I Am Not Your Negro
Race Yourselves
Official Site | Trailer & Mo
PG-13 | 95 min

The most important movie of 2016 (which is now getting a full release in 2017, so I guess that makes it the most important movie of 2017) is Raoul Peck‘s I Am Not Your Negro

YESS!!!  It’s true!!!!

One can never truly understand what it’s like to be an African-American in America (especially when you aren’t one), but I’ve never seen a more clear and concise explanation and examination than in the MUST see doc I Am Not Your Negro

I knew who James Baldwin was, but since we were never required to read his works in high school, I never bothered with him.  Silly me.  All I knew was that he had kinda buggy eyes and that my English teacher really liked his work, and I trusted her judgement (and so did Tori Amos!!!)

Negro is based on Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House (he died in 1987), which aimed to examine racism in America, through the vital lives, and violent deaths of his contemporaries and comrades - Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr

Knowing those men, and being a gifted (black) intellectual and writer gave Baldwin a great understanding of America and its race issues, but moving to France in the late 40s, and living in self-exile there, gave him and even more unique perspective – being able to look at America and its problems from the outside, and at a distance

The doc uses only Baldwin’s words and work – the unfinished manuscript, other writings (all spoken by a surprisingly unassuming Samuel L Jackson) along with interviews, lectures and debates caught on camera.  We get a portrait not only of America, but of the man himself.  In both ways, it works brilliantly.  It also not only works as a history lesson, but as a wake-up call about how the issue of race in America has never gone away

I Am Not Your Negro will continue to be the most important film of any year – until there is no longer an issue of race in America.  Good luck with that

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Negro is not not at a theater near jews AND white nationalists and not negros

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

The Founder
The Big Mac Daddy
Official Site | Trailer & Mo
PG-13 | 115 min

As a kid my love for McDonald’s was beyond super-sized.  As an adult, I haven’t abandoned the golden arches, but I certainly don’t eat there as much as I did as an ultra-happy Happy Meal youngin 

Anywho, I always remembered seeing this plaque in our local Maccy D’s…

And I was like, who’s Ray Kroc?  And why isn’t his last name McDonald??  And what up wit dat???  I didn’t bother to ever ask my parents these questions, so I kept these questions to myself

The rise of the internet somehow never moved me to look further into this, and so I am thankful that the answers in the John Lee Hancock directed, and Robert Siegel written story of how Ray Kroc became Mr McDonald’s, and the McDonald brothers became a footnote in their own invention could be found in The Founder

Kroc (an excellent, cold AND hot Michael Keaton) was a struggling milkshake salesman, when a chance encounter with Richard and Maurice McDonald (a less annoying/mustached than usual Nick Offerman, and the mad round of awesomeness John Carroll Lynch) and their bustling, innovative namesake burger joint in San Bernardino, California, changed the fortunes and futures of all involved

Dick and Mac McDonald created McDonald’s, but with their permission, they unleashed Kroc to make their modern fast food franchise into a giant reality, and created a monster in the process.  The Brothers wanted to retain and maintain control, but as the brand grew under Kroc’s stewardship, they lost more and more of it, to the point where they were cut out completely

The story of McDonald’s is the story of America – capitalism, efficiency, grease, greed - all done with a smile, no matter how crooked that smile is on the inside

Mr Kroc, you may not be the greatest human being, but don’t you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette?  I mean, without him, would you have ever even had a childhood?

For me, the answer is’ no’, and the same goes with Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s.  I want to hear his story.  He was adopted AND he worked under Colonel Sanders!!

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Founder is found at a theater near jews AND white nationalists 

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Patriots Day
Made America Great Again
Official Site | Trailer & Mo
R | 133 min

In a time of great division, it takes a docudrama like Patriots Day to remind us how once united AND great America and Americans were

The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing was not all that long ago, but before you scream ‘too soon‘, it’s never soon enough to remember the bad that happened, and the good that came out of it and its aftermath.  I am patriotic, and love this country (and its fried chicken) so dang much, but I am not overly gung ho and showy about it.  But bad guys are easy to root against, and heroes are something we always need another of (sorry Tina).  And there are no better bad guys then bad men who went to harm innocent people, and there are no better good guys than the ones who protect and serve us, and try to keep us safe from the bad dudes.  After watching this film, I felt more proud and patriotic than I may ever have in my entire life (besides seeing the Beach Boys on July 4th in Washington DC)

Although I was sadden to learn that Mark Wahlberg‘s character in Patriots Day did not exist in the real world (and that they chose not to use Neil Diamond’s ‘America’ over the closing credits), everything else about the Peter Berg‘s incredible film felt so real, and of the moment. Berg and co (with brief but memorable turns by J. K. Simmons, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Themo Melikidze, Alex Wolff, Supergirl as the bomber’s wife, and my personal fav – Jimmy O Yang), did an excellent job of interweaving multiple stories to create a complete picture of the complex events, which I did not really intend to ever revisit… until I found myself sitting in the theater that I saw this in

What a frucking movie!!  You will leave the theater (or your couch, eventually), and want to scream – U S AND A! U S AND A!!  FCUK YOU BAD GUYS – WE ARE ALL BOSTON STRONG!!  WE ARE AMERICA AND WE ARE GOOD AND AWESOME AND YOU MAY TRY TO HURT US BUT WE WILL GET YOU AND TRIUMPH CAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS!!!  (but not in the bad post-9/11 going to Iraq for no reason kinda way)

We need more movies like Patriots Day – to remind us to never forget, and to remind us that it is possible that America and Americans can once again be united AND great (without the help of Donald Trump)… although hopefully without the catalyst being tragedy, which sadly shows us again and again that it is the worst in humanity that brings out our best!  If only we lived in a world where our best brought out our even besterer in humanity!!!!!!

