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Jeremy Pope - THE INSPECTION

"The Inspection is a 2022 American drama film written and directed by Elegance Bratton. Inspired by Bratton's real-life experiences, the film follows a young man who faces homophobia, both at a Marines boot camp and at home from his mother. It stars Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, Andrew Kai, Aubrey Joseph, Bokeem Woodbine, and Gabrielle Union." - Wikipedia

THE INSPECTION is a study in building character, especially in the sense that Ellis (Pope) more so builds the characters of those around him as they come to accept who he is. By eventually becoming a family away from family, they realize that his sexual orientation is as much a part of him as his drive, his trustworthiness, his ability to stand with his fellow grunts. And they're made better by understanding that his "difference" is really no different than any of theirs.

Of course, not everyone sees it that way -- his mother Inez (Gabrielle Union) is somehow under the impression that he joined the military in order to become a hetero man who would get all the ladies. That somehow the training was a "get straight" camp. It would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic.

In this interview, Jeremy talks about his character's journey.

THE INSPECTION is available on streaming platforms.

#JeremyPope #GabrielleUnion
#EleganceBratton #A24

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Damn, that was fun! I don’t know about you, but I find the symbolism of a Black woman destroying one of the most famous icons of beauty in the world (read — a specific type of beauty) in order to crumble the ill-gotten empire of a con-artist White man who is only wealthy and considered legendary because he stole ideas and credit from others (most notably from said Black woman) and surrounded himself with “yes men” pretty fucking disruptive.

Not only that, but in this interview with Janelle Monáe, she pointed out that the symbolism goes even further. Cassandra and Helen, the names of the twins she plays in the movie, are referencing the sisters of the same names in Greek mythology. Despite being familiar with their stories (more so Cassandra’s than Helen’s) I didn’t catch the reference, but it goes to show that there are near countless fun layers of the film to peel back. Naturally, Helen of Troy was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, and she was responsible for burning Troy to the ground.


Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Glass Onion is the latest installment of the Knives Out (or “A Benoit Blanc Mystery”) series. And it’s a complex — yet deliberately deceptively simple and fun — murder mystery that puts the social media age on trial (I mean, who hasn’t heard of at least one Birdie [Kate Hudson]?).

Simple, much like the “murder mystery” set up in the beginning, because it’s easy to see how Miles (played perfectly by Edward Norton) would be the vainglorious villain. But complex, because it could have turned out a number of ways. In fact, it just as easily could have ended with each one of them having a hand in Cass’s (Andi’s) physical death, just as they did her social and financial “death”.

As mentioned and shown in the movie, the mystery is a glass onion itself — seemingly complex with many layers, but the center is in plain sight.

There’s an interesting thing that happens — in watching movies and in life. Observing our reactions, questioning our perceptions. When Miles gives the drink to Duke (Dave Bautista) the first time, I noticed. And I clocked the fact that he switched it in his retelling. But — even though I initially thought that he deliberately poisoned his friend — I made excuses for Miles.

Maybe he misremembered. Maybe he told it differently because he didn’t want to be blamed, but he didn’t do it intentionally. And “so it goes”. And while that’s just a natural part of trying to figure out a mystery, isn’t that kind of the point? Earlier in the movie, Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) explains to shareholders that while a lot of what Miles does is insane garbage, he is given the benefit of the doubt because of one idea he presented that was bankable.

That is what those like him live on. Enough to make the audience doubt what is right in front of their faces — Miles was the one with the most to lose if Cass revealed that she had the real napkin all along. It’s as clear as day when she (really, Helen disguised as Cass) arrives on the island and the blood drains from Miles’s face.

Like the first Knives Out, the cast is simply immaculate. The performances are seamless and believable, no matter how outlandish the characters. They could have been plucked from any news story from the past few years about said types of people. And Daniel Craig’s take on the detective has given us a new, engaging icon in Benoit Blanc, in the style of Jessica Fletcher (R.I.P. the great Angela Lansbury, making an appearance in the film in one of her last roles), Columbo, Monk, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and others.

