All posts by Kenna

About Kenna

Kenna McHugh is an established freelance writer living in California. Her writing credits include the published book, BREAKING INTO FILM, Film Production book for inner-city kids, three screenplays, seven produced plays and hundreds of how-to videos on the Internet. "I love the challenge of writing because the end does satisfy the means. The writer is a valuable being. If the words aren't there the message isn't received. It is as simple as that. Give me a circumstance, a theme and away I go at my keyboard."

“Tickle” an Uncanny Documentary

documentary

Co-directed by David Farrier and Dylan Reeves, the documentary Tickled formulated when Farrier stumbled upon a bizarre “competitive endurance tickling” video online. He saw young men paid to be tied up and tickled.

As a reporter, Farrier reached out and requested a story about the company. He receives a staggering replay where he is mocked about his sexual orientation and threatened extreme legal action if he digs any deeper into the company.

Unlike most journalists, he decides not to confront the issue, circumvents, and travels to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles. There he uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films.

© 2015 A Ticklish Tale Limited

The more he investigates, the stranger it gets. He discovers secret identities and criminal activity. It becomes an obsession for him where he must discover the truth, despite increasingly malevolent threats and warnings.

Keeping with the humor of the situation and determination, Farrier and co-director Reeve gather all the resources available to get to the bottom of this tickling instances.

Recently, Farrier shared his story, “It started as most stories start: A friend emailed me a link to something interesting on the Internet. In this case: Competitive Endurance Tickling. It was strange from the outset, but as I began talking with the organizers, things rapidly spiraled out of control. A whole new world opened up in front of me – a world of tickling and laughter, but also lawsuits and danger.”

Farrier came under attack including private investigators and lawyers in New Zealand and the United States. “I soon came to realize this wasn’t just a story about tickling: It was about power and control.”

© 2015 A Ticklish Tale Limited

On his journey to uncover the truth, “I met characters I could hardly believe were real.”

Farrier refers to the cheerful professional who tickles others as a full-time job, the obsessed journalist who dedicated years of his life to uncovering the truth, and the young athlete who had his life derailed by a force he never saw coming. “Like me, these individuals all stumbled into the world of tickling with a slight naivety, but came to understand its complexity first-hand.”

Co-director Reeve tells his story of why he became involved in the documentary. He describes how he first saw David’s strange interaction with Jane O’Brien Media on Facebook. “My attention was grabbed. It was an unbelievable response to a very tame interview request, and clearly, something just wasn’t right.”

Reeve is referring to online bullying. “As we started to see evidence of the campaigns of harassment and abuse, I felt that we had no choice but to expose what was happening.”

© 2015 A Ticklish Tale Limited

They used the power of storytelling as the weapon to go against the bullying. “It was something I felt strongly that we had to do, whatever the consequences may be. Although at that stage I still had no idea what would come,” explains Reeve.

“The twists and turns we uncovered in chasing the story were at times exciting, alarming, surprising, scary and hilarious. We never quite knew what was real and what was fake. Were we being played? Was that car following us? Did Jane know where we were? Were we going to end up in court? We never quite knew what was around the corner.”

The end result is something both directors feel proud to have made. “I hope that is both informative and entertaining, but above all, I hope that it can actually make a difference – that the film might prevent further harassment in the future for guys who’ve done nothing wrong,” concludes Reeve.

“Tyrel” Defines Black Man With White Men

drama, suspense, , ,

Written and Directed by Sebastián Silva, Tyrel follows the solitary black man on a weekend birthday party of only men and heavy drinking. His name is Tyler, played by Jason Mitchell. He joins his friend, played by Christopher Abbott, on a trip to the Catskills with several people he doesn’t know, and they are all white men.

The handheld camera and sharp cuts by Alexis Zabé along with the editing by Sofía Subercaseaux and Jennifer Lame sustain the perilous tone.

Although Tyler welcomed, he can’t help but feel uneasy around a close-knit group of white guys. The combination of alpha male posturing include large quantities of alcohol starts to get out of hand, and Tyler’s precarious situation starts to feel like a nightmare.

The movie shot with a handheld style probing subtext and body language conjures an undeniable underlying tension of the American climate. The story evolved from Silva’s observation of racial tensions in a strictly male setting.

On a crisp snowy winter’s day, Tyler and his friend John, two young restaurateurs from New York City, push a car along a back road high in the Catskills Mountains. They’re on the way to a weekend getaway to celebrate the birthday of Pete, played by Caleb Landry Jones, one of John’s old friends, at a cabin in the woods.

