Evan D. We need to have a conversation about the Black Panthers. It’s past time really. Coming up through the American school system the extent I heard about the Panthers was J. Edgar Hoover’s infamous assessment of the group. Nary a mention of the children’s breakfast programs they instituted, the medical clinics they ran, the social justice causes for which they advocated. Judas and the Black Messiah may actually be many an American’s first introduction to Fred Hampton, portrayed by Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya.
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Evan D. You can’t judge a film on authenticity. Don’t try to judge it on a political level either, especially if you’re a white lady from the LA Times. Over the course of one night Malcolm (John David Washington) gives a laundry list of ways film should not be analyzed. Naturally this begs the question: how should art be analyzed?
Evan D. If there has been one silver lining of a massive, life altering pandemic forcing us all to stay home, it may be the other pandemic that it placed on hold. Simply by virtue of schools being closed, the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in the longest period without school shootings in the United States in decades. Although our current torment consumes much of our thought, it’s worthwhile to remember the trauma it temporarily alleviated.
Evan D. They say write what you know, and the only thing any of us have known for the last year plus is a coronavirus lockdown. The next pandemic is on its way: a plague of COVID inspired films. And we wont have to wait long either. Michael Bay was first out of the gate with his critically maligned pandemic thriller Songbird. Doug Liman’s very COVID specific heist film Locked Down is already earning wide pans on HBO Max. Documentaries of the early days of lockdown have been informative and more are sure to come. Like the pandemic itself, this scourge of on the nose movies will be with us for a while.
Evan D. **A Quick review of Homeroom from the Sundance Film Festival. More thoughts to come when the film gets an official release**
Senior year is always a tumultuous time for students. Young people across the country faced with an uncertain world ahead. Not yet old enough to buy a beer or rent a car, they’re forced to make decisions that will profoundly affect the rest of their lives. Certainly this anxiety, mixed with the uniquely youthful optimism and energy must have been on Peter Nicks’ mind as he set out to document Oakland’s graduating class of 2020. What he never could have predicted is what unfolded over the year. Evan D. **A Quick review of CODA from the Sundance Film Festival. More thoughts to come when the film gets an official release**
My family just can’t understand. It’s a bit of shared experience that has been fertile ground for coming of age films as far back as Rebel Without a Cause. Where, in Rebel, James Dean’s Jim was the one who didn’t understand his parents, CODA presents a case where a teen really is misunderstood. Evan D. Perhaps one of the most pervasive myths of modern society is the idea that we shape our own destinies. In such an interconnected world, the deeds and — more critically — the misdeeds of others have a profound impact on our course in life. This is, of course, especially true for women. One half of the population whose lives and bodies have historically been, and in many places and ways still are, controlled by men.
Evan D. Boxing is imbued in every fiber of One Night in Miami... Not exactly surprising for a film about the most famous boxer in history in the aftermath of one of his most famous fights, but the connection runs so much deeper. The entire film is structured like a classic Muhammad Ali fight, floating through it’s early introductions to draw you in all while sharpening into powerhouse confrontations that land with a sting.
Evan D. What once was a simple task has become a Herculean undertaking in the time of COVID. While that statement can apply to just about anything, in this context I’m talking about projecting which movies will come out in 2021. Had I done this article a year ago, it would likely have included a large number of films that will populate this list. So many films got pushed, and many more still could this year, that a most anticipated list is purely guess work. Regardless, we soldier on. Here are some of the most exciting titles slated for release in 2021:
Evan D. As the calendar turned to a new year, celebrations ensued, resolutions were made and for the first time in months there seemed to be a collective joy. Some folks had massive accomplishments to extol, from weddings to new jobs, but for most the relief was far simpler. We had all been through so much in 2020 that just making it through to New Years Day felt like an achievement all on its own.
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