In 2003 the year of Aomori Asian Games, Dae-woong, a former ice hockey player receives an offer to be a director of Korean national ice hockey team. Before he enjoys the moment, realizes it is a woman national team with bunch of losers; a figure skating player who wants to get married by becoming a national team, a former field hockey player, now a fat housewife, and an expelled short track skater. As an ace player, Ji-won, a former national team player of North Korea, joins the team. But they still have hope as only 5 teams participating this year. With the great victory of first match, they feel the medal is closer, yet Ji-won meets her sister left in North Korea alone as a next opponent...
Hiring bias is something that's rampant in all industries (even unconscious bias). But writing a script totally neutral not only opens the door for more diverse actors, but also for characters that are people first.
Some people’s first introduction to Mira Nair might be as New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mom. But with her insightful direction of 1991’s Mississippi Masala, Nair shows how much she deserves to be known as an artist. Delivering a nuanced portrait of a romance between a Black man and an Indian woman living in the South, Nair explores the complications each character faces, giving both equal weight.
Sing 2 the beat in this jukebox sequel featuring anthropomorphic animals with musical talent.
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.
Twisting what seems to be obvious setups and frameworks is what sets the story structure of Squid Game apart. I appreciate that this narrative is complex but not complicated; an easy enough plot to wrap your head around while still treating the audience like an equal participant in this social commentary
Coolie promised style, action, and Rajinikanth’s mass presence, but did it deliver on substance? Here’s my full review on whether Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film lives up to the hype.
