"Sorry to Bother You," but You Have to Watch this Movie!

            Where to begin? The amazing way it imitated the clustered feeling working in a call center gives, the commentary on cellphone manufacturing companies using child labor in the Congo, and how detached from reality some insanely rich CEOs may be. The film tells the story of a call center employee who succeeds in his job by imitating a white person’s voice. The story takes place in the near future, not so far, managing to keep it credible. “Sorry to Bother You,” exemplifies how giant corporations screw their employees over, literally. 

            The setting is very well designed. Having hundreds of people in small cubicles fill a moderate office space, they brought to life the clustered feeling working in a call center gives. This film demonstrates how even the most soul-sucking job becomes bearable because of certain coworkers. 

            “Sorry to Bother You” uses the characters it contains to comment on hot issues. The commentary that stood out the most was that of cellphone manufacturing companies using child labor in Africa to obtain essential elements. Keeping recent reports of children mining cobalt for batteries in the Congo, the message this film sends hits deeper.  

            The time this film takes place in enables certain elements of the movie to be absurd, giving way to comedic relief. Some characters may appear odd and actions implausible, but with it taking place in the future, anything is possible.  This amazing comedy is so well constructed, it takes the comment it wants to make, and portrays it in an enjoyable form that truly resonates. 

This dark comedy portrays insanely rich CEOs as so detached from reality, that they treat their employees as guinea pigs. Lakeith Stanfield did a great job in leading this story forward, and Tessa Thompson provided a nice yin-and-yang effect, giving way to great chemistry on screen!

            Check the movie out when you can, and give it time to simmer, it took me a good twenty-four hours to realize I actually liked it. So again, sorry to bother you, but please watch this movie!  

"Zoolander," a Hilarious Film that Comments on the Benefit Fashion Labels Make off of Child Sweatshops

            “Zoolander” follows a concrete personal and exterior storyline, subtly plants a ticking time bomb in the first scene, and makes a spectacle of well-crafted characters. This comedy does an excellent job at expressing hilarious dialogue; the actors don’t deliver it in a funny voice, but in a serious tone, making it even funnier! The personal storyline follows a male model at the decline of his career, while the exterior storyline shows him being used as a pawn in keeping child labor. The movie builds intrigue immediately by planting a ticking time bomb, and what’s at stake for the villain, in the first scene. Even though the characters feed into the “dumb model” stereotype, that doesn’t stop them from being three-dimensional.

            Derek and Hansel depict ridiculously good-looking models that have no substance, but abundant style.  These empty-headed characters’ incredibly self-centered personalities add comedic scenery to the ride the story takes you on. Derek Zoolander is a good guy that just happens to be really handsome and incredibly stupid- but still a good guy.

We’re introduced to him at the top of his career, yet this new model comes along and knocks him off his thrown. The lead character tries going back to his roots, a small town, but arrives in a crocodile skinned suit. Derek is so use to being the center of attention, that he even wears all white to his roommates’ funeral. 

            Even though the film is a comedy, it does a great job at commenting on how top designers find sweatshops a lucrative business. Will Ferrell steals the show as Mugatu; his facial expressions, body movement, wardrobe, hair, and acting brought to life one of the most hilarious villains ever.

        Each scene gives a better understanding as to who the characters are, besides a model, a journalist, and an evil fashion designer. There were hardly any filler scenes, and if there were, they were hilarious and thank God they kept them. To make a long story short, “Zoolander” is hilarious. Please watch this film- and if you’ve already seen it, then watch it again, it only gets funnier the second time. And remember, not all successful films need a sequel ;) 

 

Speaking about fashion, have you ever noticed how all fashion tv shows tend to be a competition, but never a platform where they're working together towards something mutually beneficial? There's actually a website that's being built for that, basically the "LinkedIn" of fashion. People that design, or sew, or whatnot, can all come together and make money while building credibility as a professional. The website is still under construction, but they need help, I left the link to their kickstarter, feel free to donate a dollar or three, it all helps. 

http://kck.st/2qptz33

"Dear White People" Calls out Modern Black-Face Parties Thrown by White College Students

            "Dear White People" breaks away from the negative Black youth stereotype cultivated by Hollywood over the years. Every individual storyline is incredibly well crafted. The three dimensionality of each character leaps off screen. The exchange of dialogue expressing heavily opposing viewpoints is delivered, written, and portrayed on screen eloquently. The social commentary is worthy of being praised. This film is a powerful contemporary satire, and if it spurred outrage in people because of the title, or the portrayal of white people inflicting daily micro-aggressions on minorities, well, maybe that was the point? Do yourself a favor and watch this modern classic!    

