Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The Movie Diorama Phwoarrr that hit me and then some! What an unexpected treat this was. An extremely rare impactful drama that feels utterly necessary in addressing the ongoing issue of firearm usage in America. Depicting the true story of 22 year old Oscar whom is caught in a situation involving the police at Fruitvale Station during New Year's Day. The inevitable conclusion is not what makes this drama so tantalisingly electric, it's the portrayal of Oscar's family and himself that allows us to become invested on an emotional level. Conveying a family man who is determined to be the best father, son and boyfriend that he could possibly be. Garnering respect amongst the community, he becomes an established proud individual who assists his friends and himself, thus making him relatable. A runtime of just 82 minutes, the focus and patience that is put into portraying Oscar was paramount, particularly given the melancholic conclusion. Ryan Coogler is consistently pushing the camera up close and personal to the actors, enhancing the intimacy between us and the characters. A tangible link where he is able to make us feel every emotion. I can't quite express how difficult that is to illustrate in a film. The fact this is his directorial debut stuns me even more, a talent that Hollywood will be watching for quite some time. Michael B Jordan was outstanding, this is his best role by far. Nuanced yet powerful, expressive yet emotionless, he was an enigmatic revelation. Spencer and Diaz also gave excellent supporting roles, particularly towards the end. I just wished it was longer, to flesh out Oscar's character even further. But, there isn't a more thematically relevant drama than this right now. As soon as the credits rolled, a cluster-bomb of emotions rushed to my heart and soul. I was livid, sad, shaken and full of remorse. Such a tragedy that could've easily been a melodramatic bore, but instead is a formidable powerhouse drama that showcases exceptional talent on and off screen.

sol- Opening with mobile phone footage of an actual police brutality incident at a US train station, this independent drama subsequently spends a little over an hour detailing the experiences of the key victim in the hours leading up to the incident. The film has been criticised by some for speculating the events preceding the incident, but taken as a fiction film inspired by a real life case, it is oddly compelling stuff as it tries to put a face to what otherwise might be written off as just another victim of police brutality. Michael B. Jordan is very good as the young man in question who ponders about his purpose in life as he fills the hours of the day by running errands and helping strangers. He is not as saintly as all that though; he has a violent temper and trust issues with his wife, who he lies to about being employed. He is also a loving father though, a dedicated son and a good Samaritan and while prison flashbacks paint a checkered past, he ultimately comes off as far more complex than just another ex-con brutality victim. First time director Ryan Coogler films the material very well too with some appropriately unsteady walking camera-work in key moments like Jordan confronting his former boss. The film is not exactly subtle for all its virtues and tends to labour the points about police incompetence, but with such a three dimensional protagonist, it remains enticing throughout.

Movie_Muse_Reviews It's hard to believe eight years after the death of Oscar Grant III at the hands of police on New Year's Day 2009 that things have only gotten worse. At the time of its release in 2013, "Fruitvale Station" colored the trial of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, for which there was no conviction. Then came unrest in Ferguson, Missouri over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and an ever-growing list of names: Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Alton Sterling – "Fruitvale Station" will be a relevant film for a long time.Like Grant, writer and director Ryan Coogler is a black man from Oakland. In fact, they were the same age when Grant was shot and killed while lying face down at the Fruitvale BART station. That's enough information to understand why Coogler made this film, but it's the way he tells Grant's story, among all the available options, that stands out and contributes something meaningful to the conversation of Grant's death – and life.Coogler's film is a dramatic retelling of the day leading up to the incident and its immediate aftermath. Most notably, about 60 of the film's 85 minutes take place before anything bad happens. Coogler does not want to focus on the minutiae of the events that took place at Fruitvale Station, nor the ensuing trial that trivialized every detail. He wants to focus on Grant's humanity and life, and how in a quick moment, it was snatched from him.Just in case any viewer comes in completely unaware, the film begins with actual cell phone footage of the incident. This looms heavy throughout the film, forcing us to constantly reckon with the knowledge that the man we see (played by Michael B. Jordan) will die. This puts a microscope on Coogler's screenplay, not only factually speaking, but why he shows us what he shows us.In that first hour, we meet Grant's girlfriend, Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and 4-year-old daughter, Tatiana, as well as other members of his family gathered to celebrate his mother's (Octavia Spencer) birthday. We watch him talk about the future with Sophina, play with Tatiana, try to get his grocery store job back, help a few strangers, and rendezvous with a drug dealer.Some of the scenes and interactions are a bit overly opportune given Grant's fate, but by and large we get a portrait of a complicated young man. Coogler makes a concerted effort to show us Grant's redeeming qualities and emphasizes accounts from loved ones suggesting he was trying to turn his life around, but at the same time he doesn't exclusively cast him in a favorable light. We get a flashback to his jail time, Sophina confronts him about a past affair, he's clearly still involved with drugs and he has a temper that sometimes leads him to be pushy and confrontational. All this to say, no matter which way the scales tip, when he ends up on the Fruitvale platform, "deserving" has nothing to do with it.The platform sequence, after all that buildup, is a riveting piece of filmmaking. Coogler edits together two perspectives, that of Grant and his friends' and that of the witnesses, in a few frantic, pulse-pounding minutes. Regardless of how Grant and his friends are portrayed and how the BART cops are portrayed, the escalation of events feels unbelievable and unfounded. It should never have happened, and yet so many must suffer the consequences."Fruitvale" profoundly crystallizes some of the reasons these tensions escalate and reminds us of the human, emotional impact these incidents have, regardless of the "character" of those involved and any race-related factors. Although no storyteller can be completely objective in interpreting events and facts around a sensitive case, Coogler's film doesn't make any arguments or attack racial injustice, but it does give all of us a reminder and a reason to make sure no one else has to die under similar circumstances.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Michael Maggiano In an American film industry of recycled ideas, sequels and nostalgic masturbation over things men liked as kids (comic book movies, toy movies, etc), I have to give this a 7 for its importance, its freshness and its premise of looking at the man's life from several angles in 20-24 hours. Where I have to lower it to 7: some of the acting is mediocre at best, but that may very well stem from the main problem. That problem is the writing, which is sophomoric in the irony with which it portrays everything the main character does that day. Everything is seen through a lens of "but he dies later!" in a forced or melodramatic way, such that it's hard to see the story as a true portrait.