This week on the latest episode of the BIG show, Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. and castmembers from the upcoming high-flying historical adventure, Red Tails will be my special guest on Keeping It Reel with FilmGordon!

Gooding, co-star David Oyelowo, director Anthony Hemingway and original Tuskegee Airman, Dr. Roscoe Brown will stop by to discuss the film, the reactions of some of the surviving airman as well as working with producer George Lucas.

Plus, we’ll have entertainment news with Blackfilm.com’s Wilson Morales and the Movie Mob (Omar Moore of PopcornReel.com, Kevin McCarthy from WTTG-TV/FOX-5 and Punch Drunk Critics co-host, Travis Hopson) reviews of all of this week’s latest releases including Steven Soderbergh’s action thriller, Haywire and of course, Red Tails.

Keeping It Reel with FilmGordon airs every Thursday at 1pm on BlogTalkRadio.com/FilmGordon or you can download the podcast on iTunes.

As filmgoers prepare for producer George Lucas’ aerial action assault with his passion project, Red Tails, here is an earlier TV version of the saluting these brave men, HBO’s The Tuskegee Airman.

The 1995 film focuses on the exploits of a group of special young men during the Second World War when a special project is initiated by the US Army Air Corps to integrate African American pilots into the Fighter Pilot Program. Known as the “Tuskegee Airman” for the name of the airbase at which they were trained, these men were forced to constantly endure harassement, prejudice, and much behind the scenes politics until at last they were able to prove themselves in combat.

The film won three Emmy awards and featured an all-star cast of talent including Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne, Courtney Vance, Andre Braugher and future Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Beauty is as beauty does and despite plenty of photoshopping and other enhanced touches, Black Reel Award nominee Gabrielle Union is always a vision of loveliness!!!

The star of the upcoming comedy, Think Like A Man graces the cover of the world’s first 3-D magazine, WMB (World’s Most Beautiful).  The sexy 39-year old actress, will also appear in Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds, was lensed by photographer Nick Saglimbeni in both 2 and 3D.

Union, who’s significant other is Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade has a successful film career, superstar boyfriend and unquestioned beauty – who has it better than Gabby?

We have a limited amount of copies of the action adventure, The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption. For a chance to win your free copy, you must be a StarAccess movie club member and answer our trivia question below.

“The Scorpion 3: Battle for Redemption” plot:

Billy Zane and Ron Perlman anchor the third installment in the Scorpion King series, Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption. Register for a chance to win a copy of the straight-to-video release.

The sixth film in Universal Studios’ The Mummy franchise stars Selina Lo as an original character, Tsukai. This film continues the story of Mathayus, after he becomes the Scorpion King at the end of the first film.

Following the death of Cassandra, Mathayus’ kingdom in Egypt fell apart causing him to become an assassin once more. After King Talus reanimates the dead soul of Tsukai to defeat his brother Horus, Mathayus is once again offered a kingdom in Egypt if he can stop Tsukai and Talus.

All entrants need to be StarAccess members (if you have already joined, you don’t need to submit another application) AND submit their FULL NAME and answer to the following question for a chance to win!

“Billy Zane had a brief cameo in which John Singleton film?”

We will contact the winners at the conclusion of the contest.

“The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption ” comes out on DVD, Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Check out the film’s trailer on our Reel Clip Board

The phrase “independent filmmaker” gets thrown around and many use the art form as a way to break into mainstream films. One individual who remained true to his roots for the past 30 years is the underappreciated Charles Burnett.

Burnett cut his teeth as a student at UCLA film school for a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater arts and film in the 1960s. The experience had a life-altering affect on the filmmaker. Many of his fellow students went on to successful careers including Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust), Billy Woodbury and Haile Gerima (Sankofa).

The turbulent social events of 1967 and 1968 were vital in the establishment of the UCLA filmmaking movement that would be dubbed “the Black Independent Movement”, a movement Burnett was highly involved in and influenced by. Some of Burnett’s earlier work included his UCLA student films made with friends, Several Friends (1969) and The Horse (1973), in which he was the director, producer, and editor.

Burnett filmmaking style is generally more intimate and personal storytelling about his community, South Central L.A. His stories generally feature non-professional actors adding to his stories realism and authenticity while exploring humanity in the African-American community.

Here are my Five favorite films from the little-known autuer.

Killer of Sheep | 1977
Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders) works long hours at a slaughterhouse in Watts, Los Angeles. The monotonous slaughter affects his home life with his unnamed wife (Kaycee Moore) and two children, Stan Jr. and Angela (Jack Drummond and Burnett’s niece, Angela). Through a series of episodic events — some friends try to involve Stan in a criminal plot, a white woman propositions Stan in a store, Stan and his friend Bracy (Charles Bracy) attempt to buy a car engine — a mosaic of an austere working-class life emerges in which Stan feels unable to affect the course of his life.

Burnett’s directorial debut ,written for his Master’s thesis, took five years to complete largely because of the imprisonment of one the film’s stars. Shot in what has been described as an Italian neorealism style is a collection of brief vignettes which are so loosely connected that it feels at times like you’re watching a non-narrative film. There are no acts, plot arcs or character development, as conventionally defined. The film is now considered a classic.

To Sleep With Anger | 1990
Burnett’s first large budget movie with recognizable actors. The film stars Danny Glover as an evil presence who comes to visit his old friend from the South and brings more than what his friend, Gideon (Paul Butler) bargained for. In no time at all, Gideon suffers a mild stroke, he comes between to brothers and him and his several friends uncomfortably make themselves at home. This story and The Five Heartbeats are largely responsible for inspiring this writer to professionally review films. The film co-starred Richard Brooks, Mary Alice, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Carl Lumbly and Butler. This film along with Killer of Sheep were named national treasures by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.

