Staff Picks: Inauguration Edition 2021
It’s almost the end of the first month of 2021, and just over a week since the U.S. saw a new president take office. In light of the occasion, some of us highlighted our favorite political films below!

Samia asks her fiancé Anis to help her sick mother. The police arrest them on charges of drug trafficking, but the court decides to acquit her. With the death of her mother, she goes to live with her wealthy aunt, and there, her cousin Ahmed takes a liking to her and marries her. Years pass and Anis is released from prison and seeks to get close to Samia again. He meets Ahmed and convinces him to participate in some projects to get closer to Samia. He blackmails her with pictures of the police reports, so she decides to get rid of him.
It’s almost the end of the first month of 2021, and just over a week since the U.S. saw a new president take office. In light of the occasion, some of us highlighted our favorite political films below!
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.
If you enjoy Japanese cinema, absurdly violent action films, gangster flicks, or joyfully strange cinema, 'Why Don’t You Play in Hell?' is a must-see.
'Free Guy' combines classic Disney (a white heteronormative love story), exploration of popular video games and the culture around them, and Ryan Reynolds adult humor in the best way to make a super fun family flick.
"Beef" is a new dark comedy with a near entire Asian-American cast
Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is an iconic family favorite with a multi-talented biracial lead that will remain fresh and magical for years to come.