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This week Subrina, the Cinnamon Cinephile, sits down with the ultra-cool Michael Haynes-Pitts to discuss the films that inspired his trilogy The Surge Series, about the adventures of Afia Osuwu as she navigates the world of a cyberpunk Africa. Michael is a high-school educator who runs the BrainyBlerd podcast. His writings venture into Afrocentric, LGBTQ, and cyberpunk genres. Mike and Subrina deep dive into a surprising 12 science gems, from the 50s to the present day. They also discover a common love of classic 80s sci-fi, the acting skills of Louis Gossett, Jr., while Africa is the setting of the Surge Series, and how Japanese anime and mango influence his world.  His second book of the Surge Series, The Harvesters'Diaspora, is now available.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Subrina, The Cinnamon Cinephile, sits down with a favorite Five By Five guest expert, Angelyn Frazer-Giles, this time to discuss her work as a certified End of Life Doula during this stressful time. We start with The Bucket List (2007) with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and wind our way through how to really make your final wishes actual happen, then to Steel Magnolias (1989) for the medical directives you need, organ donation with Seven Pounds (2008) with Will Smith and Rosario Dawson, the battle for rights of a same-sex couple as depicted in Freeheld (2015) with Julianne Moore and Elliot Page, and more. So, what movie got it right? It's Angelyn's #1 on this list. This is an informative and eye-opening topic.  Angelyn Frazer-Giles is a Delaware certified End of Life Doula. You can contact her at legacypreservation.life  On Facebook @Heirloom: Estate &LegacyPreservation  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

For Women's History Month Subrina Wood, 'The Cinnamon Cinephile' sits down with the legendary Judy Richardson, civil rights activist, political organizer, teacher, scholar, author and one of the producers of the Emmy winning PBS series "Eyes On the Prize". This 14 episode groundbreaking series was create by Henry Hampton and his Blackside Productions in Boston, MA and broadcast from 1987 - 1990. The production was the start for many up and coming filmmakers and writers including Llewellyn Smith (The Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory, 2016),  Orlando Bagwell (Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed, 2016) and Oscar and Emmy winner Sam Pollard (Sammy David, Jr. I've Gotta Be Me, 2017;  4 Little Girls, 1997; and Mr. Soul, 2018). Eyes on the Prize's singular style of featuring only the actual participants rather than historians and other pundit bringing many of the the women of the movement to our attention for possibly to first time. Judy Richardson was on the staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the South, from 1963 to 1966: in SNCC’s national office in Atlanta; in Mississippi during “Freedom Summer”; in Southwest Georgia; and in Lowndes County, Alabama. In 1965she left SNCC’s Lowndes County project to become the office manager for the successful, first campaign of Julian Bond (then SNCC’s Press Director, later Chair of the NAACP) for the Georgia House of Representatives. She also organized a residential “freedom school” that brought together young people from civil rights struggles in both the North and South to talk about common concerns and strategies. In 1978 she began her first stint with Blackside, Inc., and entered the world of film. She worked on all 14 hours of Backside’s seminal PBS series, Eyes on the Prize (winner of an Academy Award nomination, six Emmys, the top broadcast journalism awards, and many other honors). She was Series Associate Producer for the second series, content advisor and researcher for the first series, and Education Director for the full series. Judy Richardson Five Episodes: Season 1, Episode 1  Awakenings Season 1, Episode 5 Mississippi: Is This America?: 1962-1964 Season 2, Episode 4 The Promised Land 1967 -1968 Season 2, Episode 5 Ain't Gonna Shuffle No More: 1964-1972 Season 2, Episode 6 A Nation of Law?: 1968 - 1971 For more on Henry Hampton visit the Henry Hampton Archives at Washington University Henry Hampton Collection - University Libraries | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Ok, I said there were THREE episodes, but there are actually TWO. This is a double bonus covering both Episodes 2 Whitey's on the Moon and Episode 3 Holy Ghost. I continue discussing our initial impressions of Lovecraft Country with Angelyn Frazer-Giles, Executive Director of National Network for Justice, Nkechi Taifa, Esq., Founder of the Taifa Group, a social enterprise firm with a mission to advance justice, Michelle Meggs, Ph.D., Executive Director of Women & Girls Research Alliance, and Nachelle White, founder of S.W.A.G.G., LLC (Sisters Walking Abundantly in God's Grace). These sisters know of what they speak.   Subrina   https://cinnamoncinephile.com/ Angelyn  https://nationalnetworkforjustice.org/ Nkechi    https://www.thetaifagroup.com/about-founder Michelle  https://womengirlsalliance.uncc.edu/ Nachelle  https://www.facebook.com/SistersWalkingAbundantlyInGodsGraceSwagg/ I want to thank my sound engineer, DoS, the Anonymous One.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

