Tag: comedy
Happy Death Day 2U
Happy Death Day 2U picks up exactly where its predecessor leaves off. It could have been one movie, but it shouldn't have been one movie. The transition is so seamless as to make you think they shot it all together (and who knows, maybe they did?). This time things open on Carter's roommate Ryan. He's not simply a crass fixture of a time loop: he's a brilliant scientist whose experiment is at the root of this entire debacle. His killer is another version of himself, Tree is forced into an alternate timeline where her mom is alive, Carter is dating her nemesis and she has to end her own life over and over again in a montage while memorizing complex equations to help Ryan and his research partners debug their machine. Whew. Tree gets to say goodbye to her mother, hijinks ensue and a happy ending is had for all. Where's part 3?
Happy Death Day
Happy Death Day is not, by any stretch, an original film. To its credit, it does not try to be. Instead, it welds together a few well-worn tropes: a college setting with all the attendant clichés, an unexplained time loop and a knife-wielding killer made absurd by the school-mascot baby mask. I saw this mentioned after watching Affection which also stars Jessica Rothe and she's as capable here as she was there (though this is a traditional scream queen role). Theresa ("Tree") wakes up again and again in a strange dorm room belonging to a guy she barely remembers, Carter. She dies over and over again, learning more in each loop until she unmasks her killer and breaks free. In less capable hands, this would be unwatchable. In the hands of this cast, however, it's charming, darkly funny and highly watchable. It's not a classic or something that necessarily bears repeat viewing, but it's an entertaining ride.
They Will Kill You
When the poor give to the rich, the devil laughs. — Benvenuto Cellini Movies like They Will Kill You are funny in that they're clearly about class warfare and position themselves, narratively, on the side of the downtrodden protagonist. Which is fair. Income inequality is an ever-widening chasm and there's a catharsis and appeal in that. I welcome it. But it's worth knowing how much money goes into making any given film and the motivations and constraints associated with the interests providing it. What happened in there? Rich people. Anyways, fuck rich people. Billionaires suck. Clearly, as you see here, they're a cavalcade of Satan-animated pig on a stick worshipping weirdos. They Will Kill You is rife with over the top violence. Not the horrifying realism of a Cronenberg film. This is more of the everyone is a highly pressurized balloon full of pink water and every severed limb hides a sprinkler variety. Good? Bad? Artistic choice. Zazie Beetz is a badass lead (she was a badass in Atlanta too) and Myha'la is excellent as her sister, Maria. Heather Graham is present to be repeatedly beheaded and Patricia Arquette is a fittingly absurd villain who ends the bloody mess wearing the demonic pig head as a helmet. The score matches this perfectly. Sparse synth music as needed, victorious tunes where appropriate. The camera work is excellent and bottling this up in a building makes it feel a bit like The Raid (though this has a lone eyeball navigating the ducts). Is this similar to Kill Bill ? Maybe. I don't know. I haven't watched it and don't you dare tell me what to do. The working class Asia butchers the rich, devil worshipping weirdos. She gets her sister back and makes the world better, one severed limb at a time.
Riders of Justice
Mads Mikkelson is a gift. While Riders of Justice sits comfortably within the action genre, there is so much subtly and nuance surrounding that gunfire filled core. It's a movie about the unpredictable nature of life, about family both chosen and not, about trauma, grief and loss. It's a moving film that I'd gone into expecting little more than violence. A bike is stolen in one country for a girl in another and Markus and Mathilde's lives are irrevocably changed. Otto has faced his own loss, buoyed only by his cantankerous contemporaries Lennart and Emmenthaler and now must face his own guilt over a chance encounter that left Markus grieving his wife and Mathilde her mother. Markus is physically distant, deployed in an unnamed military theater and emotionally distant upon his return. Mathilde tries to retrace her steps and events in a futile attempt to find the root of the tragedy. Otto explains as much — life is too complex, the world is too chaotic for tragedy to be attributable to one single thing. We're reminded of this as the girl is gifted Mathilde's bike, oblivious to the tragic events that ensued and rides in circles in the snow. A slow loop. Life continues and snow falls, indifferent to the world beneath it. What we find is that trauma can unite us and destroy us in turn. Otto wants answers, Lennart and Emmenthaler antagonize and care deeply for each other. Mathilde grapples with a father who wasn't there and is distant and controlling upon his return. Markus needs therapy but, instead, pursues revenge and metes out violence. His trio of accomplices are dealing with their own trauma and to varying degrees of willingness, align their own pursuits of justice with his. Lennart turns his years of therapy as a patient into an informal practice guiding Mathilde. Otto lifts Markus up at his lowest and helps him keep going. The whole thing is a beautiful, beautiful affair. It's improbable and questions are left open, but there's an undeniable warmth and love woven throughout an amalgamated family united by grief, empathy and love. The closing Christmas scene is adorable and, by my estimation, makes this one of the better modern Christmas movies.
