Selma (2014)

It's not easy to review a film with a focus on a civil rights hero. Viewers' passions are bound to run high, and some might take even a slight criticism as a sign of racism. Others might roll their eyes at me for going too easy on it, thinking I'm racist in its favor. Well, all I can offer is my earnest impression.

The story begins with MLK (David Oyelowo) preparing to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Before long come two indicators that he still has a lot of work to do: a church bombing and a ludicrous suffrage obstacle. Since talking to the president will accomplish only so much, he organizes a protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march itself doesn't get a lot of screen time; there's more than enough drama in just preparing for it, what with threats of arrest and physical violence from multiple parties. It doesn't help that the FBI is typewriting the activist leaders' every move, as shown right on the screen.

Belle (2013)

A rare case in which my dad selected a movie I never heard of before. It's also a rare case in which I had to wonder about the title. The protagonist, Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay, always goes by "Dido" or "Miss Lindsey." I suppose Dido would evoke either the mythical queen or the singer, but it wasn't the only alternative. Belle evokes either Beauty and the Beast or a southern debutante...then again, perhaps not for native British audiences.

Nor had I heard about the true story on which it's based. IMDb presently lists only one, quite trivial error, tho other sources say it plays a tad fast and loose in parts.