Spoiler Warning – There are certain elements revealed in this review that occur later in the film and are certainly surprising, especially as they are canon-breaking… and goofy.

Superman lands in theaters as a rare test for a franchise, but the kind of test that seems to keep happening to DC. This time, what we have seems to be a broader, and even multi-pronged question mark. Can DC regain the popularity and critical acclaim (or at least critical above-average status) of Nolan/Bale Batman in a post-Snyder world? Director James Gunn seems determined to answer this question by asking another – can DC (and perhaps superhero films generally) manage that by going even further back, for instance, to the sensibilities of ’78s Superman, where anything serious was tempered with a fair amount of camp? When action scenes didn’t have KAPOW! on the screen in only the most literal sense, and Superman would fly around with Lois Lane in one arm and some rigging that was supposed to be the struts of a helicopter in the other… or whatever.

The problem with shifting to a lighter, popcorn take on things is that veering toward silly is hard to wrangle. Superman (78) emphasizes fun, is surprisingly well-directed, and balances what it seems itself to consider rather corny with a bit of gravitas and furious charisma – see Guardians of the Galaxy. Let things more or less run wild though, and you get Superman III… or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Here, the film is constructed with so much emphasis on delivering themes through a specific filter, with scenes maneuvering things largely through arbitrary decisions, that nothing balances out a sort of “playfulness as ultimate virtue” mindset. Worst of all, depending on your thoughts on franchise cinema and storytelling generally, canon and internal worldbuilding simply have no rules at all, while the idea of suspending disbelief is pushed to extremes.

Both sets of Superman’s parents are taken apart, one for no reason, the other merely for an unnecessary level of villainy to Superman’s immigrant status. His adoptive parents are, rather insultingly, slathered in cliched “farmer” goop until it seems unlikely they’d be left to care for themselves, much less raise a child. His real parents are something approaching sociopathic, and are moreover so calm and matter-of-fact in their instructions to their son that it betrays their place in a society that wouldn’t blink at their, “who’s a good, little conqueror?” ideas.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor gives (sometimes) the right speeches about his hatred for Superman and other metahumans, who get the adulation that should be his, and his own ego when it comes to brain always winning out over brawn, but the character we’re given is simply insane, which is boring, even if he knows all the right things to say about a character he’s not. Adding to the insult that is Luthor’s presence here, and echoing the thoughts of Action Comics writer Marv Wolfman – “if he could afford all those labs and giant robots he wouldn’t need to rob banks.” – if Luthor had half the resources he had in this movie he could just declare himself King of the Earth, and no one could stop him. Which is also boring.

While David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan (as Superman and Lois) give it their all, and do an incredible job, all things considered, trying to recapture the kind of legendary silver screen charm of Reeve and Kidder can’t be constantly at odds with this level of audience-mocking nonsense. When they get a scene alone in an apartment, sparring with each other about ethics and reality, they come very close to launching a series of films based on that alone… but it can’t work here.

Luthor fights Superman by shouting commands to his “weapon” in real time, which is so laughable it takes a minute before your brain can acquiesce to the idea that yes, this is really what’s happening. Two countries are about to go to war and here that means that separated by a ten-dollar fence are, according to the reports on what Luthor sold, billions of dollars worth of war machinery on one side and about 60 unarmed civilians on the other. One of Luthor’s henchmen is The Engineer, a metahuman who Luthor has “filled with nanites”, or whatever, and whose powers are “whatever looks cool right now, no matter how utterly nonsensical.” The list is never-ending and includes pocket universes, Superman’s own powers being whatever gets us out of this scene, and a micro sun that is so pedestrian a Deus ex Machina effort that it is literally a blinding flash taking over the screen followed by said flash saving the day without negative consequences because magic.

The film pounds home a message of immigrants and “others” vs. right-wing bigotry, but it does so insultingly and condescendingly, and believe me, I’m itching to jump on board. It fancies itself shielded by the age-old appeal to just being a roller coaster ride, but roller coasters have to move, shouldn’t call you stupid for the duration, and can’t just throw a flying dog at you if you complain. There’s a sense of wonder this film thinks it can splash over everything, but instead of trying to call out to that child inside, it just demands that you actually be a child.

Podcast Episode

The post Superman Review With Podcast Episode appeared first on Are You Screening?.

The Fall Guy, while a decent enough bit of popcorn thrill ride, seems almost to mock the current reboot fury, having nothing at all to do with the series that shares its name. There’s a man who works stunts in the movies, Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), and there the similarities end. The oddity of the anti-reboot will likely manifest itself, to some audiences, as a persistent, “Why?” that colors everything in the film, not least because the fight-infused rom-com doesn’t need (or have) any connection to that which it is allegedly rebooting.

