sushilp17 Reviews

The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024)

Revisits an Age-Old Debate with a Fresh Perspective

[8/10 · 25 May 2024]

Speaking as someone who is neither black nor white, I enjoyed this movie a lot. It speaks well to the imposter syndrome a lot of people of color experience regularly as well as the white fragility /supremacy that enables it.

The movie reminded me a bit of W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington's debates are diluted to the context of the movie by Aren and The Society respectively. It also reminded me a bit of David Chappelle's "When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong" skits.

It is a good movie. Thought-provoking. Maybe not Get Out, but just behind American Fiction and Donald Glover's show Atlanta.

The Book of Clarence (2023)

Good, Not Great

[6/10 · 16 April 2024]

I was excited to watch this movie because of its all-star cast. Lakeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, David Oyelowo, and Alfre Woodward! I also thought it would have a thought-provoking subversive message. It didn't, though, at least not one that hasn't been produced more effectively before.

I went in expecting the brevity of Judas and the Black Messiah, but it felt more like a strange parody of Sorry to Bother You. I'm all for surrealist humor, but it was more distracting than novel. I never watched Year One starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, but it felt comparable to it.

It's still a good movie-just more of a Netflix Event than a Theater one.

Players (2024)

Alt Reality to Past Lives / More RomDram than RomCom

[7/10 · 16 February 2024]

At first, the main cast of the movie comes across as knock-off, less egregious versions of Barney Stinson from "How I Met Your Mother," but eventually, the movie matures in a way I wasn't expecting it to. I would think a lot of people in their late twenties to early thirties could relate to the struggle of wanting to move from casual dating to serious relationships, and then holding onto dear life anybody who shows promise of a serious relationship. It was cool it all play out.

The movie won't give you a lot to laugh at, but I think it does give you a bit to think about. And that's always nice.

Origin (2023)

Beyond Moving

[10/10 · 7 February 2024]

Based on what I learned about her from In The 13th and When They See Us, what I learned of Ava DuVurnay is that she knows exactly what medium makes the most sense for telling the story she wants.

She showed me that again with her movie Origin. Having read Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, I assumed that Ava would create a documentary much like The 13th. She didn't. Instead of adapting the book Caste directly, she focused on the book's author, the personal tragedies she needed to overcome in the last few years, and her commitment to unpacking what was driving the continued oppression of Black people in the U. S.

If you plan to watch this movie, be ready to shed tears. You'll be upset by reminders of the worst national tragedies we've seen. Be prepared to confront that there is a way to move forward if we're willing to. We're trapped in a system that we can only begin to release ourselves from when we acknowledge its existence.

Old (2021)

Plot Twist out of Left Field

[6/10 · 24 July 2021]

Given the title of the movie and the themes that this movie explores, you would think that there would be a message on coming to terms with our mortality and/or the mortality of our loved ones.

There wasn't though. There was nothing remotely even close to one. Instead, the movie ended up being a series of disturbing images wrapped up in criticism of an industry.

Split brought Shyamalan back some credit for moviegoers, but with Glass and now this...it looks like M. Night only cares about pulling the usual tricks for the sole purpose of pulling them.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Lots of Potential with Little Return

[7/10 · 16 July 2021]

Man, I thought this show was going to be incredible. Seemingly derived from the tone of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I thought it would be as straightforward and compelling of a story.

The pilot was great. The idea of seeing Sam Wilson debate with himself on how the U. S. would react to there being a black Captain America and Bucky Barnes come to terms with his homicidal past as The Winter Soldier was great. That's one character wrestling with the weight of a country's ugly history and another character wrestling with his own ugly history. To focus on those two stories and find a way to weave and bring them to a close together would have been great.

Then, they kept adding new stories though...

• Did the Flag Smashers need to be in the movie?

• Did Sam and Bucky really need to get Zemo's help?

• What exactly was the point of delving into Bucky's ties to Wakanda?

• Why is Sharon Stone being upgraded to a big bad?

• Why was U. S. Agent so quickly given a redemption moment? He could've been used so much more effectively as a foil to Sam.

• Finally, I feel like they introduced Valentina too early because then the show kinda become about MCU's future.

I'm glad they at least brought Sam's arc to a proper close, but everything else was too extra for a 6-episode series.

Black Widow (2021)

An Upgraded Version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine

[8/10 · 16 July 2021]

Black Widow was fun to watch. It didn't so much provide answers to questions anybody was really asking, but it did provide fun trivia on Black Widow while paving the way for a character to replace her.

