Christopher Kendalls

It wants to be the opposite of Big (1988) but it's really weird and the message gets lost in the theatrics. Has a lot of cringe moments. Not necessarily a bad movie, just that being inspired by Big is a tall order. To be fair it's about what you'd expect from a kids movie today. It's really more of a vehicle for Marsai Martin, who most of you will remember from Black-ish. Considering how comedy has changed and that it isn't the eighties anymore this is about what one would expect. It's better than 13 Going on 30. If you can get past the problematic nature of the film, such as the younger Jordan Sanders still acting like an adult even though she's physically a 13 year old, you'll probably like this movie. But it isn't a classic like Big.

Must watch this film if you're a fan of Fences. Another August Wilson play adaptation. To be fair I don't feel that any of these adaptations are better than Fences. But I do feel that for what it's worth I can confidently give this four stars. This film is more spiritual and has themes of horror that aren't present in the other films. People should know this going in. It felt like a Jordan Peele film at times. No one will be scared by it but it does give one a lot to think about as it touches on the divide between Christianity and the spirituality of our African ancestors and how those traditions intersect in Pittsburgh. Yes Pittsburgh again. Not so much of a presence as it was in Fences but it is the setting. As interesting as that is there are several other places Blacks migrated to. But one has to consider who is telling the story here and what Pittsburgh meant to them to appreciate why it continues to come up in the work. This time around much was made about Mississippi and Kansas City. Again it wasn't a bad film it just tried to merge the existential with the spiritual in a way that is difficult to do in a 2 hour film. Wasn't sure that the film knew what it wanted to be at times. If you want to explore, again, how Southern a lot of Northerners are this is one to watch. If you don't care so much about that this may not be the film for you.

Updated for newer audiences but still maintains the feel of the original. I wasn't expecting the 90s film aesthetic with this remake but this one does a good job and does not compete with the original film. They didn't steer too far away from the original concept either. This film does not have the star power of the first one but that's actually a good thing. The premise this time around is that storm chasing has changed and there's a social media/homegrown celebrity culture that the real scientists have to deal with now. It's an interesting development but it doesn't get in the way of the story. I don't normally give 5 starts to remakes/sequels but this one can stand on its own in my opinion.

Black and brown women give up their normal, boring, unfulfilled lives to stay on the island and fulfill everyone else's fantasies while they never realize their own. And the men that are dumb enough, or unfortunate enough to be willing participants in these fantasies always come up short. So basically women making a deal with the enemy. You know because Eve ate the apple from the tree. The original show had the decency to copy the Twilight Zone and show us the error of our ways. This show is not content to leave it there. The Island speaks to you, the Island chose you, one is an orifice the Island uses to fulfill their customers fantasies yeah I'm sure that it does. At least in the 1978 version they were upfront about what people paid to be there, right in the opening.

An "old New York" show about what it was like for fire/ems/police with insufferable characters. Season 3 episode 1 is worth a watch because it deals with September 11. Sort of hard to watch now being that it is in 4:3 ratio and feels more like the dramas of the eighties and the colors are muted. 16:9, HDR and high definition has spoiled us. Probably would have aged better had they used film. If you can get past that this show is about as good as anything else from the late 90s/early 00s. People love this show. I can't really get with the characters they're not as interesting as what you'd get from say, Chicago PD or Chicago Fire. Plus there's way too many characters to keep up with as they show is about all of the emergency services in New York not just one department. What is interesting is seeing Cody Bell from The Game in a more serious show. Michael Beach is good as always.