(As a side-note, I watched this movie a second time with my SO, and he was the one who caught that Hugh Grant’s character and Benoit are married. I thought Hugh was his butler or assistant, like a Batman and Alfred situation!)

And, of course, Janelle Monáe playing as two (or rather three) characters was likely

The richness of RICHES! A thoroughly dynamic show, RICHES follows two families separated by an ocean and drawn together by a man and his company. One of the best things about this show is that it includes several Black cultures - African, British, American, Caribbean. There's so much to explore with this series, but ultimately it is a fun, nail-biting drama in the vein of the classic DYNASTY. So if that's your thing, you will adore RICHES.
In this interview, Deborah Olayinka Ayorinde talks about how her role in RICHES differs from her role in another popular series, THEM, and the challenges of acting.
 
#AmazonStudios #AbbyAjayi #DeborahAyorinde  #HughQuarshie  #SarahNiles  #BrendanCoyle  #HermioneNorris #BlackHistoryMonth #filmandtvhistory

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"[Set in England in 1980] EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a 2022 British romantic drama film written and directed by Sam Mendes. The film stars Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Monica Dolan, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, Toby Jones, and Colin Firth." - Wikipedia

I would say that EMPIRE OF LIGHT is not what you would expect. It starts off seemingly only focused on one subject, but blossoms into a story about two people who manage to grow through different but nevertheless similar experiences. Hilary (Olivia Colman) and Stephen (Micheal Ward) almost couldn't be any different. She's a middle-aged White woman dealing with sexual harassment on the job. Stephen is a bright, young Black man with his whole future ahead of him. Yet through a shared feeling of being abused and outcast, they build something of a relationship, albeit temporary, that changes them. It's a lovely story--with some hints of HAROLD AND MAUDE--a carefully crafted visual love letter to film, and a sympathetic portrayal of the struggles of living in a world that often refuses to acknowledge the pain, both physical and mental, of "outsiders".

I was glad to see that it went more in depth about the experience of racism and understanding it from multiple points of view, rather than simply having Stephen be a one-dimensional symbol for Hilary's growth. While there is growth from her experiences with Stephen, it's mutual and is more about the ways in which shared emotions can impact each person in unexpected ways.

I also enjoyed the cinematic composition of the film as much as the symbolic changes in Hilary's style of dress as she continued to inwardly transform, particularly near and at the end of the story.

In this interview, Sam Mendes talks about the intricate nature of the story and the deeply personal experiences that influenced him during the writing and directing of the movie. #SamMendes #EmpireofLight #OliviaColman #MichealWard

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Created by Michelle King and Robert King (both of whom also created the hit show EVIL) and Phil Alden Robinson, the series deals with a law firm and the internal and external drama that comes with that. Audra and Michael play Liz and Julius, respectively.

In season six, Audra finds herself at odds with the new bigshot at the firm, played by Andre Braugher - all while chaos abounds due to protests outside and terrorist threats inside the firm.

In this interview, they talk about their expectations of working on the final season and working with Braugher.

Episodes available on Paramountplus.

#AudraMcDonald #MichaelBoatman #RobertKing #MichelleKing #PhilAldenRobinson #AndreBraugher #ChristineBaranski #SarahSteele #CharmaineBingwa #ParamountPlus #CBS #TheGoodFight #EvilSeries

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This harrowing documentary visits in the present day some of those children whose lives were upended during Hurricane Katrina. Largely forgotten by the mainstream after the tragedy, they have had to come to terms with what it meant to relocate and adjust in a world that treated them as a burden.

The director himself was also a child then, and uses his own experiences and emotions to round out this meaningful film that brings a light to what it means to look out for oneself and those less fortunate. It also takes into account the responsibility our system has to rebuild not just cities and towns but also lives, after disasters.

Available on hbomax.

#EdwardBuckles #MieshaWilliams #CierraChenier #ArnoldBurks #CalvinBaxter #DamarisCalliet #QuintinaThomasGreen #LutherClementLam #AudreyRosenberg #HBOMax

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