Blade: Trinity

Roger Ebert started his review by saying, “I liked the first two Blade movies, although my description of “Blade II” as “a really rather brilliant vomitorium of viscera” might have sounded like faint praise. The second film was directed by Guillermo Del Toro, a gifted horror director with a sure feel for the quease-inducing, and was even better, I thought, than the first. Now comes “Blade: Trinity,” which is a mess. It lacks the sharp narrative line and crisp comic-book clarity of the earlier films, and descends too easily into shapeless fight scenes that are chopped into so many cuts that they lack all form or rhythm.”

The setup is a continuation of the previous films. Vampires are making a war to contaminate humanity, and the most powerful fighter against them is the half-human, half-vampire Blade, reprised by Wesley Snipes. He has been raised from childhood by Whistler, reprised by Kris Kristofferson, who recognized his unique ability to balance between the two, and is a dangerous warrior, but, despite some colleagues, seriously outnumbered.

Ebert said, “As “Trinity” opens, the Vampire Nation and its leader Danica (played by Parker Posey — yes, Parker Posey) convince the FBI that Blade is responsible for, if I heard correctly, 1,182 murders.” “They’re waging a gosh darned publicity campaign,” Whistler protests in that Kris Kristoferson seen everything voice.

Agent surround Blade’s headquarters, which is your simple action movie area combining the setting of a warehouse with lots of catwalks and high places to fall from and stuff that blows up good. Whistler goes down fighting (however a shotgun seems dated, given the sci-fi weapons somewhere else in the movie), and Blade is enlisted by the Night Stalkers, who reach him through Whistler’s daughter, Abigail, voiced by Jessica Biel. Ebert said, “It would have been too much. I suppose, to hope for Whistler’s mother.”

The Night Stalkers have information that the Vampire Nation is finding the original Dracula, because to spread the virus “they need better DNA; they need Dracula’s blood.” Dracula’s superior DNA means he can work by day, unlike his descendants, who must work by night. Ebert said “The notion that DNA degrades or is somehow diluted over the centuries flies in the face of what we know about the double helix, but who needs science when you know what’s right? “They found Dracula in Iraq about six months ago,” we learn, and if that’s not a straight line I’m not Jon Stewart.”

Dracula is some type of guy. Ebert said, “Played by Dominic Purcell, he isn’t your usual vampire in evening dress with overdeveloped canines, but a creature whose DNA seems to have been infected with the virus of Hollywood monster effects. His mouth and lower face unfold into a series of ever more horrifying fangs and suchlike, until he looks like a mug shot of the original “Alien.”” He doesn’t suck blood, he vacuums it.

Ebert said, “Parker Posey is an actress I have always had affection for, and now it is mixed with increased admiration, for the way she soldiers through an impossible role, sneering like the good sport she is. Jessica Biel becomes the first heroine of a vampire movie to listen to her iPod during slayings. That’s an excuse to get the soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi and RZA into the movie, I guess, although I hope she downloaded it from the iTunes Store and isn’t a pirate on top of being a vampire.”

Vampires in this movie look about as easy to kill as the creatures in “Dawn of the Dead.” Ebert noted, “They have a way of suddenly fizzing up into electric sparks and then collapsing in a pile of ash. One of the weapons used against them by the Night Stalkers is a light-saber device that is, and I’m sure I have this right, “half as hot as the sun.” Switch on one of those babies and you’d zap not only the vampires but British Columbia and large parts of Alberta and Washington state.”

Ebert continued, “Jessica Biel is the resident babe, wearing fetishistic costumes to match Blade’s and teaming up with Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), no relation to Hannibal Lecter, a former vampire who has come over to the good side.” The vampire killers and their fellow Night Stalkers go in an increasingly cloudy series of fights with the vampires, making you ask this simple question: Why, since the whole world is theirs to take, do the vampires have to appear and fight the Night Stalkers in the first place? Why not just figure out that since the Stalkers are in Vancouver, the vampires should concentrate somewhere there, like Montreal?

“Blade: Trinity,” released in 2004, was a huge disappointment. There have been so many horror stories that were told about Wesley Snipes’ behavior on set. Allegedly, he was very difficult to work with, wouldn’t speak to his co-stars a lot, and used a racist word against Reynolds. Patton Oswalt said Snipes tried to strangle David S. Goyer, which Snipes as denied. However, Goyer made public about his difficulties with the production, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn’t believe anyone involved with this film is happy with it. Oswalt also said that Snipes smoked weed in his trailer, refused to break character, and the filmmakers intentionally gave Reynolds “the worst jokes and puns” so they could “cut to Snipes’ face not doing anything because that’s all we could get from him.” Reports say Snipes was unhappy with the choice of director, refused to leave his trailer and communicated with the cast and crew using post-it notes. This put him in the negative light and damaged his career. Not long after this film, he faced legal issues and was in jail, and his leading-man status quickly disappeared. You might have heard Snipes allegedly refusing to keep his eyes open.

Other than that, they tried to make this film into a comedy, which is not what Blade is supposed to be. This, of course, was before Ryan Reynolds was liked today in cinema, because back then, his comedy didn’t really attract people. Nothing about it was funny in any way, but just came off as painful. I would recommend everyone to pass this up, especially if they liked the first two films. You don’t want to be disappointed by the end of the trilogy. Even WWE Wrestler Paul Levesque aka Triple H couldn't save this movie. However, you could see that Snipes and Reynolds have reconciled, seeing how Snipes made a cameo as Blade in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

Thank you for joining in on this year’s “Black History Movie Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed. See you next month with more excitement. 

Blade II

Roger Ebert started his review by saying, ““Blade II” is a really rather brilliant vomitorium of viscera, a comic book with dreams of becoming a textbook for mad surgeons. There are shots here of the insides of vampires that make your average autopsy look like a slow afternoon at Supercuts. The movie has been directed by Guillermo del Toro, whose work is dominated by two obsessions: War between implacable ancient enemies, and sickening things that bite you and aren’t even designed to let go.”

The 2002 sequel is an improvement on the first film, which was pretty good. Once again Wesley Snipes plays the Marvel Comics protagonist who is half-man, half-vampire. He was raised from childhood by Whistler, reprised by Kris Kristofferson, a vampire hunter who kept Blade’s vampirism under control, and trained him to fight the vampires. A long time has passed, Whistler has been kidnapped by vampires and floats unconscious in a storage tank while his blood is harvested, and Blade runs the streets in his solitary war.

