How does one make a basketball movie in 2020 that isn’t quickly compared to Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Glory Road, and Hurricane Season, not to mention the many other films centered around a sports team facing some adverse situation? Sometimes, when you see the trailers for the first time of a movie like Gavin O’Connor’s (The Accountant, Warrior) The Way Back, you kind of grain, thinking, “Here we go again. How are we supposed to get something different from this movie?” But he was unequivocably able to do that. Admittedly, this movie could have been better in terms of its script and the conditions of its sequencing. Still, its parts made up for its, sometimes, lack of cohesiveness and left you feeling hopeful in a movie that you expected to find hope, albeit in a much different way.
Category Archives: Janina Gavankar
Blindspotting (2018)
Blindspotting, one of the mid-summer hidden gems of a promising 2018, is an extremely ambitious movie from two unknown actors who will very likely be household names in the future. It’s certainly a breakout for the film’s stars Daveed Diggs (who won a Tony for his role in Hamilton) and newcomer Rafael Casal, who also wrote the film. Adding to the virginity of this experience was first-time director Carlos Lopez Estrada. This movie has been a hit with critics and audiences alike (93% and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes). It is a good movie that teeters on the verge of being great. However, it feels like a few different movies weaved into one. Worse, it goes back and forth between these different styles and intents and ultimately leaves us confused as its two lead characters, but in completely different ways. I could empathize with their situation and their confusion. What was hard to comprehend was the character’s rapidly changing thoughts, feelings, and actions. Sure, people can act differently in particular situations, but we had each of these two characters go through the complete gamut in a four period of four days. Ultimately, it left me with many questions to ponder. I also felt like I was watching a series of one-act plays rather than one cohesive movie.
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