Category Archives: Comedy

Little

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Little                      3 stars

For a film on the light side you can see Little, a comedy produced by and starring teen actor Marsai Martin from Black-ish.  Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) runs her own company and is a tyrant in doing so.  Her employees including assistant April (Issa Rae) are run ragged trying to satisfy Jordan’s wishes.  That is until a little girl uses her magic powers to turn Jordan into her thirteen year old self (Marsai Martin) putting her back in middle school.  As fantastic as this turn of events seems it doesn’t take long for the characters to accept it as the new reality.  Despite being so young again Jordan still seems to see the world through her adult eyes and strives to manipulate people into doing her bidding.  The film certainly has its funny moments and some great music, but the story is unconvincing.

The Moment

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The Moment     4 stars

For the first Sundance movie to be seen by me after the festival, I found The Moment now showing in theaters and starring Charlie XCX. This mockumentary about the British pop singer has her playing a fictionalized version of herself during the summer of 2024. It seems to be modeled after the Rob Reiner Spinal Tap movies that mocked the behind-the-scenes events around rock music. The Moment does this for pop music and for a much younger audience. It starts with the release of the star’s hit album and her desire to extend the “brat” summer indefinitely as she prepares to go on tour. The “mockumentary” camera follows her and her crew, her friends, her manager and the record label executives as they plan for the opening concert and the rehearsals. Key figures in the process are Charlie XCX’s artistic director Celeste (Hailey Gates) and a documentary director, Johannes (Alexander Skarsgard), filming the fictional meetings and the preparations for the tour. Much like This is Spinal Tap, the film captures some of the ludicrous aspects of the entertainment industry and shows how the egos of the various parties interfere with the project, including rather passive aggressive behavior on the part of the big shots. Included is a ridiculous plan to market “brat” credit cards to a subculture of LGTBQ+ fans that includes free tickets to her concert. Charlie XCX reserves some of the ridicule for herself as she tries to control the project while at the same time sabotaging it. Skarsgard is excellent as the two-faced film director who is shown as both cooperating in the creative process but is also power hungry as he questions the choices made by others. The behavior of the creative talent is the most amusing aspect as they try to stay on the good side of Charlie XCX, while trying to get their own way at the same time. And like in This is Spinal Tap, when things fall apart, they do whatever it takes to put the blame on someone else. While The Moment was not nearly as funny as the Spinal Tap movies, I frequently found myself laughing out loud.

Parasite

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Parasite                5 stars

The movie to see in theaters now is Parasite, the creation of Korean director Bong Joon Ho, who previously brought us The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja.  This movie does have a message about the haves and the have nots, but does so with biting wit and a story that holds our interest throughout its 130 minute run time.  We are introduced to a poor family in South Korea who are scraping by with menial jobs but are far too smart to starve.  The son learns of a wealthy family who needs a tutor for their daughter to learn English so he easily gets the job through lies and false credentials.  Before long the family of four all secure jobs with this family using lies and various deceitful schemes landing them work for which they are not qualified in this luxury home.  It doesn’t hurt that the rich couple seem to be extremely gullible willing to believe almost anything.  Just as this family of con geniuses are enjoying their newfound wealth, an unfortunate discovery is made that takes the movie through an unexpected and dark turn.  I will leave you to find out what happens at that point, but be assured you will not be bored or distracted from what lies in store for these characters.  There is plenty of suspense and action for the faithful moviegoer.  I found Parasite to be one of the best films I’ve seen this year.  I just hope that more people skip the usual Hollywood fantasy/action movies and seek it out.

Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant

Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant.        3 suns

For my final film of the festival, I saw something really bizarre: Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant in the Midnight section. In this British comedy a young woman gets pregnant via engaging in a sex act with the neighbor boy who is half alien as a result of his mother being abducted by aliens before he was born.  The comedy all centers around the very exaggerated trauma that a woman goes through while pregnant.  There is plenty of screaming and vomiting and slimy fluids involved while the young woman keeps blaming the half alien for her trouble.  There is even a vacuum cleaner involved in a bizarre abortion attempt. We get a peek at what an alien penis looks like and after many antics the baby alien finally arrives.  The movie was a riot in the theater, and the actors even brought baby alien with them and allowed fans to have their picture taken with him.

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!       4 1/2 suns

I was especially pleased with Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! by Japanese director Josef Kubota Wladyka and starring Rinko Kikuchi which follows married couple Haru (Kikuchi) and Luis who regularly compete in competitive Latin ballroom dancing in Tokyo.  But then Luis suddenly dies leaving Haru all alone.  Fortunately, Haru’s sisters encourage her to get back out on the dance floor where she soon is taken up by her new dance instructor who is world famous and who also happens to be married.  One can see that this situation will lead to trouble and the movie does not disappoint.  It is an honest depiction of how hard (and messy) it is to deal with grief while delivering on many humorous situations.  It also includes some fantasy like aspects drawing from Japanese culture.  I enjoyed seeing the blending of the Japanese and Latin cultures which is a real thing in Japan. So far this is my favorite drama of the festival.

No Other Choice

No Other Choice               3 stars

Man-su is the kind of man who has it all.  A good paying job, a beautiful wife, a house in the suburbs and two children.  He is a successful middle manager in a Korean paper company and a past Pulp Man of the Year.  But suddenly an American company has bought out the company and that can only mean job cuts. Man-su finds himself out of a job and after a year of searching still has not landed a new one forcing spending cuts at home. What can a man do except kill the competition for what openings there are in his industry? This is the premise of Park Chan-wook’s comedy drama No Other Choice.  It seems I don’t see things the same as most of the critics as I didn’t appreciate the change in style going from serious drama to slapstick comedy.  There was too much of a change in tone that bothered me.  Man-su (played by Lee Byung hun of Squid Games) takes out fake job ads for a paper company to find the best candidates so he can find them and murder them.  Then he will be the most qualified man remaining.  The problem is that Man-su is really bad at killing, often getting mixed up in the victim’s lives. Then he bumbles his way through each situation. The movie is a long way from being plausible, but apparently that is what Park has in mind.  I wasn’t buying it, which ultimately made the movie less interesting for me. It doesn’t get my vote for Best Foreign Film Academy Award.

Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit                          4 stars

In a time when our society seems to be tearing each other apart in the culture wars who would conceive of a satirical comedy about Adolf Hitler and the Nazi campaign to exterminate Jews?  Here comes Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit to take on the task of telling us the insensitive, comedic story about a 10 year old German boy who is a member of the local Hitler Youth during World War II, where the children are taught to fight for their country and to hate the Jews.  Besides all this, young Jojo as he is called, has an imaginary friend who just happens to be Adolf Hitler.  There is plenty of comedy here that is used to poke fun at the hate being spread against our fellow man.  When little Jojo has to return home to his mother, he happens to discover that Mom is secretly hiding a young Jewish girl in the house.  Jojo considers turning her in to the Gestapo, but is reluctant when the girl promises to cut off his Nazi head if he does.  Given this stalemate, Jojo decides to learn about what Jews are like by quizzing the girl who tells him all sorts of nasty things that Jews do.  Of course by doing so the two are only becoming closer and come to realize how much alike they are.  The film delivers on its message with the help of fine performances from Thomasin McKenzie as the Jewish girl, Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo and Sam Rockwell as the incompetent Captain Klenzendorf who serves as the camp commander for the local Hitler Youth.  Waititi brings us a movie with a message of hope amid all the slapstick humor and dramatic moments.  I highly recommend it.

Zootopia 2

Zootopia 2           5 stars

Do you remember following the adventures of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) as these two adventurers fought to solve crimes in the animal city of Zootopia? Well, they are back officially working together as partners on the police department in the Disney movie Zootopia 2. This time they really messed things up causing multiple mishaps and property damage, resulting in them being referred for remedial training for mismatched partners. In this colorful city where all species of land animals coexist, regardless of predator/prey statis or habitat, there are many amusing popular culture references to notice if you are watching close enough. They have streaming platforms like EweTube and HuluZoo. I saw references to Mulholland Drive, The Shining and Silence of the Lambs. I am sure if you look closer there will be a few more that I missed. In this film we learn of the origins of Zootopia as they are getting ready to celebrate the city’s centennial. Decades earlier the Weather Walls were designed by an ancestor of the Lynx family that made the city of animals possible. Only, all reptiles were excluded since they were regarded as enemies of the other animals and were not to be trusted, so they survive on the outskirts of the city. But at the city celebration Hopps and Wilde make acquaintance with Gary (Ke Huy Quan of Everything Everywhere All at Once), a snake who is out to clear his family’s name. Gary claims that it was his ancestor that created the Weather Walls and it was the Lynx family that stole it from the snakes. Hopps and Wilde are all too willing to accept his story and are off on a new quest to find out the truth. The charming thing about the movie is the way that Hopps and Wilde interact with one another. Hopps is very enthusiastic about the case, and Wilde is interested in his own safety but must go along with Hopps to keep her out of trouble. There is a certain amount of sexual tension between these male and female characters that reminded me a lot of Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago on my favorite cop show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. (It’s interesting that Andy Samberg is in the cast but here he is Pawbert, one of the Lynx family.) Just like in Zootopia, there is a wide variety of amusing characters, including Dr. Fuzby (Quinta Brunson), Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) and a politician named Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton). There is even an appearance by the slow moving three toed sloth, Flash Slothmore, one of the favorites from the first movie. Zootopia 2 is fun for all ages and in Disney fashion, teaches a lesson of acceptance of others despite our differences. I look for Zootopia 2 to be nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award and possibly win just like the original. Let me know if you have noticed more pop culture references in the movie.

KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters                     4 ½ stars

I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about for the Netflix animated movie KPop Demon Hunters, so I viewed it months after it was in theaters and viewed by record crowds. I know very little about KPop, having some awareness of BTS but that is about it. The movie is very colorful and action packed, following a very popular female musical trio called Huntrix, voiced by Arden Cho, Ji-young Yoo and May Hong. The story is rather light with the premise being that there are demons trying to get into the souls of music fans by means of capturing them with popular tunes. Huntrix can resist the threat with their own popular tunes as long as they can write and perform the best songs for their fans. The problem for them happens when the main demon character comes up with a scheme to defeat Huntrix by enlisting a boy band that challenges them to a competition to become more popular with their fans. At least that is what I took from it. The real entertainment comes from the very catchy and upbeat tunes in the movie. These include their top hit, Golden. (I kept hearing it in my head for days afterward.) So, if you are ready for some rather mindless entertainment, you should see it. Then you can understand what all the kids are excited about. I understand that it broke the box office record for animated movies. And it is sure to receive an Academy Award nomination for Animated Film and probably will win.

Knives Out

Knives Out                          4 ½ stars

One of the best movies of this year has to be Knives Out, the traditional murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie.  Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has been hired to solve the murder of crime mystery writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) who has been found in his estate with his throat cut.  There is no shortage of suspects as his entire dysfunctional family seem to have enough motive to do him in.  there is plenty of changes in direction and red herrings as are required in a good mystery.  One such event happens at the reading of the will which points to one particular suspect of great interest.  It is then up to the great Blanc to sift through all of the clues and mis-directions to come up with the real explanation for Harley’s demise.  The movie is filled with stars including Don Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Ana de Armas, Toni Collette and Frank Oz.  This is a very enjoyable film that will keep your interest throughout.