One Movie Punch

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for our final episode before a two-week break here at One Movie Punch. As always, I like to close out the section with a film I’ve been meaning to watch, but haven’t had time for until now. And let me tell you, today’s film has been HIGH on my list. See what I did there?

For a few other recent Netflix Original documentaries, check out “Knock Down The House” (Episode #497), “Reversing Roe” (Episode #496), One Movie Spouse’s review for “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” (Episode #488), and Keith Lyons’ review for “The Legend of Cocaine Island” (Episode #486). 

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Here we go!

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Today’s movie is “Grass Is Greener”, the Netflix Original documentary directed by Fab 5 Freddy, hip-hop star, former host of “Yo! MTV Raps”, and lifetime cannabis advocate. The film details the history of marijuana in the United States from a black cultural perspective, from its original association with early jazz and swing pioneers, its mainstreaming via the Beats and the counter-cultural movement, the infamous War on Drugs started by Nixon which continues through today, and the blossoming recreational marijuana industry as states continue to decriminalize and legalize.

No spoilers. 

I remember being educated about drugs in the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of our public-school experience. It started as the Just Say No program, teaching full drug abstinence, and got a little more nuanced with the D.A.R.E. program and a host of scare advertisements like the infamous fried egg brain on drugs commercial. And without having the Internet to cross-check anything I was being told, I largely accepted everything I was taught as the truth instead of a well-concealed propaganda campaign. I believed people who smoked pot got reefer madness. I believed marijuana was just as dangerous as heroin. I believed drug users were destroying their minds with every use. And, of course, I believed drinking was just fine because they sponsored football games and always had fun.

And then I got high. A lot younger than anyone should, to be honest, somewhere around thirteen or fourteen. There was a group of us, and we experimented with all sorts of drugs. I had to give them up, because some friends were getting involved in gang activity, and others were slowly slipping into much harder drugs. It wasn’t until my last week in college that I smoked weed again, when someone offered to get me high after a night at the bars. When I moved out to California, all the weed you could want was just a prescription away. Weed started to mainstream, and we’ve gotten to a point in society where we have to ask, why was it ever illegal in the first place? Today’s film helps to answer that question.

The biggest takeaway from today’s documentary is that you can’t talk about marijuana, or about drug policy in general, without talking about race. Fab 5 Freddy’s chronological look at marijuana in the United States begins with the first imports into Texas and Louisiana, and how the plant and its use was immediately attached to communities of color, and in particular, the jazz scene in New Orleans. Fab 5 Freddy walks through the history of marijuana, from a political standpoint as white politicians began outlawing the drug as a means of disrupting communities of color, and from a cultural standpoint as marijuana embedded itself into the music, art, film, and social scenes. And now, as multiple states are decriminalizing recreational and medical marijuana, Fab 5 Freddy also talks about the disproportionate treatment of communities of color when it comes to drug policy. Increased patrol rates, detainment rates, citation rates, arrest rates, bail amounts, and sentencing, including three strikes lifetime sentences for small amounts of marijuana. And more importantly, how can we have people locked up for life over marijuana, and still allow anyone who can afford to buy into the burgeoning marijuana industry to profit.

I only had two criticisms about the documentary. The first was a long tangent into the extrajudicial killings of black lives by the police, which is definitely related to drug policy, but felt out of step with the rest of the documentary, no matter how important the topic is. In fact, I would love to see Fab 5 Freddy take on police brutality, just in another documentary to explore the topic with the justice it deserves. The second was that while we got a good history, and a listing of the problems with marijuana incarcerations and industry growth going forward, we rarely get a whole lot of solutions within the documentary. The best solution I heard was offered by Killer Mike of Run the Jewels, who said one way to pay reparations to populations incarcerated for marijuana convictions is to offer them licenses or jobs to enter the industry after expunging their records. As always, Killer Mike is on point with his political analysis. I don’t have all the answers myself, but I do know we can’t keep people locked up for life for something that is perfectly legal now, and was never that harmful in the first place, especially if people stand to make billions.

“Grass Is Greener” is an insightful documentary into the history of marijuana in the United States, specifically from a black cultural perspective. The documentary shows the complicated social and political relationship between the country, society, and marijuana, but doesn’t always offer the solutions we need to ensure marijuana legalization benefits everyone equally and rectifies the previous injustices. Documentary fans, and cannabis advocates, should definitely check out this film, along with anyone who wants an unvarnished look at marijuana politics. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 7.5/10

“Grass Is Greener” (2019) is rated TV-MA and is currently playing on Netflix.

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Joseph: “Well, that’s a wrap here on another cycle for One Movie Punch. Everyone’s headed home for the week. We hit 30,000 downloads, 500 episodes, and now two weeks off for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.”

Amy: “Cheers!”

Joseph: “Do you hear that?”

Amy: “What the… do you SEE that?”

Joseph: “Let me get the One Movie Punch Spyglass here… oh crap!”

Amy: “What is it?”

Joseph: “It’s an armada of ships, bearing a flag with strange headphones-laden silhouettes!”

Amy: “That’s not… Big Heads Media, is it?”

Joseph: “I thought they were joking about a hostile takeover.”

Amy: “What should we do?”

Joseph: “Let me call… crap. They’ve jammed cellular and satellite communications. I’ll head to the studio, lock it down, and try to get a word out on the land line. You need to escape and go for help, in case they’ve cut that off as well.”

Amy: “All right. I’ll head to the One Movie Punch Escape Submarine. Are you going to be okay?” 

Joseph: “I don’t know, we’ll see. Wasn’t how I was planning to spend our vacation.”

Amy: “Me either.”