The Cinnamon Cinephile and her trusty crew, Michelle Meggs, Angelyn Frazer-Giles, Nkecki Taifa, and Nachelle White, go deep into the meaning behind the Golden Globe-nominated HBO series. This was tape after the first run of the series. I'm posting it up now for Black History Month and so you have a primer for the show as we go into the TV awards season. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

The Cinnamon Cinephile and filmmaker Rahima Rice discuss the negative trope of the Magical Negro in films and how this trope spills over into the lives of Black professionals in corporate America. Rahima R. Rice was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Her most recent work includes the short film Making & Breaking (People’s Choice Award Winner, 2020 OLA Film Festival), the web series Room 513, the one-act play The Eight (2018 Anacostia Playhouse Visions/Revisions New Works Festival, 2020 Affirmation Theatre Company Pro-Black One Acts Festival) and the full-length play At the Full Yum (2019-2020 SigWorks Reading Series). Rahima holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media from the University of the District of Columbia, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for the Stage & Screen from Lesley University. Rahima is the founder of the DC-based arts & entertainment company The 4208 Group, and curator of the 10-minute play festival The 10-Minute Taste. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

As we enter into month seven of life during a pandemic, some of us may feel the need to reach out for help dealing with issues exacerbated by prolonged isolation or close living conditions including; anxiety, stress, or abuse. This episode gives some pointers on working with therapists, either in-person or online, and lists some films that might if nothing else, help get needed conservations started. Plus, we will tip you off to ten great movies, too! Donna F. Ferber, LPC, LADC is a psychotherapist in private practice for 30 years. She is a licensed professional counselor, a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor, and an educator. Donna works with individuals and in groups. Her office is in Farmington, Connecticut. Find a therapist near you. Most therapists are now using teletherapy during COVID-19. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists Help in dealing with domestic violence https://www.thehotline.org/resources/ Help with alcohol abuse AA.org AA on line https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/options-for-meeting-online Support those who love someone affected by substance abuse https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings Support and info for LBGTQ youth and parents https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth-resources.htm --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Congressman John Lewis.  We will continue the fight for equality and justice in America. ANGELYN C. FRAZER-GILES is the Executive Director of the National Network for Justice (NNJ). She is also the founder of Solace for Sistas a social and support network of Black and Brown women committed to human and civil rights, and social and criminal justice advocacy and activities. Angelyn has degrees from the Fashion Institute of Technology and the University of Washington. She studied Spanish at the Universidad de Guadalajara in Jalisco, México, and received her Paralegal Certificate from Delaware State University. She is a licensed instructor of Zumba and is currently studying to be an End of Life Doula. NKECHI TAIFA, ESQ.  Nkechi Taifa is President of The Taifa Group, LLC, and convenes the Justice Roundtable, a Washington-based advocacy coalition advancing federal justice reforms. She is also a Senior Fellow with the Center for Justice at Columbia University.  Nkechi previously served as Advocacy Director for Criminal Justice for the Open Society Foundations, as founding Director of the Equal Justice Program at Howard University Law School, and as an adjunct professor at both Howard Law and American University Washington College of Law.  