Film reviews

You People Review

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You People advertises itself as a fun romcom with a twist—the twist being an interracial relationships with both families acting prickly about the situation. But this film is not a fun romcom. Its derogatory and inappropriate racial comments makes for flawed humor, and I found it to be an almost two hour long offensive, confusing, and stereotypical film.

The plot of the film introduces us to Ezra (played by Jonah Hill), who falls in love with Amira (played by Lauren London). Ezra is white and Jewish, and Amira is Black. They know in their hearts that they are in love and that they are meant to be, but are their families on the same page as them? Ezra’s mother is Shelley (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), his father is Arnold (played by David Duchovny), and his sister is Liza (played by Molly Gordon). Ezra’s family leads a privileged life and they are extremely high maintenance. Amira’s parents are Akbar (played by Eddie Murphy) and Fatima (played by Nia Long), and she has many siblings. Amira’s family is Muslim. Akbar questions Ezra as a man and his faithfulness to his daughter. The film takes the family dynamics to heights of religion, class, and tension, but it is presented in a very demeaning way, and that is why even the title You People is a turn off.

Is racism a funny subject? Absolutely not. But have there been quality films with racial comments in the comedy genre? Yes. Have some films addressing diversity or class tried too hard to be funny? Not many, but that’s how I view You People. This film is not satirical. It is morally wrong, poorly written, and a just slew of negative racial stereotypes and derogatory words and tension.

I always try to find some positive aspects to a film, but this one is a challenge. The one positive I can find is the cast. The characters fit the concept of the film, especially Dreyfus and Duchovny as Ezra’s parents, and Murphy and Long as Amira’s parent. These are all diverse people with diverse attitudes. But the subject matter is delivered all wrong.

Simply put, I did not like this film at all, despite the cast. I found it hateful, disgusting, and offensive. The characterizations sickened me, and I felt offended throughout the film. There was a total lack of positivity. Bringing the concepts of race, ethnicity and culture to the cinema is important, but this film was over the limit. Netfix viewers will need to decide whether they want to watch this one, but I don’t recommend it. Two stars for You People.

Film reviews

Skinamarink Review

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Experimental scary films have always fascinated me. Movies where the scary aspects are hidden or around corners and the jump scares come out of nowhere. Skinamarink is that type of horror film and is one of the most creative and intense films I have experienced in a long time. The camera is shaky, the cinematography is saturated, and the terror is blended with the sound effects throughout its hour and a half plus running time. Skinamarink required me to think and anticipate unexpected moments of terror. It takes the cake in its brilliant writing, directing, and settings created from the mind of director Kyle Edward Ball.

The estimated budget of Skinamarink falls at $15,000 which is relatively low. However, for its low budget, it is surreal. Ball really put his mind into making this project creative, fascinating, and something different. He worked to make a memorable film where his audience leaves with many questions in the back of their minds. I am still pondering some questions after experiencing Skinamarink. Despite some confusion throughout the film, I was astonished by the film overall.

Skinamarink is a film that takes place entirely in a house. The credits of the film roll before the movie begins and then it jumps right into its setting. Do not expect to sit after the credits. The film consists of a family in a home. There is the mom and dad (played by Jaime Hill and Ross Paul), and their children Kevin and Kaylee (played by Lucas Paul and Dali Rose Tetreault). Do not expect to see much of them but expect to hear their voices. The film’s focus is that Kevin and Kaylee wake up and realize that their parents are missing, their windows are gone, their doors are gone, and because of their ages they do not understand what is going on.

The film has that feeling of a glitchy camera which adds to the film’s suspense. There is no scoring or terrifying music, just the consistent shots of the low-budget camera following the quiet suspense. This means that there is some supernatural terror going on in the home. The supernatural terror paces itself in long fragments and focuses in on the many corners of the home. There are sound effects in the background, including a TV, the voices of the children, and whatever noise may be occurring in the house. Given all this, Skinamarink may make some feel scared. It reminded me what it felt like to be scared at a young age, especially when you don’t yet understand how the world works.

