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Review by Sean Boelman
Many modern-day Westerns tend to be bleak and dour, so seeing one that just wants to be fun to watch is refreshing. The latest film from writer/director/star Mario Van Peebles, Outlaw Posse, is a revisionist Western that adheres to most of the conventions of the genre but is consistently entertaining nonetheless.
Outlaw Posse follows a notorious outlaw who returns from hiding to find a hidden cache of gold, only for a dangerous man from his past to be on his tail, kicking off an explosive adventure. Although it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Mario Van Peebles has made an enjoyable throwback with enough action and quippy one-liners to keep you smiling through its sometimes quotidian story. The most interesting thing about Van Peebles’s latest film is what he does with it thematically. The Western is not a genre known for being particularly progressive — especially regarding race — but Van Peebles takes these cliches and uses them to reclaim the genre. It’s not exactly subtle, but there is some sharp dialogue where Van Peebles’s character satisfyingly lays it onto the racist white guy. Outlaw Posse is a little scrappy and rough around the edges when it comes to the visuals; it doesn't have the same level of polish that some of the studio-backed Westerns have today. But there’s so much passion and love for the genre in every frame that it’s easy to forgive some of its flaws. 
The throwback nature of the film also reveals itself in its characters, who are all on the archetypal side. These arcs are all familiar: the straight-laced son of an outlaw who learns his estranged father may not be who he thought he was, the villain who’s seeking revenge against the antihero for a wrong committed against him long ago, and, of course, the band of misfits that makes up the posse.
Still, everyone in the cast seems to be having a blast, lending the film an infectiously fun vibe. William Mapother is the biggest standout, chewing the scenery as any good Western villain should. Even the A-listers, who one would typically expect to be phoning it in for a smaller production like this, give it their all for their few scenes — Whoopi Goldberg, Cam Gigandet, Cedric the Entertainer, and Edward James Olmos among them. There’s also something incredibly lovable about how much of a full-circle moment this film represents for Van Peebles. Though he’s since become prolific himself, Van Peebles got his start working with his father, Melvin Van Peebles. To see Mario sharing the screen with his son, Mandela, is a fun little moment for cinephiles. It also lends itself to the film nicely because they have a natural rapport. Outlaw Posse doesn’t have the most polish or originality, but it’s consistently entertaining nonetheless. A game cast and Mario Van Peebles’s obvious love for the Western genre allow this to overcome its familiar beats to deliver a memorable entry into the genre. Outlaw Posse hits theaters on March 1. Rating: 3/5
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Review by Cole Groth  Jeff Chan's 2019 thriller Code 8 is an underrated modern science fiction film. After a crowdfunded campaign led to a feature adaptation of his 2016 short film, the film was released to modest reviews. To see it get a sequel five years later is certainly a surprise. It's fun, interesting, and slick. If you haven't seen it and discovered its existence because of Netflix's release of Code 8: Part II, I'd wholeheartedly recommend you watch both that and this film! Picking up a few years after the ending of the first one, Jeff Chan has directed a sequel that feels delightfully updated for modern times and looks a whole lot slicker than before. Both films occur in Lincoln City, Oregon, in the late '90s. In this world, some people are "power-enabled," giving them various superpowers. Society used to make them perform labor for them, but automation eliminated their jobs, forcing them to turn to a life of crime to make ends meet. Picking up after the events of Code 8, Part II sees Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) back to his lowly ways. The LCPD has created a new era of attack robots meant to hunt down every last power-enabled person. After Connor discovers a young girl (Sirena Gulamgaus) on the run from the police, Connor makes it his duty to protect her. Simply put, this is a lot like a technologically-focused version of Logan. It's gritty and intense, playing more as a thriller than the first film did. It feels a little stuck in generic city at points: corrupt cops, crazy chase scenes, and occasionally lazy dialogue. The point is, this isn't pushing many boundaries, but sometimes the comfort zone is the best place for a movie to exist.  Like the first film, both Amells are great. Robbie Amell plays the friendly, protective hero perfectly, and Stephen Amell the bad guy gone good. Sirena Gulamgaus is great, alongside Alex Mallari Jr. Unfortunately, Robbie Amell isn't focused on quite as much as he was on the first one. We spend a little too much time on the secondary characters that, at points, the focus slips from what it should be on.
