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Another Perfect Stranger (2006)
Okay movie until the big reveal.
In this movie Jesus appears to the main character, Sarah, on a plane trip to a college tour to reaffirm her faith in God. I found the premise odd because you would think Jesus would be doing something more important or impactful if he appeared on Earth which is sticking point in the movie which I will get into later.
At first glance Sarah seems like she is just a skeptic. I semi grew up in the Church so I found her relatable. Jesus in the role of a councilor assuages all of her doubts. Personally I didn't find Jesus' answers convincing but I appreciated the film for making the effort. I found the film enjoyable in the beginning until it resorted to the trope of making Sarah angry at God when we learn the root of her doubts.
A terrible thing happened to Sarah in her past which I think it made everything up to the reveal (most of the movie) in my opinion meaningless. It clashes with the premise of the film. If Jesus physically appears to Sarah to intervene in her crisis of faith why did he not intervene when the terrible thing happened to her? To be fair Jesus does give an answer but I thought it was cop out and downplayed what happened to Sarah.
You would think this terrible event would be the focal point in the movie but it's not. Which I think hurts the movie. It is faith based movie so I can't be angry for it targeting a Christian audiences. For nonbelievers or skeptics it feels condescending because it views them as empty, hurt people.
Service to Man (2016)
Lot a lot loose ends but still very good.
I really enjoyed this move. It's a coming of age movie that that deals with race and class in America in the late 60s. All the acting was great, my negatives are you can tell there wasn't a big budget, and way it's shot is boring.
Through Eli we see the true purpose of HBCUs when he attends Meharry Medical School. To shape and instill values into their students so they can use their education to serve the their community. Which is at odds with Eli, who doesn't feel like he has any true calling in life and just wants a good job to escape his poor background. This is emphasized through his relationship with Dr. Johnson. He wants Eli to use his medical skills to help black people in the future. Which is important and potentially life saving since black people are routinely denied service in white institutions, e.g., his date with Melanie. It ties to an earlier the incident between Eli and Michael where he is angry that Eli is taking a black person's spot who would serve the black community. Eli earns Dr. Johnson's praise not from a performative protest he did just to impress a girl he likes, but when he helps a black teenager deliver her baby.
Michael is part of the black bourgeoisie which sometimes put him at odds with his peers. Meharry is the Alma mater of his father and he is expected best which puts a lot of pressure on him. His scenes with Dr. Johnson were interesting, Dr. Johnson routinely humbles him. And they never had a heart to heart moment like he has with Eli. I don't know if it was commentary on black fathers having to give their sons tough love. Also I got the feeling he didn't like Michael's father but is never explored more. His real arc comes with being able to connect and gain friends. He becomes number 2 in the class which ties back to his conversation with Melanie where she says she like no.2s because they have to work harder. He no longer strives to be the best but works to be better.
The film also explores how white power structures pit minorities against each other. While also recognizing that because Eli is adjacent to whiteness he has some privilege emphasized by Dr. Feldman when he says he can get served faster at a restaurant. Both he and Michael get stop by a corrupt cop. Eli is accused of trying to register black voters and subjected to antisemitic tropes about Jewish secretly controlling things behind the scenes. The cops levels a powerful statement to no get comfortable because "darkies" don't like the Jews as much as the whites. When Eli is jailed along with the students he protested with he is separated while the black students are subjected to beatings. Campus security at Vanderbilt asks if he is alright because he is hanging out with Garrison and Franklin.
Dr. Feldman and Zack I think represent Eli's two paths. If Dr. Johnson is the angel on Eli's shoulder then Dr. Feldman is the devil. I think he represents the cynical doctor that ELi can become. Through his conversations with Eli it is revealed he holds racists belief. He thinks white people are better then black people. But his actions demonstrate how the system gets rigged for white people. He gives Eli and inadvertently Zack the test to ace his class. Later he uses the cheating scandal to get all three spots at Vanderbilt the "better" white medical school. Because the powers that be can't stomach white students being failed out of an all black school. Zack is Eli who never tries to integrate into the school who hold the belief that white is better/the standard. I was left wondering if Zack really would be happy at Vanderbilt. He was barely getting by at Meharry who had more invested in him. And he is Jewish he can't be anonymous and as officer says Jewish people are not like either.
Keith David is brilliant as Dean Holmes. He provides es some of the best comedic scenes. He keeps Eli and Michael the schools best students on their toes through his make shift exams.
Another thing I like was juxtaposition between Eli and Michael to Dr. Feldman and Dr. Johnson. Dr. Feldman and Dr. Johnson clearly don't like each other with Dr. Feldman eventually leaving. White Eli and Michael forge a friendship, which shows progress and a better future.
Wynonna Earp (2016)
Fun and Heartfelt
The characters and amazing acting really elevates Wynonna Earp. Melany Scrofano gives great depth and complexity to the Wynonna. The chemistry between everyone whether platonic or romantic is great. My biggest complaint is while the story is intriguing the execution tends to be spotty.
The Kid Detective (2020)
Simple things always turn out complex.
I really enjoyed this movie, it was well shot and well acted. Unlike Abe I did not see the twist coming at the end. I have one nitpick is that there is big reveal in the movie which turns out to be red herring and I wish they explored it more because I think it went into the one of the themes of the movie. A big tragedy happens in the small town, Willowbrook, and it's viewed like the thing that took away the town's innocence. But the little peaks into Willowbrook show that it isn't case at all. The concept of balance is brought up, doing something good to make up for something bad. The resolution of the movie deconstructs this notion all together.
