One Battle After Another: A Brown & Black Breakdown
Brown & Black
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another got the casting right, but did it get Latinos and Blacks right? People are still talking about the film One Battle After Another. We breakdown how Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie handles Black and Latino characters in Hollywood. With Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and Chase Infinity starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, we ask: do these characters finally get the depth they deserve, or are they still written for white audiences? We also ask whether this three-hour film merits a rewatch. Episode Summary Are Black & Latino roles...
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Bad Bunny and the NFL’s First All-Spanish Halftime Show
Brown & Black
This week on Brown & Black, we drop an Off the Cuff episode on the breaking news that Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl halftime show. This marks the first-ever Spanish-language halftime show on America’s biggest stage. We break down why this moment matters for Latino and Black culture, how it exposes the NFL’s contradictions on race and protest, and what it reveals about the league’s global ambitions. We also ask: Will this be the most-watched halftime ever? Can Bad Bunny top Kendrick Lamar’s historic performance? What does the spotlight on Spanish language in America mean...
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The Viral Rant That Exposed White Identity
Brown & Black
Many white Americans face a contradiction: they love Black and Latino culture, but don’t like Black and Latino people. Dr. Barnor Hesse of Northwestern University calls this “White Voyeurism.” It’s part of his Eight White Identities framework that explains Jennifer Welch’s viral rant against MAGA hypocrisy. We revisit Hesse’s revolutionary framework to show how whiteness has consumed Black and Latino culture for 500 years without any accountability. Episode Summary – Jennifer Welch's viral rant – White voyeurism explained – White hypocrisy and cultural hypocrisy –...
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Is Off-Broadway’s MEXODUS the Next 'Hamilton'?
Brown & Black
Did you know The Underground Railroad went South and America spent 200 years hiding it? In this episode, we talk to Nygel Robinson and Brian Quijada, creators of the Off-Broadway musical MEXODUS, which reveals how 10,000 enslaved people escaped to Mexico between 1829-1865. This history of Black and Latino solidarity has never been brought to the stage, until now. We discuss why this musical is an act of resistance today, how they got white allies to fund a brown and black story, and what would happen if schools taught this truth? Plus, they address the inevitable comparisons to 'Hamilton' and...
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Spike Lee, Denzel, and the Black Film Marketing Problem
Brown & Black
Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, reunite for A24's Highest 2 Lowest (in theaters August 15). But you wouldn’t know it from the marketing. Its low-profile rollout has people asking: is this racism or just business? And will the burden of promoting the film fall once again on Black moviegoers? Episode Summary: • Is undermarketing Black films racism or just business? • Did Spike and Denzel agreed to this deal? • The long history of under-promoted Black films • Black films that did get a marketing push • The problem with “we support our own”...
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Emmys 2025: A Brown & Black Breakdown
Brown & Black
How can the Latino star of Disney's Andor, the best-reviewed show in the Star Wars franchise, be snubbed by the Emmys? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on how the voting process really works from the inside. We’re also asking some hard questions: Why are Latinos showing up in record numbers, yet the nomination process doesn't reward them? What does the Diego Luna snub say to Latinos when reaching the peak is still not enough? We also shoutout the Latino showrunners, writers, composers, editors, and hairstylists quietly winning and shaping mainstream culture. And...
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Summer Movies 2025: Jurassic World: Rebirth / Materialists
Brown & Black
This July weekend, we review two of the biggest summer movies of 2025: Jurassic World: Rebirth and The Materialists. Mike breaks down why Jurassic World is stuck in a loop of reboots and clichés, even with big stars like Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. And what would it take to save this franchise? Then Jack reviews The Materialists, a romantic drama exploring love, class, and status in modern dating culture starrign Pedro Pascal, Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans. We also officially launched the Brown & Black Social Club on Substack, a space for Black and Latino...
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Why Sacrilege's Nyasha Hatendi Chose Horror to Speak His Truth
Brown & Black
In this episode, we welcome Nyasha Hatendi, the creator, writer, director, and producer of Audible's new audio horror drama, Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi. He opens up about his motivations for creating Sacrilege, the influences behind its horror, his collaboration with actor Caleb McLaughlin from Stranger Things, and how truth and story have the power to bring people together. Episode Summary – Truth-telling in an age of lies – BBC to QCode: audio evolution – America, Zimbabwe, UK roots – Writing horror by accident, not intent – Dysfunctional family truth becomes horror –...
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'Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi': An Audio Drama Analysis
Brown & Black
In this special sponsored episode, we're partnering with Audible for our first-ever audio drama analysis, breaking down the groundbreaking supernatural thriller "Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi" starring Caleb McLaughlin from Stranger Things. Created by Zimbabwean-American filmmaker Nyasha Hatendi, this six-episode supernatural horror audio drama follows an African-American family from Detroit whose luxury heritage tourism trip to Zimbabwe unleashes an ancient shapeshifting spirit - part man, part beast, part spirit - that feeds on weakness and pain. We explore in-depth: - What does it mean to...
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Is Ryan Coogler's 'SINNERS' Too Black for Hollywood?
Brown & Black
This week we deconstruct Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS from a Latino and Black perspective. It's a film that is creating deep cultural conversations about Black originality and the business of Black culture globally. We explore its cultural symbolism, audience reactions, Variety's media bias, and the troubling Asian release rollout that may hint at anti-Black bias in Asian markets. Episode Summary (2:00) – White audiences, Black movies: The paradox (4:00) – Ryan Coogler enters director-auteur status (7:00) – Layers of Black culture, not just horror (10:45) – The Sammy blues scene decoded...
info_outlinePaul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another got the casting right, but did it get Latinos and Blacks right?
People are still talking about the film One Battle After Another. We breakdown how Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie handles Black and Latino characters in Hollywood. With Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and Chase Infinity starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, we ask: do these characters finally get the depth they deserve, or are they still written for white audiences? We also ask whether this three-hour film merits a rewatch.
Episode Summary
- Are Black & Latino roles evolving?
- Revolutionaries and redemption
- DiCaprio, Taylor & Del Toro on screen together
- Benicio’s “Sensei” and immigrant storyline
- Black female portrayals under the microscope
- Representation vs. white gaze in Hollywood
- Why Lindelof’s Watchmen and Coco got it right
- Teyana Taylor’s rise from VH1 to PTA prestige
- Latino and Black artists entering prestige cinema
- The future of inclusive filmmaking
- Verdict: Entertaining but imperfect
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