“The Hate U Give”
Based on the best-selling novel by Angie Thomas and a maxim of the late Tupac Shakur.

The autumn of terror has just begun and agitation is starting to spread among the unfortunates in Whitechapel. One of them is Mary Jane Kelly, who goes by the name of Ginger. Driven by the need to survive in the harsh reality of London in 1888 and her own personal greed, she delves into a world of crime. But her actions have consequences beyond her control; leading to her own death and halting the murders of Jack the Ripper.
Based on the best-selling novel by Angie Thomas and a maxim of the late Tupac Shakur.
Him is visually stunning—all concrete cathedrals and bone-rattling impact shots that look like a nightmare highlight reel. Marlon Wayans is magnetic as this legendary quarterback who's basically selling salvation with a smile that never quite reaches his eyes. But the story keeps running in circles: more tests, more cryptic pep talks, more ritualistic drills. The sports-as-religion metaphor beats you over the head when subtlety would've been more effective. The middle drags, and that finale chooses spectacle over substance. It's undeniably stylish, but left me cold. Also worth noting: despite the Monkeypaw connection, this isn't actually a Jordan Peele film—he didn't write or direct.
As noted in the headline, I didn’t like this movie. Not to say it’s the worst thing ever, but it’s just…meh. Nothing much to it. Very generic. No surprises. At the very least, the cast is diverse so I’ll give it that.
What seems like such a simple story of survival is so much more than that—it’s a story of family, and of war, and of destruction. It’s painful to watch, but not in a bad way. It makes its audience reflect on their own actions, and in how they are complicit in the sufferings of others as the adults in this film are. Grave of the Fireflies does not hold back from being heartbreaking, and it shouldn’t. It tells a message that needs to be heard decades after the war, and a story that cannot be forgotten by history.
It's good for your film viewing needs, but isn’t going to shake your world. Demonic is trippy sci-fi fun, and that’s about it. And that's pretty cool.
An action film led by two queens, fighting for what they believe in through power and pain.