Recent theatrical viewings

[Rev. Powell]

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM: The title characters decide to become superheroes so they will be accepted rather than feared by humans. Unique animation style, familiar story beats. The other couple in the theater with me (adults) really got into it, though, laughing at the pop culture jokes and actually clapping when the bad guy was defeated, so if you're just looking for a mindless popcorn movie, you may really dig this. 3/5.

Do you think I would like it? 🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

Probably? I never watched the series and I don't care anything about fidelity to source material anyway. In fact, I always hope they change things a little whenever somebody does a movie adaptation. Put your own stamp on it! It does have a cool look, sort of 3D animation that also looks hand drawn most of the time.

[Rev. Powell]

OPPENHEIMER: Theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer successfully heads the Manhattan Project, but his pre-war flirtations with Communist intellectuals endanger his reputation in the McCarthy years. The uncompromising script, which jumps around in time and expects the viewer to have at least an inkling of who Neils Bohr and Werner Heisenberg are, is structured like a political thriller, while exploring the burden of a personal responsibility never before experienced by any other human being on the planet. 4.5/5 (historical biopic fans will demand a 5/5). 

[Rev. Powell]

BARBIE: Barbie (and comic relief Ken) head to the real world after imperfections start turning up in Barbieland. Although it is, at bottom, a toy commercial, it's constructed so that you can view it as a feminist satire, or brush that all off and enjoy it as a fluffy popcorn comedy with some of the funniest scenes and characters of 2023 (both Ken and "weird Barbie" are a blast, and even the awkward Allan gets chance to shine). 4/5.

[Rev. Powell]

BOTTOMS: Unpopular lesbian high school girls form a self-defense "fight club" to help them score with cheerleaders. The absurd violence of the third act feels out of place, but Ayo Edebiri (and, in a less-impactful but even more unexpected way) Marshawn Lynch are comedy revelations. Should have been titled "Revenge of the Lesbian Nerds." 3.5/5.

[M.10rda]

BOTTOMS:
Ayo Edebiri (and, in a less-impactful but even more unexpected way) Marshawn Lynch are comedy revelations.

As good a place as any to mention something I've wanted to yak about for a while:
Former NFL player (?I think?) Marshawn Lynch's comedy chops won't be a surprise to anyone who watched Netflix's MURDERVILLE.
He's (quite unexpectedly there, and thus here for you I guess, Rev) the standout guest-star of the first (only?) season... a stronger and much funnier improv comic than most of the other weekly guests, which include Conan O'Brien (who is very good in the pilot), Annie Murphy (a good actress but not apparently a great improviser), and Ken Jeong and Kumal Nanjani, both of whom are shockingly inept for the most part at keeping up w/ Will Arnett. Sharon Stone is excellent in her episode, but as the straight man to Arnett's schlemiel, and Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph arrive in the Christmas special to outclass all previous guests... but until then, Lynch somehow takes Comedy Honors for the funniest and most willfully gung ho sidekick. He's a real find...

[Rev. Powell]

BOTTOMS:
Ayo Edebiri (and, in a less-impactful but even more unexpected way) Marshawn Lynch are comedy revelations.

As good a place as any to mention something I've wanted to yak about for a while:
Former NFL player (?I think?) Marshawn Lynch's comedy chops won't be a surprise to anyone who watched Netflix's MURDERVILLE.
He's (quite unexpectedly there, and thus here for you I guess, Rev) the standout guest-star of the first (only?) season... a stronger and much funnier improv comic than most of the other weekly guests, which include Conan O'Brien (who is very good in the pilot), Annie Murphy (a good actress but not apparently a great improviser), and Ken Jeong and Kumal Nanjani, both of whom are shockingly inept for the most part at keeping up w/ Will Arnett. Sharon Stone is excellent in her episode, but as the straight man to Arnett's schlemiel, and Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph arrive in the Christmas special to outclass all previous guests... but until then, Lynch somehow takes Comedy Honors for the funniest and most willfully gung ho sidekick. He's a real find...

The director said he was the funniest person on set and they used his improv jokes instead of the ones they had written. His NFL interviews were funny, but more in a quirky way.

https://youtu.be/VwbXkFp25cI?si=G5HJcfjU2kzV09Nt

[Rev. Powell]

THE ORIGIN OF EVIL [L'origine du mal] (2022): A sardine factory worker reconnects with her rich, estranged father, who lives in an isolated mansion with four women, each of whom have their own secrets and schemes. A meticulously plotted French film where no one may be who they seem, slowly unveiling a great deal of nasty behavior amidst a sprinkling of satire and split screens. 4/5.

[RCMerchant]

^ That sounds interesting! Gonna try and look that one up somewhere!

[Rev. Powell]

^ That sounds interesting! Gonna try and look that one up somewhere!

If you mean ORIGIN OF EVIL, it will be awhile before it gets onto streaming services, but I do recommend it.

[RCMerchant]

I'm retired! I can wait a looong time!

[Rev. Powell]

DUMB MONEY (2023): The story of the 2021 Game Stop short squeeze, where a group of ordinary investors based in a reddit forum banded together to drive the price of the stock higher, which cost hedge funds who had shorted the stock billions of dollars while making many ordinary people (who timed their exit correctly) into millionaires. Succeeds due to an excellent script that cuts between several individual investors while doing a decent job of explaining the technicalities of the trade and taking time to satirize select hedge fund managers (and the guys who ran Robinhood). 3.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

WHEN EVIL LURKS (2023): A pair of brothers in rural Argentina discover that a neighbor has been possessed by a demon (become "rotten") and seek to protect themselves, but there are rules that must be carefully followed to keep the evil from spreading. Grim, straightforward horror story that invents its own folklore and deliberately delays explaining its rules--to the movie's benefit. 4/5. I haven't seen the latest EXORCIST, but I'm 100% sure this is better.

[Rev. Powell]

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (2023): The true story of the 1920s Osage murders, where dozens of Osage Indians were killed in a plot to inherit rights to oil discovered on reservation land. Scorsese hasn't lost has storytelling chops, and assembles another acting masterclass; not to be a boor, but the 3.5 hour runtime is an issue for theatrical screenings. 3.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

DICKS: THE MUSICAL: Identical twins separated at birth meet and decide to get their parents back together: the only problem is their father is gay and their mother is an eccentric old lady who's missing her vagina (long story). Profane gay-themed musical that's more outrageous than funny, and sure to offend evangelicals with it's portrayal of God as a foul-mouthed gay Asian who's cool with incest. 3/5.

[Rev. Powell]

THE HOLDOVERS (2023): An acerbic high-school history teacher (Indiana SmithPaul Giamatti) bonds with a loser student when they are left together at an exclusive boarding school over Christmas break. Yes, Paul Giamatti is pretty great and yes, the nailed the 70s vibe right down to the title font, but the script is sooooo predictable... 3/5.