Neighbors: Comedy Remains A Laugh Riot

Neighbors, which pits a married couple against a frat house, remains a laugh riot some seven years following its SXSW premiere in 2014. Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) are in the early stages of adjusting to parenthood. They have an infant daughter, Stella, so they can’t party with Jimmy Blevins (Ike Barinholtz) and his ex-wife, Paula (Carla Gallo), like they used to. Oh, the good old days! Mac and Kelly soon get…

"Neighbors: Comedy Remains A Laugh Riot"

kid 90: A Pre-Internet Time Capsule of Fame

kid 90 captures life in the early 90s when actress Soleil Moon Frye was carrying a video camera everywhere in an era before cell phones. Watch until the end of the credits. At times when watching this documentary, you can’t help but feel bad for Soleil Moon Frye.  The actress went through puberty after Punky Brewster came to an end.  I’m obviously not going to get into the specifics here but sometimes, this takes a…

"kid 90: A Pre-Internet Time Capsule of Fame"

Long Weekend: Will Love Last??

A chance encounter may lead into a Long Weekend but getting to know each other and lasting longer might be easier said than done. When Bart (Finn Wittrock) encounters Vienna (Zoë Chao), you can almost call it love at first sight. But before this relationship can go anywhere, the two must communicate with each other. The thing is that whatever they say could be detrimental to their relationship before it really has a chance to…

"Long Weekend: Will Love Last??"

Yes Day: Say Yes To This Family Comedy!

The briskly paced Yes Day comes a year into the pandemic but it’s a nice a reminder of the fun that families will be having in due time. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been out of my apartment much for the past few months but I really needed this film. Here’s how much attention this film had: I did not look at my clock once! Nor did my cell phone bother to capture my attention…

"Yes Day: Say Yes To This Family Comedy!"

Adverse: Thomas Nicholas Has Action Star Potential

Thomas Nicholas shows the potential to be an action star in his new starring role as a rideshare driver in the new thriller, Adverse. Ethan (Thomas Nicholas) has it out for revenge upon learning his sister, Mia (Kelly Arjen) owes a lot of money to a drug dealer. Adverse may be more of a low-key thriller but the action here is intense. When he’s not out for revenge, Ethan meets with social worker Dr. Cruz…

"Adverse: Thomas Nicholas Has Action Star Potential"

Coming 2 America: A Non-Review Review

The highly anticipated Coming 2 America arrives on Amazon Prime Video with a number of not-funny jokes and date rape as a plot device. Maybe it was for the best that this sequel bypassed theaters for Amazon Prime Video.  Or maybe it was for the best that the press screener also had video lag.  It means thankfully not having to spend all afternoon and evening being angry.  I’m just going to cut straight to the…

"Coming 2 America: A Non-Review Review"

Boogie Isn’t Quite A Slam Dunk

Boogie, the new film from Fresh Off the Boat producer Eddie Huang, follows Alfred “Boogie” Chin as he dreams of playing in the NBA. To my fellow Kentucky Wildcats fans, this isn’t a documentary or biopic about DeMarcus Cousins.  As a Wildcats fan, I feel it is necessary to let you know.  Sorry, not sorry.  Not a Wildcats fan?  Move along, move along. As if writer-director Eddie Huang doesn’t have enough to do behind the…

"Boogie Isn’t Quite A Slam Dunk"

Chaos Walking Is A Muddled Mess

Chaos Walking might be pleasing for fans of the trilogy that it is based on but for other viewers, this film is a muddled mess. This film takes place in 2257 on a distant planet where Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) encounters Viola (Daisy Ridley).  It just so happens that Viola’s ship crashes on his planet.  It’s a very strange sci-fi film.  For one, all of the women have disappeared from the New World.  The other…

"Chaos Walking Is A Muddled Mess"

My Salinger Year: A Charming Coming-Of-Age Film

My Salinger Year is a charming coming-of-age film that draws on Joanna Rakoff’s experience working at an agency representing J.D. Salinger. Joanna Rakoff (Margaret Qualley) leaves grad school for New York in hopes of starting a writing career.  Next thing you know, she’s working for Margaret (Sigourney Weaver) at a literary agency.  The agency is old school with typewriters everywhere and nary a computer in sight.  It certainly is not a smart idea to inform…

"My Salinger Year: A Charming Coming-Of-Age Film"

Moxie: A Feminist Revolution

It’s very easy to look at Moxie and think it’s a Mean Girls copycat but when you step back, this is very much a #MeToo film. This is a film that deals with the arrival of a new student but not in the same way as the Tina Fey-directed film.  But at the same time, new student Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Peña) isn’t the main star of the film.  Vivian (Hadley Robinson) takes an ode to her…

"Moxie: A Feminist Revolution"