SEARCH RESULTS

A new crossword puzzle is available every Wednesday morning on themes around movies and television series. Crossword Wednesday - 11/26

Tuesday Trivia contains a new set of fun movie and television trivia questions every week. Tuesday Trivia

Movies 📷 : Used with permission, Alessandro Montalto One Battle After Another One Battle After Another shows what commitment looks like Tea Brew: Honeybush, Rosemary https://x.com/noctrnlayouts https://www.instagram.com/noctrnl.layouts/ Director/Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson / Paul Thomas Anderson and Thomas Pynchon https://www.behance.net/nocturnalayouts Reading Time: 7 minutes Read More Twinless Twinless poses questions about the durability of friendships Tea Brew: Sage, Ginger Director/Writer: James Sweeney Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More 📷 : IFC Films and Sapan Studio The Baltimorons The Baltimorons shows characters breaking out of their perceived limitations Tea Brew: Jasmine, Mint Director/Writer: Jay Duplass / Jay Duplass and Michael Strassner Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More 📷 : Relativity Media The Knife The Knife immerses viewers in a story about clear-eyed choices Tea Brew: Ginseng, Ginger Director/Writer: Nnamdi Asomugha / Mark Duplass and Nnamdi Asomugha Reading Time: 5 minutes Read More 📷 : Nadhir Nawshad F1: The Movie F1: The Movie delivers confusing characters but thrilling action Tea Brew: Masala Chai, White https://www.instagram.com/nadnaws/ https://x.com/_nadnaws Director/Writer: Joseph Kosinski Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More 📷 : Magnolia Pictures Press Kit 40 Acres 40 Acres makes us seriously consider the near future Tea Brew: Rosemary, Coca https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/shnuoc9k3wiz44l824zkh/AA7WU3RtNVFNKyDObG3D0I0?rlkey=3atyx7kz9y3yvh65ubhttbyk5&e=1&st=ylsn0byh&dl=0 Director/Writer: R.T. Thorne / R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More Load more

< Back Wind River gives a glimpse of life on “the rez” Acacia Filmed Entertainment, 2017 107 minutes Director/Writer: Taylor Sheridan Reading Time: 5 minutes Wind River Things Gone Wrong (WWEH576CL64WHWCC) 00:00 / 05:52 📷 : Used with permission, Snollygoster Productions https://www.instagram.com/snollygoster.productions/ https://posterspy.com/profile/snollygoster-productions/ Ginger: Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Mint: Movies and TV shows in cold weather and blizzard conditions Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 Few contemporary stories are set on lands of Indigenous people. This one is guided by Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen who work together to catch the rapist and killer of a young woman. The 18-year-old is found barefoot in the winter wilderness on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. While the film is focused on investigating the crime, the cultural backdrop gives viewers a front seat to the Arapaho Nation’s challenges, cynicism, and humanity. Sadness, sameness, and a sense of lull hang over the film at the outset. Until the audience spends the next hour and 47 minutes on “the rez,” an appreciation for this can never be understood—short of the firsthand experience of living there or somehow becoming a part of the community. Renner ( The Hurt Locker , The Town ) plays Cory Lambert, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife specialist who hunts wild game that prey on the cattle and sheep raised by Wyoming ranchers on federal lands. Recently divorced, he is very close to his ex-wife, her family, and their neighbors who live on Wind River. When he is dispatched to the reservation to track down a lion that recently killed a rancher’s steer, he stumbles upon the body. The discovery deeply affects him because he knows the woman and her family quite well—she is his daughter’s best friend. Graham Green ( Goliath , Molly’s Game ) plays Ben, the sheriff of Wind River. The combination of his cynicism and seriousness strikes a perfect chord in the film, balancing the murder tragedy with the travesty that is life on the reservation. A valley of flat land for miles cradled by mountains so difficult to climb “you have to travel 50 miles to go five,” Wind River appears to be a forgotten place despite being only 140 miles from Jackson Hole, an affluent vacation and resort area. “The rez,” on the other hand, is a desolate and impoverished community with few prospects for young people. The geographic and social isolation of Wind River brings back images streamed of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Then, people in the once-rambunctious city motioned in the warmth to hovering news helicopters for help. On Wind River, cold and silence fill the space as residents seem to have resigned themselves to the fact that help will never arrive and no one with authority cares. When a lone FBI agent is dispatched to help with the murder investigation, no one is surprised; indeed, the scene is almost laughable if the situation were not so tragic. When Agent Jane Banner is flabbergasted that the coroner will not declare the woman’s death a homicide, noting that she will get no additional federal help unless he does so, Ben quips “Don’t look at me; hey, I’m used to no help.” Played by Olsen ( Avengers: Infinity War , Sorry for Your Loss ), Jane is a breath of fresh air in the film. Her naivete about life on “the rez” brings a much-needed outsider’s perspective. Not only is she a federal officer who works collaboratively with Ben and Cory to find the killer, Jane arrives on Wind River with no apparent assumptions about the people who live there or the conditions of the community. She displays the ability to