The film kicks off with Seavers at the top of his game in the stunt world, and in a relationship with Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), an unspecified back-of-camera worker in the biz. They flirt. They quip. They get the shot. Seavers is involved in an accident that takes him out of the game for about a year, and he removes himself from his life in the industry, and from Jody. Then he gets a call from a producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), who wants Seavers to get back on the horse for Jody’s directorial debut. It turns out, something shady is going on, and Seavers is quickly pulled into a web of borderline insanity that involves a dead body and a lot of eyes suddenly turning in his direction.

It’s a film that relies on a lot of stunts and/or things that might be referred to as “the things stunt people get up to in their off time,” and it works surprisingly well because bored, adrenaline junkies come up with some things that look really cool. Pair that with Gosling and Blunt simply existing as two of the most charismatic actors working today and the movie drips with a slick brand of fun that is rarer than you’d think these days.

The overall arc, something that actually harkens back to at least a general feel of ’80s episodic content, if not any particular show, can’t live up to the film’s best scenes, which are either surprisingly emotive or a furious brand of kinetic that borders on the silly. That unfortunately means that as the end approaches, things get goofy as this all has to get wrapped up somehow and we’ve woven together something that all but demands the removal of a mask and a “Jinkies!” exclamation. Most audiences will be able to write it off, because the ride was worth it and, let’s face it, the story never pretended it was as interested in realism as it was in figuring out how to make Gosling flail around in an oversized alien suit.

The real sell, and it works as well today as it ever did, is that the film is a different kind of throwback than a mere reworking of a show few people remember to any significant degree. It’s a high adventure film, though with a lot more explosions, where the action is grandiose, the villains are the people you recognize, the heroes are inevitably saved because the baddies demand their soliloquy, and none of it matters because it’s all about falling in love, being mad, making amends, and having a killer, crooked smile. If it works, and it does, it’s because the actors know how to mug and you’re willing to grade on a curve.

This one actually has some great bonuses if you buy it, and this is one to definitely rewatch. Check them out below. If you like this movie at all, you will love the commentary track.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES WHEN YOU OWN on DIGITAL, 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY^TM AND DVD:

• EXTENDED CUT – An extended cut of the film with 20 minutes of additional footage featuring more action, more laughs and more stunts.
• GAG REEL
• ALTERNATE TAKES
• STUNTS ON STUNTS: BREAKING DOWN THE ACTION – Five breathtaking breakdowns detail the meticulous designs, careful preparation, and astonishing execution that goes into pulling off the film’s death-defying stunts.
  • CITY TRUCK JUMP / SIDEWINDER – Grip the wheel with stunt driver Logan Holladay, who provides a first-person view of an incredible stunt that launches a truck onto a crowded city street.
  • GARBAGE BIN – Speed across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge while watching Ryan Gosling and the stunt performers surf on a skidding door, trade punches in a spinning bin, and wrestle with an attack dog.
  • BOAT CHASE – Blast back to the past with a classic boat jump stunt, no green screen required, complete with an awesome explosion that lights up the water around the iconic Sydney Opera House.
  • CAR JUMP – Prepare for possibly the film’s most dangerous stunt: a bomb-blasting ride in a tricked-out vehicle that leads into a heart-stopping jump across an enormous expanse.
  • HIGH FALL – Troy Brown, the son of legendary stunt performer Bob Brown, follows in his father’s footsteps with a high fall off a helicopter like only their family can deliver.
• MAKING A META MASTERPIECE – THE FALL GUY’s filmmaking team and all-star cast take you behind the scenes in Australia for an insider’s look into the creativity and camaraderie that turns the original TV series into a thrilling new movie.
• HOW TO BREAK A WORLD RECORD – Cheer along with the crew as driving double Logan Holladay and the stunt team craft a cannon roll crash that breaks a Guinness World Record.
• NIGHTCLUB MAYHEM – Fight coordinator Sunny Sun and stunt double Justin Eaton venture behind the camera to choreograph a bottle-breaking battle between Colt Seavers and Doone’s goons.
• THE ART OF DOUBLING – Meet stunt double Ben Jenkin, a man willing to be set on fire, hit by a car, and take risks with Ryan Gosling to collectively make a single character look cool.
• MAKING METALSTORM – Cowboys collide with aliens in this look at the creation of METALSTORM, THE FALL GUY’s film within the film.
• FALLING FOR THE FALL GUY WITH BOB REESE – Professional parkour athlete and influencer Bob Reese recreates stunts from the movie, including a scissor-lift dive, Kong vault, and heart-stopping high fall.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY with Director/Producer David Leitch and Producer Kelly McCormick [Available on both theatrical and extended cuts]

The Fall Guy Review on the Podcast

The post The Fall Guy Review – Plus DVD Release Details appeared first on Are You Screening?.

