Deadpool & Wolverine review

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: 

FUCK DARK PHOENIX, THIS IS THE SENDOFF TO FOX’S MARVEL MOVIES WE DESERVE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

MARVEL STUDIOS

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine

 

            Everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, relentlessly violent, and 4^th wall breaking superhero is back and so is the mutant with adamantium claws who got impaled by a fucking tree in Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and third installment of the Deadpool trilogy. If you read my reviews for the previous films, you know I loved the hell out of the Deadpool movies with the first film from 2016 being such a damn good introduction to the character as someone who had never read his comics prior to the movie. 

I love the attitude, humor, graphic violence, and most importantly the character himself and Ryan Reynolds’ performance who pretty much made the movie. Despite his relentless methods of taking out bad guys and his reliance on irreverent humor, I found Deadpool to be an endearing character and does have his share of heartfelt moments especially with Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa who are absolutely adorable together even with Wade’s fucked up looking face. 

             The 2018 sequel, Deadpool 2 is also an enjoyable time though it didn’t quite have the same impact on me as the first, but I always have a blast whenever I put it on. The violence and humor are still great as well as the introductions of fan-favorite characters like Domino, Cable, and Peter (Peter is an essential part of this franchise staying afloat!), and the chemistry between Deadpool and this troubled mutant kid he befriends is very strong. 

            Now, we have the third installment directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum trilogy, Real Steel, Free Guy) with Ryan Reynolds (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, The Proposal, Free Guy) reprising his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and this time he’s bringing along Hugh Jackman (The Prestige, Prisoners, Eddie the Eagle) in his first appearance as Wolverine since 2017’s Logan and they’re now invading the MCU. Well, I have to say Deadpool & Wolverine is the best MCU movie I’ve seen since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 and helped bring back my excitement for the franchise after a slew of goods, duds, and what the fuck was MODOK? 

            Sometime after the events of Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has hung up the red suit and given up being the masked mercenary Deadpool. Wade now works as a used car salesman alongside his friend and former X-Force member Peter (Rob Delaney-Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Bombshell, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) after breaking up with his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin-Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Gotham). 

            But Wade is soon taken by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) under command by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen-Pride & Prejudice, Frost/Nixon, Anna Karenina) who offers Wade a chance to become a hero in the Sacred Universe (In other words, the Avengers universe) at the cost of his own world. Tempting offer, but Mr. Paradox is gonna have to fuck off as Wade suits up as Deadpool once again and travels the multiverse to find the one thing that could save his world, or person…or mutant fuck it! That being Logan/Wolverine (Jackman) or rather a Wolverine from a different universe because the Wolverine from his universe (The Fox X-Men universe) was killed at the end of Logan. 

            Wolverine reluctantly decides to help Deadpool save his universe while also learning how to be a hero to Wade’s universe after letting down his own. However, a threat comes in the form of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin-The Crown, My Policeman, Nosferatu) who commands the mysterious realm known as the Void with a plot to destroy all universes and Deadpool, Wolverine (and a few others) must suit up and kick some ass to save not just Wade’s world but the entire multiverse. 

            The film also stars Leslie Uggams (Roots, All My Children, American Fiction) reprising her role as Blind Al, Aaron Stanford (The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Nikita, 12 Monkeys) reprising his role from X2: X-Men United and X-Men 3: The Last Stand as John Allerdyce/Pyro, Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, Ghostbusters (2016), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) reprising his role as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand (First Girl I Loved, Trinkets, Runt) reprising her role as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapičić (Big Miracle, Better Call Saul, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) reprising his role as the voice of Colossus. 

            Overall, Deadpool & Wolverine is a blood-drenched good time throughout and a long overdue return to great MCU films. Who would have thought all it took for Disney to make an awesome Marvel movie again was an R rating and two characters that weren’t originally from that universe? But I’ll gladly take that over Quantumania and Love and Fucking Thunder any day! 

            What really makes the movie work is the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, they are so much fun to watch and listen to together whether they’re bantering, kicking ass (Sometimes kicking each other’s asses), or just simply talking about each other’s problems and failures. It’s a perfect team-up and a large part of that is the charm of Reynolds and Jackman whether comedic or serious. 

