Filmmaker DEE REES (VIDEO)

There was a great recent video profile of filmmaker Dee Rees and it got me thinking about her feature film resume. I've been a fan of her work since she burst on the scene with her first feature film Pariah in 2011. Below is what I've written and posted on her body of work on social media and on my Production Company 'Nother Brother Entertainment.

Writer/Director Dee Rees is an alumna of New York University's graduate film program and a Sundance Screenwriting & Directing Lab Fellow. 

In 2018, Dee became the first Black woman nominated for an Oscar in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for her highly-acclaimed film Mudbound (2017). The film, starring Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan and Mary J. Blige, tells the story of two men returning home from World War II, struggling to deal with racism and post-war life and was nominated for four Oscars, two Golden Globes, and received over 100 nominations between 2017 and 2018. –IMDb 

I loved her work since her FIRST feature film 2011's Pariah.

I reviewed the film at the 'Nother Brother Entertainment blog HERE)

I also loved her work on her followup, the Emmy Winning Bessie (2015) starring Queen Latifah. I never got a chance to review the film, but I LIVE TWEETED its broadcast premiere at 'Nother Brother Entertainment on Twitter. Check out those tweets via the tweet below.

⚡️The 2015 LIVE TWEETS of the DEE REES film “Bessie (2015)”https://t.co/3o1KKBzEmD #Bessie #HBO #DeeRees #QueenLatifah

— Nother Brother Ent. (@NotherBrother) March 23, 2020

I reviewed her next feature film, the Academy Award nominated Mudbound (2017) on Instagram. Read that review below.

View this post on Instagram

#Mudbound Review: I thought this film was terrific. A cogent and compelling southern family drama and that’s a lot coming from me. Straight up and down, I’m an urban yankee and I don’t take too kindly to southern dramas. They’re just not my thing, but I found this one satisfying all the way through. SYNOPSIS: Two men (one white, one black) return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.—IMDb The film deals with both families of the men and shows you the realities of southern life. The drama is slow paced, but as I stated compelling and EVERYTHING adds up by the end. And that end, that Third Act, yeah—it’s brutal. The success of this drama lies in its acting and direction. The cast CAREY MULLIGAN, JASON CLARKE, ROB MORGAN, MARY J. BLIGE, JONATHAN BANKS and GARRETT HEDLUND pound for pound each did superb jobs. Director #DeeRees, with cinematography by RACHEL MORRISON, did a magnificent job on this film and if Hollywood doesn’t recognize that this woman is a FORCE after this picture then they’re really not interested in inclusion. Not at all. This is not one of those “you should see it because it’s good for you” movies. You should see it because it’s a pertinent family drama that tells a story of a bygone south intelligently and authentically. #MudboundMovie, currently on #Netflix, is one of the BEST films of 2017. #DBMudbound

A post shared by Dankwa Brooks (@dankwa) on Dec 20, 2017 at 9:12am PST

Here is that video profile I spoke of earlier, reposted on the 'Nother Brother Entertainment Instagram below

View this post on Instagram

Great video featuring a Great Director🎬 #Repost #StrongBlackLead ・・・ FUN FACT: #DeeRees wrote the critically acclaimed “Pariah” as a thesis for film school (a film school that *someone* told her she wouldn’t get into, btw), which eventually led to her directing #Mudbound 🙌🏾 #CreatorTalk

A post shared by 'Nother Brother Ent.,LLC (@notherbrother) on Mar 21, 2020 at 11:36am PDT

You can see her resume at IMDb HERE

NEW interview with Mary J. Blige

Actually since her album My Life II: The Journey Continues (pictured above) drops today, she has been doing a lot of interviews, but her interview with the Los Angeles Times is a nice one. Click their logo below to read it.

Mary J. Blige in next Tyler Perry film

By Jay A. Fernandez-Hollywood Reporter

March 19, 2009

Tyler Perry is adding some harmony to his next picture.

The writer-director has cast nine-time Grammy winner Mary J. Blige (pictured left) in "I Can Do Bad All by Myself," an adaptation of one of his early plays. Blige joins Taraji P. Henson, recently nominated for an Oscar, in the Lionsgate release, which is due in theaters Sept. 11.

In the film, Blige will play a nightclub manager and singer who is good friends with Henson's character. Madea, Perry's most iconic creation, also will appear in the movie, which is shooting at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.

Blige is coming off two sold-out national tours and is in the studio working on a new album due out this year from Interscope Geffen. The singer already has eight platinum or multiplatinum albums.

Blige, who is repped by ICM and Kendu Isaacs, recently guest starred on "Entourage" and is lining up another TV gig for later in the year. She most recently appeared in "Prison Song," and her music has graced a host of TV and feature soundtracks.

Cool Black's Mad Commentary: I love, Love, LOVE Mary J. She is my favorite singer and has been since What's The 411?, but can she act? We'll find out this fall I guess. The only time I've seen her act was on an episode of The Jamie Foxx show where she played Ron "Mr. Biggs" Isley's daughter and...I love, Love, LOVE Mary J. she is my favorite singer.

*More on Tyler Perry's next two films in my post appropiately titled Tyler Perry's Next Two Films