Greetings programs! This week we’re getting caught up in the fascination that is gripping the nation. That’s right, it’s the Barbenheimer episode! Both Oppenheimer and Barbie are being hailed as being some of the best filmmaking of the year. Do we agree? Yes, yes we do, and listen in to find out why!
Continue reading “Podcast: Oppenheimer & Barbie”
Greetings programs! This week on the show, we’re talking about two super fun movies: Fast X, the 11th Fast & Furious movie and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, the sequel to the best movies of 2018.
Join us!
Continue reading “Podcast: Fast X & Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Greetings programs! This week on the podcast, we’re talking about Macbeth and Peacemaker. One is a timeless tale of a power-hungry man who tries to take control of his life with a trail of unthinkable violence, and the other is Macbeth. Both of them are excellent, too. We also discuss James Gunn as a writer and director, which goes to some interesting places, especially in the wake of further revelations about Joss Whedon.
Continue reading “Podcast: ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ & ‘Peacemaker’”
Stop me if you have heard this one before. A protagonist obsessed with planning, order, and things being just so, ends up in a situation where they have to spend time with a new friend who floats through life, embraces chaos, and for whom things always seem to work out. I don’t know what movie you are thinking of because there are so many possibilities, but I am talking about Vacation Friends, the new film starring Lil Rel Howrey and John Cena, which debuts on Disney+ Star (Hulu in the US) today.
To be clear, this set-up has been done so many times because when it works, you get comedy gold. However, there are two things that a film like this needs to hit that paydirt. First, you need a pair of charismatic leads who have excellent comedic timing and natural chemistry that allows them to bounce off one another seamlessly for the most comedic effect. Howrey and Cena are definitely this. Second, you need a really funny, original script. It’s a good thing that this movie has the first thing.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Vacation Friends’ is fine, and that’s fine.”
Greetings programs, it’s Awesome Friday on a Sunday, which means we’re back with another episode of the Awesome Friday Movie Podcast!
Join us this week as we discuss two new movies. First up is the new Sony Pictures Animation film Vivo, which features the voice, and songs, of Lin-Manuel Miranda and was released to Netflix this week. Second up is James Gunn’s triumphant return to superhero movies; the Warner Brothers and DC released The Suicide Squad, now in theatres (and on HBO Max in the United States).
Continue reading “Awesome Friday Movie Podcast Episode 4: ‘Vivo’ & ‘The Suicide Squad’”
James Gunn has a distinctive voice. It’s always been there, from his days at Troma through writing the Scooby-Doo films and the Dawn of the Dead remake, and from his early directorial efforts like Slither and Super all the way to the Guardians of the Galaxy and now, the Suicide Squad. That voice is juvenile, a little dark, and also –and this is most important– fun.
I say this because The Suicide Squad, the movie he signed on to make while briefly exiled from Marvel Studios, is a juvenile movie. And it’s a little dark. And it’s pretty fun. But while its R-rated excesses are probably the logical extension of his voice as a storyteller, it is also cobbled together from his greatest hits from other projects. Your mileage may vary on whether it feels repetitive or merely familiar, but it’s also enough fun that that probably doesn’t matter.
Continue reading “Review: ‘The Suicide Squad’ is wacky, juvenile, committed, fun, and familiar”
I feel like writing this review might be a little redundant. This is the tenth film in this franchise, so if you’re not on board with the fambly at this point, I’m not sure you ever will be. The franchise shifted from “people who drive good” to “international super spies” over the last few films, and this one continues the cycle of one-upmanship with a trip to space.
Yes, they go to space in this one, so it’s an apt comparison when I say that this might be their Moonraker moment when they finally abandon all pretence of realism. Please note: I like Moonraker.
Continue reading “Review: ‘F9’ is ridiculous, but knows its audience”
James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad isn’t even out yet and it already has a spinoff TV series.
Continue reading “‘Peacemaker’, a ‘The Suicide Squad’ spinoff series coming to HBO Max”
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