Actor Richard E. Grant (“Withnail & I”, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) returns to Filmwax to discuss his latest film, “The Lesson” which opens theatrically today, Friday, July 7th. Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring and ambitious young writer, eagerly accepts a tutoring position at the family estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Grant). But soon, Liam realizes that he is ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment, and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy), and their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) all guard a dark past, one that threatens Liam’s future as well as their own. As the lines between master and protégé blur, class, ambition, and betrayal become a dangerous combination in this taut noir thriller.
Sam Pollard (“MLK FBI”, “Citizen Ashe”) returns to Filmwax for the 8th time. This time we discuss his latest documentary, “The League”, which opens theatrically exclusively in AMC Theaters as of Friday, July 7th.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul”), Tariq Trotter (“Descendant”), and produced by RadicalMedia, “The League” celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil – whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era – as well as celebrated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started out in the Negro Leagues. From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, “The League” explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.
