A smart, yet simple blend of suspense and sci-fi, director and co-writer Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.’s first feature Black Box stitches together some familiar genre tropes into a thoughtful and refreshing package.
Mamoudou Athie
Boasting a star making performance from Australian actress Danielle Macdonald, the rousing, crowd pleasing, smart, and inspirational Patti Cake$ follows closely in the vein of other films about hip-hop artists trying to make it big while still maintaining a unique sense of setting and cultural identity. The first half of Patti Cake$ is heavily indebted to Craig Brewer’s Hustle and Flow, while the second half finds ways of riffing on Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile, but despite these obvious storytelling comparisons, first time feature writer and director Geremy Jasper’s film has enough unique characters and insights to set itself apart.