Regina King needs no introduction in Hollywood. Her unrivalled talent transitions easily between film and television, spilling an astounding performance in whichever role she is in.
King’s acting elements ostensibly catches the eye of the audience and captures the attention of critics busily running commentaries. Thanks to her arsenal of works, Hollywood runs on a good slate of shows and films that embrace impact, inclusion and representation.
Her famous directorial debut film ‘One Night in Miami’, which follows a fictionalized meeting of four black icons hammered on the relevance of the Black Lives Matter movement, while staging a perfect cinematic piece. It headlined conversations about racial injustice, religion and oppression, making it a significant work of art that recounts historic cultural mishaps.
During the 2021 Awards season, King together with Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) intercepted the long sideline of women in the best director category. The trio became the first set of females nominated in a single year for best director at the Golden Globe. Zhao would go on to be the overall winner of the category, leaving King as the second black woman in Globe history to be nominated.
Busy and still baking more for the screens, King unarguably is a certified template that can be referenced for great performers of a generation.
With her next project stationed at Netflix for the big release, we take a dip inside her past works for our weekend watch list this week. Get comfy and watch the King of Hollywood.
FILMS
‘If Beale Street Could Talk‘
SYNOPSIS: The lives of childhood friends and lovers Tish and Fonny take a drastic turn when Fonny gets falsely accused of rape. A pregnant Tish then sets out to prove his innocence.
DIRECTOR: Barry Jenkins
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video
‘Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous’
SYNOPSIS: After Miss USA and her companion get kidnapped, FBI agent Gracie goes undercover to Las Vegas for investigating the case. She decides to find them on her own even if it means disobeying direct orders.
DIRECTOR: John Pasquin
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video
‘Friday‘
SYNOPSIS: Craig and Smokey spend their time wishing their day was more eventful. Their dreams come true when encounters with their neighbours add spice to their life.
DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gary
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video
‘Enemy of the State’
SYNOPSIS: A videotape containing footage of congressman Phil Hammersley’s murder is planted on a lawyer, Robert Dean. Government operatives, who are trying to retrieve the evidence, target him.
DIRECTOR: Tony Scott
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video
‘Truth Be Told’
SYNOPSIS: A survivor (Regina King) of a mob massacre must outsmart the crooked cops assigned to her case before they betray her to her enemies.
DIRECTOR: Jeffrey W. Byrd
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video
TV SHOWS
‘Seven Seconds’
SYNOPSIS: When 15-year-old black cyclist Brenton Butler dies in a hit-and-run accident — with a white police officer behind the wheel of the vehicle — Jersey City explodes with racial tension. This crime drama explores the aftermath of the accident, which includes an attempted cover-up by the police department and a volatile trial. Assistant prosecutor KJ wants to prosecute the hit-and-run as a hate crime, in addition to a negligent homicide. The longer the case drags on without a resolution, the more tense the situation becomes. Emmy winner Regina King stars as Brenton’s churchgoing mother, Latrice.
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Netflix
‘Watchmen‘
SYNOPSIS: When masked vigilantes are treated as criminals by government agencies, some band together to start a mutiny while others aim to stop it before it yields chaos.
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: HBO
‘227‘
SYNOPSIS: Follows the lives of a group of middle-class people living in an apartment building.
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video