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Review by Dan Skip Allen  (L-R): Ral Agada as Thanasis and Uche Agada as Giannis in Disney's live-action RISE, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sports films can be a bit hit and miss as a genre. Sure there is a good chunk of them that are excellent, but there are a lot of bad films in this genre as well. Basketball films are a little far and in between. For every basketball film, there are two or three baseball and football films. That being said, there are two basketball films out right now: (the fictional) Hustle on Netflix and Rise on Disney+, which is the true story of Giannis Antetokounmpo. One is definitely better than the other. The Antetokounmpos are from Lagos, Nigeria. In 1990, they were struggling to make ends meet, and there was civil unrest in the country. So the father decides it's best to move the family to Greece, where there is less trouble for his wife and kids. He notices his boys are pretty tall, so he tries to get them to learn how to play basketball at the local courts around where they live. At first, they struggle with the game but eventually learn to perfect it. The two brothers, Giannis and Thanasis Antetokoumpo (Uche Agada, Ral Agada), are at first like fish out of water at the sport of basketball. Traveling and bowling a lot, they pick up the nuance of the sport relatively quickly — so quickly that they start to have scouts notice them. These scouts can help them get an attractive deal with NBA franchises or get drafted through the NBA draft lottery. There is a little problem, though. They have visa issues that can hamper their progression into the NBA. Even though this is a true story, it has dramatic moments that make for a good story. The family issues and visa issues create moments that the viewers can be upset about, especially since most sports fans know the outcome of these brothers' stories. The parents' backstory was where the true story was for me and also the agent that helped the brothers out. I don't know how much creative license was taken with these characters, but they were the real heart of the story for me.  (L-R): Ral Agada as Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Dayo Okeniyi as Charles Antetokounmpo, and Uche Agada as Giannis Antetokounmpo in Disney's live-action RISE, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Patrick Redmond. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. A major problem I had with the film was the acting across the board. I just couldn't get into the performances by the cast, especially the two brothers. It just felt like everybody was wooden in their performances, but maybe that was the dialogue and or direction they were given.
In sports movies, how the actual sport is portrayed on screen is a major part of whether the film is good or bad. This film seemed to me to get the basketball wrong. It just seemed too staged, whereas the other basketball film out right now got the basketball scenes perfect. It could have been the budget or insufficient time to prepare, but they didn't look good to me. Rise had good intentions, but it fell apart in two major categories for me: The acting and staging and execution of the game of basketball. Disney has done more than its share of inspirational sports films, but this one won't be considered among its good ones. There may be underlying problems I don't know about, but I can only go off of the end result, and this film just isn't that good from a few major standpoints. Rise is now streaming on Disney+. Rating: 1.5/5
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Review by Dan Skip Allen  Zaris-Angel Hator as MAISIE BRUMBLE and Karl Urban as JACOB HOLLAND. Credit: Netflix © 2022. The Sea Beast has a legacy filmmaker attached to it, making it a film people should pay attention to: Chris Williams, who has been involved with pretty big Disney films like Moana, Big Hero 6, and others. His pedigree as an animator, a writer, and a director is pretty extensive. He may not be one of the biggest names in the industry, but his latest movie shows he's a very good filmmaker. It's one of the best animated films of the year so far. In an undisclosed kingdom in a time and place not really said (but it looks like the colonial age or Victorian age), so-called monsters roamed the open seas, and so monster hunters were born. The Inevitable is captained by Captain Crow (Jared Harris) and is the number one monster hunter ship in the fleet. He rescued a young boy, Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), who's now all grown up. He is his trusty captain's mate. When a young girl Maise (Zaris-Angel Hator), shows away on the ship, everything he thought he knew about hunting monsters is turned on its head. The voice cast in this film is fantastic, but the real champion of this film is the animation. The computer animation is absolutely breathtaking to behold. It is no surprise considering Chris Williams's pedigree. The monsters have an animated look to them, but everything else looks real. There are islands, town settings, kingdom castles, and many scenes of the ocean that look amazing. The detail involved with the ships is so intricate and detailed, and so is the clothing characters wear in the film.  Brickleback and The Inevitable . Credit: Netflix © 2022 Like many animated films, this film has some great messages about nature and understanding the wilderness and its creatures. History plays a big part in why we do what we do regarding how we treat animals. How people treat something that they don't understand is a big part of the progress of society. The Sea Beast handles these topics very well.
