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From writer-director and lead actor Cooper Raiff (SHITHOUSE) comes Cha Cha Real Smooth, the story of a New Jersey party starter working the bar mitzvah circuit after college who meets his match in a suburban mother (Dakota Johnson), then begins sitting for her autistic daughter (Vanessa Burghardt), bringing him closer to their family.

Cha Cha Real Smooth premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2022 and won the Audience Award in the US Dramatic category. The drama-comedy has a very clear voice, that of writer-director Cooper Raiff. There’s a lot of anxious, quick talking. It’s nothing particularly ground breaking but it’s witty and charming enough to make the film a fun watch.

Raiff isn’t Jewish but he attended a lot of bar mitzvahs growing up and he has a fondness for the right of passage they represent. The journey into adulthood for the kids at the bar mitzvahs is contrasted well with Raiff’s Andrew, who hasn’t figured out adulthood at all but is giving life advice to his brother David (Evan Assante) like he understands the meaning of life.

Cooper Raiff is great as the awkward, funny Andrew. He’s in his early twenties and figuring out what to do with his life. He lives on the floor of his little brother’s room and only really knows how to party, hence the party starting job. I’m not sure that Andrew’s personality is too far away from Raiff’s so perhaps it’s not a surprise he handles the character well.

Dakota Johnson (The Lost Daughter, Fifty Shades of Grey) plays Domino, the young mother who is lonely and struggling with her fiancé Joseph (Raul Castillo) often working in a different city. She is pretty good playing someone who is unsure of themselves and what they’re doing in life, but these are characteristics I have seen her play many times. Johnson is convincing with what she is asked to do and she has great on-screen chemistry with both Raiff and Vanessa Burghardt, who plays her daughter Lola.

Cha Cha Real Smooth is Burghardt’s first acting role on screen and she is great in the film. Lola is autistic, as is Burghardt, and while this is important to the story, it isn’t the only defining characteristic. Lola is a fully formed character, more than an autism diagnosis. Burghardt has said herself how unusual this is compared to other roles she has auditioned for. Vanessa Burghardt is a natural onscreen and played perfectly off Raiff and Johnson. I really hope this opens doors for her going forward.

The cinematography by Cristina Dunlap (Am I OK?) is simple and pleasing to the eye. Great composition and lighting. The music by Este Haim and Christopher Stracey (Maid) is just about what you would expect from a small feature about finding your place in the world. Cha Cha Real Smooth is well made all around.

Cha Cha Real Smooth is an enjoyable movie. In trying to defy expectations, I feel like some of the narrative turns didn’t fully add up but I liked the idea of trying to do something different. A lot of these types of movies can get very similar. Cha Cha Real Smooth was purchased by Apple TV+ for $15m at Sundance 2022, so expect to see it made available on that streaming service later this year. I’d recommend checking it out.

The post Sundance 2022: ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ Proves to be a Crowd-pleaser appeared first on The Nerd Element.

Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes

Let's Rock (and roll), folks!  It's that time once again.  Listen to a new installment of Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review airing each and every Wednesday at 8 p.m. eastern on the BTalk 100 internet broadcasting platform.  Check out the meanderings of your arachnid-irradiated AFROnerdist hosts concerning the following issues:   as if things couldn't get any worse, news outlets are reporting that a number of HBCUs around the country are receiving bomb threats, and the FBI is investigating the situation; legendary actress, comedienne, and talk show host, Whoopi Goldberg, is embroiled in a controversy regarding the Holocaust:

Popular CBS TV show, Criminal Minds may be coming back (via Paramount plus) after cancelation and an extremely successful 15 season run;  The Afronerd crew tries to make sense of the recent spate of suicides involving stunning attorney/Miss USA '19 winner, Cheslie Kryst, and rising actor, Moses J Moseley (Walking Dead); notable actress, Thandiwe Newton, had some choice words for legendary actor, Sean Penn regarding his recent remarks about masculinity and the perceived feminization of men; our thoughts about the season one finale of The Book of Boba Fett; Lastly, Marvels Black Panther documentary is coming soon to Sirius-XM.        

One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....

Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and,  IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!

Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes

Well, it's snowing in NYC people!  Why not check out the latest installment of Afronerd Radio's The Grindhouse in between shoveling out of the muck?  Showtime, per usual, starts this Sunday at 6 p.m. eastern on the BTalk 100 internet broadcasting network.  Listen to your mystically-powered AFROnerdist hosts as they unpack on the following issues: the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, Maus, has been banned by a TN school board as school systems across the nation are targeting works that depict historical events;  a recent Atlantic article posits that older music is actually dominating the newer music market to the "tune" of 70 percent and the crew have their theories; Oscar-winning actress, Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, The Dark Knight Rises) might be revisiting similar feline territory courtesy of Marvel Studios; in remembrance of the 2-year anniversary of the passing of basketball icon, Kobe Bryant, Zaya Wade's (Dwyane Wade's transgender daughter) wearing of Bryant's jersey has riled certain critics;     

comedian and popular Spotify podcaster, Joe Rogan, while interviewing Canadian clinical psychologist, Jordan Peterson, seemed to be confused about the term "Black" when describing people of African descent;  Ant-Man and the Wasp actress, Evangeline Lilly (purportedly like her fellow Marvel comrade, Letitia Wright) has come out as an anti-vaxxer to the chagrin of many Marvel/Disney supporters; Lastly, Dburt checked out Amazon Prime's new animation series, Vox Machina and he liked what he viewed so far....let's discuss.   

One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....

Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and,  IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!

Margaret Brown’s documentary Descendant centers around the Alabama town Africatown and the individuals believed to be the “descendants” of the last slave ship to reach America shores in 1860. The schooner called the Clotilda was used by Timothy Meaher to fulfill a bet he made stating he could bring slaves back to American even after it was made a capital crime. Meaher did as such and burned the ship off the coast of Mobile Alabama to cover up his crimes after unloading the slaves near what is now called Africatown. The passengers on this boat were enslaved for roughly 5 years before being set free to settle Africatown.

As an African American woman who like many can only research their history to a certain point, the thought of having family members that were able to pass down their traditions, who knew where they were from, who retained part of their native language is exciting. And while some of the tradition would be lost in those 5 years spent as slaves a lot more could be salvaged vs those that were forced to conform over hundreds of years.

The subject matter for this documentary is intriguing, unfortunately the execution of telling the story fell short in some areas. The documentary pulled you in different directions making you question what the focal point was. Descendant starts out as a historical retelling using found footage, interviews with descendants and historians, and the reading of memoirs to give the viewer a vivid idea of who the people of Africatown are. It then takes a turn and goes into a treasure hunt looking for the lost Clotilda (which they did find in 2019), turning once more to suggest that the inhabitants of Africatown are facing environmental concerns from neighboring plants, and then again to building a case for reparations. These subject matters are all fascinating in their own right but thrown together in one documentary makes for a bit of whiplash by the viewer.

Despite this, Descendant is a documentary worth viewing. Descendant does a great job illustrating how a community healed after such traumatic experiences something many of us have not seen in this detail. Netflix just purchased the streaming rights along with President and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, so it will be available for those with a Netflix subscription soon.

The post Descendant Sundance Review appeared first on The Nerd Element.