Finally got a chance to watch Steven Spielberg’s breathtaking Lincoln. It’s a political masterpiece that makes me wonder how the fuck we got here. In 1864, Lincoln fought hard to end slavery. In 2018, Trump is fucking up our democracy. Lincoln was intelligent and well-read. Trump is neither. Lincoln, gave me hope in one of his eloquent conversations:

All we’ve done is show the world that democracy isn’t chaos. That there is a great, invisible strength in a people’s union. Say we’ve shown that a people can endure awful sacrifice and yet cohere. Mightn’t that save at least the idea of democracy to aspire to? Eventually to become worthy of?

Democracy is still strong.

I didn’t think I would enjoy Marlon Wayans’s latest Netflix special because my impression of him has always been clownish. At forty-five, Marlon is still energetic, charismatic, and goofy as fuck. Surprisingly, his materials are quite good. If you can get past his silliness, you might like his spin on the N-word, hip-hop music, police, Trump, and dirty sex. His conversation with his gay daughter is passionate and honest.

Céline Sciamma’s Bande de Filles is a gripping, wrenching film that explores the life of a young French girl growing up in an abusive, broken home. Marieme (Karidja Touré) whose low grades could not get her into high school joined a girl squad—led by the fine-looking Lady (Assa Sylla). Marieme’s life changed in a significant, surprising way. It’s an oldie but goodie and now available on Netflix.

Chris Rock is back. He is older, wiser, bitterer, funnier, and blacker. He started off his new Netflix’s special with police brutality, a bit on gun, and briefly on American politics. If Bush gave us Obama, Trump might give us Jesus. His harsher contents are on being a Black parent and getting a divorce. To prepare his kids for White America, everything that is white in his house has to be sharp, heavy, or hot. His advice on relationship is to have sex and to travel places. You need to be coming and going. To make marriage work, you need to keep on fucking. It’s been a long time since Rock did a special and he doesn’t disappoint.

I am glad to see more Asian comedians on Netflix. Unfortunately, Malaysian Kavin Jay is another disappointment. His materials range from obesity to parents to porn, but his writing isn’t edgy nor twisted. As a result, it doesn’t leave any deep impact.

The title of Segura’s latest Netflix special should be a warning. From retarded to squinting to porn, his jokes are disgraceful yet brilliant. His dark comic isn’t for everyone, but if you are open to controversial topics, you’ll love it. Watch it now before Netflix removes it.

I was excited to see an Asian comedian on Netflix. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Malaysian Harith Iskander’s jokes, which range from girlfriend to parents, are shallow and mundane. I could only get through half the the special before giving up. Sorry Harith, I wish you told me so.

Katt is still charismatic, energetic, and pornographic. Katt’s materials aren’t great, but he delivered. The Trump jokes, for instance, aren’t edgy, but still funny as fuck. He had some standout punchlines. On driverless car, he would just sit in the back and if the cop pulls him over the officer can talk to the driver. On technology, if you interact with Siri and Alexa, you have a threesome. On relationships, he offers three-word advice: “do more fucking.” If you can get past the vulgar and misogynistic language, Katt is highly entertaining.

Dave Chappelle is too good at this shit. He knows it and proved it. Holding down the crowd in Washington D.C., Chappelle started with a pregnant Chinese woman, moved to transgender, transitioned to dusty white people, and then finished with the motherfucker that we all hate together. Yes, he is talking about the motherfucking president. His storytelling is so convincing that it gives me hope. History repeats itself, and he points out: “This motherfucker might be the lie that saves us all.” This is an optimism for 2018. Needless to say, every second of this special is worth watching.

Chappelle addresses sexual allegations straight on. He can tell how Robert Weinstein is a rapist based on Weinstein’s ugliness. In contrast, he defends Louis C.K. He also drops some fascinating knowledge on Black history and explains the dirty tricks that a pimp used to get the extra mileage out of his “bottom bitch.” There’s a line about the Asian’s eyes, but I am not offended. His recklessness yet fearlessness makes his comic compelling and engaging.