            Big surprise, the movie is also quite funny and not in that bullshit MCU Comedy way with jabs at the MCU, 20^th Century Fox’s Marvel movies, Disney, etc., the funniest opening to a Marvel movie since Chris Pratt dancing in the cave in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and they somehow managed to work in a Will Smith slap joke involving Canada (Which is hilarious for me because I saw the trailer for this in front of the newest Bad Boys movie this year). 

            The action is a lot of fun and retains the gore of the previous Deadpool films and Logan and it’s just awesome to see Deadpool and Wolverine come up with creative ways to take enemies down together. From a great action sequence during the opening credits (That are sadly not self-aware like the earlier films) to a phenomenal scene with Deadpool and Logan fighting each other inside a car. 

            There’s also a lot of fan-service with a ton of characters from various universes appearing and references to other Marvel and superhero movies. I won’t be giving any away, but I was delighted by the familiar faces that showed up including one portrayed by an actor who would eventually be in the MCU. 

            Deadpool & Wolverine is the film the MCU desperately needed and a satisfying sendoff to Fox’s Marvelmovies. If you enjoyed the previous Deadpools, you’ll have a blast with this one, grab your red mask, sharpen your claws, and LFG…and by that I mean Let’s Fucking Go! 

Twisters review

TWISTERS: 

TORNADOES AND GLEN POWELL DOMINATE FUN POPCORN SEQUEL! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos in Twisters

 

            The tornadoes of Oklahoma are back with a vengeance in Twisters, the long awaited sequel to the 1996 Jan De Bont disaster movie hit, Twister. I really enjoyed the original Twister though I didn’t watch it for the first time until years later when I was like 11 or 12 after finding an old VHS copy of the movie at a thrift store. 

            It’s a dumb, fun disaster movie and one of my favorite guilty pleasure films with impressive special effects, memorable characters, silly dialogue, and just the right amount of stupid and implausibility. Not to mention strong performances by Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes and of course, the late Bill Paxton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Dusty forever!). 

            Now we have this standalone sequel released 28 years after the first film revolving around a new group of tornado chasers and doesn’t really connect to the 1996 movie that much aside from a few references and callbacks. The film is directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) with the original Twister’s producer, Steven Spielberg returning as an executive producer. 

            Well, I must admit as a fan of the first Twister, this was a very enjoyable movie and definitely worth seeking out on IMAX or one of the other premium formats with large screens and amplified sound. I can’t say it’s a great movie or one of the best of the year but as a throwback to these 90s disaster movies with tons of characters and overblown special effects, Twisters nails it. 

            The film follows Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones-Cold Feet, Fresh, Where the Crawdads Sing), a former storm chaser haunted by an encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns in New York City. She is soon called back to Oklahoma by her friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos-In the Heights, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Dumb Money) to test a new tracking system and crosses paths with the charming and reckless social media star, Tyler Owens better known as the Tornado Wrangler (Glen Powell-Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You, Hit Man) and his rambunctious crew. 

            But as the storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before is unleashed as Kate, Tyler, and their crews find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over Oklahoma in the fight of their lives. 

            The film also stars Brandon Perea (The OA, Dance Camp, Nope) as Boone, Maura Tierney (NewsRadio, ER, The Iron Claw) as Cathy Cooper, Harry Hadden-Paton (Downton Abbey, About Time, The Little Stranger) as Ben, Sasha Lane (American Honey, Daniel Isn’t Real, Loki) as Lily, Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders, Pixie, Bad Sisters) as Jeb, Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, When Marnie Was There, Longlegs) as Addy, Nik Dodani (Atypical, Dark Was the Night, Strange World) as Praveen, David Corenswet (The Politician, Pearl, Superman (2025)) as Scott, Tunde Adebimpe (Rachel Getting Married, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marriage Story) as Dexter, and Katy O’Brian (The Mandalorian, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Love Lies Bleeding) as Dani. 

            Overall, Twisters may not be the Top Gun: Maverick or Mad Max: Fury Road of Twister nor does it take the film to new heights, but as a throwback to disaster films of its time it’s a fun and consistently entertaining ride throughout. The movie hits a lot of the same beats as the original in terms of its story and characters with Daisy Edgar-Jones essentially being this movie’s Helen Hunt and Glen Powell is obviously the Cary Elwes of the film, but they have defining personalities all their own and aren’t blatant stand-ins for the original characters like Glen Powell’s Tyler being a much more likable character than Cary Elwes’ slimy performance as the rival, Jonas. 

