All In: The Fight for Democracy

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  • Title: All In: The Fight for Democracy
  • IMDb: link

All In: The Fight for Democracy movie reviewAll In: The Fight for Democracy tackles voter suppression in a documentary that examines both the racial roots of a practice to disenfranchise voters over the color of their skin and specifically Stacey Abrams‘ defeat in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election which led to her becoming a national voice on the subject. Tied both to Abrams’ own account, who produced the film and appears multiple times on camera, while also tackling the larger historical look and voter suppression, at times the documentary from Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus feels a bit fragmented.

Like Slay the Dragon, All In: The Fight for Democracy examines gerrymandering, but here the subject is tackled along with several other aspects of voter suppression including poll taxes, literacy tests, and modern examples such as Voter ID laws. The former feels a bit more targeted with time to go into further depth. However, the film is still quite informative and works as intended – as a rallying cry to fight for your right to vote and be aware of those who would try to take it away for their own selfish ends.

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MacGyver – Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: MacGyver (2016) – Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO
  • wiki: link

MacGyver - Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO television review

“Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO” picks up the long-dormant thread of the missing member of the team: Jack Dalton (George Eads). Eads, who left the show in the middle of the show’s Third Season, doesn’t appear in the episode other than in previously-shot footage to open the show in which Jack leaves the team to join a task force to hunt down terrorist Tiberius Kovac. The episode opens with Jack’s body returned to the United States and the team’s wake for their fallen friend. Nearly two-years since Dalton’s exit, this episode has been coming for awhile. The only real surprise is how quickly things are wrapped-up in a single-episode storyline (rather than kick-off a longer arc).

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One Night in Miami

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: One Night in Miami
  • IMDb: link

One Night in Miami movie reviewRegina King brings Kemp Powers’ award-winning play to the silver screen offering a fictionalized account of the gathering of four prominent Black Americans, – Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) one night in Miami after Clay beat Sonny Liston (Aaron D. Alexander) to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. The contemplative gathering, coordinated by Malcom X, is far from the raucous celebration the others expected, but it delivers dramatic tension aplenty as tempers flare over disagreements on the role of prominent black men in America.

Kemp Powers is on-hand to adapt his own screenplay, and Regina King adds some nice touches here (including showing us some of the Liston/Clay fight) to help set the stage. The real movie takes place once the four men get in a room together. Despite relying on larger-than-life characters, the film doesn’t caricaturize them in any way, presenting them of men of the time with strong opinions and passions. Four men alone in a room arguing may not sound like the key to crafting a can’t-miss film, but King and Kemp pull it off.

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Palm Springs

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  • Title: Palm Springs
  • IMDb: link

“It’s one of those infinite time loop situations that you might have heard about.”

Palm Springs movie reviewPalm Springs would fit perfectly in in a triple-feature nestled snuggly between Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow. When we meet Nyles (Andy Samberg), through the eyes of bridesmaid Sarah (Cristin Milioti), he’s already stuck in a time loop around the events of the wedding of Sarah’s sister Tala (Camila Mendes). A flirtatious night between the pair leads to Sarah accidentally becoming trapped in the loop as well (although her circumstances are a bit more complicated than simply being a guest at the wedding).

Director Max Barbakow and writer Andy Siara team-up to deliver an incredibly smart, engaging, and charming film centered around the two leads (and to a lesser extent J.K. Simmons as the only other person aware of the loop). Time is rebooted once they fall asleep, lose consciousness, or die. Unable to break free of the loop, Nyles and Sarah struggle to find meaning in a meaningless existence where one day literally is the same as the next. Although it doesn’t break new ground with the concept, Palm Springs knows how to make the most out of each day and delivers the best comedy of 2020.

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Star Trek: Discovery – The Sanctuary

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  • Title: Star Trek: Discovery – The Sanctuary
  • wiki: link

Star Trek: Discovery - The Sanctuary television review

“The Sanctuary” introduces Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) to Book‘s (David Ajala) home world of Kwejian which is under attack by Osyraa (Janet Kidder) and the Emerald Chain because of Book’s role in the events from the previous episode. The takeaways from the encounter are that the Emerald Chain is a lot less impressive in action than in rumors (its flagship is beaten by the limited firepower of Book’s courier vessel) and that Ryn (Noah Averbach-Katz) may prove to be a valuable ally for Discovery and the Federation. The disappointment of the Emerald Chain is a reminder to the underwhelming reality of Voyager’s journey through the Delta Quadrant giving us new races such as the Kazon. Going where no one has gone before sounds great… until you need to fill it with interesting aliens.

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