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Queen Rising – ‘a must-watch for mystery enthusiasts’

By The Caribbean Camera Inc. on June 21, 2024 Comments Off on Queen Rising – ‘a must-watch for mystery enthusiasts’

By Janet Grant

“Queen Rising,” directed by Princeton James, known for his previous works such as [mention a few notable movies], is a captivating mystery thriller that weaves a tale around Madison (portrayed by April Hale), a struggling schoolteacher. Here is a closer look at the film:

• Plot Summary : In grappling with financial troubles, Madison strikes a lucrative book deal. The catch? She must delve into her dark past, specifically the “College Town Slayings.” As she revisits her college days, she uncovers unsettling secrets that may still haunt her present
• Engaging Characters : The film’s true allure lies in its intricately woven characters, each with their unique role in the narrative. Madison, portrayed by April Hale, is a struggling schoolteacher who must confront her traumatic past. Greg (played by Xamon Glasper), a charming yet enigmatic ghostwriter, adds layers to the story. Ben (Dash Kennedy Williams) is a character who convincingly navigates his personality’s sweet and violent sides. Officer Parker (Kenon Walker) is a character who brings genuine concern to the screen, taking the slayings seriously.
• Intense Finale : The final moments of “Queen Rising” are a rollercoaster of nail-biting intensity and suspense. While seasoned cinephiles may not find many surprises, the conclusion is a deeply satisfying culmination of the story.

In summary, “Queen Rising” is a solid thriller, earning a 7.5/10 rating—a must-watch for mystery enthusiasts. If you are a genre fan, this movie is definitely for you. “Queen Rising” is available on Apple TV.

Queen Rising – ‘a must-watch for mystery enthusiasts’ added by The Caribbean Camera Inc. on June 21, 2024 View all posts by The Caribbean Camera Inc. →

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Queen Rising

Struggling school teacher Madison strikes a lucrative book deal to help solve her financial troubles. As she dives into her dark past surrounding the "College Town Slayings," she realizes it... Read all Struggling school teacher Madison strikes a lucrative book deal to help solve her financial troubles. As she dives into her dark past surrounding the "College Town Slayings," she realizes it may still be a part of her present after all. Struggling school teacher Madison strikes a lucrative book deal to help solve her financial troubles. As she dives into her dark past surrounding the "College Town Slayings," she realizes it may still be a part of her present after all.

• Princeton James
• Allison Chaney
• Henry E. Reaves III
• Jade Abrielle
• Candice Bradburn
• 1 User review
• 6 Critic reviews
• 1 nomination total

Top cast 28

• (as Jade Benson)

• Little Brooke
• Self Defense Instructor
• Young Madison

• Mr. Charlie

• (as Orya Larie Turner-Reaves)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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User reviews 1

Solid murder mystery that goes places, good message.

• Reviews_of_the_Dead
• Jun 27, 2024
• June 18, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Nero Studios
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $380,000 (estimated)
• Runtime 1 hour 25 minutes

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Queen Rising Reviews

Twists and turns lead to a deeply shocking conclusion. The filmmakers didn’t give a thing away, brutal moments are shot not as horrific, but as ordinary, which is scarier; things that just happen. Not a great film but an effective thriller.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 26, 2024

Director Princeton James stages all of the action with generic indifference, indicating as little enthusiasm for making the movie as the audience will have for watching it.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Jun 18, 2024

Queen Rising may not hold many surprises for seasoned cinephiles, but that doesn’t diminish its merit.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jun 17, 2024

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Review: 'Queen Rising' is a shocking thriller

Apple TV is where you can rent the suspenseful thriller "Queen Rising," directed by Princeton James. The main characters are played by April Hale, who plays Madison, and Xamon Glasper, who plays Greg. The film is captivating and keeps the audience engaged.

In this movie, Madison, a struggling teacher, attempts to prevent her childhood home from going into foreclosure. Though it holds many terrible memories, her childhood home is still dear to her heart. When Greg, one of her coworkers, approaches her to discuss a book contract, she accepts the risk of saving the house and assisting her sister Brooke with her transition. This book deals with her dark college years surrounding the College Town Slayings.