She was legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, public policy counsel for the Women’s Legal Defense Fund, and staff attorney for the National Prison Project. As a private practitioner, she represented indigent adults and juveniles and practiced employment discrimination law. Over the course of her career she has spoken extensively across the country on justice reform and human rights issues and has testified before the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the Council of the District of Columbia, the American Bar Association Justice Kennedy Commission, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Nkechi Taifa is a founding member of NCOBRA - the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America and serves as a Commissioner on the National African American Reparations Commission. She has written extensively on issues of justice, including four law review articles, and has received numerous awards for her social justice advocacy and accomplishments. Nkechi is the author of a forthcoming memoir, Black Power/Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Season 2, Episode 2 The Cinnamon Cinephile (Subrina Wood) sits down with Ron Jones, DJ, and CEO of The StarPower Collective, a Harlem Radio internet show. Eddie Murphy's Dolemite is My Name (2019) inspired this podcast episode in which Ron and Subrina each list their five favorites Black Action Films of the '70s and discuss why they do not apply the term 'Blaxploitation' to these ten films. The lively session includes Ron Jones' deep knowledge and love of the music that pumps through these movies.  Film fans should add any one of these ten films of this the underappreciated genre to their "What to Watch List". Follow StarPower Collective on Facebook Suggested Reading: Blaxploitation Cinema - The Essential Reference Guide by Josiah Howard --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Season 2, Episode 1 The Cinnamon Cinephile joins Lynne Ustach, a lawyer in Avon, CT who is a food and wine aficionado and traveler. Lynne has taken cooking lessons not only in the U.S. but also in Tuscany and Romania and has chased Michelin star restaurants all over Europe. She’s a Cinephile favorite because is a woman who believes there no such thing as “too much”.  In full disclosure, Subrina and Lynne are dear friends since college and have shared many a great meal together.   For more information on the Sanda Lotti's cooking class in Tuscany go to toscanasaporita.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Episode 6 Why We Love (Yes, LOVE) Hallmark Christmas Movies Join Subrina Wood, the Cinnamon Cinephile, and literary agent Andrea Cascardi, as they discuss why they love Hallmark Christmas movies. With an average of 68 million viewers for its annual Countdown to Christmas Marathon this American holiday tradition must be doing something right. Andrea Cascardi is a literary agent and an unabashed lover of Hallmark movies and rom com novels, especially those set in cozy British seaside towns at Christmastime. For more on the Cinnamon Cinephile, follow me on Twitter@SubrinaWood, and subscribe to my newsletter on my website, www.cinnamoncinephile.com GUEST: Andrea Cascardi Maher HOSTED BY Subrina Wood TAGS: Hallmark, Christmas, Christmas movies, romance, family movies, holidays, Christmas magic --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Subrina Wood, the Cinnamon Cinephile; Cynthia Roseberry, a criminal justice attorney in Atlanta; and the mysterious Q, a policy professional in DC, discuss the heated debates surrounding the new Harriet Tubman movie - Harriet. Should Deborah Martin Chase have cast British actress Cynthia Erivio as Harriet? Does the film pander to white audiences? Do the fictional characters add or detract from this incredible true story? Does #BoycottHarriet make any sense? For more on the Cinnamon Cinephile, follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/cinncine1?s=03, and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cinncine1/ and my website www.cinnamoncinephile.com HOSTED BY Subrina Wood GUESTS: Cynthia Roseberry, The Mysterious Q Ms. Roseberry earned her Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University. She earned her Juris Doctor from Georgia State University College of Law. During the Obama administration, Cynthia Roseberry served as Project Manager of the historic Clemency Project 2014.  Often referred to as the nation’s largest law firm of nearly 4,000 lawyers, it provided pro bono support to more than 36,000 applicants for presidential clemency.  She has taught and practiced criminal defense law for more than two decades. A member of the Charles Colson Taskforce, a blue ribbon Congressionally appointed panel empaneled to examine the federal prison system, she currently chairs the NACDL taskforce on predictive policing. Her TedX talk given from inside a prison can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfAr8tlx0HY&t=3s Ms. Roseberry earned her Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University. She earned her Juris Doctor from Georgia State University College of Law. During the Obama administration, Cynthia Roseberry served as Project Manager of the historic Clemency Project 2014.  Often referred to as the nation’s largest law firm of nearly 4,000 lawyers, it provided pro bono support to more than 36,000 applicants for presidential clemency.  She has taught and practiced criminal defense law for more than two decades. A member of the Charles Colson Taskforce, a blue ribbon Congressionally appointed panel empaneled to examine the federal prison system, she currently chairs the NACDL taskforce on predictive policing. Her TedX talk given from inside a prison can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfAr8tlx0HY&t=3s --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Previews of Just Mercy, Atlantics, Waves, Harriet and Clemency.  