Some Dude Reviews Movies

I saw the trailer for Netflix's zany comedy, Coffee & Kareem  (2020), and I thought: "that looks like it could go either way." You know the kind: a movie that is either going to be brilliant, or an absolute piece of garbage? So, one night, with nothing else to do, we tuned it up to find out which way the wind was gonna blow. I. What Is It? This is the story of a kid and a cop on a wild ride through Detroit's seedy underbelly. And that description is actually more nuanced than this entire movie. II. Just Because None of the "characters" in this movie make realistic choices. They make choices just because. Why is a white cop dating a single black mother? Well, just because it would be kinda funny, ya know? Why doesn't a grade school teacher expell a student for sexually harassing her? Well, because. Why does a criminal in possession of video evidence of a murder he helped commit not immediately delete that video? Well,...

Malcolm X is a complicated figure. Or maybe history has just made him one. Or maybe white people are just uncomfortable with his legacy. He has long been a favorite of mine, though. Whenever I teach juniors rhetoric, I pull out "The Ballot or the Bullet" and take great pleasure in contrasting this man's vision with the standard MLK stuff that most kids are already familiar with. But even I don't fully understand Malcolm's arc. That he was more than just the violent yin to MLK's peaceful yang. Malcolm's vision and politics grew as he did, and evolved right up until his violent assassination. I was incredibly pleased, then, when after cruising through a few Spike Lee Joints, I found that Malcolm X (1992) was streaming on Netflix. THIS was a movie for me. So I settled in and prepared for an epic journey. I. What Is It? This is the story of a man and his evolution into one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time. It...

There are very few films that I, when recommending them, insist that people know as little as possible going into a first viewing. There are movies that simply need to be experienced. They need to exist on their own merits without context or prior exposure. Bong Joon-ho's 2019 opus, Parasite , is one such film. *   *   * It is my intention not to spoil any of this movie's surprises: to that end, pardon a review that seems to give short-shrift to a truly masterful movie *   *   * I. What Is It? This is the story of a family that will do anything to survive. Saying anything more would border on spoilers. II. Three Movies in One The first act of this movie is a quirky family comedy. The second act of this movie depicts a con worthy of The Sting (1973). The third act is a horror film. That Bong Joon-ho slips from genre to genre so effortlessly and effectively is a marvel. With each new pivot, he left this view...