Hustlers (2019)

Following the financial crash of 2008, a group of New York strippers finds themselves out of work. With fewer Wall Street types coming in to spend money, there’s less revenue to go around. This hurts all of them, until Ramona, the chief moneymaker in their club, devises a daring scheme to get rich without dancing. The women will approach a businessman at a bar, spike his drink so that he passes out, take him to the strip club, and then, while he’s unconscious, max out his credit card. They assume that, even if the guy sees a big chunk of money missing from his bank account, he’ll be too embarrassed to admit that he spent it at a strip club. They’re correct, and, for a time, the scheme works. But, of course, as their operation gets bigger, Ramona gets more reckless, and eventually, the whole house of cards comes falling down.

The Rider (2018)

Brady is a Native American cowboy from South Dakota. He’s got a father with a gambling problem, and a sister with some, unspecified mental disability. Riding and training horses are all that he or his friends know. It is literally what they live for. So when Brady is injured in a riding accident at the beginning of the story, and is unable to compete in the rodeo, he finds himself at an existential crossroads. Should he quit riding, and find a job, or should he just keep going, regardless of consequence?

Who Gets A Chance In Hollywood?

It’s Friday, March 2^nd. Exactly one week from this date, A Wrinkle In Time will hit theaters. And, regardless of how the film turns out, this will mark a momentous occasion in film history. Not only will it be the first time Madeline L’Engle’s classic sci-fi book is adapted for the big-screen, it will also mark the first time in history that a Black woman, Ava Duvernay, helms a picture with a $100 million budget. 50 years ago, or even 20 years ago, such a thing would be inconceivable. Now, though, female filmmakers and filmmakers of color are being put in charge of high-profile projects all the time. Hell, filmmakers in general are being given more chances to helm blockbusters than ever before. Don’t believe me? Well then ask yourself, what do Mark Webb, Collin Trevorrow, John Watts, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Patty Jenkins, and Ryan Coogler all have in common? Each of them only directed a handful of low-budget indies before being given the reigns to giant tentpole films. In the case of Jenkins and Trevorrow, they literally only directed one feature film beforehand. Now, being a young, up-and-coming screenwriter, I’m very happy that this kind of thing is happening. It means that the chances of me being able to make the movies that I love are greater. At the same time, however, it got me thinking. Who gets those chances?