Join Subrina Wood the Cinnamon Cinephile and this week's guest expert Cynthia Rosenberry, Esq.  as they discuss five incredible soon to be released films recently shown at the Middleburg Film Festival in October . Although the scenarios are as varied as the time periods, all five films have at their core the resilence of the Black Family and the need for it for black people surviving in America. The films cover the racism in criminal justice system, immigration from the point of view of the ones left behind, coping with the stress of chasing the America dream, the historical narrative of slavery, and the horrors of carrying out  executions. It's a wide shot of America today. Ms. Roseberry earned her Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University. She earned her Juris Doctor from Georgia State University College of Law. During the Obama administration, Cynthia Roseberry served as Project Manager of the historic Clemency Project 2014.  Often referred to as the nation’s largest law firm of nearly 4,000 lawyers, it provided pro bono support to more than 36,000 applicants for presidential clemency.  She has taught and practiced criminal defense law for more than two decades. A member of the Charles Colson Taskforce, a blue ribbon Congressionally appointed panel empaneled to examine the federal prison system, she currently chairs the NACDL taskforce on predictive policing. Her TedX talk given from inside a prison can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfAr8tlx0HY&t=3s Host: Subrina Wood www.cinnamoncinephile.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

This episode join Subrina Wood, the Cinnamon Cinephile, and Trina Ramsey personal coach, author, and high tech industry professional in a crazy convo about their five favorite black “rom-coms”, where a brother meets a sister, the brother loses the sister, then, of course, the brother gets the sister, well, just maybe not the one he met first… Trina Ramsey is a career and life strategist, motivational speaker, and author specializing in personal transformation and reinvention. With 20 years of experience in business and management, Trina’s is a “people person” and a change agent. We’ll discuss: The Leading Ladies - Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan, and Queen Latifah; The Sidney Syndrome - why the three greatest Black Leading Men Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Idris Elba rarely play romantic leads; Are today’s romantic comedies romantic? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Join Subrina Wood, the Cinnamon Cinephile, and author, artist, and ancient history scholar Lloyd R. Williams in a lively conversation about their five favorite movies about the Romans, the Greeks, and the Egyptians and why these films are some of the best examples of movies made during the Golden Age of Gladiator films 1950 -1965. You may or may not want to substitute this episode for your Cliff notes. Lloyd R. Williams studied the ancient Greek, Romans, and Egyptians at the oldest high school in America, the prestigious Boston Latin School. He went on to earn a B.A. in History from the College of the Holy Cross. Lloyd, who is currently working on a graphic novel about his hero, Hannibal of Carthage, consulted on the first ancient African art exhibit held at the then-new wing of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He is the author of the science fiction novel Rogue Progeny. He lives in Cambridge, MA, with a to-die-for view of the Charles River. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support

Join Subrina Wood, CinnCine the Cinnamon Cinephile, and Danielle Jones, a dedicated middle school teacher in the District of Columbia, as they discuss their favorite movies about the over-analyzed, sometimes maligned, but in the end, honored profession of teaching. Danielle Jones is a native New Yorker and a veteran of the United States Air Force. She has been teaching in the greater DC Metro area for almost 17 years, with most of her time in DC charter schools. Currently, Ms. Jones teaches 8th grade at E.L. Haynes Middle School. When she's not teaching, Ms. Jones enjoys spending time with her daughter, friends, and reading. We’ll discuss: The calling of teaching, some heard it early, and some discover it after the fact. The difficulties of establishing relationships when you have just minutes a day with your students. What makes a great teacher and who were the teachers who inspired us as children. The Cinnamon Cinephile For more on the Cinnamon Cinephile, follow me on Twitter@cinncine1, and subscribe to my newsletter on my website, www.cinnamoncinephile.com GUEST:  Danielle Jones HOSTED BY Subrina Wood TAGS: high school movies, teachers, inspiration --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cinncine/support