            This successful independent film, that happened to be funded entirely by fans, delivered strong performances, criticizing modern “black faces.” This story narrates the racial tension building up between Black and White students in a predominantly white Ivy League University. Each character has an interesting backstory, one self-deprecating, another of a mixed race questioning her race identity, or a young writer who doesn’t fit any of the stereotypes his counterparts expect of him. “Dear White People” questions why every character in a Tyler Perry movie that’s college-educated is inherently evil, or consists of black women suffering the entire time.   

            The micro-aggressions depicted in the film like, confusing two people just because they’re of the same race, or asking someone who looks ethnically ambiguous what they are, are such an eye opener. 

            Here we are, in 2017, and people are still throwing parties with racist themes like, University Of Florida’s 2012 Blackface party, or Arizona State University’s 2013 MLK Black Party. “Those invitations, whoever sent them, should have been met with derision and outrage, instead, a hundred people- your students arrived with posters, decorations, and costumes they had prepared for such event… showing us exactly where we’re at.” I’ve seen this movie so many times, yet I’m always finding new underlined meaning behind each dialogue exchange. If this comedy makes you feel anything, speak up! In order for us to grow and move on from such an antiquated mentality, we have to take different people’s perspective into count. So, please watch this movie, you won’t be sorry!

           

"Power Rangers" Hits the Feels not Just With the Nostalgia, but the Inclusion as well!

First of all, I must salute this film for having three out of five of the lead roles go to minorities, and even better, their individual story lines have nothing to do with their race! The movie followed a typical superhero film outline, but was embodied with nostalgia; leaving people who grew up watching “Mighty Morphin” walk out of the theater tempted to see it again. “Power Rangers” makes fun of itself at times, delivers surprisingly good performances, some subtle adult jokes, likable characters, and a decent story with three-dimensional teenage superheroes. 

The movie has such a diverse cast and breaks away from the subtle racism of the original show; having an Asian character play the yellow ranger, a native American being the red ranger, and an African American actor playing…  You get the idea. This movie did none of that! We never hear the yellow ranger, portrayed by a Hispanic, speaking Spanish, or see the Asian actor playing the black ranger studying, this film breaks away from those stereotypes. Each character has their personal story line, one dealing with her sexual preference, another dealing with his dying mother, and another being bullied while coping with his father’s death. “Power Rangers” portrays an autistic character with so much respect and in such a fun way, the blue ranger soon becomes a fan favorite. 

The film was endowed with so much nostalgia that it makes the movie even more fun! Anyone that grew up watching the first couple of seasons of the “Power Rangers,” including “Zeo,” enjoys recognizing certain things like, talk about the Zeo crystals, the comical Alpha, the ranger’s cheesy lines during fight scenes, and an epic theme song. Even the editing gave it a “Power Rangers” feel to it, where in every battle, the red ranger asks if their ready, the fellow rangers appear on screen individually responding. The movie surpasses expectation by giving Zordon and Rita a backstory, their own objectives, and understandable motives, which results in a well-rounded story. 

“Power Rangers” is fun for kids and adults. I’m not a kid-person, but even I can sacrifice being around children for this movie. The film offers superheroes for its younger audience, and subtle masturbation jokes for it’s older crowd. The five lead actors were surprisingly good; they each had their own time to shine, and delivered when their moment came on screen. For those of you that have already seen it, what did you think? Did you like it? Did it ruin your childhood? Lemme' know!

"The Sex Addict" Offers a Cascade of Jokes in a Seth-McFarland Manner

  This independent comedy succeeds in portraying how far a sex addict can fall, it continually pushes the buttons through attention to detail, and provides a cascade of jokes throughout the story, giving it a “Seth McFarland” sense of direction. The film follows a young woman documenting her dissertation on sex addiction for her PHD, but the project soon becomes compromised when she falls for “The Sex Addict.”  The first thing I must commend the film on is how it explores the consequences of sex addiction, like, not being able to commit to one person, the restraint it may hold on your job performance...etc. (No Spoiler) There’s a scene where Rex, the subject of the dissertation, is desperate to have sex, and meets up with a girl online. He’s surprised to find out that she’s not a girl, the only thing she has in common with Beyonce? The shoulders.

