Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another got the casting right, but did it get Latinos and Blacks right?

People are still talking about the film One Battle After Another. We breakdown how Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie handles Black and Latino characters in Hollywood. With Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and Chase Infinity starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, we ask: do these characters finally get the depth they deserve, or are they still written for white audiences? We also ask whether this three-hour film merits a rewatch.

Episode Summary

• Are Black & Latino roles evolving?
• Revolutionaries and redemption
• DiCaprio, Taylor & Del Toro on screen together
• Benicio’s “Sensei” and immigrant storyline
• Black female portrayals under the microscope
• Representation vs. white gaze in Hollywood
• Why Lindelof’s Watchmen and Coco got it right
• Teyana Taylor’s rise from VH1 to PTA prestige
• Latino and Black artists entering prestige cinema
• The future of inclusive filmmaking
• Verdict: Entertaining but imperfect

Subscribe and listen to Brown & Black: 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kXU3nCQQK6Udf7DzzD7x8 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brown-black/id1524696879

Follow us: 📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/brownblackpodcast Jack Rico: https://twitter.com/jackricotv Mike Sargent: https://twitter.com/mikesargent

This week on Brown & Black, we drop an Off the Cuff episode on the breaking news that Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

This marks the first-ever Spanish-language halftime show on America’s biggest stage.

We break down why this moment matters for Latino and Black culture, how it exposes the NFL’s contradictions on race and protest, and what it reveals about the league’s global ambitions.

We also ask:

Will this be the most-watched halftime ever?

Can Bad Bunny top Kendrick Lamar’s historic performance?

What does the spotlight on Spanish language in America mean for culture and business?

And what might Bad Bunny choose to say—or not say—before an audience of 100 million?

Many white Americans face a contradiction: they love Black and Latino culture, but don’t like Black and Latino people. Dr. Barnor Hesse of Northwestern University calls this “White Voyeurism.” It’s part of his Eight White Identities framework that explains Jennifer Welch’s viral rant against MAGA hypocrisy. We revisit Hesse’s revolutionary framework to show how whiteness has consumed Black and Latino culture for 500 years without any accountability. Episode Summary

– Jennifer Welch's viral rant

– White voyeurism explained

– White hypocrisy and cultural hypocrisy

– Consuming culture without humanity

– Why studying whiteness is radical

– Why Welch's rant went viral

– Only white people can end racism

– Dr. Hesse explains Eight White Identities

– White people calling out whiteness

🎧 Subscribe and listen to Brown & Black:  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brown-black/id1524696879 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kXU3nCQQK6Udf7DzzD7x8

📱 Follow us:  Instagram: https://instagram.com/brownblackpodcast Jack Rico: https://www.instagram.com/jackrico/ Mike Sargent: https://www.instagram.com/mikeonscreen/

Did you know The Underground Railroad went South and America spent 200 years hiding it?

In this episode, we talk to Nygel Robinson and Brian Quijada, creators of the Off-Broadway musical MEXODUS, which reveals how 10,000 enslaved people escaped to Mexico between 1829-1865. This history of Black and Latino solidarity has never been brought to the stage, until now.

We discuss why this musical is an act of resistance today, how they got white allies to fund a brown and black story, and what would happen if schools taught this truth? Plus, they address the inevitable comparisons to 'Hamilton' and how the two differ.

Episode Summary (03:54) – 10,000 slaves escaped to Mexico (11:04) – How Bug's Life explains American racism (12:37) – Writing protest songs from inside (14:18) – People changed from John to Juan (23:23) – How white allies funded MEXODUS (24:18) – We don't say "white" at all (29:19) – What if schools taught this story? (37:26) – 'Hamilton' vs MEXODUS: The differences

 Previews begin Tuesday, September 9th at Audible's Minneta Lane Theater in New York City.

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, reunite for A24's Highest 2 Lowest (in theaters August 15). But you wouldn’t know it from the marketing.

Its low-profile rollout has people asking: is this racism or just business? And will the burden of promoting the film fall once again on Black moviegoers?

Episode Summary: • Is undermarketing Black films racism or just business? • Did Spike and Denzel agreed to this deal? • The long history of under-promoted Black films • Black films that did get a marketing push • The problem with “we support our own” • Denzel’s big payday vs. the film’s performance • Why Brad Pitt and George Clooney chose streaming • Black audiences carrying films to box office success

🎧 Listen to ‘Brown & Black’ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/47JgORF Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/32hShVT

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📱 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brownblackpodcast https://www.instagram.com/jackrico https://www.instagram.com/iammikeonscreen

How can the Latino star of Disney's Andor, the best-reviewed show in the Star Wars franchise, be snubbed by the Emmys? 