empathize more through emotions than words, which stands out amidst the apathy surrounding her. What she learns about life on “the rez” and what the young woman endured before her death are aptly revealed as overwhelming for her. This is particularly so after an intense, action‑packed climax. In some ways, Jane’s telling emotional scene is reminiscent of the 1996 film, A Time to Kill . In his summation to the jury, Matthew McConaughey’s character described in detail what happened to the little girl who was assaulted. He then asked the jurors to close their eyes, and said, “Can you see her? Now pretend she is White.” Jake Brigance, McConaughey’s character, saw this statement as his last‑ditch effort to humanize the little Black girl for the all-White Mississippi jury. Jane’s character in Wind River functioned much like Jake’s in pushing forth the film as a story about humanity, rather than just a crime saga produced solely for entertainment value. I wonder, though, about the effectiveness of this had Jane and Jake been cast with Black, Hispanic, or Indigenous actors. Unfortunately, this is still something I wonder although the two films are separated by more than 20 years. Filmed mostly during the daylight hours and almost entirely on Wind River, the movie contains some intimate family moments. During these times, we come to understand what underlies the personal and emotional pain of the characters including that of Cory, as well as the factors that contribute to the breakdown of families on “the rez”. While it is a film about a crime, Wind River is also a story about a forgotten segment of the U.S. And ironically, the audience sees this through the empathetic eyes of White lead actors, one of whom depicts a federal agent. Wind River might be for you if you like crime mysteries, suspenseful climaxes, and particularly if the sight of mountains and the use of snow gear and snowmobiles are appealing. Also, if you are a history buff, you get to view the legacy of the U.S.’ century-long movement of Indigenous people onto reservations. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Yes Day delivers on multicultural messages through fun, family time Entertainment 360, 2021 86 minutes Director/Writer: Miguel Arteta / Justin Malen, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and Tom Lichtenheld Reading Time: 3 minutes Yes Day Baldur (XGH4NDUYHTCTICSD) 00:00 / 03:29 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Ginkgo Biloba: Youthful, lighthearted, and fun movies and TV shows Oolong: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh or involve physical activities like dance and exercise Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 Yes Day is a fun, bright, family film about a couple who decides to give their kids a Yes Day, 24 hours where they agree to everything their children want, but with certain ground rules. The film stars Jennifer Garner ( Alias , The Kingdom ) as Allison Torres and Edgar Ramirez ( The Undoing , American Crime Story ) as her even-keeled husband Carlos. Leaving her career to be a stay-at-home suburban mom to her three children, now ages 14, 11, and 5, she has evolved into the prototypical soccer mom whose kids are her priority and her answer to anything they perceive as fun and liberating is “No.” With the film shot in warm and sunny California, the family’s Yes Day proves to be a fun, hilarious, and wild adventure that brings the family even closer. While watching and laughing, I realized I had not seen a film like this since my own boys were young and in the house. Then, we watched movies like Little Big League (still a grossly underrated film), Sandlot , Home Alone , Blank Check , and The Mighty Ducks . Preparing for the flicks was exciting: warm popcorn, early arrival at the theater for good seats (no reserve seating then), and kids abound with laughter and chatter throughout the showings. Besides the simple passage of time, what distinguishes Yes Day from these films is its array of cultural representations. In Yes Day , a White woman is married to a Hispanic man and they have children who actually look like a melding of them both. Add to this that the kids are bilingual, indicating a warm embrace of their blended cultures! Black and Asian teachers are in the film, as well as higher-weight paramedics. An Asian woman fights without the use of martial arts. And the kids have friends that span the racial and ethnic spectrum. The special appearance by H.E.R. just adds to the inclusiveness of this film. The breadth of diversity drives home the degree to which fun family life has been legitimized in the past by White representations, and therefore viewed as the norm for Whites but not a way of life for Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Indigenous People, and other groups. In addition to the subtle themes about diverse representations and inclusiveness, Yes Day pushes to the forefront overt messages about parenting that likely resonate with many mothers. Mothers often bear primary responsibility for the home and child-rearing, and this is the case across race, class, and regional boundaries. In response to Allison’s hurt that the kids view her as a tyrant, Carlos responds in a most unexpected way. If you are looking for a bright, fun, and upbeat family film to share with your little ones, you might want to give this one a try. You will laugh a lot, dance, and perhaps even cry a little. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back The Outfit takes viewers on a rollercoaster of continuous dread and relief Focus Features, 2022 105 minutes Director/Writer: Graham Moore / Graham Moore and Johnathan McClain Reading Time: 3 minutes The Outfit With You Always (NOVN2BQ05DLWR5DD) 00:00 / 03:58 📷 : Pixabay Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Matcha: Mysteries or whodunnits Chris Chaisson 2022-04-24 Mysteries rarely come without the presence of some form of law enforcement. Whether a detective, private investigator, or street officer, these stories typically consist of a character that the audience will assume has the skills and experience to bring about justice. However, the occasional story takes an introverted character free of such a profession and centers the story around them. As they are underestimated or dismissed entirely, they figure out how to manipulate the more dynamic characters to reveal the truth. The Outfit is a gangster movie seen through the eyes of a local tailor named Leonard (Mark Rylance, Dunkirk ), who must repeatedly outwit dangerous goons to spare his life. Set in the 1950s, The Outfit chooses Leonard to serve as the rare non-gangster protagonist of a gangster movie. He is an older gentleman who moved to Chicago to escape his secretive past and has settled in at his clothing shop, along with his companion Mable (Zoey Deutch, Zombieland: Double Tap ). There is, nonetheless, a complicating factor to his business: it is controlled by an Irish mob boss named Roy Boyle (Simon Russell, The Death of Stalin ). Making matters worse, Mable has an ongoing romance with Richie (Dylan O’Brien, The Maze Runner ), Roy’s son. Leonard has no choice but to embrace every aspect of his business situation, as the mobsters remain his most loyal customers. One night, enforcer Francis (Johnny Flynn, Emma. ) shows up with a wounded Richie, who was shot during a run-in with the LaFontaine family, a rival mob of Black Frenchmen. After a confrontation between Richie and Francis ends in Richie’s death, Leonard spends the remainder of the night trying to survive the impulsive Francis and Roy while also protecting Mable. The Outfit provides the feel of watching a stage play, as the film takes place almost entirely in Leonard’s shop, consists largely of dialogue and a small cast, and has very sophisticated costume design. The story’s biggest draw is how Leonard stays one step ahead of the mobsters consistently, knowing that any misstep will cost him his life. Despite being older and not appearing intimidating or authoritative, he maintains his poise in the face of danger time and again, using clever fibs and reverse psychology to convince the mobsters that they need him alive. Graham Moore’s directorial debut joins Knives Out and The Gentlemen as recent mystery thrillers executed at a high level. Though a more limited release than the others, The Outfit has received some critical acclaim following its festival appearances and shows the storytelling that can be done with limited resources. Despite Leonard not having the character arc of a typical protagonist, he sticks out as a non-superhero personality that nevertheless has a superpower. While the above movies may be the most apt comparisons, another similar story to The Outfit would be the early 2000s thriller Road to Perdition . Rather than the violence that Tom Hanks’s character, Michael Sullivan, uses to protect his son while on the run, Leonard uses wit and finesse, lacking the ability to flee the scene. The film’s cat-and-mouse dynamic at times could also be reminiscent of other heart-stoppers like Enemy of the State or No Country for Old Men , as you find yourself thinking, “How is he going to get out of this one?” These films all have their strengths and weaknesses but evoke the same emotional highs and lows in their viewers. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Mr. Church sheds a light on what it means to be ‘family’ Cinelou Films, 2016 104 minutes Director/Writer: Bruce Beresford / Susan McMartin Reading Time: 7 minutes Mr. Church Lucky Me (TMVRAXX2NLYNIIVD) 00:00 / 07:45 📷 : Licensed from Adobe Stock Jasmine: Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 Sometimes Hollywood can shoot itself in the foot with genre categories. Perhaps because this film stars Eddie Murphy, Mr. Church is classified partly as a comedy despite being a purely dramatic story based on the writer’s own life, growing up in sunny Los Angeles. Set in the 1970s, the film depicts what was to be a short-lived working arrangement between a chef and McMartin’s family that blossomed into a long-term and meaningful relationship. Mr. Church is a little-known movie starring Eddie Murphy as the title character, in which he plays the reserved, personal chef of a young girl named, Charlie, played by Brit Robertson ( Under the Dome , Big Sky ) and her mother, Marie, played by Natascha McElhone ( Designated Survivor , Ronin ). Mr. Church reads literature, and he cooks with olive oil, cumin and arrowroot while enjoying the sounds of big band jazz music on the turntable. In addition to the 1970s backdrop of bus shelters, vintage public transportation, and the clothing of the day, Marie’s modest two-bedroom apartment is bathed in soft natural lighting that occasionally shines brightly through the windows, contrasting with the dark wood entryways and doors. This gives a cozy and simple family feel to the home that makes it inviting, almost as if Mr. Church was being welcomed into the space as a member of the family. Boundaries matter to Mr. Church though. While he makes subtle efforts at the outset to endear himself to the little girl who begrudgingly lets him cook for her and her mother, he makes it clear that his personal life is off-limits as her curiosity increases about who he is and where he goes when he is elsewhere. In response to her probes, he impatiently shouts, “You have me from morning to night. And what I do when I leave here is my time.” Interestingly, this adds intrigue to this