Watchmen (2019)
Surprisingly good.
So when I first heard about this show I thought no way would it be good but it was great. It examines many topics especially trauma and how it is passed down generation to generation. It takes place in Tusla, Oklahoma which seems random but it focuses in on the Tulsa Massacre and the consequences of it going back to theme of trauma. We find ourselves in a world where technology is feared and Robert Redford is president. America is now super liberal where Reparations have been enacted. Like the comic book it starts off with a murder that are lead Angela Abar, a masked cop, investigates which leads to an even bigger conspiracy. This show really captures the spirit of the comic book. As for it faults I feel like some character interactions should have been shown and the ending a little anti-climatic. I do highly recommend it.
Pinkalicious & Peterrific (2018)
Stick to the basics.
I give it four stars for good animation, direction, voice acting and the visuals. Now for the faults, the two main kids are annoying and "Pinkalicious" sounds terrible for the name of the show and the lead. Often times the adventures are dumb, one episode is about Pinkalicious getting a song stuck in her head and trying to remove it.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
Dorothy can't go home anymore.
This film explores identity, family, community and home in the back drop of a gentrified San Francisco. We follow the journey of Jimmie Fails IV and his bestfriend Montgomery "Mont" Allen as they try to reclaim Jimmie's childhood home. Jimmie and Mont are seen as oddballs but that is okay since San Francisco is an odd place or at least it used to be. A tragedy occurs midway through the film which tie all the themes together. People define homes not the other way around and what makes home meaningful is human connections. But what happens when people can no longer afford to create a home which I think the film captures especially at the end. As for my critiques, the side characters although interesting are not given much to do. And the big conflict in the movie has no tension whatsoever. There is a revelation about the house which I don't think the film does justice to. Also while Jimmie Fails did fine in the role I think he was too subdued with his performance there are times I wish he switched places with Jonathan Majors who portrayed Mont. All in all I enjoyed the film
The Falling (2014)
A story about a daughter trying to bridge gap between her mother.
If you can avoid the trailer, I think it will be more enjoyable if you go in cold. If you've seen the trailer it is misleading. It's not about an epidemic at an all-girl school with a conspiracy to cover up. At it's core I think The Falling is about two things a generational gap between the females in this movie and their inability to communicate.
The older women are from a generation where they endure their hardships (in this movie very tragic ones), don't speak of it and try to move on with life the best they can. The new generation are in a more liberated time. The world went through a lot of social change in the 60's and 70's. So they are more open about their problems and share sometimes too much which is embodied by Abbie. But the girls in this movie are girls. They are very intelligent, they think they know it all but are still confused about things. Even though the younger generation are living in a more liberating time there are still dealing with repression but they have to navigate this new world alone. When they try to reach out to the adults they are unable/unwillingly to help. Not out of maliciousness I think but just don't know how. The women in this movie are not the dumb adults that are always in movies. They see what is going on with these kids but are failing them. When they do intervene it comes to late.
One quote that embodies this is by the headmistress. She tells a teacher how the students feel so misunderstood but have no clue about how it's like to be a middle age women.
As for the mystery of the movie. Why are these girls fainting. The movie gives two answers with proof for both. In my opinion it's a mixture of both. For critiques of the movie. At times the fainting of the girls seemed way to choreographed and not natural. Some of music is ill placed. Some shots are confusing, they are meant to show us things but lack context or go too fast. I found the movie enjoyable but I wanted more out of it.
F Is for Family (2015)
Even though it's a cartoon at times more realistic than a lot of live action sitcoms
I've read some reviews and a word that comes up a lot is honest. I totally agree. Comedy is about showing a mirror to society. This shows does that, it tackles a lot of issues in just a short span of time. Which demonstrates just how brilliant it is. One issue is how minorities are portrayed in the media and how it effects people's perception of them. There is a moment in the show that shows how sinister that can be. Because there are a lot of details in the background you should pay attention especially when it comes to newspapers or whats on the television. Even though this show is set in the 70s about a white family I can still relate to it.
XOXO (2016)
Story of people picking up life lessons at EDM festival and growing up in small ways.
I liked the movie. The characters and story weren't really that interesting since we don't delve into them that much. What I found compelling was the themes that the characters embodied. Themes that connect to my generation. Krystal and Ethan are the idealistic youth, Ethan is trying to make his dreams come true and Krystal is pursuing fairy tale romance/love. They both think it will all fall in place at XOXO. Ray and Shannie are young adults about to start their careers while Ray is finishing his 5 year program Shannie is moving away for work. So they attend XOXO to escape a harsh reality. Tariq is trying to pursue a career he is passionate about while at the same time trying to please his dad and make him proud. There is also a culture clash Tariq's father doesn't really understand Tariq's decision but he is not portrayed as bad guy he just wants his son to be okay in life but Tariq wants to do what he loves. As a person coming from an immigrant family I can understand that. We have older generation interacting with the younger. Neil is an older DJ who looks down on the newer generation (Millennial bashing), DJ Avilo who preys on the younger generation in order to stay on top and Anders is the one who embraces the new generation and helps to cultivate them.