Minority Mindset

The yacht is setting sail from Canouan, a private Caribbean island reachable only by private plane. Jason starts the season by having a drink with his department heads to prepare for the charter guests. While I’m sad to see Tzarina, the quirky but kind crew member, go, I was excited to see Chef Ben return—he’s a Below Deck veteran! He took six years off to focus on his personal life, including a costly wedding that ultimately didn’t happen. Now, he’s eager to rediscover his confidence in the yacht’s kitchen. This is complicated for returning sous-chef Alesia. Ben’s experience is a plus, but while Tzarina was a people-pleaser, Ben doesn’t care much about what others think. He’s direct and a bit harsh, and he manages to make Alesia cry during her first shift.

Disney+’s newest Marvel series is Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams and Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery. Simon has superpowers, but he has to hide them while trying to land the lead role in a superhero movie. Trevor, a fellow actor who previously appeared in Iron Man 3, All Hail the King, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, helps him out. Unlike some other Marvel shows, Wonder Man won’t feature Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel or many other familiar characters from the MCU.

I absolutely love Band of Brothers, but I’ve always known it takes liberties with history, and that’s okay with me. It’s based on a true story and features real people, but it prioritizes emotional impact over strict accuracy. Take Lieutenant Norman Dike, for example. The show paints him as someone who couldn’t handle the pressure, but the real man was a hero – wounded in action, decorated with two Bronze Stars, and credited with saving multiple lives! And the discovery of the concentration camp in the episode ‘Why We Fight’ feels almost accidental in the show, with the soldiers not realizing how widespread the horrors were. In reality, it was the 12th Armored Division who actually found that camp, and Soviet troops had liberated others nearly a year before. But honestly, I think the show understands that ‘accuracy’ and ‘authenticity’ aren’t the same thing. That episode, more than any other, isn’t about what happened, but about how the war changed the men of Easy Company, even as it was ending. It’s a powerful look at the toll war takes on the human spirit.

Joe Johnston’s The Rocketeer (1991) is a beloved example of steampunk cinema, despite not being a huge box office success – it was released just before Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which overshadowed it. While steampunk isn’t always widely recognized, there are actually many excellent films in the genre. The following six movies offer something unique that The Rocketeer doesn’t.