The film's emotionally charged and suspenseful plot is its high point. The story revolves around Madison's interactions and her troubled past with her stepfather, which all began with him. April Hale portrays a young woman dealing with a horrible history in a film that perfectly captures her emotions. This is a deep film that contains the struggles that Black people face with racism, and the explanation behind this is captured well.

Another high is how well her parents are demonstrated; they are a hardworking and loving family. Madison’s father is portrayed as a hero who believes in activism. This gives a clear meaning of how much she values her father. The story of his death is heartbreaking and intense. Henry E. Reaves III, who played her father, did a fantastic job portraying a deeply involved and activist father who instilled into his children the value of standing up for themselves and never letting anyone knock them down.

The flashbacks of Madison’s life in college are another high because they are detailed and show all the feelings her character experienced. The amount of pain she faced in college brings the whole story together and helps us understand why Madison is the way she is. This gives background on her past and is clear to understand.

Another highlight of the movie is the twists in the plot, which are shocking and keep the audience guessing. The murders that take place at the college are complex and conceal the identity of the real killer. It's a compelling tale that illustrates the toxic masculinity in the environment of a college campus.

The film's low points are relatively few and are related to Brooke's past. The character of Brooke, portrayed by Jessie Reeder, lacked background material regarding the impact of her childhood. If there had been more information about how her childhood experience impacted her, the movie might have been better.

The male actors portraying the college boys who had an impact on Madison were another low point. Their acts weren't all that important, and it was hard to understand why Madison was concerned by them in the present. They were the standard toxic men at college, but there was no real meaning to what they did. Madison was too affected by Corey and Darius in particular.

"Queen Rising" is a thrilling film with unexpected storyline twists. This thriller is worth watching because of its surprising finale.

Rating : 8 out of 10.

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Reviews of queen rising 2024.

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★★½ Watched by Rainstorm15 29 Jun 2024

My dad picked this one out and judging by the reviews it seems like a lot of folks haven't seen it. I hate to pick on indie movies but this played out almost like a Lifetime movie with the cringe dialogue. Picked out the twist like 10 minutes in but thats probably cause I've seen too many movies. I will say though don't let that out you off from watching because its still very entertaining which is what this does well. I think as long as folks are coming up with creativity anything that isn't A.I generated is a win for me.

★★½ Watched by HMUNCUT 20 Jun 2024

"Queen Rising" is a revenge thriller starring April Hale as Maddison, a woman turning her struggles into strength. With standout moments and a powerful message, it’s a solid pick for thriller fans. 2.5/5 #QueenRising

★★ Watched by 🎃 Jack 🎃 19 Jun 2024

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

I support women’s rights and wrongs! Madison isn’t a Queen rising, she’s a full on Queen!!!!  Also, I need a spin-off with the bowling shoe counter ladies.

½ Watched by Horreur_Quebec 18 Jun 2024

Une enseignante replonge dans son sombre passé alors qu'elle écrit sur son expérience en tant que survivante d'une série de meurtres survenus lors de ses années universitaires dans Queen Rising , maintenant disponible sur demande.

Notre critique !

★½ Watched by Film Festival Today 11 Jun 2024

For any low-budget movie to exist, there has to have almost certainly been a respectable amount of passion and dedication that drove it forward. Queen Rising, the debut film of Memphis filmmaker Princeton James, is undeniably an example of such passion. It centers on Madison, a teacher struggling to retain her childhood home, whose troubles seem resolved when she is offered a hefty book deal to share her experience of being directly affected by a string of murders during her…

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Queen Rising

queen rising | princeton james | allison chaney | henry e. reaves iii | april hale | xamon glasper | darius wallace | mystery | thriller | united states | jade abrielle | k.j. baker | candice bradburn | taylor bradburn | rekeitha morris | jessie reader | kenon walker

Director: Princeton James

Writers: Allison Chaney and Henry E. Reaves III

Starring: April Hale, Xamon Glasper and Darius Wallace

This is a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Mitch from Millennial Public Relations. The screener was sent to me so I figured I’d watch it. Reading the blurb, I didn’t think this was going to be horror. Internet Movie Database and Letterboxd confirmed this. It was listed as a thriller and it was dark. That caught my interest so I wanted to watch and do a review for Journey with a Cinephile.