Ebert mentioned, “One night acrobatic creatures with glowing red eyes invade Blade’s space and engage in a violent battle that turns out to be entirely gratuitous, because after they remove their masks to reveal themselves as vampires–a ferocious warrior and a foxy babe–they only want to deliver a message: “You have been our worst enemy. But now there is something else on the streets worse than you!” This reminded me of the night in O’Rourke’s when McHugh asked this guy why he carried a gun and the guy said he lived in a dangerous neighborhood and McHugh said it would be safer if he moved.”

The Vampire Nation is under attack by a new colony of vampires named Reapers, who drink the blood of both humans and vampires, and are greedy. Blade, who is both human and vampire, is in the middle of the road. If the Reapers are not destroyed, both species will die. Ebert noted, “If the Reapers are not destroyed, both races will die. This news is conveyed by a vampire leader whose brain can be dimly seen through a light blue translucent plastic shell, more evidence of the design influence of the original iMac.”

Blade and Whistler (now rescued from the tank and revived with a “retro-virus injection”) join the vampires in this fight, which is not without danger, because of course if the Reapers are destroyed, the vampires will turn on them. Ebert pointed out, “There is a story line, however quickly sketched, to support the passages of pure action, including computer-aided fight scenes of astonishing pacing and agility. Snipes once again plays Blade not as a confident superhero, but as a once-confused kid who has been raised to be good at his work and uncertain about his identity.” He is in love with a vampire Nyssa, played by Leonor Varela, but we feel a relationship between a vampire and Blade, called a Daywalker, is sooner or later going to end in arguments over their work schedules.

The Reapers are perfectly made for this movie. They all have what looks like a scar down the center of their chins. Ebert mentioned, “The first time we see one, it belongs to a donor who has turned up at a blood bank in Prague. This is not the kind of blood bank you want to get your next transfusion from. It has a bug zapper hanging from the wall, and an old drunk who says you can even bring in cups of blood from outside and they’ll buy them.”

We find out that it is a cleft chin, not a scar. These Reapers are disgusting. Ebert said, “They have mouths that unfold into tripartite jaws. Remember the claws on the steam shovels in those prize games at the carnival, where you manipulated the wheels and tried to pick up valuable prizes? Now put them on a vampire and make them big and bloody, with fangs and mucus and viscous black saliva. And then imagine a tongue coiled inside with an eating and sucking mechanism on the end of it that looks like the organ evolution forgot–the sort of thing diseased livers have nightmares about.” Later they cut open a Reaper’s chest cavity and Blade and Whistler look inside.

Blade: The heart is surrounded in bone!

Whistler: Good luck getting a stake through it!

Ebert noted, “Del Toro’s early film “Cronos” (1993) was about an ancient golden beetle that sank its claws into the flesh of its victims and injected an immortality serum. His “Mimic” (1997) was about a designer insect, half-mantis, half-termite, that escapes into the subway system and mutates into a very big bug. Characters would stick their hands into dark places and I would slide down in my seat. His “Devil’s Backbone” (2001), set in an orphanage at the time of the Spanish Civil War, is a ghost story, not a horror picture, but does have a body floating in a tank.”

Still when he was in his 30s, Del Toro didn’t depend on computers to get him through a movie and impress those with fancy fight scenes. He brings his scary phobias with him. Ebert ended his review by saying, “You can sense the difference between a movie that’s a technical exercise (“Resident Evil”) and one steamed in the dread cauldrons of the filmmaker’s imagination.”

In my opinion, I feel like “Blade II” is better than the first one. If you like the first one better, I understand. However, I am one of those people who prefers the sequel. When I saw it, I really got into it because the action was more intense, the story was gripping, the actors played their parts perfectly, and all around, Del Toro did an amazing job with this sequel. Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet. I saw this in parts on YouTube way back when you could only see movies split up into 10-minute videos. I have been meaning to go back and rewatch the trilogy, but I haven’t gotten around to it. See this sequel to know what I mean about this one being better than the first, in my opinion.

Next week, we will be sadly ending “Black History Movie Month” with the weakest of the “Blade Trilogy.”

Blade

At a time when too many movies are made from boring, TV-style visuals of people standing around talking, moves based on comic books represent of the last best hopes for visionary filmmaking. It’s strange that the comics, which borrowed their early visual style from movies, should now be returning the favor.

Roger Ebert said in his review, ““Blade,” starring Wesley Snipes as a killer of vampires who is engaged in an armageddon for possession of the Earth, is a movie that relishes high visual style. It uses the extreme camera angles, the bizarre costumes and sets, the exaggerated shadows, the confident cutting between long shots and extreme closeups. It slams ahead in pure visceral imagery.”

Obviously, anyone patiently watching the film hoping for an engaging story line is going to be disappointed. Ebert suggested, “Better to see it in comic book terms, as an episode in a master-myth, in which even the most cataclysmic confrontation is not quite the end of things, because there has to be another issue next month. The story, like so many comic myths, involves ordinary people who are connected through a superhero to an occult universe that lurks beneath reality–or, as Blade tells a young human doctor, “The world you live in is just a sugar-coated topping. There is another world beneath it–the real world!”” Blade, based on a Marvel Comics character, is played by Snipes as a man in between human and vampire. Blade’s origin story: his mother (Sanaa Lathan) was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, poisoning her son, who lived in the streets until being adopted by a man named Whistler (the great Kris Kristofferson), who plans a lonely war against vampires. Ebert said, “Now Blade, raised to manhood, is the spearhead of that battle, as vampires spread their influence through the major cities. One of their chief gathering grounds: secret after-hours dance clubs where victims are lured by the promise of forbidden thrills, only to be bitten and converted.”

Ebert continued by noting, “The movie is built around a series of major action scenes; the first one features an update of an old friend from 1970s Hong Kong movies, the flying guillotine. This is a knife-edged boomerang that spins, slices and returns to its owner. Very neat.”

Blade meets Dr. Karen Jensen, played by N’Bushe Wright, a blood specialist who has been bitten by a severely burned vampire brought in for emergency treatment. Can she be saved? He returns her to Whistler’s secret lab for an injection of liquid garlic, which will give her a good chance. Ebert noted, “Blade himself lives under a daily reprieve; Whistler’s serum keeps him on the human side, although he may be building up a resistance to it.”

