Sound of Metal and One Night in Miami

While the Oscars are going to be a little bit later this year than normal, the possible contenders are more widely available to watch now more than ever. The two contenders I watched recently, Sound of Metal and One Night in Miami, are both available on Prime Video.

Sound of Metal, while sometimes tough to watch due to how heart wrenching it is, was very eye-opening due to the moving performance by Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone. Ruben is a drummer who is quickly losing his hearing and wants nothing more than for everything in his life to stay the same. Throughout the film we follow Ruben as he grapples with losing his hearing along with everything thatonce made him feel whole. With such a stunning performance by Riz Ahmed, it is hard not to also feel every emotion of Ruben's. There is no doubt that Riz will be in the running for Best Actor at The Academy Awards this year.

One Night in Miami was such an enlightening historical fiction film with an incredible directorial debut by Regina King. This film tells the story of if Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, Muhammad Ali, and Malcolm X all spent one night together in Miami and how that evening would transpire. Each actor embodies his character so well, and to me Eli Goree was a breakout star in his portrayal as Cassius Clay. but Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr. all give stellar performances as well. I enjoyed watching this movie as I was able to learn more about what each person went through during this time period as well as their role in the Civil Rights movement.

Both Sound of Metal and One Night in Miami are must-sees!