American Fiction - Review
American Fiction - Budget Unknown - 1 hour and 57 minutes
After Professor Dr. Thelonious "Monk" Ellison rages at another student, the school advisors think he should take some time off to focus on his upcoming book and spend time with his family. Monk hasn't sold a novel in years, and several publishers turned down his latest manuscript. Monk slowly relents to the advisors and calls his agent, Arthur. Another publisher turned down Monk's work because it wasn't 'black enough.' Monk thinks that's ridiculous because he is an African American man writing the book, and that should be enough.
Monk returns to Boston and attends a book festival, but the crowd is thin. Another author explains that everyone is at the session for Sinatra Golden. Monk quietly enters her session and becomes sickened by her book, 'We's Lives in Da Ghetto.' He thinks her book appeals to the lowest demographic and panders to stereotypes. And it's a best-seller. Later, Monk visits his sister, OB/GYN Dr. Lisa, at work, and she drives him to their mother's home. Their mom, Agnes, points out Monk's weight gain and asks about Lisa's husband. Lisa reminds Agnes that they separated months ago. They enjoy a night out with Agnes.
Monk and Lisa meet for lunch, and she warns him that Agnes's health is declining. Lisa needs financial help to get their mother tested and in the proper facility. Monk asks if their brother, Plastic Surgeon Dr. Cliff, will help, but he is in dire straits emotionally and financially since his divorce. Then, the unimaginable happens. Now, Monk has to come up with the money to care for Agnes. So, he sits and writes a book called 'My Pafology' with all the racial stereotypes and sends it to Arthur under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh.
Monk gets a phone call from a gleeful Arthur in the morning. A publishing company offered Monk $750,000 for his book. Monk assumes Arthur means the book under his real name, but they want the one from Leigh. Monk can't believe it and rejects the offer because the book goes against everything he believes. Arthur reminds Monk Agnes needs help. Monk staggers to yes. Monk thinks this deal is one-and-done. However, Leigh's rise could trigger Monk's downfall.
Based on Erasure by Percival Everett, this movie bravely acknowledges issues in literature while defending it (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). Companies love to shine a light on black voices but only tell the stories of violence and slavery. However, companies shouldn't ignore or overlook these stories either. This film isn't about those problems because the Ellingtons are a prominent, well-educated family dealing with everyday issues. Agnes has dementia, Lisa struggles to rally the family, Monk has identity issues, and Cliff is going through a crisis. This plot gives the viewer a glimpse into the writer's process and multiple endings. Also, this movie makes the most uncomfortable moments hilarious. Don't let preconceived notions stop you from seeing this film. It's for everyone. So, do you believe Monk is a sell-out, or does the ends justify the means?
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars
Please forgive me - Coraline
I have a confession - Monk
It's a matter of row versus wade - Lisa
What are you doing here - Cliff
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I.S.S. - Review
I.S.S. - Budget Unknown - 1 hour and 35 minutes
NASA astronauts Kira and Christian take the Soyuz Rocket to the International Space Station. She meets the other American astronaut, Gordon, and the three Russian cosmonauts, Nicholai, Alexey, and Weronika. They show Kira around the space station, teach her how to sleep, and discuss their experiments. For the grand finale, they take her to see the Earth from the space station for the first time, and they explain the overview effect.
Kira checks on her mice in the morning, and one is missing a limb. She doesn't understand why this happened. She takes a break and looks at the Earth. At first, Kira sees a fireball and assumes it's a volcano. She alerts the others as several more fireballs explode. It's not a volcano. Something happened below, and the communications system has failed. They examine the systems and discover the thrusters aren't working. Without them, the I.S.S. will fall into the Earth's orbit in 24 hours.
Gordon works on his laptop when he gets an incoming message from the U.S. government. Russia launched a nuclear attack on the U.S., and they want the astronauts to take command of the I.S.S. by any means necessary. Gordon quietly pulls Kira and Christian aside to update them. Gordon wants to ignore the order and focus on repairing the I.S.S., but Christian worries the cosmonauts have the same orders from their government. While they watch a war from space, can they declare one on the I.S.S.?
This movie mixes action with mystery. The astronauts and cosmonauts slowly pick off and help each other. They need to determine who is following orders and who desires peace. The other scientists have a working history because Christian brings them personal gifts when he returns with Kira. Kira is the newbie and has to determine who is on her side. While viewers overhear the astronauts discussing plans and debating orders, you don't get that side of the cosmonauts' conversation. It allows you to solve the enigma and keeps you in the action. While some of the graphics were wonderful, others were obvious. Those poorly edited scenes rob the viewer of a fun script. This movie is made for a big screen with a decent script, but don't expect Interstellar, The Martian, or Knives Out (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).
I give it 3 out of 5 stars
So do I - Alexey
A good son - Nicholi
You are all I have now - Weronika
I don't know - Kira
By any means necessary - Gordon
You were going to leave - Christian
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