aspect of the story and keeps the audience wondering as well: just who is Mr. Church? Where does he go and what does he do when he is not cooking for the family? These boundaries are typical of family boundaries. Indeed, the film’s feel and subject matter bring to mind another little-known work called, Under One Roof . Airing in 1995, the short-lived, weekly television series starred James Earl Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Joe Morton, in a story about three generations living under one roof in their two-story Seattle apartment building. The show contained tough conversations, gentle moments, and even heart-to-heart talks with a teenage foster son, Marcus, played by the late Merlin Santana, who struggled to adjust to being a part of the loving family of seven. It featured family meals together where kids wanted to sit next to their favorite people. It included a teenage daughter, coincidentally named “Charlie,” who had to be put in her place on occasion, as her mom reprimanded, “Don’t you walk away from me while I’m talking to you or you’ll be really buggin’.” And finally a husband insisting that his wife not feel guilty for going back to school and completing her degree: “Doing something for yourself doesn’t mean that you’re being selfish.” Not just limited to shared genes, a family’s binding elements include boundaries, checks, and balances. As with Mr. Church, Marcus is not related by blood in Under One Roof , but his range of interactions with family members signals yet one more connection to what becomes a long-held family bond. While unrealistic that a Black chef in a predominantly White, lower middle-class neighborhood would not have encountered some microaggressions while riding the bus or shopping for groceries, I was pleased by the absence of such scenes because of its bliss. Apparently, the filmmakers saw little need to interject language and sentiments of race into the film, likely because the exchanges would have detracted from the purity of the story itself. It begs the question, though, if a story should be presented with complete and accurate historical context, or if filmmakers have tacit permission to strip away extraneous but ugly information that can add noise to the film and disrupt its themes. The approach depends on what the filmmakers want to convey. Mr. Church is a story about family rather than history, revolution, or social transformation. Does the fact that the Black Power Movement and news around the Patty Hearst kidnapping are also occurring in California at the time mean that these events should be weaved into the film to keep the story authentic? Even though this would extinguish my bliss, I would argue that not doing so to some extent is problematic given the tumult of the period and the shared location—even if the scenes were limited to a passing television news report or the headline of a local paper lying around on a table. This would be sufficient to get a sense of the story’s context and provide some insight into Mr. Church’s thoughts and experiences. With these additional images, Mr. Church would not just be a man the audience admires because of what it sees, but he could also be a man the audience understands because of some of the experiences he lives and that continue to shape him. This is the depth missing from the depiction of Mr. Church that could have been filled not necessarily with lines, but with context. Perhaps though, containing the film’s scope to the relationship among the characters is fair. But even this falls a bit short. The story is heavily narrated by Charlie, who offers candid observations about Mr. Church: “I never once saw Mr. Church use a measuring tool, just his hand, fork and knife.” She even reveals resentments of her mother: “[Mr. Church and I] each had our duties. … My one and only job was to bathe Momma–and I hated it.” However, Charlie reveals very little about her social life. When she goes off to college and returns home for a break, the audience learns very little about her time on campus, which was the site of a great deal of social activism. What was life on campus like for her? Surely Mr. Church’s interest in jazz suggested a strong interest in Black culture. How can Charlie’s campus experiences not be shared with the person close to her, and whose life was likely affected by the social issues of the day? The absence of conversation creates a bit of a chasm in the story and disrupts much of its continuity–though, to be fair, not so much that it detracts from the story about the ties that bind. At a point in the film, Charlie says about Mr. Church, “People act strange around death. There are those who talk about everything but the person who died. There are those who only talk about the person who died. … And then there are those who say nothing at all–because they don’t have to.” Maybe this is the message the filmmakers seek to convey. While political and social climates typically serve as backdrops for film, stories such as this one about family are, or at least can be at times, insular. Respecting boundaries, saying nothing or very little at all, can convey volumes about what people mean to one another. Hmmm, sounds like family bonding. