Poly Styrene : I Am a Cliche' (2021)

 

Released February 22, 2022, in the US.

Filmed entirely in England.

The story: After her untimely death in early April of 2011, her daughter, Celeste Bell, was in charge of going through all of the things that flowed through her mother's life.

Marianne Joan Elliott Said, better known to the world as Poly Styrene, the trailblazing young Scottish/Irish/Somali woman from Britain who wrote songs for and led the punk rock X Ray Spex,  was a force to be reckoned with.

Quite the sensitive soul, Poly was a fashion victim with her own sense of style who, at a young age, wrote songs that had much meaning for her.

Celeste, Poly's only child, was not ready to be the caretaker of her mother's extremely large legacy, mostly because it was too painful to look back at without her mother here.

So, 5 years after her passing, Celeste finally brought herself to explore all the things that were her mother's life.

Through journal entries, photographs, videos, interviews, art, poetry, and performances, as well as words from many people who knew and loved Poly, Celeste takes us along with her through her mother's profound journey.

Stars Celeste Bell , (voice) Ruth Negga , (voice) Hazel Emmons , (voice) Rina Vergano , (voice) Don Letts , (voice) Rhoda Dakar , (voice) Ifrah Ahmed , (voice) Pauline Black , (voice) Bruno Wizard , (voice) Vivienne Westwood , (voice) Lora Logic , (voice) Youth , (voice) Helen McCookerybook , (voice) Paul Dean , (voice) Jonathan Ross , (voice) Thurston Moore , (voice) Neneh Cherry , (voice) Gina Birch , (voice) Kathleen Hanna , (voice) Adrian Bell , (voice) Ana De Silva , (voice) Yashoda 

Directed by Celeste Bell & Paul Sng

Not Rated

BIOGRAPHY/DOCUMENTARY/HISTORY/MUSIC

"She was a woman of color working within an industry full of white middle-class men that had it all their own way. It' really important that people get that."

A Different World : If You Like Pilgrim Coladas (1988)

Released on NBC, airing November 24th in the US.

Season 2. Episode 6.

The story: Everyone is going home or at least to someone's home this Thanksgiving, except for Whitley and Kim.

Whitley is used to it, but Kim gets upset after getting off the telephone with her mother.

Kim would much rather be home for Thanksgiving.

Whitley tries to cheer her up, but Kim decides they need to go out somewhere and have some fun.

Kim breaks out her fake ID, and the two decide to go to a local bar where there is a band playing.

After they have a couple Pilgrim Coladas, the girls are ready to party.

Just when things are going great, Kim sees a professor from their school and tries to get Whitley to leave before he recognizes them.

Stars Lou Myers , Sinbad , Dawnn Lewis , Kadeem Hardison , Cree Summer , Jasmine Guy , Charnele Brown , Ryan Phillippe , Carlos Lacamara , Lewis Dix Jr , Michael DeLorenzo , Darryl M Bell , Vincent Craid Dupree

Directed by Debbie Allen

Rated TVPG
COMEDY/THANKSGIVING/SERIES/TV

The Bernie Mac Show : Thanksgiving (2004)

Released on Fox, airing June 29th in the US...
Season 3. Episode 22.
The story: Bernie has been pressuring Vanessa to study hard for her English test, so when she brings home an A, he is more than proud, and it's just in time for parent/teacher conference.

When Bernie and Wanda meet Vanessa's teacher, Mr. Diggs, he explains how well she's been doing and says he's looking forward to her next paper.

A biographical essay on someone each student is thankful for.

Bernie assumes that Vanessa will write about him, and is bummed when he learns, Vanessa has decided she is now a vegetarian after learning about Mr. Diggs' childhood, that she will be writing about Mr. Diggs.

When Bernie gives her a hard time about eating meat, she asks Mr. Diggs if she can have Thanksgiving dinner at his house.

Mr. Diggs then invites all the Macs to his house for a vegetarian dinner.

Stars Kellita Smith, Bernie Mac, Camille Winbush, Jeremy Suarez, Dee Dee Davis, Don Franklin, Tembi Locke, Ryan Napier, Steve Abbott

Directed by Reginald Hudlin

Not Rated

COMEDY/THANKSGIVING/SERIES/TV

"What about Thanksgiving? Everything on the table will have meat in it.
The stuffing is gonna have meat in it. The sweet potato...? This year I've been thinking about meat potato....
I'll put meat in the water! ...Meat!"

