Hawkeye (2021)

Jeremy Renner finally gets his due. Is a 300 minute miniseries more prestigious than a feature film nowadays? Maybe. I think he probably got a longer end of the stick than Scarjo did with Black Widow. In the grand scheme of the Marvel Universe, this is probably not that important, but I think that's what's so refreshing about it compared to the complex Loki. They can go small. What they created is a Christmas movie, or an extended Christmas episode. It's designed just to make you smile and it does the trick. Christmas in New York is magical, isn't it? Hailee Steinfeld is fabulous as Kate Bishop, the rare Hawkeye fan who was inspired to pick up archery and becomes something of a hero in her own right. There is a deaf played by Alaqua Cox. Following the success of The Sound of Metal and CODA, it was a pleasant surprise to see a deaf character thriving in the hearing world, and multiple hearing characters signing to her, entering her world, handicapping themselves for her benefit. There is also a pretty good gag (prediction?) about a Marvel musical. Maybe they forgot about the Spiderman musical. The song and choreography are painfully accurate; I can see it transitioning to Broadway for real and succeeding.

When They See Us (2019)

Ava Duvernay's signature style of gut-punch filmmaking puts the viewer in the shoes of Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana, the five young boys who were coerced to make false confessions by the NYPD under duress, skewered by the mainstream press, wrongfully imprisoned, dehumanized and finally vindicated in 2002 after 13 long years. The story of the Central Park Five is infuriating, and though the press, police and prosecutor are specifically blamed, everyone is at fault. Blinded by institutional racism and contempt for poor black and brown kids, the white public (and specifically Elizabeth Lederer and Linda Fairstein) condemns the five kids, deluding itself into believing an obvious fabrication.  What is extraordinary about Duvernay's miniseries is that she manages to still display the incredible strength and resilience of the oppressed, not just the boys in prison and their families outside. Further still, she portrays the cruel and punitive criminal justice system at every stage, from the corrupt police, to the baiting press, to the biased courts, to the atrocious prisons, to probation, and the institutional obstacles to life on the outside as a convicted felon. Jharrel Jerome as both kid and young adult Korey is a standout, but the acting is phenomenal from the entire ensemble cast. It's emotional, devastating and absolutely required viewing.

The Judge (2014)

As someone who is interested in law, I was disappointed at this overly cliched movie.  There are quite a few soapbox speeches on justice, what makes a good lawyer, and how the law should be upheld. This movie could have used some more showing and less telling.

Robert Duvall as the eponymous judge gives a wonderful performance.  He has the stature and command of a respected man who ran a courtroom for four decades.  The accompanying score succeeds in creating a feeling of a great hall of justice in a small town.  This pretty impressive small town has a diner with a gorgeous view overlooking a waterfall.  Robert Downey Jr. plays a cocky defense attorney not too different in personality from his typical characters lately.  As his plot unravels, (there are a lot of subplots involving him) we find some sentimental moments but it is rather predictable throughout.