Review: ‘Enola Holmes’ is Far Beyond Elementary, My Dear

We’ve seen a million of adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books. From Jeremy Brett and Robert Downey, Jr. on the big screen to Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance in the iconic BBC series Sherlock, this film, adapted from Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes YA novels, is slightly different – rather than focusing on the famous detective, this focuses on his younger sister Enola, and the result is a cool revolutionary tale about rejecting the status quo and choosing your own destiny. Continue reading “Review: ‘Enola Holmes’ is Far Beyond Elementary, My Dear” →

Review: ‘The Babysitter: Killer Queen’ is a Bloody Mess

There is unfortunately no other way to say it. The Babysitter: Killer Queen, McG’s follow up to his 2017 Netflix horror-comedy The Babysitter, is terrible. In fact, if you want to be more accurate to the trailers, it’s bloody terrible. As much as I enjoyed the first film, which saw nerdy preteen Cole (Judah Lewis) discover that his cool babysitter Bee (Samara Weaving) and her friends are a part of a Satanic cult, the sequel tries too hard to be edgy, and ruins everything good about the first film. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Babysitter: Killer Queen’ is a Bloody Mess” →

Review: ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ is an Excellent Finale to the ‘Bill & Ted’ Trilogy

In 1989, two teenage doofuses from San Dimas were handed a most prodigious destiny: their music would save our bitterly divided world, uniting it once and for all in righteous, heavy-metal harmony. They possessed no actual musical skill and couldn’t guess the difference between Mongol emperor Bob Genghis Khan and Greek philosopher “So-crates.” Continue reading “Review: ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ is an Excellent Finale to the ‘Bill & Ted’ Trilogy” →

Review: ‘Spree’ is a Hilarious Yet Horrifying Character Study

Content Warning: This review discusses some topics that might be triggering to some audiences. Read at your own discretion.

The world of social media influencers vying for clicks, looks, retweets, and fans is a sick one, and that’s never been more apparent than it is now, during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are stuck inside their homes, and anyone with even the smallest bit of celebrity status is desperate for attention, scrambling to create content with quantifiable impact. Continue reading “Review: ‘Spree’ is a Hilarious Yet Horrifying Character Study” →

Review: ‘Magic Camp’ is Magically Mediocre

When I was a kid, I loved magic. Both the spells in the fantasy worlds of J. R. R. Tolkein and Dungeons & Dragons and the more “real” form, particularly tricks and illusions. Unfortunately, it is a skill that requires effort, practice, and commitment – things I really suck at. In contrast, the motivated kids in Disney’s Magic Camp all have a better trick up their sleeves. They attend the “Institute of Magic,” a summer camp to learn the art of illusions, stage magic, and close-up magic. Continue reading “Review: ‘Magic Camp’ is Magically Mediocre” →

Review: Like Its Namesake, ‘An American Pickle’ is Just Fine

An American Pickle is a film about two lookalike relatives who are separated by a hundred years andcan’t resolve their generational differences. This seems like a fun time, right? These kinds of films – ones where a person from the past finds themselves adrift in modern society like Encino Man and The Visitors – are usually great. An American Pickle is unfortunately not. Adapted by Simon Rich, the creator of TBS’s comedy anthology Miracle Workers, from his own short story “Sell Out,” and directed by Brandon Trost, who is a rather good cinematographer, An American Pickle has some fine moments tucked into its uneven structure, even if its conflicted tone holds it back from true greatness.

Continue reading “Review: Like Its Namesake, ‘An American Pickle’ is Just Fine” →

Review: Somehow, ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ is Worse Than the First Film

I love high school comedy films, and I have no shame in saying so. I probably love them more than the average person does. In fact, when I’m not watching new 2020 releases, I’ve spent these last few months binge-watching late ’90s/early 2000s teen comedies on a quest for the best (But I’m a Cheerleader is currently winning), all of them being first watches for me. Continue reading “Review: Somehow, ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ is Worse Than the First Film” →

Review: ‘The Old Guard’ is a Decent Adaptation with Some Great Representation

As a queer person, I love it when we are given visibility in narratives, and love it even more when our queerness isn’t just the only characteristic we have. The Old Guard, Netflix’s new film based on Greg Rucka’s fantastic graphic novels, is very satisfying in that regard, especially because queer visibility is important in every genre. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s combination of the comic’s gritty atmosphere and the common tropes in today’s superhero films, while good, still leaves a lot to be desired. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Old Guard’ is a Decent Adaptation with Some Great Representation” →

Review: ‘Desperados’ is a Hot Mess with a Good Message

It makes me very sad when bad movies happen to have good actors. Nasim Pedrad, a former SNL star who is highly talented in many ways, hasn’t really had her big break yet. It would seem, in theory, that landing the lead role in a comedy would be a step up from being the saving grace of Guy Ritchie’s atrocious Aladdin remake. Unfortunately, I don’t think Desperados is going to contribute much to her stardom. Continue reading “Review: ‘Desperados’ is a Hot Mess with a Good Message” →

Review: ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ is Just as Campy and Enjoyable as its Namesake

The Eurovision Song Contest is a fever dream like no other. For the past few years, we’ve had performances featuring Germans confessing their love for Genghis Khan, a Romanian singer “summoning” demons onstage, a Russian song dedicated to grandmothers, and a Polish singer churning butter onstage – and those are only the bottom tier of weird. The COVID-cancelled contest is so absurd, in fact, that we now have a Will Ferrell movie about it – and unlike some of his most recent ventures, this one’s actually good. Continue reading “Review: ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ is Just as Campy and Enjoyable as its Namesake” →