            The film repeats similar moments from the first movie but does its own spin (No pun intended!) on things like instead of using a machine filled with sensors to record tornado data, the goal is to reduce the intensity of tornadoes with barrels of a sodium polyacrylate solution and instead of a tornado destroying a drive-in showing The Shining there’s a tornado destroying a movie theater showing the original Frankenstein. I wouldn’t call this ripping off the first movie, but rather paying homage to it and that’s exactly what this film is, an homage to Twister right down to using the same kind of cameras to shoot the movie, having silly moments played completely straight, and a similar soundtrack consisting of country and rock songs. 

            You can feel the love the crew has for the original movie here which makes sense since Lee Isaac Chung grew up in Arkansas so he is no stranger to tornado experiences. It never feels like an entirely different movie about tornado chasers with the Twister named slapped on it, I 100% believed this was set in the same universe as the first. 

            The special effects are damn good especially with the amount of different kinds of tornadoes ripping through Oklahoma throughout the film and the effects in the first movie were already spectacular given the time it came out. However, I wouldn’t say the effects are groundbreaking like in Twister, but you see the money on the screen whenever a tornado strikes down and causes destruction and makes for an exciting time at the theater. 

            I doubt Twisters will be nearly as remembered as the original Twister, but it’s a surprisingly solid follow-up and fun throwback to disaster movies like Twister, Armageddon, and Volcano with stunning special effects, silly moments played entirely straight, and lovable characters. If you’re nostalgic for the 1996 Twister or disaster movies of the 90s and 2000s then this is one tornado chase you won’t want to miss on the big screen, but even if you’ve never seen the first Twister it stands on its own as a fun popcorn movie that doesn’t require a prior viewing of its predecessor to be enjoyed. 

Longlegs review

LONGLEGS: 

NICOLAS CAGE SERIAL KILLER MOVIE IS AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE THAT MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

NEON

Maika Monroe in Longlegs

 

            Nicolas Cage (Face/Off, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dream Scenario) goes full serial killer in Longlegs, the new horror-mystery film from Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel) and the latest in the resurgence of Cage’s career that began with 2021’s Pig. Big surprise, I was onboard with the movie the moment I heard Nicolas Cage was going to be involved in it and that he was going to be a violent and deranged serial killer in the film. 

            While I’m not familiar with Perkins’ previous directing efforts, I thought Longlegs was fantastic with lots of anxiety-fueled tension, genuinely frightening scenes, and a gripping mystery. It already looked amazing by the trailer but this exceeded my expectations in just about every way. 

            The film follows FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe-It Follows, The Guest, Watcher) who is assigned an unresolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn when it reveals evidence of the occult. When she realizes she has a personal connection with the killer simply known as Longlegs (Cage) from her past, she must piece together the clues and track him down before he strikes again. 

            The film also stars Blair Underwood (Set It Off, Rules of Engagement, LAX) as Agent Carter (No, not that one!), Alicia Witt (Twin Peaks, Cybill, Mr. Holland’s Opus) as Lee’s mother Ruth Harker, Dakota Daulby (iZombie, Wayward Pines, Freaks) as Agent Horatio Fisk, Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, When Marnie Was There, Twisters) as Carrie Anne Camera, and Jason Day (30 Beats, 2091, Playing with Fire) as Father Camera. 

            Overall, Longlegs is one of the most disturbing and unnerving films I’ve seen all year that ironically has much more Anxiety than Inside Out 2. I don’t just mean with Nicolas Cage doing creepy things and violent murders happening, I’m also talking about the film’s atmosphere and how it looks. 

            The movie has this bleak, unsettling tone that really empathizes anxiety and fear and the feeling of the mysterious. Even when Nicolas Cage’s Longlegs isn’t onscreen, something feels off about the film’s environment and that horrific things can happen at any moment. 

            It’s also a slow burn with more focus being on the mystery behind the murders rather than the serial killer himself so don’t go in expecting Nicolas Cage to completely steal the show (Though he takes full advantage of the screen-time he has). A lot of people tend to get slow burns mixed up with boring movies and Nicolas Cage isn’t quite as prominent as you’d expect, but because the mystery is consistently interesting and keeps you on your toes, it’s never a dull slog and a lot of that is in part to Maika Monroe’s performance who I thought was excellent. 

