Top Row (L-R): TÁR (Focus Features/Universal); The Last Showgirl (Roadside Attractions); The Bikeriders (Focus Features/Universal). Bottom Row (L-R): Queer (A24); Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount Pictures).
We’re getting towards the end of the year, and so now seems like a good time to assemble some of my thoughts on some films that didn’t ultimately get a full solo review dedicated to them, even though I had something to say. So, here we are, today I’ll share my thoughts on 1) one of the most celebrated films of the decade thus far, 2) Gia Coppola’s Pamela Anderson-vehicle, 3) Jeff Nichols’ film about biker culture, 4) Daniel Craig’s first performance in a Luca Guadagnino film, and 5) a sequel to one of the most popular video game adaptations. Do note that if you are so kind that you also follow me on Letterboxd, then you may have seen some of these bite-sized reviews over there already. Let’s get to it!
Liam Neeson in THE NAKED GUN — PHOTO: Paramount Pictures (Still image from trailers).
Directed by Akiva Schaffer — Screenplay by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Akiva Schaffer.
One of the best pieces of marketing for a film that I’ve seen this year is an ad for The Naked Gun that features Liam Neeson prominently asking viewers to go back to theaters to watch comedy films. At the end of the ad, we hear Liam Neeson do a classic Leslie Nielsen-style fart-machine joke. It is a delightfully silly note to end on, but the message at the heart of the ad rings true. Comedy films have largely been relegated to being streaming fodder. If you want to watch a new comedy film, you’re more likely to find one on Netflix or on Amazon Prime Video than in the movie theaters. For example, Happy Gilmore 2 recently premiered on Netflix, just like the John Cena and Idris Elba vehicle Heads of State premiered on Prime Video. Unfortunately, major comedy stars have flocked to the streaming services and left movie theaters without successful comedies for quite some time. To reignite the spark that would keep comedy movies thriving on the big screen, we now have a reboot or legacy sequel of The Naked Gun, the Leslie Nielsen vehicle from the 80s and 90s, filled with spoof film humor, some of which has become quite iconic. For the legacy sequel, the studio turned to the Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer, director of Popstar: Never Stop, Never Stopping, as well as producer Seth MacFarlane, with the hopes of finally releasing a good spoof comedy film in the theaters again. Thankfully, with screen legends leading the picture, the reboot of The Naked Gun is a success. It is, undoubtedly, one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year, and I hope it’s the beginning of a new trend where comedy films can once again thrive in theaters.
It’s finally that time again. Tomorrow, AMPAS is announcing its list of nominees for the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. So, of course, now is the time to fill in your final Oscars nominations predictions. This is exactly what I’ve done here. Below you’ll see what I’m predicting along with a few comments here and there. The choices are ranked from either one to five or one to ten based on how confident I am that something is getting nominated with 1 being the most confident. Let’s get to it.
The following is a quick review of Baywatch – Directed by Seth Gordon.
Baywatch is a comedy film based on the series of the same name. It takes place in Emerald Bay, Florida, where Lt. Mitch Bucannon (played by Dwayne Johnson) is the head of the team of lifeguards known as the ‘Baywatch’ division. Continue reading “REVIEW: Baywatch (2017)”→
I'm Jeffrey Rex 