Normal
Nothing is normal in Normal because if anything were to be normal in Normal then Normal would be a boring movie because normal is boring and Normal isn't terribly creative but it's also not boring. But that's the giveaway when you name a movie something like that. It's like Pleasantville . Something will not be pleasant there. If it's all pleasant, what's the point? Oh my god that squeaking jacket. This is like Nobody but dropped into the midwest during winter and with the yakuza thrown in. Anything with Bob Odenkirk in it is worth watching.
Outcome
Outcome is a frustrating movie. It’s a wall to wall wonderful cast. Jonah Hill is an absolute character , but there’s little substance here. Keanu plays Reef Hawk, who we’re told is an incredibly famous, talented, beloved actor who’s making a return after having kicked a heroin habit. He’s then blackmailed, goes on an apology tour trying to suss out the culprit only to find out it’s his next door neighbor. He pays the $35k to make the problem go away and is kind of thankful for the experience of having apologized to everyone? Meh.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Can I have a cigarette? Ready or Not 2 such a wonderful, over the top, gleeful exercise in horror, satanism and camp. The Faculty is perhaps my all time favorite movie, so seeing Elijah Wood and Shawn Hatosy back on screen together was such a treat. Throw in Sarah Michelle Gellar (hail Buffy ) and a David Cronenberg cameo? :chefkissemoji: This is not a sequel that tries to stand on its own — it opens right as Ready or Not closes. The reveal here isn't the nature of the game, it's that the game continues. It also allows it to improve upon where this all started. When I resumed this after a brief break, I accidentally started Limitless Violence off of Diabolic Messiah of the New World Order and that the two fit so perfectly is not lost on me There is so much to love here. Elijah Wood being oddly calm while administering the rules guiding a bizarre pact with the devil? Check. Samara Weaving with a distinct, horrifying, almost quavering scream that never gets old? Check. Weaving and Kathryn Newton as an incredible, reluctant leading duo? Check. Just enough people popping like balloons full of red corn syrup — until they all pop? Check. I will watch this again. I will watch the first one again. I'll watch them back to back and then I'll wait for the next one. Can we get a movie about The Lawyer? Hail Satan.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Ralph should break the internet, but not how he does here. This is a fun movie, it's cute but it takes all the wrong things away from the internet. That it takes all the wrong things away from it speaks to what one would expect to happen when someone as naive as Ralph encounters something as overwhelming as the internet for the first time. Nonstop bullshit? Check. Pursuing popularity at all costs and finding out it's not everything it's made out to be? Check. It's a great cast, John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman have great chemistry as Ralph and Vanellope, Jack McBrayer is wonderful in everything he's cast in and on and on. A perfectly entertaining family movie for the kids.
Sacramento
Kudos to the folks here who actually drove up the 5 from LA to Sacramento. It's not a bad drive and I've done it a lot, but it can drag. You get to know the rest stops, the gas stations, which exit has a Starbucks and/or an In-N-Out and the signs that your trek through the central valley is coming to an end. But, what's a road trip movie without the road trip? Much like the trip this movie depicts, it drags. Glenn is neurotic and unbearable, Rickey is more of a know it all who doesn't know that he needs to grow up. Meanwhile Tallie and Rosie are caring for children who have either already been born or soon to be while also attending to grown men who act like anything but. I didn't find it funny, but it was, thankfully, brief.