Displayed against Blade are the armies of vampirism, lead by his arch-enemy Deacon Frost, played by Stephen Dorff, who’s also half-human, half-vampire, who dreams of a final vampire rebellion against humans, and world conquest. Ebert noted, “His rival within the vampire world is Dragonetti (Udo Keir), a pure vampire who prefers the current arrangement under which vampires secretly control key organizations to safeguard their interests.”

There is a lot of background inspiring Frost’s plans, including the recreation of an ancient vampire god who may return to lead the vampires in their final mission. Ebert noted, “The setting for the climactic scene is a phantasmagoric vampire temple where Blade must risk everything in a titanic showdown.”

Ebert continued, “The movie, directed by Stephen Norrington, is another in a recent group of New Line Cinema movies that combine comic book imagery, noir universes, and the visual heritage of German Expressionism; I’d rank it third after “Dark City” and “Spawn.”” This material is obviously moving in the direction of complete animation, which is the look it often tries to suggest, and there are some shots here that use special effects to suggest animation’s freedom from gravity and other physical laws. Ebert pointed out, “Notice, for example, an unbroken shot where Blade takes Dr. Jensen in his arms and makes an improbable leap from a high window to a far rooftop. Can’t be done–especially not with them seemingly floating down in midair to a safe landing–but the dreamlike feel of escape is effective.”

Wesley Snipes understands the material all the way around and makes a believable Blade because he knows that the main ingredient in any interesting superhero is not power, but vulnerability. There is always a kind of sadness motivating the personalities of the great superheroes, who have been given great knowledge and gifts but few reliefs in their battle against evil. The fun seems to be entirely on the villain’s side. By symbolizing those feelings, Snipes as Blade gives the movie that edge of emotion that without it would simply be special effects. Ebert mentioned, “Of course you have to bring something to it yourself, preferably a sympathy for the whole comic superhero ethos.” This is the kind of movie that gets better the more you know about the genre.

At a time when comic book adaptations where getting critically thrashed and bombing at the box office, “Blade” came along in 1998 and helped the resurrection of the genre. We have to thank this great film into getting people back into liking comic book adaptations. A majority of comic book adaptations in the 90s were terrible and it looked like they were going to tank, but then this film was released. It helped get comic book adaptations get back up and running. This is simply a film that everyone must see, regardless of whether they like comic book adaptations or not. Snipes is the best part of the film because he plays Blade as if he was meant for the role. The action is phenomenal, the story is engaging, the characters are great, and the writing is just right. See this if you haven’t because “Blade” is a comic book film that no one should miss. I would say this is one of my favorite comic book films.

No surprise, they made sequels to “Blade.” Check in next week to see how the first sequel turned out in “Black History Movie Month.”

Our Friend, Martin

We’re back with another annual “Black History Month Movie Review.” I will be starting off with a film that I saw in the 5^th Grade, “Our Friend, Martin.”

In 1999, this animated edutainment film was released on VHS to teach young students at school, the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK for short) and how he successfully eliminated segregation altogether. The story is about two friends (Robert Ri'chard and Lucas Black) who accidentally travel back in time to MLK’s life, as they learn about his past and racism at the time.

I will have spoilers in here. However, I believe everyone learned about MLK’s life at school and how he managed to eliminate segregation by changing the way we view someone’s race. Does “Our Friend, Martin” still hold up today? Let’s find out.

Many celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, John Travolta, Oprah, among so many others, voiced characters in this film for a very good reason on why they want to show this to future generations.

Ironically, Oprah went on to co-star in Selma, a film related to MLK’s march by traveling on foot with a large crowd walking from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.

The idea of this edutainment film was interesting to show two boys traveling in time to visit MLK, which makes the audience understand the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the horrifying time of segregation.

Nickthemoviecritic said in his review, “The Animation reminded me of HBO’s Spawn. Spawn himself, is black and he’s the most popular superhero outside of Marvel and DC Comics. If it weren’t for MLK, Spawn would’ve never existed in the first place.”

Archive footage and photographs of MLK are shown during important moments of his life.

In the final act, there’s a different timeline where MLK never delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Nickthemoviecritic is right when he said, “This is a cautionary reminder on what not to do if you’re gonna go back to the past to hang out with a historical figure, think twice before you take him/her to your own time.”

The ending feels so nice as it shows a montage of people with different races working and getting along together as equals.

Sadly, the film’s runtime is about an hour long. Nickthemoviecritic said, “They could’ve stretched out more space to fill in the blanks. An hour long film is pretty unusual, it’s sort of like the equivalent of an hour long episode of a television series.”

Nickthemoviecritic recommended, “If you’re a teacher, you should definitely show this to your students to help them understand MLK’s impact on why he changed the way we view racism and why we’re all created equal. This was the film that helped me understand the true meaning of equality and many of us will continue to honor MLK’s legacy for future generations as a reminder on why we’re all in this together as one.”

I think we all thank MLK for heling people get along with every race out there. That’s what he is forever remembered for as the one that helped us put prejudice away, even though it’s entirely expunged.

Like I said, my teacher showed this to us when I was in the 5^th Grade. I always remembered this, but I didn’t know the title. A few months ago, I looked up films to review this month, and when I saw this short, I decided to rewatch it and I fell in love with it. You should see this, as I think you can find it easily on YouTube, because I think this will be loved by people who see it.

For the remainder of the month, I will be looking at a trilogy of comic book adaptations that fit perfectly with this month.

Bob Marley: One Love

“Bob Marley: One Love,” released in 2024, follows the reggae star’s persona, rise to fame, exile in London, and death, with the Smile Jamaica concert and the political conflict as the setting.

You will find the reggae singer’s image drawn on posters, walls of bars, and merchandise almost everywhere you go. The famous dreadlocks, beanie hat, and the message of love, peace, and unity have been central to music and pop culture even over 40 years since his passing in 1981. Reinaldo Marcus Green’s biopic shows Bob Marley, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, the Rastafarian, and re-establishes these parts of his life and times.

