Movie Review: NEEDLE IN A TIMESTACK

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 10/15/2021
NEEDLE IN A TIMESTACK movie poster | ©2021 Lionsgate

Rating: R Stars: Leslie Odom Jr., Frieda Pinto, Cynthia Erivo, Jadyn Wong, Orlando Bloom Writer: John Ridley, based on the short story by Robert Silverberg Director: John Ridley Distributor: Lionsgate Release Date: October 15, 2021 NEEDLE IN A TIMESTACK is based on a short story by Robert Silverberg, published in a collection of his work by the same title in 1966. Writer/director John Ridley has adapted this into a feature film that has some intriguing science-fiction ideas and questions about the nature of romantic love. Unfortunately, things don’t seem to be fully thought through. We are meant to be invested […]Read On »


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AMERICAN CRIME: Executive Producer Michael J. McDonald on Season 3 – Interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 04/26/2017
Timothy Hutton in AMERICAN CRIME - Season 3 | ©2017 ABC/Eric McCandless

ABC’s AMERICAN CRIME is now in its third season on Sunday nights. Created by John Ridley, each season of AMERICAN CRIME tells an entirely different story with a repertory cast of actors (including Richard Cabral, Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton, Regina King, Benito Martinez and Lili Taylor) who play new characters each year. The season explores the plight of migrant farm workers and sexually abused teens in North Carolina. Michael J. McDonald has been Ridley’s producing partner for a number of years now. Currently, the pair also has the Showtime miniseries GUERRILLA, also created by Ridley, running Sunday nights. The drama, […]Read On »


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GUERRILLA: Writer/producer John Ridley talks 1970s activism – interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 04/18/2017
GUERRILLA | © 2017 Showtime

Writer/executive producer John Ridley, an Oscar winner for his screenplay for 12 YEARS A SLAVE, currently has two series on Sunday nights. The third season of his anthology AMERICAN CRIME, this season dealing with migrant farm workers and victims of sex trafficking in North Carolina, is on ABC. Ridley’s new miniseries GUERRILLA, a fact-based story starring Frieda Pinto, Babou Ceesay and Idris Elba, concerns black anti-government activists and undercover police in 1970s England and begins April 16 on Showtime. ASSIGNMENT X: Obviously, you approach storytelling very differently depending on whether you’re doing feature films, AMERICAN CRIME or GUERRILLA. Can you […]Read On »


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AMERICAN CRIME: Michael J. McDonald gives a behind-the-scenes look at the show – exclusive interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 02/03/2016
Lynn Blackburn as Cammy Ross on AMERICAN CRIME | © 2016 ABC/Ryan Green

In Part 2 of our exclusive interview with Michael J. McDonald, executive producer of ABC’s award-winning AMERICAN CRIME (Wednesdays at 10 PM), he discusses the plot of the current season, which deals with an accusation of male-on-male rape among students at a prestigious high school, working with the cast, and more. AX: The character of Kevin LaCroix, the high school basketball player portrayed by Trevor Jackson, is not suspected of being part of the rape, but he’s still in a lot of trouble. Is he being penalized for being “black while in proximity” to the crime? MICHAEL J. McDONALD: He’s […]Read On »


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AMERICAN CRIME: Michael J. McDonald chats about Season 2 – exclusive interview – Pt. 1

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 01/27/2016
Timothy Hutton as Russ Skokie in AMERICAN CRIME | © 2016 ABC/Ryan Green

Season 1 of ABC Network’s AMERICAN CRIME was nominated for a Best Limited Series Emmy, and took home the gold for Regina King’s Supporting Actress performance. King is back in AMERICAN CRIME Season 2, which airs Wednesdays at 10 PM, but she – like returning cast mates Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, Richard Cabral, Lili Taylor and Elvis Nolasco – is playing an entirely different character this year. Unlike the first season, which dealt with a racially-charged murder investigation, AMERICAN CRIME’s second year concerns the fallout after male high school student Taylor (Connor Jessup) is apparently raped by at least one […]Read On »


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AMERICAN CRIME: Emmy-winning actress Regina King discusses the anthology drama – exclusive interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 09/24/2015
Regina King in AMERICAN CRIME | ©2015 ABC/Bob D'Amico

Regina King has just won an Emmy as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Miniseries or Movie for her work in ABC’s AMERICAN CRIME. In the show created by John Ridley (12 YEARS A SLAVE), concerning a murder investigation tainted by racism and human fallibility, King played Aliyah Shadeed, a convert to Islam whose brother went on trial for murder in Modesto, California. King will be back on AMERICAN CRIME next season, but as an entirely different character, Terri Lacroix, in a whole new story. Ridley and ABC decided that the drama should be an anthology that uses the […]Read On »


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Exclusive Photos from the 12 YEARS A SLAVE Special Screening!

By SUE SCHNEIDER 10/18/2013
Chiwetel Ejiofor at the Special Screening of 12 YEARS A SLAVE | ©2013 Sue Schneider

FOX Searchlight Pictures, Regency Enterprises and River Road Entertainment Presented a Special Screening recently of 12 YEARS A SLAVE at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood. It was a small event with some of the stars in the film. Seen walking the carpet were: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’O, Alfre Woodard, Garret Dillahunt, Jay Huguley, Rob Steinberg, Kelsey Scott, Ashley Dyke, Chris Chalk, Storm Reid, Craig Tate, Director Steve McQueen, Director of Photography Sean Bobbitt, Screenwriter John Ridley, and Composer Hans Zimmer. Unfortunately, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael Fassbender and Paul Giamatti were unable to attend. Joining […]Read On »


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Movie Review: 12 YEARS A SLAVE

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN
12 YEARS A SLAVE movie poster | ©2013 Fox Searchlight

Rating: R Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael K. Williams, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodard Writer: John Ridley, based on the book by Solomon Northup Director: Steve McQueen Distributor: Fox Searchlight Release Date: October 18, 2013 For anybody who is now or has ever been soft on the Confederacy, 12 YEARS A SLAVE is here to beat such sympathies into the ground. Based on an extraordinary but evidently true story, the film is set in the pre-Civil War U.S. Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a well-respected, successful black musician living in Saratoga, New […]Read On »


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