Spike Lee

Forty years later, Don Reed has, in fact, made it big — big enough to warrant his own one-man multimedia show at The Marsh Arts Center in Downtown Berkeley.

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” dazzles and dizzies even its most attentive viewer; the film is a psychological feast boasting richly clever construction and riveting performances.

Playing with a chip on his shoulder, Reggie Miller and others take us in-depth through the Pacers vs. Knicks playoff series in 1994 and 1995, as Miller fosters a personal vendetta against the city of New York and the Knicks.

At the same time, though, “auteur theory” leads to a lot of films getting excluded from their respective director’s canon.

With warmly cinematic prowess, each storyteller reads their letter while traipsing through their hometowns, soccer fields, college campuses or wherever else their individual journeys of growth and realization took place.

“Da 5 Bloods” is steeped in the political and social atmosphere of 1968 America, a year of righteous protests that many have compared to the current calls for racial equity and justice.

With a similar plot line and plenty of early 2000s stylistic and script choices, Kravitz’s portrayal reimagines Cusack’s character in the modern era.

Though the show featured some pleasantly surprising wins and an impressive number of awards given to artists of color, the moments we could champion were quickly snuffed out by those that disappointed.

The political statements in 2018’s film, music and television have transcended party lines to make up mass media that compels and entertains, and its creators deserve some recognition.

It’s worth noting that “BlacKkKlansman” is very emphatically not just about Colorado Springs, nor is it just about the 1970s.