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The 100: Nevermind (2019)
Flashback episode!
I loved The 100's flashback episodes. They remembered Wells finally. he was Clark's family after all. Hope he comes back. Nice to see those who were gone back in this episode.
The Christmas Pact (2018)
Jarod Joseph
If you were a fan of LA Complex, you are probably gonna be here. It funny that after such epic characters in LA Complex, Jarod Joseph and Andra Fuller went on to do cheesy Christmas movies and brief side roles for about 10 years now. The idea here is good, the acting of the American actress playing Sadie ruins the vibe. No chemistry with Ben(Jarod) It's like he has chemistry with everyone in the film, except her. Nice to see The Different World actors reunion. Other than that, mostly ended up here because I'm always following up on The LA Complex actors. Jarod did flawless acting as always.
Moonlight (2016)
A case when Oscar's cliché labels ruined a quiet and wise little film full of metaphors and philosophy.
I saw the filming of this movie in 2015. I don't think anyone on the set even thought it is going to be on a big screen, let win an Oscar. The only bad things about this film is all the wrong mainstream attention it's getting. This is a very quiet film that is best watched alone, without knowing much about it. The word Moonlight here is a metaphor, for a bleak ray of hope for love and empathy that the protagonist tries to carry through a conformist society that wants him to be something that he is not. I like how this is not about a cliché coming out or even coming of age. There is no happy end here. It a very wise, realistic tale about a timeless dilemma: Society vs Individual. Despite what big reviews are saying, this is not a film about sexual orientation or race. It takes place in Miami where most black people are not traditional African-Americans that live of north of Miami-Dade county line. Racial stereotypes is a moot point in this neck of the woods. In fact Juan is a Cuban immigrant who impersonates an African-American drug dealer. That mask elevated him in a society where he otherwise would've been an outcast . This identity crisis later mistakenly is inherited by the protagonist. The LGBT struggle aspect doesn't even exist here, as Chiron is not outcasted and bullied because he is gay, but because he can't conform to the labels of society that surrounds him. The homophobia in this film is portrayed in a more realistic light. Here it's a tool to stifle those who are introverted and empathetic. It highlights how mentally weak boys are in groups, and how apathetic the girls are when they are giggling during bullying, even though the bully is comparing Chiron to a woman, as if being a woman is degrading. Everyone knows this, but they will all go on about their business, while the victim will face a beating and humiliation. However, if he was a flamboyant and loud gay guy without any integrity, would he really have the same problems? In fact we don't even know how important gay sex is for him, because this film doesn't even try to reveal that, because frankly it's never important in his situation. He just wants to be left alone pretty much. His sexually curious friend on the other hand is obviously was way ahead of Chiron, as far as gay sexuality goes. He, however, never been bullied and never been an outcast, since he conforms to societal "norms." Chiron wouldn't feel comfortable in any collective identity since he is extremely introverted. This person will not be happy in a gay community, black community, or any other cliché group identity where most weak people hide. He leaves us while he is hanging onto his collective "Black" identity, but his internal struggle to find his real self is making him a mental wreck at this point. Berry Jenkins actually said that Chiron and Kevin will never be together and that Chiron is too wounded by the society to build any kind of relationship in it. It is also a fact that the film was heavily trimmed due to low budget and many important factors, such as Juan's past and grief scenes over his death, were left out. There is an original script floating on the internet somewhere. In another interview, before the mainstream crowned this film as an LGBT/race drama, I heard how the cast was talking that this is a film about people who have not found their tribe yet, and less likely will ever find it. Indeed, I think the film is trying to show us that the society is pretty much a sewer system and most people are the sewer that flows through it. Those who don't conform to it, become either outcasts or impersonators of identities that will elevate them in the society, even though they know very well that this society is a sewer and they have a very little respect for it. And those who went with the flow of the society, at the end of the line will feel nothing but regret and wasted years, i.e. Kevin.
