Cheers to another Friday as we go to a new weekend with a set of funny, romantic, and action-packed movie and television releases to enjoy at home.
Denzel Washington reminds viewers how to build an empire on “American Gangster,” while others fall in love watching Nia Long in “Love Jones” or Sanaa Lathan in “Love & Basketball.” Laugh at comedies and docuseries such as “Def Comedy Jam” or Chris Rock’s latest standup special, “Selective Outrage,” where he jokes candidly about the night Will Smith slapped him on stage at the Oscars.
“Snowfall” dropped a new episode, which has fans wondering if Leon will choose sides in the family beef between Franklin Saint and his aunt and uncle.
Here’s a list of new movies and TV shows hitting streaming services this weekend.
Amazon Prime
- Akeelah and the Bee Fan favorites Angela Bassett and Keke Palmer once placed a mother-daughter duo in the 2006 film alongside Laurence Fishburne. The story follows an intelligent young girl who tries to win the National Spelling Bee.
- American Gangster Frank Lucas, the American drug dealer, inspired the 2007 gangster film starring Denzel Washington. The cinematic staple is considered of his best performances as an actor and is fictionally based on Lucas’ empire, which he built after moving his family up from North Carolina.
- Creed, Creed II For those who can’t make it out this weekend to see “Creed III” in theaters, both the original film and its sequel have been released on Amazon Prime.
- Def Comedy Jam (S1-S7) Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam provided a stage for up-and-coming comedians who later became legendary. Amongst the host were Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Chris, Dave Chappelle, Steve Harvey, and others.
BET+
- Cradle 2 The Grave Martial arts legend Jet Li teams up with rapper DMX in this action-packed 2003 movie. DMX plays a master thief and street guy with his hands in lots of criminal activity while Li is on his trial as a Taiwanese intelligence agent. The two join forces after learning they have a common enemy that kidnaps X’s daughter in the film. It also stars Anthony Anderson and Gabrielle Union.
- Love Jones Nia Long and Larenz Tate gave us a love story that lasts for ages in this romantic comedy. It gives viewers all the nostalgic ’90s vibes, with their characters, Nina and Darius, set in the jazz-inspired city of Chicago. They explore their creative career while establishing the status of their unexpected bond.
Hulu
- Love & Basketball Produced by Spike Lee, the film tells the coming of age story of Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, two next door neighbors in Los Angeles who share a bond for sports and playing basketball. Their love travels through high school and into college, where they begin to drift apart due to their respective basketball careers and other life challenges.
- Takers Imagine a crew of professional robbers who team up to pull off what appears to be a complicated robbery at a bank in downtown Los Angeles in broad daylight. The crime-action movie stars Chris Brown, T.I., Idris Elba, the late Paul Walker, Michael Ealy, and Zoe Saldana. After pulling off the job, one gets more greedy than most wanting to take all the money for himself. But does he make it out alive?
- Snowfall (Season 6) Parts of episode three were filmed in Ghana, where Leon and Wanda got married after spending a month visiting. They returned home to Los Angeles and found out about the family drama between Franklin Saint, portrayed by Damson Idris, and his aunt and uncle, Jerome and Louie, played by Amin Joesphe and Angel Lewis. Franklin puts Leon in a tight spot by telling him to pick a side, but he doesn’t seem ready to choose.
- Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Season 3) Following the completion of their East Cost tour, this week’s episode five spotlights some Wu-Tang members that did not become household names as they find their individual voices amongst the group.
Netflix
- Chris Rock: Selective Outrage Comedian Chris Rock is set to make history with his latest comedy special, which will be Netflix’s first-ever event to be live-streamed globally. He will address being slapped by Will Smith during last year’s Oscar awards show. It will also touch on jokes from his Ego Death tour and commentary from fellow comedians such as Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, and JB Smoove, to name a few. The film premieres Saturday, March 4.
Paramount+
- 12 Years a Slave This film tells the riveting story of one man’s fight for survival during the pre-civil war era. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup, a free man who was abducted and sold into slavery. He struggles to maintain his dignity and kindness with
- Coach Carter Samuel L. Jackson plays a high school basketball coach who takes on a team of unruly teenagers. He used sports and intelligence to help guide these young men to obtain scholarships for college and teach them discipline. Amongst the stellar cast includes,
- In Too Deep The 1999 cult classic film, is an urban story of a rookie undercover cop whose first assignment is to enter a dangerous drug ring run by one of the most notorious drug bosses in town. It stars notable actors such as Omar Epps, LL Cool J, Nia Long, Hill Harper, Pam Grier, and others.
Peacock
- Bel-Air (Season 2) The feel-good sitcom based on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is back with new episodes this season. The pressure is on for Will to figure out his life after meeting his dad. But things shortly begin to spiral as he reverts back to his old Philadelphia ways. Tatyana Ali, who played Ashley in the original series, returns as Mrs. Hughes, the middle school English teacher who believes in the new Ashley, played by Akira Akbar.
Starz
- BMF 50 Cent’s Detroit-inspired series returns this week with a new episode. In the episode titled “Push It To The Limit,” the Flenory boys, Meech and Terry, buy a car wash as a front to clean money and pack cars with drugs and product from a new plug. Tensions rise as the Flenory family begins to fall apart and other love affairs begin to fall to the side. “BMF” airs Friday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Def Jam’s How to Be A Player Bill Bellamy stars in the 1997 sex comedy alongside late comedians Natalie Desselle, Bernie Mac, and Anthony Johnson. He plays Dray, a cool, laid-back playboy who has a girlfriend while dating multiple women. He’s taken on a rollercoaster ride after all the women arrived at his party after being invited by his sister Jenny, played by Desselle, to teach him a lesson about hurting women.
- Diary of a Mad Black Woman One of Tyler Perry’s most popular movies stars Kimberly Elise, Shemar Moore, Cicely Tyson, and Steve Harris as Charles McCarter. The romantic comedy follows a woman whose marriage falls apart after the wife discovers her husband’s abrupt plans to divorce her on their anniversary. She regains her strength and confidence with help from her family and an unexpected love connection.