Since the budget was so small for Code 8, it's incredibly impressive how good this movie looks in comparison. The special effects and cinematography are much better than before, with the Netflix budget showing through each scene. It's sleek and exciting, full of this intensity of a filmmaker who can finally afford to live out the true scope of his vision. Jeff Chan has improved on the first film in many ways. It explores new avenues without losing what made the original so good. If Code 8 was an undiscovered gem, I hope that Code 8: Part II will bring it into the limelight. Both films are excellent science fiction flicks, and each stands on its own while forming a thoroughly thought-out story. As far as Netflix's original sci-fi films go, this is one of their best. It provides solid social commentary on the modern police state and is a fun ride. Fans of the first will undoubtedly love this, but it also offers a fresh experience that those unfamiliar with the story can also love. Either way, it's certainly worth a watch. Code 8: Part II releases on Netflix on February 28. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Jennifer Lopez isn’t exactly known for being humble. While her latest album might make you doubt your presumptions about the artist, the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told reinforces every one of them. If you’ve seen the album film This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, there’s very little value to be derived from seeing the documentary. If you haven’t seen it, there’s even less.
This documentary follows musician Jennifer Lopez as she independently produces a new album and film (This Is Me… Now), which becomes her most personal project yet. This documentary is being billed as the “third piece” of Lopez’s passion project, but instead, it feels like an attempt to milk every bit of money she possibly can out of it. If you’re a big fan of Lopez’s newest album and its companion film, The Greatest Love Story Never Told has all the information you could want to know about it. This documentary shows everything, from the ideation of the album through casting, choreography, production, and distribution. It shows maybe too much, in fact. The most entertaining part of the documentary isn’t actually meant to be entertaining — and it’s Ben Affleck’s participation. Affleck clearly does not want to be part of this; he even says so himself. He looks about as happy to be on camera as he does in the meme of him smoking, but he loves his new(-ish) wife, right? So he has to do it to support her… right? 
This is perhaps the most damning thing about The Greatest Love Story Never Told. The album film This Is Me… Now: A Love Story was incredibly vulnerable. It did a surprisingly good job of humanizing the diva. In this documentary, she comes across as callous. Lopez desperately wants to paint herself as an auteur. Every choice she makes is brilliant and right, regardless of who it may hurt. Whether it’s revealing private love letters against Affleck’s wishes or pressuring someone to be in her film despite scheduling conflicts, her divalike behavior has never been more apparent.
Worse yet, the documentary isn’t even particularly well-made. The presentation is incredibly straightforward, consisting of a blend of fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes footage and talking head interviews. Most frustrating, though, is the fact that there are several needle drops of popular music that isn’t from Lopez’s new album — including an egregiously obvious use of “Under Pressure.” At a certain point, one will begin to wonder why they are watching an 85-minute documentary about the making of a mid-length album film that’s only around 50 minutes long. Furthermore, what more is there to learn about Lopez from this that she didn’t already convey in her “tell-all” of an artistic project? Somehow, The Greatest Love Story Never Told has the exact opposite effect of what it intended to do — you will walk away feeling less appreciation for This Is Me… Now. It’s a shame because (like it or not) Lopez’s latest project is undeniably ambitious and creative. We don’t need this bland ego trip to tell us that. The Greatest Love Story Never Told streams on Prime Video beginning February 27. Rating: 1.5/5 Review by Jonathan Berk  In space, no one can hear you sigh from extreme depression. Well, Adam Sandler puts this idea to the test in director Johan Renck's new film Spaceman. Renck uses the isolation of space and man's desire to explore the unknown to reflect on exactly what we are running from. Jakub (Sandler) is a lone astronaut six months into a mission to explore a mysterious cloud just past Jupiter. His wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), has gone radio silent, and he has started to suspect his marriage