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CODA is a film that doesn't take a lot chances, with it's familiar tropes it doesn't stray from the formula. It's a remake of a 2014 French film, it's a coming of age film about a teenage girl breaking away from her family. Audiences get a teen romance or two, an inspiring teacher, and an uplifting ending. And yet ... CODA transcends the ordinary with solid performances, storytelling, and importantly, with its inclusion of amazing deaf actors - an opportunity the original French film missed. The importance of good storytelling is highlighted here. Listen as we discuss the charming film CODA. Featuring host Alex Ago and his guests, Donnajean Ward, Jonathan Schwartz, and Aubrey Hicks

Netflix's film Moxie brings riot grrrl punk feminism to a whole new generation: music, zines, and voices coming together to make the world a bit better. Is the world ready for riot grrrls to go mainstream?      

During our recent episode on Judas and the Black Messiah, Professor Bill Resh spoke about using the film as part of his course on citizenship. We thought it would be great to revisit the film and see how well this worked. So, today we're revisiting Judas and the Black Messiah with students from his course! We'll ask about the different theories of citizenship, how they felt the film portrayed the time, and their thoughts on today's BLM movement. Host Aubrey Hicks is joined by: Michael Nimer (Masters candidate, he/him) Nivea Krishnan (1st year undergraduate, she/her) Riley McMackin (3rd year undergraduate, she/her) Rene Del Bosque (2nd year undergraduate, he/him)  

Under the threat of prison, Bill O'Neal infiltrated the Black Panther Party in Chicago. Judas and the Black Messiah looks at the last three years of the Black Panther Party Chairman, Fred Hampton's life. While Hampton was falling in love , taking care of his people, and leading the city revolutionaries ... O'Neal  was forced to navigate the dilemma of the hold the FBI had over him, all while starting to believe in the movement the Black Panthers represented. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, Bill Resh, and Erroll Southers. Beware of spoilers. Trigger warning: racial violence, gun violence, state violence, murder, death.   For links to some of the things we talk about, see our showpage.  

Today we’ll be doing something a bit different. We’re looking at two memoirs made into films in 2020: Between the World and Me, from HBO, based on the book of the same name written by Ta’Nehasi Coates. The film is directed by Kamilah Forbes, and the screenplay adaptation is by David Teague. Hillbilly Elegy is based on a book of the same name by JD Vance, published in 2016. Ron Howard directed the Netflix film, adapted for screen by Vanessa Taylor. Host Aubrey Hicks is joined by Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, William Resh, and Jonathan Schwartz.

Odds are that you know someone raving about the new Netflix coming of age limited series, The Queen's Gambit. Lifted from the novel of the same title, the series is a seven episode tale of a little orphan girl entering the competitive, very masculine, and very adult world of chess. From pawn to queen, what makes The Queen's Gambit irresistible? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago and Aubrey Hicks in today's episode of Reel Review.

On the Rocks, the latest film from Sophia Coppola, like many of the director's films, relies on dialogue and character interaction. This time the central relationship is between father and daughter, played by Bill Murray and Rashida Jones. How relevant do our panel find this depiction of lives of privilege? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Aubrey Hicks  and William Resh to discuss On The Rocks!

Episode one of Lovecraft Country lets viewers know for sure that the question of reality and truth is at the heart of the series. In reality, H. P. Lovecraft was an overt White Supremacist. The series turns this on its head and gives a new generation a ring-side seat to revisiting history from the reality overlooked by textbooks. Reality is slippery. Truth can be hidden. What does it take to uncover the truth, share your reality, and make the world better for the next generation? "It would seem to me that the proposition before the house is a question hideously loaded, and that one's response to that question, or reaction to that question, has to depend on the effect of where you find yourself in the world, what your sense of reality is," James Baldwin spoke during a 1965 debate with William F. Buckley. We're talking about the whole season of Lovecraft Country on this episode of Reel Review. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss the horror, the scifi, the Easter eggs, the way genre can get at the heart of social issues, and more.

For our September film discussion, we decided on Disney's streaming release of the live-action remake, Mulan. It's a film that is surrounded by controversy both domestically and abroad. Yifei Liu, the actress who plays the titular character, sparked a boycott hashtag last August (2019) with a pro-police post on Weibo. More controversy hit the film as early viewers realized one of the filming locations is Xinjiang, where the Chinese government is holding Uygur (Muslim ethnic minorities) in "re-education" camps. Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss the film, its controversies, and the possibilities of theater in the pandemic.

The 2020 Presidential Election brings us to an important tipping point in the American experiment. In July 2020, the New Yorker ran a piece called "How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat," by David Roth. We thought that it would be a great excuse to revisit the 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven and the question of fascism in our time. "The anti-Fascism of 'Starship Troopers' is mordant and merciless, but Verhoeven advances his argument by making its every frame lavishly, overbearingly Fascist." What can the fascism of "Starship Troopers" tell us about autocracy and community? Do we fight for democracy or give over to the Federation? Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by Alex Ago, Aubrey Hicks, and William G. Resh to think about the film and the question of fascism in our time.

"The story of the Negro in America is the story of America, and it is not a pretty story." - James Baldwin The year is 1979. James Baldwin writes a letter to his agent describing his next novel, "Remember this House." He describes a personal account of the lives of three of Baldwin's close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. The letter is a history of civil rights in America. Baldwin never finished the book. The letter and 30 manuscript pages are all that were left when Baldwin died in 1987. This "masterpiece" documentary is filmmaker Raoul Peck's vision of the possibility of James Baldwin's "Remember this House."   Host Erroll Southers is joined by Alex Ago, Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, and Aubrey Hicks.

March 25, 2020 George Floyd is murdered by members of the Minneapolis Police department. Floyd's murder is the spark that reignites the continuing call for an end to extrajudicial murders perpetrated by the police. How do we talk about progress made without minimizing how far we need to work toward equity and a stronger democracy? Spike Lee's second film, Do the Right Thing is the perfect vehicle to spark conversation about the past, the present, and a future we can work together to strive toward. Plus ... it is an American classic, a must-watch for every American. Host Erroll Southers is joined by Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro and Aubrey Hicks   For links and more, check out the show page.