Blue Beetle

Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle

The DC Extended Universe’s lowest-grossing movie of all time, as I write, is Blue Beetle, which is a slightly unfair way to look at it, since it was originally intended as an HBO or HBO Max or Max (or whatever it’s currently called) release, but got bumped up to theatrical as a result of musical chairs at DC HQ. It’s clearly not had movie money spent on it and you can see that in the special effects, which are used more sparingly than is normal in a superhero movie. Whose plot, you’re wondering, is what? Jaime, a Mexican kid just back from college and hanging out with his struggling family, is physically invaded, … Read more

Charm City Kings

Lamont, Mouse and Sweartagawd

Charm City Kings begins and ends with real-life footage of young men doing outrageous things on dirt bikes and the like – wheelies down the road, mostly, but wheelies done at such speed and with such a degree of virtuosity that you want to see more. Not unnaturally, that’s what I thought I was getting, a film about guys who do wheelies on bikes. And I still thought I was getting that as I was introduced to Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston), Sweartagawd (Kezii Curtis) and Lamont (Donielle Tremaine Hansley), three 14-year-old from the Baltimore (aka Charm City) hood who want to run – and ride – with the big boys. And I continued … Read more