New Releases:
Haunted Mansion – A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering ghosts inhabit it.
Expectations: Disney is taking a second attempt at making one of their storied theme park attractions into a movie following the 2003 Eddie Murphy film that didn’t do what they wanted business-wise. I’m mostly attracted to this film by the director, Dear White People’s Justin Simien, who hasn’t disappointed yet and is now saddled with a definite blockbuster. The cast is also awesome, featuring Sorry To Bother You’s Lakeith Stanfield and some legends in Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson and, a forever favourite, Danny Devito. Not much chatter about this one but it could be a low-key hit for Disney, a studio that really needs it at the moment.
The Beanie Bubble – Why did the world suddenly treat stuffed animals like gold? Ty Warner was a frustrated toy salesman until his collaboration with three women grew his masterstroke of an idea into the biggest toy craze in history. “The Beanie Bubble” is an inventive story about what and who we value, and the unsung heroes whose names didn’t appear on the heart-shaped tag.
Review: Obviously, being a nineties kid, I knew about the obsession over Ty’s Beanie Babies but I really didn’t know the rabid degrees that the consumers when to in their quest to obtain the discontinued ones nor the story about Ty Warner, the founder of the company, played by an oddly beardless Zach Galifianakis in the film. The film is a solid comedy biopic with great performances and some really beautifully shot sequences. Another studio dump to streaming, this time on AppleTV+, but I think word of mouth will do it well.
Hidden Strike – Two ex-special forces soldiers must escort a group of civilians along Baghdad’s “Highway of Death” to the safety of the Green Zone.
Expectations: This is kind of the best surprise action comedy because it pairs legendary action star Jackie Chan and former WWE superstar and current “that guy’s in everything” star John Cena and, judging from the trailer, it looks like a hell of a lot of fun. I mean, a tanker truck backflip? You’ve got my money for that alone, gentleman. The film is one of those non-Netflix productions, produced by a Chinese company but directed by Need For Speed’s Scott Waugh so the action beats may be the reason to check this out. To be honest, Cena is a big draw for me as the guy improves every time I see him.
Theater Camp – Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) are lifelong best friends and drama instructors at a rundown camp in upstate New York. When clueless tech-bro Troy (Jimmy Tatro) arrives to run the property (into the ground), Amos, Rebecca-Diane and production manager Glenn (Noah Galvin) band together with the staff and students, staging a masterpiece to keep their beloved summer camp afloat.
Expectations: I want to get behind this new comedy musical but seeing Ben Platt’s face makes me have bad flashbacks to the movie version of Dear Evan Hansen, a truly awful experience. The point where I can hook back in si Molly Gordon, an actress who has currently surfaced on the hit series The Bear but also wrote and directed this film as well as starring alongside Platt. This movie definitely has potential but I’m still a little reserved on it.
Talk To Me – When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living.
Expectations: This is the dark horse of the week, a horror film from first-time writer and director brothers Danny and Michael Philippou with a story that seems a bit familiar in horror, pushing on the Monkey Paw tale. There are no big actors in this one, just a creepy tale from the glorious studio of A24, the people responsible for distributing some of my favourite films of the past decade. The festival buzz about this creepy movie has been bouncing around the internet since the beginning of the end and the trailer is super effective so I, as a huge horror fan, say “bring it on”. I want a best of 2023 for the genre and this may be it.
Kokomo City – In the wildly entertaining and refreshingly unfiltered documentary, filmmaker D. Smith passes the mic to four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City, Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver, who unapologetically break down the walls of their profession. Holding nothing back, the film vibrates with energy, sex, challenge, and hard-earned wisdom.
Review: A deeply personal film, shot in stark black and white, giving the spotlight to four people of a community that is mercilessly and relentlessly under attack by today’s society at its core. The four ladies are so fascinating, just as characters, and came across as so likable and lively that it is so easy to get on their side of the struggle. The film isn’t likely to get a lot of attention but I think it is one of the best docs I’ve seen in 2023.
Blu-Ray:
Book Club: The Next Chapter – The highly anticipated sequel follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls’ trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.
Expectations: After the “what the hell am I watching?” experience of 80 For Brady, I think I need a cooling off period before I jump into another Jane Fonda vehicle, especially this film that had a loathsome first film. I’m very aware that these films are written for a very specific age group but the construction of the first film felt so clunky that no one could elevate it. I do like that cast though as I adore Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen. All of this aside, this movie is definitely digging for that Mother’s Day market this weekend and will surely make some money.
Master Gardener – Deep within the lush grounds of Gracewood Gardens, horticulturist Narvel Roth tends to more than just plants. With a meticulous hand and unwavering devotion, he’s created an idyllic sanctuary for his demanding employer, Mrs. Haverhill. But when troubled great-niece Maya arrives seeking an apprenticeship, Narvel’s perfectly cultivated life begins to unravel, unearthing secrets from a violent past that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
Review: Paul Schrader returns with another complex character drama that gives Joel Edgerton a career-best performance in a filmography full of them. Schrader’s gift of getting the audience to care so deeply for conflicted and tortured men is fully on display here again and supporting work from the great Sigourney Weaver and Black Adam actress Quintessa Swindell strengthens it all that much more. Like the usual outcome of the Taxi Driver writer’s films, I doubt it will be spoken about around Oscar time but at this point, it’s one that I’d have at the top of the best actor and original screenplay conversation.
Polite Society – A merry mash-up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, Polite Society follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
Review: A fun rush of martial arts action embedded in the story of two British Pakistani sisters living in Sheperd’s Bush that works for the most part. There start to be some unbelievable cliches and action tropes that feel forced from the teen comedy beats the main artery of the film is trying to pull from which start to dull the edges as you’re watching it. At the end of the film, it lands on being pretty entertaining but forgettable, even if it is a sweet lead role for The Umbrella Academy’s Ritu Arya.