Netflix has been hit-and-miss with its animated films, but I can honestly say this is a fantastic film. Netflix invested in good people who have a great track record with animation. Chris Williams got good screenwriters with a good story to tell and used his expertise to implement their ideas into a beautiful, fun, action-packed animated film. All great animated films have great messages in them, and this one also does, but younger audiences will enjoy this film as well. The cast is terrific, and I was instantly sucked into these characters' stories from the beginning. The Sea Beast is now in theaters and hits Netflix on July 8. Rating: 4/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  (L-R) Kevin Hart as Teddy and Woody Harrelson as The Man From Toronto in The Man From Toronto. Credit: Sabrina Lantos/Netflix © 2022. The Man From Toronto had some behind-the-scenes drama before it even started filming. Jason Statham was set to star in his action vehicle opposite Kevin Hart before abruptly leaving the project due to the dreaded creative differences. In stepped Woody Harrelson to fill the void Statham left. From what I have seen in the film, Harrelson filled in admirably, resulting in a movie that was a lot of fun. Teddy Nilson (Kevin Hart) is an average guy with a YouTube channel that nobody watches. He has one thing going for him: a beautiful wife who stands by him through thick and thin. He plans a nice romantic getaway at an AirBnB by a lake in a secluded area so he and her can spend some alone time together on her birthday. When he arrives at the cottage, he is mistaken for the titular title character "The Man From Toronto" until the actual Man from Toronto (Woody Harrelson), an assassin for hire, arrives, and all hell breaks loose. Surprisingly Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart have very good chemistry together. They have a lot of banter that brings laughs: Hart as the comedic pulse and Harrelson as the stoic serious tough guy. Various sequences involve a lot of action and some visual effects that might not be very believable, but we go with it because of the investment we've made in the odd couple. One, in particular, is a very good plane action scene; other action films could learn from the people who did this one. There is a side story here that is basically the heart and soul of the film. This story anchors an action-heavy movie that needs a little more substance, and this subplot does the job. Once we, as the viewers, get to know these characters, their backstories and lives away from the main plot become even more important. By the end of the film, we are fully invested in the outcome of the two main protagonists and their lives. This film does a great job of setting all of this up and paying for it off.  (L-R) Woody Harrelson as The Man From Toronto and Kevin Hart as Teddy in The Man From Toronto. Credit: Sabrina Lantos/Netflix © 2022. Besides the two main characters, the film introduces us to a few supporting characters that are pretty superfluous to the plot — like Kaley Cuoco's character — except for one, in particular, played by Ellen Barkin. She is pretty sinister and greedy and has underlying ideas of how things should be going. They don't end up the way she wants in the end. The running gag of various other assassins named after their cities is pretty cool as well.
Kevin Hart has been getting these types of roles ever since he teamed up with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in films like Central Intelligence and the Jumanji reboot films. He plays this type of neurotic oddball pretty well. It's become his forte in Hollywood now. Cast Kevin Hart in an actioner opposite a perceived tough guy and let him go to work being funny. Wash, rinse, repeat, and it's a pretty good formula for him. Usually, these films are successful, and after watching The Man From Toronto, he has another hit on his hands. Even though this film had some behind-the-scenes drama, it didn't affect the outcome. This film turned out fine. The chemistry between Hart and Harrelson was pretty good. Not Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson good, but pretty good. The action sequences were very good, especially the plane sequence. The supporting cast was fine, and the film was pretty funny all-around. This might actually be a big hit for Netflix, which desperately needs it. The Man From Toronto streams on Netflix beginning June 24. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
A24 has become known for a lot of things, but children’s films is not one of them… yet. And still, the expansion of the viral YouTube short from over a decade ago, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, is one of the most tender movies that the studio has ever gotten its hands on, and the level of pure joy in it is infectious.
The film is a mockumentary about a mollusk living in a garden with his grandmother as he sets out on a quest to find the rest of their family from which they were tragically separated. It seems like a silly premise — who’s going to care about a shell with a googly eye? But the amount of humanity that the writers get out of such a silly concept is astounding. Admittedly, the youngest of kids might have a hard time getting into the movie because it is a bit on the slow side. The chuckles are there, and pretty frequent, but a lot of the jokes aren’t going to be the type that is funny to elementary school-age viewers. And the stakes in the film aren’t because of tension, but from an emotion that kids of that age usually haven’t felt yet. The themes that the movie explores are much deeper than one would expect. It might just be the most mature kids’ movie ever made — not that it’s inappropriate or too complex for younger audiences to understand, but it deals with these topics in such a gentle, compelling way that we aren’t used to seeing in movies aimed at this age range. 
Kids’ movies have a tendency to easily get the audience to connect with their anthropomorphic characters, but the characterization here is some of the most phenomenal you will ever see in the genre. Marcel’s personality shines through of course — that’s what made the short go viral in the first place — but the part that will really make the film resonate with audiences is the relationship between him and his grandma.
