Rueben's Ramblings

On December 18, the movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will debut on Netflix.

Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music.

As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman, in his last on-screen role) – who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories, truths, and lies that will forever change the course of their lives.

The cast includes Colman Domingo and Jonny Coyne.

The screenplay is by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Castle); one of the producers is Denzel Washington and music by Branford Marsalis.

Here is a trailer for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom:

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On December 15, Cooking Up Christmas is the latest holiday movie set to debut on OWN at 9 PM.

Meagan Holder stars as Chloe, an Atlanta-based chef at a fine dining restaurant who gets fired just weeks before Christmas and reluctantly takes a job with pro baseball player Donovan Jackson (Lamman Rucker), who is a single dad of three needing a live-in-chef to get him through the holidays with the kids.

Chloe only takes the job in order to save up enough capital to live out her dream of opening her own restaurant, but soon finds herself caught up in the ups and downs of the Jacksons encounter during her residency. Throughout the holiday season in the Jackson household the importance of family and Chloe’s good Southern cooking are two constants that remain. As Christmas comes to an end, Chloe discovers that her lifelong dream might finally come true and that her heart has a mind of its own.

Here is a trailer for Cooking Up Christmas:

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On December 14, the holiday movie Lonestar Christmas will debut on Lifetime at 8 PM.

When a single mom Erin (Stephanie Bennett) takes her daughters to spend Christmas with her estranged dad on his Texas ranch, she unexpectedly falls in love with local restaurateur Mateo (Marco Grazzini) while learning to forgive her father for the past.

The cast includes B. J. Harrison.

Here is a trailer for Lonestar Christmas:

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December 13, the Paramount Network holiday movie Dashing in December will debut at 7 PM.

Wyatt (Peter Porte), a sophisticated New York businessman, returns home to convince his mother Deb (MacDowell) to sell the family’s struggling ranch in Colorado. He unexpectedly meets Heath [the ranch hand] (Juan Pablo Di Pace), who, much to Wyatt’s disbelief, is content with his rural lifestyle; and rekindles Wyatt’s appreciation for nature, horses and Christmas.

Andie MacDowell co-stars.

NOTE: The movie will simulcast on Logo, Pop and TV Land.

Here is a trailer for Dashing in December:

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On December 13, the ION holiday movie The Christmas Sitters will debut at 7 PM.

Facing holiday flight delays on a return trip from Europe, two parents double-book incompatible babysitters: the mother’s BFF lawyer friend, Nora (Tristin Mays), and the dad’s guitarist half-brother, Max (Nathan Owens), to look after their two kids and dog.

After a rather stormy start, an attraction grows.

Here is a trailer for The Christmas Sitters.

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The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries holiday movie Unlocking Christmas will debut on December 13 at 10 PM.

When a mysterious key and a holiday riddle arrive on their doorsteps, Kate (Taylor Cole) and Kevin (Steve Lund) embark on a Christmas romance adventure they’ll never forget.

Based on the book by NY Times bestselling author, Fern Michaels.

Here is the trailer for Unlocking Christmas:

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