            Nicolas Cage may be the name that puts people in the movie theater seats, but Maika Monroe is the one who carries the entire film as the emotional surrogate for the audience to get attached to. I was thoroughly invested in her character and seeing her figure out the clues behind the murders, even the scenes where she’s interacting with her mother (who is clearly hiding some things from her) or her superior, Agent Carter are very well-handled. 

            Nicolas Cage is marvelous and absolutely horrifying in the film as the Longlegs killer, I’m starting to understand why the people in Dream Scenario were so terrified of Nicolas Cage in that movie because holy fuck! First off, he is almost unrecognizable with this makeup on his face that looks sort of like a weird mask but as soon as he spoke there’s no doubt it’s Nick Cage going crazy. 

            What’s especially interesting about his performance is that he does a lot of the typical Nicolas Cage acting tropes seen in all the memes, but where those are usually comedic they’re terrifying here with his hamminess set to creepy music, nightmarish visuals, and creepy atmosphere. This probably will not get awards attention because the Academy doesn’t like horror very much which I think is criminal because this is one of the best performances of the year. 

            I have a lot to say about this film, but it’s also crucial to go in with as little knowledge as possible for a greater effect so I will start wrapping this review up. Longlegs not only is the best horror movie of the year so far, but one of the best films of 2024 in general with its anxiety-filled, blood-pumping tension, terrifying Nicolas Cage performance, and interesting, brilliantly-crafted mystery, it’s a film that must be seen to be believed and follows in the footsteps of The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, and Zodiac as a new serial killer horror classic. 

            I’m a little on the fence about the ending though, still a brilliant movie! 

Fly Me to the Moon review

FLY ME TO THE MOON: 

A DECENT MOON SCANDAL WITH A LOT OF CHARM! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES AND APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS

Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson in Fly Me to the Moon

 

            Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marriage Story) and Channing Tatum (21 and 22 Jump Street, Magic Mike trilogy, The Lost City) begin the Argo of the Moon Landing in Fly Me to the Moon, the new film from Greg Berlanti (The Broken Hearts Club, Life as We Know It, Love, Simon). The film was originally planned for an Apple TV+ streaming release, but due to strong test screenings it was released in theaters with I’m assuming an Apple TV+ premiere coming at a later date.

            The film looked interesting judging by the trailer, a fictionalized movie where a group of people shoot a back-up fake moon landing that’s heavily inspired by the moon landing conspiracies that were going around at the time. 

            Despite the mixed critical reactions after its release, I was still interested in checking it out and…I thought this movie was okay. Sure, it could have been much better given its potential but I wasn’t disappointed in what I was watching. 

            The film is set during the 1960s Space Race between the United States and Soviet Union and follows NASA director in charge of the Apollo 11 launch Cole Davis (Tatum) and marketing specialist Kelly Jones (Johansson) who is brought in to help with NASA’s public image. Sparks fly from all directions as a relationship begins to form between Cole and Kelly and when the White House deems the mission too important to fail, there is only one logical solution…stage a fake moon landing just in case. 

            The film also stars Jim Rash (Sky High, Community, Bros) as Lance Vespertine, Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond, Ice Age franchise, The Irishman) as Henry Smalls, and Woody Harrelson (Zombieland 1 and 2, The Hunger Games franchise, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) as Moe Berkus. 

            Overall, Fly Me to the Moon doesn’t quite live up to the potential of its premise, but as a lighthearted romantic comedy revolving around it, the movie does its job fine enough. What helps is that Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum are incredibly charming in the film and have strong romantic chemistry even if the film runs on a lot of clichés and predictable tropes, sometimes just two talented leads who work wonderfully together is all you need. 

            I even enjoyed some of the side characters, Jim Rash as this pretentious and egotistical director tasked with directing the fake moon landing gets some good laughs and Woody Harrelson plays the kind of character you’d expect from him, but it works. Also, one of the best movie cats I’ve seen in a while. 

            Like I said, the movie relies on a lot of genre clichés and goes where you’d expect a film like this would go. But this is a movie that isn’t trying to be a cinematic game-changer or offer a new perspective on the moon landing, it’s simple date movie fluff where the charming leads outshine its familiar storytelling and for one of those kinds of films, it’s done relatively well. 

            I do however think the film’s tone is very inconsistent and that can be a little distracting for those going in not realizing it’s a romantic comedy. Going in, I thought it was going to be a drama about filming a fake moon landing that just has elements of romance and comedy and what I got was a romantic comedy that’s based around a fake moon landing. 

