SHINE 41 (2017)

Based on the best-selling novel by Angie Thomas and a maxim of the late Tupac Shakur.

As a huge fan of Sean Baker’s Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket, I’ve wanted to watch Anora since before it even was released. But life got in the way, my watchlist grew, and honestly, the fact that it was marketed as a romantic comedy put me off. Even with all the critical praise and the five Academy Awards it won last year, I just kept postponing it indefinitely.

Despite the film’s efforts to reframe its heroine with modern complexity, a certain emotional distance lingers.

So do I recommend that people see this movie, yes 100%, but do I think they are going to come out of it with 80 hot takes, yes 100%.

A masterful portrayal of a long-forgotten story that needs to be told.

Make no mistake about it, Gilligan has created a continuation that earns its place in the annals of Breaking Bad lore. El Camino isn't a forced entry in an otherwise brilliant world of fiction. This is a satisfying take, which manages to give closure to an iconic character of fiction.