CJXzoic1970

For suspenseful spy/assassin drama fans, The Day of the Jackal is a must-view. From the first mind-twisting episode, I was intrigued to follow the entire series. How did this man develop these impressive skills, and who is helping him exactly? The weapons were awe-inspiring yet very scary. The suspense surrounding their development was also captivating. Eddie Redmayne played a suave and capable-for-hire assassin, aka the villain assigned to perform close-to-impossible feats. His vulnerability shone through in dealing with his burgeoning family situation, as his wife, played by Ursula Corbero, did an excellent job connecting the dots of his ulterior personality and how it put their family in danger. It was heartbreaking to see how his aloof character treated his wife coldly and despicably, walking out at his child's birthday party and cheating on her, putting his so-called job first. Although he seemed to care for her, honestly, he had an ugly way of showing it, which further made his character trifling.

I hope she is smart enough to elude him in a second season, as he doesn't deserve her or to be a father. While they shared why he became an assassin, they did not dive into what made him a cold-hearted villain. The way he killed innocent people who got in the way, with little to no remorse, was very off-putting. Of course, I understand that innocent people can be collateral in these situations. The number of unnecessary dead bodies was jarring. It was more satisfying to watch him debate whether to spare a young man who just drove him to freedom versus torturing a scared elderly couple - even if she poked him with a knife - he could have shown some compassion. Or what he did to his military unit. What type of person does this to his friends and peers? The older man made a good point: if his parents were good people, what made him not one? That background is missing in this series.

While several episodes were extraordinarily captivating and impressive, the ending was a significant letdown as the build-up between Jackal and the agent chasing him, Bianca, went out with a thud. Lashana Lynch played a complicated and misunderstood agent torn between her family life and work. One could feel her brain working, trying to uncover the clues about her target and track him down, as she did an excellent job connecting the dots and pushing against upper management. I wanted to see her have some success versus the blatant corruption flowing through the authorities above her. Alas, it was a huge disappointment when we finally got to a showdown between the two. I was cursing at the screen while I was sure some viewers didn't like her, which is an injustice. As they did not officially 'check her for dead' or show 'a funeral,' I hope they do her character a solid and have her fake her death to come back for her revenge against him and the corrupt powers that be. It would reveal more about her upbringing and why she was determined to solve this case. She was an instrumental character worth investing in and deserves a comeback. And how did he escape that final car crash? There are so many unanswered questions! The man has more lives than a cat! It is a captivating series marred by plenty of plot holes and disappointments that hopefully will be addressed in a second installment.

Gorgeous and glowing testament to the humble beginning of one of America's most premiere sports games. I'm not a football fan yet was moved by the passionate portrayal of the little known team that actually won the first NFL game ever! Who would have thunk??? I personally would have liked to see more of the fun reenactments of the 1920s Era team but it worked well how the director intercut the replays with current players and modern playing. How most of the league creators wanted recreational activities for their workers or after church service activities. Makes sense! It was interesting how the team, which obviously was majority white males in the early 20th century that the coach recognized a black coach to help assist the team. While the film didn't dive into societal ills or nuances one hopes the team and staff treated this man with respect. There still wasn't any blacks on the team so it was only a small adjustment. It was a small stepping stone that obviously blossomed and it would have been nice to see more of the story! Kudos to the director to making this bold move. Overall a very positive and well moving piece that football and NFL mega stans should eat up. And historic buffs such as I will enjoy! Dayton, Ohio home of many firsts! Who would have thought???

Provocative piece that rightfully puts the spotlight on the development of women MCs from the mere beginnings of rap music in the late 70s early 80s. It was the revelations of how much of an afterthought that having a woman share the limelight within the male driven music industry was a mere novelty or afterthought. Sparky D shining on the Funky Four Plus one where she was simply the plus one. How even 15 years later it still persisted in groups such as the Fugees and Busta Rhymes Flipmode Squad where they featured one woman out of a legion of men. The creators rightfully gave the spotlight to pioneers such as MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante, Monie Love, Missy Elliot, and a host of others their important contributions leading to current superstars. I was perplexed the film generally ignoring the significance of the groundbreaking Salt N Pepa two female MCs that deserved an entire episode versus a mere mention. Not only did they burst on the scene as the first breakthrough by gender they did it by dissing a male MC! This was unheard of at the time. Then to become the first multi platinum selling female rap group who hit a long range of social issues while remaining humble, and classy paving the way for many of the MCs popular afterwards. The deletion of their contributions seemed deliberate unfortunately. And I understand being supportive of the current crop of women hit makers but giving a pass to the general downgraded hit content seemed like a push from the 4080 record executives that want to keep fans dumb downed and ignorant. I'm sorry but for every Lil Kim we had in the 90s we had a Queen Latifah or Lauryn Hill. There was a balance which today seems pushed by the elite to push ratchet music and messages. Positive rappers such as Rhapsody (who was thankfully included) arent pushed to the masses. Where was Sa Roc or African artist Sampa the Great? It's not empowerment to be able to hug a strip pole and twerk. It's exploitation. It's sad that this behavior is applauded and endorsed and this documentary missed the boat on this. Probably why they skipped Salt N Pepa. Time to Push Back.