Joseph: “All right, you should get out of here. Gimme some sugar, baby.”

Amy: MWAH! 

Joseph: “Always the best. Now go! And let’s see just how formidable this network is…”

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another Fantastic Fest review from our good friend Andrew Campbell. He’s been working feverishly to find films playing on streaming services, and luckily today’s feature recently became available on Shudder. He’ll be up in a few minutes with his thoughts, but for a couple other films involving Brazilian film scene, check out the trippy religious parable “The Ornithologist” (Episode #182) and the street-level look at the Roma in Italy in the multi-national “A Ciambra” (Episode #241). 

Also, while I appreciate the reminder about reviewing “Raw”, I simply will not be bullied.

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go! 

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here, back this week with a Brazilian film that made its U.S. premiere at the 2018 Fantastic Fest. AMC-owned horror streaming service Shudder acquired the rights earlier this year and released it in May. Shudder runs about five bucks a month, less if you pay up front for a year, and is a solid investment if you watch horror films with any regularity or want to delve into more of them.

Shudder continues to deliver the goods on three fronts. They have an expansive library of classic horror from the 60s and 70s such as “The Exorcist”, “The Other”, “The Changeling” and other influential films. They’ve got more B-movie horrors from the 80s and 90s than I ever knew existed. On Fridays, cult movie expert Joe Bob Briggs interrupts a double feature of drive-in films providing entertaining commentary just as he and other hosts did back in the hey-day of cable TV. Lastly, Shudder has been ramping up the pace and quality of their new film acquisitions as their user base grows. Along with today’s picture, I’ve reviewed a couple of Shudder exclusives already: “You Might Be the Killer” (Episode #397) and “Terrified” (Episode #404).

Joseph: “Dear Shudder! We love you! Call us! Hugs and Kisses, One Movie Punch!" 

Today’s film is “The Nightshifter”, written by Claudia Jouvin and Dennison Ramalho, based on a novel by Marco de Castro and directed by Dennison Ramalho. Stênio, played by Daniel de Oliveira, is an overnight morgue worker in São Paulo, Brazil. He must work in a rough area of the city as the majority of the incoming bodies he autopsies have met their end through gang violence. On the home front, Stênio’s wife Odete (Fabiula Nascimento), has grown resentful of her unambitious husband. He works hard, is by all accounts a good man, loves his wife and their two young boys, but she is unhappy with their lower middle-class lifestyle and her husband coming home smelling like all things death.

The central conceit of the film is that Stênio has an innate ability to carry on conversations with the deceased on his table, though only when no other members of the living are present. This is presented somewhat matter-of-factly during Stênio’s first scene and it’s clear that this is a gift he’s had for a while. It’s never explained how he acquired this skill or if this is the reason he got into morgue work, but the film is probably better for this choice. The movie loses me a little bit in these moments where the dead speak. I don’t know if it’s animatronic, or real actors or claymation for that matter, but the twitchy-eyed dead with their guttural voices just look a little “off” to me. We are given some gnarly autopsies as Stênio dices through the viscera of gangbangers that have succumbed to all manner of grisly ends, but it plays out more as gross-out comedy than true horror.

Before long, Stênio ends up making a deal with the devil. For the first time, he uses information given to him by one his corpse buddies to commission a dark deed that does not go off as planned. The film takes maybe a little too long to get to this point, but then again there is a lot to establish to make the story work. The latter half of the film gets into your standard jump scares with horror scenes that most viewers will have seen before in slight variations. 

What makes “The Nightshifter” fantastic?

The film is an amalgam of sorts. It starts out with gruesome body horror before shifting into a dark horror-comedy, though it’s not always clear if the stuff I found funny was intended or unintended by the director. We then get a 30-minute family-drama slash gangland tale, before a lengthy supernatural conclusion with a ghost-story vibe. It all adds up to a pretty clever conceit on paper, but the shifting story tends to drag more often than it delivers on its premise.

“The Nightshifter” (2018) is an uneven tale of life after death that rarely delivers on its ambitious screenplay. Fans of films that feature dark dealings from beyond the grave like “Drag Me to Hell”, or “Sinister”, or “Insidious”, among a laundry list of others, will enjoy this film. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 89% (on 9 reviews)

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 6.6/10

“The Nightshifter” (2018) is not rated and is currently streaming on Shudder.

Well, with the podcast about to go on a brief hiatus, I can’t think of a better movie to follow up a two-week production delay than Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”.

Joseph: “Still not reviewing Raw.”

After finally being released in 2018 after nearly 30 years of false starts and development hell, I think we can all wait just a few extra days to find out: Will the epic saga behind this production be the only thing for which it’s remembered or does the movie stand on its own?  I’ll see you next time!

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another Netflix Original review, this time from Philly Film Fan, aka Keith Lyons. It’s our first film from the Philippines here on One Movie Punch. Keith will be up in a minute, but for a few films from the neighboring Indonesian scene, check out “The 3rd Eye” (Episode #276), “The Night Comes For Us” (Episode #295), and “May the Devil Take You” (Episode #320)

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

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Take it away, Keith!

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Hi, Philly Film Fan here with another review for One Movie Punch. You can follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan.

Today’s movie is “Maria”, directed by Pedring Lopez and written by Yz Carbonell, Rex Lopez, and the director. This Filipino film features sexy female assassins, tons of action, and more throat-slitting than you’re probably comfortable with. 

No spoilers.

