Comedy
Donny’s Bar Mitzvah
By: Trevor Chartrand Irreverent, crude, absurd and insane, Donny’s Bar Mitzvah is a bizarrely entertaining comedy that somehow manages to function coherently – while at the same time doing everything wrong. The film is certainly funny, bordering on hilarious, but incredibly immature. Keep the kids out of the room for this one, folks.
Bad Trip
Your enjoyment of Netflix’s hidden camera comedy Bad Trip hinges on whether you find Eric André’s comedy entertaining; such is the usual case for shock comics. Eric André’s boundary-stepping awkwardness has the ability to push his “marks” to their extremes, and then he goes a little further. It’s a fearless quality that Bad Trip takes full advantage of to tell a story about a passionate quest to pursue love, and the man (Chris Carey played…
Yes Day
Family films that feature kids “makin’ all the rules” isn’t exactly fresh or inventive. So, why did I like Yes Day so darn much when I know that it follows this same template? Did this sub-genre improve? Have I gotten softer? While these reflections are valid, it sounds like I have to blame either the movies that came before this one or myself to justify liking Yes Day. Embracing Yes Day shouldn’t be driven by…
Minari
In Minari, a Korean family travels from California to build a new homestead in Arkansas; in hopes that they’ll be able to create a farm and make a decent living selling their culture’s food to local markets. This premise, however, is merely a clothesline for writer/director Lee Isaac Chung to hang up different moments in this family’s life that will, eventually, piece together their memories and future.
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
When you watch Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, a new buddy comedy written and starring Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, you start associating other movies with it. “This is Kristen Wiig’s Austin Powers”, “This is Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s take on A Night at the Roxbury”, “In fact, this is the best Saturday Night Live movie that never was an SNL skit in the first place!”. The viewer does this because…
First Blush
Written and directed by Victor Neumark, First Blush is the story of a young married couple, Nena (Rachel Alig) and Drew (Ryan Caraway), who decide to open up their relationship after they meet a beautiful young actress named Olivia (Kate Beecroft). For a feature film debut, First Blush is passable and hints at Neumark’s talent for exploring complex interpersonal dynamics. However, as a depiction of polyamory, it misses the mark.
Baby Done
As much as I’m glad pro-choice movies are becoming more frequent in the mainstream eye, it’s refreshing to watch a movie about a couple who are thrilled to be expecting a baby. That nice feeling washed over me while watching Curtis Vowell’s humble comedy Baby Done, which plays as a millennial’s version of This Is 40 that’s just as funny with as many rough edges.