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euphoriafish
Reviews
FBI: Fostered (2022)
An important recurring story
The young actor who played Jamal doesn't seem to have a credit yet. We will probably see him on more law enforcement procedural dramas in the future, and he probably has credits I don't know about already. He has a strong, serious expression and had a moment when he says he wasn't at the scene then accepts responsibiity after he is shown the camera footage from the jewelry store robberies. He showed some emotional guarding while he thought he had an alibi, then upset at being told there is a murder connected to the robbery scene that was part of Jamal's black market watch sales, and he lost a friend.
I just started reading Common's memoir One Day It Will All Make Sense, in which he talks about having a hustler attitude and growing up around people who have both legal and illegal hustles. That seems to be the tone of this week's FBI episode. We don't want teenagers to be involved in crime; yet in a big city it is possible to find oneself closer to the illegal hustles or worse than parents or friends want. Youth surrounded by poverty, desperation, and strong personalities may think they found shortcuts or loopholes to make a leap to better finances or fame. I believe television shows us perspectives we aren't necessarily living or experiencing and can inform our personal approach to safety. I don't think we got a clear exit strategy from illegal leaps in Jamal's case, but he portrayed a kid who strives for a better life from a disadvantageous starting position. I had empathy for him and thought he had a strong presence.
Unicorn Store (2017)
Pretty, on the nose for Millennial women
Unicorn Store is a lovely collage of Millennial fears and dreams. Boomeranging back to parents, being unable to get paid to be creative, constantly being invited to spend money on instant gratification or training instead of saving or investing in the future, and constantly being told there is a more grown up way to act even as supposedly grown up business people and people and politicians are revealed to still actually be rather childish...are all problems this film uses as craft glitter.
Brie Larson directed effectively here and I believe that Kit's family fit together and get in each other's way for the right reasons in their age gap quarrel. Samuel L. Jackson is adorable and charming in his enthusiastic promises and encouragement to build the sort of life a unicorn fits into. Mamadou Athie as Virgil and Hamis Linklater as Kit's boss give lethargic line deliveries which I guess are supposed to reflect the draining effect of truly being responsible. They're sort of attractive in a Jeff Goldblum remniscent sort of way, but with insubstantial lines it's grating to hear. I wish that Virgil had more of an arc that brought him closer to mirroring Samuel L. Jackson's store merchant, and that they represented people who believe in Kit's dream and would contrast with the boss at the ad company who is really an obstacle to Kit's dream and just wants her to support his or the company owner's dreams while diminishing her own.
The production design is gorgeous too. We were promised at least one unicorn and this movie delivered, but before that we got soooo much rainbow glitter outsider art and childlike wardrobe choices that mix child and adult sensibilities. It's slightly dimly lit, though that works in scenes when Kit is depressed.
The only weak point is the dialogue. Samantha McIntyre wrote a script that is full of fun theater visuals, but the writing doesn't flow. It's too realistic without connecting to the theme of arrested development. I wanted checkins telling me what everyone thinks of Kit's maturity, and I'm still confused at the end as to what the screenwriter's conclusion is about whether it's really possible to grow up at all and what it means to let someone else have your dream.
Overall, the story is too light and I wish it told me a little bit more to explain all that it shows me. But it's beautiful indie fluff that carries the feeling of my generation in desperately seeking purpose in life. Not a waste of time at all, this film leaves me reflecting on how all the experiences that could have have been wasted time actually led to more meaningful experiences and the in between phases are actually where we are living our lives.
I Need You to Kill (2017)
Like being a comic on tour in Asia with friends
I heard about this documentary because i am a fan of producer/writer/comedian J. Elvis Weinstein (Freaks and Geeks, Mystery Science Theater 3000). I was also a bit curious about Louis Lee, the club owner of Acme Comedy who started this project, and some of Acme's history is archived here.
This fun documentary gives you the feeling of being on the road with standup comics in three Asian countries. You see not only the sets by American comics Chad Daniels, Pete Lee, and Tom Segura, but also some Asian comics to watch for from Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. I particularly liked Jinx Yeo from Singapore (creating clever performance art in a country with very strict rules), as well as Tung Pak-foo and Wong Cheuk Yan Cherry and Tamby Chen from Hong Kong. The standup is good, and you also will see the American comics refining their material and discussing changes they made between gigs. I thought Pete Lee had particularly good jokes and was more culturally sensitive toward an Asian audience than Daniels or Segura, putting the focus of his perspective on him and his feelings while in Singapore rather than criticizing Singapore's strict rules. Not that comedians have to be diplomats, but as a former exchange student who spent a year in an Asian country as part of my minor I appreciate this kind of grace and polite handling of cultural differences. It's the choice between making friends and making enemies.
Definitely worth a rental from Amazon and I have no regrets about making mine a purchase.