Concept:  Several of the main activist leaders in the U.S. get put on trial, accused of several counts involving the protest and brutal police repression around the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Based on the true story.

• A very satisfying courtroom drama that brings the complex issues and famous historical personalities of the late 1960s to life.
• An ensemble piece with many great performances working together to bring about a powerful drama.
• The standout performances, to me anyway, are by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II portraying Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale and Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman.
• An excellent mix of character study and courtroom action, laced with a touch of humor.
• Also a very insightful work on police brutality, depicting it with a degree of chilling accuracy. Interestingly, this movie was produced before the massive Summer 2020 protests that stemmed precisely from police abuses, so the people who worked on the movie had no idea that the film would become so incredibly timely.
• Viewed on an Optoma HD28DSE projector, 92” screen, Netflix on Roku. Looked great on my projector screen. Ahh, the quality of digital video these days and how far it has advanced. A well-produced movie like this one will probably look close to 4K on any decent non-4K screen. We didn’t know what we were missing back in the day of film, although film still has a certain quality to it that some aficionados may favor. But the fact that 90% or so of Hollywood films these days are shot on digital says something.
• Not for kids.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) 85%