Monika and Johannes are married. With increasing frequency, their son Manni becomes the focus of their arguments. Since the two cannot agree to a compromise, they decide to break up. The ten-year-old Manni is supposed to spend four weeks with Monika followed by four weeks with Johannes on an alternating basis. They want to prove to each other who has the better parenting skills. The plan fails, however, because Manni is very good at playing his parents off against each other. When Monika and Johannes finally see through their son’s game, they realize that their way of life does not lead to better parenting and they conclude that good parenting can only be achieved if they work together.
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.
Whether you like cinema classics, sketch comedy, or science fiction, HBO Max has something for you! Check out our top picks for diversity and representation.
In Stowaway, director Joe Penna narrates the story of a starship crew (Anna Kendrick as Zoe Levenson; Toni Collette as Marina Barnett; and Daniel Dae Kim as David Kim) struggling with serious technical problems on a two-year mission to Mars. During the trip, they discover aboard the presence of Michael (Shamier Anderson), a stowaway who jeopardizes everyone’s life on board.
Love, Simon (2018) based on the book “Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda” (by Becky Albertalli) is a teen LGBTQ+ rom-com with themes of longing to find others with similar struggles, and ultimately is a story of acceptance of identity from those around you, and most importantly, from yourself.
This powerful story shines with poetic animation, an exploration of deeper truths, and the protagonist's complex search for identity.
Two movies that do a fantastic job in conveying the ongoing struggle for racial justice are Selma (2014) and Just Mercy (2019).
