Vaudeville (1997)

Based on Bethany's autobiography "Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board," this heartwarming film tracks the struggle to pursue normalcy and ambition after a major injury.

Self expression among teenagers is explored in the live adaptation of Jerry Spinelli's novel of the same name.

In Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (1986), we follow the love life of powerful female protagonist Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) and explore the relationship dynamics she has with her partners. She sees three men simultaneously: Greer Childs, (John Canada Terrell) Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), and Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks). Though an 80’s film, She’s Gotta Have It is surprisingly progressive with its themes of female sexuality, although at some points in the film it is handled clumsily. Overall Nola is an incredibly compelling character especially for modern women, as we as a society acknowledge female sensuality more and more without the negative stigma.

The “gay best friend”, an age-old trope, has been done in countless films and television series. Ranging from one-note (Sex and the City's Stanford and Mario) to nuanced (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Tituss), the gay best friend exists to support and advise the main protagonist, with their conflicts swept to the side.

Intergenerational friendships and community can be so powerful, and this was a great example.

Overall, Altered Carbon: Resleeved is pretty “meh.” It’s cool and all that it takes a different approach from the TV show to make it animated rather than live action, but it doesn’t help that the animation looks like something from a video game.