St. Louis Superman

August 9th, 2014. That’s the day Ferguson, Missouri became a battleground after the shooting of Michael Brown. Following this day, battle rapper and activist Bruce Franks, Jr. decided to go one step further in his community. Sensing more representation was needed for those who look like him and an education lesson necessary for those who […]

The Lodge (2019)

As above, so below. Divorce is never easy for the participants involved and those around them. Young siblings Aiden (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) are dealing with the separation of their mom, Laura (Alicia Silverstone) from their father, Richard (Richard Armitage). What is worse is that Richard has moved on quickly with new beau […]

The Peanut Butter Falcon

Friends are the family you choose. Save for Carl (Bruce Dern), there are not many people Zak (Zack Gottsagen) can consider a friend in his nursing care home. As an individual with Down’s Syndrome, everything and everyone exists to insulate himself from the outside world. Zak knows there’s more to life than this. He’s got […]

The Flood (2019)

“Everyone’s got a story.” Wendy’s (Lena Headey) job as a British immigration officer is to sniff out the bull of these stories that applicants seeking asylum serve up. She’s developed quite the hardened reputation, fully separating logic from emotion and sticking to the facts. Her approach is going to be challenged. Her latest applicant is […]

Vanilla (2019)

“Things can be dumb and amazing.” At least, that’s what’s said by Kimmie (Kelsea Bauman), who aspires to be a standup comedian. For now, she works in an NYC pizza parlor where she tests out her material—often in painful fashion—to patrons and her manager/uncle, Sal (Eddie Alfano). The Big Apple is also home to Elliott […]

Come As You Are (2019)

Doused in mud, soaked in bleach. For Scotty (Grant Rosenmeyer), coming as he is means being without function in his limbs, afflicted since birth. For Mo (Rav Patel), coming as he is means being completely blind. For Matt (Hayden Szeto), coming as he is means adjusting to a new normal of being paralyzed from the […]

Double Feature: Won’t You Spend a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood?

In a perfect world, each piece of media stands alone as its own, absent of comparison and lens-holding to similar things and works. That’s not always how the world works, however, and sometimes, it’s easier and more effective to analyze things as the sum of parts. When looking at the two most […]

Boyz n the Hood

One out of every 21 Black-American males will be murdered in their lifetime…most will die at the hands of another black male. In 1984 Inglewood, California, ten-year-old Tre is intellectually gifted, but lacks direction and the right influence, raised only by his single mother, Reva (Angela Bassett). The decision is made to send him to […]

First Cow

In any endeavor, it’s the getting started that’s the puzzle. Sometime in the early 19th century, a talented cook, fittingly named “Cookie” (John Magaro) has banded with a group of fur trappers, serving as their in-house (in-trek?) provider of nourishment on the Oregon Trail, hoping to find riches. Along the way, he crosses paths with […]

Swallow

“Every day, try to do something unexpected. Push yourself to try new things.” It’s a passage Hunter (Haley Bennett) reads from a book. Her current life, by her own admission, is going great. She’s married to the love of her life, Richie (Austin Stowell), who has just been named to a very senior lucrative position […]