Tyler needs the excursion, even though he will be among mostly strangers, because the home he shares with his Puerto Rican girlfriend, played by Ann Dowd, is packed with her visiting family, along with her ailing, elderly mother to whom she is devoted.

Having an empty gas tank is only the first in a series of discomforting moments Tyler encounters and causes over the next 48 hours. Right off the bat, one of his new acquaintances mishears his name as “Tyrel,” a subtle but significant alteration that both gives Sebastián Silva’s latest film its title and sets up a theme of racially-tinged, innuendos that leads the good-natured Tyler towards a shaky mental edge.

The Chilean Silva, who has lived in New York for the past 17 years, approaches the subject of race as an outsider to American culture, but an insightful writer of alienation. The story unfolds by capturing natural moments with the talented ensemble cast.

The cast, which includes Michael Cera, represents a range of electric and sometimes eccentric personalities, expands on a situation Silva initially observed while vacationing in Cuba with a friend of his. They came across a group of American tourists, drunk and in their mid-20s, and all but one of them white.

“It was probably my imagination, but the black guy seemed alienated. Alienation is a topic that interests me, and I saw it right there. And at that moment, this guy’s alienation was linked to the color of his skin. Racism feels like it’s always timely in America. It never ceases to be an issue, and that was part of it this moment. Something profound was happening there,” explains Silva.

Later, Silva’s friend went to his cabin in the Catskills to celebrate another friend’s birthday. “And they were all white, and one of them was black, but there was nothing awkward about their dynamic.  At the very end of their weekend, they took a selfie and the black dude was the one who took it. That selfie also inspired this film. The mixture of that moment with what we had witnessed and talked about in Cuba made a case for something compelling, so I explored it,” recalls Silva.

“I wanted Tyrel to be the movie that speaks for the middle-class black guy,” he says, “the black guy that wasn’t a thug. The black guy that’s like most of the black guys out there these days. There are a lot of black guys that are trying to be successful and do things in their lives, but they get in the situations that are awkward for them that they don’t know how to handle.”

Although the film deals with tension arising from racial difference, nothing about the story, or the characters, is purely black or white. Instead, the movie shows a lot of layers, so the story is not directly in the racial issue. “I’m not completely sure these guys mean to be cruel or to look down on Tyler. Black people have been put in such a generic box. So, Tyler’s not going to be a saint and he’s not going to be a victim. I don’t want to have clear victims or clear victimizers. I don’t want to have the bad guy and the good guy. I don’t want a conversation about taking sides. I want to make people think about what they witness. This movie will live in every American’s own set of prejudices and opinions. I want people to be somehow troubled by the conclusions they come to on their own,” reckons Silva.

The Quake Grabs On and Never Let’s Go

drama, foreign films, suspense, thriller, , , ,

Directed by John Andres Anderson, The Quake begins in 1904 when an earthquake with a 5.4 magnitude on the Richter scale shook Oslo. Its epicenter located in the Oslo Rift runs directly through the Norwegian capital. Quakes from the rift happen daily. Geologists cannot be sure, but arguments indicate that we can expect major future earthquakes in this area. When the major earthquake happens, nobody can say for certain. The density of people and infrastructure in Oslo is significantly more vulnerable today than in 1904.

The impressive cast includes Kristoffer Joner,Ane Dahl Torp,Kathrine Thorborg Johansen,Jonas Hoff Oftebro, and Edith Haagenrud-Sande.

According to Anderson he realized the facts about the earthquake were true, “The notion of a Norwegian earthquake movie was immediately somewhat absurd. Norway is actually the most seismic active area in northern Europe. In 1904 there was a major earthquake hitting the Oslo-region. This type of incident will happen again. And no one can say when.”

In 2015, The Wave was proof of a Scandinavia film, even on a limited budget, gives Hollywood competition in that genre. “They’ve had a monopoly and been supreme on the so-called ‘High Concept’ movie,” explains Anderson. “And at the same time also add a bit of Scandinavian flair to it. Even in the most faithful genre film, one should never sacrifice character drama. And neither did we want to with The Quake.”

The Wave and The Quake are produced by the same production company lead by Martin Sundland.

Anderson talked more about the important of never sacrificing character for drama. He sees them as instrumental to whether we as audience observe the disaster – or actually experience it. “Because if you’re not experiencing it, it doesn’t matter how spectacular scenes we manage to create. While delivering edge-of-the-seat-thrills, the development of the characters and the ties between the members of our family is always at the core of The Quake.”

