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‘The Banker’: Two Black Men Build an Empire in the Jim Crow Era

In 1954, in America, a black man owning a bank was something unattainable and seemed practically impossible but for Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) anything was possible. Bernard was smart and ambitious and would stop at nothing to make his American dream come true. His dream was for black people to have access to capital for their businesses and have access to home loans to invest in real estate. Bernard knew the importance of ownership and was dedicated to educating his community and helping pave the way. He was an innovator and truly ahead of his time. He had the knowledge, he had the ambition. The only problem was…he was black.

Bernard had to find a way to get over this hurdle and use his talents to provide a better life for his wife Eunice (Nia Long) and their son. Eunice introduced Bernard to club owner, real estate investor and future partner Joe Morris (Samuel L Jackson). Joe had more experience in real estate along with money and connections that Bernard needed. The two didn’t really hit it off when they first met but they eventually got on the same page about their vision. Bernard met a young white man named Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult) who knew nothing about real estate or banking but was the perfect face to get his goal accomplished. Together, Bernard and Joe taught Matt everything he needed to know to impress the real estate moguls and investment bankers – math, finance, and even golf. Once Matt was ready, they made their first big purchase – a building that held all major banks in Downtown Los Angeles. Bernard and Joe have done the unimaginable.

THE BANKER / APPLE TV+

The duo got busy purchasing many more properties in white neighborhoods to help black people move into better areas of the city. With all the success they had in Los Angeles, Bernard thought he could try his luck in his small hometown in Texas. Things, however, did not go as planned as in the South they faced even more racism and segregation. Again, with Matt’s help, they were able to purchase two more banks in Texas. As soon as they took ownership, the duo started to quickly lend money to black home- and business owners. The number of loans that Matt approved in such a short time made other bankers suspicious and the bank was audited. In the process of the audit their scheme was uncovered, and Bernard and Joe’s identities were revealed. The banks were shut down by the Feds and both black men were sentenced to three years in jail. They only served nine months for mishandling bank funds and fraud.

Although Bernard and Joe did time in jail, at the end of it all, there is a silver lining to this story – these black men made history and beat the odds by purchasing two banks in the United States in the Jim Crow Era. The Banker is an eye-opening story of courage and hope; it is an important part of history that is relatively unknown. Two black men generations before us had the vision and enough courage to pursue their dream. All of this was done to advance the lives of black people in America. This is a tale of two heroes that was long overdue. This story is an amazing gem in American history and an inspiration to all.

The Banker is now available for streaming on AppleTV+.

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‘Resort To Love’: Christina Milian Can’t Get Away From Her Past In a New Netflix Movie

Netflix released the trailer for its new romantic comedy Resort To Love starring Christina Milian, Jay Pharoah, Sinqua Walls, and Christiani Pitts.

Produced by Alicia Keys, the story follows Erica (Milian), who ends up as the entertainment at her ex-fiancé’s (Pharoah) wedding after reluctantly taking a gig at a luxurious island resort while in the wake of a music career meltdown.

Resort To Love will premiere on July 29 exclusively on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.

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‘House Party’ Reboot Adds Tamera ‘Tee’ Kissen To Its Cast (Exclusive)

Actress Tamera ‘Tee’ Kissen has been added to the cast of New Line Cinema’s reboot of House Party.

According to reports, LeBron James will produce the 1990 cult classic comedy reboot under his SpringHill Entertainment. The film is helmed by Grammy Award-winning music video director, Calmatic. Emmy-nominated Atlanta writing duo Stephen Glover and Jamal Oloriwrote the script.

The original comedy film follows high schooler Christopher ‘Kid’ Harris (Christopher ‘Kid’ Reid) trying to get into his friend Peter ‘Play’ Martin’s (Christopher ‘Play’ Martin) house party, turning into a wild night of fun and music. Since its release, the film has become a beloved classic and launched many careers, including Tisha-Campbell Martin and Martin Lawrence’s. The film was a box office hit and birthed four more sequels – House Party 2 (1991), House Party 3 (1994), House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute (2001), House Party: Tonight’s the Night (2013).

Earlier this year, Deadline exclusively reported that rising actors Jorge Lendeborg, Jr. and Tosin Cole were in negotiations to play the titular characters.

Kissen is a comedian, actress, influencer, model, and entrepreneur. Widely known for performing comical skits on social media (which gained her 1.7 million followers in just six months!), her multi-talented personality has secured her top roles in commercial modeling campaigns (CoverGirl, Adidas, Google, etc.) and appearances in several major networks TV shows. The L.A. native played Simone in Dutch opposite Lance Gross, appeared in an episode of MTV’s hit show, Wild N’ Out, with Nick Cannon, and starred as Kitty on Fox’s Rosewood with Morris Chestnut.

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Tiffany Haddish and ‘When They See Us’ Actor Asante Blackk to Star in ‘Landscape With Invisible Hand’

MGM studios teamed up with Brad Pitt’s Plan B studio to develop a new film project based on the M.T. Anderson novel ‘Landscape With Invisible Hand’.

According to an exclusive feature in Variety, Emmy award-winning Actress Tiffany Haddish and Critics’ Choice Television Award nominee Asante Blackk will star in the film.

Based on the critically acclaimed book by M.T. Anderson, Landscape With Invisible Hand, Blackk will be playing Haddish’s son in the film. According to Variety, the movie has been described as a “stratified, alien future.” The project will be guided by the creative hands of Cory Finley (Bad Education). He will write and direct.

The project will showcase a young aspiring artist in his teens (Blackk) who resides in a future timeline where aliens known as vuvv has taken over Earth. The young artist finds a way to shine and rise to fame through the advanced technology that collapsed the world’s economy by using the power of love and curiosity. However, the plot twist involves a nostalgic feeling on how all present-day reality star romances end.

This will be one of Blackk’s first major movie roles since his debut on the big screen. The young talent has earned Emmy, NAACP, and Critics Choice Award nominations for his performances in When They See Us, and This is Us.

Annapurna Pictures will be heading the project’s production, along with Plan B and MGM, noting that Plan B and MGM are under a production that was established last year.

According to Deadline, the film will be released in theaters in the U.S. via MGM distribution. The studio also recently acquired distribution rights of Zoe Kravitz’s Pussy Island.

Details about the movie release have not yet been disclosed, but with the talent and studio backing, the film is one to look forward to.

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