These two recent drops allow us to view coming of age from a weirdness and black comedy perspective (Wednesday); and one from a Black History and deeply tragic perspective.
Wednesday (Netflix USA) - Tim Burton is an inspired choice as Director for this coming of age tale that works as a spin-off to the Addams Family franchise. An eight episode Limited Series that chronicles Wednesday Addams as she’s sent from one school to a new one for various small, ‘fishy’ reasons, it’s a series that take on teenage angst, otherworldly neighborhood predators, and coping with a family as distinct as the Addams family. Jenna Ortega is a straight-faced, tongue-in-cheek Wednesday, and it’s fun to note how Cristina Ricci who played Wednesday in the film franchise, does a cameo as one of the teachers at the school.
To add to our delight, it’s Catherine Zeta-Jones playing Morticia, and Luis Guzman as the Addams patriarch. As they deserve it, The Thing and Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) play pivotal roles in the series. If anything, you’ll appreciate how Tim Burton seems to be chafing at the bit, wanting to add more macabre and sinister happenings, while being reined in by the obvious instructions to keep the series in PG-territory. There are moments when the series seems to be stretching and a tighter, more compact narrative would have helped. But given the competence with which Ortega attacks this role; don’t be surprised if she’ll be back for more very soon.
Till (video on Demand) - It’s educational to watch this watershed incident in US civil rights history unfold, and note that this all happened in 1955. That’s not so long ago when you consider how barbaric an act was perpetrated. A young 14-year old African-American boy travels to Mississippi from Chicago to spend the summer with his cousins, and by trying to be friendly with a white woman who works behind the counter of a local convenience store, ends up being abducted, tortured and lynched. And the clincher here is how no one was punished for the deed; there was a monkey trial for the South to show it was taking steps to see justice was served, but it was nothing more than show.
Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, there is a straightforward aspect to the film dramatization, when some more stylized flourishes could have helped make this a more distinct retelling. Jalyn Hall plays Emmett Till with an earnestness that’s refreshing, and it’s Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie, Emmett’s mother who really comes to the plate during this film, and gifts us with a memorable portrayal. Some may say the histrionics and actions taken may seem out of place at times, but if you take into consideration the climate of race relations at the time, it’s all done in the proper context. A film that deserves to be seen to help understand the frustrations of the African-American to this day.