It can't be any more dramatic than the scene when Tre yelled out to Ricky after the sight of the red Hyundai Excel. Simply put, Boyz n the Hood is the game changer of the genre and sets the standard that all black films are forever burdened to match. Of the ensemble cast, Ice Cube is unbeatable as Doughboy.

Black residents were lynched. The state government of Florida knew about the incident but did nothing about it. The town was never rebuilt, and no black residents talked about what happened until the 1980's, hence Rosewood. Filled with great acting, it's a rare film about the dark history of racism that existed in the United States for hundreds of years.

I read two books by Jesse Lee Peterson, Scam and The Antidote, about the current state of Black America: fatherless households, idle/joblessness, high rate of incarceration, children born out of wedlock, multiple baby mamas, mooched-off mothers, males with feminine behavior or Oedipal complex, black-on-black violence, gutter "language" called Ebonics, perverse definition of what being a man means, angry black females, and lack of content in character. Showcasing all of them, Baby Boy is a damning indictment against the black race.

Instead of Jada Pinkett Smith, it's Janet Jackson who makes her silver screen debut. Showing off an iconic look with the braids, she has chemistry with Tupac Shakur, and their characters make a nice couple. It's funny to watch them, along with Regina King and Joe Torry, fighting and making up back and forth on the road trip from Los Angeles to Oakland with a couple of stops for a family reunion barbeque and an African-American carnival.

Higher Learning brings out many memories when I think of my college days. I went through a lot the first year: the parties and clubs, the financial aid situations, the friendships, the double murders, the varsity sport stuff, the roommate from hell, the security cops, the riot, etc. What's unique about college is there's an influx of ideas that it's easy for anyone to be impressed because they are new, fresh, and exciting which make them feel alive. It's also a very dangerous time as some will act on these ideas and take them to the extreme.