This is a good mental flick with a lot of metaphors and philosophy. I don't know how it ended up at something as mainstream as Oscars and therefore brought these blockbuster audiences who will not get this film. They want Broke Back Mountain and 12 years of slave, but this quiet film is not even close to it. In fact if you like those, this film will put you asleep. Even though the cinematography was inspired by Wong Kar-wai films, this film actually reminds me of 80's cinema from the Soviet Union where I grew up as a kid. It was very art-housy and neorealistic, where you watch a pot on a stove for good minute and nothing happens, yet the aftertaste after watching these films is very long and strong. i. e. Little Vera 1985, Scarecrow 1984 and many more. Some moments in Moonlight also reminds me of House of Sand and Fog, and a little film Sue, where a woman is so given up on fitting in that she is loosing her mind from loneliness. Anyways, this film is good, it's just not designed for mainstream American audiences.
Malenkaya Vera (1988)
Final years of the Soviet Union.
It's alarming, to say the least, how little the English speaking world knows about Russia's past. Everyone keeps saying Russia, but I grew up in the Soviet Union, and I can't really call it an exclusively Russian film like everyone else. Ironically, this movie was filmed in Zhdanov(Mariupol), which is now a part of Ukriane. The director chose this city because that's where he was from and he wanted to show the reality of life there. This city always been a ghetto. Now it's even worse, since that part of Ukraine is engulfed in a civil war. So the hopeless openededness of this film was right on point. Unfortunately, I have a feeling the main character would most likely die sometime in the 90's to early 2000's. Even moving wouldn't help, cause the whole area of the former Soviet Union later became a total cesspool of violent crime and drug/alcohol addiction.
During the late 80's, right before the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a plethora of similar films, but for some weird reason only this one was known outside of the country. There were films with worse sex scenes before and after this one, and unlike many other countries, there was no censorship, so TV was full of nudity at the time. So I am really confused why this was praised for a "sex scene", or "rock n' roll"(?!). This film is none of that. This era of Soviet film was actually called "Chernuha" which translates as darkness, despair, gritty. Films during this time were full of realism, had this art-house vibe and yet very genuine acting, and always had a somewhat hidden psychological or philosophical dilemma in it. Sounds like Oscar's winner Moonlight. Indeed, if Moonlight took place in the 80's Soviet Union, and instead of drugs people were drinking, it would fit right in. Some scenes are almost identical with those Soviet films. (i.e. filming a pot on a stove for a good 1 minute or so, or a character is staring at something or thinking for a long time.) I actually seen a lot of them when I was a kid, but it took me decades to watch most of them again. Many never been preserved and therefore are in a very bad shape and some I still can't find, so they were pretty much lost during the switch to the digital format. During the 90's, Russian society rejected everything from the Soviet era. Even this film would have probably been lost if it wasn't for this unusual international hype about it because of some naive sex scene.
There are some odd moments in the film that I only noticed when I watched it as an adult. There is really good and rare collector's items Italo-Disco(CC Catch) blasting from TV during the house party. A phenomena of an underground music style in North America that was only played at gay clubs, was actually a mainstream thing in the Soviet Union. Then there is a clear pedophile situation at a cafe between a man and a very young girl. Another strange scene is where Vera gets accidentally hit by a pot in the head by her drunk girlfriend with a black kid. It was also sort of disturbing to see how she was calling him names and screaming at him when she was drunk, which followed by a scene where he was alone watching a silly cartoon on TV about staying away from Africa because it has dangerous animals, while it's very obvious that life for this kid with black skin in that hell hole of a town is probably worse than being in an African jungle...
The film is as real as it gets. The life was like this for most of the Soviet Union back then. So I definitely would recommend it as a learning artifact. Also Vera means hope. So the name of the film in Russian means also "A very little hope".
Being Mary Jane (2013)
Not your typical cliché BET series, at least it's trying not to be one.
Very relatable by all walks of life who have to keep their lives private, yet have all these responsibilities. The main character is flawed and has constant moral dilemmas. It's very surprising that this is on BET, which was always plagued by stereotypical programming. Even when a good show moved to BET in the past, like The Game for example, the network pressure ended up ruining it. So when I saw a BET logo on the bottom of the screen when I was binge watching Mary Jane, I was very surprised. The same happened when I discovered well written gems like LA Complex and The 100 were from the CW, which I thought was a dull teen network. Well, I guess not anymore, times are changing. The show is very emotional at times, and I am sure BET may still try to spin this into another cliché, I hope that the writers will find a way around it. The show is a must watch for everyone, you do not have to be a black woman to understand the struggles of the main character. There are some tiny clichés in the interactions between different races on the show, but it seems to be a thing with the Atlanta based productions so far. Still the writing is great, and the show stand out. The race subject is approached very intelligently, yet it's not really what this show is about. It's instead is a look into a complexity of our lives in today society, which is so much more different than even 7-8 years ago. It's a very thought provoking from the start. Can't wait for the next season.
