Bad Black (2016)

As a frequent “the book was better” extoller, this movie was well worth the watch. 

So do I recommend that people see this movie, yes 100%, but do I think they are going to come out of it with 80 hot takes, yes 100%.

Kate Winslet and Saorise Ronan deliver stellar performances in a film that doesn't live up to its potential.

The Gates, John Burr’s new thriller film, is a disturbingly realistic portrayal of three Black twenty-somethings - Derek (Mason Gooding), Kevin (Algee Smith), and Tyon (Keith Powers), as they accidentally take a wrong turn into a gated community that’s more like a modern-day sundown town. The three friends witness a variety of crimes in their new surroundings, including an attempted homicide and an attempted rape. As they attempt to alert the authorities and do the right thing, they are thwarted at every turn by the worst horror stories of American conservatism - racist white suburbanites, reckless gun violence, corrupt police, religious mania, and a megalomaniacal pastor. 

A thief and street dog named Roger has to work with other pets to take down the evil Mayor Frank Stone when he plans to destroy Robo City.

Adapted from a 2014 novel by Atticus Lish, Preparation for the Next Life is the feature film debut of documentary filmmaker Bing Liu. With the help of screenwriter Martyna Majok, he paints a realistic and somber portrayal of Aishe, a Uyghur immigrant, as she struggles to make a living while undocumented in the United States.