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Justin Bieber: Our World – The Boy Becomes a Man

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Let’s be serious. You’ve already decided how you feel about this.

For over a decade now, Justin Bieber has been both adored and despised by the general public. For some, it was because of his music. For others, his antics as a 17-year-old with the world at his feet. He’s been criticized, analyzed and despised but, at the same time, admired and adored by his fans.

But everyone had an opinion.

Now 27-years-old and married, Bieber is a man who wants to move past his impetuous youthful years. Admittedly he still remains a divisive performer, though primarily by those who refuse to forget those tumultuous years of his youth. (He even subjected himself to a Celebrity Roast a few years ago, allowing others to poke fun at his image.) With his new concert doc, Justin Bieber: Our World on Amazon Prime, Bieber wants to remind the public of his talent while demonstrating that he’s become a different man.

Set on the rooftop of the Beverley Hilton Hotel on New Year’s Eve 2020, Justin Bieber: Our World is the pop superstar’s first concert in three years. Performing an outdoor concert in the midst of the pandemic for 240 guests and millions more streaming online, Bieber performs an endless string of hits from his collection, old and new, while observing strict COVID protocols. Directed by Michael D. Ratner, Our World may focus on the music but it also allows Bieber to speak for himself through backstage footage and quieter moments with his wife, Hailey.

Whether you love his music or hate it, one can’t deny that the kid has loads of musical talent. (To be fair, there will be those who deny that… but they’re incorrect.) With this in mind, World proves exactly how prominent his musical dominance has been over all these years. Featuring hit after hit, the performance is a reminder that his pop dominance has been consistent and constant. (Be honest. You know more words to Baby and Love Yourself than you care to admit.) Despite his massive pyrotechnics and special effect, he has a grown as a performer in his ability to connect with his audience, even in larger scale performances. Most importantly though, there’s something about him when he’s onstage that feels so much more genuine now that he did in his youth. Professing his love for his wife or simply speaking to his fans feel honest and even humble.

While one wishes that the film offered more insight into the young man’s mind or his redemption tour in recent years, World does give a taste of who he wants to be seen as by the public. With the limited behind-the-scenes footage that we get, Bieber is portrayed as a young man who truly cares about those around him. The title ‘Our World‘ is deliberate in that there’s a connectedness and support of others that pervades the film. From his wife to his entourage and staff, Bieber has genuinely deep relationships with his team. (Further emphasizing this is the fact that the film goes out of its way to remind the viewer that Bieber’s performance went by the strictest of COVID protocols in order to ensure the safety of his fans and crew.) Carrying himself with maturity, the boy wonder has finally grown up into a man who is doing his best to live with honour. This portrait of Bieber is of a man who is going to prioritize things that truly matter, whether it’s walking with his wife, wearing masks, prayer or his mental health. This is not the youth we once [thought we] knew. He is hard working, loving and, most importantly, humble.

While Justin Bieber: Our World may not win any new fans to his music, it certainly does portray the pop prince in a new (and healthier) light. Though many of us have pointed to him over the years as an example of the destructive power of fame, maybe it’s time for us to admit that our view of Bieber has been tainted by his past. From the age of 15, this young man has been a bonified hit-machine and Our World is a reminder of just how truly talented he really is.

Hopefully, it’s not too late for us to say sorry.

Justin Bieber: Our World is available on Amazon Prime on Friday, October 8th, 2021.

One Night in Miami: History for Today

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Regina King flexes her incredible directorial skills for the first time in a feature film by bringing Kemp Powers’ stage play, One Night in Miami to the big screen (or little screen, as it were).

One Night in Miami is a fictional take on a meeting between real life friends, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) as they celebrate Clay’s title victory in 1964. At this time, these four very successful and world-renowned black men were at pivotal moments in their lives and careers.  Despite their stature, they continued to witness and experience the racism that was rampant in the 60’s, and still plagues us to this day.

Malcolm X was at a crossroads with the Nation of Islam and was in the process of pursuing his own branch of the Muslim faith.  As adversity continued to rise, he was growing weary from oppression, including numerous death threats.  Even so, he continued to be as passionate as ever about his activism and was invested in helping Cassius Clay transition to the faith.  

Clay, a confident and free-spirited man, was now a world champion boxer, and was quietly practicing as a Muslim under the teachings of Malcolm X.  He initially seemed timid about going public with his faith, and seemed to struggle when he finds out about Malcolm’s tribulations.

At the peak of his football career, Jim Brown was in the process of transitioning to acting.  We see a shocking hypocrisy with Jim’s backstory when he meets with a benefactor who is kind and welcoming to his face but then admits that they don’t welcome black people into their home.

