studiocity1949

Just in time for another chaotic and frightening U.S. presidential campaign, Alex Gibney delivers an all-too-timely reminder of how the Russians tried to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election, sow discord and division, and promote Trump. Having established in Part 1 who the Russian saboteurs were (including Russian military intelligence, the GRU), Gibney and his extensive team of investigators focus this two-hour Part 2 episode on what happened in the U.S. Follow the money and the power plays. Watch Trump's sleazy campaign manager Paul Manafort in action, bouncing between Russian oligarchs, the Ukraine, and the world of Trump Inc. It's painful but riveting viewing for any patriotic American.

This one strikes two big nerves: the crisis of gentrification and displacement happening in San Francisco and other cities across the country; and the general absence in most movies of nuanced presentations of Black masculinity. "The Last Black Man In San Francisco" scores in both cases. It's a beautiful, moving portrait of friendship and a gut-wrenching story of loss. It does what indie films are supposed to do: make us see things differently. The score is gorgeous. The acting, by pros and amateurs, is excellent. (Jonathan Majors is a standout. And check our Rob Morgan's scene.) Above all the movie is different. Unlike just about anything you've ever seen. Quirky, pensive, angry, melancholic. And despite it's sadness, somehow hopeful. Director Joe Talbot and lead actor Jimmie Fails deliver!