Awesome Friday Movie Podcast: ‘Candyman’ and ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Awesome Friday Podcast Candyman & Shang-Chi

Greetings programs! it’s that time of the week: Awesome Friday, on a Sunday. On this weeks episode of the podcast we’re taking on two new theatrical releases: Candyman, from director Nia DaCosta and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings from director Destin Daniel Cretton.

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Review: ‘Candyman’ updates the mythos of a classic urban legend slasher, with uneven (but mostly good) results

Candyman

I make no bones about this fact: 1992’s Candyman and its 1995 follow up Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh are movies that shook me to my core as a child. I originally saw them back to back while alone in the dark, and let’s say that that had a formative effect on me. Short version: I was a horror wuss.

Fast forward to today, and I consume a great deal of horror as I think it’s one of the most creative spaces in filmmaking. However, the thought of a new Candyman film had me a little on edge thanks to some deep-seated memories. So now that I have had a chance to watch it, does it hold up to the original? Yes! Well, mostly!

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Review: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ uses American’s past to hold a mirror up to its present

The Trial of the Chicago 7

The topical period piece is hardly a new phenomenon. Examining our past such that we might examine our present is a function of art, and if executed well a surefire way to be on everyone’s mind come awards season.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 tells the story of the aftermath of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. During that event, several groups came to the city to protest the war in Vietnam. Thousands of people protested for days before violence broke out, and the situation devolved into what we now know to be a police riot. The film picks up the following year when eight men, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale are on trial for conspiracy to incite a riot.

Aaron Sorkin has been developing this film for years, but it’s hard to imagine a world where the timing of its release could be better.

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‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ Trailer: Aaron Sorkin does courtroom drama

The Trial of the Chicago 7

In 1968 8 men –Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale– were charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot following the massive anti-Vietnam War protest at the Democratic Convention.

With the government wanting to send a message to protesters following what would later be classified as a police riot, this would become the trial of the year and a big moment in 1960s America. Aaron Sorkin has been working on this screenplay for ever a decade, and now has brought it to screen as director as well. Let’s take a look.

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