Written by Green, Terence Winter, Frank E Flowers, and Zach Baylin, the narrative does not do the usual linear format of childhood, rise to fame, struggles, and downfall. It refers to his life story occasionally in short flashbacks. The film is mainly about the two years Bob, aka Nesta, spent in London after an assassination attempt on him, his band, and wife Rita Marley, played by Lashana Lynch, due to the political conflict in 1976. While the narrative stays true to the basic idea, it gives no look on how he became such a huge star or what leaving his home and being away from his family meant to him.

Dhaval Roy said in his review, “The screenplay turns incohesive and languid. That said, the aesthetics, operatic background music, Robert Elswit’s cinematography make this a riveting watch. The recreation of Marley’s stage performances, especially the song War at the Smile Jamaica show, will give you goosebumps and make you want to revisit his music again.” The cinematic feel gives the movie great appeal.

Kingsley Ben-Adir becomes Bob Marley and has a strong hold on the portrayal throughout. The persona as a musician, a Rastafarian, and a believer of peace and unity is shown through. On the other end, his difficult relationship with Rita is look on briefly, and is overlooked so fast. Lashana Lynch deserves just as many credits of her powerful performance.

Roy said, “From being treated to Marley’s smash hits, including Get Up, Stand Up, No Woman, No Cry, etc. Fans of Marley’s music and personality will have a treat watching this. But those clued in about him as a revolutionary may find the screenplay lacking.”

However, the aesthetics and performances make it worth seeing.

I saw this on Amazon Prime thinking that this would be a life story of Bob Marley. However, what we got wasn’t what I expected. For people who may not know his history will not like this so much, but that is not to say that this is bad. It is a decent film if we didn’t get everything we wanted from the film. However, still check it out, but bear in mind, this is just fine.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this year’s “Black History Movie Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it, as I did more recent films this time around again. Look out next month to see what I will review next.

The Color Purple (2023)

When the idea for a musical based on Alice Walker’s The Color Purple first came up, it was understandable why there would be some who would consider it a really bad idea to make. The novel and original film adaptation are loved by so many, and the idea of adding songs into what’s already a very powerful story could be seen as superfluous or just out of place. Jeff Beck said in his review, “However, all of that was quickly dismissed when the Broadway show became a big success, earning a whopping 11 Tony Award nominations in the process.” Even though it may have taken a while to make, a film adaptation was announced in late 2018, finally giving everyone else the opportunity to see how well a 2023 musical version of the classic story holds up.

Starting in Georgia in 1909, we meet young Celie Harris (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi), who lives with her father Alfonso (Deon Cole) and sister Nettie (Halle Bailey). Her father is a very cruel person who began raping her after the death of her mother, and she gave birth to two babies that Alfonso took away. He then forces her to marry a farmer named Mister, played by Colman Domingo, who also abuses her. Trying to escape their father, Nettie moves in with them for a small time, but is kicked out after rejecting Mister trying to come over her. As the years go by, Celie (Fantasia Barrino) stays stuck in this abusive marriage, with other people entering her life along the way, including the loud wife of Mister’s son Harpo (Corey Hawkins), Sofia (Danielle Brooks), and a jazz singer that Mister is seeing named Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), while also thinking if she’ll ever hear back from her very missed sister.

Beck credited, “Within just a few minutes, this feature film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel and the hit Broadway show goes a long way towards silencing any doubters as to whether such a thing could possibly work. The music, for the most part, is quite good. There's a fine mix of catchy, uplifting, and generally well-suited numbers to go along with this emotional tale of family and making your way through a terrible situation. The presentation of the musical numbers does come off as a bit stagey at times, but it's a musical, and such a handsomely-mounted one, that chances are you either won't notice or simply won't care.”

You could easily continue with how great the film looks, with its impressive production design and costumes beautifully bringing the story to life, and while those elements do deserve all of that credit, the main part that makes the film work as well as it does is the phenomenal cast. Nominated for SAG’s Best Cast award as one of the five best ensembles of the year, the cast includes Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks (who also earned an Oscar nomination), Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, and many more. Beck said, “Because of them, the emotional richness of the material comes through perfectly, making it remarkably easy to get engaged with the characters and their intriguing storylines.”

Overall, despite there being no particular reason that a musical version of this story being able to work, the creators of the original show (and subsequently these filmmakers) have proved that, with the right kind of music & a remarkably talented cast, even a strange idea like this can turn out extremely well. As always, it’s a complete enjoyment to be taken completely by surprise by something like this, especially when it surprisingly ends up being one of the very best films of that year.

Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple” is an amazing musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel and the great Broadway show, brought to life by a remarkably talented cast, and having an impressive selection of songs, ending up being a surprising success and one of the best films of 2023.

If you remember my review of the original movie and how much I loved that one, I was surprised that they decided to come out with a musical version of this play. When I saw it on Max while exercising, I was surprised by it that I loved it. Both films are good in their own ways and I think everyone should see the musical version if they have Max. They will love this film a lot as it is very fitting with this month.

Next week I will finish off this year’s “Black History Movie Month” with another biopic. Apologies for the late posting. Once again, I completely forgot what day of the week it was and that I had to make this review.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

No one loves their clichés more than the biopic genre. However, no music biopic has done every cliché with such quick and reckless abandon as “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” That’s not really a bad thing.

Christopher James said in his review, “Few pop culture icons loom as large as Whitney Houston, “The Voice,” who holds the record for seven consecutive number one singles atop the Billboard Top 100.” By quality of also being a modern celebrity, most people have some idea of Houston. So, the biopic spends less time educating people on who Whitney Houston is. Actually, it’s a crash course through her history. Unfortunately, it misses her soul and motivation – what made Whitney Houston from the biggest star in the world to passing at 48?

The simple answer the movie gives is drugs, but it never goes deeper than that.

We first meet Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) as a rebellious teenager adding runs and vocal lessons to the gospel songs her mother, Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie) is teaching. Cissy is a singer herself and Whitney wants to follow in her footsteps, even hoping to reach the level of family friends Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick.

After one magnificent performance with her mother, Whitney catches the attention of producer Clive Davis, played by Stanley Tucci, who signs her to Arista Records. She became an overnight success with her bestselling debut album. However, as is usual for the blueprint for any biopic, success has its own challenges.