And really, as far as (partially) animated movies go, this has a pretty minimalist voice cast, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. Jenny Slate disappears into her role as the titular mollusk, and is quite funny, but the real scene-stealer is Isabella Rossellini. The amount of emotion that she brings to her role is equally awe-inspiring and soul-crushing. The way in which Dean Fleischer-Camp blends the stop-motion animation with the live-action backgrounds is beautiful, largely thanks to great cinematography by Eric Adkins and Bianca Cline. But the animation work in and of itself is masterful, getting so much in terms of storytelling out of such simplistic designs. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is a true accomplishment in children’s filmmaking: one of the most wholesome, lovely films that you can see with the entire family this year. It’s adorable, poignant, and funny, which is all that audiences can ask for at the movies. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On opens in theaters on June 24 and expands July 15. Rating: 4.5/5 Review by Paris Jade  A Western murder mystery set in the late 1800s is a captivating tale if done right. Murder at Yellowstone City has great tones of mystery that set itself up perfectly for its plot. A local prospector strikes gold and is found murdered after a mysterious man enters the town. The sheriff arrests the man, but certain townsfolk think he may be innocent; it’s up to them to find the evidence. This film is decently entertaining if you love a simple murder mystery. Certain key plot moments might feel a bit obvious, and the plot twists are definitely predictable, but it doesn’t make it a terrible movie. The characters are compelling enough to keep you entertained. You want to root for them and hope for the best, but you don’t need anymore or want more from them. Sometimes when you really like a character, you want more of them, but here, it’s all just enough. There are some characters that you could have less of or are just a bit boring but important to drive the plot further. Specifically, one little girl just runs around most scenes carrying a gun like she runs the world.  Cinematically, the best scenes are the shoot-out and murder scenes. Every scene is choreographed well and is seamlessly transferred onto the screen. The action sequences are really the only reason to watch this film. Everything else is just average. It’s all very simple. There is nothing that screams special about this movie. It follows simple rules and themes, and the filmmakers tried to go for a regular old “don’t judge a book by its cover” message. As quick as the movie is and as entertaining as those action sequences can be, it is a bit boring that there’s nothing more.
For the film being two hours long, it goes by very quickly. No scene is unimportant, and everything fits together perfectly. Murder at Yellowstone City has all of the simple elements that make a murder mystery. The only thing that differentiates this film from the others is that it’s set and made like a Western movie, which still doesn’t make it that different from others. If you are a person who, for some reason, has to watch every murder mystery movie ever made, go ahead and knock this one out. If you are just a casual movie watcher and want something good and entertaining, maybe skip out on watching this one — it’s not really worth it. See Murder at Yellowstone City in theaters and on VOD June 24. Rating: 3/5 Review by Tatiana Miranda  For modern indie music fans, Press Play promises an exceptional soundtrack filled with Father John Misty and Japanese Breakfast that plays an important role in the plot of the film. Yet, its fun soundtrack and time-traveling concept can’t save the many faults of Greg Björkman’s directorial debut. A love story centered around the loss of music fanatic Harrison, the magic of mix-tapes comes into play as his girlfriend Laura learns she can revisit the past through a mix-tape they made. Rushing to save Harrison from his untimely death, Laura shifts important moments in their relationship in an attempt to deal with her grief. The concept of Press Play will intrigue any music fan with its elements of High Fidelity and the sci-fi aspect, similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But unlike those films, Press Play is devoid of any real emotion or musical nuance. The movie opens in medias res with Laura time-traveling via cassette tape before cutting to Laura and Harrison’s first introduction. From there, we get glimpses of their relationship through key moments that are backdropped by songs that will later be on their mix-tape. The fast-paced depiction of their relationship does little to direct the audience’s emotion when Harrison is killed by a drunk driver, so Laura’s crazed attempt to bring him back feels unwarranted and uncharacteristic. Moments of conflict in their relationship also feel unimportant as they are quickly and efficiently solved between the two, making Laura’s later regret all the more confusing.  Beyond the depiction of their relationship, Laura and Harrison also individually fall flat. Laura is an artist who meets Harrison through her friend Chloe, Harrison’s step-sister. After Harrison’s death, Laura becomes distant and unresponsive to what seems to be her good friend Chloe; granted, their relationship has always revolved around Harrison, so it’s unclear what their average friendship dynamic is actually like.