 

Rex rushes to the bathroom, calls every woman on his contact list, but no one answers. After taking a moment, he goes back inside....

The film shows tremendous attention to detail, there were small things that added to the full comedic relief of the movie. One example is when Rex puts up a sign warning his neighbors to stay off his property. 

       (WARNING. KEEP OUT. TRESPASSERS WILL BE *SEXUALLY* VIOLATED.)

As the story progresses we witness a cascade of jokes taking form in short scenarios, like your boss visiting you at the hospital just to tell you you’re fired. Congratulations to the cast, you can tell everyone was invested in this project, which made those awkward-creepy scenarios into weird/hilarious jokes you can share with a friend like, “this young woman walks into a sex predator’s house…” 

There were certain things I wish they would’ve gone more in depth about like, why did Rex’s parents hate him? And whose story was this by the end of the film? We switch from the woman pursuing her PHD to the intern’s perspective throughout the movie. San Fernando Valley native? Got to watch this! It was fun seeing locations one would pass by on their way to work or whatnot. Ever wondered how deep the lake in Balboa Lake is? 

 As an aspiring filmmaker, I have to applaud the team behind this film on completing this project; this is the true definition of independent filmmaking. They got their shit done, how many of us can say that? Looking for a good indie-comedy?  Check this movie out on the 28^th of April on Video On Demand, or iTunes, or even better, preorder the DVD or Blu-ray the 28^th of March!

"Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil," the Result of Horror and Comedy Having a Beautiful Baby

           "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" is a horror-comedy that does a perfect job at poking fun at the horror genre. A group of preppy college kids believe their friend has been taken by evil hillbillies, they act as if they were in a scary movie, taking things from bad to worse throughout the entire film. This isn’t a comedy where it’s one joke after another, it’s a smart comedy where everything is taken out of context. One example is when Dale, a likable shy hillbilly, approaches a couple of college girls, bursts out laughing awkwardly while holding a scythe... any wonder why the two girls were terrified? 

 

I mean who wouldn’t be creeped out by that? Props to the director and director of photography, if you pause it at any time, since everything was placed perfectly in the shot, you immediately know what type of story this is.

           Another pro is how they switched the roles, where it was the guys that fit the horror film villain archetype turning out to be the protagonist. Each one of the college kids was the typical character you’d find in a campy horror movie, you got the cute final girl, the annoying douchebag, the dumb blonde, etc... 

 

  

          Emphasis on the dumb blonde role...

  

           The writer did a great job! We laugh at these preppy college kids taking things out of context, and we get scared for our beloved hillbillies, and why? Because these damn college kids keep trying to kill 'em!  

           Definitely recommend this film for all horror-comedy fans, you'll laugh, get your nice dose of graphic violence, and sleep well that night. Two thumbs up! 

Check out the trailer below!

"Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood"

First of all, props to the team behind this film, there was so much attention to detail, there was a stereotype in every corner of the room, from having plastic slipcover on everything in the living room to even the kitchen. 

So, the movie’s about Ashtray moving in with his dad, who's apparently younger than he is, and has to tuck his own father into bed every night- nice satirical commentary on kids having kids. 

The movie follows him and his childhood friends dealing with the dangers of their neighborhood. The film was entirely on it's A-game with the relevant social commentary. A clear example of a relevant issue portrayed in this film is a short scene where cops play an arcade game, and the objective of the game's to beat on a black pedestrian.

 Marlon Wayan was robbed of an Oscar in my book! 

"Do We Have a Problem?"

 Another great pro about this movie is the comment on the lack of strength in the structure behind how patients are treated in certain hospitals belonging to certain neighborhoods. 

All in all, it was great movie, please do yourself a favor and watch it, it’s one of those films that everyone should watch at least once in their life, but if you’ve already seen it, then leave a comment letting me know what you thought, I love seeing other’s perspective.