Synopsis: Vivian (Hadley Robinson), a seemingly shy 16-year-old, has always preferred to keep her head down and fly under the radar. But when the arrival of a new student (Alycia Pascual-Peña) forces her to examine the unchecked behavior of her fellow students running rampant at her high school, Vivian realizes she's fed up. Inspired by her mother's (Amy Poehler) rebellious past, Vivian anonymously publishes an underground zine called Moxie to expose bias and wrongdoing in her high school, and unexpectedly sparks a movement. Now at the center of a revolution, Vivian begins to forge new friendships with other young women and allies, reaching across the divide of cliques and clubs as they learn to navigate the highs and lows of high school together.
My thoughts: As a white male who fully realizes his priviledge, this tale set against the backdrop of sexism and (to a lesser degree) racism really spoke to me more than most movies about this subject. Maybe it's because it was in a high school setting where I recognize some of the happenings mirroring things I saw happen in high school. Anyone can pick something out of this, whether it's the mistreatment of certain groups or to learn how to become an ally to a cause. Equal parts heartwarming and rage inducing, Moxie should not be missed.
Final verdict: 4.5 zines out of 5.
Synopsis: Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.
My thoughts: It's been a while since I saw a slow burn thriller like this and The Little Things makes me miss the style even more as it's far from perfect. The cast are solid throughout (which you can see based on the poster it would be). But the pacing and director John Lee Hancock is uneven (a normal complaint about his work). The ending was solid, though I can see a bunch of people being mad about it. Jumping into these characters psyche's was my favourite part and I was left satisfied come the end credits but I wonder what could've been if wound up a little tighter overall.
Final verdict: 3.5 hair clips out of 5.
Synopsis: On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).
My thoughts: Generally in period drama's accuracy comes into play... But director Regina King says fuck that in her directorial debut. The cast is strong and the story is poignant however I can't help but feel they pulled us in multiple different directions without much purpose and the film was longer than it needed to be.
Final verdict: 3.5 what ifs out of 5.
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