Send Help
HEPL A dash of Lord of the Flies , a splash of Castaway , a douchebag nepobaby boss and the eccentric lady from planning and accounting that said boss abuses relentlessly. Oh and she's a fan of Survivor . Did they use AI in this for the CGI? It looks pretty rough, bordering on the comical when things get ludicrously gruesome. Nothing about this is worth taking seriously, but it is worth watching once. It lifts workplace dynamics and unceremoniously dumps them onto a desert island, ratchets up the tension and then concludes it all as predictably as any mediocre movie in this genre would. There is't a trope that isn't used here but it's all executed well enough not to suffer too much for it. Are they going to end up together? Killing each other? Both? One wants to be rescued, the other doesn't. Oh the tension. How could they ever possibly go back to the office after this? Linda, you've got this.
‘Frankie Freako’ Review – Throwback Creature Feature Is Pretty Good Pizza
Writer/director Steven Kostanski is doubling down on more of the humor that made Psycho Goreman an outlier for horror comedies within the past few years. This time around it comes in a pint-sized form (give or take a few ounces). Frankie Freako is, largely, a puppet-centric original creature feature that lifts from various Gremlins-adjacent cinematic riffs like a spoiled grade-schooler would when trick-or-treating, regardless of a babysitter’s presence. You could say that Frankie Freako meets ex...
Dream Team
Minh T Mia as Dr. Veronica Beef in Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn's DREAM TEAM. Photo by Whitney Horn. Courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures. Writers and directors Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn have carved out a specific cavern of cinema out for themselves. It’s completely autonomous of the conventions filmic “aesthetics” populate within A24-like fuzzy film filters although it may look just like one. The difference is Dream Team’s attitude, which is something admirably peculiar and offers something wholehea...
‘Rats!’ Review – Welcome To The Weird World Of 2007
It’s hard to describe what it was really like to be going through adolescence during the first decade of the 2000s. A multitude of cultural journeys in America intricately overlapped during a time that felt simple to those of us too young to parse the reality of the USA’s foretold doom. And to help tell the story of one mixed-up individual deep in issues they understand more than the average adult, we’re thrown into Rats! as Raphael (Luke Wilcox) is forced to work with the police against a famil...
“Pop” Culture Horror — The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
A feature-length, fully animated Looney Tunes movie seems like something we would have gotten a lot more of in this world. But this is the first and only original film in the history of the studio. Though there is a certain apprehension towards how different Looney Tunes feels nowadays, seeing Porky Pig and Daffy Duck’s buddy slapstick adventure unfold returns us to what has made the Warner Bros. animation powerhouse so special. Director Peter Browngardt guides his beloved odd couple duo into ne...
Fight or Flight
Fight or Flight . Fight on Flight. Fight and Flight. Fight in Flight. JUST KILD SOMONE This movie is violent and completely, unabashedly absurd. I've loved Josh Hartnett since The Faculty and it's refreshing to see him here, committed and having a blast. From sedated combat in a first class bathroom, to toad venom-fueled chainsaw gore, Hartnett's absurd charisma makes all of this work. I saw this compared to Bullet Train but found this to be far, far more entertaining. I am fucking thrilled the ending left the door open for more entries with these characters. Hartnett and Charithra Chandran have undeniable chemistry and throwing them together in a similarly absurd setting is guaranteed to be a gore-filled, haphazard mess of the highest order.
Eddington
Eddington is an embarrassingly stupid movie. It's a humorless satire about COVID-era America with a cast of characters who are all shallow, unlikable parodies of people populating modern American life. It's overlong, sprawling, and offers nothing to say that's worth listening to. A waste of an extremely talented cast.
‘Endless Cookie’ Review – Boundless Delights And The Eternal Story
Wake Up Dead Man
Scooby Dooby doo If you've seen the other Benoit Blanc movies, you'll know they follow a well-designed formula. I hesitate to call them formulaic given the negative connotations of the term, but they are what they are. And what they are is very good . Wake Up Dead Man is an excellent film. I knew a twist was coming, some sort of grand reveal and it came, went and I was still surprised by how it unwound. I want more of these movies. I want more of these bafflingly incredible casts. This particular cast was my favorite. Josh Brolin as the deranged, fiery preacher. Josh O'Connor as the reformed boxer sporting a neck tattoo and a priest's collar. Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church. Chef's kiss. Netflix should only make these movies.
