A shortened Micheaux Mission session that still keeps the conversation moving.
The episode is cut short by a household emergency, but it still keeps the first half of the Nope discussion intact and lets Octavia April keep moving.

Bleav, Micheaux Mission
500 episodes listed below
Black film history, argued with love.
Micheaux Mission is a long-running Black cinema conversation built around one expansive pledge: every Black film ever made. Len and Vincent Williams move from westerns to Afrofuturism, crime thrillers, Charles Burnett films, and unlikely arguments about what counts as a Black film.
PRESS PLAY
Micheaux Mission is built around a huge promise and a modest table-talk sound. Len and Vincent Williams are working through Black film history one title at a time, with room for classics, curiosities, genre pictures, television-adjacent careers, and movies whose Blackness needs an argument before the review can even begin. The show is brisk but not clipped. It likes a tangent. A discussion of Deep Blue Sea can pass through Samuel Jackson, LL Cool J, Lupita Nyong’o, Dreamgirls, and the fantasy casting of a Black love story in Rome before returning to the assignment. That looseness is part of the appeal. Len and Vincent Williams treat Black cinema as a set of films, but also as a web of performers, memories, debates, family references, and industry patterns. Their episodes often begin with life before criticism: warm weather in Philadelphia, a hard week, a death in the entertainment world, or a note to the show’s “missionaries.” Then the frame tightens. They can talk Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Walter Hill, Fred Williamson, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Judy Pace, Nichelle Nichols, James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave, or Bill Paxton with a casual command that never feels sealed behind a classroom door. Recurring segments give the show shape without making it stiff. Missives from the Missionaries turns listener email into a third voice in the room. Six Degrees of Derville Martin turns film history into a memory sport. Octavia April gives Black science fiction and Afrofuturism their own annual lane. Cowboys and aliens can sit beside gritty crime, romantic melodrama, and haunted arguments about who gets remembered. The tone is affectionate, sometimes dry, and often funny in the way longtime partners are funny with each other. It can also get grave, especially around loss, race, industry erasure, and the social worlds surrounding a movie. Micheaux Mission suits listeners who like criticism with personality, context, and a little mess around the edges. It is not trying to sound neutral. It is trying to keep the whole conversation alive.
Made for: For listeners who want Black cinema criticism that feels informed, personal, and lived-in. It especially suits film fans who enjoy genre detours, actor memories, listener mail, and debates about what belongs inside Black film history.
What sets it apart: Its strength is the mix of archive-minded range and intimate partner rhythm. The show can honor Charles Burnett, play a Derville Martin connection game, and argue about Alien’s place in Black cinema without changing rooms.
Vincent Williams and Len Webb have started an amazing journey to watch and review every African-American film released in theaters. Their passion project, the Micheaux Mission, honors Oscar Micheaux, a trailblazing Black filmmaker. Their enthusiasm and dedication are truly inspiring as they seek the perfect wine to pair with Pam Grier’s Coffy, find five movies since 1985 that don't feature Samuel L. Jackson, and connect with other film fans who share Len’s view on The Last Dragon. Their commitment to celebrating and examining African-American cinema is both commendable and uplifting. Welcome to the Mission!
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Len and Vincent make Black film criticism lively through informed disagreement, comic detours, casting debates, and an unusually broad range of movies.
Micheaux Mission turns Black cinema into an ongoing conversation between Len and Vincent, with individual films providing the route through genres, eras, performances, and production choices.
A film review detours through Madea's genealogy, and you may happily follow.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A shortened Micheaux Mission session that still keeps the conversation moving.
The episode is cut short by a household emergency, but it still keeps the first half of the Nope discussion intact and lets Octavia April keep moving.
A relaxed Deep Blue Sea hangout where Black science fiction and warm banter take center stage.
The episode settles into a relaxed hangout around Deep Blue Sea, Black science fiction, and Afrofuturism, with Len and Vincent marking Octavia April in honor of Octavia Butler.
A loose, well-grounded conversation about Trespass and its place in 90s crime cinema.
Vincent Williams and Len Webb keep Walter Hill's Trespass at the center, bringing out its gritty 1992 crime-thriller edge and the pull of Ice-T, Ice Cube, Bill Paxton, and the rest of the cast.
A relaxed, communal take on Rye Lane that pairs banter with criticism.
The Micheaux Mission opens Rye Lane with pregame banter, gratitude, and a loose, conversational setup before settling into Vincent's pick for the night. The best stretch is just Len and Vincent talking in their usual easy rhythm.
A Halloween film chat that favors chemistry and detours over tidy analysis.
Good Manners (2017) plays like a loose, talky Micheaux Mission episode, with Len, Vincent, and guest Wemoto Nyoka using the Portuguese Halloween pick as a starting point and letting the conversation wander where it wants. The chemistry is the point.


