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American Fiction–Truth or Dare

The 2024 Academy-Award nominated indie film, American Fiction,  directed by Cord Jefferson, is  based upon the 2001 novel, “Erasure”, by Percival Everett. Black novelist and literature professor Thelonious Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), nicknamed “Monk” (perhaps after the famous jazz musician) is incensed that his novels are not well-received by readers, both Black and White.  An academic specializing in Greek mythology and drama, his books are nonetheless shelved under African American literature in bookstores.  Monk is an upper-class intellectual with a gay brother (Sterling...

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A Small Light–In a Very Dark World

A Small Light, a  National Geographic eight-episode miniseries, chronicles the life of a young German woman in her twenties, Miep Gies (Bel Powley).  Sent as a little girl by her mother  to a more safe environment in Amsterdam, unaware that  Amsterdam is on the verge of being overtaken by  Fascism. Miep, emotionally abandoned by her family, begins work for Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) in his pectin factory, manufacturing the essential ingredient for making jam and jelly.  Soon, however, her boss will be forced to take his family into hiding from the Nazis.  Bravely,   Miep and her husband...

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Hunger (2023)–Parasite Anyone?

This Thai thriller features a beautiful young woman, Aoy,  and a terrifying megalomaniac celebrity chef  Paul.  Aoy stir-fries noodles in her family’s noodle shop as a fast-food cook alongside her brother and her parents. In contrast, Chef Paul berates his staff mercilessly.   In an upscale restaurant environment, Chef Paul is a culinary darling among the very wealthy. Invited to join Chef Paul, the perfectionist, Aoy is thrilled at the opportunity.  Hunger soon reveals sadism and disturbing egomania in the rarified and unsavory restaurant industry.  But the young noodle-fryer refuses...

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May-December–Mirror, MIrror on the Wall

Loosely based on the tabloid-heavy coverage of a scandalous sexual affair  by a 36-year-old teacher, Mary Kay Leourneau, perpetrated on her 12-year-old student, Vili Fualaau, Todd Haynes’ May December continues the story over twenty years later.   The couple, Joe (Charles Melton) and Gracie (Julianne Moore) are a picture-perfect married couple with two children, (born while Gracie was serving her prison sentence). Currently, the family is ensconced in a waterfront mansion in Savannah, Georgia,  blissfully ignoring their past. In walks a B-list actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman),...

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The Burial–Reaching Beyond the Grave

The wealthy almost always have an impact on the financial decisions of the poor and on limiting their options to make informed choices. Combine that with the shameful  racist history in the US and we have the new Amazon Prime release: The Burial. Based upon a true story,  the opening scene features small business proprietor, Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), celebrating his seventy-fifth birthday. Surrounded by his loving wife and many adult children and grandchildren, all is not well for Jeremiah.  His Biloxi, Mississippi funeral home business of eight branches...

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Can You See Us?–Before Your Eyes

The first full-length Zambian movie released  on Netflix (August 27), Can You See Us? is inspired by the life of John Chiti, a popular international  singer, who is albino.   (The main character is named Joseph in the film, not John.) When Chama gives birth to Joseph, his father rejects him and his mother.  Chama is thrown out of her home with nowhere to go.  A compassionate taxi driver Martin (Kondwani Elliot Zulu)  marries her and adopts Joseph as his son. The young family’s life becomes more and more difficult.  As an albino child, Joseph must  navigate a childhood of bullying....

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