Sorry To Bother You – I’m just going to put this out there but no one is prepared for what writer and director Boots Riley has in store for you with his feature debut and that’s probably my favorite thing. The premise has Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius Green, an idealistic man living in his uncle’s garage with his charismatic artist girlfriend Detroit, played by the mesmerizing Tessa Thompson. Desperate to make his mark in the world and set a legacy, Cassius lies and embellishes his way into an entry level telemarketing firm but finds the sales tactic of “Stick To The Script” difficult for him to get a foothold into keeping the customers on the phone. After being told to use his “white voice” by an older co-worker, he begins rising up the ranks of sales, catapulting him into the position of being the uncaring one percent, belittling all that he once was. Riley gives voice to a heavy cinematic revolution in this film, at many times bringing the insane and sometimes hysterical comedy of social and racial satire while also presenting the important morals and messages that make this movie absolutely unforgettable and resonant. This is your important movie of 2018, now go out and get it.
Three Identical Strangers – Imagine you had just arrived at college and everyone seemed to know you already, addressing you by a name that’s not your own. This is what happened to Bobby Shafran on his first day, immediately asked if he was adopted and what his birthdate was. Fast forward to the meeting of Shafran and his identical twin brother Eddy Galland, sparking a reunion of two adult men just out of their teens who had no knowledge of each other. Add to that the discovery of David Kellman, you guessed it, a third twin who saw the reunion of his two long lost brothers on television and all three were living in the same state of New York. To be short, this story is insane. How can something of this magnitude just fly so far under the radar? Why was it not national or international news? Diving deeper into this documentary and the story gets more twisted and a real conspiracy starts to rise out of it in a really cold and calculating way. It seems like both of my films this week are really cerebral and will have a lingering on you but this is why I love film.
Steve Stebbing 