In a bustling Los Angeles strip mall parking lot, Mandy is a well-to-do arrival in a gentrifying neighborhood. She brushes off locals, including the woman panhandling outside the laundromat, Lena. But when a dryer eats the last of her quarters, Mandy goes through literal head changes for fifty cents. Blinded by her own biases, she repeatedly dismisses Lena, who keeps approaching her with a soda cup full of change.
In season 3 of 'Umbrella Academy', Diego, Allison, and Viktor finally get character arcs that address their unique experiences as a Latino man, a Black woman who lived through the 60s, and a trans man.
It’s not often in America that you turn on the TV and see a show or a movie with a Muslim protagonist. And when they do, they're usually a negative stereotype. Ms. Marvel changes all of that.
'Midnight at the Paradise' premieres tomorrow at Toronto's Paradise Theatre! I had the pleasure to sit down with Vanessa Matsui to discuss the making of this film.
Overall, Cruella stands above the other Disney retellings. Its dark and bold, and that is exactly what these retellings should be. Emma Stone continues to prove she's one of the finest young actresses working today, and Emma Thompson gives one of the best villain performances in the last decade. The fashion is stunning, the dogs are adorable, and the story is wildly vibrant and original. It's classic movie fun, and it shouldn't be overlooked.
Stand and Deliver is an inspirational classic from 1988 starring Edward James Olmos as Jaime Escalante, and his class of rag tag students in East Los Angeles. It’s the story of how a new teacher shows a motley group of students in the inner city with backgrounds as gang members, dishwashers, and mechanics — the power of self-determination. He teaches the teenagers to believe in themselves through algebra and calculus.
It’s passionately protective of the women mentioned in the story or appearing on screen. Just like the article and the #MeToo movement, the film could help a trapped person find the courage to fight back.