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on how the voting process really works from the inside. We’re also asking some hard questions: Why are Latinos showing up in record numbers, yet the nomination process doesn't reward them? What does the Diego Luna snub say to Latinos when reaching the peak is still not enough?

We also shoutout the Latino showrunners, writers, composers, editors, and hairstylists quietly winning and shaping mainstream culture. And finally, why does the media keep erasing the "Afro" when describing stars like Colman Domingo and Lisa Colón-Zayas? Episode Summary (0:33) – How Jack became an Emmy voter (5:00) – The voting process and challenges (6:00) – Why multicultural judges matter (7:10) – Why was Diego Luna snubbed? (7:39) – The Latino impact of winning an Emmy (15:19) – Drama vs. Comedy: The prestige gap (19:01) – All the Latino Emmy snubs (24:41) – Latino hairstylists and editors are the golden standard (30:02) – How Hollywood sees Latinos and Blacks (32:48) – Media erasing the 'Afro' in Afro-Latino

Subscribe and listen to 'Brown & Black': 🎧   Spotify: https://spoti.fi/47JgORF  Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/32hShVT

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This July weekend, we review two of the biggest summer movies of 2025: Jurassic World: Rebirth and The Materialists. 

Mike breaks down why Jurassic World is stuck in a loop of reboots and clichés, even with big stars like Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. And what would it take to save this franchise?

Then Jack reviews The Materialists, a romantic drama exploring love, class, and status in modern dating culture starrign Pedro Pascal, Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans. We also officially launched the Brown & Black Social Club on Substack, a space for Black and Latino creatives, packed with curated industry insights that goes way beyond the podcast.

Episode Summary – Launching the Brown and Black Substack – Mikes review: Jurassic World: Rebirth – Latino family subplot analysis – How to save the Jurassic Franchise – Jack's review: The Materialists – Love and class in a transactional culture – Height, value, and self-worth in dating – Shoutout to Keith David’s Walk of Fame honor

👉 Listen now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kXU3nCQQK6Udf7DzzD7x8 👉 Join the Brown & Black Social Club: https://brownblackpodcast.com 📱 Follow us: @brownblackpodcast on Instagram & YouTube

In this episode, we welcome Nyasha Hatendi, the creator, writer, director, and producer of Audible's new audio horror drama, Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi. He opens up about his motivations for creating Sacrilege, the influences behind its horror, his collaboration with actor Caleb McLaughlin from Stranger Things, and how truth and story have the power to bring people together.

Episode Summary – Truth-telling in an age of lies – BBC to QCode: audio evolution – America, Zimbabwe, UK roots – Writing horror by accident, not intent – Dysfunctional family truth becomes horror – Creating the myth of the Mbirwi – Cultural duality and Black identity – Lessons learned from Sacrilege – Casting Caleb McLaughlin – How storytelling brings us together

Subscribe and listen to "Brown and Black": 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kXU3nCQQK6Udf7DzzD7x8 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brown-black/id1524696879

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#BrownBlackPodcast #NyashaHatendi #SacrilegeAudioDrama #BlackHorrorStorytelling #CulturalDuality

In this special sponsored episode, we're partnering with Audible for our first-ever audio drama analysis, breaking down the groundbreaking supernatural thriller "Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi" starring Caleb McLaughlin from Stranger Things.

Created by Zimbabwean-American filmmaker Nyasha Hatendi, this six-episode supernatural horror audio drama follows an African-American family from Detroit whose luxury heritage tourism trip to Zimbabwe unleashes an ancient shapeshifting spirit - part man, part beast, part spirit - that feeds on weakness and pain.

We explore in-depth:

- What does it mean to be Black globally? - African horror vs. Black-American horror - Caleb McLaughlin's star-making vocal performance - Heritage tourism and American privilege - Colonial trauma in modern storytelling - The rise of Black audio drama

Listen to "Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi" in Dolby Atmos exclusively on Audible at audible.com/sacrilege.

Thank you to Audible for sponsoring this episode.

This week we deconstruct Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS from a Latino and Black perspective. It's a film that is creating deep cultural conversations about Black originality and the business of Black culture globally. We explore its cultural symbolism, audience reactions, Variety's media bias, and the troubling Asian release rollout that may hint at anti-Black bias in Asian markets.

Episode Summary (2:00) – White audiences, Black movies: The paradox (4:00) – Ryan Coogler enters director-auteur status (7:00) – Layers of Black culture, not just horror (10:45) – The Sammy blues scene decoded (13:00) – Genre as a Trojan horse for truth (20:00) – Variety’s bias box office framing (26:00) – Why Asia skipped Sinners release (30:00) – Coogler vs. Peele: next-level Black storytelling (33:00) – What 'Sinners' means for Brown and Black filmmakers

Subscribe and listen to 'Brown & Black': 🎧  Spotify: https://spoti.fi/47JgORF Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/32hShVT