Good Fortune
Good Fortune could’ve easily fallen on its ass and joined a long line of clichéd stories about people switching bodies. But, it doesn’t. Yes, Arj and Jeff switch bodies, yes it’s done to change their perspectives, but it’s so goddamn charming, with a cast that has an absurd amount of chemistry that you forget that the foundation of the story is a cliché. Gabriel says chicken nuggies a bunch after he falls from grace and becomes a chain smoking dishwasher. Arj and Elena are as improbable a couple as they are adorable. It even hits all the right notes depicting the hellish gig work struggle, unionization and Seth Rogen continues his cross-character crusade against the source of AI and the horde of asinine, anthropomorphized delivery robots roaming Los Angeles.
Bugonia
Humanity is cooked and every once in a while a conspiracy proves to be true. Plemmons' Teddy is a worker bee for Stones' queen (who happens to be named Michelle). The workers are dying out and the dynamic is collapsing for reason the queen doesn't care to understand. Leave at 5:30pm, that'll solve the whole thing. Also, shoot a diversity training video while complaining about using the word too much. Teddy lives in a hollowed out rural town where his mom was destroyed by a medical study, his cousin is all he has left and the only contact he appears to have outside of the internet are his coworkers and a cop that molested him. You know, at your core, what the issue is, but you're trapped and your brain rots out looking for a conspiracy theory grander than what's right in front of you. Bugonia is darkly comedic and farcical and it toys with this dynamic of having multiple villains. On a macro level, Michelle is the villain here — exploiting workers, poisoning the community, throwing money around and knowing she's irreplaceable because of the economic hold on the place. On a micro level, Teddy's the clear villain in this particular vignette. His brain is rotted through from conspiracy theories, he manipulates Don and drags him into his plot and has a trail of bodies behind him as he fights to prove his particular conspiracy theory is the right one. And it is. This one time. Hilariously, depressingly true. Jesse Plemons shines . He's a welcome sight in everything he appears in, but he's inspired and unhinged here. Emma Stone is incredible, as she so often is and Aidan Delbis is touching and heartbreaking. It ends with a genocide triggered by what looks like a balloon popping.
Afterburn
Afterburn is as mediocre a movie as you might expect. It's headlined by Dave Bautista who's a perfectly capable professional wrestler turned actor (though not as charismatic as Dwayne Johnson or as funny as John Cena). There's actions and stunts, the dialogue and acting or perfectly fine, the plot is threadbare and predictable and offers no surprises. I do like post-apocalyptic science fiction movies — hell, I love them. If I watch enough of them maybe I'll be left unsurprised by the hellscape we find ourselves hurtling towards.
Caught Stealing
I build websites. First, I feel attacked. Second, holy hell . This is the best take on the someone falls ass backwards into a ramshackle caper since I first watched Snatch . I can't and won't explain it. You just have to fly through the windshield like Hank, brush yourself off, hate yourself, drown yourself, disappear and then try to be ok. Until you end up watching your damn neighbor's cat. The music Idles recorded for this is perfect — their awkward, rhythmic stumble fits the starts and stops of this whole narrative perfectly. The San Francisco Giants feature prominently in this (go baseball!). I never thought Matt Smith could convincingly pull off the punk aesthetic like he does here (though I never thought about him doing so until I saw him cast in this role). The 90s nostalgia runs deep throughout this too. Remember flip phones? There's a mean, gritty streak running throughout Caught Stealing . It's not overwhelmingly dark or depressing and knows when to break for some ever so brief moments of levity. Perfect cast, fitting music, perfectly sequenced and I also like Bad Bunny as an actor. This is a classic. Give it the grace necessary to let it benefit from the passage of time.