Paint – Owen Wilson portrays Carl Nargle, Vermont’s #1 public television painter who is convinced he has it all: a signature perm, custom van, and fans hanging on his every stroke… until a younger, better artist steals everything (and everyone) Carl loves.
Expectations: There is no doubt at all that Wilson is channelling Bob Ross in this comedy, so this is as close as we will get to a biopic but that sort of wackiness is kind of my wheelhouse so I’m willing to excuse it’s bad review meter online. The film comes from a first-time writer and director in Brit McAdams but the veteran help of Wendi McClendon-Covey, Stephen Root and Michaela Watkins can’t hurt the whole situation and the story just seems so wacky and fun. It’s also great to see Owen explore some character work because I know he’s good at it.
Buddy Games: Spring Awakening – After the death of one of their own, Bobfather and the boys steal the urn and go on a trip to commemorate his life at the place where the Buddy Games began, but everything goes wrong when they find themselves in the middle of spring break.
Review: This is the sequel to the directorial debut of Josh Duhamel, a really personal one that he wrote as well. Although he didn’t write this one, he returns to direct as well as play one of the lead roles in a comedy that pulls on the comedy strings of lesser Adam Sandler films like Grown Ups but it manages to find some charm within it from time to time.
The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is The Blood Of The Baboon Heart – A nationwide manhunt for Hank Venture leads to untold dangers and unexpected revelations. At the same time, an imposing evil from the past reemerges to wreak havoc on the Ventures, The Guild, and even the Monarch’s marriage.
Review: Just over a month after the release of the complete series box set, an absolute beauty, we get an all-new movie to whet our appetites for more Venture Bros. This movie plays to every strength the series had and, if this is the last time that we see the doctor and his sons, it was a really great send-off. I think there are some hints of a continuation within the film but I really don’t want to get any hopes up.
One False Move – After an “LA drugs deal” leads to blood and carnage, the perpetrators end up in a small town in Arkansas where the leader Ray contacts his ex-girlfriend. Two LA Detectives ensue and soon find themselves out of sorts in the sticks. Chief Dale ‘Hurricane’ Dixon sees his chance to impress and get a dream a move to the big city but his Hicksville approach leads to mockery and derision. Keeping important information from the two officers he tries to play clever and capture the criminals himself. ‘Classic’ neo-noir, tough is tough but evil is evil.
Review: I was so excited to get this 4K upgrade of this Bill Paxton-led classic from director Carl Franklin as it was a blind spot in my viewing of the entire filmography of the late actor. To be honest, I hadn’t even heard of it but the Criterion Collection seal of approval is enough for me and now it is one of my favorite new discoveries this year. Fantastic character work and a darkly funny script that always knew where to show up. This is definitely a hidden gem.
Television:
The Witcher: Season 3 Volume 2 (Netflix) – Geralt of Rivia is a witcher, a mutant with special powers who kills monsters for money. The land is in a state of turmoil, due to the empire of Nilfgaard seeking to enlarge its territory. Among the refugees of this struggle is Cirilla, the Princess of Cintra, one of Nilfgaard’s victims. She and Geralt share a destiny. Meanwhile, another figure looms large in Geralt’s adventures: Yennefer, a sorceress.
Review: Weare now at the end for Henry Cavill as Geralt OF Rivia, a role he was destined for and had the reverence and responsibility to play, and I can’t say I’m excited to see a new person do it. All we have left is to savour what we’ve got as I enjoy this series and its lore plus the action scenes are awesome and the progression of the story has been handled very well. I also adore Jaskier, the bard, played brilliantly by Joey Batey. His dialogue is hilarious.
Heels: Season 2 (Crave) – The show is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals, Jack Spade and Ace Spade, war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy, and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.
Expectations: Finally my passion for dramatic television combined with my love for professional wrestling has collided with this series starring Arrow’s Stephen Amell and Vikings star Alexander Ludwig. Season one was really solid and also had the inclusion of real-life former AEW and WWE champion CM Punk and this year sees the inclusion of his wife, AJ Mendez, a former WWE champion herself. The drama is great, the love for the industry is always present and, as a fan, it makes me yearn for more wrestling-related movies and TV shows.
Good Omens: Season 2 (Prime Video) – A naked archangel turns up at the door to renegade angel Aziraphale’s bookshop, with no memory of who he is or how he got there, and Aziraphale and retired demon Crowley’s lives become extremely complicated. Heaven and Hell are both desperate to find the runaway. As Crowley and Aziraphale attempt to fix a human romance, things become increasingly unsafe for them, in the past and the present.
Expectations: Two of the best character actors out of the United Kindom who happen to share brilliant chemistry and connection, Michael Sheen and David Tennant, playing a counterpart of Heaven and hell, all written by Neil Gaiman. Yes, you’ve definitely got a hit here and it’s so cool that we’ve got, not just one season, but now this follow-up, sure to be filled with great dialogue, incredible endo f the world scenarios and hopefully the opening for the third series.
Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+) – Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, is recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program is tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.
Review: Pretty soon they’re going to have to rename Paramount+ to Taylor Sheridan+ because the guy has made so much content fr the streaming services and we get another new one this week, led by Zoe Saldana and featuring Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman. Episode one is a solid establishing point, giving us an entry point with the new recruit Cruz, played by In The Tall Grass actress Laysla De Oliveira. It is a bit formulaic and corny, suffering a bit from that unpolished nature that plagues all first episodes. I have a feeling it will even out though.
Steve Stebbing 