“Maria” opens with a riveting action scene where a masked figure cuts her way through a small army of men. Our mysterious assassin wields a karambit, a curved knife, reminiscent of a cat’s claw, which is a popular weapon in Filipino martial arts, and uses it to slice the throat of any man who gets in her way. After dispatching with the guards, our assassin’s target is revealed to be a mother and her young daughter. This is probably a good time to pause and give a content warning: “Maria” is a violent film with a high body count and an almost comical amount of CGI blood spurts (mostly from necks getting cut open). But even within that context, there is one scene that stands out for its shocking brutality. Sensitive viewers should definitely avoid this film.

After that kick-ass opening scene, we jump forward seven years and are introduced to Maria (Cristine Reyes), a woman living a seemingly idyllic life with her husband and six-year-old daughter. But who is she really? And what is her connection to the mysterious throat-slitter from the pre-credit sequence? Okay, they’re obviously the same person. Actually, everything about this film is pretty obvious. If you have seen any action film made after 1980, you know exactly where this thing is headed. “Maria” is genre filmmaking at its most straight forward. The only real suspense is whether or not Maria will leave enough bad guys alive to justify a sequel.

Genre films always exist within the context of a formula. This formula has been tested and proven to provide results. The best genre films transcend this formula by breaking its bounds or commenting on the clichés we’ve come to expect. One step below that are films that lean into all of the tropes and conventions, but execute them with perfect precision, creating a technical masterpiece to serve as a standard for lesser films. I would have to classify “Maria” as one of those lesser films. It is competently made but it feels a bit “paint by numbers”. Kick-ass fight scene? Check. Humanizing moment for our hero? Check. Thrilling chase scene? Check. Dramatic reveal? Check. Throat slitting? Double check!

“Maria” promises an Asian action film with a sexy lead pursued by an army of interchangeable mercenaries with throats ripe for the slicing. “Maria” delivers on this promise. Fans of boilerplate genre films can turn off their brains for 90 minutes and escape into this lean thriller. But if you never get around to it, well, you’re not missing much. 

Rotten Tomatoes: NR

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 6.5/10

“Maria” (2019) is rated TV-MA (mostly for throat slitting) and is currently streaming on Netflix.

This jawn was brought to you by Philly Film Fan. For more movie reviews, follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan where I’m participating in the #365Movies challenge. That’s P-H-I-L-L-Y-F-I-L-M-F-A-N. Thanks for listening!

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another review from yours truly, this time for an Asian-led Netflix Original romantic comedy that has been a hit with critics and fans alike. I’ll let you know my thoughts in a little bit, especially on the music, but for a few other Netflix Original romantic comedies, check out last year’s smash hit around this time, “Set It Up” (Episode #167), along with “When We First Met” (Episode #047), “Ali’s Wedding (Episode #164), and “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” (Episode #230).

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Here we go!

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Today’s movie is “Always Be My Maybe”, the Netflix Original romantic comedy directed by Nahnatchka Khan, and written for the screen by Michael Golamco, Ali Wong, and Randall Park. The film follows the lives of Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park), two San Francisco friends reunited sixteen years later, who find old feelings arising, even as they are facing major turning points in their lives. The film also stars Keanu Reeves as Keanu Reeves playing Keanu Reeves, and he gets punched in the face.

No spoilers. Except that one. You know how we love punching! 

I came late to romantic comedies during my movie watching career. Part of that was a form of genre gender-norming, which said action movies were for boys and romance movies were for girls. Many films are still developed and marketed towards particular demographics, and sometimes those films, or how you reacted to them, said real or perceived things about you. I remember seeing “While You Were Sleeping” with a group of male friends, because we missed our window to see “Jurassic Park” for the umpteenth time, and being viciously ridiculed for crying, which drove me away from romantic comedies almost altogether. It’s great to see those kinds of gender roles dissolving among younger generations, and more importantly, great to see the effect that’s having on the romantic comedies of today.

Romantic comedies are having a resurgence. I don’t think it’s just the expanding audience that comes with dissolving gender norms, but also the diversity in characters and relationships that are now available. Men don’t have to be aloof, emotionally brutish hunks winning someone’s heart. Women don’t have to be desperate, emotionally reactionary eye candy pining away for love. These cisgendered, heteronormative, monocultural stories are being replaced with more grounded stories, complex characters, complex relationships, and cultural diversity. Lots of options and lots of streaming service cash available to develop content. And in this resurgence, one of the films we’ll remember most is “Always Be My Maybe”. 

“Always Be My Maybe” introduces us to Sasha and Marcus as neighbors in San Francisco back in the 1990s, quickly demonstrating their strong emotional bond and efficiently developing their backstories. We see some of those gender norms at play in Wong and Park’s first scene, which not only establishes the characters, but sets up their conflict prior to their sixteen-year absence from each other. It’s a classic setup, but it is also infused with the vibrancy of the Bay Area, and the subtleties of the Asian middle-class experience. Khan does a great job navigating these early scenes, putting all the pieces together, and setting the characters off on their haphazard journey towards each other, and in some ways, towards finding themselves.

Wong and Park are excellent as Sasha and Marcus, having a lot of input on the script, and melding their own experiences and talents into their characters. Wong deftly injects her stand-up material into the situations, not just the content, but the delivery and timing. Park was able to pull on his previous career as part of the 1990s Bay Area hip-hop crew, Ill Again, and worked with Lyrics Born and Dan the Automator on the lyrics and music for Marcus’ band, Hello Peril. It’s the second film that Dan the Automator has been involved with this year. I can only hope he is making enough to reopen the Handsome Boy Modelling School.