Get Away
Your waffles are dry as fuck. 🪓🔪👺 A family goes on vacation to Sweden because there's a festival they don't seem that invested in. They rent a house from a creepy dude who they initially thought was normal, the locals are into the festival the family came to see. Eventually it descends into violence soundtracked to some pretty great music — comedic, over the top, bloody violence. It doesn't take itself seriously, it barely develops a plot, there are some twists and it's entertaining but decidedly mediocre. Expect little, get some gore. Not the ideal family vacation.
Novocaine
For a movie that isn't stellar and that doesn't step outside the bounds of genre expectations, Novocaine is a ton of fun. That's in no small part due to the fact that Jack Quid is every bit as charismatic as his parents (as is Ray Nicholson — what a wonderfully deranged, villainous performance). Amber Midthunder and Quaid have undeniable chemistry and that chemistry is what makes an altogether bloody, comedic romp so damn charming. Nate Caine can't feel pain. Novocaine . Get it? Funny. A less durable, restrained Deadpool as an assistant bank manager. Nate falls for Sherry after a single date, Sherry gets kidnapped, Nate destroys himself to get her back. It's as adorable as it is bloody. The promotional material gives the whole thing away, but that sets your expectations where they need to be to enjoy this.
The Monkey
WE HAVE TO MAKE LIKE EGGS AND SCRAMBLE! Holy hell this was fun, gross and funny. It's Jumanji but instead of a board game you get some horrific cursed monkey that people won't stop screwing with. Yes, take it to the pawn shop, do run away from it. Or maybe it's Final Destination but clumsier — that pool scene at the motel was a whole thing. Theo James plays twin brothers well — maybe not as well as Michael A. and Michael B. Jordan — but still. That's a high bar. You've got the meek, cautious twin and the Dr. Evil-esque over the top asshole. Elijiah Wood makes a brief appearance as the weird as hell step dad (not unlike his weird as hell character in Yellowjackets ). Gird your stomach and dive into the pool of viscera. Be as committed to the nihilistic absurdity of this as everyone who helped make it clearly was. If nothing else it's a ribald tale about the myriad reasons you should never, ever take second-hand toys. Can you imagine if they let Animal cut loose on this thing?
The Lost Boys
Over the top and absurd in all the best ways (as is often the case with good movies from the 80s). It's unserious in a way that's not unlike Buffy and there's blood, gore and practical effects in abundance but...it manages to delight in its own dorkiness. Grandpa is — of course — in on the presence of the vampires the whole time and kind of doesn't give a shit? He's aware of the body count and somehow doesn't feel as though it's necessary to warn anyone, including his own family . Also, hey we run a comic shop and you might find this issue on vampires handy and oh yeah let's go deal with this. I love it. Santa Carla? Santa Clara? This is 24 times better than anything else Kiefer Sutherland has ever done. Plus it's got two guys that spelled the name Cory wrong.
Accepted
This feels like it should have Judd Apatow’s name attached to it given the time it was made, the tone and the presence of Jonah Hill. But it doesn’t. And that’s fine. Not as compelling as Apatow’s work (now that I’ve dragged him into this) like Superbad but still good, mindless fun. It’s a great cast (is this when Justin Long as also a Mac?), an absurd premise and juvenile humor. Go into it expecting no more than what you know movies like this provide.
Saltburn
This movie is as unsettling as it is decadently rendered. And it's unsettling in part because it takes the popular (and justified) antipathy towards the rich and flips it on its head. The Cattons are flawed but kind, Oliver is a conniving manipulator that brings the family doom and tragedy, while lying about his comfortable middle class upbringing. It works, but I find that reversal of sympathies tough to accept. Felix is genuinely kind and a good friend to Oliver (he really does seem well-intentioned), his parents are a bit odd, but hardly cruel or otherwise suspect. Are the rich sympathetic? No. Is drinking bath water hygienic? No. Especially not that bath water. Is that an appropriate way to pay your respects? No, definitely not. Are Oliver's actions justified? Hardly, but I'm not sure that's the point either. I don't believe he has the moral grounding necessary to be conflicted. He quite clearly has (or had) a plan and it sees it through over the long term. He tears the Cattons down bit by bit and then dances naked through their house. Fin.
