Designer’s Game (2023)

'Thirteen Lives' gives a dramatic adaptation of a humanitarian triumph that captured the global imagination.

'Pariah' tells a powerful, mesmerizing, and unflinchingly honest story of identity.

The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.

We are incredibly blessed that this movie is available for us to see, and we should take advantage of the opportunity we’ve been given. 

You can have the best filmmaker and cast in the world, but if the script is lacking, you’re in a troublesome state. Such is the case with Gemini Man, a film full of tremendous artists.

Despite everything it was capable of, all of these poor choices strung together amount to nothing more than a counter-productive film.