From left to right: Ben Platt as Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen, Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in Cruella, and Andra Day as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. (Photo credits: Universal Pictures; Laurie Sparham/Disney; Takashi Seida)
(Photo credit: Sarah Shatz / Prime Video)
“[In the] transition from stage to screen, the film does little to update the play’s cliché depictions of teens struggling with depression and anxiety. In recycling played out tropes, Dear Evan Hansen delivers surface-level and ableist representations of mental health challenges.” -Gloria Oladipo
(Photo credit: Universal Pictures)
(Photo credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix)
-Shelli Nicole
“The Nevers was supposed to be [Joss] Whedon’s next smash hit, but since he stepped down as writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner, the show’s marketing has conspicuously avoided mentioning his involvement. However, his creative input—and all its problematic baggage—unmistakably weighs down the show’s potential.” -Nicole Froio
(Photo credit: Keith Bernstein/HBO)
“The two-hour film is best consumed like an assortment of treats: handsomely crafted montages, fun pop culture references, saccharine snippets of dialogue, and, of course, the core chemistry of the film’s two charismatic leads. These components of Always and Forever are easy to indulge in while you’re watching, but the film ultimately lacks the essential nutrients of a satisfying conclusion.” -Kyndall Cunningham
(Photo credit: Katie Yu/Netflix)
“The resistance to any meaningful systemic analysis is a reflection of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s ethos—one that’s deeply rooted in the norms of episodic TV comedy, which make room only for superficial references to real-world happenings even in shows meant for progressive audiences. The Nine-Nine has always, after all, been about a precinct that’s better than the others, filled with ‘good’ cops who don’t shoot unarmed civilians or racially profile people.” -s.e. smith
(Photo credit: NBC)
“In the Heights would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase the nuances and complexities of Black Dominicans, including Haitians. Instead, an entire team of people of color allowed Black folks to be erased from their own story…[the film] is anxiously concerned about the white gaze; it’s begging to be seen, recognized, acknowledged by everything outside of it. In this way, it’s not telling a story of the Heights or Dominican Yorks; it’s telling the story of a Latinidad that white folks will consider authentic.” -Lorraine Avila
(Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