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back In Syria calls cinematic heroism into question Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, 2017 85 minutes Director/Writer: Philippe Van Leeuw Reading Time: 5 minutes In Syria Al'Athir (FBG6STOWFOY4UTPR) 00:00 / 06:03 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Reba Chaisson 2021-08-30 In Syria dramatizes the life of an extended family living out the Syrian civil war from their Damascus apartment as sporadic sniper fire rings out and bombs drop around them without warning. Years after commencement of the conflict, the once-bustling city is only a shell of its former self, now closer to resembling a post-apocalyptic scene from the 1984 film, The Terminator . Giant pieces of concrete and severely damaged buildings are omnipresent remnants of the war. Abandoned, smashed, and dust‑covered cars sitting idle in unlikely places appear not only as relics of the conflict, but as reminders of the lives and neighborhoods that once thrived here. Headed by Oum Yazan as the mother of three, played by Hiam Abbass ( Succession , Inheritance ), the 10‑person household contains her pre-adolescent boy and two teenage girls, along with her young adult nephew and father-in-law. Additional occupants include her housekeeper, Delhani, played by Juliette Navis ( The Tunnel , Paris ), and a young couple (Samir and Halima) with their infant son who were neighbors in the now nearly empty and damaged building. As if being on edge about bombs dropping all around is not enough, the family is terrorized by Syrian security forces who randomly knock on the door, insisting that they enter to ensure enemy combatants are not holed up inside. Each occurrence is terrifying and nerve-wracking as Oum holds them off, repeatedly asserting that her husband is not home. In Syria feels like a play rather than a film and is reminiscent of the 1959 Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun . Released on the big screen in 1961, the film stars Sidney Poitier and the late actresses, Claudia McNeil and Ruby Dee, as an extended family struggling to get by in a small Chicago apartment. Like most of the scenes in A Raisin in the Sun , In Syria takes place in a single setting, an apartment. Both stories are about survival and depict families in desperate and emotional situations. The productions, however, differ in their struggles. In A Raisin in the Sun , the struggle relates to quality of life–the ability to pay the bills and be able to experience a piece of the proverbial American dream by owning a home. In Syria highlights the struggle to simply survive another day. The stories also differ in the characters’ views of the family unit. In A Raisin in the Sun , matriarch Lena Younger treats everyone in the household as family; conversely, In Syria’s protagonist, Oum, views family as those only related by blood. This comes through when the housekeeper explains to Oum, in exasperation, that she has been holed up there for days and needs to get home to her son. Oum stares at her and snaps “Get back to work.” And later in the film, Oum makes a grave and typically regrettable decision, yet exhibits no remorse for doing so. Not noted as a hero in the reviews is Karim, the young nephew played by Elias Khatter. In only his late teens, he stands strong and respectfully pleads with his aunt to allow him to help. She shushes him, her mind made up. Later, he does what he feels compelled to do over the objections of others. Watching this sequence, I could not help but wonder if we are so focused on designating women as heroines that we sometimes get short-circuited in our determination to do so. While Oum’s desperation to keep her family safe is understandable, she exploits and sacrifices other women to do so. The fact that the women carry traits associated with groups who have historically been exploited indicates their casting was strategic. Since their characteristics fit the stereotypes of socially acceptable expendables, their representations in the film are palatable and makes the women’s treatment by Oum easy to overlook as problematic. The impact of this casting, though, undermines the film’s goal to make Oum the heroine of In Syria . Heroism is sacrifice of self and the taking of risk for others–the very antithesis of exploitation. These do not characterize Oum’s actions; rather, they are the actions of her young nephew, Karim. Is he not viewed as the hero because he is a man and popular sentiment now leans toward making women the heroes of stories, even when their characters are not? It can even be argued that the casting of a first-time actor in the role of Karim was designed to make it easy to situate Oum as the hero of this story. Karim’s casting eliminates familiar actors from the competition for recognition. Still though, heroism occurs through deeds, self-sacrifice, and demonstrations of courage. Oum is exploitative–and worse yet, exploits other women and women in a socially weaker position than hers. Fake heroism does not yield sweet fruit. It just doubles down on the contention that identities are constructed through biased lenses. Perhaps the film warrants your own take. What you will certainly appreciate from the presentation is the terror of living in the midst of war. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Burn Burn Burn examines how familiarity can breed contempt Rather Good Films, 2015 106 minutes Director/Writer: Chanya Button / Charlie Covell Reading Time: 4 minutes Burn Burn Burn Finding My Way (T2ZTIRYFQ43TQUUV) 00:00 / 04:33 📷 : Pixabay Chamomile: Family dramas Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2021-08-30 Road trips are the truest test of friendships. Spending an hour or two with a friend who has their flaws requires much less patience than being trapped in a vehicle with them for several days. This reality may be what makes these films so interesting, as many of us are familiar with the commitment that is spending this amount of time in proximity to a non-family member. The trip starts out with fun, noise and optimism and becomes a battle of attrition. In the end, you must figure out if you love this person’s virtues more than you hate their vices. As a road trip buddy comedy, Burn Burn