Jade is a notoriously arrogant burglar who ends up with the key to an enormous underground cache of diamonds. David Jade is a cop who joins forces with Peter after greedy Philip Chamberlain, wanting the diamonds for himself, kills David's partner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Paul, David Paul, (more)
- 1988
Denise (Lisa Bonet) is appalled by the snobbery inherent in the annual Miss Hillman pageant. As a means of protesting the festivities, she talks Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) into entering himself as a contestant--resulting in yet another battle royal between Denise and the insufferable Whitley (Jasmine Guy), with poor Dwayne stuck in the middle. Somehow or other, everyone concerned learns a valuable lesson about what is really important in life . . . but not before the Pageant nearly collapses in chaos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
