#TONY MONSTER WALTER DEAN MYERS MOVIE#

Lamar now leads the very theatre games he was too shy to participate in when he first joined us.

At the end of the first performance, he told the audience how proud he was that he had overcome his stage fright. During our seven months together, he transformed from a shy kid who sat with his eyes on the floor to a performer who made the most of several small roles in our spring production. LamarвЂ™s excitement mirrors our own as StorycatchersвЂ™ Temporary Lockdown Ensemble at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center begins a new season.ДЄ big, loveable guy with a gap-toothed grin, bright eyes, and the ability to make the whole group laugh with his quirky vocal sound effects, Lamar has not missed a single program session since he joined the TLD Ensemble last February. Because after the final scene is overtaken by a blinding white light, Netflix's new cerebral film will demand your own final verdict as Steve asks aloud, 'What do you see when you see me?' Whatever conclusion you draw about him and his situation might just tell you a lot about yourself.Lamar bounds into the classroom, throwing his arms wide open and grinning ear to ear.

#TONY MONSTER WALTER DEAN MYERS MOVIE#

Monster is a movie that should be studied, debated, and, most importantly, watched with bated breath. ItвЂ™s far more interested in flipping the script, turning its audience into off-screen members of the jury, and making them take a stance on whether they deem Steve to be a monster. This courtroom drama is not a movie thatвЂ™s content with simply showing you how fucked up AmericaвЂ™s criminal justice system is. The grey area between guilt and innocence, humanity and monstrosity is what makes Monster so intriguing and refreshing. The only problem is that Steve, like many people, falls somewhere in between. Harmon, on the other hand, stresses the importance of church and prestige, providing a 'respectable' understanding of innocence. Bobo provides a conventional take on what many might assume the human embodiment of guilt and monstrosity looks like. Hudson, who plays SteveвЂ™s mother, and Washington, who plays KingвЂ™s cousin Richard 'Bobo' Evans, both give impressive performances that could have shined even brighter given more screen time, and their characters offer great foils to the juryвЂ™s perception of Steve. ( Luce, It Comes at Night, Waves) and Mayers ( Dope) both bring a powerful authenticity to their roles, but the smaller contributions throughout the film are just as noteworthy. On paper, that ensemble looks great, and on screen, theyвЂ™re even better. In addition to its conceptual premise, Monster boasts a star-studded cast, including Jennifer Hudson (soon to be Aretha Franklin in the upcoming film Respect), John David Washington ( Tenet, BlacKkKlansman), Dorian Missick ( Southland), Jeffrey Wright ( Westworld), and Nasir вЂњNasвЂќ Jones ( Belly). Monster is also told through a nonlinear narrative structure that's both stylish and thought-provoking, as motifs such as trust versus mistrust and the perception of truth are cleverly explored through parallel scenes from SteveвЂ™s past and his present.

Meta-framed through the lens of filmmaking, SteveвЂ™s journey is presented through screenplays and monologues and even deconstructed by flashbacks to lectures from his film teacher (Tim Blake Nelson). While doing so, it becomes clear that Monster is an absolute masterclass in storytelling. From the moment the prosecutor (Paul Ben-Victor) delivers his opening statement and declares that the jury should behold Steve as a monster, the film strategically challenges our perceptions of the criminal justice system and those-both innocent and guilty-who are enthralled in it. As Steve's ties to a neighborhood acquaintance James King (Rakim 'A$AP Rocky' Mayers) are revealed, Monster transitions into a cinematic exercise that tests the caveats of oneвЂ™s perspective. However, itвЂ™s imperative to stick around to see Monster gradually unfold.

Tony monster walter dean myers