            Not saying that’s a bad thing, but the tonal shifts can be jarring at times like having a bunch of drawn-out comedic bits during the production of the fake landing or suddenly cutting to Tatum and Johansson being romantic after something tense or dramatic happens. It isn’t impossible to effectively blend romance with comedy, drama, or action like with The Fall Guy which was essentially a romantic comedy that was also an action movie, but that movie had a stronger balance between the different genres so it was a more engaging film in the end. 

            I would have preferred a full-on drama or comedy-drama about a fictionalized crew filming a fake moon landing over a romantic comedy that just happened to be about that but Fly Me to the Moon is a perfectly fine date movie that doesn’t demand much from the audience and should be an enjoyable enough romp while in the moment. The cast is charming, the comedy gets some good laughs, and the overall premise is still fascinating regardless of its genre so I’d say it might be worth a viewing if you’re curious or just looking for a light and fluffy time-waster that isn’t insulting to your intelligence. 

Sausage Party: Foodtopia (Miniseries) review

SAUSAGE PARTY: FOODTOPIA: 

A NOT-SO-TASTY SECOND COURSE! 

By Nico Beland

Series Review: ** out of 4

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO AND SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

Frank, Brenda, Barry, and Sammy Bagel Jr. are back in Sausage Party: Foodtopia

 

            Frank, Brenda, and the rest of the living, talking food from the Shopwell’s supermarket are back in Sausage Party: Foodtopia, a new eight-episode miniseries sequel to the 2016 adult animated hit film, Sausage Party. Despite the poor working conditions that went on during the film’s production, I thought Sausage Party was hilarious and a surprisingly clever satire on religion with the food essentially seeing humans as Gods that will take them to a magical place known as the Great Beyond…obviously, if you know anything about humans and food that is not the case when food items are chosen from the supermarket. 

            The movie often made me think back to adult animated shows like South Park where within its lowbrow humor and profanity, there’s a large amount of thought-provoking themes and social commentary that make you think while you laugh. I thought the Sausage Party movie did that very well and apparently a lot of people thought the same thing because not only did it earn positive reviews from critics and was a box-office success, but it even dethroned 1999’s South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut as the highest-grossing R-rated animated movie of all time and held that spot until Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was released four years later. 

            Now, we have this sequel miniseries released on Prime Video once again written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad, This is the End, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) and featuring many of the same voice actors reprising their roles from the film as well as one of the film’s directors Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2, Monsters VS Aliens, The Addams Family 1 and 2 (Animated)) returning to direct. I was definitely interested when the project was announced especially after the film ended with the characters realizing they’re animated characters and they go through a stargate to the real world. 

            But then the trailer came out and it seemed like they were not going to follow the cliffhanger ending from the movie up as it showed the foods wiping out most of the human race until they’re the dominant species on the planet. Well, okay then I guess I can live with that just as long as the material is funny and the series can live up to the surprise brilliance of the film…sadly, that’s not really the case here. 

            I’m not saying this series is terrible as I laughed a fair amount of times during the eight episodes, but this is nowhere near as clever or thought-provoking as the film it was based on. This is probably what most people were expecting when the trailer for the movie first came out, excessive shock humor that pushes the envelope for how far they can go with it that can sometimes be funny and other times can just be fucking disgusting. 

            After standing up to the human race following the events of the film, Frank (voiced by Rogen), Brenda (voiced by Kristen Wiig-Bridesmaids, The Looney Tunes Show, Despicable Me franchise), and their friends establish a safe haven for food called Foodtopia. But when a massive flood destroys their once promised land, they must team up with a human (voiced by Will Forte-Saturday Night Live, Clone High, Strays) to ensure the survival of their race…oh, and Gum and Kareem Abdul-Lavash are dead now and Teresa Del Taco isn’t even mentioned! 

            The series also features the voices of Michael Cera (Superbad, Scott Pilgrim VS the World, The Lego Batman Movie) reprising his role as Barry, Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Moonrise Kingdom) reprising his role as Sammy Bagel Jr., Sam Richardson (Veep, Detroiters, Promising Young Woman) as a tyrannical orange named…Julius (Get it? That’s…very clever!), and Stephanie Beard (The Zone, 50/50, The Flash) as Jeri Rice. 

            Overall, Sausage Party: Foodtopia has some laughs and it is nice to see some of the characters from the film again, but without the clever storytelling and social commentary from the movie, it really pales in comparison and you’re mostly just left with excessive shock humor and attempts at themes on politics and I don’t think the latter works very well for this franchise. It made sense to have a religious theme in the movie because if food actually had a conscious they probably would perceive humans as Gods that will take them to a better place when they’re picked out which also made the reality all the more horrifying from their perspective, it was genuinely effective and handled well there. 

            Here, it’s just issues like which food is going to be the mayor of Foodtopia and how are food going to live in a town when problems only humans know about occur. These are the kinds of things shows like South Park, The Simpsons, or even Family Guy would discuss and satirize and they’re usually handled a lot better in those shows because the characters are humans satirizing current events and making topical jokes. 

Because all the characters are food here there’s a big disconnect between the show and audience and it’s nowhere near as effective as the writers and creators probably hoped for. Maybe if the writing had more thought put into it and more along the lines of the religious satire from the film then perhaps we could have had something here, but as is it just makes you want to watch other adult animated shows that handle topical humor much better. 

There are some moments where I laughed and where some of the cleverness from the movie shines, the idea of the food characters using human teeth as currency is pretty funny, the human Frank and Brenda kidnap questioning the logic between food life and asks if the bottle itself is alive or the water inside, and them not understanding the “You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs” metaphor. I wish there was more of this and less human and sausage fucking…that’s not a joke by the way! 

They also do things to a couple characters in the show that I am very much against especially since I was invested in these characters in the film. One I was able to excuse a little bit because it’s part of an arc for this specific character, but the fate of another character towards the end really rubbed me the wrong way and the choice got worse the more I thought about it. 

Aside from a few moments of cleverness and genuine laughs, Sausage Party: Foodtopia is a middling miniseries based on a great movie that I can only recommend to people who enjoyed the movie and are curious to know what happens next. Personally, I’ll just stick with the film which is significantly funnier and much smarter than most of this entire eight episode miniseries. 

MaXXXine review

MAXXXINE: 

MIA GOTH SLAYS ONCE AGAIN!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

A24

Mia Goth in MaXXXine

 

            Mia Goth (Nymphomaniac, A Cure for Wellness, Infinity Pool) and director Ti West (Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, The Innkeepers, In a Valley of Violence) are back in MaXXXine, the third and final chapter of Ti West’s X trilogy with 2022’s X and Pearl preceding it. Despite not seeing X in theaters and watching it for the first time the night before seeing Pearl, I found myself really enjoying that movie when I finally watched it and thought it was a fun homage to 1970s slasher films ala Texas Chainsaw Massacre with sort of an exploitation movie feel to it and two extraordinary dual performances by Mia Goth as both Maxine and Pearl. 

            The prequel film, Pearl released only six months after X I was a little on the fence about in terms of whether I liked it as much or more than X when I reviewed it. But watching it again before MaXXXine, I have to say Pearl might have become my favorite film in the series now. 

            I love the fact Pearl is a slasher movie done in the style of a Technicolor musical from the 1920s-30s, like The Wizard of Oz if Dorothy turned into a serial killer (Though the movie technically takes place in the late 1910s during World War I) and the film really showcased Mia Goth’s skills as an actress because she is incredible as Pearl and I had already enjoyed her in X but Pearl is 100% her movie, it also features one of my favorite endings of any film. 

            Given my appreciation for these films, I was excited when MaXXXine was announced and there even was a teaser trailer shown in theaters at the end of Pearl. The film also continues the franchise’s trend of being set during different time periods with X taking place during the 1970s and Pearl for the Golden Age of cinema, MaXXXine does the same thing for the 1980s and serves as a direct sequel to X. 

            I will admit, after leaving MaXXXine it does somewhat pale in comparison to X and especially Pearl, but I still had a blast with this movie. There is a lot to appreciate about the film like the acting (Especially from Mia Goth), the 80s nostalgia, and some of the gory kills, but it’s also a movie where a lot of stuff happens in the plot to the point where it becomes cluttered and a little unfocused. 

            The film is set in 1985 Los Angeles and follows Maxine Minx (Goth) trying to catch her big break in Hollywood by moving away from the adult film industry and into horror cinema. However, a serial killer known as the Night Stalker is on the loose and committing horrific murders throughout the L.A. streets whose trail of blood threatens to reveal Maxine’s sinister past. 

