BlacKkKlansman

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Colorado Springs detective Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington) sees an ad in the newspaper for the KKK. He calls the telephone number, and ends up infiltrating the infamous organization (even going so far as to become a member). Because Stallworth himself is black, a fellow police officer (played by Adam Driver) impersonates Stallworth in real life. The investigation is meant to expose the organization as they are currently (circa 1970s) trying to sanitize themselves and become more mainstream. This idea is something that is completely insane, and is completely true. Amid Stallworth's investigation he develops an over the phone relationship with the grand wizard of the Klan, David Duke (played by Topher Grace), as well as the man who runs the Colorado Springs branch of the Klan, named Walter (played by Ryan Eggold). Stallworth also develops a budding relationship with an outspoken activist (played Laura Harrier). The movie has very heavy political message. I don't know if I necessarily agreed with everything that was said, but I also understood where Lee (and the overall story) was coming from. That said, this is an incredible movie. Acting-wise, everyone brings their A-game. John David Washington shows a lot of his father's level of talent, and even channels his mannerisms at several points in the film. Topher Grace is excellent as the grand wizard of the Klan, expertly showing that the man is stout in his beliefs. There are a lot of humorous moments in this movie that is otherwise a drama, and they could have easily come off as tonally jumbled, but I think Lee handles them in just the right way. The very end of the film could be off-putting for some, but I do think it helps show that racism is still very much an issue, and probably won't go away anytime soon. This is a movie I recommend watching. It's a really good flick, even of some of the modern political references can be a little jarring, and not entirely needed.

9 / 10  

Ready Player One

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In the year 2045, humanity has reached a breaking point and spends most of its time in virtual reality as a way to escape the far more bleak real world. Gaming guru James Halliday (played excellently by Mark Rylance) created the virtual world known as the Oasis, and hid an easter egg within, prompting players and their avatars to search the world of the Oasis to find said easter egg. Director Steven Spielberg gives this movie his usual high standard visual flair. The effects in the movie are phenomenal. It takes something special for a movie to hook right from the opening second, but I was on board with the film as soon as Van Halen's "Jump" began playing (perfectly foreshadowing the movie's phenomenal soundtrack to come). Everyone performance in the movie works (even some of the film's smaller performances). You believe the friendship between protagonist Wade and his in-game best friend, Helen aka Aech. Ben Mendelsohn has become a go-to actor for villains in the past few years. He and Hannah John-Kamen both play excellent antagonists. The standout in this movie has got to be Olivia Cooke for me however. This woman has come a long way from her work in the movie Ouija. The easter eggs littered throughout this movie are amazing, and are actually woven into the story very well. They could have easily felt forced, but they didn't. As much as I loved this movie, there is a minor flaw I have that I would like to address. Occasionally, the movie does rush through some explanations, when going through them a little bit more could have made the writing a little tighter. Other than those few and far between dips in the storytelling, Ready Player One was absolutely one hell of a recommended ride.

9 / 10