What to Watch This Weekend: Halloween Horror (Possessor, The Cleansing Hour, Blumhouse Movies, Do Not Reply), Once Upon a River, Charm City Kings, Ghostwriter, The Tax Collector

For Horror Fans Looking For A Change of Face - Possessor (Theaters)

Possessor will take control of you and not let go, as it pulls you into this violent, near future story with great acting, realistic effects, and a brutal story.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Ridding Themselves of Inner Demons - The Cleansing Hour (Shudder)

The Cleansing Hour will possess your eyeballs with its entertaining social media exorcism premise, fantastic special effects, and spirited, spiritual performances.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Looking for a Virtual Trip - Black Box (Amazon)

Black Box takes you on a technological deep dive with strong characters led by the amazing Mamoudou Athie, an intriguing story, and a mental mystery that will keep you guessing.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Obsessed With Social Media - Do Not Reply (Digital)

The unsettlingly perfect sets, convincing acting, and brutal and tense scenarios make Do Not Reply one movie you should swipe right on.  For more information, check out our review!  

For Horror Fans Keeping a Secret - The Lie (Amazon)

The Lie is a suspenseful deception film with stellar acting, a simple setup, and a meaningful ending that elevates the entire experience.  For more information, check out our review!

For Adventure Seekers - Once Upon a River (Virtual Cinema)

Once Upon A River is a beautiful coming of age film with wonderful cinematography and sound, a nuanced strong female lead, and a story with great pace and flow.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Thrill Seekers - Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - Ghostwriter Season 2 (Apple TV+)

Ghostwriter Season 2 continues the story of this wonderfully diverse, entertaining, and educational show with adventures that literally make stories come alive.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Ruthless Family Members - The Tax Collector (Redbox and Digital)

The Tax Collector has some intense characters--headlined by a transofmred Shia LaBeouf--in this ruthless story about family and power.  For more information, check out our review!

What to Watch This Weekend: Charm City Kings, The One And Only Ivan, Words on Bathroom Walls, Chemical Hearts, And More

For the Fan of Thrillers and Tension - Cut Throat City (Digital)

Cut Throat City has a lot more going on than meets the eye, from its complex characters, to its involved story, and wonderful dialogue, this film steals the spotlight.  For more information, check out our review!

All Black Cast And Great Story - Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Comic Book and Horror Fan - Random Acts of Violence (Shudder)

But those things aside, Random Acts of Violence offers a stylized horror experience with good characters, gruesome effects, and something to say about said random acts.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of Teenage Dramas - Words on Bathroom Walls (Digital)

Words on Bathroom Walls portrays a complicated illness through strong performances and good lessons about family, love, growth, and pain.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of More Teenage Dramas - Chemical Hearts (Amazon)

Chemical Hearts is an emotional coming of age drama with great performances by their leads and a story about loss, growth, and finding your place in this world.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of Indie and Foreign Films - Song Without A Name (Digital)

Song Without A Name has a striking, lovingly crafted style that ensures that this heartfelt family song is not one that you will soon forget.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - The One And Only Ivan (Disney+)

It's a new Disney movie on Disney+.  You're going to watch it, but thankfully it also has good reviews for its heartwarming performances and story.  

For the Fan of Feel Good Movies - The Peanut Butter Falcon (Amazon)

The Peanut Butter Falcon has nearly universal critical and audience appeal, a heartwarming story, and strong performances that should not be missed.

For the Suspenseful Horror Fan - The Wretched (Redbox)

The Wretched feels like an old school horror movie with an enjoyable cast, a ton of suspense, and a refreshing lack of computer graphics.  For more information, check out our review!

Charm City Kings Review: A Fantastic Cast And Complicated Story Confronting Many Difficult Issues

Release date: August 21, 2020
Running time: 121 minutes
Starring: Teyonah Parris, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Meek Mill

Charm City Kings portrays life in Baltimore through the eyes of a young boy trying to become a man too quickly.  Young Miles "Mouse" (Winston) has a history in this area, with his brother being a prominent dirt bike rider in the city.  Mouse is torn between wanting to be in that world, but also pursuing his own interests; wanting to be tough and impress those around him but also trying to pursue his passion for animals in a much less glamorous life.  Coupled with the poor decision making and impatience of youth, Mouse tries to navigate these conflicting desires in a city and an underground bike scene that he lives in but does not truly know. 

This movie has an air of authenticity that is refreshing on its surface.  The filming was all done in Baltimore, so many of the landmarks, streets, and eating establishments are true to life (they even got Hip Hop Chicken).  And there were a lot of little details that helped with the authenticity, such as the film nailing the distinct Baltimore accent, which is difficult in itself.  And the film making the phone number from someone who was from Oakland a 510 area code.  And for a film about bikes, there were some really great bike riding scenes and chase sequences.

On top of the setting, the film did a great job of casting.  It should come as no surprise, but in a movie set in Baltimore, Charm City Kings has a predominantly black cast and I applaud the filmmakers for the talent that they recruited for this project.  The main thrust of the film involves the young trio of friends, who fall into familiar tropes.  Miles is the "good kid" who is trying to grow up too fast, Lamont (Donielle T. Hansley Jr.) is the hard one, and Sweartagawd (Kezii Curtis) is the overweight comic relief.  Much like the trio from the Television show "The Chi" this trio mirrors their roles to a tee.  But despite these familiar tropes, the trio have great chemistry together and do a great job growing up on screen with each other.  Of the three, I was particularly impressed with Winston's performance; he is a natural in the role and portrays a wide range of emotions in this film.  Mouse's mom (Teyonah Parris)  is another highlight of this film, capturing viewers in each and every scene she is in with humor, wit, attitude, and ferocity born from her situation.  Blax (Meek Mill) is another treat in this film because not only is his performance outstanding, but also because his character isn't your stereotypical one.  Although it would have been easy for the filmmakers to draw on that stereotype for the film, and you can see a lot of Meek's own personal experiences in the Blax character, it was truly a treat to see him take a different approach.

However, although I have already praised this film for its realism, the way Charm City Kings portrays the culture of Baltimore is a mixed bag.  Although they nailed the distinct Baltimore accent, I did feel that some of the writing and lingo was forced.  And although there is a Ravens reference in the movie, you cannot display Bmore (as they call it) without having the color purple on full display.  And although it is only used in the title, no one actually refers to Baltimore as Charm City.  As much as this movie did good, I felt it went longer than it needed to be and some scenes did drag.  And, strangely, for a movie about bikes, despite there being great chase scenes, it felt like that was few and far between.

However, this film is a treat for those who give it the time.  The film does an admirable job authentically displaying a part of America that most probably haven't had any interest in exploring.  And in doing this, it gives an all black cast a chance to shine.  And it really does confront difficult issues in an interesting way.  I was impressed by some of the nuance on display, such as the conflict between a smart, poetic boy trying to downplay that in order to impress his friends.  The film also highlights a perpetual cycle that can happen and some of the problems and pitfalls of trying to grow up too fast.  And, for a movie that is this long, it is great when the ending is both climactic and impactful.

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.

Watch it.