(film review) [STREAMING] - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

I almost died when I watched the first Borat movie.  I'm aware that this is an expression and even though I am using it in such context, I was legit trying to catch my breath.  There was a scene where Borat has a fight with his friend and they are naked in a Hotel.  Chaos ensues and I found it absolutely hilarious that I was crying and trying to breath and struggling.  When I approached watching this sequel, I feel that, maybe I rushed it.  I had a plan to set up with my Nachos and dip the second day it came out and I ended up being too tired to watch.  I tried again in the week but again, too tired to watch.  So eventually, I decided to watch it and although I know how funny the character Borat is, I feel I should not have rushed watching this, set aside 5 hours over a day or 2 and watched the first movie again just to prep myself for the sequel.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll edit this a little later having watched the first one again then the second, but although this movie was good and maybe it is due to not being able to catch lightening in a bottle, TWICE, or maybe I forced it or was tired or not in the mood, I just felt that this sequel was good, but nowhere as good as the first one.

The movie takes place 14 years after the original and Borat has been locked up for the shame he brought to Kazakhstan.  To regain his freedom and not be executed, Borat must again travel to America and gift his daughter to someone in a position of power or authority.  Once in America, Borat has to teach his daughter how to be like an American woman but to also keep the core values that all Kazakhstan women have grown up on.

First off, as if you didn't know, this film is WILD!  Sacha, although a comedian and also a character actor, this guy is fearless.  I understand that, in certain situations, he had to wear a bulletproof vest because this guy will tow the line of pushing people to the very edge and considering this film has taken a 6 months to 9 months to complete, within the world we are living in now and the strange climate with the Corona Virus and socially distancing, this guy has pulled off such a feat when you also factor in the racial tension and presidency.  Fearless!!!

The lady who play his daughter, equally fearless and she ultimately steals the show from being a young unassuming woman who will do whatever her father wants because she loves her father, to then realising that her father could be wrong in the things he says, does and practices.  The film is more about their bond but also the corruption within America and the brainwashing or should I say, the views of the American people.  There is a hilarious scene with them both doing a dance in front of people and it is hilarious.

I found this film charming at times, hilarious at moments and some of the gags were soo soo good.  Finding out before the movie came out there was backlash, was definitely no surprise to me, of course there would be, this guy pokes the bear, but to understand where he is going with this, is to shine a light on the American people.  To shine a light on the democrats and republicans or the American people and their ideologies and whom they follow.  How some of the values, teachings and such that our fathers and their fathers have been taught, to break the generational teachings and adapting to the new age.  For example, there were 3 white guys Borat stayed with who were alright people.  They were honest and upfront, but some of their views were skewed.  But to also have Borat in their home, a blatant foreigner, meant they didn't really care for him being foreign, you know but they stuck strong to their views.  There is no manual on how to live your life for you and your family.  Moreover, some of the things we do in life are wrong.  the views we have are wrong or how we act towards people are wrong and sometimes people will not know any better because it is all they know.  I feel this movie challenges you to look at yourself and the people around you.  I also believe the book in the movie the daughter carries plays a huge role in society now.

It's definitely something to watch and Sacha a very clever and talented man, but I will let you know that there are a few bits in the trailer which are NOT in the movie as he has tried his best to get this movie out before the voting happened and had likely made some edits to keep with the flow of the movie.  Let's just hope what he set out to do wasn't in vain and if anything, at least it was a enjoyable movie to watch.

(film review) [STREAMING] - The Trial of the Chicago 7

 