My Brother’s Wedding | 1983
Burnett’s second full-length film and the first shot on 35mm color film, the film tells the story of an underachieving man, Pierce Mundy (Everett Silas) who struggles to choose between his brother’s middle-class existence and his best friend’s working-class world. Because of mixed reviews, the film never was theatrically released. Labeled as a tragic comedy many of the film’s actors were amateurs, best shown by his costume designer wife’s role in the movie. The movie was acquired by Milestone Films and was restored by the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley and digitally re-edited by Burnett. Another solid film from Burnett.

The Glass Shield | 1994
Probably, Burnett’s most recognizable film, the film tells the story of corruption and racism in the Los Angeles Police Department. His first film that catered to a wider audience, featured Ice Cube as a man wrongfully convicted of murder. Michael Boatman played the the film’s protagonist, JJ Johnson with the female officer played by Lori Petty. Burnett’s story included a strong emphasis on the powerlessness of its African American characters and of the female characters in the movie. Johnson is forced to deal with sexism both within the police department and outside on the streets. Released a couple of years after the Rodney King case, Burnett’s film tackled a subject both timely and urgent!

Selma, Lord Selma | 1999
This television movie tackles the events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement when a young girl, Sheyann Webb (Jurnee Smollett) encounters Martin Luther King, Jr. (Clifton Powell) one day while playing outside with her friends. They were told that Dr. King had come to Selma, Alabama to help the Negro people get voting rights.  Wanting to get involved, she skips school to sneak into the meetings. After one of her close friends gets killed, Sheyann and the other African American protesters marched over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in route to Montgomery as the youngest person to attempt to march. The film co-starred Yolanda King. The film received a nomination for Outstanding Television Film from The Black Reel Awards

Last night, the A-list put on their Sunday finest to attend the second biggest party in Hollywood at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Golden Globe Best Actress nominee, Viola Davis was sparkling!!!

Nominated for her lead role in The Help, Davis has been making the rounds this awards season. She has secured several Best Actress wins from film critics association and in addition to her Globes nod is also currently nominated for Outstanding Actress by The Black Reel Awards, as well.

Davis’ Emilio Pucci toga-style gown plus accesories was a bold look for a bold actress!

As we pause to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we examine some of the pre-Civil Rights films that examine race in America. One such story is the classic 1949 drama, Lost Boundaries.

This is one of four films that put a somewhat realistic spotlight on race relations all with varying success.

Based on the book by William Lindsay White, Lost Boundaries tells the true story of the lives of Scott and Marsha Carter. Having graduated from medical school, Scott Carter, a fair-skinned African American, marries Marsha Mitchell and moves to Georgia. When he arrives at the black clinic in Georgia, he discovers that the job must inconveniently go to a Southerner. Discussions between two nurses at this clinic suggest that Scott’s light skin may have some bearing on the decision not to hire him.

Defeated but not conquered, Scott returns to Massachusetts to live with his in-laws until he can get employment. He tries unsuccessfully to obtain employment as an African American. Because Marsha is pregnant, Scott decides to take a job at Portsmouth Hospital, but he reluctantly does so as a white man. While there, he manages to save the life of Dr. Bracket, who encourages him to take a postion in Keenham, New Hampshire.

Scott decides to continue “passing” for white. In Keenham, Dr. Scott Carter proves to be quite a success for the town. For twenty years, Dr. and Mrs. Carter live peacefully in Keenham with son, Howard and daughter, Shelley. All goes well until Scott and Howard decide to enter the military during World War II. When Scott applies for officer status with the Navy, an investigation reveals his black heritage, and he is barred from receiving a commission.

The film stars, Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer and Susan Douglas Rubes.

Here is a clip from the film!

While the Roots serves as the house band for the Jimmy Fallon late night show, they’ve haven’t gone mainstream. Their 13th studio album, the riviting Undun, finds hip-hop’s hardest working band creatively at the apex with a thought-provoking and groundbreaking new concept album that signals that true hip-hop still has a beating pulse!

Anchored by Philly classmates/bandmates  Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, undun is an existential re-telling of the short life of their fictional character, one Redford Stephens (1974-1999). The album gravitates around Redford growing up in an urban landscape struggling with survival. He is forced to juxtapose between the choice of making something of himself or living a life of fast money and crime, and he chooses the life of crime. Through the use of emotives and Redford’s internal dialogues the album seeks to illustrate the intersection of free will and prescribed destiny as it plays out ‘on the corner’. Utilizing a reverse narrative arc, the album begins as the listener finds Redford disoriented–postmortem–and attempting to make sense of his former life. As he moves through its pivotal moments he begins to deconstruct all that has led to his (and our own) coming undun.

Released on December 6, 2011 with it’s initial single, Make My, the CD dropped to critical acclaim with many hailing it as one of the year’s best – and their best work!

Inspired by The Guess Who’s song “undun,” the group created the character based on the Sufjan Stevens song “Redford.” Undun features an eclectic blend of guest stars including Aaron Livingston, lyricsts Big K.R.I.T., Phonte, Dice Raw, P.O.R.N., Truck North, Bilal, and Stevens.  The groups latest effort highlights them reverting back to their original “roots”, by returning to lyrics revolving around struggle and making something out of nothing.

The genius of undun is that The Roots continue to expand and push the boundaries forcing their audience examine not only the tone of their work but the circumstances that Stephens’ endures during his short life. Effortlessly moving from mainstream to underground, The Roots are an anomaly in that they create music and art that matters!!!!