The United States vs Billie Holiday

 

The United States vs Billie Holiday is a biography of jazz singer Billie Holiday. It covers roughly a 20 year period of her life where she was hounded, harassed and even sometimes set up by the Federal Department of Narcotics, because she continued to perform her protest song, Strange Fruit.

Set in the 1940s, the hair, makeup and costumes were beautiful. The ascetics along with the set were perfectly matched for the era.

I didn’t know a lot about Billie Holiday before watching this movie, so I found her story to be very interesting. Her struggle with addiction was heartbreaking. She was such a beautiful talent but lived a hard life, full of abuse and dependence on unhealthy vices which included men, drugs and alcohol.

I realized quite quickly how this movie still had so much relevance to this day. The war on drugs within the Black and Brown communities never ended and it was never really about the drugs, it was about putting minorities in their place, so I wasn’t surprised to find the parallels, as to the lengths that government would take, to stop a woman from just signing a song.

My only critique is that there were gaps in the story that I wish could have been filled better. I would have liked to know more about Billie’s early childhood, which was only briefly touched upon. I also would have liked an even deeper and clearer dive into her relationships, especially the one she had with Tallulah Bankhead played by Natasha Lyonne.

As far as casting was concerned I could not imagine anyone playing Billie Holiday better than Andra Day. She completely transformed down to the voice of this iconic woman. For her first attempt at acting, Andra was incredible. She took the helm of this ship and soared with it. She gave me so much range and emotion. I really connected to her character. She deserves all of the accolades that she is receiving. One of her love interests and leads was Trevante Rhodes, who shot to fame after the Oscar nominated Moonlight. He gave me a bit of the same as Jimmy Fletcher. I still, however, liked what he did as the even keel guy, facing a moral dilemma, harboring secrets but with all of the flaws within him and Billie, he was still devoted to her.

The United States vs Billie Holiday is a wonderfully made biopic that is sadly still so significant over 80 years later. It does a fantastic job showcasing the complexities of a powerful Black woman who with all her faults is still trying to be a force for change in the face of injustices pressed upon her and her community.

All The Bright Places

 

All The Bright Places is a coming of age love story based on the Jennifer Niven novel of the same name. It is the story of Violet and Theodore, high school students, who are on different sides of the social spectrum. When paired up for a high school project they find the beauty in the most unexpected of places including within each other’s hearts.

The cinematography was full of beautiful rustic, rural shots. The themes around love, loss, undiagnosed mental health and the stigmas surrounding mental illness and bullying were all powerful and prevalent throughout.

The character development was strong and really connects you to these characters who are both battling mental illness demons. Elle Fanning stole the show for me. She is a terrific actress and really brought all the emotions for her role of Violet, the popular girl with a dry sense of humor who is confident but struggling with survivors’ remorse. Justice Smith also did a superb job as Theodore Finch, a kid who was considered a freak by his classmates, but deep down he was just a quirky, kind, young man who struggled expressing himself and connecting with his family. They both played well off of each other and you really wanted to root for them.

The script was really well written and pulled at the heartstrings. I appreciated that the writer took the time to attempt an honest conversation about mental health and what can happen when mental illnesses goes undiagnosed. My only critique was that there was a bit of a gap with how some of the scenes connected at the end. I think it would have been helpful for the writer and director to stick closer to the book and have included those missing scenes because it would have helped to further understand the character of Finch.

Even with that minor critique, All The Bright Places is a fantastic film, full of heart and quite the tear jerker. Get tissues for this one. You’ll need it.

Serenity

Serenity is a thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Diane Lane. When fishing boat captain, Baker Dill, played by McConaughey, gets an unlawful, monetary proposal from his ex, he must juggle with what is right and what is wrong in a reality where nothing is what it seems.

This story was unlike anything that I have seen recently. It was a unique and interesting concept. The script was engaging and encourages you to pay attention to all the layers of this film until they are peeled back in a big reveal at the end.