might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Jakub discovers he's not alone, as a mysterious creature (voiced by Paul Dano) is hiding in the bowels of the ship. The creature helps Jakub work through things as he contemplates if there is still time to fix what he left behind. Sandler's performance in the film is a bit uneven. His dramatic roles in films like Punch-Drunk Love or Uncut Gems have been some of his best, but sometimes he feels like he's phoning it in here. There are moments when he seems to be sleepwalking through the film. While his character is sleep-deprived, it seems that's merely an excuse for some of the deadpan reactions. Fortunately, there are a few moments where we get some of the Sandler charm that makes us hope there is still time to patch things up. Mulligan gets to work off more than a computer-generated creature. She's on Earth and often has to justify her decision to end her marriage. Her situation is even more complex than we initially suspected. Dano brings an ethereal quality to the creature, and while his visage will infinitely disturb some audiences, his performance is undeniable. Not all the exchanges with his character and Jakub actually work, but that isn't the fault of the performances.  The film tackles some major existential topics, and sometimes it comes off as cheesy. The purple cloud that sent Jakub on this space odyssey plays heavily on some high-concept ideas that don't all connect. It isn't easy to address some of life's big mysteries, and if you don't subscribe to some philosophies, it may feel silly to try and nail them down.
Much of the film looks good, but sometimes, the visual effects look a little cheap. Some of the little things may feel like they didn't need as much attention. For example, there is an early scene where several objects float around Sandler, and it looks like CG clutter. It isn't enough to wreck the film, but it is noticeable. While not all the film's ideas pay off, and some performances are uneven, Spaceman offers enough to get the audience to reflect on their own life choices and maybe shed a few tears. Other science fiction films broach these topics in more impactful ways, and some are even more grounded than that. Still, these topics are universal and deserve reflection. Why are we always so willing to go into the unknown, seeking what we don't know instead of cherishing what we already have? Spaceman is now in theaters and streams on Netflix on March 1. Rating: 3/5 Review by Adam Donato  Esther Povitsky turned down the opportunity to star in a comedy series about her life. That’s not where her opportunities end, as she starred in, wrote, and executive produced Drugstore June. The film is also directed, written, and produced by Nicholaus Goossen, who experienced niche success in the comedic movie Grandma's Boy. It tells the story of a woman stuck in life by her delusions of being a social media influencer. When the pharmacy she works at gets robbed, June makes it her mission to solve the case. With hot comedic talents attached, such as Bobby Lee and Bill Burr, can this modern comedy make an impact? Povitsky’s character begins the movie at the most annoying place possible. This can be draining, but over time, it becomes one of the funnier aspects of the movie. Her character lives in her own world outside of everyday reality, so the other character’s reactions to her are quite comical. While the character works from a comedic perspective, once the plot really starts to kick in, she becomes much less engaging. She goes through an arc that has been done to death, and Drugstore June does little to make itself stand out amongst similar stories. At the end of the day, this movie is a comedy, and the title character supplies consistent laughs throughout. It will be interesting to see what projects Povitsky chooses going forward.  Not only does Povitsky’s character become less engaging as the plot thickens, but the story ends up dragging the personality down. The mystery of who robs the pharmacy is not compelling and has an underwhelming payoff. It was a shame to see such little inclusion of Bill Burr’s character, as his scene was one of the funniest in the film. Weirdly enough, Bobby Lee has a very reserved performance. He’s still funny when used, but his character becomes a non-factor for most of the second half.
Drugstore June has a charismatic lead and a solid supporting cast. This movie looks to be a launching pad for Povitsky’s comedy career in film. From the poster alone, this looks like the perfect movie to be dropped on a streaming service. Seldom do movies feel more appropriate for streaming than on the big screen, but this film would thrive off casual at-home watches to find its audience. While the plot doesn’t keep up with the humor, Drugstore June is worth the watch. Drugstore June is now in theaters. Rating: 3/5 |