Meanwhile, Harrison is a supposed music enthusiast who works at a local record shop while he’s not studying to be a doctor. Harrison’s music expertise is only exhibited by him working at the shop and the fact that he initially tells Laura he doesn’t like Japanese Breakfast. Besides that, along with some quips about the unique aspects of records, his music expertise doesn’t go any further. His plan to become a doctor is also cut short when he decides to stay with Laura instead of continuing his studies. Both Laura and Harrison appear more like caricatures of artists and pretentious music nerds than accurate or even at least interesting depictions of the two. This, in combination with the weak premise of their relationship, makes any interesting piece of the time-traveling aspect feel unrewarding. The final scene, where Laura gets her wish, disregarding anything she had learned earlier, puts the nail in the coffin for any sort of likability in Press Play. Press Play premieres in theaters and on-demand on June 24th. Rating: 1/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Gwendoline Christie as “Jan Stevens” and Asa Butterfield as “Billy Rubin” in Peter Strickland’s FLUX GOURMET. Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.
Peter Strickland is one of the most fascinating genre directors working today, making films that are bizarre and unorthodox yet still comfortably familiar in how they pay homage to the genre. However, Flux Gourmet is arguably his most out-there movie yet — a pitch-black comedy that swings for the fences — and while it might not be a home run, it's certainly an impressive turn at bat.
The film follows a collective of unorthodox performance artists who make music through culinary means as they get entangled in scandalous affairs while in residence at a bizarre culinary institute. Imagine something akin to a boarding school melodrama, but with a bit of a horror-comedy tinge, and that is the essence of what Strickland’s script has to offer. And yet, even by Strickland’s standards, the movie does go a bit off the deep end. At first, the film seems like a two-hour fart joke. And while that’s certainly absurd, fans of Strickland will know there is more going on here. He lampoons high society in a way that only he would (and perhaps, only he could) — by juxtaposing it against lowbrow humor. But that is the point here, after all. Strickland wants us to laugh at the absurdity and the ridiculousness of high society, but in a way that makes us feel really uncomfortable and introspective. And as always, he really reinforces this unnerving feeling in the final act, culminating in a last image that will stick with you long after the credits roll. 
(left to right) Asa Butterfield as “Billy Rubin,” Fatma Mohamed as “Elle Di Elle,” and Ariane Labed as “Lamina Propria” in Peter Strickland’s FLUX GOURMET. Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.
Strickland does a great job of giving the audience very mixed feelings about these characters. On one hand, they are really pompous and ridiculous, but then their humanity shines through and we can’t really hate them. It’s this moral ambiguity that radiates throughout the film and really allows it to thrive.
Asa Butterfield is the highest-profile actor in the movie, but he is playing a really restrained role here. It’s still a character that is very awkward like his usual type, but not in the same way. The surprising standout here is Makis Papadimitriou, who is both hilarious and endearing as the film’s narrator and observational protagonist. It is on a technical level that Strickland’s movie is such a marvel, but that is always the case with his work. The film is very experimental with sound, which is fitting for a movie about a group of experimental sound musicians. But even visually, the film is downright fantastic, with a use of color that is at once aesthetically appealing and tremendously unsettling. Flux Gourmet is a very funny dark comedy, but only if you are attuned to Peter Strickland’s unique sense of humor. Some are going to be quick to dismiss this as weird and random, whereas its target audience will latch onto those things and love the movie for it. Flux Gourmet hits theaters and VOD on June 24. Rating: 4.5/5 Review by Camden Ferrell  Christos Nikou is a Greek director who has worked on great modern films like Before Midnight and Dogtooth, and Apples is his first time directing a feature-length film. It had its premiere at the 2020 Venice Film Festival and has been a part of numerous festivals since then. It was also Greece’s official submission for the Best International Film category at the Oscars in 2021. The movie boasts an intriguing premise that reminds one of the films of his contemporary Yorgos Lanthimos. However, the movie mostly fails to capitalize on the potential of its captivating and fresh ideas. In a world that is both familiar and alien to the viewer, we see an unknown and unpredictable pandemic that causes people to suddenly develop amnesia. Aris is a man who is plagued with such an affliction. To combat this amnesia, he finds himself enrolled in a program that aims to help him recover and build a new life. From here, we see as he goes on this journey as he confronts memory and identity in this truly unique story. One thing that can’t be denied is how original and exciting this premise is as well as the potential for exploration of deep themes that it has. One is instantly reminded of the movies of Yorgos Lanthimos from the start, and while it possesses an eerily similar framework and style, it often fails to capture the sensibilities and nuances of his films. It has more in common with a movie like Alps, a flawed movie with a highly original premise, than a film like Dogtooth for example. The script, written by Nikou and Stavros Raptis, is intentionally minimal, and its lack of dialogue isn’t supplemented sufficiently with material to uphold its message and momentum.  Its performances are decent more than anything, but they fail to make an impression. It’s a very deadpan and dour film that doesn’t always make it easy to showcase great performances, and this ensemble can’t do much to stand out in this world that was created. There are a handful of good moments from this cast, but this movie doesn’t really offer them much depth in these roles to truly be memorable.
