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A MAN CALLED OTTO

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Summary:

A man called Otto is the self appointed ringleader of his neighborhood. Literally no one put him in charge, but he tells everyone what to do and sometimes they just.. listen. He’s the grumpiest man you ever knew, hates the world, is organized and uptight, and hes not finna play games with nobody. Anyways, he’s not doing so good these days and spends most of his time working, being miserable and reminiscing on a life that no longer exists. At the peak of his misery, a young, annoying couple and their kids move into the neighborhood and can’t seem to stay away from him. Thank goodness for it, because they just might save him from himself. 

Review:

Cut my freakin heart out why don’t you. You wanna cry? Huh you little baby? Watch this movie. The tone of this film is by default kinda dry and feels a lil indie at times, but the man is so bitter that it brings out undertones of comedy. In the beginning I didn’t really know where the movie was going, but I’m glad I didn’t because it makes it that much more meaningful a journey. As far as the cast goes, I can honestly say I genuinely enjoyed every character. Speaking of characters, something I thought was cool is that parts of the dialogue touch on race and gender identity, but in a way that is very fluid and realistic. I don’t know a ton of movies that played around with either mentioned topics without shoving it in your face or making it the whole story line, definitely added some layers to the characters. By three quarters of the film, I realized I had felt every emotion from deep sorrow, to fear, romance and back. By the end of it, I laid on my couch, thinking heavily about that fact that just being kind can save somebody’s life. 

Cons: kinda heavy. If you’re a loser you might think it’s boring or slow. 

Review: 9/10

ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE

Always be my Maybe (2019)

My Summary:

Sasha and Marcus have been best friends since they were little. They grew up together and were practically inseparable for as long as they could remember. At some point when they were in their mid teens, they got  into it real bad and stopped being friends. A bunch of years later, present day, they are all grown up and going through their own set of troubles. During a time when they are both needing something to give, they run into eachother for the first time since their falling out. Somehow, all these years later, things feel the same as when they were little except that their lives are super different and it causes some conflict. 

My Review:

Dis is a good one. I prolly watched it about 5 times now and I always end in tears. To be fair, everything makes me cry but if you’re a softy too, this might getcha! If you like Ali Wong, you’ll probs fw this movie too. This is one of those typical romcoms in the way that you know where it is going, so def don’t go into it looking for an element of surprise, you already know whats up. This movie is lighthearted, funny, romantic, and kinda corn, but a personal classic nonetheless. Can be used as background but at some point you will prolly tune into a scene and then start laughing.

Cons: Slow. Not super exciting, more of a sweet watch. Predictable.

Score: 7/10

THE BEAR

THE BEAR (2022)

Summary:

There is this dude, he’s terminally sad and probably has a lot of family related trauma, from the looks of things, but he was determined to make it out. He went to culinary school and basically made it pro. Of course, in the thick of his come up, there is a death in the family and due to bureaucratic things, he is forced to come back to his busted hood and take over a family member’s busted restaurant. They all want him to sell, but he is determined to bring it back to life.

Review:

I really love this show for a lot of reasons. This is one of those ones where it is filmed kinda chaotically and is very loud and fast paced, it will quite literally have you on the edge of your seat. I can’t lie to you guys, my armpits were sweating by episode 2. There is yelling and hostility and harsh language. If you have never worked in a kitchen, it will seem dramatic and traumatic, but if you have worked in a kitchen, you will probably get some giggles out of this show. It’s messy, anxiety inducing, sarcastic and feels like a really dysfunctional family doing their best. I watched 2 times and could probably go for a third. 1 season, 8 episodes, a rollercoaster and an ending that feels like closure.

Cons: Can give anxiety, kinda leaves you wanting more, can generally be a lot, so probably not a binger for most.

Score: 8/10

BLACK SUMMER

BLACK SUMMER (2019)

Summary:

Zombie outbreak!! It’s modern day, it’s a zombie show, so you already know the gist. Now, what makes this one different and fun, it’s that anyone who dies turns into a zombie, not just people who were bitten. Oh and they turn into zombies in literal seconds, so if your dad gets shot, you just gotta leave that hoe, run! The show doesn’t reallllyyy have a main character, it is one of those with a broken storyline so you can see the same moments over and over but from different perspectives every chapter. Oh it has chapters, named accordingly so you can keep up. In short: everyone is trying to reach a safe zone that is government protected, it is called “the stadium”. All the characters eventually meet or cross paths, and they all work together to reach the meetup spot. Loses are had on the way. It will all give you anxiety, but the fun kind!

Review:

This is one of those shows that you will probably stay up till 6am to finish, that’s what I did. Black Summer is the blueprint for cliffhangers. Every single episode. Is it the most amazing show ever? Nah, the acting could be better and the characters are a lil stupid but it makes for an interesting watch. It can be funny sometimes, it can be scary, even heartwarming, but definitely very dramatic, an emotional soufflette, if you will. I like that we get to see many different settings throughout the show. Fun dialogue and generally what you can expect from a zombie show at it’s core. I watched it twice. 2 seasons, 8 episodes each.

Cons: mid acting, personally I find 2 characters unbearable, but overall I really had fun with this one so I can’t think of other cons.

Score: 7.5/10

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (2022)

Summary:

Lesbian Lesbian Lesbian Baseball in the 40s. Need I say more? I’m kidding, the show is based around 2 main characters along with a fantastic set of secondary characters. One of these mains is a white woman who is realizing she might like the ladies, you may know her as Abby from Broad City. The other is a black woman who is well aware of her gayness but shes questioning bisexuality, and navigating queer expression and how to maintain queer relations in her day and age. All whilst dealing with the very hard realities of being black in the 40s. Both are trying to break into pro female baseball, which was not a thing, until now. They eventually cross paths and find themselves leaning on each other for support in love, life and baseball. Alongside their storylines, this show places a lot of commentary around the queer lifestyle in the 40s and the troubles that came along with it.

Review:

Honestly I mostly liked this show because we don’t get much lesbian content and baseball is a new one for me as far as storylines go. I read that this show was a remake of the original movie “A League of Their Own” (1992) and both the movie and this show are roughly based on a true story. However, the 1992 story stripped the characters of their very real gay identities. This show feels like they tried to fix that, but they kinda accidentally tried so hard to highlight the queerness that they made it not enough about baseball. This said, it can feel forcibly gay at times. The main love interest storyline lacks chemistry in my opinion but it’s still worth a watch if you are just wanting some w|w content. It’s all very fem and sports and we love that, but it’s probably not a show you will get hooked on. 1 season 8 episodes.

Cons: Weirdly… I wanted more baseball. Bad chemistry, not super engaging, the plot felt rushed at times

Score: 6/10 (1 point was given just for the gays).