Of course, the show stealer is Keanu Reeves, playing himself as Sasha’s new boyfriend after ending her previous engagement. Reeves is fabulous, playing a completely ridiculous version of himself and his persona as characterized by media and fans alike. From his mysterious foreshadowing, to his restaurant entrance, to the weirdest game night ever, he was hilarious. Wong and Park weren’t even sure they could get Reeves to do it, but they were able to make it work. It’s so hilarious, in fact, it overshadows a lot of the rest of the film. Most people seem to talk a lot about Reeves in the film, but not a whole lot about Wong or Park, or the other great supporting characters. But we do get a great song, aptly titled “I Punched Keanu Reeves”, so I think it’s a fair trade.

“Always Be My Maybe” is an excellent, Asian-led romantic comedy from Ali Wong, Randall Park, Michael Golamco, and Nahnatchka Khan. The film brings new and modern perspectives to the romantic comedy genre, delivering a quality film, and perhaps one of the best supporting character performances ever by Keanu Reeves. Romantic comedy fans should definitely check out this film, along with anyone who loves stories set in the Bay Area.

Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 64

One Movie Punch: 8.2/10

“Always Be My Maybe” (2019) is rated PG-13 and is currently playing on Netflix.

Hi everyone!

Today, we welcome back Ryan L. Terry to the podcast, with a review for a film that is very difficult to find outside of a physical release or more, nefarious, pirate-like means. He’ll be up in a minute with a brand new promo, along with his thoughts on this particular film. For a few other classic horror gems, check out 1922’s “Häxan” (Episode #131), 1932’s “White Zombie” (Episode #152), 1962’s “Carnival of Souls” (Episode #145), 1973’s “Ganja and Hess” (Episode #049), and 1988’s “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” (Episode #201).

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation.

Here we go!

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Today’s movie is “Office Killer” the 1997 slasher starring comedian Carol Kane, directed by famed photographer Cindy Sherman, written by Elise MacAdam and Tom Kalin. The movie also stars icon Molly Ringwald.

When Dorine Douglas (Carol Kane)’s job as a proofreader for Constant Consumer Magazine is turned into an at-home position during a downsizing with the addition of laptop computers, she doesn't know how to cope. But after accidentally killing one of her co-workers when helping her with some computer issues, she discovers that murder can quench the loneliness of her home life and give her a reason to love her new position. Completely immersing herself in her new hobby, she forms a sort of macabre office space in the basement of her house, complete with the creatively positioned rotting corpses of her former co-workers. To Dorine, murder is art. 

The title “Office Killer” works in two ways. It’s a description of how even in the 90s there was a fear that computers would kill the traditional office environment, and (2) the literal description of a slasher in the office. Furthermore, there are plenty of moments and kills that serve as a Freudian commentary on the American workplace. Kane delivers an outstandingly bananas performance that is a combination of Norman Bates and Patrick Bateman. Sherman certainly displays her adoration for the cinematography of Hitchcock’s films in many of the scenes in how the shots are framed and blocked. Not knowing anything about this movie, I was completely unsure of what to expect. Even the first kill didn’t tell me that I was about to watch a slasher. But as I learned more about Dorine, the more I was sucked into her world and completely intrigued by her choices and lack of social awareness. Playing opposite Kane is the indelible Molly Ringwald as the bitchy, judgy coworker Kim. Her performance is great! Not great in that it’s a phenomenal performance, but great in that she showed that she can play a character that is in stark contrast to most of the characters she has played throughout her longstanding career. Most of the performances are caricatures of various people found in a typical office.

What I find most fascinating about the movie and what should provoke conversations amongst cinephiles and horror enthusiasts: the clear Freudian themes. One of the earliest shots in the movie is an extreme closeup (or ECU) of a staff member’s mouth as she is on the phone. Her red lipstick accentuates her mouth and points to the Freudian oral fixation. The scenes that follow depict female office staff members in a variety of different capacities and situations. It appears as though Sherman was painting a portrait of the male gaze over the female body. Moreover, what this movie appears to comment on and depict is Freud’s study on fetishism. According to Freud’s study, and not to over simplify, fetishism is a fixation on an object or physiological practice of a substitution for intercourse following a sexual desire awakening in the body and mind. In more contemporary terms, the definition of fetish has evolved beyond sexuality, but is generally still associated with sexual practices. Since Dorine likely experienced sexual abuse at the hand of your father while her mother turned her head to the allegations, in an effort to deal with the trauma, Dorine substituted what she wanted to do to her parents and others who abuse or bully her by engaging in slasher-style killings. While we may not know precisely why Dorine’s switch flipped and she went full what I’ll call “Norman Bateman”, we are given indicators of her unstable psyche through her flashbacks to her sexually abusive father and complacent mother, and of course, the present story of most of her coworkers bullying her. Those three elements, plus the opportunity, work together to set her up to be a total psycho. Her actual kills may not be creative – that is, the method by which she kills – but the creativity comes into play afterwards with the corpses piling up in her house and she brings work home. She talks to her former co-workers, plays with them, articulates them in such a manner that they become her action figures so to speak. It’s incredibly creepy but in a comedic way.

Perhaps the strength of this movie is not the acting (albeit, Kane is fantastic), but the strength is in the production design, costuming, and Freudian themes. I posit that if this movie came out today, that it would be praised for its embrace of what we love about 70s and 80s slasher movies! We don’t watch and re-watch these movies because they have incredible plots. We watch them because they are lots of fun! And “Office Killer” is incredibly fun to watch. You’re hard-pressed to find many reviews of this horror-comedy even on LetterBoxd. It’s baffling to me why this movie hasn’t received more attention from the horror community on Twitter, blogs, and podcasts. Perhaps it’s because it is so incredibly obscure that you have a hard time even finding it on DVD, let alone streaming. A friend of mine had to order his copy from Spain. That is how difficult it is to find this movie.

