Mrs. America (2020)

The miniseries from FX on Hulu is quite good on the whole though some episodes in the middle are not as interesting. I think especially powerful is the Shirley Chisholm episode, helmed by an excellent Uzo Aduba. The episode speaks to the power of representation, even symbolic. Chisholm is the first woman and first African-American to make a run for president. And even if she never really stood a chance, seeing her on the stage was incredibly important. The Bella Abzug episode is also very good, helmed by Margo Martindale who tends to play politician-types, always very well; her costumes and accent and gestures are really great. What makes her episode especially powerful is the argument it makes about radical change. Ideas that may sound radical, over time, can and do move into the mainstream. The moment she realizes this while visiting Betty Friedan, known for her own brand of radicalism. Feminism, which once seen as radical, in her own lifetime, moved into the mainstream, and today (at least in the Obama era) are self-evident ideals, that a woman deserves equal pay as a man, for instance.  And then I also thought the Houston episode was very good, which takes place at the 1977 National Women's Conference. The STOP ERA women are at the Convention without their leader, and left on her own, Sarah Paulson's character in her drunkenness starts to see the light. The episode is a trip like something out of The Good Fight.

In a terrific ensemble cast, Cate Blanchett is the crown jewel as the awful Phyllis Schlafly. Even playing such a hypocritical brainwashed witch, Blanchett is typically excellent. I remember learning about Schlafly in school specifically as part of the anti-ERA movement but not as the mother of modern Republicanism. I think the series may give her a little too much credit for birthing Reaganism. Her valuable mailing list becomes the base of the modern Republican party. The irony is Reagan doesn't offer her a place in his administration, supposedly because he is already unpopular enough with female voters. However the line from Schlafly to Trumpism is much darker.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)

Oprah is powerful as ever, but for some reason she was snubbed of an Emmy nomination. Oprah can do no wrong. I actually thought Rose Byrne was kind of charming. The movie isn't just about Henrietta of course, but about Rebecca Skloot's research process. The story of the Lacks family is as much Henrietta's story as her own life for in death she continues to bear influence on them. Johns Hopkins has done some horrible things, especially to the local African American population, in its history in the name of science and otherwise. And this film begins to tell us about some of them. What they did with Henrietta Lacks was ethically dubious but official policy is not well-defined. Though I think they were certainly wrong to draw blood from her descendants without properly informing them.

The opening scene in black-and-white, as if on an old film reel, is slickly edited to a drumming soundtrack. It tells you everything you need to know and the drums give it a sense of direction. The rest of the film however, to be totally honest, is a little boring. They have very short cuts to Henrietta Lacks and her life. These scenes serve little purpose because the real drama is in the present. I don't think Renee Elise Goldsberry even has a speaking role. Goldsberry has a very small role in the film, but she actually bears a surprising likeness to Henrietta Lacks. Good casting or good make up.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

What I love about the X-Men series is the complex discussion of politics and the revisionist history making for an engaging story. This movie doesn't do that. Instead, like a typical superhero movie, it delves into mythology, which is less interesting. And X-Men has gotten extraordinarily confusing in terms of timeline. How could this big huge Apocalypse thing have happened in the 80s and we never heard about it in the original trilogy? There is the welcome re-insertion of Jean Grey (Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones!), Nightcrawler, Storm (who is apparently Egyptian now?) and Cyclops, but Angel is a puzzle. Is this a different Angel than the one from the original trilogy? Because his appearance in this film does not fit in with his role in the original. There is a small cameo by Wolverine, which is bizarre because Wolverine usually has a bigger part in X-Men. And if he wasn't going to have a real role, we didn't need the two minutes. The after-credits scene also alluded to something related to Wolverine, probably to connect this to his next standalone movie. The film's greatest strength is fitting Jean Grey's development back into the narrative, seeing as she is one of the most important mutants.  Usually, one of the high points is the Magneto-Professor X dynamic, but I don't think they got enough scenes together this film. And there was really nothing added to their relationship in this story line. Hopefully, the next X-Men movie returns to its roots.

Spy (2015)

Melissa McCarthy is in fine form in her latest film after a string of subpar films. Her performance reminds us why she is an Emmy winner and Oscar nominee.  She is self deprecating and fully adept at physical comedy.  A spoof on the classic 007-type spy movies, Spy is raucously funny. The audience is constantly reminded that McCarthy does not look like your stereotypical secret agent, and in actuality that is to her benefit as an undercover spy.  McCarthy's performance is only one in a movie full of excellent performances.  Jason Statham turns up his intensity factor to play a satirical version of himself.  British comedian Miranda Hart is hilarious as is Rose Byrne, who puts on a pretentious British accent to play a villain. This is a solid, worthwhile comedy.