Mike Goes To Movies

Hamilton (2020) It's no news that, for the past number of years, Lin Manuel-Miranda's Hamilton has been the hottest show on the Broadway circuit. Taking a very 'white' story of the Founding Fathers of America -  particularly Alexander Hamilton - and giving it a contemporary edge through a racially-diverse cast and a fusion of hip hop, R&B, rap and other music genres, was an absolute winning formula for greatness. And now, thanks to the House of Mouse, many of us no longer need to spend our life savings to see the show live! What a treat it was - Hamilton was pretty much everything it was hyped up to be: fantastic music, great performances, a moving story, and a lively theatrical production! LMM's magnum opus tells the life of Alexander Hamilton (whom he plays in the show) right from Hamilton's early days in America, his important role in the Revolutionary War, his personal and family life with , and then his time with Aaron Burr, and the other Foundin...

TIFF: Waves (2019) Waves was the one film this year that, going in, I really knew nothing about other than it was about two young couples growing up in the southern US. Generally speaking, I would say that I often have a decent amount of info going into a movie and I found that it was an overly nice surprise having no preconceived notions or expectations as I watched Waves. Writer/director, Trey Edwards Shults, had really only had one notable prior film, It Comes at Night, but I have not actually seen it myself. And so, when I saw Waves this past Tuesday evening it was very much an open canvass for me. Due to surprising events that happen in the film that very much dictate its second half I cannot add much more to the brief summary I've given above. I can say that the film is about a young African American family living in Florida who deal with many contemporary issues that other similar families have to contend with across the US and abroad. The dad and step-mom are played b...