Fresh (2022)

Released on Hulu, March 4th in the US.
Filmed entirely in Canada.
The story: Dating apps are usually hit or miss for most people.
But not Noa, she finds it all completely depressing and has just about given up.
While at the grocery store one evening, she happens to meet charming Steve, who asks for her number.
Soon, the two get together and quickly hit it off.
Noa finds Steve fascinatingly down to earth and believes they have a lot in common.
So when Steve asks Noa to go away for the weekend with him, she totally agrees.
When she tells her best friend about the situation, she warns her not to go.
Noa goes along with the plan anyway, and the night before the said weekend, things take a turn for the worse.
Stars Daisy Edgar Jones , Brett Dier , Sunghee Lapell , Jojo T Gibbs , Arghavan Jenati , Sebastian Stan , Dayo Okeniyi , Andrea Bang , Lachlan Quarmby , Frances Leigh , Charlotte Le Bon
Directed by Mimi Cave
Rated R

MYSTERY/HORROR/THRILLER

Wish Upon (2017)

Released July 14th in the US.

Filmed in Canada.

The story: Clair is a teenager who has a hard time.

She lost her mom at a young age, and her dad embarrasses her by picking trash and being a hoarder.

One day, while her father is looking through trash at an old house, he finds a music box with ancient Chinese wording on it that he believes Claire will appreciate.

Claire finds the box interesting but has no idea about it or what the writing says, although some of her studies involve Chinese.

After being completely bullied at school, Claire, innocently enough, makes a wish that the girl who does the bullying would just rot...

The very next day, her bully nemesis does just that, and this gets Claire really thinking.

But after each wish, someone close to Claire dies.

Once she starts understanding this, she begins trying to save the people she loves from the wrath of the wishing box.

Stars Raegan Revord , Elisabeth Rohm , Joey King , Ryan Phillippe , Kevin Hanchard , Victor Sutton , Sherilyn Fenn , Ki Hong Lee , Sydney Park , Shannon Purser , Josephine Langford , Mitchell Slaggert , Alexander Nunz , Daniela Barbosa , Alice Lee , Albert Chung , Ryan Taerk , Jerry O'Connell

Directed by John R Leonetti

Rated PG13

MYSTERY/THRILLER/HORROR

Mama's Family : An Ill Wind (1986)

Released on NBC, airing November 22nd in the US.

Season 3. Episode 9.

The story: It's Thanksgiving morning, and Mama has been busy in the kitchen since daybreak.

She wakes Vinton and Naomi because he has to pick up Aunt Effie.

When Naomi finally makes her way up to the kitchen, Mama sets her to work, drying dishes.

While doing so, she and Iola notice how dark it is outside, but Mama insists it's always sunny in Raytown on Thanksgiving.

After Aunt Effie and Vinton arrive, it begins raining.

Soon, a wild storm rolls in, sending a tree through the dining room window and cutting the power off.

They all take cover in the basement, trapped there with only chips and rum balls to eat.

Stars Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry, Dorothy Lyman, Beverly Archer, Allan Kayser, Dorothy Van

Directed by Dave Powers

Rated TVPG

COMEDY/THANKSGIVING/SERIES/TV

Perfect Strangers : Wild Turkey (1991)

 

Released on  ABC, airing November 22nd in the US.

Season 7. Episode 9.

The story: Jennifer, Mary Ann, and Balki have all bought turkeys this year.

Jennifer's plan was to cook because it is the first Thanksgiving she and Larry are a married couple.

Balki wants to cook because he has been cooking Thanksgiving dinner since he came to the United States, and Mary Ann wants to cook to show Balki that she is wife material, only he won't notice anyway.

When Larry arrives home, his surprise is the biggest.

He had gotten a great deal on 58 wild turkeys, which he intends to resell.

Thanksgiving day, Jennifer and Mary Ann are in the kitchen when there's a knock at the door.

Mary Ann opens it to find three turkeys, which make their way into the kitchen.

Closely behind them are Larry and Balki, scurrying to get the turkeys back outside.

When Larry and Balki make their way back inside the house, Jennifer explains that she cannot find her diamond...

She always takes it off and puts it on the counter next to the salt and pepper, but it's not there, and the only ones who were in the room were the turkeys.

After checking all the turkeys with a metal detector, Larry learns that there is just one left that they did not check.

The one that Balki sold to the Johnsons next door.

Stars Melanie Wilson , Rebecca Arthur , Bronson Pinchot , Mark Linn Baker , Julie Payne , James Staley , Glen Vernon , Adam Hendershott , Brandi Chrisman

Directed by Judy Pioli

Rated TVPG
COMEDY/THANKSGIVING/SERIES/TV