James points out, “From here, the movie picks up and drops story threads like its browsing Saks Fifth Avenue.” There’s some conflict where Whitney responds to criticism that she’s “not black enough,” but that is dropped just as soon as it’s introduced. Much of the first act is pent with Whitney’s female lover, Robyn, played by Nafessa Williams, who soon becomes her executive assistant. Their relationship feels relaxed, but once she meets Bobby Brown, played by Ashton Sanders, Robyn disappears. When Robyn comes back any conflict around their romantic relationship has disappeared. James noted, “Though a major part of her tabloid persona, Bobby Brown is rarely seen and is just a one-note obstruction when he is.”

There’s one major cliché that director Kasi Lemmons avoids. The film is not self-serious or sympathetic of Whitney Houston. Her drug use is awkwardly set up halfway through the movie. Five minutes later Whitney has hit the pit. If someone were trying to learn what it was like to follow Whitney Houston for decades, this would not be the right film introduction. James criticized, “For fans, it’s a perfectly sloppy vehicle. It celebrates and elevates her, spending more time with her iconic performances, fun idiosyncrasies, iconic music videos and moments of joy with Robyn. The movie revels in black joy more than black suffering, even though Whitney could be the poster child for both. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten and Lemmons fail in constructing a legible film, but they at least make a fun one.”

Playing Whitney Houston is a scary role that Naomi Ackie is more or less up for. She looks the part and most of the singing sequences use Whitney’s voice. James said, “Therein lies the issue, she evokes Whitney more than she embodies her.” Watching the movie, you can see that Ackie understands what made Whitney special. However, she doesn’t bring herself to the role or go deeper into Whitney’s perspective, an issue that’s already in the script. In the end, the performance comes off as a strong impersonation. James noted, “That’s still more than can be said of any of the supporting cast, who aren’t given enough material to transcend their two-dimensional purposes in the story.”

James continued, “Still, if you are still with your family on extended holiday and need something to take your Mother or Grandmother to, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is waiting for you with open arms. It’s a rocking good time with two and a half hours packed with Whitney music, Lifetime level overacting and just buckets of charisma.” It’s not right, but it’s OK.

I believe I saw this on Paramount+ and I fell in love with the movie. I didn’t know certain things about Houston’s life, so this was an eye-opener. I have always loved Houston’s music and if you’re also a fan, than this movie is for you. Check it out and see about one of the greatest artists of her time that we sadly lost too soon.

Monday I will be reviewing the yearly “President’s Day Movie Review.” Sorry for the late posting. I was starting to type this when I was called to do something that took some time to complete.

Straight Outta Compton

Welcome back to “Black History Movie Month,” where I will be reviewing more current films that have come out in the past decade. Let’s get started with the 2015 biopic, “Straight Outta Compton.”

This instinctual hip-hop biopic showcasing NWA’s sudden rise to fame at times struggles to avoid falling into Hollywood cliché. Still, “Straight Outta Compton” proves as contagiously entertaining as it is educational thanks to F. Gary Fray’s splendidly surfaced and a catchy soundtrack that confirms rap as the protest music of its time. Despite gangster rap is now for legends, “Straight Outta Compton” reminds audiences that for some it was – and still is – a way of life. The beginning shows Eazy-E, played by Jason Mitchell, leaving out of the grilled window of a drug house, after a police military tank, without warning, crashes its way right through the front door.

In mid-eighties Compton, Los Angeles, there’s no initial stimulation to violence. Christine Jun said in her review, “This includes corrupt cops who don’t hesitate to seize and arrest any black men on the streets with impunity.” In this environment, the friendship of lyricist Ice Cube (real life son, O’Shea Jackson Jr.), aspiring DJ Andre (Corey Hawkins) – aka Dr. Dre – and neighborhood drug dealer Eric “Eazy-E” Wright ends with NWA and Ruthless Records. Jun mentioned, “Interested in more than just a fierce display of raw talent and braggadocio, rap becomes their way of voicing their anti-heroic reality with brutal honesty.” At first, a local club owner doesn’t want their hardcore material and all-black audiences remain somewhat doubtful.

These guys can’t even stand on the pavement without being immediately taken-down and insulted by cops. However, injustice only becomes feed for art, when NWA later becomes popular with their controversial F Tha Police. Jun noted, “In the wake of white fans bulldozing piles of their CDs in protest and the FBI’s sanctimonious threat of arrest, the members of NWA refuse to censor themselves on-stage in Detroit. A raging Ice Cube leads the chanting arena crowd in what amounts to civil dissent; except instead of a Black Power salute, he gives them the triumphant middle finger. Unsurprisingly, as soon as NWA transitions to commercial success, the swindling starts.” Their predicament with music industry hunters requires a different set of street intelligence, as white music manager Jerry Hill, played by Paul Giammati, graciously promises, “I can make you legit.”

Jun said, “The group’s growing internal division over unfair contracts is tempered by the spectacle of hoopties bouncing up and down Crenshaw Boulevard, hotel celebrations, and unapologetic bling. Despite the obvious bigotry, Eazy-E’s Wet N’ Wild Party – where female nonentities are more likely to appear topless than speak – makes same-era MTV Pool Party look incredibly tame by comparison. By the time footage of the Rodney King beating and 1992 LA riots rolls around, Straight Outta Compton cements itself foremost as a tale of solidarity:” Jackson and Hawkins provide lively, moving performances when it comes to Eazy-E’s premature death from AIDS. However, while NWA have long since gone mainstream for white and black audiences altogether, sadly, the African-American fight against police brutality remains very familiar today as a theme.

I remember when this movie was being released and Ice Cube and his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., were going around promoting this film. I wasn’t familiar with NWA, but I think I might have seen their shirts and I know the memes that came out after this film was released. Check this film out on Max, but this is not a film to be seen in front of the entire family. Because of what is portrayed in this film, you should find it best to watch this alone without parents or little children present. Check it out because this is a powerful film, especially if you’re a fan of NWA.

Check in next week for the continuation of “Black History Movie Month.”

MLK/FBI

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is now a near-universally respected and beloved historical icon, but as Sam Pollard’s careful and silently infuriating 2020 documentary “MLK/FBI” shows, this was not always the case, especially during King’s lifetime. Christopher Bourne said in his review, “Based on historian and King biographer David Garrow’s book The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr.: From “Solo” to Memphis, and largely sourced from recently declassified documents and unearthed film footage, MLK/FBI fills in many damning details of the FBI’s extensive surveillance of King, under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover.” This surveillance, which was meant to personally disgrace King and neutralize the supposed threat of the civil rights movement, is described by one of the film’s interviewees, former FBI director James Comey, as “the darkest part of the FBI’s history.”