Election (1999)
Not what it seems from looking at the poster
a must watch before each political election, especially this year... Tracy flick represents every lying, over-achiever-sociopath, who are often presented to the society as a successful person. so if you hate overly ambitious people without any moral compass(which is pretty much most of them ha ha), than this movie is sooo for you. it also makes fun of the election process as a whole, so this movie is totally dedicated to this year's presidential election in the US. the trailer and the picture art however send a totally wrong vibe about this gem. it's a very thought provoking dark comedy about the society and how pathetic most of it really is. can be watched over and over probably even 20 years from now.
Dead of Summer (2016)
Canadian show, actors from The 100 and Lost are in here. needs more 80's sound effects and clothes and lingo...
80's theme through out the episodes, but not enough though. If you are going to do an 80's series then you need way more 80's over the top clichés, and there is not enough so far. Most characters look like they are from 90's or 2000's. The second and 3rd episodes are much better then the pilot. 80's acting. they could have made music and clothes and hair more 80's, as of now it doesn't resemble 80's all the way... still a good watch, suspenseful. They all drink, yet there was an American flag at the camp, which is confusing as to where is this taking place, because they are too young to drink if they were in the US. It would only make sense if they are in Canada, where in fact the filming is taking place. Vancouver's Eli Goree(THE 100) is here, and looks like he is falling for an older woman. Curious where this will lead on a teen network like this...
The 100 (2014)
Not your typical CW show...
This is the my second CW show, after LA Complex, that feels like I am watching some HBO production without all the unnecessary sex and language. I was afraid that the usual CW audience will not understand it and ratings will fall like it did with LA Complex back in the day. I am glad it didn't, although TV ratings seem like a really outdated measurement since no one really watches shows on TV's anymore.
The series starts slow. There is no instant gratification since characters are learning who they are as well since they are so young and clueless about what happened to them in the beginning. Then the roller-coaster begins.
For 3 seasons I have not seen any clichés or predictability that you would expect from a typical CW line up. There is a bland Sci-Fi channel feel to it sometimes, but it is quickly overpowered with heart wrenching dramatic twists and turns in the storyline.
The 3rd season was complicated, very Sci-Fi, very high paced, and probably had the most extreme emotional ups and downs on the show so far. I have to admit that I had to rewatch the 3rd season to fully understand what's going on.
This series is not for everyone. If you like most shows from CW, this show is not for you. If you like HBO or Netflix stuff, this may not work for you either, cause you will not get your doze of nudity and language here. Still, the plot is pretty dark to qualify for a teen TV show, and it only gets darker with every episode. This is a series about irredeemable flawed heroes, their weaknesses, and their sacrifices. The accent in almost every episode is made on pushing the boundaries of humanity in times of total hopelessness. Everything through out the series is a matter of life and death, so there are no division between races, sexual orientations, or even family, but rather a division between those who you trust and those who you don't. There is lots of death and graphic violence that I normally would not like if it was out of context, but a few episodes in, you may find yourself even rooting for it, believe it or not. I wish the show had more episodes in season 3, because the storyline has gotten so saturated with Sci-Fi, that now I have to keep a really close attention to details. Otherwise I love the show. It is one of my all time favorites, even though I don't usually watch Sci-Fi or violent action shows. The 100 is definitely not what I expected it to be. It turned out to be one of the best series I ever watched.
The sound effects, however, could be improved. Sometimes they are just so off and don't highlight the emotional tension of what's really going on. It needs that Stranger Things sound to highlight the sadness, hopelessness, and mystery of the situations that the show has. The current played out sound effects and even more played out top 40 songs that are simultaniously used in other show and commercials are ruining the unique nature of the show. It need s a good spacey/ trancy/ or 80's style sound effects, or maybe something from the current EDM with sad undertones, but not some cliché sounds from a mindless action thriller blockbuster and played out top 40 that every other is using.