Blindspotting

Blindspotting moves at a brisk pace and raises the dramatic stakes with each scene; director Estrada has a masterful touch for pacing.

Blindspotting is entertaining, but it also packs an emotional punch. Sometimes, even the place you call home can make you feel like a ghost.

This is vital filmmaking; Blindspotting is undoubtedly part of a new moment in American cinema and is a fierce, complex satire in it own right.

By equal turns hilarious and right on the edge of horrific.

Unfortunately, it’s those same feelings that stick in the memory when López Estrada overdoes the melodrama and lets the plot fire off in too many directions. No worries. Diggs and Casal will keep you riveted.

Ultimately, the movie belongs to Diggs, a Tony winner for “Hamilton” who comes into his own as a genuine movie star with a fully realized performance that easily outshines the bumpier moments.

It’s not that Blindspotting doesn’t have important points to make about how individuals live in a collective history of racialized violence. It’s that it has a hard time making those points feel organic to the story and style, whether it’s going for realism or over-the-top musical-theater territory.

Super powerful movie which is also super funny. Made me think of House Party the way it blended the plight of young black folks vis a vis the police and the general struggle to get by.

Happy 4th of July, Stream2BigScreeners (even those of you not contemplated as humans at that time). I've dreaded this day for so long. I've finally watched a movie that my brother, Trip Fontaine has begged me to watch for 2 years now, Blindspotting. It's a movie that came with rave reviews that I pushed to the back burner to not be **** in by the hype. Blindspotting follows the main characters, Collin, a felon just trying to make it off of parole, and his best friend from childhood, Miles, on the last few days of Collin's probation period. In these last days, Collin has to evaluate if this friendship is what he needs in life to stay on the straight and narrow. Let's see what I missed. I'm going to do something I'd hate to give Trip the pleasure of by saying, "You were right." I should've watched this movie when he told me to. Wow, I really prejudged this movie in 2018. I saw what I wanted in my implicit biases instead of allowing myself to empathize and find mutual understanding. I realize that I was failing to listen to the movie who is different from me and try putting myself in its shoes. You know like trying to understand the microaggressions that give the film PTSD daily. Giving this movie a chance to be equal or others like it. Wow, this must be just the reckoning that so many other Americans are experiencing now, opening their eyes to marginalization of their black sisters and brothers. Protests daily over police brutality, statues coming down, Confederate symbols being dismantled, and white voices stepping back from black and brown animated roles - is it enough is the better question, but I digress. Gentrification, Racism, Issues with Police and the Criminal Justice System, and etc. This movie shows it all. It's the mash-up of "Atlanta" and "Dave" and a dose of Hamilton but on the big screen. The intersectionality of this movie is delectable. The funny thing about Blindspotting is that it was perfect for the climate in 2018 and still immediately relevant two years later. In those two years, families and communities have lost too many loved ones to insidious and persistent racism - purposefully, systematically, and subconsciously. This movie is for all those Karens, and Kens, and allies alike out there. Yes, the language can be a little abrasive at points; but, we all need to open ears to truly listen to one another and open our eyes to see what's really going happening in the world. And yes, this movie has some random rap sequences that, while lyrically are pretty good, are awkwardly placed for effect. Think Hamilton set in Oakland. Shout out to Hamilton on Disney+! Nevertheless, the awkwardness of some of these sequences is definitely ameliorated by the strong acting performances by the main cast. From "Black-ish" to Hamilton, Daveed Diggs shows tremendous range and this is no exception. Long story short, this movie is quite enjoyable and I might even dare to say excellent. In a way, I'm mad I didn't support this film when it was in the theaters; but, I'm also ecstatic that I could watch it at this time for the first time. I say pop yourself a big box of fresh popcorn and enjoy this at home.

I'm an old white guy (but not especially angry), not the target demographic for this movie, and it's not the greatest I've ever seen, but there are some things I like about it. The tone and energy are clearly above average. Quite an auspicious debut for the lead actors and director. Critical of Oakland but affectionate, their film manages to be both bold and nuanced. And that, dear reader, is unusual.

There is a 5-6 minute scene in "Blindspotting" where the camera concentrates on Collin (Daveed Diggs) occasionally panning on his friend Miles (Rafael Casal) and a police office (Ethan Embry) that earlier in the movie Collin saw the latter shoot an unarmed black man. It is one of the most mesmerizing scenes that I have ever seen an actor (Diggs) give on screen. "Blindspotting" in many ways--not good---is like "Sorry To Bother You" which I saw last week, in the sense that the screenplay is all over the place as is the direction but where Sorry is being sold as a comedy/satire Blindspotting is definitely drama. Both are rated R for violence, drugs and language and both deal with the intermixing of the white and black world but Blindspotting deals on a personal level between Collin and Miles being friends since they were kids and Collin being sent to prison for a felony committed by Miles and we meet Collin. They are many different layers to this film with the obvious one being Collin is black and Miles white and their friendship and what it means. It is obvious the two actors have been friends since they were kids and their rapport is instantly established. Though the scene I talked about is a 'don't miss' piece of film I really can't recommend it as what starts out as a thing between the two friends, their talking in rap, eventually becomes annoying and makes a lot of 'dialogue' indecipherable. Daveed Diggs who made a name for himself winning a Tony in "Hamilton" on Broadway should certainly gain recognition for "Blindspotting".

A radically political and polarized film that tries to bend the reality without succeeding in it. Some great humor.