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Patriots Day ALL DAY – currently in select cities, and at a theater near jews AND white nationalists this Friday

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

20th Century Women
It Takes A Boarding House To Raise A Child
Official Site| Trailer & Mo
R | 118 min

I love the Talking Heads, but I think I forgot how much I truly loved them until I heard their music in Mike Mills‘ 20th Century Women, and then, like what happened to the characters in the movie itself, it felt as if it were the first time I had ever heard the Talking Heads!!  And I was like WOAH!!!  This STUFF ROCKS!!  And my head and body couldn’t help itself, and grooved to the music!!!

And that experience of hearing the Talking Heads for the first time was kinda like seeing this movie for the first time – I was like – WOAH, there’s something to this movie! It warms my heart and touches my soul!  And my head and body are grooving to it – big time!!!

But this movie isn’t about discovering the music of the Talking Heads – it’s about an adolescent boy (Lucas Jade Zumann), without a father figure, who shares a bohemian lifestyle in a Santa Barbara residence with a strong, loving mother (Annette Bening), his schoolgirl crush (Elle Fanning), a super cool photographer gal (Greta Gerwig), and a handlebar-mustached handyman (Billy Crudup)

This boy is on the path to becoming a mini-man, and in turn, he’s starting to drift away from his mother’s grasp.  She feels the distance beginning to widen, and so she enlists the help of the two ladies and handyman to mold him into a modern man.  Guess what happens?  It’s not juss the boy who learns and grows – but EVERYONE involved too!!

It’s actually not as cheesy as it sounds, and in a movie that could have easily gone too cutesy and way too quirky, it stayed the course of being juss a lovely lovely lovely little film  

For some reason, in my brain, it was like watching a 70s version of Six Feet Under, complete with a complete ending juss like Six Feet‘s fantastic/2nd to none complete complete ending!

The movie even made me grow!  I grew a 2nd pair of ears and haven’t stopped streaming the Talking Heads on Amazon since I saw the movie.  How 21st Century Man of me!

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

20th Century is foxy for in limited release 

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Prequel Post-Cool
Official Site| Trailer & Mo
PG-13 | 134 min

The best thing to ever happen to movies is George Lucas creating Star Wars

The best thing to ever happen to Star Wars is Disney becoming its keeper

Two Disney movies in and the franchise is beyond on the right path back to where it needs to be… and galaxies away from the wrong turns Lucas took with his prequels

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the prequel the fans have needed and wanted all along.  It’s no stretch to say that it’s better than Episode I thru III combined, times a zillion.  It may be rogue to say so, but I believe Rogue One is a better Star Wars movie than Force Awakens is.  It’s true!  Cause I juss said it!

So why does Rogue One work as a Star Wars movie (more so than the prequels AND Episode VII)?

• Rogue One tries to fit into the Star Wars world, without having to be too bound (and gagged) by it.  There’s no text crawl, no John Williams score, and gasp – there are actual lower-third titles telling us the locations of where we are.  For Star Wars movies to evolve – they need to break from the past, but also celebrate them.  Rogue hits the balance perfectly, and is an excellent kick off right into Episode IV

• There’s not that much Jedi stuff.  Look, we know Star Wars is what it is cause of Skywalkers, and lightsabers and hokey religion things, but after those forced-forcey prequels, and the new Rey & Kylo stuff, we needed a break from it all.  Rogue keeps the Jedi stuff to a minimum, and truly puts the ‘star’s and ‘wars’ back in Star Wars!

• People die – LOTS of them – and we’re not just talking about bad guys.  Gritty is good.  Episode IV was gritty.  Things should try to be more like Episode IV.  Episode VII was cutesy – almost TOO cutesy.  Here’s hoping Episode VIII is grittier!

• It’s OK for Star Wars to be less white.  I know, it seems like overkill trying to OVERLY make your cast a United Colors of Benetton ad, but if your actors are good, then the acting is going to be too.  All the actors cast in the film were great.  EVERYONE (well, I didn’t really like this lady and her role, but it’s probably not her fault cause she didn’t write her own dialog).  Sure, there wasn’t too much time to give the characters actual character, but Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, Felicity Jones, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, and Forest Whitaker gave it their all, and in turn, I’m all for them!

• Plus, Diego Luna is super hot

• Plus, Ben Mendelsohn is such a good screen a$$hole

• Plus, Mads Mikkelsen is the fcuking best ever!!! (ok, maybe 2nd best ever – juss a tick behind the greatest living actor – Ciarán Hinds)

• Alan Tudyk‘s droid K-2SO is more like A+2SO!!

• Admiral Ackbar Raddus!

• The Death Star never looked better – or more menacing!

• Plain and simple – Rogue One looks AND feels like Star Wars – not some shiny bullsh!t imitation version of it

• Simple and plain – Rogue One was a lot of fcuking fun!

• The nods to the fans & cameos were good, even if most of them were unnecessary, but hey, us fans love being nodded at!  BLUE MILK!

• three words – stormtroopers in paradise!

wait, was there ANYTHING I didn’t like?

yeah – these rebel solider helmets, which don’t look very Star Warsy to me.  but that’s juss me.  maybe you disagree and think this movie was juss ok, or sucked, but maybe you’re juss ok, or suck!

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Rogue One for all at a theater near jews and white nationalists

Next stand alone Star Wars story I want to see get made???

BOSSK TO THE FUTURE!!!

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…