I thought that the acting from the entire cast was great and the character development was pretty decent as well. McConaughey as Baker Dill, a man, down on his luck, only driven to catch a fish. Hathaway, as Karen Zariakas, a woman stuck in a violent relationship, desperate for help. Lane as Constance, a mysterious and intriguing woman in the town. Jason Clarke played his typical type casted villain, Frank Zariakas, Djimon Hounsou was great as Duke the compass for good and Jeremy Strong was a surprise but interesting addition as Reid Miller, the salesman with an ulterior motive.

Overall this was a very thought-provoking movie, it that keeps you on your toes until the end. It isn't your typical ending, so some might not like it, but I thought that it was definitely worth checking out.

Sorry To Bother You

 

Sorry To Bother You is a dark comedy set in alternate present-day version of Oakland, California. It follows Cassius "Cash" Green, a young telemarketer, who changes his voice to successfully move up the ranks at his job, only to discover that his company is not what it seems.

This was a well brought together cast of talented actors. I thought that Lakeith Stanfield did a nice job in the lead and that he and Tessa Thompson played well off of each other. I also enjoyed the additions of Omari Hardwick, who gave me a very interesting character and something different than anything that he has portrayed in the past. Terry Crews was his typical self but he did add a bit of comedy to the movie along with Danny Glover who was a pleasant surprise in his role. Armie Hammer, on the other hand, didn’t give me a lot of range from what I’ve seen of his past performances but he did enough to bring the glamorous CEO, with an unorthodox vision for his company, to life. My only other critique here is that I would have liked a bit more character development for the cast. 

The themes around greed, capitalism and code switching were great and extremely relevant. The script however, wasn’t very funny to me and some of the twists got unnecessarily weird. The movie ended up turning into a strange fantasy film that I was not prepared for. I was left feeling like I was presented with a really cool idea but was delivered a terrible script and execution. I wasn’t a fan, at all, of where the director chose to take the plot and therefore would not recommend this movie.

The Secrets We Keep

The Secrets We Keep is a drama set in the late 1950s/early 1960s United States. Roughly 15 years post World War II, it follows Maja Reid, a Romanian woman, attempting to rebuild her life in the suburbs with her American husband, Lewis, played by Chris Messina, and their son. One day her fears resurface as she thinks she has come across a man from her past. She then does the unthinkable and kidnaps that man to seek retribution for the heinous war crimes she believes he committed against her and her sister.

I thought that the plot was interesting, unpredictable and suspenseful until the very end. Themes around the effects of suppressed trauma, what it takes to get to forgiveness, and vengeance were prevalent throughout.

The cinematography was well done and clear in cutting back and forth in time. It helped to give a proper character development and backstory for Maja.

Acting was superb. Noomi Rapace worked well off of Chris Messina as well as Joel Kinnaman who placed Thomas Steinman. Noomi was the show stopper for me. She really made you struggle the whole time with has she lost her mind or is she telling the truth? Additionally, I've seen Joel in a couple of different things, and I think that has done a great job a choosing very unique projects that give him an opportunity to show a lot of different characters and thus flex his range as an impressive actor.

Overall this was a very well made movie. It was engaging, taking you on a wild ride all the way until the end, and doesn't disappoint. In the end, the Secrets We Keep is well worth the watch.

Adventureland

 

Adventureland is a coming of age comedic story of James, a college graduate, who is forced to take a low income job at his local amusement park, when his European summer plans are crushed.

Set in the summer of 1987, I thought that the soundtrack, hair and costumes were appropriate for the time.

There were certain plot points throughout the movie that were extremely predictable. However, the themes about relationships, real world preparedness, and growing up were prevalent and relatable.

The style and cinematography gave plenty of indie vibes and the script was full of dry humor.

The cast was a unique hodgepodge of characters from pre-Deadpool Ryan Renyolds, to early Kristin Wiig, to typical awkward Jesse Eisenberg. Kristen Stewart’s role was also within her typed casted wheelhouse. No one really stood out or gave me a lot of range but the performances from everyone were okay. I would have, however, appreciated more diversity and character development amongst the cast.

Overall the movie pace was a bit slow and boring with just a couple blips of something interesting. For me, even though Adventureland only came out about 12 years ago, it just didn’t hold up to the quality of movies today. In the end, this is not one that I’d watch again.