Streaming Review

Streaming Review

Chang Can Dunk

Chang Can Dunk is a is a throwback Disney sports flick

After perfecting his craft in the world of shorts and episodic television, director Jingyi Shao transitions into features with his debut, Chang Can Dunk from Disney +. The director also pens the screenplay for the film, which follows Chang (Bloom Li), a 16-year-old Asian American high school student in the marching band with a love of basketball.

Sharper

Sharper is a good ole fashioned con flick

The con is on in director Benjamin Caron’s sophomore film Sharper, a joint production with A24. Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka pen the film’s screenplay, which opens with text explaining what a “sharper” is. A “sharper” uses their sharp mind to swindle for a living. We soon meet our first character New York antiquarian bookshop owner Tom (Justice Smith).

Swallowed

Swallowed is a strong body horror flick

After a brief hiatus, Carter Smith returns to the horror genre in Swallowed. Smith also pens the film’s screenplay. After a drug run turns disastrous, two friends, Benjamin (Cooper Koch) and Dom (Jose Colon), must survive a nightmarish ordeal of drugs, bugs, and horrific intimacy.

Blood from the doldrums

Michelle Monaghan saves Blood from the doldrums

Director Brad Anderson teams up with writer Will Honley for his latest thriller, Blood from Vertical Entertainment. Jess (Michelle Monaghan), a nurse and mother recently separated from her husband Patrick (Skeet Ulrich), moves her daughter Tyler (Skylar Morgan Jones) and young son Owen (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) back into her family farmhouse.

Imani

Imani is a soulful take on The Long Kiss Goodnight

After directing music videos for a range of artists over the past several years, Mike Ho has turned his attention to film with the release of Imani. The film is the first feature-length project for Ho and will be streaming on BET +. Amaleka McCall and Tu-Shonda Whitaker pen the film’s screenplay, which in the simplest of terms, utilizes elements from the 1996 actioner, The Long Kiss Goodnight.