Radulich in Broadcasting

Triple Feature: Poetic Justice/Higher Learning/Baby Boy


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We continue to celebrate afro-centric films during Black History with a director focus on John Singleton films; Poetic Justice/Higher Learning/Baby Boy!

Poetic Justice is a 1993 American romantic drama film written and directed by John Singleton, and starring Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Joe Torry. It follows a poet (Jackson) mourning the loss of her boyfriend from gun violence. She goes on a road trip from South Los Angeles to Oakland on a mail truck, along with her friend (King) and a postal worker (Shakur), in order to deal with depression.

Following the success of his debut film, Boyz n the Hood, Singleton wanted to make a film that would give a voice to young African-American women. Jada Pinkett, Lisa Bonet, Monica Calhoun, and many other popular actresses auditioned for the role of Justice, though Singleton knew from the script's draft that the role was solely intended for Jackson. Filming took place from April 11 to July 4, 1992.

Poetic Justice was released in the United States on July 23, 1993. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay though praised Jackson and Shakur's performances and chemistry. It reached No. 1 in the box office its opening weekend, grossing $11,728,455. It eventually grossed a total of $27,515,786. Jackson received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song for "Again", which also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Janet won 2 MTV Movie awards for her role in the film, including Most Desirable Female. The film has developed a cult following, especially for the chemistry between Jackson and Shakur.
Higher Learning is a 1995 American crime drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Omar Epps), a track star who struggles with academics; Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson), a shy and naive girl; and Remy (Michael Rapaport), a lonely and confused man seemingly out of place in his new environment.

The film also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film. Laurence Fishburne won an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture"; Ice Cube was also nominated for the award. This was the last film appearance of Dedrick D. Gobert, who was shot dead in 1994 prior to the film's release.

The exterior shots and outdoor scenes were shot on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) while the interiors were shot at Sony Pictures Studios.

aby Boy is a 2001 American coming-of-age hood drama film directed, written and produced by John Singleton, and starring Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg, Ving Rhames, Omar Gooding, A.J. Johnson and Taraji P. Henson.[5] The film follows Joseph "Jody" Summers (Gibson), a 20-year-old bike mechanic as he lives and learns in his everyday life in the hood of Los Angeles.

The film was originally written with rapper-actor Tupac Shakur in mind to play Jody; Shakur had previously worked with Singleton on Poetic Justice. However, following Shakur's murder in 1996, Singleton decided to replace Shakur with R&B artist Tyrese Gibson. Additionally, the role of Rodney was originally written for Ice Cube, who had worked with Singleton on Boyz n the Hood and Higher Learning. The film marked the feature acting debut of Gibson and provided Henson with her first prominent role.

Released in the United States on June 27, 2001, the film received predominantly positive reviews from critics and audiences, with many deeming it as Singleton's best film since Boyz n the Hood. The film is also the final feature film written by Singleton as he did not write any of his later feature-length directorial projects before his death in April 2019.

Disclaimer: The following may contain offensive language, adult humor, and/or content that some viewers may find offensive – The views and opinions expressed by any one speaker does not explicitly or necessarily reflect or represent those of Mark Radulich or W2M Network.

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Radulich in BroadcastingBy Mark Radulich

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