Yorgos Lanthimos has made a career out of dissecting various aspects of society, and always using the most bizarre extremes as focal points. That changed, sort of, with The Favourite, which took a certain slice of society and gave the existing bizarre extremes their head. With Poor Things, a Frankenstein-esque set of circumstances begins an entire journey of cultural postmortem that somehow manages to become both calculatingly unsettling in its unending mores destruction, and nearly blase about its own effort to do so.

Somewhere in a mildly fantastical version of Victorian London, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) takes on a new assistant, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), who discovers that Baxter has a sort of ward in Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). Though there are several roads of examination throughout the film, Bella is the sci-fi contrivance unleashed upon the world. It is soon revealed that Baxter discovered Bella after she jumped from a bridge, and he brought her back to life by transplanting into her the brain of the baby she was carrying. Thus, a child’s perspective gets the chance to absorb reality as an adult… or whatever.

Bella “grows” as we move with her, at first under the watchful eye of McCandles, who is fascinated by her and keen to expand her vocabulary, and eventually as she travels with the largely buffoonish lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), who cannot fathom his failure to shackle her into various gender ideals. By turns, Bella stares blankly at sexuality, class hierarchy, myriad ethical questions nailed in place by society, and even a kind of uber-misogyny which quickly seems not to have had to strain very hard with the hyperbole.

As if attaching to Bella like wings, Lanthimos’ keen eye for visual oddity and splendor delivers a world almost eerily of Bella’s own perspective of wonder (or horror). Cruise ships are bulbous and magical. Ivory towers loom over the poor who wail in hellscape trenches at the bottom of stairways that don’t actually extend far enough to reach them. Skies, flowers, and animals are as much candy floss as anything, and interchanging their bits just doesn’t seem that odd.

Emma Stone, whether she wins awards or not, will probably never manage anything close to the appreciation deserved for a stunning delivery of a character previously unattempted or imagined. From the seemingly simple, childlike “why?” response to the curiosities of “norms” which seem to run directly counter to impulse without reason, to the rapid-fire discourse of someone channeling philosophy with no real experience to view it through. Bella moves through our world of expectations and assumptions, with nothing to go on, and as odd as she is, it’s hard to argue with her. Delivering this, in thousands of small moments, reactions, and emotions, and making it even approach believability is a level of difficulty that is rarely even possible to attempt.

This is not even to speak of the layers of confused, disheveled, inept humanity that dwell in Dr. Baxter, his relationship with Bella, the doe-eyed McCandles, or Duncan and his utterly flappable existence that is papered over with a cheesecloth “man” facade.

There are times when the tidal wave of purple prose seems to run away with Lanthimos, which leaves certain scenes playing on beyond their purpose, but the overall story that encompasses so much while never wholly straying away from simply spinning a yarn of, perhaps, unfettered womanhood, is so refreshing and served up so unapologetically that it hardly matters. It’s a visual feast of dazzling proportions that at times reminds of the sensibility of Tarsem Singh’s 2006 effort, The Fall, and if it stumbles occasionally in the attempt to truly mesmerize, so be it.

Like several of his other efforts (Dogtooth and The Lobster spring to mind), Poor Things uses simply a kind of mad viewpoint as its sci-fi/fantasy foil, taking you out of what makes sense in order to get you finally to focus on the most mundane ideas. Here, the technique becomes all the more jarring because the unsettling juxtaposition of realities doesn’t involve a bizarre take on the after life, or psychotic extremes of the family unit (or comparing existence in worlds wherein superpowers exist,etc.), but instead just the hopelessly wild maneuver of wondering about simply letting women (and people) be.

Podcast Episode – Poor Things Review

The post Poor Things Review – Lanthimos And Stone Nuke Society For Laughs – With Podcast Review appeared first on Are You Screening?.

When Roger Ebert famously defended (and wildly overrated) Crystal Skull, his general claim was that it was the perfect kind of stupidity. It was derring-do from certain glory days of Hollywood that made for an action-adventure treat, logic be damned. Maybe you can’t make your way down a sail with a dagger, or whatever, and maybe cars can’t do some sort of stunt, and maybe nuclear explosions don’t exactly have their effects negated by a fridge, but who cares? This is fun, and popcorn, and losing yourself.

This is, very generally speaking, a theory I can get behind. I don’t need, to go back a long way to what was a popular example of a similar story, the world’s leading fire expert to walk me through the flaws of Backdraft. But, at some point suspension of disbelief simply isn’t what’s being asked for anymore.