It's kinda funny how much the movie is similar to X-Men Origins: Wolverine

• Estranged Sibling
• Confronting Traumatic Past
• Origin Story for Random Outfit Choice
• Link to Following Movie.

• Significant Character from Beginning returns in end as Big Bad.

Loki (2021–2023)

Just the Right Balance

[10/10 · 16 July 2021]

Loki succeeds where WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier failed. It focused more on its central character and the specific story it wanted to tell than anything else.

WandaVision got too caught up in its gimmicks. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave too many of its characters their own distinct arcs or focused more on setting up different trajectories in the MCU than Sam and Buck's main dilemmas.

Loki gave Tom Hiddleston's character the justice it deserved while world-building and literally universe-building. Clearly taking direction from Seven, Catch Me If You Can, The Good Place, The Umbrella Academy, and arguably even Westworld S3, Loki brought to the MCU something that still feels very original.

Looking forward to where it goes next.

Indoo Ki Jawani (2020)

An Entertaining Bait-and-Switch of a Plot

[7/10 · 14 March 2021]

Indoo Ki Jawani was entertaining, in a sorta cringeworthy way.

The main character starts off the movie, wondering whether or not she should sleep with her boyfriend. Then, after deciding she is ready to, she catches him sleeping with another woman.

Upset with how unfaithful her boyfriend is, catching him with multiple women over time, she turns to her best friend for advice. Her best friend basically tells her that she needs to sleep with a guy as soon as possible to keep him in the picture...and so you assume the movie will he oriented around Indoo trying to hook up with a Tinder date. Then, you end up watching an unexpected political allegory of sorts.

One Night in Miami... (2020)

Perfect.

[10/10 · 31 January 2021]

Wow, this movie could not have been better. Everything was given just the amount of attention it needed. The conversations between every character with the other are as compelling today as they were in 1964. To see them had between larger-than-life figures was an incredible experience.

The White Tiger (2021)

Very Well Done!

[10/10 · 23 January 2021]

Having read the book just a few weeks before the movie released, I was tempering my expectations of the film adaptation. Then, the movie surpassed those expectations. It's a faithful adaptation of the book that took creative license where it was needed.

I'm so glad the movie didn't hold back where it matters and kept the message of the movie at its center. I also really appreciated that the whole movie wasn't in English, and there were characters who spoke Hindi throughout. Ahh, it's a really good, slow burn movie. Definitely worth checking it!

Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)

The Shining x Prometheus

[6/10 · 2 January 2021]

I was excited by the premise of this series. Having just watched Watchmen and Westworld's Season 3, I was ready for another profound HBO series. Through the first half of the series, I thought I had found one. Through the second half, I felt like I was watching a parody of the Shining with elements of Prometheus.

There's a lot of interesting threads in the series to follow: children raised by androids, religious conflict, and an uninhabited planet. None of the threads are followed to their full potential though. Instead, we're met with one curveball after another for no real purpose other than weirdness.

Maybe Season 1 is only supposed to serve as the foundation for a stronger, profound Season 2. Honestly though, I'd quit this series at episode "Paradise Lost." It just drags on to nowhere significant afterwards.

Evil Eye (II) (2020)

Fun Watch, Flat Otherwise

[7/10 · 17 October 2020]

I enjoyed the movie a lot, especially as an American horror movie oriented around an Indian-American family. I don't think that there has been any American horror movie like that, at least not any popular ones.

With that being said, the plot of this movie follows a predictable path. It's still fun to watch though. Sarita Choudhury keeps you engaged. Sunita Mani, not as much but not too bad either. Omar Maskati is okay but eh.

Basically, if you're tryna get a quick horror movie fix in that isn't your usual small-town white family and jump scares. This is a good go-to.

Glass (2019)

Same Unbreakable Mistake

[7/10 · 13 August 2020]

M. Night Shyamalan surprised audiences with his plot twists in The Sixth Sense and Signs, but he only confuses audiences with his plot twists in other movies.

In Unbreakable, David Dunn is overcoming his reluctance to be a superhero. In Split, Casey is coming to terms with childhood trauma. What value is added to Unbreakable when we learn Mr. Glass was responsible for bringing out the hero in David Dunn? What value is added to Split when we learn that Kevin Crumb and David Dunn exist in the same universe?

