Polite Society is a fun and playful homage to 70s martial arts film that also mixes in Jane Austin-style romance and early 2000s teen comedies. The core sister relationship of Ria and Lena ties this fun remix of styles together to make a great theater experience.

Grade: B

Carmen feels like an interpolation of the classic Opera. While it’s not wholly successful in everything it does, this new modern American Carmen does succeed in making an engaging film-watching experience.

Grade: C+

Peter Pan and Wendy is purposefully crafted with care and thoughtfulness, and while it succeeds in expanding the ideas of Wendy, Hook, and Tiger Lily, it’s at the cost of the character of Peter Pan.

Grade: B-

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Alright, let me tell everyone from the jump I’m biased on this. Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. are some of the earliest memories in my life. Playing games with these characters are dearer to me than superhero comics, so after suffering in middle school with the old 1993 movie, I just expected that there would never be another Mario Bros. movie again, and from Nintendo’s perspective, I could understand why. Hollywood messed it up back then, and I was perfectly happy with it never happening. Once I heard that Universal made a deal with Nintendo for a movie and that they made theme parks, I didn’t make much of it since I thought Nintendo would be too picky and we’ll never get another Nintendo property-based film. Yet all that changed once I heard Illumination was the animation studio chosen to do it. I had some hope since the Minions had some good movies, and Secret Life of Pets is also good. There’s a history of French animation studios respecting Japanese pop culture, especially aesthetically. Now from here, I can confidently say that they crafted a fantastic film. For me, it’s completely perfect, the Super Mario movie I have dreamed of since I was young.

So I guess I can give a quick setup of what this movie is about if you’ve somehow never ever in your life played a Mario game. Mario and Luigi are two brothers who live in Brooklyn, New York, and they are starting their plumbing business. One day when trying to help Brooklyn with a major plumbing issue in the sewers, the two brothers get sucked into a pipe that transports them to a new world where Bowser, the King of the Koopas (also a dragon turtle), is ravaging the many kingdoms of the realm as he tries to get to Princess Peach with his Super Star to conquer everything. With Mario and Luigi split up, Mario must team up with Toad and Peach to help her stop Bowser and find Luigi. Much Jumping ensues.

The film is wonderful and beautiful with all the colors and the textures in the film to not bring it to life as this is a game series, so it has that covered but a new look to it all. In a way, right now, this is the like a first look at what a PS4 Pro/Xbox One X era Mario game could’ve looked like. The animation is so fluid, and the there’s a lot of good emotion in the animation to add the depth and stakes to the story. It moves quickly, and you won’t be bored, and kids won’t either. It’s also hitting you with some many easter eggs. It’s probably worth watching this slow-motion film to catch them all (no pun intended). All the voice actors did a fantastic job, even Chris Pratt, who people dislike now, but he’s already been proven as a good voice actor for animation, and he does so here. (Note I’m not a fan of Charles Martinet of Mario and Luigi since he was brought in with Mario 64. I’m a fan of the US voices from the Super Mario Super Show – Capt. Lou Albano and Danny Wells because they actually sounded like Italian Americans from NYC). As expected, Jack Black steals the show as Bowser, but honestly, all the actors do so well with these characters that I wouldn’t mind if I heard them in a game too. Seth Rogan is going to be great as DK from this, and I’m ready for the Donkey Kong Country movie now.

I could go on and on, but I think this movie does well by making a fun and coherent story with heart and feels like a celebration of the franchise by tying as much of the many facets of the franchise all together in a banger of the animated film.

Rating: A

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D

Spinning Gold is not good folks. This film that is sold as the story of Casablanca Records is about Neil Bogart, one of the founders, and from the way, the film tells it the driving force behind this label and the artists on it and somehow their music. I sat in the theater, mostly confused with what I was watching. I wondered if this was a musical play that was on Broadway or Off-Broadway for a short run? I wondered because the film starts with Jeremy Jordan as Neil bursting into a Black Church as a choir sings Oh, Happy Day with him joining them. Yet I think I would’ve heard about a musical with a songbook that includes the work of Gladys Knight and the Pips, KISS, The Isley Brothers, The Village People, and more. So no, it’s not that. Hmmm, I thought – are they trying to do a movie that then leads to a musical play? Maybe the sets in the film aren’t that great, and the hair isn’t that good, and the characters are quite broad but not in a good way, like when you’re watching some musical theater, and it needs to reach the back of the house. Well, it’s not good at that either. So what is this movie, and how did I end up in the seat watching this movie?

So Spinning Gold, as I said, is focused on the life of Neil Bogart, written, directed, and produced by Timothy Scott Bogart, Neil’s son, and after seeing this, you can see a person’s child made it as it lionizes them to an almost demigod like degree. The film covers Neil’s life and career in music while it also makes his friends and colleagues into sidekicks visually, even if the words say otherwise. It also glazes over the man’s gambling problems and hardcore drug use. It turns his infidelity into some romantic conflict in this man’s heart, as his true love is his music ambition to bring these artists’ music into the world. It’s not really fair to all the people involved and the actors in the film because you can see that they were trying with a script that doesn’t work and directing along with a budget that made me feel like I was watching a Hallmark or Lifetime film in the theater. I know they this movie had more money than any of those companies’ TV movies. The casting in this film for the legendary artists visually doesn’t work, but all these folks, actual recording artists, can sing and perform, but they just don’t really fit who they are playing.

I sat and wondered why he made a story that wasn’t about the label’s creation or the business stuff as a whole but more about the romantic elements of this man’s life. Why were Ronald Isley and Gladys Knight just story props to show that he was somehow better at Black music than the people who made Black music? KISS is barely more than a prop since they have a bit more agency and a plotline with Neil and the rest of the company, but only the two most famous members have that. It’s disheartening, and I think they should’ve done more by all closer to something like what Cadillac Records did in mixing the personal, the group, and the music business together better than this did. And I’m not saying that the film was high-level cinema, but it was very much better made than this movie. Everyone deserved better, even Neil Bogart.

A very poorly done biopic of a music executive that was sold as film about a historic record label and it’s artists.

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A fantastic performance from Teyana Taylor anchors this film about a mother and son that goes in ways you wouldn’t expect that also captures the spirit of mid-’90s through early 2000s New York City perfectly. 

A

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They finally have made a good adaptation of this game to film. The film has the right amount of humor and respect for the source that works for those who know it and those who have no idea but want a good time. 

B

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This film goes from plucky tech success stories into an international business and political thriller and back again. It’s nothing as you’d expect from a video game film and is just as engaging as the game is. 

B+

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Now I’ll be honest and say I’m not a huge Luther fan. While I know it exists, it isn’t something that really ever made me want to watch. Idris Elba as a tortured, genius detective that hunts serial killers is a dope idea, but that first episode almost put me to sleep, and I like UK stuff.

I was raised watching BBC shows on PBS growing up, but the show, with its similarities to Sherlock Holmes, just left me cold as it constantly grew in popularity. Yet I took a gamble and saw the new film Luther: Fallen Sun. In this film, John Luther (Idris Elba) is disgraced by a new serial killer David Robey, played by Andy Serkis, as he was getting too close to him. Luther, determined to find this killer as he taunts in him, jail escapes prison and is on the run from the new detective in charge, DCI Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo), who is now hunting down Luther and Robey. Not going to lie; that’s the one thing that I found a bit funny, the dedication of the Police to get Luther, who’s basically better than all of them. At the same time, he searches to stop and catch the serial killer was weird, but I think that’s just my American skepticism of our Police. The film is pretty good visually and feels like a step up from the little I’ve seen from the TV series. The performances are all great, but I think that should be expected from this cast of current brit greats.

The story is easy to follow, even if you can tell what will happen. Serkis, of course, is such a force as a bad guy because you know he’s great at playing villains, and this villain is especially terrible. Erivo is great as the by-the-book new head cop trying to solve this case and catch Luther. I think this story which was probably thought of as a future season, is better served as just this film, and it was enjoyable in this form versus many hours to tell this story.

B

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People, we finally have Woody Harrelson back in a basketball movie!!!

In this film, Champions Harrelson plays Marcus, a G-League assistant basketball coach. After blowing up on his head coach (played by Ernie Hudson) and getting a DUI, he does community service. That community service is coaching a team with intellectual disabilities. The movie starts out a little slow in terms of enjoyment, but once it gets into its second act, it really comes together. You really get the charm of not only Marcus but of all the players. What is a new take for me is that this shows people with disabilities not as children but older as young adults—folks with jobs and love lives and everything. I really enjoyed that because I’m so used to the focus of these movies being children or young high schoolers that I felt this movie was going to be a bit rote. Harrelson’s Marcus does have a love interest in Alex, played by Kaitlin Olsen – a sister of one of the players on the team. It doesn’t overstay its welcome or take too much away from the main plot. The movie is very funny and heartwarming and does well in being a good basketball sports movie.

B

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I didn’t get a chance to watch Scream, aka Scream 5, last year, but after the teasers and trailers for Scream 6, which takes place in Manhattan, it not only made me want to go and see this movie and also made me want to go back and watch the last one.

With strong Jason takes Manhattan vibes from the trailer, the second in what in the universe calls this era of Scream a “requel” franchise does improve on the last one and does well by this new generation of Scream, and its more recent fans. Here we have sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega)back after the events of the last film, now with Tara in college with survivors and friends, the twins Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding). Sam is still struggling with her past, her connection to Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), and the fame from surviving a Ghostfaceserial murder event. Still, unlike the previous hero Sidney Prescott, Sam is actually hated by the public. People think she’s the killer instead of the real killers from the last film. An interesting flip as a new Ghostface killer is in NYC chasing after Sam, and Tara now has a new playground of being in a full city instead of the quiet suburbs. It has a pretty hectic pace and is able to build tension and a new harshness to all the kills, even more than the last one. Not many huge jumpscares, but it’s still engrossing, and you want to see how this group gets picked off, along with trying to make out who the killer is. The meta-ness of the franchise is back in full force, and this one reference Scream 2 just as 5 did the first film. It’s good to see Hayden Panettiere back as Kirby Reed from 4 and, of course, Courtney Cox as the OG GaleWeathers. All the actors do great here, and I think overall, Scream is back for real, and I’m ready for a 7.

B+

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Hey folks, here’s a discussion with Vulture critic and friend Roxana Hadadi about the first season of the The Last of Us. I reviewed this show before it aired, and I didn’t want to attempt to do weekly podcasts about it and wanted to just do one at the end. Roxana has been covering the show on Vulture, so I wanted to bring her on to talk about it after our many talks over the last 10 weeks or so about it. Enjoy!Here’s the essay she talks about on the episode – https://www.vulture.com/article/the-last-of-us-series-analysis-american-exceptionalism.html 

and her post-season interview with Chris Mazin, one of the co-creators of the show adaptation – https://www.vulture.com/article/last-of-us-craig-mazin-season-finale-ending-interview.html 

Roxana’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/roxana_hadadi

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