Rotten Tomatoes: 12% IMDb: 4.9 Metacritic: NR One Movie Punch: 7/10

No, seriously, that is my score.

“Office Killer” (1997) is rated Rand is currently available on physical mediaor by more nefarious means.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for our final currently playing movie for this cycle. Here’s another franchise film this year that is not being well received by the critics. I’ll have a lot of thoughts about the whole franchise, and this particular film, in a little bit. For another franchise film that hasn’t hit well, check out our recent review for “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (Episode #505) and for a much better film within the film universe, check out “Deadpool 2” (Episode #141), the best family film you’ll ever see.

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go!

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Today’s movie is “Dark Phoenix”, the final film of the current X-Men franchise, written and directed by Simon Kinberg, based on the landmark “Dark Phoenix Saga” comic series written by John Byrne, Chris Claremont, and David Cockrum, based on characters created by the legendary Jack Kirby and the dearly departed Stan Lee. The film re-visits the events of “X-Men: The Last Stand”, now firmly within the alternate timeline established in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, as we follow the X-Men on a space mission to rescue a stranded shuttle. However, during the mission, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) absorbs a mysterious power while learning the truth about her past, and then everyone involved with the film starts going through the motions.

No spoilers.

Before I start talking about the film itself, I want to talk about the twenty-year history of the franchise. And for me, that goes back to about three years before “X-Men” debuted in the year 2000. It was the early part of 1997, and my college friends and I were sitting around fan-casting a potential X-Men film. All of us were fans of “X-Men: The Animated Series”, and we believed it would eventually happen. As you might imagine, we totally nailed Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier. And no one could have ever imagined Hugh Jackman as Logan. So, when we heard rumblings on this new-fangled thing called “The Internet” about the film happening, and with our correct casting for Professor X, we all got a chance to see how it did.

It was INCREDIBLE, at least for the time. Sure, I went back through the franchise with the family over the past few years, and it doesn’t quite hold up. But at the time, I was getting to see Wolverine in action, Storm commanding the elements, Scott Summers being an entitled prick, and all the rest. And compared to what passed for comic book films before, it was incredible. The sequel was more of the same, and that was fine with me. “The Last Stand” was not as great, trying too much with the stories, and ends up being our first taste of the “Dark Phoenix” saga on the big screen. It wasn’t a disappointment so much as a letdown.

And at this point, the clock started ticking. Because Fox could only hold the rights to the X-Men franchise as long as they were putting out movies with the characters, and we got the world’s worst origin story, “X-Men Origins – Wolverine”, including a now anachronistic Ryan Reynolds as Mutant No-Mouth Deadpool. I walked away from the franchise for a while after that, skipping “X-Men: First Class”, despite the praise, and not going back until a thoroughly enjoyable, and incredibly well-done scope, of “The Wolverine”. And I did like “X-Men: First Class”, seeing the characters as great versions, then falling in love with the entire franchise again with “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, which blended the two universes into one, with Hugh Jackman able to exist in both. Sure, I was disappointed by “X-Men: Apocalypse”, but “Deadpool” was the real winner that year, anyway (And always will be in my heart. Call me, Wade!). But then we heard the rumblings of the Fox/Disney deal, and no matter how sweet the “Deadpool” money was, we knew it all had to come to an end, and we knew that no matter how they were going to try “Dark Phoenix” again, this franchise wouldn’t survive.

And that’s where it all began to go horribly wrong.

A shame. That’s the best way to describe this entire film. A shame that the film kept a greenlight. A shame that it couldn’t be the closer that the franchise deserved. I’m not sure how much of this can be blamed on Simon Kinberg, who has been a guiding force for the franchise since 2011, becoming increasingly involved from being the writer for “X-Men: The Last Stand”, and finding himself at the end of the franchise run writing and directing the final feature. Story-wise, the franchise has been great, and a retread of the “Dark Phoenix” saga, which Kinberg had already covered in “X-Men: The Last Stand”, could have yielded excellent results. And yet, despite having the guiding force at the helm, and an estimated $200 million budget, the best we got was a muddled, unfinished second-act. Like I said, a shame.

It all feels contractually obligated, from start to finish. We begin with zero continuity, a time warp thirteen years later after “X-Men: Apocalypse”, and despite bringing destruction to most of the earth, seems as if nothing happened at all. Eric, aka Magneto, looks particularly amazing for 62 years of age. Mutants are once again tolerated, but of course, just barely, and Xavier’s hubris, once again, causes Jean to run away, and... well, if you saw “X-Men: The Last Stand”, then you’ve seen this, just with different actors. The script is awful, with pretentious monologues and forced dialogue, and most of all, it barely plays with any of the classic X-Men themes and never in new ways.

But the worst part, for me, is how bad the acting is, across the board. McAvoy is phoning it in as Xavier, monologues and all. Lawrence does all right as Mystique given her lines. Hoult’s entire performance as Beast never seems to develop, and feels like half his performance was left on the cutting room floor. Sophie Turner was probably the best role, and even then I could barely distinguish her from Sansa Stark aside from the special effects. Cyclops, Storm, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, meh. No, you know what, the worst part for me was the number of standing still special effects shots we had to endure for $200 million dollars, which clearly not enough of went to the special effects and editing teams.

The franchise deserved better. And it deserved better not because we didn’t have the technology or the skillset or the vision to make it better. We have so many other comic book movies out there on both the epic and street-level scales. It deserved better precisely *because* we know something better was possible, and it feels like at every level, this film failed to even make an effort. I can accept that a perfectly good franchise might be part of the wreckage of the Fox/Disney deal, but I can’t accept how bad this one was closing things up.

My ideal closer? Glad you asked. I would have done a literal post-apocalyptic movie, where you could always see the visible effects of what Apocalypse did. Mutants were given a choice to retire to Magneto’s island, have their powers stripped, sign on to government service, or to try living within mutant neighborhoods where the authorities have a shoot-first, ask questions later policy, often sharing those neighborhoods peacefully with other marginalized populations. Same Jean Grey story, but told in the wreckage of their family neighborhood, and a sudden desire to remake the world in her image, because in destroying Apocalypse, she actually absorbed him and that is the power tainting her, a final failure of Xavier’s. And somehow Deadpool and Cable. I think I’m forgetting someone.

*whispers* X-Force! 

“Dark Phoenix” is a disappointing afterthought that serves as the closer to an amazing franchise, one which was the vanguard for the comic book hero movies and franchises of today. Nearly every aspect of this film feels either contractually obligated or phoned in, from the writing and direction to the acting to the dismal special effects. Fans of the X-Men franchise, or fans of comic book movies in general, are probably the only people I would recommend this film to, and anyone interested in it should first watch the rest of the franchise so you can know just how great it was. And maybe hope with me that there is still more great stuff to come.

Rotten Tomatoes: 22%

Metacritic: 43

One Movie Punch: 3.4/10

“Dark Phoenix” (2019) is rated PG-13and is currently playing intheaters.

Hi everyone! 

Welcome back to our final week of reviews before a short two week break. This week we’ll have the return of Ryan L. Terry with a legally difficult to find horror feature from the late 1990s, the return of Keith Lyons with a review for a Filipino Netflix Original actioner, our good friend Andrew Campbell with yet another Fantastic Fest feature review, and three reviews from yours truly, including two Netflix Originals, and a franchise closer that... well... is hopefully the end. 

It’s Sunday here at One Movie Punch, which means we take a film request from our sponsors. We haven’t had many sponsors of the podcast, and despite Andrew Campbell’s request that I review 2016’s “Raw”, one of his favorite films, I will not be bullied into it. I will, however, be bullied by any new sponsors who wish to kick a few dollars our way every month. You can sign up at patreon.com/onemoviepunch to help fund the podcast. I’m sure my decision not to be bullied by Andrew will in no way come back to haunt me over the break. 

As for this week, well, I have a treat for everyone. On Friday, Netflix released Season Four of “Tales of the City”, the groundbreaking, incredible historical drama based on the column and books of Armistead Maupin. The first three seasons of this show changed my life, from their scandalous premiere on public television, to their excellent continuations on Showtime. This new season appears to be picking up with Maupin’s serialized novel “Significant Others”, with most of the same cast, although ten years after the events of the first three collections. Today’s documentary looks at this series, and Maupin’s fascinating life, with some pretty amazing revelations. The documentary currently sits at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, still sits unranked at Metacritic, and is available for streaming on Netflix, appropriately enough. And to all our LGBTQ friends out there, Happy Pride Month!

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Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is ”The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin” (2017), Jennifer M. Kroot’s documentary about Armistead Maupin’s life and works. I can remember my first experience with Maupin’s serial “Tales of the City”, traveling for work and coming across the original series on Showtime. I only caught a single episode, but I was hooked, immediately falling in love with the setting and the characters, not knowing a thing about Armistead Maupin or the controversy surrounding that series. 

Kroot’s documentary is an overview of Maupin’s life, covering his conservative roots, his path of self-discovery as a gay man, his initial work on the “Tales of the City” serial along with his later works, and a few controversies along the way. The film bounces between his history and his works, showing the personal connections between Maupin and his characters, his life and their lives. It is mostly chronological, although meanders from time to time depending on the topic.

It is hard to quantify Armistead Maupin’s importance to the LGBTQ community, although this documentary hits the major highlights. Maupin’s boldness in his life and about his right to live it placed him in the vanguard of a rising tide of LGBTQ activism. “Tales of the City” opened the door for people to discover more about LGBTQ people, not as salacious or maligned stereotypes, but as real characters with real problems.

Kroot hits all the highlights, using great background music and fun transitions, all with a clear love and respect for Maupin. Maupin feels so genuine, possessing an honest understanding of his life and its effects, both good and bad. Kroot also brings in a nice entourage of interviews, including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Ian McKellan, Amy Tan, Margaret Cho, and a bunch of others, all expounding on the ways that Maupin touched their lives.

Hardcore fans of Armistead Maupin won’t likely find much new in the documentary, but anyone with a passing interest in Maupin’s life or his works will find the documentary both insightful and enjoyable. I came away from the documentary wanting to re-read his works and pick up those I never read. I’m also looking forward to the rumored Netflix revival, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Hi everyone!

Closing out the week with another Certified Fresh documentary, this time about one of the most sex positive people in modern times. It’s also a Hulu Original Documentary, which we love to review here. For a couple other Hulu Original documentaries, check out “Minding the Gap” (Episode #242) and “Crime + Punishment” (Episode #249). 

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Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “Ask Dr. Ruth”, the Hulu Original documentary directed by Ryan White. The film follows the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became not only America’s most famous sex therapist, but also one of the most controversial personalities in a rapidly shifting culture. The film reflects back on her 90 year life, and considers her tremendous impact on society.

No spoilers.

Before I saw this documentary, I probably knew less about Dr. Ruth’s actual life than I knew about the caricature and brand that she became during my youth in the 80s and 90s. I grew up in a mostly conservative town, so there wasn’t a radio station or a television station broadcasting her program, aside from the occasional press tour on the talk shows. However, I saw every cartoon, comedian and sketch comedy show impression of Dr. Ruth, and in that conservative town, we would snicker in secret about Dr. Ruth whenever we talked about sex, to hide our own discomfort or ignorance. And now that I have seen this documentary, I can confirm that Dr. Ruth Westheimer is absolutely all of these caricatures and impressions, but also so much more.