Sam Cooke was the ultimate 60’s pop star who, according to Malcolm X, seemed to have his foot in the door of the white man.  Malcolm took issue with the fact that Sam wasn’t using his platform to speak on the civil rights issues facing the black community.

When these four men are in a room alone together, it sparks deep and passionate conversations about faith, civil rights, racism, and freedom.  As this was a stage play, we are blessed with numerous impressive monologues from each character.  This is an extremely emotionally driven piece and it certainly makes you think and compare the world they were living in with today’s culture.

One thing that Malcolm X said that struck me was that there is no reason for anyone to be on the fence anymore.  There are literally people dying in the streets everyday.  Black people are dying everyday and a line has got to be drawn in the sand.  This is so shockingly relevant to society today.  This is unfortunately the world we continue to live in and the world that we must change. 

One Night in Miami was a very impressive film that is not only entertaining but extremely relevant and important.  Each performance was incredible.  From the footage I have seen of these men in real life, the acting was spot on.  They had great chemistry on screen.  You believed their friendship but you also believed their disagreements.  And perhaps we can take a note from these men in the way that they support each other, yet don’t hesitate to call it out when there’s an issue and a potential for growth.

One Night in Miami is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Small Axe – West Indian Joys and Pain

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Some stories and the worlds they bring to us are too big for a single film. Sometimes that means trilogies or ongoing sequels without end (like Star Wars). But for Steve McQueen to bring us a vision of the world he grew up in, it required the Small Axe anthology. This is a series of five films, most of which are based in real stories, set in the West Indian community in London in the 60s through 80s. Each film is independent of the others. They each have their own tone. But they also have a common thread in that they reflect the life of strangers in a strange land trying to establish their lives and maintain their roots.

It’s a bit challenging to know how to treat such an anthology. Many of the individual films are being named by various critics in their yearend lists. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named the anthology as Best Picture. When you first see Small Axe on Prime video (where it is streaming), it looks like a series with one season of five episodes. In reality the anthology is individual films that all hold their own, but they manage through those stories to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Although the films don’t require watching in sequence, I’ll follow the order of the episodes as they are numbered on Prime.

Mangrove is the story of an important court case in England involving a group called the Mangrove Nine. Frank Crichlow and others were put on trial for riot and affray after a demonstration against police harassment of his restaurant, Mangrove. In their defense, they are able to show that there was racial bias in the police force and the entire legal system. It was the first time the courts took note of such bias. A key quote: “We must become the sheperds of our own destinies.”

Lovers Rock shows us a night at a music party. This is an evening filled with music, weed, hormones, and above all, vitality. This is not so much about plot as it is about being pulled in to the experience. There is a ten-minute (!) scene built around the song “Silly Games” that is astounding on many levels. It captures the love of life, the hopes and joys of that community.

A key quote: “You can’t wear church shoes to a blues dance.” (Well, it turns out you can.)

Red, White and Blue is the story of Leroy Logan who as a boy saw his father assaulted by police and as a young man joined the police force seeking to change it from within. It’s not really surprising that he not only runs into resistance to change, but is also the target of the systemic racism. A key quote: “You wanted us more British than the British.”

Alex Wheatle is based in the true story of the title character who becomes a very successful writer of YA books. He was abandoned by parents early on and grew up in children homes and the foster system. As a young man he begins to find his place in the world of music. But when he ends up in jail, his cell mate pushes him to find his roots and build his life from there. A key quote: “Boy, you have to find out who the f*** you is.” (That might well serve as the overall quote for the anthology.)

Education looks at the discrimination toward West Indian children in the school system. The schools very quickly moved children who had learning or behavioral problems to “special schools”. That doesn’t sound too bad, until we discover that the schools didn’t bother to help them learn or often even provide classroom supervision. A group begins to unite the parents to fight the system and save their children from a bleak future. McQueen himself was funneled off to a special school. A key quote: “There is nothing special about his school.”

The stories are filled with struggle and pain, but also with joy, community, family, and hope. There is a vibrancy to their celebrations, just as there is anguish in their struggles for justice and a chance to fulfill the dream that brought them to the UK. Throughout the series, there are various stories that come up from the West Indies or African culture that add even more texture to the stories that McQueen is setting before us.

The title for the anthology comes from a Wailers song. The chorus includes, “If you are the big tree/ we are the small axe/ sharpened to chop you down.” In every culture, be it the UK or the US or elsewhere, when the oppressed unite, they have the power to shape the future.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Prime Video

Mangrove – Demanding Justice

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“We must become the shepherd of our own destinies”

Mangrove, the opening film of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, is a tale of racial struggle against police abuse. It is based on the true story of the Mangrove Nine, a group of men and women put on trial in London. (Yes, that’s right, racial prejudice is not the sole possession of America.)

