What to Watch This Weekend: April 17, 2020

Redbox: Just Mercy

Just Mercy is an inspiring, timely, and sadly appropriate movie for our times.  It has Oscar-worthy acting, amazing cinematography, and tells an important story that that doesn't leave a heart untouched or an eye dry at its conclusion.  For more information, check out our review!

Redbox: Underwater
Underwater's intense action, climactic score, and good characters are sunk by a plot that dives into nonsense halfway through this short film.  However, it is still worth a rental to see the interesting premise and suspenseful action.  For more information, check out our review!

Digital: Pigeon Kings
PigeonKings explores the competitive aerobatic pigeon scene in south central LA through two men's passion for the sport and community.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): #BlackAF

#BlackAF provides a great balance of comedy and storytelling, while taking risks in being unfiltered, bold, and honest.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Amazon): The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse has a distinctive and recognizable style, along with Oscar-worthy performances from its two leads.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): Sergio

The Lighthouse has a distinctive and recognizable style, along with Oscar-worthy performances from its two leads.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Netflix): School Life

School Life teaches some valuable life lessons about growing up and finding your place in life, with an enjoyable cast of characters in a French high school drama. For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (HBO): It: Chapter 2
It Chapter Two reunites the Losers with the iconic clown, but does so in an unnecessarily long way.  The film has a fantastic cast and a ton of tension, but the long run time and ridiculous CG effects spoil the overall experience.  For more information, check out our review!

Streaming (Showtime): A Dog's Journey

If you want something uplifting this weekend, check out this audience-loved movie about a dog who lives multiple lives to try and come back to his original owner. 

Review: School Life

Release date: April 10, 2020
Running time: 111 minutes
Starring: Zita Hanrot, Liam Pierron, Soufiane Guerrab

School Life is a drama where new guidance counselor Samia (Hanrot) moves to a relatively poor area in France to work at a school in Saint Denis.  Samia, a hard working and determined teacher, will need to battle not only her misbehaving students, but also the general apathy of the teachers and other workers at the school in order to help her kids, and herself, succeed.

I really loved watching a movie about a French school.  For someone that loves soccer, it was wonderful to see how these kids interacted with each other in a culture that idolized the sport.  Famous players were referenced often and jerseys from all sorts of clubs were shown.  It was also interesting to see the equivalent French "bad" school versus something that would occur in America.  The problems of these kids, while real problems, just did not seem that dire compared to something that would happen in America.  However, the school and the students have plenty of charm, and a lot of that is due to the great cast of the film.  There are many likable characters, from the staff to the “bad kids” that are just acting out and being kids.  The kids are played perfectly and their individual quirks and predicaments help to drive the story.  Additionally, the teachers are equally enjoyable and quirky, with many messing around with the kids and each other to humorous effect.

School Life is like a French dangerous minds, with a strong willed teacher coming in and changing the lives of her students.  However, School Life is more subtle in its changes.  Samia does not come in and revolutionize the school, rather her focus on caring and helping individual students begins to show dividends.  In this respect, the movie felt very real in that these kids were portrayed as not bad kids, just kids without focus or without a goal in life.  Many just didn't think that they could be anything more than in the remedial class.  In that respect, School Life has some universal lessons that can transcend the country of origin.  Aspects of growing up, of finding your place, and dealing with lowered expectations are all very relatable issues.  

School Life teaches some valuable life lessons about growing up and finding your place in life, with an enjoyable cast of characters in a French high school drama.  

Rent it.