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started watching this.  I had no idea about the cast, I had no idea about the story, I had no idea what it was all about and I just felt initially it was some Central Park Five "rip-off" of sorts and having not known this movie was based on a real thing that had occurred in real life, I was pleasantly taken aback once I got into the movie.  You see, I'm not an American and in school, they were quick to teach us about slavary, Christopher Columbus, Henry and his many women and a few plagues and the great fire of London, but not real life events such as the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Central Park 5 or The Trial of the Chicago 7.  In 2020, even more truths are being unearthed in media like films and TV series such as Lovecraft Country, so I do find it despicable that there are generations and generations of people, not only black, who do not know what has happened in history, because these events have been for the most part, undocumented.  I digress.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 centers around a group of 8 anti–Vietnam War protesters, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, Lee Weiner, John Froines, and Bobby Seale who were arrested in Chicago for conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots during a Democratic National Convention in 1968.  Whilst the 7 defendants are being represented by William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass, Bobby Seale isn't represented and Judge Julius Hoffman shows significant prejudice for the prosecution whilst there is also racial tension with Fred Hampton the Chicago chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and other Black Panther members in the courtroom.  Whilst Abbie openly antagonises the court during the trial, many of the defendants are charged with contempt of court while they try to figure out who initially incited the riot on the hill.

I'm not going to lie, this film took a little while to grab me.  Maybe because I wasn't initially interested or the film didn't seem engaging, but once we were in the courtroom and jokes were flying along with the lunacy, I was fully engaged.  I felt like, if some of these things, reactions, comments and behaviours were verbatim, this trial was an absolute mess.  Although the "lead" of this movie was Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the film was mostly joint carried by the ensemble cast with Sacha Baron Cohen as halfway through the movie, Yahya disappears and Sacha carries on.  Even to a point, even Eddie Redmayne takes a lot of the spotlight in the third act, or at least, that's when I realised it was him and he CAN talk properly, the other characters do come across as fillers.  It would have been nice to get a little backstory from all 8 of the defendants as it just didn't seem sufficient enough.  Some of the cast members, you couldn't really care about as the connection wasn't really there for me.

What I loved about the movie, whether historically accurate to the very last dot, was the depiction of the Black Panther Party and the fact Fred Hampton was in court sitting right behind Bobby as an assist.  It was lovely to see and also made me google Fred Hampton as I had no idea who he was although I had heard  of the name.  Considering there is a movie starring Daniel Kaluuya as Fred coming out at some point soon, this movie helped me to gravitate towards black activists and Revolutionary Socialists because this was and is unknown territory to me.  Yahya was great as usual, tell me of a time when he wasn't? And Sacha was also great.  The drama really got a little thick when you saw Michael Keaton and there was a scene when they were all in a room discussing and an argument broke out.  that scene was played out well, I just felt that maybe there should have been some more heavier moments.

A decent movie and worth the watch but not as gripping as I believe perhaps, I would have liked it to have been, but it does help you to understand what happened at that time, why and what the state of affairs were like in the late 60's.  The Protesting, the Vietnam War, the riots etc.  It's extremely difficult to sometimes take in these films and shows and not treat them as just fiction because they were not taught in school and hardily anyone would know about events like these, so for that reason alone, it is a must watch.

(trailer review) - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

It was only the other day I found out about this movie.  Correction and let me rephrase, I heard about this movie possibly late last year or early this year, but it was only the other day I was reminded about this movie.  Technically I knew nothing about it other than Chadwick Boseman being in it as the last film he would do, but I had forgotten about that and when his death came, my thoughts were over-shadowed by my feelings of how we lost such a great man, what would happen to one of his most iconic characters, Black Panther and where do we go from here? So even if I did look to see what his last film may have been at that time, as I knew it wasn't Da 5 Bloods, I was caught up in his death for a few weeks so being reminded about this movie was a delight but also very bitter sweet.

Having now seen the trailer and having watched every episode of 'How to get away with murder', I have noticed the greatness in acting calibre that is Viola Davis, so from the jump, I knew this was going to be great.  The picture I saw promoting the film had me thinking that this will be a powerful performance and I may even cry.  But then I noticed Chadwick and that he also had a role in this movie (because I forgot right) and then I knew from that moment, I am likely to cry.  Watching this trailer had me a little emotional, but I will say, I am very proud to see these great actors together on screen and I really hope that a lot of people watch this Denzel Washington produced movie because it looks absolutely great.  Plus it is also a delight to see a number of black actors together in a project.  Having just finished Lovecraft Country, I soo welcome more and more black storytelling.

Directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown