Hey everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful summer and enjoying or surviving this hot weather. I have a few new releases to update you on and fortunately it’s another good group of hidden gems you should check out!

CHICKEN FOR LINDA

First up we have a wonderful animated film from France called Chicken for Linda. This film is co-directed by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, the latter who directed The Girl Without Hands a few years ago, which I also really enjoyed. This film has a much lighter tone but it still can be quite touching and sweet.

I love the sketchy animation style and the way it captures Linda’s joyful nature and spirit. The bright colors are also very eye-catching and make you want to smile as you watch them move and flow across the screen.

The story is simple for Chicken for Linda. Linda’s Mother wants to apologize to her daughter for a miscommunication they have had so she agrees to make her favorite dish chicken and peppers. This was also the favorite dish of Linda’s departed father so it carries a lot of meaning for both mother and daughter. Unfortunately all the stores are closed making the quest to get all the ingredients challenging.

If you have the Criterion Channel Chicken for Linda is available to stream there but you can also rent it on all over the place. It’s a vibrant, beautiful, joyful look at family and childhood.

Smile Worthy

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BIG CITY GREENS THE MOVIE: SPACECATION-

Since I cover a lot of Disney films in my content I try to watch whatever they release in the year. This is why I noticed a DCOM was being released for the series Big City Greens. I’d heard of this series but never watched it but I asked a few friends if the movie is standalone and they said it was, so I decided to give Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation a shot. In the end I’m so glad I did because this is a charming little movie and it encouraged me to watch the show as I enjoyed the characters and family dynamic at play.

The plot of this film will feel very similar to The Michells vs the Machines, a movie I love. Both films are about a family going on a road trip and the conflict between a teen child and the over-protective father. In this case the Greens family ends up going to space and dealing with an array of shenanigans along the way. It’s obviously ridiculous for this family to go into space especially without the father realizing that’s what they are doing but the script keeps moving well I didn’t mind the leaps of logic. It’s more about the relationship between father and child and how we’d all be better off if we listened to each other.

I really enjoyed the animation in this film and there are even a couple songs. The voice cast is full of pros like Wendi McLendon-Covey and Cheri Oteri and the writing is quick witted and heartfelt. Like I said, it made me want to watch the show I enjoyed the film so much. I’d definitely recommend Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation.

Smile Worthy

NATIONAL ANTHEM

My only live action film of this update is definitely also the most mature of this batch. It’s called National Anthem and it’s from first time director Luke Gilford. This film won’t be for everyone as it it’s a slow burn without a ton of plot but the characters were engaging enough to draw me in as well as the beautiful cinematography and filmmaking on display.

Charlie Plummer is one of the finest young actors we have working today and he is great here playing Dylan a young man who when looking for gig work stumbles upon a commune of sorts for queer rodeo competitors and friends. While there he meets and falls for Sky (played by Eve Lindley) who is a trans performer. This is definitely a very sexy movie and in a lot of ways it gave me what I thought Challengers was going to give me earlier this year. There is even a threesome scene that is very steamy to say the least.

Still if you can handle the content National Anthem is a beautiful character piece with wonderful performances from Plummer and Lindley and a feeling of spending time with unique and special people that are living life as authentically as possible. It’s a beautiful experience I recommend.

Smile Worthy

WELCOME HOME, FRANKLIN

My last film is my favorite of the group and in fairness it’s actually just a featurette at 40 minutes. It’s new to Apple Plus called Welcome Home, Franklin and it is part of the Snoopy Presents series. All of these Apple Peanuts featurettes have been lovely and this is no exception. Franklin has long been a beloved Peanuts member and now he is finally getting his day in the sun. It’s a joy to watch for the whole family.

Franklin’s family has moved to town and he has to start making friends again (his father is in the army) and he meets our troop of Linus, Lucy, Pigpen and of course Charlie Brown. The kids decide to enter a soapbox derby in town and Charlie and Franklin become a pair and begin working on the car together. In the meanwhile he starts introducing his new friends to jazz music and other culture he has learned over the years. It all builds up to the big race and I’m sure you will agree it is completely charming.

I love the Peanuts and they have very few misses and this is certainly a big win. I love the animation, story, characters, everything. If you have Apple Plus please give it a watch

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. Have you seen any of these 4 films? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

Hi friends! I hope you are all doing well and surviving this heat. I’m excited because I finally broke my rough patch and enjoyed some movies for a change! I did a live stream where I talked about what I’ve been watching both stage and screen you might enjoy.

But here are some mini reviews of what I’ve been watching

FLY ME TO THE MOON

Lately it seems like we are getting a lot of movies that are sold as rom-coms and look like rom-coms but when I actually watch them they are at best rom-com adjacent. Such is the case with Fly Me to the Moon which is more historical fiction drama than it is a romantic comedy. That said, I still found it charming and in the tradition of October Sky and Hidden Figures this was entertaining NASA story (although both of those are more accurate where this is more whimsical.)

Nevertheless, it’s all very slick and well made with 2 stars selling the material quite well (even if they don’t have incredible chemistry together but it’s not really a rom-com so that’s fine.) Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson are both charismatic leads and Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano and Jim Rash give strong supporting work. The script could definitely be tighter but it was all charming enough for me to stay engaged and recommend the film.

Smile Worthy

TOUCH-

New from Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur is an endearing little film called Touch, which many will compare to last year’s popular Past Lives. This tells the story of an older man that tries to find his lost love in Japan after the two were separated after meeting in London years ago. We see the reunion happen at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020 (which added an interesting layer to everything) and also see the younger versions of the characters meet and fall in love. Kōki and Palmi Kormakur are stunning as Young Miko and Kristófer and they have excellent chemistry but Egill Ólafsson is also good as the older Kristófer.

This is essentially a character piece so it’s the performances that matter most but like I said the atmosphere of the pandemic added a layer of uncertainty and urgency to everything that is happening. I also appreciate it didn’t have the cheating (or fear of cheating) element that made me so nervous watching Past Lives. This is simply about 2 good people falling in love when they are young and reconnecting when they are older. It’s simple and yet quite profound. A definite recommendation.

Smile Worthy

DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED-

If you have been following me for a while you know I’m a big of a defender of the DCOM or Disney Channel Original Movie. In fact you could say I’m a defender of TV Movies in general but especially when they involve music I’m usually pretty easy to please. In fact, recently the DCOMS or Disney Original Movies as they are now being named have been some of the best films Disney has been producing. Prom Pact was one of my favorite movies of 2023 and The Slumber Party, The Naughty Nine, and World’s Best were all really solid little movies from last year. You can listen to Stanford and myself rank all the Disney movies of 2023 here.

Anyway, it is with this unique experience I was actually pretty excited for the latest Descendants movie to come out Descendants: The Rise of Red and it ended up being a mixed bag. Overall I did enjoy it and fans of the series will be satisfied but it was a definite step down in quality from the previous 3 and one could feel the loss of previous director and choreographer Kenny Ortega. You can’t replace a legend like him easily and all the musical sequences felt by-the-numbers and bland (the highlight of the series is the water dance from the second film. It has never been topped!) This one also has a mostly new cast with Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker as Queen of Hearts and Cinderella’s daughters respectively. It’s nice we get Brandy and Paolo Montalban back as Cinderella and Charming and Rita Ora giving a dishy performance as the evil Queen of Hearts.

The plot in Descendants 4 does get convoluted as all time travel stories do but I appreciate that both girls came to understand their mothers better and feel more humanity towards them. I also loved a moment where they paid tribute to Cameron Boyce’s character Carlos that was very sweet. All in all this was fun enough but definitely the weakest of the franchise.

Mild Smile Worthy

SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT-

Similar to the DCOM I have also been more positive than many critics of the films distributed by Angel Studios. In fact, I’ve recommended all of them to varying degrees.  Of course, this does not mean I agree with all of their positions politically or think the films are perfect but they have all entertained me enough to recommend. Now they have their latest Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot and it might be the best one yet. In fact, it ended up as one of my favorite films of the year so far.