However, apparently buoyed by Ebert’s view, the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones only upped the game, with the nonsensical and structurally-expedient now almost a character, and one that is omnipresent.

Dial of Destiny finds us walking through the end of Indy’s time “working” his real job at University, but reliving another of his previous adventures with Nazis, which put him near half of the titular dial. Along the way we meet Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), the daughter of Indy’s close companion, Basil (Toby Jones), who became obsessed with said dial, and its alleged ability to mathematically do… something magical.

From here we are off on yet another adventure in classic Indy fashion, which is going to involve a lot of travel, wacky scrapes, and mad dashes with Nazis on our heels. Despite the rather schmaltzy “next stage” scenes of Indy’s retirement, the movie has everything going for it at about 30 minutes in. Harrison Ford sucks the audience in with a charm that has morphed with time but hasn’t diminished in the slightest. Waller-Bridge is only up against the script here, and easily proves herself (again) as the moment’s most screen-bewitching actress. There’s a passable Nazi in Mads Mikkelsen who is similarly stymied by the script’s demand that he caricature himself nearly into a coma. Finally, there’s a treasure beyond treasure, just like every other adventure, which involves some key to the past. What could go wrong?

Unfortunately, the bullet points that sell a film that could have been the next genre-altering hit weren’t fleshed out with any effort to have anything make the slightest bit of sense. No part of the story connects even to its own rules and world-building, and most of what happens simply appears as though two pages of the script got stuck together. The logic behind everything seems to flow from a kind of ipso facto mentality, which is nearly brazen in certain specifics, but permeates every moment on screen. A certain “trap”, for example, simply could not exist where and how it is, a fact made worse, oddly enough, by the film’s explanation of it, but the film apparently believes it refutes this idea simply by the idea that, “Look, it is in fact there, so it obviously could be there.”

When it isn’t suspiciously boring in its lack of effort to pay attention to itself, events move by way of the laughably impossible. As though digging in its heels with the notion that sometimes happenstance can move mountains, the Nazis show up magically at points where they couldn’t know they should be, because the clock says it’s time for adversity to reemerge.

Luckily, two of the most necessary components of the film manage to actually be covered pretty well – dialogue and chase mechanics. There’s a slightly rough start to Helena, because the character is initially given to us in ways that are overly contradictory even given an idea of some subterfuge inherent in her entry to the world. Sure, she’s not quite who we might have thought, or at least certainly has motivations pulling her in different directions, but the options aren’t limited to “straight-forward” and “loony.” Still, once the film trudges through its somewhat condescending effort at Helena’s worldview, Waller-Bridge and Ford quickly materialize as the sort of duo that would have lit the marquees Ebert longed for, even if that’s a bit more unwieldy than the eras famous pairs. The least unbelievable thing in the film is how quickly they move to a kind of comfortable animosity, sniping away like the old chums Indy and her father must have been, and while that is still an order of magnitude more unbelievable than anything in a film should be, it works here in very much the way Ebert would suggest – we just have to overlook some things to take this ride.

The chases are, when removed from how we got into them, largely on par with the best you’ll find. Ducking and running are Indy’s stock-in-trade and on that score we have a movie that delivers solidly. There’s a bit of comedy thrown into things, for good or ill, and there are enough close scrapes to keep you on the edge of your seat. Then someone fires a ballista at an airplane and at that point the film has decided all bets are off. At a certain point the truly bonkers takes center stage and all redeeming qualities flee.

It’s a rough combination. It’s a film with some of the best scenes in the franchise, or scenes that could be if it could be bothered to pay attention to them, but also with the majority of the most ridiculous. But, the middle hour is nearly impossible to deny. It’s layered and wild with every element an audience might be looking for. Perhaps screwball fun, but the kind you truly get lost in, without the insulting idiocy. It’s a rollercoaster you’d ride all day with characters you’d never shy away from cheering.

In the end, this is a film that destroys itself as the sense of thrill and wonder melts away in the face of ludicrous events and character-breaking decisions and dialogue. It is an effort far better in theory, or blissfully-faded memory.

Below catch our podcast episode that also includes our review of Extraction 2.

The post Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Review – Plus Podcast appeared first on Are You Screening?.

Available now via a variety of options, Champions turned out to be one of the surprise hits of the year with audiences and critics alike, and I have a digital release code available to win.

For those who aren’t overly familiar with this one yet, Champions is the touching story of a former basketball coach (Woody Harrelson) who becomes the court-ordered manager of a team of players with intellectual disabilities. The film, from Focus Features, also stars Cheech Marin, Ernie Hudson, and Kaitlin Olson.