In fact, Dr. Ruth has quite a fascinating life. The documentary takes a mostly chronological look, told while following Dr. Ruth around in present day wherever it best compliments the story. Her earliest memories of fleeing the Nazis into a Swiss orphanage are complimented with an interview with a fellow child refugee today. Her time in British Palestine and as a sniper in the Israeli army is complimented by modern reflections of regret about her role in the violence and a visit to the Holocaust Remembrance Center. We see her adult life, grasping at any opportunities that presented themselves, and working hard to attain her PhD through service in multiple communities. And, of course, we see her meteoric rise to fame that helped usher a wave of normalization regarding sexual topics. In some respects, her taboo-breaking approach to sexual matters may seem quaint to us today, but that would only be because of her efforts.

I appreciated the scope of story told about her life, finding a good balance between the sensationalism and the realism of Dr. Ruth. The documentary is engaging from start to finish, flipping back and forth between her life story and her current life. Some portions of the story are told with the aid of some decent animation, bringing life to stories narrated by Dr. Ruth, especially in her early years. The documentary certainly gives a broad overview of Dr. Ruth’s life, and demonstrates her continuing work to normalize sexual topics in our lives, but it doesn’t reveal any juicy secrets or hidden knowledge that one might expect from someone as sensationalized as Dr. Ruth.

“Ask Dr. Ruth” is a solid documentary about Dr. Ruth Westheimer, telling her remarkable story from fleeing the Holocaust through the present day. While the sensationalized aspects of her work play into the film, they are balanced against other interesting and formative parts of her life. Fans of good documentaries, who don’t mind frank discussion of sexual topics, should definitely check out this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 68

One Movie Punch: 8.0/10

“Ask Dr. Ruth” (2019) is not rated and is currently playing on Hulu.

Hi everyone!

I absolutely love it when Netflix acquires a movie that played Fantastic Fest, because it means our good friend Andrew Campbell can pull double duty with a single review! Today’s horror movie stars Allison Williams, who I absolutely enjoyed in “Get Out” (Episode #448). Does she deliver the goods in today’s movie? Andrew will let you know in a bit. Speaking of Andrew, be sure to check out his recent reviews for “Rattle The Cage” (Episode #501), “Under the Silver Lake” (Episode #494), “Burning” (Episode #487), and “Border” (Episode #480). 

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

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Take it away, Andrew! 

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here, back this week with a fun one that just hit Netflix at the end of May. With this release we see the good and the bad in how Netflix has transformed the industry. Netflix representatives at the 2018 Fantastic Fest were so wowed by the film and the powerful fan response at the midnight World Premiere, that it acquired worldwide distribution rights about a week later for a number in the high nine figures. Unfortunately, when Netflix acquires a film and brands it a “Netflix Original”, this usually means it gets no theatrical run or a very limited one. This would have been a fun one for horror enthusiasts to see in a packed house, but aside from a handful of screenings they weren’t given much of a chance. Today’s film is “The Perfection”, written by Eric Charmelo, Nicole Snyder and Richard Shepard, and directed by Shepard. Another film I missed seeing at the festival, I was still able to go into “The Perfection” fairly blind when Netflix began streaming it with no fanfare. Going in blind is really the only the way to see this film, so I’ll just give you the setup in broad strokes. Charlotte (Allison Williams) is a former cello prodigy in her mid-20s, forced to retire several years earlier to care for her dying mother. Charlotte travels to Shanghai where her former teacher Anton (Steven Weber) introduces her to his new protégé, Lizzie (Logan Browning), who has quickly become a famous virtuoso playing to packed theaters the world over. The two women, united by their shared experiences, spark up a quick friendship and... well, that’s all you really ought to know.

No spoilers.

The backdrops for this film are exceptional. I couldn’t track down any info on the exact production budget, but I’m certain it was small, and the crew made the most of it. The film moves between austere concert halls to an ornate performance room in Anton’s school. We visit bustling Shanghai before traveling by bus through the Chinese countryside. The shifting scenery helps propel the story forward, but wherever the camera travels, the cinematography retains a crisp, vibrant color palette. The horrors “The Perfection” is about to deliver will be in the warm light of day.

In the role of Charlotte, Allison Williams is just as captivating as she was in 2017’s “Get Out”, where she portrays a character that takes on a momentous shift about three-quarters of the way through the film. Here, she is initially not asked do more than be charming as a somewhat Plain Jane audience surrogate in the provocative world of elite musicianship, but she’s eventually given more opportunity to showcase her range as the story begins to turn. Logan Browning, star of Netflix’s highly acclaimed “Dear White People” series, is intriguing as young Lizzie, who had once idolized Charlotte before taking her place at the school. Always solid Steven Weber has one of the longest IMDb lists you’ll see for an actor his age, but he’ll always be Brian from “Wings” for me and anyone else who grew up watching all those 90s sitcoms. He’s got a fun role in this one and does not disappoint.

What makes “The Perfection” fantastic?

The film has a four-act structure divided by handy title cards – a technique not invented by Quentin Tarantino, but one that I feel he uses to great effect to provide a brief pause before shifting the story. Each chapter in “The Perfection” not only takes the story in a different direction, but fully subverts whatever film subgenre you thought you were watching in the previous act. It’s an unpredictable film that goes to some dark and bizarre places. That’s exactly how it was sold to me going in and, despite knowing this in advance, I was never able to predict what was coming next. It’s not “perfection”, but for genre-film nerds that like elevated B-movie horror, it comes pretty close.

