tonight's movie was 16 Bars (2018)! and it was pretty good! while i had my brief obsession with Arrested Development (final review: corny but sometimes really good), i saw that the leader of the group, Todd 'Speech' Thomas, helped make a documentary on the US prison system and the art that is trapped within. and for the most part, the movie did achieve this goal. the stories of these unbelievably talented inmates who desperately want to fix their lives and break the endless cycle of release and incarceration that has them trapped. Garland has all the makings of a folk rock superstar but is facing a trial for B&E, Teddy can spit fire with the best of them but has been in and out of jails since he was ten years old, Anthony has so much trauma from a young age that has left him with an incredibly short fuse which compromises his potential in tragic ways, and De'vonte was born into a family of drug dealers. all of these stories paint a picture of systemic injustice and a complete and utter lack of opportunities for ex-convicts, which of course leads to them re-offending out of despair. and there are so many other glimpses of other inmates with incredible talent throughout the movie that drift seamlessly through the main narrative. the documentary believes strongly in the power of programs like REAL but also understands that well meaning therapists and program councilors can only do so much. however, when Speech becomes the focus of the camera, the documentary starts taking on a bit of a.....after school special vibe? like Speech has the best intentions in the world and does appear to really want to showcase the buried talent that lies in the prison systems, but he never stops feeling like a youth pastor who won a Grammy. a particularly egregious moment for Speech to me was when he was talking about Anthony's tragic upbringing where he was forced to sell dope at a young age by his abusive father and them compares it to.....cheating on his wife. and when the documentary ends with Speech claiming he's going to make an album with the work of the inmates to help them, it comes off slightly exploitative? like it's hinted at throughout the doc that Speech is there to get inspiration for a new AD record, but to have it spelled out like that felt very Bono'esque. the doc could have done a lot better if Speech was just a passive observer and didn't act as a framing device, but other then that it's honestly quite good. for most of us, it won't teach you anything new (did you know the united states prison system is fucked????) but seeing the raw talent on display and watching Speech nurture it and try to encourage these artists to hold on to their power is well worth the watch, even if it's a little corny.

My favorite part about reality tv is when they introduce that a character's from Arizona. You just know you're in for a very specific brand of special.

We're just built different.

Whenever someone asks for recommendations, there’s typically a bevy of well-intentioned suggestions that are undeniably good, but still well-trod.

So what’s that weirdo niche flick you adore and you love sneaking into otherwise-benign lists?