The movie follows Kristian, played by Kristoffer Joner, a struggling father, trying to come to grips with what he has been through before this film. His daughter Julia, played by Edith Haagenrud-Sande, is desperately seeking her father’s care and attention. The love of Kristian’s life is Idun, played by Ane Dahl Torp. And all of them their lives completely changed by what Anderson calls “this merciless, brute and blind force of Norwegian nature.”

The movie is as physical, character-driven spectacle just as Anderson intended. He puts the audience the heart of an Oslo being torn apart, feeling the impact of these forces on the family who are trying to keep it together. The movie takes you on a riveting ride – emotionally, visually and finally full-on thrilling action. .

The movie never lets up, and it is constant action, harrowing situations with all odds against them, yet they overcome the obstacles to, yet, face another dire circumstance. Keeping me on the edge of my seat through the movie is a fantastic and remarkable way to see a movie.

Joner looks familiar because he’s starred in The Revenant and Mission Impossible: Fall out.

Anderson’s first time as a director, he started as a camera assistant for cinematography legend Sven Nykvist. He worked as a Director of Photography for many years on notable Scandinavian films such as Department Q: Conspiracy of Faith and Buddy.

The movie is in Scandinavian with English subtitles.  

The Last Race Ain’t Over Yet

documentary,

Directed by Michael Dweck, The Last Race is a documentary about Long Island’s last stock car race track, and its 87-year-old owners struggle to maintain the racing tradition. The last race track out of the original forty the owners face a real estate development boom. The track located prime property is worth at least 10 million.

The documentary is slow with not a lot happening unless you are a NASCAR fan. There is a fire that seems underplayed. I am not a race car fan of any kind, so I couldn’t relate to what happens in the movie. The end of the race where the camera is on the winner is memorable. A surge of understanding comes to light as I see the winner’s invigoration.

The movie is filled with vignettes and sound in a unique as a narrative form to draw the viewer into the world of essential racing culture and begrudgingly explores an about the blue-collar American identity. The movie is without suits and ties. We are talking jeans and t-shirts smeared with grease.

I learned about stock car racing. Long Island is the birthplace of American stock car racing. At its peak, there were over forty racetracks on Long Island, but today, only one remains. Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile track somehow managed to stay with the transformation of Long Island. The track, built in 1949, is where it settled on the edge of a small country road surrounded on every side by miles of farmland. Years later, the country road expanded into a highway and eventually the steady flow of traffic from the rest of the island made it a prime location for an outlet mall, and as the outlet mall grew, big retail followed.

Today, Riverhead Raceway is the only piece of land on the commercial strip of Old Country Road not developed. The land value is well over ten million dollars.

Money generates through ticket sales on summer weekends. It is barely enough to keep the lights on. The fact that the Riverhead Raceway remains open defies the laws of capitalism, and the only thing standing in the way of the bulldozers are 87-year-old Barbara and Jim Cromarty. Barbara and Jim bought the track in 1977, and they continue to run it even as multi-million dollar offers roll in, tempting them toward a well-deserved retirement. Barbara and Jim fight to keep it open because they understand that Riverhead carries the burden of being the last stock car racing on Long Island. When Riverhead is gone, it’s all over.

In the early days, Riverhead Raceway grew within a community that valued the desire to go fast. It started with old wrecks racing around a dirt oval in an empty field.

After spectators started turning up for the races, someone decided to lay down asphalt. The stands followed, and eventually, the Cromartys started charging admission and selling hot dogs and tee shirts.

As I watched the documentary, I get a sense that it more than racing. It’s a “lodge” of brethren blue-collar workers. They build racing machines and live for speed and the craziness associated with the chaos of the race and the drama of the pits. They are competitors and adrenaline enthusiasts. Like any competition, people have a reason to live and celebrate the victories or simple the stories of yesteryear of racing on Long Island.

Dweck said the racetrack buyout sure to happen, but it never happened in the movie. The last race is yet to be. The new owners run the same operation and continue the races each summer.

Dweck foresees the closing of Riverhead despite the new owners, “Riverhead Raceway is the last track on the Island. It’s only a matter of time before the bulldozers move in and Riverhead goes the way of other tracks before it, replaced by a shopping mall, or some other piece of disposable architecture. That’s what people want, and that’s okay.  But when it goes, something will be lost.”

