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The Irrational (2023)
What a pleasant surprise!
I was VERY skeptical about this show. The title is terrible and the promotion really did not give viewers much indication about the show's premise. Nevertheless, since I'm a Jesse L. Martin fan, I decided to give it a shot. Boy, was I hooked! The depth of the psychological analysis kind of reminds me of the science behind science-themed drama like Star Trek. The writers clearly put research into their scripts while also telling good stories. The other thing I like is that the scenarios are grounded in the reality of Black people. That's not to say it's all about Black people to the exclusion of e everyone else, because it's not. However, these characters don't shy away from being Black in America in 2023 either - even for intellectual, educated, professional, upper middle-class Black people. I look forward to more episodes and a quick renewal for next season.
The Kings of Napa (2022)
I don't know what this is
I tuned in by accident as I was channel surfing. Then, I stopped to watch because I couldn't immediately determine what kind of show this is. Is it a soapy drama? Is it high comedy? Is it a satire? I've been watching for the last 40 minutes and I still don't know. If it's a drama, the writing is HORRENDOUS! I can't imagine Oprah would allow such terrible writing on her network, so I'm guessing this is a comedy-either straight or satire. It works better as satire.
So, having determined the show is satire, I want to applaud the inclusion of a little person as a member of the main cast. People with disabilities are frequently shut out of the entertainment industry unless they are the butt of jokes or stereotypes that make ableds feel better, (ie., inspiration porn). Furthermore, Black people with disabilities are almost never on screen at all for any reason. Therefore, even if the Kings of Napa turns out to be unforgivably horrid, I'll root for it because the show gave a disabled actor a chance in a role that doesn't revolve around his disability.
Finally, there ARE wineries owned by Black winemakers. Several of them are quite successful as well. As someone said, Google is your friend. See McBride Sisters, for example.
Harlem (2021)
These women need to grow up
The premise of this show is GREAT! The talent is awesome. However, the scripts make some of the characters-Camille and Quinn-*VERY* immature. I could accept their immaturity were the characters in their early 20s; these women are supposed to be in their 30s. By the time women are in our mid-30s, the hunt for a partner isn't our sole goal in life. At least, that's true for Black professional women. These women act like they're in high school. They only talk about MEN! It's embarrassing.
I don't want to give this show a bad rating because there's so much potential here. But the characters are all wrong. It isn't the actors' fault. They're engaging, talented and beautiful. It's the script. I get the impression Ms. Oliver and Mr. Daniels are trying to make the Black Sex in the City. I didn't like the WHITE Sex in the City! It only made me vow to not hang out with heterosexual white women.
What I want to see is Black professional women who've learned from life and are still rocking it like the bosses they are. There's too much effort put into being humorous and not enough put into character development that's real and age appropriate.
I have to compline Meagan Good. I thought she was far too . . . Religious, conservative and aloof in real life to play a character like Camille. But I have to say I'm very pleasantly surprised. Grace Byers was also a pleasant surprise. I honestly didn't recognize her. I *LOVE* her new look! I've always thought she was beautiful, but she is infinitely more attractive with longer hair. I didn't recognize her until I looked the show up on IMDb.
Ms. Oliver definitely got the butch lesbian right. I've dated women like Tye and been friends with even more. Jerrie Johnson is a treat! And, she's gorgeous and has definite screen presence.
Even with the program's faults, I'm still committed to watching a second season. I'm sure it will be better once the show gets their sea legs.
True Story (2021)
I didn't know Hart had it in him
I've just finished watching True Story and I'm flabbergasted. I knew that Wesley Snipes could work it with good material, but I had no idea whatsoever that Kevin Hart could be so powerful in a dramatic role. Actually, the material was more than "good." It was riveting. The two main characters, The Kid (Hart) and his brother Carlton (Snipes) were very complex characters. Each had layers upon layers of exposition, with Kid the more surprising. He goes from the happy comedian to something akin to a sociopath. It makes the viewer wonder if Kid was always like he ends up or whether he's a product of circumstance. Whatever the case, the end was chilling!