In the film they tell the story of a congregation in Possum Trot, Texas that decide to adopt and foster all the needy children around them, which ends up being 77 children in total. What I loved about this movie is how messy it was. There were no miracles from God making the kids angelic or the parents perfect because of what they are trying to do. In fact, it’s more a faith-based film in the sense of a community more than it is actually about God or Jesus in any way. These are flawed people who are trying and often failing to do the right thing for these children. I found the whole thing to be incredibly moving and absorbing. The acting is also excellent with Nika King leading as the reverend’s wife who starts adopting the children and Demetirus Grosse as her husband. Elizabeth Mitchell is also excellent as the world-weary social worker.

I know some will avoid Sound of Hope because of the involvement of the Daily Wire and I think that is a real shame because the filmmaking team have made a quality film that deserves to be seen. I balled my eyes out!

Smile Worthy

KILL-

Any follower of my reviews knows I have been a big fan of Indian cinema for a long time so when I heard the buzz about Kill coming out of festivals I knew I had to see it. I thought it would be similar Jawan that I saw last year and enjoyed (both are Indian action movies set on a train) but this proved to be quite different and one of the more memorable movie-viewing experiences of 2024. It definitely won’t be for everyone but if you love raw visceral action you need to see Kill.

The film has a thin plot of Amrit (Lakshya) going after his fiancé Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) who is being forced into a marriage from a rival gang. Then the 2 gangs fight it out over the course of 105 minutes creating quite the bloody gruesome experience. One of the most effective parts of the action is the sound mix that heightens every kick and blow. You feel every rib crack and knuckle break making everything all the more brutal.

Kill might be the most violent movie I’ve ever seen and I honestly did feel exhausted by it after a while but I can’t deny that it does what it is trying to do extremely well. Every fight is an experience and it never lets up for a minute. If you like action have to see it!

Smile Worthy

SORRY/NOT SORRY-

When I heard about the new documentary Sorry/Not Sorry I knew I had to check it out. Having interviewed one of its subjects before, Jen Kirkman, I knew a little bit about her story and wanted to learn more. She is one of a group of women (3 profiled in the film) that spoke out against comedian Louis C.K. in 2017 and the documentary explores the failure of the #metoo movement to actually do anything to help women or punish erroring men as long as they have the most modicum amount of introspection. It’s pretty pathetic really.

In fact, Louis C.K. is now viewed as some kind of martyr to cancel culture by some which is crazy because he was barely canceled at all. As soon as 2022 he won a Grammy and recently sold out arenas like Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile it is the women who called out his behavior that have been effectively canceled. What money and power will get you is scary in 2024…

Anyway, Sorry/Not Sorry is an eye opening condemnation of the #metoo movement and an insightful look at all we as a culture are willing to excuse if it sold the right way.

Smile Worthy

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a nice summer and I certainly hope you are enjoying summer movies more than I am. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately but I have just not been enjoying what Hollywood has been offering. I liked Inside Out 2, Hit Man and a few indies but not much more than that. Hopefully July will be better but sometimes we as critics go through rough patches but they are usually followed by good stretches where we like everything. Fingers crossed.

Today I have 5 reviews and all 5 I didn’t enjoy much 🙁  Like I said it happens sometimes. All I can do is be honest and hope you understand.

THE BIKERIDERS-

Probably my favorite of the 5 is The Bikeriders from director Jeff Nichols. He has a lot of style in his filmmaking and brings out mostly good performances from his actors. I just wish the screenplay was on that level. Austin Butler and Tom Hardy put in compelling work as members of a motorcycle gang in 1960s Illinois. Mike Faist is completely wasted as a journalist writing about the gang but it’s more a movie about a series of incidents than an actual story. Various rivalries are revealed and bloody fights happen but there’s no narrative thrust to the events so it all feels taxing and repetitive after a while.

Also I thought Jodie Comer was miscast in the role. You can tell that she is British trying to do midwestern and the whole performance felt like a caricature not an authentic woman I was interested in. This was especially obvious when compared to Butler and because she was the narrator of the piece. The Bikeriders is nicely shot and like I said, there are some good performances but it all feels forgettable in the end.