Glass could have been interesting as a movie if all the characters were exclusively motivated to prove that they actually have superpowers. Gaslighting is clearly the primary antagonist in this movie. What value was added to the movie by revealing to us that Kevin Crumb's Dad died on the same train survived by David Dunn? There could have been value in us learning about Dr. Staple's true intentions and Mr. Glass's full plans, but unfortunately those reveals were basically tagged on in the end.

Sacred Games (2018–2019)

More of a Vibe than a Story - S1

[7/10 · 2 July 2020]

Sacred Games seemed more interested in conveying a vibe than it did in telling a story. This show felt like it was trying to be a Robert Langdon tale by Dan Brown, with the grittiness of Narcos..accomplishing the latter more than it did the former.

The plot of the show is oriented around Gaitonde warning Sartaj that Mumbai is doomed in 25 days, but never makes it clear how Mumbai is doomed. Sartaj and Anjali chase different leads, episode after episode. Neither of them get anywhere though. They just meet different characters from Gaitonde's past who affirm that something terrible will indeed happen to Mumbai...without shedding any light on what the terrible thing actually is.

Now and then, there's some backstory given to Sartaj, Anjali, and Zoya. The backstories don't seem to go anywhere though. Sartaj wants to be a good cop, but he struggles to be one. Anjali wants to prove that she could be a field agent and she could eventually find her Dad. Zoya wants to move past her past and move up in her career. We learn all this information, but it doesn't really take us anywhere in Season 1.

Gaitonde's timeline in the 80s and 90s is much more interesting to watch than Sartaj's. I didn't understand the point of it though. Gaitonde climbs the ranks of Mumbai's crime scene. He doesn't want to get involved religious disputes, but ultimately does because his adversary stands with the Muslim community.

This show is fun to watch, but it's just like...where is it going? Watching it feels like reading the journal entries of a random criminal and police officer.

Hotel Mumbai (2018)

No real story told

[6/10 · 5 April 2020]

I was not sure what to expect from this movie. I remember hearing of what happened in Mumbai in 2008. I thought that the movie would follow Dev Patel and Armie Hammer's characters acting bravely and strategically in saving everyone at the hotel...and maybe even more nuance on the shooters. At the end of the day though, this movie felt so simple....a bunch of terrorists shooting everyone at a hotel...and everyone trying to escape. Nothing really more to it than that.

Joker (I) (2019)

Nothing New Here

[5/10 · 6 October 2019]

There's a moment in the movie when Joker says that he is not creating chaos for any political or deeper meaning; he is only unleashing his rage upon the world because he finds life utterly hopeless.

That could be the description of the movie. For all of the conversation and controversy surrounding the film, Joker doesn't add anything new. The movie simply has higher production value than its predecessors Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, American Psycho, and arguably Fight Club.

What is somewhat thought-provoking though is how it validates the concerns of people who were reluctant to support its release. Critics were afraid it would empower men who identify as incels to commit mass shootings. I believe those critics were right to be afraid because Joker definitely assures men who believe that the world has wronged them that they will be praised if they rid the world of evil (anything in their way).

Phoenix gives everything to his performance, but this movie is truly nothing spectacular otherwise.

It Chapter Two (2019)

Endearing, but not Perfect.

[8/10 · 9 September 2019]

It: Chapter 1 (2017) did a great job introducing us to Derry and The Losers Club. I don't know why Chapter 2 tried doing that again. I felt like there was so much in the movie to recap the audience on everything that happened in Chapter 1 that I wondered why the producers even decided to split the adaptation into two parts.

What also frustrates me is how much time we spent watching each Loser confront their respective demons. The jump scares lost their effect after a while since each character's personal journey followed the same path.

The friendship of the Loser Club is what makes the movie worth watching. It's most enjoyable when the characters are having fun with each other and expressing their love for one another and their history. Actually, the movie is more funny than it is scary.

Chapter 2 isn't as great as Chapter 1, but the heart of The Losers Club makes it still worth watching.

United Shades of America (2016–2022)

Same Old Shades

[8/10 · 5 May 2017]

While I appreciate that the show explores multiple sides to salient issues, I can't help but be frustrated by the fact that there were no episodes on Asian Communities in the USA. There's so much for people to learn about in regards how Muslims are tackling Islamaphobia, how East Asians tackle misrepresentation and whitewashing in media, and so much more.

This show is alright, but it's nothing comprehensive. If you're going to call a show United Shades of America, you need to capture all the shades...especially the ones almost nobody speaks of.