Better Call Saul (2015-22)

I'll be the first to admit that following the end of Breaking Bad, arguably one of the best TV shows of all time, I did not think we needed a prequel show, much less one about the weird sleazy lawyer supporting character. But I was wrong. Better Call Saul evolved into its own wonderful thing. Yes, it was slow, maybe even slower than Breaking Bad, if you can believe that. But the long cons Saul ran were incredibly complex, dragging out across multiple episodes, full seasons, and so they take time. If you had the patience, you were amply rewarded. It was often funny, quirky, intense and harrowing all at once. The writing and acting were always top notch.

The ending was wonderful. The redemption storyline really resonated after seeing what Saul/Jimmy/Gene went through. He has regrets and that bittersweet flashback to Chuck got me. Chuck, after all, was the major plot of the first half of the series. It is in the second half when Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler got a chance to shine.  She was consistently the best performer on TV and I think she'll finally be recognized by the Emmy voters. I think Bob Odenkirk, the comedian, will finally win too for a dramatic role. 
 

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Do the Right Thing is just as important and poignant today as it was in 1989. Obviously, nothing has changed. Race relations are still tense and police brutality is still rampant. This didn't all of a sudden come out of nowhere and Barack Obama was not a cure-all. Spike Lee sends a powerful message to America.

It's a scorcher. The coloring of the film is tinted a hot red. Everyone is feeling agitated and you feel it too thanks to the reds and oranges. You know that someone is about to erupt. But let's start from the beginning with Rosie Perez dancing the opening credits to an aggressively bold Fight the Power by Public Enemy. Her moves are sharp, sensual, expressive, and absolutely magnetic. It does not glorify violence. But it does beautify it--beauty and fighting are not mutually exclusive.  Violence can be justified, it can be the titular right thing. It's a little more Malcolm than Martin.

Samuel L. Jackson is the radio host who acts as a narrator of sorts. We set the scene in Bed-Stuy on a street shared by African Americans, Puerto Ricans, a Korean grocery and an Italian pizzeria. This itself is beautiful. Not everyone necessarily gets along, but Brooklyn is such a uniquely American locale that all these different cultures could have the opportunity even to clash here. There is the very famous scene of the character staring down the barrel of the camera yelling racial slurs and insults. Even though they are pitted against each other, they are written in such a rich and complete way that the audience can empathize with all of them. We get it. We understand where they're coming from.

Spike Lee is a student of film. There is a very obvious allusion to Night of the Hunter directed by Charles Laughton. Radio Raheem wears LOVE and HATE knuckles and recites Robert Mitchum's monologue. Radio Raheem is perhaps the most symbolic character--his knuckles, his boom box (symbolic of his culture which he wears for all to hear unabashedly), and the ultimate fall of a strongman.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't address the ending. Does Mookie do the right thing? The privileged may see incitement of a riot. But that is wrong. Mookie starts an uprising. Think of the 2015 Baltimore uprising. An oppressed people rising up in self defense a la Malcolm X. Oppression: Why do the majority African American and Puerto Rican population not own any of the businesses on their street? They point out the Koreans are new immigrants and yet they somehow opened their own business. It's not personal. And we see in the final scene that Sal understands that. Sal feels betrayed, but he reconciles with Mookie. The movie is so powerful because it's so real. And it's so real because it is drawn from real society experience.

Okja (2017)

Okja has a very niche plot, but it is a story that can easily resonate with everyone. It'll forever be known as the super pig (slash hippo) movie. It's a risk that pays off handsomely for Netflix, which has already conquered the medium of television. This has the potential to be Netflix's big break in the original narrative film side of the business. Beasts of No Nation was very good but it never really broke through. Okja, though shunned by the cinematic tradition at Cannes, is the future. Netflix is desperate to catch Amazon, already with a Best Picture Oscar nomination for last year's Manchester by the Sea. What makes this film so important? It demonstrates to auteur filmmakers around the world that Netflix is willing to take risks. It will produce artistic films that no one else will. And if not with Okja, it eventually will strike a Best Picture nomination with this model. And leave it for crazy Bong Joon-ho to lead the way for Netflix.

The acting in Okja is quite over the top. I'm looking at you, Jake Gyllenhaal. I'm not sure how I feel about it. He's really insane. But somehow, the over exaggeration fits because it has dramatic and funny moments. Because his foil is a slightly less crazy Tilda Swinton. And the more subdued crazy of Paul Dano. The little girl, Ahn Seo-hyun is very good too as she embarks on a quest to rescue her super pig Okja. I guess that requires a little explanation. The genetically modified super pigs are produced by an evil company, given to farmers around the world to be bred for 10 years, then to be put into food production.  It's a charming simultaneously disturbing story with a moral. That moral will inspire people to become a vegetarian, or at least to not eat pig, after all Mija's favorite food is chicken. It's not a totally anti-meat movie per se, but there is a moral that you can discern for yourself. 

The Jungle Book (2016)

I feel like this film is the next era in computer graphics. Disney did it in 1946 bringing the animated characters in Song of the South to the live-action world. Here, they place Mowgli in a computer-generated jungle full of computer-generated animals and wonders. Nothing else in this movie is real, but you wouldn't be able to tell. In that respect, The Jungle Book is very impressive.

Favreau creates his own enthralling world such that he doesn't need to hearken back to the original. It is all his own, though he sometimes tries to remind us. This Jungle Book is a lot scarier and less fun than the one I remember. And Mowgli is a lot more annoying than I remember, too. I kind of couldn't get over it. The iconic Bare Necessities sequence was strange to put it plainly with Bill Murray as Baloo. Actually, his portrayal of Baloo and his relationship with Mowgli reminded me of St. Vincent. Don't think that was intentional, but Murray sort of plays it the same way.

Money Monster (2016)

So I was generally in the same vicinity as George Clooney when I was at Cannes, but I couldn't get in to the premiere screening and I didn't see him but I know he was somewhere there! The movie has a promising premise. A man threatens to kill George Clooney, a Jim Cramer-type character, on live TV after a stock pick he makes collapses. And they slowly, too slowly for a thriller, unravel a conspiracy. I didn't really like the resolution of the film. It was almost satisfying but ultimately the ending was disappointing after the whole buildup.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2016)

This was the movie that really exhausted me on the plane. After watching Hail Caesar, I saw another bad movie. This is what I call a running movie. It was basically nonstop running. It doesn't make for very interesting plot. It's a chase without a destination. I enjoyed the first one because of the mystery surrounding the premise. But the mystery does not resolve itself in this one. The plot doesn't really move at all. We just have to wait for the final installment. They didn't give me enough answers. And there wasn't enough Minho.

Breaking Bad (2008-13)

I have finally finished Breaking Bad and it was certainly worth all the hype.  This was indisputably one of the best shows ever created.  It's so good that there is a Spanish language remake that has also found success.  All of the acting was superb--not just Emmy winners Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, and Aaron Paul, but everyone including the supporting cast and guest actors.  All of them are strong Emmy contenders.  But what makes this show so great?  It's the writing.  The plot is brilliant.  A high school chemistry teacher is diagnosed with cancer, and turns to cooking meth to pay his medical bills and support his family.  Walter White is a smart man who takes pride in his work.  Throughout the five seasons, Walter hatches intricately woven plans to achieve his goals and his been a joy watching them unfold slowly, deliberately, and perfectly.

In its final season, Breaking Bad really went above and beyond.  Every character (even those you might have since forgotten about) gets to wrap up his/her story line.  All loose ends are tied up and each person is given a satisfying ending.  Now, we have the spin-off Better Call Saul to look forward to.