The first half of the film focuses primarily Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), a Trinidadian immigrant who in 1968 has just opened the Mangrove restaurant in the Notting Hill area of London. It serves the kind of spicy foods preferred by Caribbean people. Almost from the start the police, lead by Police Constable Pulley (Sam Spruell), begin harassing Crichlow and the restaurant. The restaurant becomes a gathering place for the immigrant community. In time they take issue with all the harassment and plan a protest. During the protest, the police attack the crowd. In the aftermath nine leaders of the community are put on trial for the serious charges of riot and affray.

The second half of the film is a courtroom drama. The defendants faced many years in prison. Their very lives were in the balance. And solicitors and barristers told them over and over to trust the system. But the defendants knew that the legal system was just as corrupt as the police. Two of the defendants chose to represent themselves, which allowed them the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and address the jurors. On the whole, the defense was an attack of the status quo of racial animosity. The trial became the first time the courts made note of the racial discrimination by the police force.

Thereare some comparisons to be made to The Trial of the Chicago 7 in that they occur roughly at the same time, both involve police caused riots, and the trials took on a rebellious tone. But this is by far a much better film.

The Small Axe anthology is a collection of five films by McQueen that focus on the world he grew up in. His parents were from Grenada and Trinidad. At least four of the films are based on actual events and people. It shows the black immigrant society as a vibrant culture of music, color, language, and joyous celebrations—but also frequently hardship because of a racist system.

This film shows some of the different manifestations of racism. (And we need to note that these forms are as relevant in this country as they are in the UK of the film.) The racism that we see in PC Pulley is the kind of blatant racism that repels us. (“The thing about the black man is he has his place. He’s just got to know his place.”). He and other police officers regularly hassle random black people for no reason. In court they suggest that all blacks are “criminal, prostitutes, ponces, and the like”.

But when the film switches to being a courtroom drama, the entire system comes under scrutiny for the ways that racism has been institutionalized, such as the make up of the jury, the way defendants are supposed to put their trust in the “professionals”, and the ways the judge fails to allow them to have voice. This kind of racism can be even more injurious because the system gives the impression of fairness, but often that impression is an illusion.

The film also touches on the responsibility of both intentional and accidental leaders. Crichlow really did not aspire to being a community leader. He just wanted to run his restaurant. He told one of the more strident leaders, “It’s a restaurant, not a battle ground”. But when circumstances continued to escalate, he had to make choices that pushed him into leadership. We also see in Crichlow the struggle of facing the risk that leadership brings. He is torn at times between doing what would be safe and doing what is right.

To do the right thing often is a matter of faith. Throughout the film, the defendants are told to have faith—in the judicial process. They hear it so often it becomes a joke to them that they should expect the system to come through for them. Others suggest that the characters need to have faith in the community to stand in solidarity. But at a crucial time, Frank, unable to sleep, sits on his bed and opens his Bible to a picture of his parents. On the back it reads, “In God you must trust.” There he finds the strength to carry on with what is right.

Mangrove (and the other Small Axe films) are streaming on Amazon Prime.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios.

Sound of Metal – A Place of the Kingdom?

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Is healing a return to what came before, or is it finding life anew? In Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, a man has to decide what he will accept in his life that has been turned upside down. He discovers that what he thinks will make him whole may not be as good as he hopes, but he also discovers that there are gifts that he can tap into that will bring him peace and joy.

Ruben (Riz Ahmed) and Lou (Olivia Cooke) travel the country as the band Blackgammon, a punk metal band. Ruben plays the drums. Their trademark is that they are LOUD. Yet, when in private, they listen to much softer music. One day Ruben suddenly loses his hearing. When he goes to a doctor, the news is not good. It will not be coming back.

When Lou sees that he is beginning to return to an addict’s behavior pattern, she takes him to a farm where there is a community of deaf addicts in recovery. The community is led by Joe (Paul Raci), an alcoholic who lost his hearing in Vietnam.  It is a hard transition for Ruben. When he comes into the community, he is hyper-isolated. He can’t understand them when they sign. They can’t understand him when he speaks. He is more interested in getting his hearing back (through very expensive cochlear implants) than adapting to the world as a deaf person. His goals are different than those around him.

Riz Ahmed as Ruben in SOUND OF METAL Courtesy of Amazon Studios

In time, Ruben begins to learn to sign. He also begins teaching deaf children to play drums. But all the while, he wants more. He is always busy. He fixes things around the farm. But all of that is a way to avoid his feelings. Joe notes that his refusal to accept his situation is very much the behavior of an addict. Joe gives him an assignment: to go into a room with just a pencil and paper and write. He can write anything. It doesn’t have to be a story or even sentences. Just write and write and write.