Bourne noted, “Pollard, a veteran documentary filmmaker who also edited several of Spike Lee’s films, masterfully weaves together this archival material with present-day interviews with historians and King colleagues (including Garrow and Andrew Young).” While fascinatingly laying out the vast scope of the FBI’s surveillance, he also shows how both government officials (including supposed friends like JFK, RFK, and LBJ) and general public opinion were mostly in agreement about the threat King was to American society. Bourne noted, “Much of the archival footage consists of clips from Hollywood films glorifying the FBI and depicting federal agents (or “G-men,” as they were colloquially termed at the time) as dashing heroes preserving the American way of life. Anti-Communist sentiment played a large role, and this was the initial tack the FBI’s actions against King took, focusing on Stanley Levison, a white Jewish lawyer and close advisor with ties to Communist groups.” King’s refusal to end his relations with Levison, even after being personally warned by JFK, was what led to the FBI’s wiretapping of King and his associates. Bourne noted, “While the FBI was pursuing their campaign to smear the civil rights movement as a Communist infiltration plot, fueled by Hoover’s fears of King becoming a “Black Messiah,” they happened upon evidence of King’s philandering and extramarital affairs. The FBI thereupon pivoted to using this as a means to personally ruin King’s reputation and discredit him in the eyes of his followers.”

“MLK/FBI” is a necessary and timely reminder that far from the often relaxing and clean “I Have a Dream” historical figure that he’s often shown as, King was a very divisive and controversial person in his lifetime – “the most dangerous Negro in the future of this nation,” as stated in an FBI memo – and who even lost many supporters when he spoke out against the Vietnam War. The film also has audiences asking unsettled questions regarding King’s assassination, mainly how anyone was able to kill him when he was under such heavy surveillance, and whether the FBI’s obsession with taking King down personally led them to overlook or intentionally ignore the many threats on King’s life. Bourne ended his review by saying, “But perhaps even more unsettlingly — particularly given the current president and attorney general’s attempts to smear current protests against police brutality, and especially Black Lives Matter’s prominent role, as dangerous sedition — MLK/FBI leads us to question whether the governmental overreach it depicts is as safely in the past as some would have us believe.”

I saw this documentary on Hulu and I was surprised at how much I didn’t know about MLK. What they teach us in school is not everything about his life. They leave out a lot of the details, which are shown here. I would recommend everyone to see this film if they have a Hulu or an AMC+. You will be amazed at how many details are in this and how much surveillance the man was under throughout his career. Check this out and see for yourself.

Alright, we have once again reached the end of “Black History Movie Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed this month and will see the movies I recommended. Stay tuned next month to see what other films I will be reviewing. Take care.

Harriet

“Harriet” is a long overdue 2019 drama about the adventures of the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman. The film’s greatest trait is Cynthia Erivo, a veteran of the London stage who brings spirit and emotion to the main character. Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, “Harriet” celebrates life and freedom and reminds audiences of the price people long ago paid for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Harriet, known as Minty to her family and owners, was a God-fearing woman married to John Tubman, played by Zackary Momoh. Since they were planning on having a family, John and Minty wanted their children to be born free which only would have been possible if Minty was free herself. Both John and Minty’s father, Ben, played by Clarke Peters, were freemen, working at a nearby farm. Because the previous owner of Rit (Vanessa Bell Calloway), Minty’s mother, promised freedom at 45 but never followed through, they petitioned owner Edward Brodess (Mike Marunde) to honor the agreement and include Minty. Nothing happened. A prayerful but desperate woman, Minty prayed that God would take Mr. Brodess so that she could be free.

When Brodess suddenly passes, his son Gideon, played by Joe Alwyn, refuses to give Minty freedom and she decides to run away. Not wanting to risk John’s freedom if they were caught, she insists on going alone. I’m not giving anything away when I mention that she made it over the Pennsylvania border to freedom in 1849 and befriended William Still (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Marie Buchanan (Janelle Monáe) to become involved in abolitionist activities.

Once Minty escapes and goes by Harriet (after her mother), the film starts dragging. Hosea Rupprecht said in her review, “Lemmons decided to keep the film family-friendly so there are no bloody slave beatings like the ones witnessed in “12 Years a Slave,” but along with that also went some of the tension that could have made this film worthy of its subject. The repeated trips Tubman heroically made back into Maryland to gather her family and other slaves seeking freedom begin to feel like been-there-done-that pretty quickly. Some added tension leaks into the story with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, forcing Harriet to bring slaves all the way to Canada.”

Despite those flaws, “Harriet” due diligence to faith's role in Tubman’s life. Her head injury as a child made her have “visions” and spells but she said that was God’s way of speaking to her and guiding her on her way to lead the slaves to freedom. There is one moving scene when things appear useless but Harriet insists that God will not let the freedom-seeking slaves be harmed.

I agree with Rupprecht when she said, “We in the United States tend to take our freedoms for granted. This film reminds us that what we enjoy today came at a great price to those who lived before us and shaped our country and its history.” Harriet Tubman remains a huge figure in that mission.

I saw this film on Netflix and I loved it. I think it brought the life of Harriet Tubman to life on the big screen. If you haven’t seen this and you love the story of Tubman and her journey through the Underground Railroad, see this if it’s still on Netflix. You will fall completely in love with this film, I promise you that.

Sorry for posting this late. I have been really tired from not sleeping much this past week. Look out next Monday for the yearly “President’s Day Movie Review.”

Marshall

How did director Reginald Heldin convince the late Chadwick Boseman to do another biopic? After playing James Brown, Jackie Robinson, and Floyd Little, Boseman hesitated, until he read Hedlin’s script. It was created by the father and son team of writer Jacob and important Connecticut Civil Rights Lawyer, Michael Koskoff who researched the subject carefully. Also, it didn’t hurt that Thurgood Marshall’s son wrote a letter asking him to do this.

However, this film isn’t just a biopic, and it’s not moralizing. It just tells the facts through a courtroom case based on race. Al and Linda said in their review, “The evidence unfolds throughout the film a little at a time while the characterizations of those involved are being revealed. It’s courtroom drama and you become part of the jury.”

