A Blog of Film + Television. Also seen on Rotten Tomatoes
Pitt’s Patois
Meet Joe Black was a box office flub back in the late 1990s. But the three hour fantasy-romance movie isn’t all bad and like other cult classics like The Room, is so confidently ridiculous at times, you won't soon forget it.
The Way It Is
Netflix’s Two Distant Strangers has been plugged as the Groundhog Day for black Americans, but does not allow for the rich possibility that the time loop genre usually affords.
Cupid’s Whodunit
Netflix’s Malcolm & Marie often feels like a play, though that’s hardly an insult. Your enjoyment, however, may depend on how much you can stomach long relationship fights.
T’Challa Lives
Two years since its release, Black Panther still feels as groundbreaking as ever, and led by its late great star, might just be the defining film of this new era of representation.
Punxsutawney Springs
Hulu’s new Groundhog Day-inspired Palm Springs mixes sci-fi and rom-com, proving much more successful when it puts its rom-com elements first.
Mining Tension
The Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems might be Adam Sandler’s finest performance. The anxiety-inducing ride about a New York jeweler mines tension for all its worth. But does it go overboard?
Phone Home
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a slow burning meditation on home, friendship, and mythmaking that eventually becomes very rewarding in its final act.
Jamie Post Broad City
After strong supporting roles in Broad City and Narcos, actor Arturo Castro gets to shine as the star of his own sketch comedy series, Alternatino with Arturo Castro.
Searching for Catharsis
Ava Duvernay’s new four-part Netflix offering When They See Us is no easy watch. But art that is both painful and powerful is sometimes needed.
I Got 3 Outta 5 On It
Jordan Peele’s much anticipated sophomore entry Us is not a masterpiece like Get Out. But like Spike Lee, even when a particular entry isn't as successful, there's always one unforgettable sequence and much to chew on.
Hoops (as Political Thriller) Dreams
Netflix’s new offering High Flying Bird, presents a world of basketball but is light on scenes that actually depict basketball. How does the well-reviewed flick actually stack up?
Before Django There Was Skin Game
On the recommendation of top contrarian film critic Armond White, I discovered a fun dramedy in 1971’s Skin Game.