It was very good to see Snipes in top form in a worthy project. He looks better than ever on screen. He's sinewy as opposed to bulked-up as in Blade. He does not look his age at all. He makes his performance as the ne'er-do-well brother look easy. I'm sure it wasn't, but he inhabited Carlton so that a viewer could ask the question, "Wesley who?" Snipes WAS that secretly angry, jealous brother who believed he'd been underestimated! Snipes could have portrayed Carlton as slimy, sniveling and hucksterish. Instead, he embues him with a kind of toxic, self-assured cool. Carlton glides when he walks. He doesn't shuffle. He's confident in the dirt he does. He has no regrets. Even when his misdeeds are discovered, I'm not sure he regrets much, if anything.
There is incredible chemistry between Snipes and Hart. Even though Hart has to be at least a foot shorter, I could believe they were brothers. I would genuinely love to know how long the actors have known each other and whether they're friends in real life. I had no idea this limited series was available until it actually hit Netflix. That's a real shame because it's as good as anything on the service-on most streaming services, if I'm honest. I would have given the series at least another half star, but I wanted to be conservative. There were a couple of forensic details that stuck in my craw, but that's the writers' fault and not the actors' doing. Overall, I'd love to see this team of writers, producers and actors come together again for another thriller. Now that they've produced the first equation, the next should be near perfect.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
I LOVED this movie!!
It's been far too long since there was a great Black western. People and critics keep referring to this film as the "first" western with a Black cast. Apparently, they're all young and/or white because The Harder They Fall is in no way a first. I'm old enough to remember Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee in Buck and the Preacher-a really good movie released in 1972 that I'd hope film students, at least, would have studied in film history class. There's also the 1974 romantic western starring Max Julien and Vonetta McGee.
At least one IMDb reviewer refers to The Harder They Fall as a "Blaxploitation" film. The connotation is that the film is made cheaply with, at best, a mediocre. Campy, script and actors no one has ever heard of. That is far from the case with this film. Calling it "Blaxploitation" is an insult to the director, producers and the 5-star cast, all of whom do a bang-up job in this film. Idris Elba as villain Rufus Buck is both ruthless and sympathetic as he hides a secret only revealed in the last 10-15 minutes. Jonathan Majors is fantastic as the hero Nat Love set on revenge for the murder of his parents. There've been a number of complaints that Zazie Beetz looks nothing like the real Stagecoach Mary who was a dark-skinned woman. However, supposed colorism aside, this film allows her to display a depth of nuance I honestly didn't know she had in her.
Danielle Deadwyler portrays Cuffee, Mary's sidekick, protector, friend and, maybe, lover. She's a very interesting character. At first I thought she might be nonbinary, which wasn't unheard of as some women felt more free to be themselves in the Old West. Alternatively, some non-cis women simply had hard jobs and hard lives where a more masculine appearance fit a great deal better than appearing as a weak, wilting, compliant woman. The choice to make Cuffee more masculine was both historically factual where some LGBTQ people of the era in that piece of the country and bold. She was definitely unexpected, but heartily welcome.
LaKeith Stanfield was sublime as Cherokee Bill. He changed his voice and demeanor to portray Pickett as calm, authoritative and deadly. Interestingly, the historic Cherokee Bill could nearly pass for white and was 20 years old when he was hanged for murder. Stanfield is unapologetically obviously a Black man older than 20. Is this reverse colorism and ageism? 😁
I absolutely could not end without mentioning the actor who nearly stole this movie from Majors and Elba: Regina King. That woman is a powerhouse and that comes through loud and clear in her portrayal of Trudy Smith, Rufus Buck's partner in life and in crime. Viewers can feel the molten lava roiling under the surface, just barely contained. When she explodes, the eruption is bloody, brutal and violent. King is one cool broad in this film.
The individual who dismisses this film as "Blaxploitation" is decidedly wrong. The cast is first rate throughout. All are accomplished actors respected in their fields. The script, written by director Jeymes Samuels and Boaz Yakin, is fun, realistic, (even if the events are fanciful), displays the depth of research that preceded its writing and pretty darn good. To say this film is "Blaxploitation" is to say ANY movie with a nearly all-Black cast is "Blaxploitation." That's simply not true. To say such is undeservedly dismissive and reveals a complete ignorance of true American history.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
I LOVED this movie!!