It’s also an origin story showing how young Thurgood Marshall used his legal skills, working with the NAACP to create a career defending African Americans against racism. This trial, in 1941, took place well before Marshall won 29 out of the 32 cases he brought before the Supreme Court, and before he became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Also, it is just as related, if not more so today.

Al and Linda noted, “Hedlin didn’t pick Boseman because he looked like Marshall. He doesn’t. But he thought he had the swagger he wanted in the portrayal of Marshall. Sometimes we thought Boseman played it a little too slick and flip. But Hedlin sees the lawyer as a kind of Sheriff serving up justice by going from town to town. He was an underrated American superhero out to prove that all men are created equal under law. (Side note: Hedlin wrote Marvel’s Black Panther comic book from 2005-2008. Boseman played the Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War and will appear in more sequels).”

This film takes on a controversial trial of a Black Chauffeur, Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown) accused of rape and attempted murder of the wealthy aristocrat he drove, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson). The shot from Spell’s point of view in his jail cell looking up at Marshall adds to the lawyer’s impressive figure. Knowing he faces a death sentence; Brown plays it scared beyond belief and you feel for his character.

Because the racist judge (James Cromwell) won’t let a Black man talk in his court, Marshall is assigned the apprehensive and inexperienced Jewish accident insurance lawyer, Sam Friend (Josh Gad), to speak for him. Friedman’s wife, played by Marina Squerciati, is cautious because of their religion, but the scene where she stands up to the people staring them down in their synagogue is real, showing their determination to stand up to the criticism of working on a case with a Black lawyer.

Al and Linda said, “Court drama can be boring and it’s almost painful watching Marshall and Friedman tip toe around each other in the courtroom trying to placate the Judge. They’re also trying not rile the prosecuting attorney, played with chilling Aryan attitude by Dan Stevens. But there are some very funny scenes seeing the two trying to figure out how to work together in court, starting with picking the jury. Marshall had the experience and smarts to pick out a juror who seems to have a thing for Friedman which could work in their favor.”

Hedlin does a good job having Boseman show his frustration at having to remain silent in court, visibly restraining himself from attacking the racist judge. Gad is convincing as the nervous lawyer, out of his league, looking every minute like he’s about to faint. Al and Linda noted, “You get sweaty palms watching him.” They are both brutally attacked outside the courtroom which only strengthens their bond and their determination.

The case turns out to be more like solving a mystery with Hedlin showing step-by-step the information and evidence Marshall and Friedman discover that leads them to a surprising verdict. Al and Linda admitted, “Hedlin puts you in the period and lets you see what it was like for African-Americans and Jews in this country at that time.” Have attitudes changed?

The last scene in the “Marshall” movie, released in 2017, shows Marshall’s arriving at a train station to take on his next case for the NAACP. He’s about to defend a 14-year-old boy for reportedly killing a police officer in Mississippi. Director Hedlin cast the parents of Trayvon Martin, the Florida boy who was shot to death in 2012, to play the parents of the boy Marshall is about to defend. Both Boseman and Gad agree this film shows the fight continues. They’re hoping young people will see this film and be inspired to follow Thurgood Marshall’s example and become lawyers seeking justice for all.

Currently, you can see this film on Netflix. I highly recommend all of you to see this film. It is one of the greatest films from the last decade. It is so powerful and so realistic that you will believe you’re watching the actual case happen in front of you. Everyone should see this, especially since you can see the late Chadwick Boseman play such a powerful role that he will forever be remembered for.

Next week, I will be looking at another amazing film about one of the greatest civil rights leaders in “Black History Movie Month.”

Concussion

We’re back at “Black History Movie Month,” where we will start this month with the 2015 sports movie, “Concussion.”

Released at the time of the NFL playoffs, the movie hopefully gave many serious thoughts about the most popular American sport.

Tom Long said in his review, “Based on a true story, Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-born, hyper-motivated coroner working in Pittsburgh.” He treats the corpses he examines as his patients, carefully trying to determine the reason they died.

One day he’s given the body of a local legend, a former Pittsburgh Steeler and NFL hall-of-famer named Mike Webster, played by David Morse, a man who went from the peaks of success to living in a run-down truck. Omalu notices something uneven with Webster’s bran and, against the objections of a fellow coroner and Steeler fan, played by Mike O’Malley, decides to run some cultured tests, paying for them with his own money.

With the support of his no-nonsense boss, played by Albert Brooks, Omalu determines that Webster suffered a litany of concussions over his career, which eventually led to his irregular, unreasonable behavior. Some animals' skulls come programmed with insulation to protect against hard hits. Human skulls do not have that protection. Omalu comes to find out that so many great football players have had similar problems, and other inexplicable deaths have occurred.

This begins Omalu’s fight, first to be taken seriously by the scientific community (not so hard), then by the NFL (nearly impossible). Helping him along the way is a sympathetic former team doctor for the Steelers, played by Alec Baldwin, and the widows of other NFL players, whose husband’s brains Omalu examines, finding they line up right with Webster’s.

“Concussion” spends too much time on Omalu’s relationship with his future wife, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and could have made its point quicker. Long ended his review by admitting, “But that sobering point is made, even though the film takes care to relish the beauty of football, as well. Beautiful or not, we’re all cheering for something that can kill people.”

I didn’t see this in the theaters, although this was one of the movies, we were thinking about seeing that year. I saw it as a rental from the library. I loved this movie because of how real it depicts what happens to NFL players. This is one of the most common conditions that occurs, and this film does a good job showing that. Smith did a great job at playing the coroner who is trying to prove this to the NFL. It wasn’t easy, but it worked out in the end. Check this out if you haven’t because I think you will love it.

Look out next week when we look at a powerful film about one of the civil rights leader in “Black History Movie Month.”

Respect

Steve Crum started his review by admitting, “Some of my favorite movies are biographies. Make that MANY. I am talking Hollywoodized versions of a celebrity’s life. The musical bio is a particular fav sub-genre. Respect, the Aretha Franklin saga, is a comfortable fit. It’s pretty much cookie-cutter predictable. (Hey, we all know Aretha’s songs…and there are 18 of them sung here by Jennifer Hudson over the 145-minute running time.)” In the end, if you are an Aretha Franklin fan, you will love “Respect,” released in 2021. The musical sequences are great.

