Hi friends! I have a few quick movies to update you on. Let’s start with the latest from our friends at Marvel Studios:

CAPTAIN AMERICA BRAVE NEW WORLD

I used to be a consistent fan of the MCU and loved the puzzle-piecing aspect of the franchise. Unfortunately, however, the more bloated they have become the harder it is to follow along and enjoy what they are doing. The latest bland film they are offering up is Captain America Brave New World. This new entry is the kind of blockbuster you forget you’ve seen mere minutes after exiting the theater. That wasn’t always the case with the MCU.

The biggest problem the movie has is it feels like all build up and no payoff. Literally the last 30 minutes feels like one exposition dump after another. Plus, the movie expects me to remember every detail from Marvel films like The Incredible Hulk which was nearly 20 years ago. Not likely!

Harrison Ford is fine as Thunderbolt Ross but the Red Hulk we see in the trailers is used sparingly. The script also doesn’t give Anthony Mackie many moments to shine as the new Captain America. It’s all quite stiff and difficult to connect with. If anything I think Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon is given more charismatic moments and I wish we got more of them.

Captain America Brave New World isn’t an awful MCU entry. It’s just really bland and forgettable.

Frown Worthy

PADDINGTON IN PERU

The Paddington franchise has delighted moviegoers with their first 2 entries (especially Paddington 2) and we have now been given a new entry Paddington in Peru. This latest entry has a new director with Dougal Wilson and Sally Hawkins has been replaced with Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown but none of those changes have diminished the charm of this new entry in the franchise.

I heard some people say this is a step down for the Paddington movies. It’s hard when the previous film is a near-masterpiece but I didn’t perceive any big difference. We still have our wonderful characters and the message of family and unconditional love is all there. This entry gives our family more of an adventure heading off to Peru for Paddington to help his aunt Lucy in the Amazon jungle.

My only major flaw is the middle section with the adventuring with Antonio Banderas could be a little tighter but Paddington in Peru is a film that should delight the entire family. It also has something to say about the way we treat people and what the definition of a family is. Go see it in the theater when you have the chance.

Smile Worthy

BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY

The only thing that frustrates me about Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is the fact I had to watch it at home and not in the theaters. This would have been such a fun movie to watch with a crowd but alas it is a Peacock Original here in the US.

That said I really enjoyed this latest entry (and it is really hard to do rom-com sequels so the fact that 2/3 in this franchise have been good says something!) In this film Bridget has been widowed and she struggles to push forward with her life and help her 2 children deal with their grief and loss.

In the meantime she meets a young man named Roxster (Leo Woodall) who is just the fling she needs and she becomes friends with teacher Mr Wallaker played by Chiwetel Ejofor. Everyone in this movie is charming and funny and the script has a warmth and heart to it that is endearing. If you think there’s no way you will enjoy another Bridget Jones movie it might actually surprise you. It might be my favorite of all of the sequels!

I wish I could tell you to go to the theater but since that’s not an option watch it on Peacock. It’s a delight.

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. What have you been watching? I would love to hear.

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. I’ve been very busy covering Sundance and a million other things but I have watched a lot of non-Sundance movies as well, which means there is lots to update (some of these I watched for my upcoming 2024 romance ranking so look forward to that!)

YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED-

Most of my readers know I am always going to be pulling for the success of the romantic comedy. It is beyond depressing to see the genre be almost universally either forgotten or sent immediately to streaming or cable tv. This is why I took time out of my Sundance schedule on my birthday and went to the theater to watch You’re Cordially Invited. Unfortunately the movie did not reward my efforts with an enjoyable film.

The biggest problem with this movie is writer/director Nicholas Stoller (who has made some fun movies in the past) seems to have forgotten what makes a romantic comedy work. The biggest key factor is we have to like the lead characters at least a little bit and there has to be some degree of chemistry. Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon fail spectacularly on both these fronts in this film. It leaves the supporting cast to try and ring whatever humor they can out of the scenes. It seems like the movie wants us to judge Reese’s family but that’s hard to do when she’s the one being judgmental!

In the end the biggest problem is it’s just not funny. It might have worked if Stoller had kept Reese and Will as unlikable adversaries throughout the movie as a dark comedy but trying to sell them as a love match is completely ridiculous. He destroyed her sister’s wedding and then literally tried to kill her with an alligator. Give me a break! You’re Cordially Invited is unfortunately a movie to be uninvited from.

Frown Worthy

DOG MAN-

There perhaps is no studio more inconsistent than DreamWorks but when they hit they really hit ala The Wild Robot or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Their latest Dog Man isn’t on that level but it is a fun zany story families will enjoy.

With such a bizarre premise (based on the novels by Dave Pilkey) it’s amazing the movie works as well as it does. Ostensibly it’s about a dog that is merged with a man to create a super dog man type character. They face off against the evil Petey who has an adorable clone mini-Pete to help him in his villainous plans.

The animation is by the same team that did the Captain Underpants movie (also from Pilkey) and there are even some CU easter eggs scattered throughout Dog Man. There are times that it goes too far and becomes too chaotic but those elements are countered by themes of friendship and kindness in the script.

Dog Man should be entertaining for kids and clever enough to entertain adults. Especially if you are a fan of the books you’ve got to see this in theaters.

Smile Worthy

HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON-

To prepare for my 2024 romance ranking I had to watch the unusual film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person which is a charming horror comedy about a teenage vampire who hates killing people for food so she decides to find someone who is suicidal to be her ‘victim.’ This turns out to be a young man named Paul and the 2 have a relationship together.

If you like movies like Warm Bodies or Anna and the Apocalypse than you’d probably like this movie. Sara Montpetit is charming as Sasha and she has excellent chemistry with Félix-Antoine Bénard’s Paul. Your Monster is a similar movie that came out last year and I enjoyed both of them. It was a good year for romantic comedy horror!

Smile Worthy

LOVE HURTS-

When I go into a movie like Love Hurts I know I am stepping outside of my comfort zone. Super violent movies are usually not my favorite but when they are done well I can enjoy them. I enjoyed Strange Darling last year and had it as one of my favorite movies of the year and that had severed limbs and other violent scenes. Anyway, Love Hurts is admittedly not normally my thing but it did not win me over like other films have done.

I do appreciate the film is a lean 83 minutes and so it doesn’t feel bloated like so many action films today. That said, it still feels very repetitive with the action and the narrative is scattered all over the place making the connection with Ke Huy Quan’s character challenging and the action less compelling. I hate to say it but Ariana DeBose is awful in this film, and I’m beginning to wonder if she belongs more on the stage than screen (outside of West Side Story of course.) At the very least her team has not been picking good projects for her and her acting has been flat and uninspired in this and other films.

If you love gross over-the-top action you might enjoy Love Hurts more than I did but the script wasn’t there, making the whole film underwhelming.

Frown Worthy (We see Adam Hurtig as a homebuyer in a few scenes. I interviewed him here.)

LONELY PLANET

As part of my romance ranking I also caught up with Lonely Planet which premiered on Netflix last October. Even though I was late getting to this movie I was hopeful it would be a hidden gem because the stars Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth are very likable and writer/director Susannah Grant has written some wonderful films like Ever After and Erin Brokovich. Unfortunately this film ends up on the long list of forgettable Netflix romances.

Part of the problem is Dern and Hemsworth have no chemistry together despite some steamy scenes. The spark just isn’t there but they aren’t given enough time to be unique and interesting characters. It’s just one bland scene after another with nothing to stand out or get invested in. I wish Lonely Planet was better but aside from Morocco looking nice there isn’t much here to recommend.

Frown Worthy

I’M STILL HERE-

When Oscar nominations came in one of the big surprises for me was I’m Still Here in for Best Picture as well as International Film and Best Actress. I had missed this one during awards screening season but finally got the chance to see it in the theaters this week and it turned out to be a film worthy of its nominations. I’m Still Here is a moving true story that is beautifully made and acted.

The film is based on a true story about a Brazilian woman named Eunice Paiva who in 1971 is devasted when her husband is arrested and subsequently disappears. Eunice not only has to lead her large family but becomes a lawyer so she can help fight the fascist regime and continue to look for her husband.

The cast for I’m Still Here is the its greatest asset. Fernanda Torres might win the Oscar and if she did it would be deserved. She’s incredible here as is her real life mother Fernanda Montenegro who plays the older version of Eunice. The whole family is very well cast and director Walter Salles creates a real sense of community and chemistry in every scene.  It really feels like this is a family and that helps us be invested in what is happening to them.

The pacing can be a bit laborious in this film but there are so many positive aspects I can forgive it being a slower-than-needed burn. I’m Still Here probably won’t be in theaters for long so take the chance you have now to see this wonderful family drama.

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. What have you been watching? I would love to hear.

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 just have a quick update for you today. I have been so busy the past few weeks with Sundance that I didn’t post on here my January blind spot even though I did get the podcast episode out before the end of the month. January was particularly fun because we were delighted to have Griffin Schiller with us to talk about the first James Bond movie Dr No. Griffin is a Bond expert so it was fun to get his perspective since we are both green on the franchise.

As far as the movie I enjoyed it. Since I am most familiar with the Daniel Craig era it was interesting to compare this movie to those films. I like the over-the-top villain we get with Dr No and there are some tense scenes like when Dr No puts a tarantula in Bond’s bed. I also enjoyed Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder. She’s beautiful but has some personality and spunk as well that doesn’t make her a total pushover with Bond.

One surprising aspect was how fast and loose the movie is with the radiative contamination at Dr No’s island. I would think in the 1960s audiences would be a lot more sensitive to these elements with the Cold War and everything. Still, Dr No is an entertaining start to the franchise and one I am glad I finally got off of my blind spot list.

What’s your favorite of the early Bond films? I’d love to hear.