Craig Johnson (director/co-writer of The Skeleton Twins) returns with another sweet story about solving personal ambiguity with wonder, caution, and experience in Netflix’s Alex Strangelove. This time, the angst takes place in high school, as Johnson evolves the “teen sex comedy” sub-genre with positive (and current) messages of sexual orientation.
We’re halfway through the year, which means it’s time for Wylie Writes’ recap of the best and the worst films of 2018. Don’t forget to click the coloured titles to read a more detailed write-up about the film!
Before making Kodachrome, filmmaker Mark Raso directed Copenhagen and screenwriter Jonathan Tropper wrote This Is Where I Leave You. Both of those were modest movies with family drama and pleasant dynamics. Kodachrome is more of the same from these two men, which is good for Netflix audiences looking for an easy watch, but slightly disappointing for movie goers expecting more than unchallenging schmaltz.
Happy Anniversary is a rom-com with erratic behaviour. Jumpy storytelling and unlikable characters make this movie hard to warm up to, but some solid laughs makes this pill easier to swallow.
Netflix is a juggernaut of content, and they’re still breaking the mould. Just take Daryl Hannah’s Paradox, for instance. Who could’ve guessed the streaming service could turn your living room into a snooty arthouse theatre? That’s a flippant comment but, boy, is Paradox excruciatingly smug. How do you rate or review this movie? Is this even a movie?
It makes sense for David Wain to direct a biopic about Doug Kenney. The absurdist director of Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models, and Wanderlust works with a special brand of off-beat comedy as Kenney’s National Lampoon brainchild did. Even though the biopic genre is new ground for Wain, A Futile and Stupid Gesture is still a comedy cut from familiar cloth.
2017 was a strong year for horror and fantasy, but it was still a year that offered plenty of problematic films. Read what most of the critics at Wylie Writes considered the stinkers of 2017, and don’t forget to click highlighted titles for reviews.
Fans of Nacho Libre may be the ones enjoying The Polka King more than other Netflix viewers. After all, it’s a crooked “Robin Hood” story starring Jack Black as an eccentric entertainer. The Polka King, however, is a biopic.
