Angel Manuel Soto

BLUE BEETLE: A Surprisingly Endearing Superhero Origin Story
BLUE BEETLE: A Surprisingly Endearing Superhero Origin Story

With an emotional family-focused core and some unique visual flourishes, Blue Beetle is surpisingly memorable.

BLUE BEETLE Trailer
BLUE BEETLE Trailer

A Mexican teenager finds an alien beetle that gives him superpowered armor.

The film has a vibrant authenticity to it, and not just in the casting and locations — cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi gives Baltimore’s streets an oceanic sway and the conversations a realistic rhythm. And when we follow the Clique, engines rev, the riders lean back and lift, and we see them silhouetted against the sun, arms extended toward us, totally in the moment. Both Pug and Mouse talk about “going 12” like it’s the greatest sense of freedom you could achieve. It’s just you, the bike, and the road, and the only thing keeping you airborne is your innate talent and will to stay upright. The more expressionistic elements of Charm City Kings recall Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, a film that similarly blends realistic characters and dialogue with neon lighting, Nicholas Britell’s otherworldly music, and emotionally motivated camera movements and editing. That’s not accidental — Jenkins, alongside Kirk Sullivan and Chris Boyd, developed the story for Charm City Kings, while Sherman Payne, a TV writer known for his work on Shameless and Scream, wrote the script. The result is a story soaked with realism and augmented by stylistic flourishes and a poignant, subversive orchestral score from Alex Somers.
CHARM CITY KINGS: A Powerful Black Coming-of-Age Story

Charm City Kings is an expressionistic, powerful look at a neglected community that gets little attention on-screen.

Tribeca Film Festival, VR Round-Up: Dazzled & Inspired
Tribeca Film Festival, VR Round-Up: Dazzled & Inspired

Kristy Strouse explored some of the VR experiences on offer at Tribeca Film Festival; here are her reviews of: Campfire Creepers: Midnight March, The Dinner Party, Biidaaban and Into the Now.