BRIAN BANKS is an earnest film that hits all the necessary and expected plot points as it makes its cogent indictment of the criminal justice system. It never becomes a screed, though the based-on-a-true story of 16-year-old who ended up serving time for a rape he didn’t commit certainly has all the elements to support… Read More »
LONGSHOTS, THE
THE LONGSHOTS is a formula film done exceedingly well. Keke Palmer and Ice Cube (who co-produced) offer the sort of multi-layered performances that elevate a predictable plot into something special. The script, based on the true story of the first girl to quarterback in the Pop Warner Super Bowl for kids, plays to more than… Read More »
AKEELAH AND THE BEE
What AKEELAH AND THE BEE offers is a sweet, unpretentious, and positive affirmation in the very best sense of that phrase. While the specifics are the struggles of a kid from the ‘hood to make it to the national spelling bee, at heart, and it has a lot of heart, it’s about learning to be… Read More »