It's been far too long since there was a great Black western. People and critics keep referring to this film as the "first" western with a Black cast. Apparently, they're all young and/or white because The Harder They Fall is in no way a first. I'm old enough to remember Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee in Buck and the Preacher-a really good movie released in 1972 that I'd hope film students, at least, would have studied in film history class. There's also the 1974 romantic western starring Max Julien and Vonetta McGee.
At least one IMDb reviewer refers to The Harder They Fall as a "Blaxploitation" film. The connotation is that the film is made cheaply with, at best, a mediocre. Campy, script and actors no one has ever heard of. That is far from the case with this film. Calling it "Blaxploitation" is an insult to the director, producers and the 5-star cast, all of whom do a bang-up job in this film. Idris Elba as villain Rufus Buck is both ruthless and sympathetic as he hides a secret only revealed in the last 10-15 minutes. Jonathan Majors is fantastic as the hero Nat Love set on revenge for the murder of his parents. There've been a number of complaints that Zazie Beetz looks nothing like the real Stagecoach Mary who was a dark-skinned woman. However, supposed colorism aside, this film allows her to display a depth of nuance I honestly didn't know she had in her.
Danielle Deadwyler portrays Cuffee, Mary's sidekick, protector, friend and, maybe, lover. She's a very interesting character. At first I thought she might be nonbinary, which wasn't unheard of as some women felt more free to be themselves in the Old West. Alternatively, some non-cis women simply had hard jobs and hard lives where a more masculine appearance fit a great deal better than appearing as a weak, wilting, compliant woman. The choice to make Cuffee more masculine was both historically factual where some LGBTQ people of the era in that piece of the country and bold. She was definitely unexpected, but heartily welcome.
LaKeith Stanfield was sublime as Cherokee Bill. He changed his voice and demeanor to portray Pickett as calm, authoritative and deadly. Interestingly, the historic Cherokee Bill could nearly pass for white and was 20 years old when he was hanged for murder. Stanfield is unapologetically obviously a Black man older than 20. Is this reverse colorism and ageism? 😁
I absolutely could not end without mentioning the actor who nearly stole this movie from Majors and Elba: Regina King. That woman is a powerhouse and that comes through loud and clear in her portrayal of Trudy Smith, Rufus Buck's partner in life and in crime. Viewers can feel the molten lava roiling under the surface, just barely contained. When she explodes, the eruption is bloody, brutal and violent. King is one cool broad in this film.
The individual who dismisses this film as "Blaxploitation" is decidedly wrong. The cast is first rate throughout. All are accomplished actors respected in their fields. The script, written by director Jeymes Samuels and Boaz Yakin, is fun, realistic, (even if the events are fanciful), displays the depth of research that preceded its writing and pretty darn good. To say this film is "Blaxploitation" is to say ANY movie with a nearly all-Black cast is "Blaxploitation." That's simply not true. To say such is undeservedly dismissive and reveals a complete ignorance of true American history.
The Dresden Files (2007)
This show needs a re-boot
The Dresden Files was ahead of its time in 2007. Now, in 2021, I think it would be very popular for The CW, Netflix or even for SYFY. Of course, new actors would need to take on the roles because the originals have aged. Nevertheless, I this is a viable idea that deserves another chance.
Dear White People (2017)
I want more!
The last volume is the very best. It's fresh and unexpected and so well done. In the end, what comes through is the love. 💛 Thank you to the cast and crew for leaving this viewer both satisfied and wanting more.
The L Word: Generation Q (2019)
Will someone give Jamie Clayton a contract, please?
I religiously watched the original L Word every week. The continuation with old favorites and new cast is different, but just as good as the original series. I don't think there's a new cast member I haven't liked.