            The film also stars Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby (2013), Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and 3, Tenet) as Elizabeth Bender, Moses Sumney (The Idol) as Leon, Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mission: Impossiblefranchise, Source Code) as Det. Williams, Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man 1 and 2, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Irishman) as Det. Torres, Halsey (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Sing 2, Americana) as Tabby Martin, Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Okja) as Molly Bennett, Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian, Abigail, Megalopolis) as Teddy Knight, Esq., and Kevin Bacon (Footloose, X-Men: First Class, Crazy Stupid Love) as John Labat. 

            Overall, MaXXXine is a solidly crafted and thoroughly entertaining third chapter of the X trilogy even if it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors. I think what keeps this movie from being as great as X and Pearl is that it jumbles a lot of plots around and with only a runtime of an hour and 41 minutes, it doesn’t really allow much time to flesh all the plot points out. 

            Honestly, all the ideas the movie explores are great and the mystery is suspenseful, but I feel it could have benefitted from a 2 hour runtime to tie up all the loose ends. It’s strange because I criticized Despicable Me 4 for also having an unfocused plot, but this movie despite having a few rough spots was consistently entertaining throughout and kept my interest so I give it a pass. 

            The murder-mystery plot is very engaging and keeps you wondering what it’s all building up to and who’s behind everything. This is more of a mystery thriller rather than a full-on horror movie which is interesting about the film and like Pearl, helps differentiate itself from the earlier films. 

            However, the film does retain its slasher movie elements and many of these kills are delightfully bloody, fleshy, and even painful to the point of wincing in your seat at times. There’s a particular scene involving Maxine doing something to a man’s testicles after a failed attempt at murdering her that got a genuine reaction out of me in the theater and a very satisfying death scene towards the end. 

            Mia Goth once again is excellent as the second half of her dual performance in X, she doesn’t really go full-on psychopath like she did as Pearl, but she commands every scene that she’s in and despite her aspiring star attitude, the film does a great job at getting the audience on her side. I also love how it parallels Pearl, but here Maxine is actually getting much closer to achieving Pearl’s dream than she ever did. 

            MaXXXine may be a bit of a mess in terms of plot, but it’s a lot of fun and a worthy conclusion to Ti West’s X trilogy. It has slasher gore, a murder-mystery, 80s nostalgia cranked up to eleven, and Mia Goth slaying, sure Pearl didn’t become a star, but Mia Goth certainly did thanks to these films and I look forward to seeing what she and Ti West do next in their careers. 

Despicable Me 4 review

DESPICABLE ME 4: 

MINION MAYHEM DOMINATES SUBPAR FOURTH ENTRY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Gru, his Minions, and his newborn son in Despicable Me 4

 

            Ex-supervillain, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell-Anchorman 1 and 2, The Office, Foxcatcher) and his mischievous Minions are back (again) in Despicable Me 4, the latest installment of Illumination’s Despicable Me film series dating back to 2010. I have to say it’s quite impressive how long this franchise has been around and that it continues to be successful 14 years after the release of the first movie, Minions make bank! 

            The first Despicable Me was a solid animated feature with a lot of creativity, humor, and heart about a supervillain turned hero and loving father which helped establish Illumination as a strong competitor in computer animation among the likes of Pixar and DreamWorks. Its 2013 sequel, Despicable Me 2 was a worthy follow-up that introduced Gru’s bubbly spy partner turned wife, Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig-Bridesmaids, The Looney Tunes Show, The Skeleton Twins) and more focus on comedy this time around, but the comedy made me laugh so I don’t care.  

            The Minions spin-off movies from 2015 and 2022 pale in comparison to the first two Despicable Me films but both had a fair amount of laughs and visual sight gags that made me smile. 2017’s Despicable Me 3 is the weakest of all the films with standard kids movie gags and an unfocused plot mostly consisting of wacky scenarios rather than a narrative, but there was an incredible, scene-stealing Trey Parker as the voice of an 80s-themed supervillain which alone makes the movie worth seeking out. 

Which brings us to Despicable Me 4, the first Despicable Me film released in seven years, not counting 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru. This wasn’t exactly high on my agenda, but since I reviewed most of the other movies, why not review this one too? 