Dweck bulldozing point of view comes from his shared interest in stock car racing as a young boy. He grew up to witness the shutting down and bulldozing of his favorite childhood pastime – Freeport Stadium on Long Island. The last gasp of his youth turning into a shopping mall or boxed store.

His first feature-length film, Dweck craft for telling a story falls flat but in a good way. The Riverhead is still hosting stock car races, and stock car race fans will appreciate the nostalgia of competitive racing with a homespun feeling.

The attitude and look of the winner of the last race sponsored by the Cromartys are worth watching. Hitherto, I understand the glory, nostalgia, or hype of being a race car winner.

Shoplifters – Cannes Palme d’Or Winner & Oscar-Nominee

drama, foreign films, movies, , , ,

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japanese movie Shoplifters is the 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or Winner and 2019 Academy Award nominee for Foreign Language Film.  The movie follows an oddball band of outsiders on the margins of Tokyo. They demonstrate a fierce loyalty with a penchant for petty theft and playful ways of making money dishonestly.

The fun and games end with the young son getting arrested. Secrets come to the surface and expose what little stability they did hold below-the-radar existence. They feel strong belief is not the blood that defines a family, but love defines the family. The premise is questioned and discussed throughout the movie

Kore-eda’s credits include Like Father, Like Son and Nobody Knows. Shoplifters movie is similar to these movies as an emotional exploration of the perseverance and tenacity of society’s outcasts and the love that sustains them. It is obvious why the movie won the Palme. The simplicity of the tender storytelling of inviting me to be a part of the imperfect people, showing what an oddball meaning to the family. Perhaps, redefining what a family is by showing a group of misfits similar sharing and behaving similarly to a family connected by blood.

“Shoplifters might be similar to Nobody Knows in the sense that this film also explores closely the sort of ‘punished’ families we regularly see in news reports. It wasn’t my intention simply to describe a poor family or the lower levels of the social strata. I rather think that the family in the film ended up gathering in that house not to collapse there. I wanted to shine a light on such a family from a different angle,” adds Kore-eda.

Like a voyeur, Shoplifters draws me into their daily lives through various circumstances developed and bonded together as a way to survive. Centered in the family’s cohesiveness is achieving their livelihood through petty theft and grifting. The children of the group are played beautifully and endearing by Jyo Kairi and Miyu Sasaki. I ponder the director’s uncanny ability to facilitate the actors as a cohesive metaphor to the brilliance of life itself.

“I started to think about which elements were unfolded and would be examined deeply after the casting was settled. As a result, this film is packed with the various elements I have been thinking about and exploring these last 10 years. It is the story of what family means, a story about a man trying to be a father, and furthermore, a coming-of-age story of a boy,” explains Kore-eda

The movie is worth watching, but it is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Spiral: Anti-Semitism in France

documentary, drama, foreign films, ,

Directed by Laura Fairrie, Spiral is a documentary exposing the fact that over the last two decades, a rise in physical attacks and verbal assaults on Jews documented in many countries across Europe. Particularly, Jews in France are forced into a ghetto living condition, while some, are driven to leave France and immigrate to Israel.

At the same time an increasingly fractured world has exposed deep political, social, and racial division, especially in France. The documentary is about how a cycle of fear, hatred, and violence has taken hold.

I am not a fan of documentaries because they easily create an image or vision that twists or skews the facts or truth of a situation. Spiral seems to be a movie about bigotry with an anti-religious (anti-Semitism) happening in France. Apparently, the government is doing nothing about it.

According to a conversation with Fairrie, she was approach by John Battsek, produced One Day In September, with the idea of investigating widespread reports of rising attacks and abuse against Jewish people in Europe.

“After an intensive research period I wrote a detailed document outlining my creative vision and the ournalism at the heart of the film. Once Cohen Media committed to financing the film,” says Fairrie.

The documentary is about the resurgence of anti-Semitism in France. The feel throughout the movie is fear with undercurrents of dread and distrust.  Yet, the scenes with the teacher, François, changed the rhythm of the documentary. He understood the tensions on all sides. Like he was an insider and knew the cause and effect of anti-Semitism.

Fairrie, somehow, obtained access to Dieudonné, who is a French anti-Semitist comedian. He is well-known entertainer of African descent, disreputable for mockery of the Holocaust while jabbing with anti-Semitism in general. Fairrie got him to talk about his point of view in the matter.  I was happy to hear in the movie that a legal team is prosecuting him.

Some of the stories of hatred are hard to believe, and it’s hard to confront such a situation in beautiful France. If one religion is being attacked, then all religions are being attacked. Religious freedom!

