Month: May 2022

REVIEW: Ozark – Season Four, Part Two (2022)

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in Ozark: Season Four — Photo: Netflix.

For my thoughts on the first part of the fourth season of Ozark, click here.

The second part of the final season of Ozark kicks off right where the first part left off with Ruth (played by Julia Garner) hell-bent on getting her revenge on the man that killed her cousin. That’s a bit of a problem for the Byrdes — Marty and Wendy (played by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney) — as that man is Javi (played by Alfonso Herrera), one of the most pivotal members of the drug cartel that they work for, and if the Byrdes are going to get out of this business alive, then they need a few things to work out for them, and a vengeful Langmore, who Marty is fond of, can only complicate matters.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Ozark – Season Four, Part Two (2022)” →

REVIEW: Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)

(L-R): Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) and Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) in Disney’s live-action CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Directed by Akiva Schaffer – Screenplay by Dan Gregor & Doug Mand.

From the director of the hilarious pop-mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a Who Framed Roger Rabbit?-style live-action and animation blended film wherein the animated characters Chip and Dale (voiced by John Mulaney and Andy Samberg, respectively) are actors who starred in their very own television show — i.e. the real-life television show of the same name — but who, thirty years later, have gone their separate ways and lost touch. When their old co-star Monterey Jack (voiced by Eric Bana), who has a ‘stinky cheese addiction,’ is kidnapped by the so-called Valley Gang, Chip and Dale must work together to find and save Monterey Jack before he is forced to be a part of the Valley Gang’s bootlegging business.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)” →

REVIEW: Toscana (2022)

Anders Matthesen and Cristiana Dell’Anna in Mehdi Avaz’s TOSCANA – Photo: Netflix.

Directed by Mehdi Avaz — Screenplay/Story by Mehdi Avaz & Nikolaj Scherfig.

Thus far, Netflix has tried, and tried again, to make the kind of Danish hit series that would rival foreign language series hits like Germany’s Dark. They haven’t succeeded yet, as most of their series just come and go without making much noise. Shows like The Rain, Equinox, Chosen, or Elves weren’t really it, even though some of them had their moments. The Chestnut Man is, in my mind, still the best Danish straight-to-Netflix series that has come out.

However, when it is released on Netflix internationally on June 2nd, the revival of the Danish political fiction series and international hit Borgen — with its fourth season subtitled Power & Glory — could still amass a large following outside of Denmark (the season actually completed its run on Danish television a little while back, and I may write about it in the future). Toscana, however, is the first Danish Netflix Original Film, which is of course a big deal for the streamer and for the film’s director. Unfortunately, it is a film that I can’t recommend because there really is nothing fresh about it.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Toscana (2022)” →

REVIEW: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn learns a lot about alternate universes, sausage fingers, the IRS, and the value of googly eyes in the Daniels’ EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. – Photo: A24.

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man) — Screenplay by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.

It is exceedingly rare to find new original and genuinely inventive films made in the American film industry that also find an audience and make a lot of money at the box office. In that regard, already on paper, writer-director-duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — often referred to as the Daniels — have made a special surprise hit and something to be treasured. But it isn’t just special on paper. Everything Everywhere All At Once is an inspired and unique original film that captures Hollywood’s latest obsession at the right time and is a truly exceptional transportive and moving cinematic experience.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)” →

REVIEW: Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Doctor Strange encounters dark magic and alternate universes in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Directed by Sam Raimi – Screenplay by Michael Waldron.

Let’s be honest here. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), arguably the most popular film series of our current time, is really more a series than a selection of films. Martin Scorsese has referred to superhero films like those as theme park rides (which I still contend isn’t as dismissive as it has been received by the internet), and, with its cliffhangers, easter eggs, references, and overarching character arcs, it is becoming increasingly difficult for these films to stand on their own. Some of these Marvel movies, for better or worse, don’t even try to stand on their own (like Avengers: Age of Ultron). Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness is one of those films.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness (2022)” →