Mike Muncer and a different guest dissect two horror films per episode, by subgenre.




Life interrupts the Mission.
Smart sharks, Octavia April, and spring allergies.
Vincent Williams and Len Webb settle in with Walter Hill’s *Trespass* (1992), a grim 90s crime thriller with Ice-T, Ice Cube, Bill Paxton, and a surprisingly deep bench of actors around them.
This episode discusses the 1994 film 'The Glass Shield' directed by Charles Burnett, featuring Ice Cube, while also paying tribute to actress Judy Pace who recently passed away.
This episode of the Michelle Mission podcast features hosts Vincent Williams and Len discussing the 1999 film 'Funny Valentine's', directed by Julie Dash and starring Loretta Devine, C.C.H.
Len and Vincent introduce their podcast mission to review every black film ever made, and preview their upcoming discussion of the 1999 film 'The Annihilation of Fish'.
Vincent and Len review the 1979 film Alien as part of their Cowboys and Aliens month, debating whether it qualifies as a black film.
Len and Vincent kick off a February series on black cowboy films by discussing Fred Williamson's 1975 western 'Along for the Ride' and paying tribute to the late Robert Duvall.
Vincent and Len discuss the black film District 9 and share a humorous story about eating cat food on a dare.
The hosts explain a recording mishap and preview their review of The Legend of Nigga Charlie.
Vincent and Len review the 1998 film 'The Players Club' as part of their mission to watch every African-American film released in theaters.
Len and Vincent review the 1959 classic Imitation of Life, discussing its cast and significance in American cinema.
The hosts discuss their holiday plans and their passion for reviewing every African-American film ever made.
The hosts welcome a guest co-host and introduce the movie Corrina Corrina (1994) for review.
Vincent and Len discuss their journey reviewing every African-American film released in theaters, focusing on Damien Chazelle's early film 'Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench' and sharing personal holiday plans.
Len and Vincent open with Rye Lane, the 2023 British rom-com directed by Raine Allen Miller and starring David Johnson and Vivian Opara, before pivoting into a review of Netflix’s Being Eddie.
Micheaux Mission brings in Wemoto Nyoka, creator of Dusky Projects and Black Women Are Scary, to talk about horror storytelling, live performance, and why her show moved from audio fiction toward in-person campfire events.
Micheaux Mission opens by framing September’s Doc to School around great Black documentaries and naming Whose Streets?
The hosts review two black comedies from 1996 and 2002 with a guest humorist, discussing their cultural impact and use of humor.
This episode features comic book writer David F.
Two hosts review the 1982 action film 'One Down, Two to Go' and discuss African-American cinema.
Len and Vincent review the James Brown biopic 'Get On Up' and share a top five list of famous white James Browns.
The hosts welcome comic book artist N.
This episode of Mission Logs features hosts Len and Vincent interviewing comic book writer Joe Illidge and artist N.
The hosts introduce their 'Summer of Comics' series, featuring interviews with comic book creators like Eric Battle, who will discuss movies and comics.
Len and Vincent review the 2011 film The Help, discussing its cast, director, and themes.
Vincent and Len review the 2007 film 'Code Name: The Cleaner' starring Cedric the Entertainer as part of their mission to watch every African-American film released in theaters.
Len and Vincent review the 2007 film 'Code Name: The Cleaner' and revisit their review of 'Johnson Family Vacation' in this best-of episode.
Len and Vincent review the worst black film they've seen so far, 'Rappin'' with Mario Van Peebles.
Vincent and Len kick off 'Bad Black Movies' month by discussing the 2005 film 'The Man' starring Samuel L.