Frown Worthy

HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA-

Kevin Costner’s new project Horizon: An American Saga was always going to be a tough sell for me. I’m not the biggest western fan and multi-part epic saga western didn’t have much to intrigue me. Still, it was filmed here in Utah and when somebody self-finances a project like this I like to at least give it a shot. Unfortunately my misgivings were correct and this feels more self-indulgent than impressive. Despite being 3 hours Horizon feels fractured, stuffed with unlikable characters I didn’t care about or want to know more about and no desire to see what is going to happen in Chapter 2.

It’s too bad because the film starts out strong with a raid on the settlement that is visceral and captivating but it keeps switching stories before the audience can become attached to a narrative or set of characters. I was joking on twitter that this is similar to rom-coms like Valentines Day that tells so many stories but none of them could hold a movie on their own or are interesting to the audience. I guess at least Utah looks nice so there’s that but it’s all surprisingly forgettable for a saga.

Frown Worthy

KINDS OF KINDNESS-

Certain filmmakers make their reputation on being edgy and challenging and if left unchecked can end up producing the most pretentious self-indulgent films that become unbearable. This is certainly the case for supposed auteur Yorgos Lanthimos. I’ve never been a big fan of his style but his latest Kinds of Kindness pushed me over the edge. I can’t think of when I’ve had a more miserable time at the theater and for what? You’ve got me with what he’s trying to say.

The film has 3 featurettes- all 3 with the same cast including Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons. Lanthimos manages to convince his actors to do anything no matter how ridiculous or exploitative but he forgets to make it matter or palatable. The first short is the best with the third being morally confusing in I guess an attempt at satire. Emma Stone’s character in that one is drugged and raped by her husband and she is made to feel the bad one for abandoning her daughter. It’s a problem when satire is asked to do so much heavy lifting to make a moral work in a story. Also all 3 stories have cannibalism and cults which feels so try-hard if you ask me.

Like I said, the whole experience is unbearable and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Frown Worthy

THE IMAGINARY-

In a way I feel sorry for the folks at Studio Ponoc. They started as a follow-up to Studio Ghibli- made from former animators of the illustrious studio. The problem is no animated studio can really compete with Ghibli especially when Miyazaki has started making movies. In fact, he just won an Oscar for his latest The Boy and the Heron. Unfortunately you can feel this rivalry rand failure to compete with in Ponoc’s latest film The Imaginary. While it does have some pleasing animation the story and characters feel completely derivative and lacking in originality.

It’s so strange that there have been 3 movies this year about imaginary friends and none of them have been good. The idea in this one is a young girl has an imaginary friend who get separated from his child and needs to be rescued. We’ve seen this time and again in everything from If to Monsters Inc to Inside Out. It all feels played out and bland. Nobody will remember this movie as it oddly lacks imagination about imaginary friends… Weird how that keeps happening?

Frown Worthy

DESPICABLE ME 4-

Finally we have the latest from Illumination’s money franchise Despicable Me 4. I don’t know if they have just worn me down but I actually liked the last Minions movie Minions: Rise of Gru. In particular a scene where the minions fly a plane is peak minions and may be the best moment of the entire franchise. Now we have the 6th film in the franchise and there are some laughs. I think minions are best when they capture a silent movie comedy- the broader and sillier the better. That’s why the scene when they are flying the plane is so funny- it’s silly where the regular Minions movie tried too hard to be shocking, full of lewd humor. It was not for me.

This latest entry has its moments that made me chuckle. For example a scene where the villain tries to get a credit card reader to accept his card at the gas station is very funny. I also enjoyed a repeated gag where one of the minions is stuck in a vending machine and can’t get out. The girls are also cute as always and this time they have a new baby brother in the mix who was cute and provided some laughs with the awkward Gru trying to watch over him.

Still, the screenplay needs far more of these moments and less of tedious subplots that aren’t funny or engaging. For example, we think we are getting the main villain plot with a cockroach man but the movie moves away from this story for a long section about Poppy and her heist on the school. We also get subplots with Lucy trying to learn how to color hair with disastrous consequences. It’s just all over the place and not consistently funny enough to work.

Also the reunion at the end I suppose is sentimental for fans but it seemed a little much to ask us to wain nostalgia for Scarlet Overkill and  other unmemorable previous villains. Despicable Me 4 isn’t the worst of the franchise but it also isn’t very satisfying or funny enough.

Frown Worthy

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.