The film’s saturated cinematography is like The Blair Witch Project (1999) in that it effectively utilizes technicalities for added suspense. Skinamarink has the camera be more still and does not have its audience feel like they have motion sickness like The Blair Witch Project did. Skinamarink is a horror film with a limited budget made with the purpose of scaring the audience and finding questions about the source of the evil that lurks through the film. Where did Kevin and Kaylie’s parents go? Why did their windows and doors disappear? Why is the film being presented through a video camera? The many questions to Skinamarink’s creative use of mind-boggling technicalities are where its realism is truly demonstrated.

Skinamarink is intriguing and inviting. The film may start in a boring way given the credits rolling before the film starts instead of at the end of the film. After that, however, it grasps your attention as horrors evolve when the many terrors come out of nowhere. Skinamarink is Paranormal Activity on acid and in my opinion is better than the Paranormal Activity franchise. This one puts its horror to the test, and it is a revelation.

Is there light in Skinamarink? Is there a way to prevent the horror that is happening silently? Will Kevin and Kaylie be safe? Skinamarink is imaginative in its display of ghost knowledge as it reveals more unknown fragments of unexplained spirits. Three and a half stars for Skinamarink.

Film reviews

Missing Review

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The title Missing may sound generic, but the film is exhilarating. When there is suspicion in a film’s central plot point, evidencehelps build the storyline into an invigorating thriller flick. Missing contains many technological fascinations. The movie is all viewed through a computer screen, a tablet screen, or an Apple device screen. The film also contains interesting scenes involving figuring out passwords, accounts, and background research which result in evidence which spirals into an anxious state-of-mind. For those who know the film Searching, Missing is by the same directors, Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick. This time they return with a plot and setup much like Searching, but this time they take the suspense to a new level. Missing is one of those films where reality feels real through showing how much information technology can save.

Missing is intriguing because of its multiple components. The film showcases authorities, technology, social media, and a wide range of technicalities for its puzzle. Missing is a not your common film of what goes wrong when someone disappears,but it will make its audience cringe. The directing and writing are calculated and provide misinformation which adds more anxiety. The harrowing truths discovered in Missing build an even tougher trail to pursue, but that’s part of what hooked me. The film is like screen time on top of screen time in the form of a movie.

The plot of Missing involves a mother, Grace (played by Nia Long), and her daughter June (played by Storm Reid) who have a typical mother-daughter relationship. June is often ignorant of her mom’s requests and frequently gets annoyed that her mom is just being a mom. June is also addicted to her technology (the primary reason why the whole film is practically through computer screens). Her mom goes out of town with her boyfriend Kevin (played by Ken Leung). At first, June is ecstatic because this is a moment of freedom for her. As the day comes around for her mother to return, Grace falls off the grid. She does not respond to her phone, or her messages and it makes June very nervous. June begins to fill out a missing person’s report and goes through many databases to figure out where her mom might be.

The stress and anxiety are shown purely in the eyes of June throughout Missing. June begins to hack the profiles on Kevin’s accounts to find the locations or transactions which may lead to the whereabouts of her mom. The crazy thing is that Kevin does not always use his real name. June comes across multiple accounts, several past incidences, and more disturbinginformation. June only wants to find her mom, but she also wants to ensure her mom is safe. Missing shows how far one will go to find a person they love.

As June’s story evolves, Missing bombards social media with the fact that June’s mom is missing. Her mom’s name may be out there, but the social media factor can help the matter or make matters worse. Missing will make its viewers wonder how much technology or hidden information can work to June’s advantage. Because she is a teenager, there may be more risks for her and/or her mom. Missing is hard to take at times due to the overwhelming news and media that surrounds June and her situation which reflects today’s reality.

There are always layers of finding the truth in a thriller film. For example, June’s father supposedly passed away, however thefull story is never explained to her. As June realizes that some of the the evidence she finds does not add up, some of what she comes across may link to her past as well and may reveal more than expected. The realizations made by June and the authoritiesin their search to find her missing mother are gut-wrenching. Missing is creative in the investigative and critical sense. There are no good resolutions, but there is always hope in each piece of evidence discovered.

Missing is a masterpiece. It paints a clear picture that revealshow the technological world is not as safe and secure as the world may think. Can June crack the case and find her momherself? Are the authorities and the media helpful sources to track her missing mom? Why would there be more unexplained circumstances found through technology? Those answers are all found in the film itself. I believe audiences will appreciate Missing because of its faithful representation of what lengths someone will go to protect the one they love most. Three and a half stars for Missing.

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