Burn puts this struggle between its co-leads on display. Directed by Chanya Button, Burn Burn Burn puts two best friends in a car together to travel through England, spreading their deceased friend’s ashes in various landmarks at his request. Similar to other movies of this sub-genre, the road trip itself occurs amidst a period of transition and stress for both the main characters, Alex (Chloe Pirrie, Downton Abbey ) and Seph (Laura Carmichael, The Queen’s Gambit ). Alex catches her girlfriend in a compromising position while Seph questions her feelings for her long-term boyfriend. Both are on shaky ground in their professional lives as well due to their lack of focus. And most importantly, they each juggle their worrisome romantic situations with their grief for the inciting incident of the story: their young friend Dan (Jack Farthing, Poldark ) succumbing to pancreatic cancer. Unlike many road trip movies that are driven (no pun intended) by the desire of the main characters to “shake things up,” Alex and Seph’s goal is to fulfill Dan’s last wish of having his ashes spread across England. He leaves them a series of webcam videos discussing what all the locations mean to him and even addressing his complicated friendships with each of them. Burn Burn Burn pulls off very well what many films struggle to do, which is to make a deceased character feel like they are still in the story. Dan is not only responsible for all of the film’s action but much of its conflict as well. In airing out his grievances, he exposes issues that Alex and Seph have with one another. Seph considers Alex to be stiff as a board while Alex believes Seph to be selfish and flaky. Of course, their increased time around each other exposes these differences and begs the ultimate question: do these two really like each other? Or are they simply staying friends because it feels like they are supposed to? For anyone past the early stages of their adulthood, Burn Burn Burn hints at a subtle reality that can be tough to grasp: the older you get, the harder it is to make new friends. We hold on tight to the people that we have known the longest and enjoy being around the most. Alex and Seph not only lose someone who fits that description but now, in the midst of troubling times for each of them, must examine one another’s flaws more closely. It is a drawback to embarking on a road trip that is often only realized in the middle of the journey. Sometimes our closest friends are very different from us, and we may even keep them close because we take solace in observing their issues over addressing our own. In this way, Burn Burn Burn feels very much like the early 2000s buddy road-trip comedy Sideways , a film considered by many at the time as one of the best in its genre. Miles and Jack clearly enjoy each other’s company but are nothing alike, and the impact of their stark differences grows from a crevice to a gorge over the course of one week together. The viewer feels the same animosity develop between Alex and Seph, and as many of us do in real life, we must decide once the cat’s out of the bag whether we remain friends. If you enjoy films about two aging friends questioning their bond and ultimately working through their issues, Burn Burn Burn offers a few laughs, a tear or two, and some tough questions sure to infiltrate your own social circle. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back GriGris displays the disabled experience as more than just hardship Pili Films, 2013 101 minutes Director/Writer: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Reading Time: 4 minutes GriGris Bouar (XRN3I6A7ZLRKJGIQ) 00:00 / 05:47 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Jasmine: Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Reba Chaisson 2022-03-14 Too often, films starring characters with disabilities make the disabilities themselves the lead characters in the story. I think of Oscar-winning films like Children of a Lesser God . Released in 1986, the movie stars Marlee Matlin, who is hearing impaired, as a staff member at The Governor Kittridge School for the Deaf . Her character, Sarah, falls in love with James, the new speech teacher played by William Hurt. The setting combined with the contrast in their abilities to speak and hear helped center deafness as the story’s focal point and allowed it to take on a life of its own. The same can be said of My Left Foot , another Oscar-winning film in which Daniel Day Lewis starred as a man with cerebral palsy who learned to use his left foot to write and accomplish everyday tasks. Set in early 1930s Ireland and based on a true story, the film opens soundlessly with a scene of a man’s left foot struggling to place a vinyl record onto a turntable, and then gingerly setting the needle down to start the music. Released in 1989, the film chronicled “Christy’s” struggle to be recognized as someone who was limited only by his physical inabilities, as his cognitive abilities were sharp and intact. The timing of these movies helps explain why disabilities were centered in the stories. Mainstreaming, or moving people with disabilities from exclusive institutions into regular schools and workplaces, was promoted in the mid-1980s. The assimilation expanded the breadth of diversity in these settings. It broadened the exposure, awareness, and social lives of many young people, making them more accommodating and receptive to people with varying needs, and who sometimes looked and behaved in ways different than they were used to. Entertainment should reflect this by producing films that are inclusive without aiming to center the disability. GriGris (pronounced Gre’ gre) is one of those films. In some ways, GriGris reminds me of the 