Having said that, I am dumbfounded that Jamie Clayton has been a "guest star" for two seasons as opposed to being a contract player. She's fabulous! I first saw her in Sense8 and loved her then. I've seen her guest star in the occasional television show since then. Of note was her recurring role on Roswell, New Mexico during its first season. Honestly, I'd hoped she'd continue to recur because there's more story for her to tell. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Ms. Clayton is beautiful AND talented. In addition, she's an out trans actor who represents the "T" in LGBTQ with pride. If various social media platforms are any indication, she's got a following the show would be lucky to have. It is my hope that producers rectify what I believe is a huge mistake and lock her in before someone else snatches her up.
Bad Hair (2020)
A biting satire about assimilation and subjugation
This movie is about Anna, an "executive assistant" at a Black music video channel owned by a giant corporation. (Think MTV and Viacom.). After four years as an EA, soaking up all the wisdom her boss, Edna, is willing part with, Edna gets fired. The suits bring in a new executive to turn things around, Zora. She's the ONLY fair-skinned employee in the office. Zora is willing to give Anna a shot at producing her own show. There's just one small condition: Anna, who normally wore her hair in natural styles, would have to get a weave.
I am a huge fan of Dear White People, Justin Simien's thoughtful, funny, sometimes tragic examination of what it's like to be a Black student in an overwhelmingly white Ivy League-type of university. Here in Bad Hair, Simien asks the question: What are Black women willing to do to advance in the white business world? According to this movie, too many Black women sell their souls to be palatable to white bosses. The topic is very timely. While this movie is an allegory, there really is an "awakening" around Black culture, history, struggle-especially as they relate to Black women. As in Dear White People, writer/director Simien knows Black women's voices. He knows that, although set in the 1990s, appearance was everything. And if a Black woman wears natural hair, she's often seen as unprofessional by white co-workers and superiors alike. This same struggle is taking place even in 2021.
This is not a great movie, but it's a really good movie. I'm not sure those without kinky hair and darker hues will be able to grasp the cultural significance Black people place on hair, but they should give this film a shot. I laughed a lot, and I'm not someone who likes comedy in general because it often isn't smart or funny. Bad Hair is both! What's a measly hour and 42 or so minutes?
Sunday Mornings (2021)
Could make a cute series
I must admit that I had no idea what this movie was about prior to watching. I ran across it on Prime Video; saw that it had something to do with Black church ladies, and; that it wasn't too long, so I took a chance. I am SO glad I did! Any Black person with even a passing familiarity with Black churches will recognize the women in this group of six sisters. When one gets in trouble, she's got five saviors who come running. And that is where this movie takes a dark, but highly comedic, turn. Church women are thought of as nice, gentle, retiring types. Well that's not these women-at all. The juxtaposition of church ladies in their hats and the lengths to which they'll go for each other is what makes this film work. I wish the production had more funding. I suspect that some of the script's lack of flow in certain scene transitions had more to do with what was captured on video and needed to result in a more-than-decent movie than what was in those 90+ pages. Of course, it could always be both script and editing.
On the whole, this movie would make a very good series. I'm not the kind of viewer who likes 95% of what passes for comedy. I think most of it is plebeian in the extreme. Nevertheless, if producers hired the right writers, a series based on Sunday Morning would have a good shot at success. I hope someone in L. A. reads this review and gives the idea some thought.
Riviera: Ce qui tombe à l'eau / What Falls Into the Water (2020)
Seasons 1 & 2 were wonderful, but . . .
I started watching Riviera its first season, but didn't get past episode 3, or there abouts, due to life. I saw it on Sundance Now and couldn't wait to catch up. Seasons 1 and 2 were thoroughly engrossing. I couldn't wait for each episode to start. Season 3 is another story. Literally. Without getting into spoilers, the setting/context is somewhat different. Yes, there's still a portion that takes place on the Riviera, but there are other areas as well. I don't like them. I'm hoping there is a Season 4 and that it gets back to the dirty doings of the ultra rich and ONLY the ultra rich. I had such fun escaping into that world and want to do so again.
Black Lightning (2018)
Great series about black people. I HOPE it won't fail
Any drama series that includes a mostly black cast in America will probably fail. That unfortunate reality has zero to do with the quality of the story, actors or, in this case, special effects. It has a great deal to do with the fact that most of America is white and has zero interest in viewing programs that challenge their notion of reality by telling a tale through the eyes of people who are unlike them. I want to be wrong, but reading many of the reviews, I know I'm not.
