College student Rio is in a relationship with photographer Tomoya. At Rio's university, there is a famous math lecturer named Sakurada who incorporates practical pachinko slot machine play into his classes. Rio plays pachinko slots for the first time in class and shows glimpses of her talent. Rio plays pachinko slots on a date with Tomoya, who is taking pictures instead of playing. Wandering around the store, Tomoya accidentally photographs a group of people setting up a cheating scheme. Tomoya is chased and kidnapped by the group of cheats. And Rio, who has the photographic evidence of the cheating, is also in danger!
In the film adaptation, director Jon M. Chu turns each musical number into a massive show stopper, with grand set pieces and a wealth of diverse dancers. Yet, in this attempt to show reverence for the people of the Washington Heights barrio, Chu, or maybe more specifically those in charge of casting, left out a crucial part of the community, Afro-Latinos.
If you’re also a major fan of the familiar strangers story between two people of different generations, here are 5 underrated films you probably haven’t heard of, but might thoroughly enjoy.
"La Noria" deftly subverts audience expectations as it explores childhood grief, anxieties, and pain. The award-winning short shows us that often our monsters are often sprung from our darkest places.
It’s hard to capture the emotions and thoughts of a character just from a few shots, but Oscar-nominee composer Micachu's haunting melodies prove otherwise in 'Jackie'.
I imagine that it would be a dream job for an actor to play the parts of twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey in I Know This Much Is True.