Synopsis: struggling schoolteacher Madison (April Hale) strikes a lucrative book deal to help solve her financial troubles. As she dives into her dark past surrounding the ‘College Town Slayings’, she realizes it may still be a part of her present after all.

We start this at the breakfast table. Brooke (Alijah Tucker) are saying a drawn-out prayer before breakfast. Also, there is her older sister, Madison (Miguela Gary), her mother Gina (Rekeitha Morris) and their stepfather. He waits until Gina goes to work and scolds Brooke for taking too long. He then demands that Madison get him a new bowl of grits. His are cold. Madison seems to have had enough.

It then shifts to the present. Madison is a teacher. It is Friday and she is greeted in her room by Greg (Xamon Glasper). They have plans, but Madison is adamant about staying friends. They talk and it is here Greg learns of her past in college. There was a string of murders. He thinks her telling her story could make for an interesting book. He introduces her to Mr. Laurent (Darius Wallace) who offers a large advance. Madison is leery, but willing to tell her story while Greg ghostwrites. It is under the assumption this will be a fictional take. There are ulterior motives here and the results will not only reveal truths but could be dangerous.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to our leads. Included here is giving more of Madison and Brooke’s upbringing before their father passed away. He’s played by Henry E. Reaves III. What is tragic there is that he was murdered and it was politically motivated. This has made Madison bitter and ready to defend herself. Her time in college when these murders take place also hardens her. She says that she was awkward in high school and worked hard to get a full scholarship. It is her time there that she wants to find a boyfriend. She is taken advantage of a couple guys and then she dates an aggressive, jealous guy, who seemed nice in the beginning. It is from there that the murders start. I like how Madison is forcing herself to recount these events to Greg under the guise of a fictional story.

Now we know early on that Greg has another motive as well. I did guess the reveal, but I like the fact that it is muddied by Mr. Laurent . I thought that worked, especially because the two are pushing Madison to give more of the story than she might be ready to. Brooke is also now in college. Madison is struggling financially to keep their house, especially with how important it was to their father. Brooke is ready to take time off from school to work. Madison doesn’t want that and will do what she can to survive. That drive is inspiring. The actions are nefarious is all I’ll say.

I do have to warn viewers, there is a heavy message underneath the story. The first one is shown through the father. He thought owning their house was an important step to being ‘wealthy’ in the area they live. I can’t fault him. It is a sign for me that I’ve ‘made it’ in a way. He wants to help others get to this level. This makes him a target. The other is Madison is a variation of a feminist. I don’t fault her at all. She knows her worth. I don’t think either of these are that in your face, but I can see viewers intreprating it that way.

I’ll then say that the acting was good. Hale is solid as our lead. I like that she’s a modern woman who wants to make it on her own. She is hit on by men around her and she rebuffs their efforts. It is a positive role model there. There are things that get revealed that tarnish it, but I also like the character growth. Glasper is good as the male lead here. I like the reveal with him as well. I’d also say that the men she dates in college are good as variations of people you might meet. They’re good people that make bad choices. Wallace works in his role, as does Kenon Walker as Officer Packer . I also like the message that Reaves gives here. The acting is solid across the board, no issues for me.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I thought that the cinematography was good. The framing is as well. What is interesting is that this is a murder mystery of sorts. We don’t see the killings until the end, but that’s not the focus. It is more about how these slayings affect characters. There is a slight pacing issue, because the story being told is a flashback. We then will go even deeper for another flashback. There doesn’t seem to be a different way to do it, but it did make me pause. Other than that, the soundtrack fit what was needed.

Not a movie that I’d recommend to everyone. If you like dark mystery thrillers with a good message underneath, I’d recommend giving this a viewing.

My Rating: 7 out of 10