Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind (2008)

Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical translates beautifully to the screen.

I write for a diversity-focused film review blog, so I’ll be honest: I really wanted to like Pretty Lethal. Starring Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Iris Apatow, Avantika, and Millicent Simmonds, Amazon Prime’s new thriller seemed like it would be a girl power movie about dancers with a horror action twist. Sort of a Suspiria for teens. But with shallow and unlikeable characters, a confusing plot, an overreliance on violence, and cringey dialogue, any fun the movie started out with was quickly lost. What was left was a faint echo of greater horror movies about dancers made before. 

Many call 'Tragedy Girls' a modern-day 'Heathers', and I do see the resemblance. The film asks the same question that all teenagers suffer with: who am I? Well, the movie answers this — you are your online presence.

You'd better buckle up, pack spare underwear, & maybe lay off the drinking for a night, for a gnarly ride in New York!

This powerful story shines with poetic animation, an exploration of deeper truths, and the protagonist's complex search for identity.

An attempt to capture nostalgia that unfortunately just doesn’t work