As one may easily imagine, the movie has much in common with what is by now practically a sub-genre of its own, and Harrelson delivers as the less-than-perfect coach managing the children’s sports team. Even among those who might be drawn to this one, the laughs are liable to catch you off guard as filmmaker Bobby Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary) has just the sort of cinematic and comedic sensibilities that mesh perfectly with the thematic underpinnings and situational struggles.

Champions is available to stream now exclusively on Peacock and is available to own on Digital, Blu-Ray, and DVD. The Collector’s Edition releases include some great bonus features, especially some wonderful deleted scenes, some of which are truly surprising in that they didn’t make the final cut.

Beyond any other accolades, the film earned an “A” on CinemaScore and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Below check out the home release trailer, more info on the bonuses, and enter to win a Digital Release code for Movies Anywhere.

‘COLLECTOR’S EDITION’ EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES AND BONUS FEATURES TO OWN ONLY ON DIGITAL, BLU-RAY^TM & DVD:

• 12 Deleted Scenes
• Keeping it Friendly – Director Bobby Farrelly, Woody Harrelson, and the rest of the cast share how they became involved in CHAMPIONS, as well as the importance of representation in the film.
• Woody and the Team – Every team needs a good leader – here we explore how Woody Harrelson filled that role on and off screen.
• Casting the Friends
• Feature Commentary with Director Bobby Farrelly

The post Champions Digital Release Giveaway appeared first on Are You Screening?.

Noah Baumbach is nothing if not fascinated by conversations, and not merely in the sense of conveying information through language, but the hows, whys, and struggles of having conversations, no matter what the subject. Looked at as a whole, his body of work is very similar to Robert Altman’s in that it seems best described as a massive variety of ways in which not much happens other than people talking to each other.

In White Noise things happen… and yet.

The events of White Noise are not only somewhat batty, but everything that happens is at once over-studied and apparently random. Despite this being an adaptation of a well-known novel, it becomes more of an unpacking. It feels at times as though this was conceived on a dare with someone calling out the weirdest possible thing that could happen in a moment followed by the hyper-dissecting of what comes of that roll of the die. Moreover, most scenes play out with both a precision of dialogue that reminds of Whit Stilman and also give the impression that Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle are improvising their lines.

Throughout its three distinct acts, we wander along with a family that is at first plodding through the drudgery of their routine, then trying to escape a death cloud, and finally staring directly at the madness of their lives, and life. Jack (Driver) is a professor and one of the world’s leading experts on Hitler Studies, whatever that is exactly, and he’s fascinated by car crashes in film. It’s the perfect combination of tragedy awareness, group experience study, and distilled boredom, and sets Driver up as a satire/hyperbole straight man who will carry events on his shoulder, even if accidentally.

His family “manages” through their days in a way that removes the “average” from having 2.5 children, 3 psychological diagnoses, and crushing dread of the future. Jack is an everyman riddled with peculiarities that nevertheless can’t budge him from the “typical,” and so is his family. When they suddenly find themselves piling into the station wagon for an emergency evacuation a natural panic sets in, but Jack seems to confront it as one more abnormality that is ultimately not so different from the last. Scenes leading to, and inside, a relocation facility find Jack bored with the “drama,” chatting with his family and those running things as if he were simply puttering around the grocery store waxing philosophic, as he frequently does.

The film’s examination is all too real and sends the audience live into the realm of Jack’s soliloquies on filmed car crashes and group experiences. Yet, as much as the curious twists showcase what is perhaps the mad race at zero speed, it’s the spotlight on conversations that elevates this one beyond what is rather easy to write off about it. Where events are trivial, the conversations are difficult, layered, or dizzyingly uncomfortable. Where we move into an oddness approaching slapstick, they are measured and almost shockingly natural. Best of all, they are increasingly revealing as Jack and Babette (Gerwig) prove to be their own opposites, and both commonplace and unreal. It’s hard to imagine delivering any of this without the natural charisma of Driver, Gerwig, and especially Cheadle pulling you along, because this is ultimately a film and story that isn’t boring, or even about being bored, but about why people don’t want to bored.

The post White Noise Review – The Depressing Monotony Of Uncommon Events appeared first on Are You Screening?.

There are few things about the realm of television more true than the fact that there must always be new series focusing on crime, and while there are often new efforts that simply stick to the mold created by classic shows, and ones that won’t die, there are always those that try to tip the genre on its head. Poker Face is not only a show about an utterly wild “investigator,” almost of PSYCH proportions, but it also throws out the seeming necessity of a supporting cast and/or setting.

Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) works in a casino as we enter this adventure and her new boss, her old boss’ son, has just been made aware of her special gift, she’s a human lie detector. Said new boss, Sterling Frost Jr. (Adrien Brody), has a plan to use that to his advantage by getting Charlie to fleece a high-roller in a private game.

The scheme that takes us through the pilot upends Charlie’s life and winds up with her on the run, which sets in motion the grander scheme of the series. What follows is one of the most bizarre mixes of plot ideas television has ever seen, and creator Rian Johnson (and a lot of writers) uses the premise to spin episodic yarns that are somehow all the more engaging for their lack of connection to anything.

Adding to the curiosity of this “Kung Fu meets Columbo” are the oddities of form that the series presents its “cases” by letting the audience know who did it from the beginning, and Charlie not only isn’t the police, she can’t even call the police. The first is, at least for now, a mesmerizing device as events are played out without Charlie first and then revisited with her inserted into the moments we’ve already seen. The second adds a unique tension to the show because while Charlie may have the magic ability to know when people are lying, her real skill is figuring out how to deliver the comeuppance with nothing but her wits in her arsenal. Best of all, these facets become part of the overall, edge-of-your-seat whirlwind as Charlie is constantly digging her way through situations, because knowing someone is lying doesn’t necessarily give you a lot of information.

Once you’re a few episodes in, and you’ve visited a sleepy town’s favorite BBQ and radio show combo, and a spot on the highway that isn’t even “there” except for a gas station and a Subway, things take on an almost Twilight Zone feel with a quick introduction to the guest stars, “community” du jour, and the improbable turn of events that will drive our examination this week.

In the end, the show moves from a curious con game with an impossible ace up your sleeve to a series of unlikely and baffling cases showcasing Charlie’s abilities and incredibly bad luck. It’s the strangest mash of ideas, genres, and theories to come along in a while and they truly seem like an effort to hook audiences by putting together everything you can think of that won’t really hook anyone in some “whole is greater…” dare.

This is Johnson at his best, as evidenced by Glass Onion, which is also only barely about figuring out the whodunit. Here, it’s all about showing off the characters and conversations with Charlie serving so many roles for the storytelling that you can’t list them. Lyonne, in a character that is not completely removed from her turn in Russian Doll (also a great show), is so solid in this role that it becomes elusive to nail down where the best notes show up. It is a role that is deceptive in its difficulty because it is so heavily-centered on her reactions. Her character is cobbled together from a life of living with her talent, and what that has thrust upon her, and delivering that person reacting to the people and circumstances of increasingly strange crimes is nearly impossible, but subtle. Lyonne not only manages it, but in a way that makes you think you’re watching your 30th episode of her doing it instead of your third.

It’s the most wickedly fun show in ages, and not just a show that you will want to binge, but one that you will almost instantly hope never ends.

The post Poker Face Review – New Crime Spin Reimagines TV appeared first on Are You Screening?.

Despite the plethora of recent returns to past television staples, including both reboots/rehashes and new titles that aim at the sensibilities/models of “another time” in the TV universe, there are certain shows that are so locked in their time that it seems unimaginable to try to break them out. The return to Night Court is thus a pretty serious gamble because while I loved the original show, we are now venturing into the realm of shows that seem to have achieved their popularity as a result of a very specific temporal zeitgeist and a lack of options.

As we return to the bizarre world of New York City’s 24-hour court system, Judge Abby Stone (The Big Bang Theory‘s Melissa Rauch) shows up to take over where her father, Harry Stone, left off. Thus, the nostalgia of the show is baked in to virtually unprecedented levels, and it doesn’t stop there. The pilot revolves around Abby’s effort to wrangle Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) into returning to Night Court, but this time as the public defender. That’s a lot of straight rewatching in your reboot, especially as Abby seems wont to honor/become her dad whenever possible, though without the magic and eccentricity.

The original series was buoyed by its quirky ensemble, and though the quirk has been toned down some, it looks like connecting with the crew overall is going to be pivotal to the show’s long-term success. Olivia (India de Beaufort) is the assistant D.A., and for the most part, simply wants out of the clown show. Neil (Kapil Talwalkar – who was fantastic in the horribly undervalued Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) is the semi-neurotic clerk who goes out of his way to not go out of his way and has settled into a comfortable state of not having to care about his job, because there really are no expectations. “Gurgs” (Lacretta) is the bailiff who is slightly out of her element, perhaps because she has no element, and is wickedly protective of her little family.

Despite not really having (or wanting) the likes of a “Bull” or “Roz” and even though Abby has little interest in the zaniness of her father, the new show runs with exactly the outline of the original. I don’t mean that the set and setup are the same, but the sense of humor, the campy “shocks” and responses, and the wild pendulum swings from cornball to syrupy sentimentality. For good or ill, and apart from Larroquette’s age, this is a series that might easily have turned up in ’93, and picked the ball up before it even settled.

Unfortunately, the show’s establishment trips over itself a bit and Larroquette’s “misanthropic shell” is somewhat mishandled and maneuvered in a manner that is overly simplistic, even for this. Once we’re past having to explain our crew to each other though, this one has a lot going for it and most of the truest potential may prove surprising. You don’t really need more of a sell than an older Dan Fielding who adds a layer of crotchety to his arrogant soliloquoys leading the new class of courtroom misfits, but the misfits are potentially even better.

Kapil Talwalker is the person with the biggest shoes to fill and though his character has his own spin that is sufficiently unique, the ensemble needs a Mac, the straightman/everyman mouthpiece that Charles Robinson delivered so solidly year after year in the original. Abby actually takes some of the straight duty here, because not everyone can throw around zingers constantly, but Neil has to manage most of it as he trudges through his own lack of ambition and the whims and stylings of his co-workers, pranks notwithstanding.

The only thing that’s hard to judge about the show is what its true aims are after we’re ten or twenty episodes in. Abby’s is a different game and demeanor, and one that is focused on quashing the idea that, in certain respects, she’s anything like her father. Of course, that’s the only move because trying to replace Harry Anderson is a mug’s game, but it means that some elements of the “stabilized show” are up in the air. On the other hand, Rauch has the comedic chops and charisma to move things along on her own. The cases/defendant’s are as nutty as ever, and we’re out for laughs, but where do things land exactly and how does Abby fit in? Besides which, Larroquette is an older, wiser Dan Fielding who has learned that he was right about people after all, but that includes Harry Stone.

That said, it’s comedic comfort food that isn’t so much funny as it is funny adjacent, but you don’t mind and the characters are (potentially) the kind that will suck you in. Don’t let anything about that mislead you because this one is a little more balanced than the original, and it’s aiming for a stronger pull than endless gags. It is also, for viewers of the right age, a show that spends time delivering “the kinds of things that other show did,” and especially when Larroquette is involved, those things mostly work. It has a lot of plates to keep spinning, but if it embraces the nostalgia the cast will carry this one a long way.

The post Night Court (2023) Review – Nostalgia As Premise Proves Tricky But Possible appeared first on Are You Screening?.

Violent Night seemed like the movie this year to suffer from unfortunate timing, and perhaps not the marketing push that I wish it had. Despite hearing about the film a fair amount, I’m not convinced that enough people who would definitely enjoy it managed to be made aware of just how fun this one is.

If you somehow haven’t caught it yet, you can find the trailer below and I’ve also included our podcast episode that includes a review of this one.

For some, unfortunately, Violent Night was probably easy to dismiss, being that some guy dressed as Santa Claus is involved with the spilling of a lot of blood, but don’t let anything turn you off to this one too quickly. If nothing else, it comes to you from the producers of Nobody and John Wick, and it has a lot more in common, sort of, with Die Hard than horror.

The movie is already available on Digital and lands on Blu-ray and DVD January 24th, and we’ve got a copy of the digital release available for you to win. Check below for the widget to enter to win a copy, and for more information on what the collector’s edition includes as far as bonus features.

From the producers of Nobody and John Wick comes VIOLENT NIGHT, available to own with bonus features on Digital January 20, 2023 and on Blu-ray and DVD on January 24, 2023 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. “The greatest Christmas action movie of all time” (CINAPSE) comes home in a collector’s edition that includes over half an hour of never-before-seen bonus content including deleted and extended scenes, a feature commentary, and behind-the-scenes featurettes delivering more of the movie for your Christmas collection.

When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound taking everyone inside hostage, they are not prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus. David Harbour (“Stranger Things”) stars as St. Nick in the “wildly entertaining” (SCREEN RANT) holiday romp, delivering some serious season’s beatings to save the family and the spirit of Christmas.

Directed by Tommy Wirkola (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Dead Snow franchise), VIOLENT NIGHT also stars Emmy® winner John Leguizamo (John Wick), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Cam Gigandet (Without Remorse), Alex Hassell (Cowboy Bebop), Alexis Louder (The Tomorrow War) and Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise).