The documentary is primarily in French with English subtitles. The cinematography by Jean-Louis Schuller is beautiful at times and works with the story of Jewish people in terrible situations. The movie is not entertaining. The information is disheartening and without a sound resolution.

The Dark: Horror Movie With Substance

horror, ,

Written and directed by Justin P. Lange, The Dark is about a killer ghost who meets a lost soul. The movie is Lange’s debut as a director, and he hit the scary ringer. The movie is the production company’s biggest hit in 2018 and their most liked as a horror DVD. Horror fans pay attention because you want to see this movie.

The story unravels just outside a small town in a dense forest called Devil’s Den. The den is known as a mysterious area of woods. Many enter the woods, but no one ever leaves the woods.

Like all mysteries, the home-grown legend is about the spirit of a girl, played by Nadia Alexander. Murdered in the Devil’s Den, she haunts and hunts for victims. She brutally slays anyone who risks walking in her terrain.

A young man, played by Toby Nichols, with a dark past enters Devil’s Den. A series of events are set in motion that may lead to redemption for two tragically tortured souls.

The movie is a part gothic fairytale and part chilling horror. Lange methodically poises rich imagery with brutal and bloody storytelling. The two unlikely kindred spirits must defend themselves against the so-called normal world.

Both Alexander and Nichols performances are truthful and heartfelt. Lange’s script moves along and kept me interested and caring for the characters.  In general, the movie is receiving accolades from LA Times, Variety, and Horror Society.

“A moving and poetic tale about how neglect and abuse can turn people into freaky beasts, and how love can bring them back.” – LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Writer and director Justin P. Lange created and conquered one of the best horror films of the year. It’s emotional, slightly artistic and so disturbing and frightening. A true master-class in film-making. I am so blown away” – HORROR SOCIETY

Japanese Artist: Kusama: Infinity Documentary Transcends Imagery

documentary, indie, true story,

Directed by Heather Lenz, I discovered Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in the documentary Kusama: Infinity. The movie is a spotlight on the celebrated artist, according to the New York Times the documentary is “illuminating access to an artist’s way of thinking and working,” and I agree.

Kusama accounts her journey, the well-crafted documentary encounters her journey into the world of art. It starts with her conservative family in Japan to the milestones and triumphs that evolved her career.

The documentary shows a rare, but emotional, glimpse into Kusama’s six-decade career. Lenz captures the critical moments that led to her success, though some were hard to believe. What I didn’t know was she penned a letter to renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe for guidance. O’Keeffe wrote back and recommended Kusama risk everything to move to New York City.

Kusama decided to make a name for herself in NYC based on O’Keeffe’s letter. The young Kusama hit the streets of the art world by a boom. Captivating art aficionados with her signature polka dots, she brought light to the industry, and at the same time, shook up the conventional norms.

Today, she is the top-selling female artist in the world. The story amazes me how Kusama prevail over terrible odds to bring her radical artistic vision to the art scene. For years and years, she pushed her work, going beyond the boundaries that often alienated her from both her peers and those in power in the art world.

The documentary is about an underdog, who never had a chance, but made it happen despite the trauma of growing up in Japan during World War II.  Her life in a dysfunctional family that discouraged her creative ambitions, sexism, and racism in the art establishment, and emotional turmoil in a culture where that was predominantly shameful. She continued to pursue her career as a full-time artist at the point of her 90s.

In spite of it all, Kusama has endured and has created a legacy of artwork that spans the disciplines of painting, sculpture, installation art, performance art, poetry, and literary fiction. After working as an artist for over six decades, people around the globe are experiencing her installation Infinity Mirrored Rooms in record numbers, as Kusama continues to create new work every day.

I still think about this documentary and hope others are inspired. Her work is spiritual and transcending. One negative aspect about the movie is how quick people like Lenz are to pigeon hole an artist as mentally ill when all they are is being themselves and living life to create their art form.

Life, Career of Beloved Comedienne Gilda Radner

comedy, documentary, true story, , , , ,

Lisa D’Apolito directed the Love, Gilda documentary. The movie boasts “In her own words…” I am quick to differ. Like most documentaries today, the directors skewed them to generate a message based on the director’s proactive. Sure. The movie shows her journals with words, but the director takes them out of context. 

Tender with personal interviews while highlighting Radner’s talent, but the movie needed to share more of her happiness and successes. We are all human and have problems. The director skews the fact that when she visits the doctor, she is not responsible. But clearly, she is being responsible for going to the doctor. It is how she handles those problems that make her a survivor.  