1977 movie, Saturday Night Fever . Instead of “Tony Manero” dancing to the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” and “You Should Be Dancing,” “GriGris,” the main character, moves to the sounds of Wasis DIOP’s blend of jazz and pop. The dancer even takes off his shirt and shows his abs for good measure! Set in Chad, GriGris stars Souleymane Démé as a quietly resourceful 25-year-old who, despite his bad leg, is a popular dancer in the local night club where he performs on weekends for extra money. Indeed, everyone in his rural village has a side hustle, or two, or three. Those with a high-risk tolerance for getting caught by the authorities have “employees,” and drive cars rather than walk the red, dry, dusty roads to get around. A dedicated son committed to his parents, GriGris encounters trouble with Moussa, played by Cyril Gueï ( Hitman , Un flic ), a major hustler in his village, while engaging in a side hustle to help his family. But he meets Mimi, played by Anaïs Monory ( Overdrive , L’Invite’ ), a young woman who steals his heart. Unfazed by his physical disability, she is impressed with his dancing skills, appreciative of his displays of chivalry, and adoring of his upper body. She, however, has secrets and sharing them could put their relationship at risk. What kind of man is GriGris and how will he respond, particularly given that his own life is in peril? Unlike the aforementioned movies from the ‘80s, which can be argued as paving the way for featuring people with disabilities in film, GriGris does not make the main character’s disability the lead in the show. Instead, it focuses on a man’s humanity, character, and desires. This may or may not speak to how far disability inclusiveness has come in film though. At best, it can probably be described as still in the process of mainstreaming. For example, The Upside , a 2017 film starring Bryan Cranston as a person living with quadriplegia, is a bright, upbeat, and uplifting comedy-drama; yet, “Philip’s” disability is very central to the story. On the other hand, the cast of the 2021 series, Mare of Easttown , includes Kassie Mundhenk, an actress with Down syndrome. She is simply presented in the show as just another integral member of her family. The latter should be the goal. GriGris follows the contemporary inclusive model for film. It provides entertainment cloaked in drama, love, and suspense rather than a story about what it means to be disabled. Such stories and conversations are important for enhancing our understanding about the challenges of living with a disability. Some space, though, should be set aside to present people with physical and cognitive disabilities just living their lives like everyone else–with a little bit of love, mystery, occasional complications, and yes, fun! Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back The Foreigner proves it difficult to play both ends against the middle STK Entertainment, 2017 113 minutes Director/Writer: Martin Campbell / David Marconi and Stephen Leather Reading Time: 4 minutes The Foreigner Mekong Shore (T8VSDV17Y8IKBJIL) 00:00 / 05:04 📷 : Photo by Jack Finnigan on Unsplash Rosemary: Movies and TV shows with intense action Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 In The Foreigner , Jackie Chan ( Rush Hour ) plays Quan Min, a subdued, London restaurant owner who seeks revenge for the bombing death of his teenage daughter. Unlike Chan’s comedic and fighting characters, this is a dramatic role. In it, he delivers a cogent performance as a grieving and aging widower determined to hold everyone responsible for his daughter’s death to account. Quite simply, he wants “Names.” Pierce Brosnan ( Final Score , Mama Mia! Here We Go Again ) plays Liam Hennessy, an Irish Republican Army (IRA) member turned politician. As a point of history, the IRA claimed responsibility for numerous bombings throughout England from the late 1960s through early 2000s in retaliation for the British settling in Northern Ireland. Given this history, one wonders if the film’s title refers to Liam, the British, or Min, who emigrated from Vietnam. The bombings largely ceased after the two sides signed a peace treaty in 1998 agreeing to share power. In this context, Liam seeks the status and lifestyle lavished upon him by British politicians to keep his former comrades in check. But the task proves daunting as the situation is not as simple as it seems. Caught between a rock and hard place, Liam is forced to choose between appeasing his fellow Irishmen in their disdain for the British, or work with the British to capture his erstwhile companions. Doing either costs him one way or another. The Foreigner takes the audience from the busy, congested districts of London to the beautiful countryside of Ireland. But it relies on strong dialog more so than scenery to move the story along. While the action is immersive and Min intrigues us as we wait with bated breath for what he will do next, the film’s surprises take us aback. In the end, the story affirms that playing both ends against the middle rarely works out. At some point, we are forced to pick a side and to do so with conviction. But it also leaves us to ponder just how much conviction is too much. Regarding Chan specifically, his role here is such a sharp departure from his earlier films that we can’t help but wonder if it represents his transition to playing characters that require more acting and dialog, and less action. According to IMDB, he was about 63 years-old when the film was released, so perhaps age influenced his decision to play “Min.” Indeed, the same transition occurred with Pierce Brosnan who starred in James Bond films in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and