“The Perfection” (2018) is a gorgeously shot, wild psychological horror-thriller, that deeply entertains for all of its brief 90 minutes, while delivering a culturally relevant story. Fans of Allison Williams in “Get Out” (Episode #448) or the human-driven body horror of 2016’s “Raw” (Joseph, when are we getting your review of this one?  Your patron demands it!) will enjoy “The Perfection”.

Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 60

One Movie Punch: 8.6/10 

“The Perfection” (2018) is rated TV-MA and is currently streaming on Netflix. Just do yourself a favor and skip the trailer.

Come back next week and we’ll take a look at another horror film that premiered at last year’s Fantastic Fest. “The Nightshifter” is a Brazilian curiosity about a morgue worker that talks to the dead... and the dead talk back. AMC’s horror streaming service Shudder just released this one at the end of May. Will “The Nightshifter” be yet another reason to invest five bucks a month with Shudder?  Let’s find out together.

Hi everyone!

Today we have the first of two Certified Fresh documentaries this week. Even better, Garrett Wright returns to tackle today’s review, which critically speaking, appears to be the stronger of the two. Always great to have Garrett on the podcast. Be sure to check out his other reviews here, including “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” (Episode #381), “Vice” (Episode #388), “Fighting with My Family” (Episode #451), and his very first review last year for “Creed II” (Episode #335). And you can always find him on the Two Views Movies podcast, along with a growing list of guest appearances on fellow podcasts. Oh yeah, and if you want a dramatized version of today’s subject, don’t forget our classic review for “First Man” (Episode #503).

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

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Take it away, Garrett!

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What is up everybody? My name is Garrett Wright and I co-host Two Views Movies podcast along with my friend Carson Graff. We are a spoiler-filled podcast by two guys who love watching movies almost as much as we love arguing about them. Our weekly podcast features reviews of new releases, retro reviews of older favorites, obscure top 5 lists, and our two views of all things movies. You can find our podcast on all major platforms and at TwoViewsMovies.com, where you can also find spoiler-free written reviews of the movies we watch. You can follow me on Twitter at @TwoViewsGarrett and you can follow the podcast as well on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at the username @TwoViewsMovies.

Today’s movie is “Apollo 11”, the documentary produced, edited, and directed by Todd Douglas Miller. "Apollo 11" is a cinematic event 50 years in the making. It focuses on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, the first spaceflight to land humans on the Moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin.

Since everyone on the planet knows the story of Apollo 11, we don’t have to worry about spoilers today, so keep on listening.

The 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 1969 has led to a resurgence of media related to the events of the infamous Apollo 11 mission, in which humans finally set foot on the moon. The most notable of which is 2018’s feature film “First Man”directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Ryan Gosling. Though “Apollo 11”is a documentary, the two films serve as perfect complements to each other and will undoubtedly be forever joined by subject matter and timing. But where “First Man”explored the humanity of Neil Armstrong with his various missions as backdrops, “Apollo 11”brings every step of the titular mission into breathtaking focus. Using only real NASA footage, with the sole narration provided by actual NASA communications and news footage, “Apollo 11”is the most authentic presentation of the moon mission to date.

The footage used in this film is so crisp and stunning that it is truly hard to believe it is real, captured in 1969, and in space! The team that worked on the restoration of this footage deserves the highest of accolades. And not to be outdone, the editing — from the step-by-step recreation of the timeline of events to the syncing of mission audio to the footage — is some of the best you will ever encounter in a documentary or feature film. The addition of minimalist infographics to the film was both delighting and instructional. Their aesthetic kept the audience immersed in the style of 1969 NASA but also helped explain to the audience key information about the mission that could not be communicated solely through existing footage. And rounding out the experience is the sound. Whether it was the seat-rattling rocket ignition or Matt Morton’s synth-heavy score that perfectly accompanies the film without ever stealing the spotlight, “Apollo 11” is a wholly immersive visual and auditory experience. 

The lack of narration is a deviation from the norm for a documentary. Typically, documentaries rely on interviews or narration to establish a point of view through which the audience will experience the information being presented. By opting out of any sort of narration, director Todd Douglas Miller has chosen to let the film speak for itself. For many, this will lead to a deeper and more riveting experience. For others, it may seem sterile and overly school-ish, which is not entirely inaccurate as “Apollo 11” feels like it will certainly be shown in schools and universities in the coming years. But even for those that feel as though they just sat through a classroom video, it is hard to imagine that there won’t be at least some healthy level of respect for the construction and beauty of the film.

Arguably the greatest achievement of the film is that it makes viewers respect the true scope of the level of human achievement that this mission was and continues to be. All too often, events that are so far removed in time for many of us have the tendency to be taken for granted. But the format of “Apollo 11” lets us be a part of the world of 1969 while fully armed with the knowledge of 2019. It is a magnification of hindsight so vivid that you will be left speechless and scratching your head at just how the hell humans accomplished this FIFTY years ago, when it seems just as impossible now. Though similar documentaries such as “From the Earth to the Moon” and “For All Mankind” had been previously successful at this, they now seem like small steps compared to the one giant leap that is “Apollo 11”.

Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (Certified Fresh)

Metacritic: 87

One Movie Punch: 9.5/10 

"Apollo 11" was released in 2019 and is currently available on DVD and blu-ray. 

Thanks for listening to my review here at One Movie Punch. If you like what you heard – or didn’t – reach out to me on Twitter at @TwoViewsGarrett and let me know. I’ll be back soon with more reviews on One Movie Punch, but you can always find me on the Two Views Movies podcast.

I will catch you next time.