Four Deadly Reasons (2002)

When a group of White women are invited to dinner by an Indian woman and a Black woman to talk about race in America, sparks fly.

This animated kids' movie shows viewers two different species--jungle animals and aliens--and how both species coexist.

It only seems to prove that when the company had their backs against the wall and needed an all pleasing, generic movie that had to make up for The Last Jedi, they chose to sacrifice almost everything that made their main protagonist interesting and that made her stand out as the strong female character that a generation of young movie goers was supposed to look up to. Instead, we were left with a Rey that was so much less than she could have been. And I guess that’s the real story of Rey and The Rise of Skywalker; they could have been so much more, but they were just more of the same.

In the LGBTQ+ holiday rom-com wars, 'Single All The Way' may or may not be the “answer” to 'Happiest Season.'

Season 1 of Love, Victor ended on a major cliffhanger: Victor came out to his parents. He said the words “I’m gay” for the first time. Now what?  Season 2 answers the question: “What happens after coming out?”

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.