syd9907

I don't care what the critics or hateful trolls say, this is THE Best Tyler Perry film I've her seen and he paid homage to the Six Triple Eight respectfully and with grace and honor. Kerry Washington was amazing and so were all of the actresses who played members of the Six Triple Eight. Lt. Colonel Charity Adams is one of my sheros. She faced racism and hatred head-on and didn't falter. Washington portrayed her beautifully. This is the film I needed to see now, since hatred of Black people is unfortunately at a fever pitch. The Six Triple Eight's story was buried in history for a very long time and now they've been able to bask in the sunshine of their excellence. I'm so glad this film exceeded my expectations.

"Maria" is a film that never should have been made with Angelina Jolie in the lead role. It's not just terrible, it's painfully boring and puzzling. This film was supposed to be a character study of the legendary opera singer Maria Callas a week before she died, but the film utterly fails to capture the complexity of Callas' life and personality. Instead, it comes across as simplistic and superficial, with Jolie merely mugging for the camera rather than embodying the role.

The narrative is a jumbled mess, interspersing black and white scenes of a younger Callas with Aristotle Onassis that offer no meaningful exploration of their storied and tumultuous relationship. And her husband was just an afterthought. Rather than delving into the pivotal moments of her remarkable life and career, the film focuses on her final week, punctuated by disjointed flashbacks that do little to add depth or clarity. This misguided approach does a grave disservice to Maria Callas' legacy.

Moreover, the film feels exploitative, more like a vehicle for Angelina Jolie's so-called "comeback" than a sincere homage to Callas. The standing ovation at Cannes and the subsequent "Oscar buzz" only highlight the problem: name recognition seems to outweigh the quality of the film itself. Jolie's performance lacks the authenticity needed to convince audiences she truly embodied Maria Callas. There simply wasn't enough suspension of disbelief in the world to bridge that gap.

Instead of telling the story of Callas with grace, respect and insight, the filmmakers opted for an overly artistic approach that sacrifices narrative cohesion. The result? A tragically awful film that dishonors the memory of one of the greatest operatic talents of all time.

I watched the episodes they put on Peacock and overall I thought the acting was very good, the storyline is compelling and suspenseful and the game of cat and mouse between The Jackal and the MI6 British intelligence agent is riveting. Eddie Redmayne is always excellent, but I see a ton of people here defaulted to disparaging the Black actress Lashana Lynch and calling her a DEI hire, even though she's a great actress and has been in a myriad of films and delivered excellent performances. It's unfortunate that seeing a Black person triggers some people, but that's where we are. Meanwhile, The Day of the Jackal is an superb globetrotting spy thriller. Don't allow these obviously, biased "reviews" turn you off. It's just ugliness rearing its head once again.