Christmas Vacation
I, uh, found this one to be generally pretty dull and thoroughly unfunny. I had no idea that was Johnny Galecki until I looked at IMDB and Juliette Lewis is always great but the whole thing was about as successful as Clark's first try at the lights.
Home Alone
12/22/2024 A classic in every sense of the word and required viewing annually during the holidays. Is Kevin a sociopath? How do the sticky bandits survive? Has Catherine O’Hara made a career out of being the dysfunctional mother? I dunno. It’s fun as hell though and never gets old. I got mistaken for Macaulay Culkin in the Hollywood In-N-Out once too.
Shoot 'Em Up
Dull, violent and devoid of a discernible plot or engaging performances. It’s vaguely entertaining and not totally unwatchable but it’s basically all over the top violence, gore and juvenile humor.
Deadpool & Wolverine
🫶🏻 Crude, ridiculously violent and — somehow — touching (insert Deadpool joke breaking the 4th wall here). The cameos are a delight, the soundtrack is perfect and Hugh Jackman had better be doing this until he's 90. One of the best Marvel movies in part because it spends so much time mocking the franchise and refusing to take itself seriously. Baby bye bye
SLC Punk
A 90s coming of age movie filtered through the lens of punk rock and the myriad tenets of that scene as established in a small town. Stevo and Bob embrace being punks and the life that they see as coming with it — living in a squat, fighting, gate keeping and partying. Bob and Stevo’s friendship is at the core of the film, two friends seeking a way to rebel against everything they can’t stand and embrace what they feel makes them unique. Are they unique? Perhaps, perhaps not — they are wearing a uniform and adhering to norms, just one that nobody around them appreciates. In the end, it all comes crashing down. There’s no Bob to balance Stevo and Stevo’s forced to move on. It may not be for the best, but it’s a tragedy that forces reflection and allows for a path forward. Quirky, fun, sad and recommended.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
At turns sad, sweet, hilarious and cute, it holds up as a classic teen comedy 40 years on.
Sorry to Bother You
A bizarre, hilarious and brilliantly rendered attack on capitalism, the dehumanization of workers and gentrification. LaKeith Stanfield is brilliant (as always) and Tessa Thompson is a force. Words can't do it justice but repeat viewings can. Equisapiens let's be out.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
This could have been better — undeniably — but, as some fun fan service with the original cast complementing the new, I enjoyed it. Mckenna Grace carries the film as Phoebe and Kumail Nanjiani is a welcome addition. Sequels like these are hardly ever as impactful as the originating films but I love the franchise and will keep tuning in if they keep making more (and — if they do — I hope the core of the new cast sticks around).
John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid
It's a John Mulaney special: which means it's relentlessly entertaining, self-deprecating and thoroughly hilarious (plus, Bill Clinton manages to feature prominently).
John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch
A spectacularly weird variety show that John Mulaney conducts as a droll, sarcastic pseudo-Mr. Rogers. The kids are quirky and hilarious compliments to Mulaney, while Richard Kind and Jake Gyllenhaal shine as guests in different segments (particularly Gylenhaal as the borderline deranged Mr. Music). I wish it had been a show instead of a one-off event, but I’ll take what I can get.
Chaos, Coyotes & Palm Trees
John Mulaney’s pop-up Netflix show Everybody’s In L.A. is my absolute new favorite thing. If you’re not watching, you’re missing out on something special.
The Barenaked Truth
When an artist brings up cancel culture, it’s usually because they’re super-edgy or deeply political. So why are the Barenaked Ladies doing it?
Looking For Reasons To Laugh
Why “canned laughter,” a controversial element of most television comedy, feels so unnerving in its absence—and why it’s so fascinating in the first place.
Eat Them Up, Yum!
How Barnes & Barnes’ oddball hit “Fish Heads,” complete with music video directed by Bill Paxton (really), became an unlikely breakout star of novelty music.
What if Tedium … Had Lyrics?
A conversation with video game music icon Brent Black (aka Brentalfloss) about his music, thoughts on YouTube, and using your words.
Let’s Be Frank
The story of Frank Sidebottom, a character with a giant head who obsessed over both pop music and his hometown of Timperley.