Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a genius satire as the musical mockumentary genre gets an update for the 21st century. When we first meet singer/rapper Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) in Popstar, the former Conner Friel on the verge of releasing his sophomore album, Connquest. It’s been some time since his former band, The Style Boyz, broke up. While he’s still working with Owen Bouchard (Jorma Taccone), former bandmate Lawrence Dunn (Akiva Schaffer) has been pushed aside. Much…
"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is Genius Satire"
Little tries too hard in trying to please its audience but the film’s premise is one that has been so much in that it’s become a cliche. Imagine having to give a large presentation at work but wake up the morning before in your 13-year-old body. This is what happens for tech mogul Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) when she discovers her younger self (Marsai Martin) looking back in the mirror. The only person who is…
"Little isn’t all that fun"
Peterloo revisits the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 but Mike Leigh’s period epic could stand to lose a good half hour or full hour in length. I love a good epic as much as the next person. Hell, I even love a sexy British accent. But I could not fall in love with Peterloo due to the film’s bloated length. This isn’t to say anything bad about long films but the pacing was too slow for…
"Peterloo: Period Epic Could Be Trimmed"
Janice Engel sat down with Solzy at the Movies during the 2019 SXSW Film Festival to discuss Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins. While I was hoping to schedule this interview when the film premiered at Sundance, scheduling didn’t work out. I spoke with Janice Engel on the Tuesday following the Texas premiere. What was it that drew you to tell Molly Ivins’ story? Janice Engel: What drew me to Molly’s story…
"SXSW 2019: Janice Engel talks Raise Hell"
A few eighth graders see their world change in A World Away when an overnight field trip takes them into another dimension. A quick prologue sets the stage for what’s to come before we find ourselves watching an eighth grade graduation. It’s here where Principal Garcia (Mary Lynn Rajskub) invites Thomas Landry (David DeLuise) to the stage for a raffle. A few lucky eighth graders will join him on an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon. …
"CIFF 2019: A World Away"
Missing Link is the newest addition to the Sasquatch Cinematic Universe and finds our west coast friend feeling lonely and wanting more. After a mission to find proof of the Loch Ness monster goes spectacularly awful, Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) finds himself on a new quest. This one comes as a response to a letter from someone. This someone believes that they know where to find the Sasquatch. Or as we otherwise know them:…
"Missing Link: A Sasquatch Cartoon"
HBO’s dark comedy, Barry, is able to hit the mark during the sophomore season and the series capably avoids the sophomore slump. I’ve only seen the first three episodes of the season season. While I can’t speak to the rest of the second season, co-creators Alec Berg and Bill Hader have upped the ante on the second season. When we last left our anti-hero, he was in some sort of a personal crisis. Not just any…
"Barry: Season 2 Hits The Mark"
Native Son is a compelling film with strong performances but I can’t help but feel that something is lost in updating the story for present day. Like the novel its based on, Native Son is set in Chicago. Instead of the 1930s, Suzan-Lori Parks updates the story for a contemporary telling. Is this a good idea? I don’t know. I haven’t read the novel written by Richard Wright so I’m not in a position to compare the…
"Native Son: Compelling, falls short"
Funny You Never Knew is a comedic documentary inviting us to rediscover classic TV comedians Imogene Coca, George Gobel, and Martha Raye. Fred Willard and Kevin Pollack serve as hosts of this documentary. The comedy duo watch clips about three comedians from the Golden Age of Television. Interspersed with interviews, of course. It makes for a fun approach much to the credit of director Andrew Hunt. At times, both Willard and Pollack host Classic Comedy Report…
"Chicago Comedy 2019: Funny You Never Knew"
Olympians takes a satirical look at Greek gods as if they decided to live as immigrants in America under the current administration. The premise here is that Zeus (Mel Brooks), Aphrodite (Meghan Sunder), and Ares (Samuel Hunt) have immigrated to America. They are basically locked up in a beautiful house because they’re illegal immigrants. Suddenly, Aphrodite finds herself arrested and thrown in jail. The cops essentially treat her like a Mexican immigrant especially with the accents…
"Chicago Comedy 2019: Olympians"