With the purchase of VIOLENT NIGHT on disc or Digital, fans are eligible to earn points towards digital movies via the Universal All-Access Rewards program. Members can redeem their points for digital movies, swag and more!  For registration and details please visit www.MyUniversalRewards.com.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY^TM, DVD & DIGITAL: 

• Deleted and Extended Scenes
  • Family Arrives at the Mansion
  • Jason and Linda in Bedroom
  • Krampus Sees Trudy’s Radio
  • Santa on the Roof
  • Walk to the Manger
  • Family Resolution
  • Bad Dad
  • Cast Call Back
  • Extended Scenes
• Quarrelin’ Kringle – Cast and crew relay why David Harbour is the perfect brawler for this combative rendition of Santa.
• Santa’s Helpers: The Making Of VIOLENT NIGHT – Tommy Wirkola and David Leitch have reunited for another madcap, violent fairytale with heart in VIOLENT NIGHT. This making-of will celebrate their spirited reunion as well as the other little helpers.
• Deck the Halls with Brawls – Go behind the action as we go blow for blow with the new villains of Christmas.
• Feature Commentary with Director Tommy Wirkola, Producer Guy Danella, Writer Pat Casey and Writer Josh Miller

Violent Night Trailer

Are You Screening? Podcast Review

The post Violent Night Giveaway appeared first on Are You Screening?.

James Cameron is no stranger to blockbuster films, or to having his efforts make a serious impact on cultural consciousness, but even with all his name brings a sequel to Avatar is a decidedly tricky task. There are obviously a lot of reasons the deck is stacked against this one, not least the fact that it’s been so long, but the main reason is that Avatar is so mind-crushingly bad. It’s a film that is as much a delight for the senses as it is simply a tossing into a blender of every sad banality and cliche of film pasted over the plot of other films.

Shockingly, while Avatar: The Way of Water isn’t quite a good film in the end, it manages to improve on the original in every way, despite falling victim to most of the same problems.

Much like the original, this one is clearly built around several key effects Cameron wants to film with certain societal statements (and tepid, boring ones at that) serving as anchors. Thus, the steps leading from one to the next, the motivations and reactions of characters, the plot devices that pull and shove things along, are all tedius, eye-rolling, and meant to be ignored. As bad as that sounds, and is, the film at least establishes the paramaters during its opening minutes, during which we see the aftermath of the first film and the incomprehensible extent to which Jake (and everyone else on Pandora) does absolutely nothing to prepare for the guaranteed returned of the human race for over a decade.

Humans do return, in spectacularly fiery fashion, because the “humans destroy everything without a care” theme needs to whack audiences over the head again, in case you didn’t just rewatch the original. This go around, Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his closest crew return in avatar form, and general security/putting locals in their place issues quickly become a revenge/Jake-focused concern, meaning above all else Quaritch is simply gunning for one person… ish.

This largely preposterous catalyst maneuvers the film toward the ocean as Jake lands on the idea that if he simply hides far away with another group of Na’vi, who have evolved to better live in an ocean/coastal habitat, everything will be fine. Nothing to this point makes a lick of sense, except using the film’s “sense construct” whereby if it got me to the point I can include whales and underwater action it makes sense.

Finding refuge among the water Na’vi gives us the chance to watch Jake’s sons weather some bullying that would have John Hughes wondering if perhaps the young people aren’t acting a bit simplistically, because a little thing like an alien race trying to take over the planet isn’t going to deter anyone from wearing a bit more tread off a tired hazing plotline.

Conveniently, we’ve lost interest in unobtanium, and apart from simply wanting to take over and populate Pandora, the resource of the moment is the few ounces of goo you can collect from the brains of a species of whale on Pandora. Lo and behold, this puts Jake and his new friends in conflict with the returning destroyers of all things good and pure, and the fight is on.

Surprisingly, the film manages mostly to win out, because, as I said, it improves on nearly everything. The wonder of the visuals exists more in actual fact than theory, and though pacing could still be improved, it allows a viewer to ignore the story to a much greater degree. There is a richer world of our key characters vying for your attention, and as much as several elements (like the bullying) are pointless and “effect service,” it is far more possible to let yourself be taken up with them and let the “story” wash over your experience.

It even improves, though not by much, on its villain/s, something Cameron simply isn’t good at when any degree of depth is required. Quaritch is black hat goofy in the first film and he’s hardly much more here, but he at least has some interesting notes to play with by virtue of figuring out who he is, even if it doesn’t ultimately amount to much.

In the end, the film is a mesmerizing ride that takes “pure popcorn fun” to new heights and manages to dodge and weave around its own failings, though it would have been nice if it tried to remove them instead of celebrating its ability to outmaneuver them. It deserves recommending, and would even if the plot were worse, because the wow factor and moments of real emotion win out. It’s also a film perhaps deserving of every rating, depending on where a person falls on the specturm of wanting plot that isn’t just plain silly.

Avatar Podcast Review

The post Avatar: The Way of Water Review – Cameron Improves On Boring Spectacle… A Bit appeared first on Are You Screening?.