The addictive behavior that Joe notes is interesting. It is not only the danger of drugs that Ruben must deal with, but the hearing life that he is trying to hold on to. It is hard to move forward when tied to the past. His desire to hear again—at any cost—is a barrier to finding something new.

I need to admit that when I first read the synopsis of the film as I prepared for AFI Fest, it wasn’t high on my list. But when I heard others who had seen it earlier rave about it, I made sure in include it in my schedule. It turned out to be one of my favorites of the festival. It is extremely engaging on an emotional level. Ruben struggles throughout the film, not just with his hearing loss and his addictions, but against a future he cannot see. Even as he begins to have some growth, he continues to be deeply troubled.

We also learn that this is in reality a spiritual struggle. That epiphany comes when Joe tells Ruben that he too needs to spend time writing and writing. When he can write no more, and there are moments of stillness, “that place is the Kingdom of God”.

That idea reminded me of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. When the prophet felt overwhelmed by his struggle with King Ahab, he went to the wilderness to find God. He wanted to whine a bit. As he waited for God a mighty wind that could break rocks came, but God wasn’t in the wind. Neither was God in the great earthquake or the fire that followed. But then there was “a sound of sheer silence. There the voice of God spoke to him.

We often overlook the spiritual aspects of the struggles we have—whether it is addiction, illness, or the emotional struggle of the COVID pandemic. We want things to be “normal”. We want our pain to end. We think if we do something, or try harder, things will get better. But sometimes, what is really needed is to stop and wait for the voice of God that comes in the stillness.

Sound of Metal is available on Amazon Prime Video beginning December 4th, 2020

Uncle Frank – The Person You Decide to Be

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Family can be a place of pain or a place of healing. It can be the place we try to escape from or the place we need to return to. It is where we hear words that are like a knife in the heart or like the warmth of a hug. In Alan Ball’s Uncle Frank, it is all of those things.

The story is told from the perspective of Beth (Sophia Lillis), in high school when we first meet her. But the focus is really her Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany). During one of his rare visits to their southern family, Beth is fascinated by Frank and how different he is from the rest of the family. He lives in New York City where he teaches. Beth has no idea why her grandfather (Frank’s father) is so rude to him. When Beth talks with Frank he tells her, “You get to be the person you decide to be or the person everyone else tells you you are. You get to choose.” That conversation changes her life.

(L-R) Sophia Lillis and Paul Bettany star in UNCLE FRANK Photo: Brownie Harris Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Beth heads off to New York for college. When she crashes a party at Frank’s apartment, she discovers that he’s gay and has a long-time partner, Walid (Peter Macdissi). When Frank gets a call to tell him his father died suddenly, he and Beth drive down to South Carolina for the funeral. Frank doesn’t want Walid to come because he doesn’t want his family to know he’s gay. Walid, knowing that Frank will need his support, rents a car and follows them. In time the three of them are on a road trip.

As Frank talks with Beth on the trip, he recalls his youth and the discovery of being gay. It was young love, but it also carried a great deal of condemnation from church and home. After the death of his first love, Frank has carried guilt and shame all these years, even though outwardly he seems comfortable with his life (at least while he is in New York). But when his father’s will surprisingly and cruelly outs him, his emotional turmoil overwhelms him.

SOPHIA LILLIS, PAUL BETTANY and PETER MACDISSI star in UNCLE FRANK

It all goes back to that conversation between Frank and Beth about choosing who you will be. In New York, Frank is the person he has “decided to be”, but does not live that out when he comes home. His father has always looked at him with shame and loathing—that is what society says Frank should feel. When at home, that is who he becomes. That serves as a kind of demonstration of the way pride and shame often play out for LGBTQ people. They may go to gay pride events, but remain closeted to the people closest to them.

(L-R) Lois Smith and Margo Martindale star in UNCLE FRANK Photo: Brownie Harris Courtesy of Amazon Studios

However, Frank may be surprised by how his family responds to his sudden outing. The revelation may be hard for them, but these are people who have loved him his whole life. They may not be able to put that into words well, but it comes through clearly. There is a nice supporting cast that makes up this family, including Margo Martindale and Stephen Root as Frank’s parents, Steve Zahn as Frank’s brother and Beth’s father, Judy Greer as Beth’s mother, and Lois Smith as Frank’s Aunt Butch. While not everyone is welcoming to this news about Frank, there is grace that comes out in various ways.

Uncle Frank is available on Amazon Prime.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios.