Regina Hall has come a long way from playing Candy on the 1999 Malcolm D. Lee film The Best Man. The Hollywood mover and shaker is set to host the 94th Academy Awards scheduled for March 27, alongside comedians Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer.
Although she’s known for being in comedic films, such as Scary Movie, Malibu’s Most Wanted, Think Like a Man, and Girls Trip, she’s always had a streak of dramatic flair. Good thing, because Hall is continuing to summon the critical appraise gods with Oscar and Emmy-worthy performances, one being in the upcoming Amazon Prime pic Master, which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
Written and directed by Mariama Diallo, Hall plays Gail Bishop, the first Black master of a prestigious Northeastern University with a storied past that taunts its Black residents. Not just a horror thriller, from the trailer it is already apparent that there is an underlying message about racism and discrimination.
Master, starring Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder, and Amber Gray, falls in the genre of that reserved by the Jordan Peele films, the 1990s pic Candyman, and the Lena Waithe produced Them, where real themes of race, class, and all the “isms” you can think of are analyzed and interpreted in an entertaining way.
The thought-provoking film is the feature directorial debut of Mariama Diallo, who is known for making nuanced short films based on the Black human experience in present-day United States.
Hall, who just finished production for Black Monday and Nine Perfect Strangers, has been keeping busy. The brunette boss recently hosted a screening of the mind-bending film at the Black Excellence Brunch that took place at Hollywood’s NeueHouse on March 5. The following evening, Hall appeared at the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, CA.
Master releases can be viewed on Amazon Prime and select theaters starting March 18.
