Not Much More than Magic in 'Maestro'
In 'Maestro,' we're left with an impression but not with an understanding of the main character.

After four years, Kyoko receives a surprise visit from her ex-boyfriend Shunichi, who asks her to die with him. Kyoko agrees. She suffers from the conflict between her inner desire for freedom and her hopeless situation as the secretary of her father, a politician. Kyoko and Shunichi set off for a piece of land belonging to Kyoko's deceased grandfather, hidden away in the mountains. In the great outdoors, the two don't just think about dying. They want to do something in their last weeks that enriches their lives.
In 'Maestro,' we're left with an impression but not with an understanding of the main character.
My review’s title is a nod to Shakespeare and is entirely deliberate. The original movie portrayed the high-end fashion world as a brutal arena of plotting, backstabbing, and betrayal, and most Shakespeare’s plays depend on these plot devices. The Devil Wears Prada 2 uses the same formula, and is, plot-wise, almost identical. Once again, we plunge into the cutthroat world of Runway, where to get and stay at the top, you must let go of your principles and moral sense. The only thing different is that due to the digital era, Runway is not a print magazine anymore, but one that is running online.
Two Distant Strangers (2020) centers around Carter James (Joey Bada$$) as he tries to get back home to his pitbull, Jeter, after spending a night at the apartment of his date Perri (Zaria Simone). What gets in the way of Carter reuniting with his dog is that every time he tries to leave Perri’s apartment, he is killed by police and wakes up back in her bed in a never-ending cycle. It addresses the issue of police brutality which rightly has been in the public eye more and more with the unjust deaths caused at the hands of law enforcement.
The plot could’ve really been interesting if the elements of lycanthropy was integrated with perhaps the struggle of identity of being LGBTQ+. It's an experience for so many that as they’re starting to realizing their true selves, they feel like a monster, especially if they come from unsupportive homes or communities. Instead, the horror and transformation elements seem thrown in without contemplation of how this could deepen the narrative.
The second episode of the highly anticipated Afrofuturism series delivers with a high-speed race teaching us to go far beyond just accepting ourselves.
Marvel’s animated show What If...? ended last week, so let’s go back and look at all of the different universes shown and rank each episode from worst to best!