Review: "The Hate U Give" is a Vital Conversation Starter

Scene from The Hate U Give

The world of America in 2018 is an unfortunately hostile place. With a sweltering sense of injustice in the world, it's hard to make sense of what the value of a human life can be. For director George Tillman Jr.'s The Hate U Give, he not only tackles one of the most upsetting conflicts of the modern age - police shooting innocent victims - but manages to dive further into the social ramifications as to why that is. It's a story whose imagery is already hot-wired into our subconscious, leaving us to ask ourselves the moral questions as Tillman presents these uncomfortable scenes with a purpose and vigor. It's a drama that goes beyond understanding racial profiling and gets to the heart of how hard change is, though it can still be achieved. The film doesn't have an easy answer on the search for empathy, but it's the type of rallying cry that is needed in this day and age, and helps to elevate this teen drama into something more powerful and timeless.

Review: "Fences" is a Powerhouse Full of Great Acting

Scene from Fences

The process of adapting live theater to film is often seen as a challenge. For the first movie based on beloved playwright August Wilson's work, Denzel Washington tackles Wilson's most revered work that even earned Washington and co-star Viola Davis Tony Awards for its 2010 revival. There's a love to the language and the performance that shines through from the first second of the film as Troy (Washington) comes home from his job as a garbageman. He is cocky, optimistic, but also sour at the wrong turn of phrase. It is a story of the changing tides in African American culture in the 1950's as well as the disappointments and fears of fathers passing the baton on to another generation. As an adaptation, it's as riveting and engrossing as acting is likely to get in 2016. As a movie, it leaves plenty to be desired.