Aside from the subtle racism in SOME reviews, the underlying problem is one of abject ignorance. Middle America has barely seen a black person outside of their evening news or on some yuckity-yuck comedy. The idea that cops are not heroes rings false to them where it is an everyday reality to black and brown people even when those cops are black and brown themselves. One review referred to the depiction of cops as trigger-happy when it comes to black people. Um, yes. They are. It doesn't matter the income, education or even celebrity. Black men, particularly, are presumed by the police to be guilty of whatever crime took place within the surrounding 20 miles. Profiling is a fact of life. Being pulled out of your own car--especially if it's a luxury model--and made to show ID, asked what you're doing in the area; arrested; assaulted, and; killed just for being black happens so often it's become impossible to keep track. These are INNOCENT PEOPLE. They've done nothing. Surprisingly, Black Lightning portrayed it.
The dialog was criticized as ringing false. Why? Because the characters weren't speaking what some people laughingly call "ebonics"? News flash: I am black; a writer; couldn't speak "ebonics" if I tried, and; have no desire to speak that bastardization of English with African-based syntax. There are white boys, especially, who'd be more adept at it than I ever would. THEY listen to rap and hip-hop all day every day. I do not.
Another area of ignorance is the seeming disbelief that there are, in fact, all black cities and towns with black professionals. At one time, the American West and South were full of them. Those in the West have disappeared, but many in the South remain. I admit that it is difficult to see an all-black city, fictional though it may be, full of crime on American television. It isn't difficult because crime doesn't exist in black communities just as it does in white communities. The problem is that people with exceptionally limited experience will use a FICTION to justify the notion that every all-black community is crime-ridden when that is far from the case. Indeed, there are mostly black communities where crime is rare and houses cost upwards of $500K--and I don't mean in merely California or New York real estate dollars. In other words, upper middle- and upper-class BLACK communities exist, but the average American white person wouldn't believe it. In their minds, that would be utter fiction.
One reviewer said that they hoped the Black Lightning character was eased into action. Why? Other characters in the DC television catalog weren't "eased into" their stories. The only reason to do so would be to get audiences that have to "ease into" acceptance of a black superhero a chance to catch their breath and get used to the idea.
I am not a reader of comics. I don't know how close the television series mirrors the serial. I can say I am extremely glad much of the writing staff and crew are black people because they are writing through the lens of lived experience in ways white writers cannot. Survival dictates non-whites learn to navigate white culture. The reverse is not true. This story of a black, educated, professional family where the man isn't lusting after some white chick is extremely authentic--except for the superhero with meta-human abilities. We live it every day of our lives even if people in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho have never seen it, or; think an educated, articulate, non-criminal black family is the exception, much like the more narrow-minded among whites in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and all of states south of the Mason-Dixon. I'm sad for them, but it's also their responsibility to learn. It isn't ours to teach.
On a personal note, I got a kick out of seeing my own city's former state legislator, Nina Turner, in a cameo. I recognized the voice before I recognized the face. All those turns on cable news in support of Bernie Sanders has led her to new opportunities and I'm really happy for her. I was also quite pleased and amused to see one of my favorite political pundits, Roland Martin, in a cameo appearance after just seeing him on cable news yesterday. Their roles weren't forced and seeing familiar black faces from other realms in the context of the superhero genre would have elicited a cheer had it happened in a movie theatre.
This show is good. It deserves an order for additional episodes based on quality alone. My fear is that middle America simply will not accept black people in heroic, strong, non-dependent roles where the protagonist doesn't fit a stereotype. There is a tendency with this population to discard the reality that their life experience is different from that of most people of color. This is an opportunity to expand their horizons, not close their eyes and turn the channel. Yet, I'm betting that is exactly what they will do. I want to be wrong. I'd LOVE to be wrong. I doubt that I am and don't believe those back nine episodes will ever see the light of day because white folks can't cope and won't watch.