gradually moved to less physically demanding roles in Mamma Mia , Ghost Writer , and Bag of Bones . While Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood were not cast in action roles in their younger years per se, they too transitioned to play older and sometimes wiser characters than their acting counterparts (i.e. The Little Things , Fences , Gran Torino , The Mule ). The same can be seen even with respect to Will Smith. Despite still having a body that puts some 25-year-olds to shame, his characters too require less action than those in his earlier films like Enemy of the State , Bad Boys , and I, Robot . To be fair, Gemini Man and Bad Boys for Life did demand quite a bit of action, though not quite as rigorous as some of his earlier characters. But Smith represents an exception since he has moved in and out of dramatic and action characters throughout his film career (i.e. Ali , Hitch , I am Legend , Hancock , Seven Pounds , Concussion ). Thus, we are not likely to see as sudden a change in his on-screen roles as we do with Chan in this film. Given Min’s mission in The Foreigner , the audience should not be surprised that Chan’s finesse and combat skills come into play. But the grace, humility, and deep humanity he displays throughout, make him a calming presence on the screen. The role is a welcome change from the comedic, hard-action, and undoubtedly physically taxing films of his younger years. Indeed, the reprieve is likely welcomed by the actor. Who says aging is bad? Perhaps, it just means trying something new and striving to get better at it. After all, life isn’t over yet! Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Fatale can leave viewers with conflicted loyalties Hidden Empire Film Group, 2020 102 minutes Director/Writer: Deon Taylor / David Loughery Reading Time: 4 minutes Fatale Timeless 00:00 / 04:37 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 Fatale is a story set in the southern California mountains about a wealthy, married man who struggles to extricate himself from the grip of a psychopathic woman, after sleeping with her in Vegas. Trying to do this without his wife learning about the one-night stand proves to be complicated to say the least. While the film’s plot is cliché and contains a few holes, it delivers as a suspense-thriller. Much of what is predictable about movies like this does not occur in Fatale . Part of it can be explained by the strong performances of Hillary Swank ( Million Dollar Baby , Boys Don’t Cry ) and Michael Ealy ( Takers , Barbershop ), who play Val Quinlan and Derrick Tyler in the lead roles. Another has to do with the viewers being left wondering which one was the ‘bad guy’ creating the conflict in the story. Movies about obsession tend to get lumped into the same category despite at least one strong distinction among them. The most fundamental is whether a real (versus imagined) intimate, consensual, physical relationship occurred between the obsessed person and the target of his or her obsession. In the 2009 release, Obsessed , starring Beyoncé and Idris Elba, with Ali Larter playing Lisa as the stalker, no actual physical relationship occurs between her and Derek (Idris Elba’s character). At the end, the audience is left with the dampened, simplistic view of Lisa as just another psychopath. A film that does involve a physical relationship is the classic 1987 release, Fatal Attraction . In it, Michael Douglas portrays a married man who has an affair with Alex, played by Glenn Close, who later obsesses over him. She inserts herself so deeply into his life that she endangers his family and even kills his little girl’s pet rabbit, leaving it in a pot of boiling hot water. The film, however, lets the audience get to know Alex as a competent career woman with a social life. This deepens Alex’s humanity and makes her character complex. As a result, viewers end up sympathizing with her rather than simply dismissing and hating her. Because of this depiction, she is viewed as a tragic character rather than a psychopath like Lisa. Fatale is much like Fatal Attraction in this respect. The film lets the audience get to know Val as capable and competent. So, she is deeper and more complex than a caricature who can be dismissed as psychotic. In some ways, she is an empathetic character because her experiences–the drivers of her mania–likely resonate with those of some audience members. In some regards, Val is also a sympathetic character who is even rooted for at times. But because the things she does are so over the top, this sympathy and empathy get stretched and shifted to Derek as the story evolves. How does this happen? How does it happen that our loyalties conflict at times? That our emotions are manipulated like this as a story unfolds? The questions themselves explain why Fatale passes as a thriller. As viewers, we are immersed in this story, given the protagonist, and then emotionally whiplashed. Afterwards though, we have to sit back and reflect. We have to ask ourselves, who is the protagonist in this drama? Who are we supposed to sympathize with when both are presented with complications? Perhaps an unintended consequence of Fatale is its fodder for discussion about the cost of stress on mental health. This includes noting the pressures to keep it all together with few options for help and no reward to look forward to in the end. The suspense part of suspense-thriller is clear–what will the climax reveal? But it’s the thriller part that’s the real kicker of Fatale . If you like edge-of-your seat thrillers with themes that cannot be easily dismissed, you might want to consider this one. Oh, and Michael Ealy’s in it too!!! Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!