What to Watch This Weekend: August 14, 2020

Exciting Historical Drama - Samurai Marathon (Physical and Digital)

Samurai Marathon starts off at a sprint, but for those that can keep up you will find a stylized period piece with amazing sets and costumes along with brutal swordplay.  For more information, check out our review!

Irreverent Social Media Satire - Spree (Digital)

Spree is a wild ride with a fantastic cast, great style, and biting commentary in this brilliant social media satire.  For more information, check out our review!

Documentary About A Revolutionary Show - Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (Digital)

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is an insightful documentary about a show that changed all of animation, its rise and fall, and the genius and dark flaws of its creator through the unfiltered insights of those who worked on it.  For more information, check out our review!

Documentary About A Revolutionary Designer - Martin Margiela: In His Own Words (Virtual Cinema)

Martin Margiela: In His Own Words highlights this revolutionary designers clothes and impact in a way that can appeal to the fashion conscious and oblivious alike.  For more information, check out our review!

Documentary About Some Future Political Stars - Boys State (Apple TV+)

Boys State is a political microcosm, showing that the best and worst of politics exist even at the smallest level; but it also offers a glimmer of hope that the kids might in fact be ready for this challenge.  For more information, check out our review!

Romantic Drama With Amazing Music - The High Note (Redbox and Digital)

The High Note is a phenomenal feel good musical drama with fantastic characters, a story with plenty of surprises, and a soulful, wonderful soundtrack that will stay in your head long after the credits roll.  For more information, check out our review!

Anti-Hollywood Indie Rom Com - All About Who You Know (Amazon Prime)

All About Who You Know offers a fresh perspective, with complicated characters and enjoyable writing in this unconventional anti Hollywood rom-com.  For more information, check out our review!

Entertaining Retro Bloodbath - We Summon The Darkness (Netflix)

This is one I am excited about, due to the reviews that call it a fun period piece and an entertaining retro bloodbath.  The rottontomatoes numbers are staggeringly different, it's fresh but has a low audience approval, so be warned that this one might be hit or miss.

Retro Inspired Technocolor Horror Craziness - Color Out of Space (Shudder)
A mix of B-movie pulp, Lovecraftian horror, and Nicholas Cage.  Need I say more? 

Boys State Review: The Kids Are Alright

 

Release date: August 14, 2020
Running time: 109 minutes

The winner of the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival, “Boys State” is an entertaining and revealing immersion into a week-long annual program in which a thousand Texas high school seniors gather for an elaborate mock exercise: building their own state government.  The film closely tracks the candidates in this camp government, and the escalating tensions that seem to be inevitable in politics today.  In the process, they have created a complex portrait of contemporary American masculinity, as well as a microcosm of our often dispiriting national political divisions that nevertheless manages to plant seeds of hope.

Boys State spends a lot of time with the actual stars of the documentary, the young men who are hoping to build a government and find consensus in this camp.  They follow some very interesting and accomplished young men--many of whom have very different backgrounds and beliefs.  Teenagers like Ben, a Reagan-loving arch-conservative who brims with confidence despite personal setbacks, and Steven, a progressive-minded child of Mexican immigrants who stands by his convictions amidst the sea of red.  The boys are divided into two parties, who push their own candidates up to the various races, chief among them the gubernatorial race.  These candidates must make it out of their own primaries, including the potential for run-off elections, and then pit themselves against each other for the final political office.  The documentary is well shot and provides great insight into the camp, the process, and the individuals participating.  Background and interviews are displayed for key members and you really get a sense of who these young men are and where they came from.  And the whole process of this week long camp is documented meticulously and entertainingly.  

As you would expect in any political adventure, there is muckraking, infighting, dirty tricks, and claims of bias.  But what this also shows is that despite this setup, there are those who will stick to their morals and try to rise above it all.  There are glimmers of hope when you see individuals who might not agree on issues find some common ground or at least leave the discussion with a measure of cordiality and respect.  You get to see kids who are destined to be future stars of their political party and community perform well above what you would expect of someone their age.  And you also see the influence of social media and peer pressure even at this young age.  As one of the candidates said, they were hoping to find consensus on issues that adults have been fighting over for years.  And this film gives you a glimmer of hope that maybe the next generation just could do that.  

Boys State is a political microcosm, showing that the best and worst of politics exist even at the smallest level; but it also offers a glimmer of hope that the kids might in fact be ready for this challenge.

Watch it.

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Screening: Boys State

Join Apple Original Films and A24 for a free one night only drive-in screening event of Sundance winner BOYS STATE

CLICK TO RSVP

Boys State was the winner of the US Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The film takes a wildly entertaining and continually revealing immersive look into a week-long annual program organized by the American Legion in which a thousand Texas high school seniors gather for an elaborate mock exercise: building their own state government. Critics are hailing it as one of the best films of the year. 

“The best and punchiest documentary so far this year... Forget who wins or loses, Boys State is about that promise of change in the air. And it’s exhilarating.” 

- Rolling Stone, Peter Travers 

"5 out of 5 stars... An amazing spectacle.” 

- The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw  

The sensational winner of the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Boys State is a wildly entertaining and continually revealing immersion into a week-long annual program in which a thousand Texas high school seniors gather for an elaborate mock exercise: building their own state government. Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine closely track the escalating tensions that arise within a particularly riveting gubernatorial race, training their cameras on unforgettable teenagers like Ben, a Reagan-loving arch-conservative who brims with confidence despite personal setbacks, and Steven, a progressive-minded child of Mexican immigrants who stands by his convictions amidst the sea of red. In the process, they have created a complex portrait of contemporary American masculinity, as well as a microcosm of our often dispiriting national political divisions that nevertheless manages to plant seeds of hope.

An Apple Original Films and A24 release.

DIRECTED BY: 

Jesse Moss and Amanda McBain