In her journals, the director pulls out passages from comedienne Gilda Radner reflections on her life and career. Weaving together her recently discovered audiotapes and rare home movies, Love, Gilda shares a side of Radner that is honest and whimsical. Portions of her diary read by well-known comedians. Each inspired by Radner’s talent and vivaciousness, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Cecily Strong read in awe sharing her story.

The documentary includes interviews with original “Saturday Night Live” cast and crew, such as Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Paul Shaffer and longtime friend, Martin Short. Throughout the movie photos of the younger cast and crew are spliced within the story. With photos of the young cast, all looking healthy and vibrant is worth watching the documentary. 

Her adventures before SNL have her marrying a sculpture, moving to Canada, and divorcing. She meets her boyfriend and longtime friend, Martin Short.  She receives a phone call from John Belushi and tells her “We need a girl.” Off Radner goes to Chicago, being the token girl for Second City comedy group. The photographs show young Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis. 

Gilda Radner puts a smile on the faces of people who remember watching her as one of the original cast members of SNL where she created and portrayed now-classic comic characters such as Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella, and Lisa Loopner. She rose to fame winning an Emmy, starring in movies and on Broadway. 

Though the director uses Radner’s words and her voice by working with the Radner Estate, D’Apolito picks her favorites from a collection of diaries and personal audio and videotapes.  Documenting her childhood, her comedy career, her life with Gene Wilder and her struggle with cancer, the D’Apolito allows Radner to voice her story through laughter and tears. The never-before-seen footage and journal entries form the narrative spine of the documentary. Again, D’Apolito spins a tale of Radner trying to get Wilder to marry her. Yet, I distinctly recall, Wilder in interviews saying of how much he loved Radner and missed her so much after her death from cancer. Anyone who watches this documentary will see the love Wilder shared with Radner.

My favorite words from Radner, which I am paraphrasing, is how she mentions she just did what she loved to do, kept taking jobs, and ended up famous. 

Support the Girls – Waitresses Bare All

drama, review, , , , , , , ,

Written & Directed by Andrew Bujalski, Support the Girls follows Lisa, played by Regina Hall. The story is about her life as a general manager at a highway-side sports bar that resembles called Hooters Double Whammies. Just look at the promotional photos and get the idea – tits and ass.

Yet, Lisa is the last person anyone expected to find this type of establishment. She comes to love the place and its customers. As an intuitive mother, she nurtures and sternly protects her ‘girls’ on the staff.

The straw finally broke her back one day, and her genuine buoyancy was pummeled from every direction.

Lisa learns that fantasy sometimes becomes a reality, and nothing is far from the truth.

In 20014, Bujalski won the “Someone to Watch” Independent Spirit Award for Funny Ha Ha, which is nothing like Support the Girls. He offers his thoughts on establishments like Hooters. “It seems like just about the simplest business concept you could imagine – ‘What if all the waitresses in this restaurant wore tight, cleavage-y halter tops?’– but I couldn’t get over how bizarre it ultimately was. No culture besides present-day America would ever produce mass-scale demand for such a place, a business that seems about 10% strip club and 90% TGI Friday’s/Applebee’s/Chili’s/Cracker Barrel. Strippers are supposed to make men feel like badass transgressors. But these women are just supposed to make you feel normal — the proverbial “red-blooded American male.”

I totally agree with what he says because…Really? How can a woman act normal when she is practically bare-assed?

Hall liked Bujalski’s script and wanted to be in the movie. “From the moment I read it, I just resonated with Lisa. I had seen Andrew’s work and thought he wrote such a beautifully complex yet simplistic script. He was able to find the humanity in this space that we take for granted or don’t necessarily even think about. I just loved the chord that he touched on with this group of people, these women, and girls. I thought Lisa was great: her need to help, her need to fix, her need to save, and her need to be needed. It just resonated on so many levels.”

The movie is receiving accolades from critics. Regina Hall is the first Black woman to win Best Actress in the New York Film Critics Circle’s 83-year history this year for her portrayal of  Lisa.

Hall also starred in another strong cultural movie called The Hate U Give. The film is based on a book of the same name, but the power of the situation is nothing compared to Support the Girls. Though,  Lisa does nurture the girls in a motherly way. This situation is not racist like The Hate U Give.

The cast is rounded out quite nicely with Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHayle, James LeGros, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Jana Kramer, John Elvis, and Lea DeLaria.