One of the most damaging things to ever happen narratively in America is the 1915 release of D.W. Griffith’s silent film Birth of a Nation. Not simply because it was a racist film. But because of the infrastructure behind it, who endorsed it, and how thoroughly it shaped the way Black people have been seen […]
All Posts By: sharifa daniels
BANKABLE: Byron Allen Has Been Playing the Long Game for Ownership in Media. Comedy Was Just How It Started.
On thirty years of acquisition, rejection, and building something the industry couldn’t ignore. In May 2026, Byron Allen did two things in the same month that made a lot of people ask the same question at the same time: who is this guy? He took over Stephen Colbert’s late night slot on CBS. And he […]
Is God Is: On Worshipping, Cycles, and How Black Women Are Seen Onscreen [REVIEW]
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS Directed by Aleshea Harris, Is God Is is bold, comedic, neo-noir, gory, violent, and one of the best revenge films I’ve seen in a very long time. This is the kind of movie that sits with you long after the credits roll because it is not trying to simply entertain you. […]
The Empathy Gap: ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ and Who Gets to Be Messy on Screen?
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is, by most measures, a genuinely good television show. It is warm, funny, sharply written and anchored by a cast that brings remarkable depth to material that could easily have tipped into either melodrama or cheap comedy. Elle Fanning is disarming in the lead role, and the ensemble around her, Michelle […]
Vivica A. Fox on Playing Ruby in ‘Is God Is’ and the Film’s Unapologetic Revenge Energy
With Is God Is, Vivica A. Fox steps into a rare and transformative role as Ruby, a mother whose past and final request become the emotional ignition point for a brutal, mythic revenge journey. The film, written and directed by Aleshea Harris and produced by Tessa Thompson, adapts Harris’ acclaimed stage play into a Southern […]
Forever’s Dawn Reminded Me of the Importance of a Village, and the Women Who Built Mine
There’s a particular kind of mother I grew up knowing. Not just my own, but the constellation of women around her. Honorable aunties. Family friends who became family. Women who didn’t just know your name, but knew you. They could tell when something was wrong before you had the language for it. And if needed, […]
The Disconnect: What Moments Like the Met Gala Reveal About Celebrity, Wealth, and All of Us
I’ll be honest with you: I almost didn’t cover the 2026 Met Gala. Not because the fashion wasn’t giving, because it absolutely was. Everybody at the Met Gala looked incredible. But I sat there watching the red carpet and felt something I couldn’t shake. A kind of split screen in my brain that I couldn’t […]
The Devil Wears Prada 2 Review: Nostalgic, Fun, and Just a Little Disappointing
Let me be upfront with you. Anytime Meryl Streep is on my screen, I am watching. I do not care how good or bad the movie is — she makes everything worth seeing. So when Devil Wears Prada 2 finally arrived, I was right there with everybody else, excited and ready. And while I did […]
KeiLyn Durrel Jones on Portraying Bill Bray in ‘Michael’ and Working with Jaafar Jackson [INTERVIEW]
Michael is one of the most anticipated music biopics in recent years, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. The film explores the life, artistry, and humanity of Michael Jackson—moving beyond the global icon we all know to reveal the people, relationships, and personal spaces that shaped him behind the scenes. At the […]
BAFTA and the BBC Drew the Line at Politics — Not Racism…And No, No One Reached Out
The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards was a three-hour live ceremony that, as is customary, was edited down to a two-hour broadcast on delay. That context matters, because what audiences ultimately see is not raw. It is curated. According to the BBC, the portion of Akinola Davies Jr.’s acceptance speech in which he said “Free Palestine” […]








