Tag: Comedy

REVIEW: ‘Blue Moon’ is an enchanting look at a tortured artist

Raise a glass of Blue Moon to this one, because its charm earns a toast.

A film mostly in a single location, “Blue Moon” centers on lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke), a musician known for hits on Broadway and the song that shares the film’s name. Hart begins the film at the opening night for the production of “Oklahoma” before going to a nearby lounge where an after-show party will be taking place.

While there, he begins speaking with others at the establishment, from the bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) to American author E.B. White. As the night progresses, he shares his vision of where music should go, his creative clashes with former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and his infatuation with a young woman he made a connection with, Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley).

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REVIEW: ‘Roofman’ reaches some heights, but doesn’t top genre

As is the case with many films ripped from the headlines, truth is often stranger than fiction.

The latest example is “Roofman,” which dramatizes events in 2004 when a prison inmate escaped the penitentiary and hid for several months in a Charlotte Toys “R” Us.” We’re introduced to that inmate, Jeffrey (Channing Tatum), during his original crime spree.

Desperate for money, Jeffery’s scheme was breaking in to fast-food restaurants from the roof before grabbing the cash and making his getaway. After his prison escape, the film follows how he befriended those around him when not in the toy store, and started a relationship with an employee, Leigh (Kirsten Dunst).

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REVIEW: ‘Freakier Friday’ suffers from repetition but charms with heart

The first “Freaky Friday” isn’t that old, right? It’s only been… 22 years?!

Yes, that film with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan was released more than two decades ago, and now, we get the sequel. Both actresses return for the follow-up, with Lohan again playing Anna, who now has a daughter of her own, Harper (Julia Butters). Curtis, meanwhile, is back as the helpful grandma, Tess.

The movie picks up with Anna having met a new love interest in Eric (Manny Jacinto), and after a courtship, the two decide to get married. That’s much to the chagrin of Harper and Eric’s daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons), as the two future siblings don’t get along. Things only get more complicated when the four women in the family all switch bodies at a pre-wedding party.

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REVIEW: ‘The Naked Gun’ fires off plenty of good comedy

Frank Drebin is back. Only it’s not Frank Drebin. And it’s not Leslie Nielsen.

In this installment of “The Naked Gun” franchise, released more than three decades after the third movie from the original trilogy, Liam Neeson stars as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. The son of the Police Squad legend, Drebin Jr. has followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a detective himself.

The film picks up with Drebin Jr. investigating the mysterious death of a man at the behest of his sister, Beth (Pamela Anderson). Drebin Jr., discovering a link between the death and a bank heist, begins digging, and it puts him on a collision course with a tech company CEO with a major scheme.

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REVIEW: ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ doesn’t commit to its bit, to its detriment

The war movie genre benefits overall from films that show the impacts of foreign conflicts back home. This is one of those films, but unfortunately, it’s not one of the category’s best.

“My Dead Friend Zoe” centers on U.S. Army veteran Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), who’s back home in the United States after serving in Afghanistan. Lately, life has been hard for her, as she’s run into some trouble with the law, and forced to attend group therapy sessions because of trauma, though she can’t bring herself to speak about her experiences.

That trauma revolves around her friend Zoe, who passed away. However, she still sees Zoe often as a ghost who she speaks with regularly. Her life only gets more complicated when she is asked to take care of her estranged grandfather who has early Alzheimer’s. Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ doesn’t commit to its bit, to its detriment”

REVIEW: Celine Song’s sophomore effort ‘Materialists’ disappoints

A film from A24, written and directed Celine Song who helmed the wonderful “Past Lives” from 2023? On paper it looks like a slam dunk. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case.

In Song’s second feature film, Dakota Johnson stars as a matchmaker in New York City named Lucy. She works for a company that specializes in setting up dates between similar people. Basically, it’s an in person dating app, but the app is a human match manager with an office.

Work is going well enough, but Lucy herself has been single for a while. That changes, though, when she meets the charming and understanding Harry (Pedro Pascal), and the two start dating. At the same time, she meets up and starts talking with former boyfriend John (Chris Evans).

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REVIEW: Wes offers style and substance again in ‘Phoenician Scheme’

Michael Cera’s career has been hitting a pretty good stride in the last few years, starring in solid flicks like “Gloria Bell,” “Barbie” and “Dream Scenario.”

That positive streak continues in his latest appearance, playing a key role in Wes Anderson’s new project. Cera co-stars in the film as Bjorn, alongside Mia Threapleton as Liesl and Benicio del Toro as Korda. The movie centers on Korda, who’s a powerful industrialist staking his empire on an infrastructure project in Phoenicia.

Making it a reality is tricky. Kordo has enemies against him and obstacles to overcome. To navigate the situation, he sets up his daughter, Liesl, to be heir to his throne in case of his demise, and brings her and Bjorn on a wide-reaching journey to make the scheme a reality.

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REVIEW: ‘Mickey 17’ is a clumsy creation from Bong Joon-ho

Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to “Parasite” is unfortunately, no awards contender.

The latest from the South Korean filmmaker is a dark sci-fi action-comedy centered on the character Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson). Needing to flee Earth because of a loan shark, Mickey boarded a spacecraft to a new planet, and took a job known as Expendable, where he does repairs in awful conditions.

In the case of death, his memories and personality has been downloaded, and his body can be recreated, allowing him to live on. The movie picks up with Mickey now on body 17 and surviving a dangerous incident where he should have died. As a result, an 18th Mickey is made. In doing so, their combined presence alters the course of the future for the a space colony.

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REVIEW: ‘Novocaine’ is an action-comedy knockout

There’s no pain for the main character in this film and there’s no pain for the audience either, because this one is quite enjoyable..

Jack Quaid stars in “Novocaine” as assistant bank manager, Nathan Caine. On top of being rather mild mannered and introverted, he also lives with congenital insensitivity to pain, meaning he can get hurt, but not feel a thing. Internally, though, he does feel attraction to one of his co-workers, Sherry.

After finally going out on a date with her (Amber Midthunder), things seem to be looking up. That is until the bank he works at is robbed and Sherry is abducted. On a quest to get her back, Caine uses his inability to feel pain to fight back against those behind the heist.

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REVIEW: ‘A Real Pain’ is a real disappointment

If you ever wanted to see Roman Roy from “Succession” hang out with Mark Zuckerberg, but without the money, this is sort of the movie for you.

No, that’s not quite accurate, although the film does star Kieran Culkin from the hit HBO series and “The Social Network’s” Jesse Eisenberg. In this film they play two cousins, David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin), who are visiting Poland to learn about their grandmother’s home town, and experience surviving the Holocaust.

To do so, they join a historical tour through various towns in the country with several other interested people and a knowledgeable guide. During their time on the tour, they not only have their eyes opened about family history, but what’s been happening in their own lives, too.

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