Fans and others will have to endure some really sad facts of Aretha’s abusive childhood and adult personal life. Crum noted, “Regarding the latter, think of Tina Turner’s marriage to Ike…as depicted in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It?” “Respect’s” screenplay, by Tracy Scott Wilson, effectively scores literally and figuratively, yet leaves out some key facts – probably because they are just too painful.

Starting in 1952 Detroit, 12-year-old “Ree” (Skye Dakota Turner) is woken up by her Baptist minister father (Forest Whitaker) to once again get out of bed to entertain the loud party in the living room, where she is told to impress the guests by her adult-like singing. (Ree/Aretha and her two sisters (Saycon Sengbloh and Hailey Kilgore) live with their dad, who is divorced from an alcoholic mom she really misses and loves.) Tragically, Ree is raped during one of her father’s parties – in her own bedroom – and she gives birth to her first son when she is 13.

Crum noted, “What Wilson’s screenplay fails to mention is the same thing occurs again when she is 14, resulting in her second son. The double whammy is that her pious father, Rev. C. L. Franklin (Forest Whitaker), raped a friend’s 12 year-old as well. And she gave birth too. These episodes were conveniently edited out.”

Ree’s life is broken more when her mother, Barbara Siggers Franklin, played by Audra McDonald, suddenly dies. Now she has no one who understands her, and no adult to turn to. Her father is anything but sympathetic or personable.

As Ree goes older, with her own children (William J. Simmons, Jerel Xavier Alston, Chase Burgess, Chirstopher Daniel, Malaki Sample, Ethan Xavier Williams) being taken care of by her grandmother (Kimberly Scott), she becomes more active in her father’s church and political aspirations. Her father’s close friends become hers, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., played by Gilbert Glenn Brown.

It is not surprising that a lot of these early scenes include gospel songs – obviously a major influence on Aretha Franklin’s singing style. Early on, her father began planning her career as a recording artist. Crum said, “He is her agent/manager. Surprisingly, at least to me, C. L. encourages Reth to sign with Columbia Records in NYC, and is introduced to the legendary jazz authority John Hammond. The moderately successful jazz records lead to several albums of pop standards.” At this point Aretha is only doing cover songs, and nothing original.

Aretha’s career then varies until she breaks from her father’s supervision to old friend Ted White, played by Marlon Wayans, who makes a successful career with original songs. She is on her way up in her career, helped by an aggressive and very physically abusive husband, Ted.

This goes with “Respect,” a sadly appropriate movie title which reflects both Aretha’s conflict and one of her biggest songs.

Much more develops between Aretha and Ted, Aretha and her father, Aretha and her sisters, and Aretha and her addictions. (Not much is said about her children, however.)

There are some surprisingly good performances by marc Maron as record producer Jerry Wexler, and Tituss Burgess (who you might remember from the Netflix series "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt") and gospel singer/pianist/composer James Cleveland.

Though a lot of the script focuses on the recording studio and creative process, it is Jennifer Hudson’s portrayal of Aretha Franklin’s songs that shines here. Hudson was the late Aretha’s personal choice to play her.

An excellent choice indeed.

Check this out on Paramount+. It is a great movie. I have loved Aretha Franklin’s music for a long time. Then again, who hasn’t? However, there were things about her I didn’t know, and this film really helped bring a lot of that to my attention. You will feel sad when you see certain things in this film, but you should still see it nonetheless. See it if you liked Aretha Franklin’s music, and at least honor her memory.

Now we have come to the end of this year’s “Black History Movie Month.” I hope you enjoyed this month. Stay tuned next month when I look at more excitement.

Just Mercy

Legal dramas can often feel less than interesting as, with a few exceptions, their outcomes are inevitable. A real-life case increases a little more since people, unlike characters, are not as predictable. So many elements are combined in the 2019 film “Just Mercy” in a bid to make it stand out from the many similar films that have come before it.

Harvard Law graduate Bryan Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan, moves to Alabama in the early 1990s to try to help prisoners on death row who may have been wrongfully convicted. One of those prisoners is Walter “Johnny D” McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who was convicted of killing a woman based almost completely on the testimony of another convicted killer, Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson).

With the help of clerk Eva Ansley, played by Brie Larson) and others, Stevenson works day and night for McMillian and others like him. This being the South and Stevenson being black, he runs into strange obstacles and racism of all types on his case. It’s only through pure determination and the help of some people willing to stand up against the system that he and McMillian stand a chance.

Alex Bentley said in his review, “Directed and co-written by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12), the film holds a steady pace that lays out the story well. There are the expected ups and downs of the appeals process, but Cretton and co-writer Andrew Lanham keep things sharp by not solely relying on clichés and mixing up the perspective of the story.”

Stevenson is the main character and it’s his work that is highlighted completely, but supporting characters are given a lot to do. While we don’t get to know Ansley all that well, it’s clear that she is a person of great depth and compassion. Time spent with McMillian in prison produces some of the most emotion of the film thanks to his friendships with other death row prisoners Herbert Richardson (Rob Morgan) and Anthony Ray Hinton (Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson, Jr.).

Bentley noted, “Unlike some other films with race at their center (cough, Green Book, cough), Just Mercy is rarely heavy-handed with its depictions of racism faced by Stevenson, McMillian, and others. There are instances when a situation feels over the top, but a step back makes you realize that what African Americans face in a state like Alabama is immensely more complicated than most people can even fathom.”

Bentley credited, “Jordan, as he’s shown many times in the past decade, is a strong presence even when the role calls for him to take a backseat to others. Both Larson and Foxx are saddled with some distracting hair at times, but the talent of each actor shines through despite that hinderance.”

“Just Mercy” was an Oscar contender if 2019 wasn’t already one of the strongest movie years in recent memory. As it stands, it’s another great film for Jordan, Larson, Foxx, and Cretton, and a reminder that advocates like Stevenson are needed to make sure our justice system remains fair for everyone.

I was trying to find another movie to watch in preparation for this month, and I researched movies to watch around Black History Month. One of the lists had said this movie needed to be seen, so I checked it out. You can watch it on HBO Max, and it is another autobiographical film that is actually a good movie. Check it out because you will love it. Sure, there are parts that will make you feel upset, but that’s what happens when you see movies that take place during a time of high racism. Still see it because I think everyone will love this movie.

Look out on Monday for my yearly President’s Day movie review.