While I can’t say this is an awful movie and I’m sure kids will get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but if you thought Despicable Me 3’s plot was unfocused wait until you hear about this one which we’ll get to in a moment. I wouldn’t mind an unfocused plot if the comedy and/or heart made up for it…not so much, this is a standard and surprisingly soulless Despicable Me movie despite tons of talented people working on it. 

The film follows Gru, Lucy, their adopted girls Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove-School of Rock, Drake & Josh, iCarly), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier-The Ice Cream Truck), and Agnes (voiced by Madison Polan), and Gru and Lucy’s newborn son, Gru Jr. living a happy life as a family. But when an enemy from Gru’s past known as Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell-Saturday Night Live, Blades of Glory, Megamind) escapes from prison and seeks revenge on him and his family, Gru and Lucy’s boss and Anti Villain League leader Silas Ramsbottom (Hehe, bottom!) (voiced by Steve Coogan-Night at the Museum trilogy, Tropic Thunder, The Trip trilogy) relocates the family to a safe house to hide from Maxime. 

Add in a bunch of subplots such as Lucy working in a hair salon and gloriously screwing it up, Gru bonding with his son who doesn’t like him very much, a group of Minions getting superpowers and becoming Mega Minions, Gru getting roped into helping his neighbor’s daughter who is also an aspiring supervillain pull off a heist, and a crazy plan where Maxime tries to conquer the world with an army of giant cockroaches and plots to turn Gru’s son into a cockroach mutant unless Gru, his family, and Minions can stop him (You can see the problem with this movie, right?). 

The film also features the voices of Joey King (Ramona and Beezus, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Bullet Train) as Poppy Prescott, Sofía Vergara (Happy Feet Two, Chef, Strays) as Maxime’s femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, Stephen Colbert (Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, Monsters VS Aliens) as Perry Prescott, and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live, Babylon, Megalopolis) as Patsy Prescott. 

Overall, Despicable Me 4 is unfortunately the worst of the Despicable Me films but I wouldn’t consider it a terrible movie because it’s clearly intended to give younger audiences a good time and it does the job fine enough. If I was a kid watching it, I’d probably like it okay, but the scatterbrained plot and subpar humor compared to earlier entries is what’s holding me back. 

This feels more like a collection of scenarios rather than a coherent story to the point where you forget certain plot details or characters because of how the movie is structured. Yes, Despicable Me 3’s plot is messy and the comedy isn’t especially that funny (Trey Parker-voiced villain not withstanding), but there was at least a beginning, middle, and end and I was able to follow it, here the plot gets lost constantly over the course of the movie to the point where I started questioning what the movie wanted me to be invested in and what it was supposed to be about. 

I wouldn’t mind if the plot was unfocused if the comedy is any good and while there are certainly some funny setups here, I found the humor really lacking this time around. I chuckled a few times, but nothing in this movie made me laugh out loud and was even disappointed by some jokes that had hilarious buildup but delivered no payoff. 

The biggest offence of this is when Lucy is working as a hairstylist and she accidentally burns her first customer’s hair and makes a run for it after setting the sprinklers off. That’s a good setup for a running joke in the movie and I was looking forward to seeing what the hair screw up actually looked like later on, but then the customer encounters Lucy in a grocery store with her head bandaged up and tries to kill her (Set to the Terminator theme for some reason) and she doesn’t remove the bandages to reveal what happened to her head, she also doesn’t appear in the movie again after this…weak! 

Despicable Me 3 didn’t exactly have the best comedy either, but Trey Parker voicing Balthasar Bratt and with me being a humongous South Park fan was the most consistently funny thing in the movie (And the only reason to watch that movie). Unfortunately, despite Will Ferrell being a massively talented and funny actor (Whose voice fits perfectly with animation), Maxime is a rather underwhelming villain and downgrade from the last movie. 

If you were to tell me Will Ferrell was going to voice a cockroach-themed supervillain with a French accent in a Despicable Me movie, I’d say “That is crazy and weird, I want to see it!”. But because the movie is focused on comedic scenarios, he’s not given enough time to make audiences hate him, the material given to him isn’t that funny, and even the film itself forgets he exists sometimes so he ends up not leaving much of an impression. 

Despicable Me 4 gives what it advertises, lots of Minion shenanigans, heavy focus on comedy and wacky situations, and baby jokes. This is a fine “Drop Your Kids Off” movie as they’ll likely have fun with it, but if you’re looking for a “Family” movie, Inside Out 2!