On August 16th HBO released the first episode of its latest original, “Lovecraft Country”, an American supernatural drama depicting veteran Atticus Freeman’s journey from Chicago to Massachusetts in search of his father. Joined by his uncle George Freeman and childhood friend Letitia “Leti” Lewis, Atticus follows a lead which causes the trio to search for Ardam, a town that disappeared from the map 200 years prior. As they progress in their search, the three travelers battle a series of horrifying “Lovecraftian” monsters, while simultaneously enduring discrimination from their white peers and the police. The first episode, in particular, balances writing, cinematography, visual effects and music to create a breathtaking introduction…

This past August, The One and Only Ivan, was released on the streaming platform, Disney Plus. An adaption of the novel by the same title, the movie follows the character of Ivan, a silverback gorilla. He lives at the Big Top Mall, where he and his friends have to perform tricks in order to make money for the ringleader, Mack. After Mack brings a baby elephant named Ruby to the mall in order to attract more people, Ivan is faced with the task of bringing Ruby and the other animals to the wild where they belong.  I hadn’t seen any promotional material before seeing the movie, but having read the…