The one aspect of the movie that was truly impressive was its cinematography. While there might not have been substance in the film’s execution, Bartosz Swiniarski proves how talented he is behind the camera. He is able to capture and frame this story in a way that is visually stunning and engaging to watch from start to finish. Apples might not be the best feature directorial debut, but it’s one that draws inspiration from great movies. The set up and premise is top notch, but the film ultimately lacks in establishing substance and meaning through its execution. The cinematography is stunning, and the originality is admirable, but not much else stood out to me in this movie. Apples is in theaters June 24. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Adam Donato  BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO THE UNIVERSE streaming on Paramount+ In a day and age where every single intellectual property needs to be pillaged for profit, it was only a matter of time before Beavis and Butt-Head got an update. Paramount+, for anybody who is unaware, is a streaming service which includes franchises from Paramount Pictures, most notably Nickelodeon, CBS, and MTV. The last being the home of the Beavis and Butt-Head series and big screen movie, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America. This reboot jumps on the multiverse bandwagon in such a way that allows Beavis and Butt-Head to venture into modern-day Texas. A science fair gone awry leads to everyone’s favorite idiots going to space camp and being recruited to embark on an expedition. Does Beavis and Butt-Head’s humor translate after almost thirty years? It’s easy to look at this entry into the franchise as a desperate attempt at content for what is one of the bottom dwellers in the streaming game. That being said, the audience that enjoys the first movie will certainly enjoy the new one. It’s more of the same, Beavis and Butt-Head ignorantly shit their way through the world in an attempt to “score”. They unwittingly find themselves in the middle of a serious situation because of their incessant need to be with a woman, who says if they help her then they can “do her”. Their ensuing journey leads to them being pursued by law enforcement. It’s the exact same movie as the first, but where it stands above modern reboots is that it’s not constantly referencing the original movie. This is such a breath of fresh air since most franchises will rely on the crutch of references and callbacks. Also, since we are dealing with the whole universe, this movie is far more epic and high stakes than the first.  BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO THE UNIVERSE streaming on Paramount+ If you are the type of person who thinks it’s funny when somebody says anything that sounds remotely sexual, then this is the funniest movie of the year. The humor is beyond juvenile and repetitive. Obviously, there’s an audience for these two morons as the show and movie were both very successful. It’s in no way high art, but it’s perfect for what it’s going for. In what some may refer to as a more sensitive time with “PC culture”, they don’t go over the line here. Honestly, one of the funnier sequences in the movie is when Beavis and Butt-Head go to a Gender Studies class. Since Beavis and Butt-Head are in modern times, there’s plenty of smartphone humor. They definitely make the most of the updated time period in this entry.
Ironically coming out just a month after another animated television show movie adaptation in Bob’s Burgers, Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe are sure to fly under the radar due to the streaming exclusive release. Hardcore fans will be delighted at the sight of this new movie. After a couple decades, they haven’t aged a bit and have only taken advantage of modern times. Non-fans can avoid this movie like the plague, unless they’re thirteen year olds discovering the franchise for the first time. Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe streams on Paramount+ beginning June 23. Rating: 3/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen Part VI Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in Lucasfilm's OBI-WAN KENOBI, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved. With the insurgents on the run and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) with no other choice, he separates from Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) and lets Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) chase him instead. They must have the ultimate showdown to determine the fate of one or the other. While Vader chases Obi-Wan to an undisclosed planet, Reva (Moses Ingram) closes in on Owen (Joel Edgerton) and Luke (Grant Freely) on Tatooine. Whoever gets to their prey first may see how this Obi-Wan Kenobi season ends for all of them.
Two stories within this episode parallel each other: one for the redemption of Reva, the Third Sister, and the other to get Leia home to fulfill Obi-Wan's promise to her father, Senator Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits). This is the ultimate test for Obi-Wan, which has been leading to this moment the entire season and since the end of Revenge of the Sith. Is the master better than the apprentice? That is the question we all want to know! The same question is asked of Reva as well. Can she show her worthiness and prove she's better than the High Inquisitor? The finale asks and answers all the questions the viewers want to know. The visuals in this final episode are fantastic, with night shooting making for more of a darker story. One particular shot of Vader is quite menacing and pretty cool. It's the darkest episode yet, proving what will eventually come in the Star Wars Universe. Many years of darkness due to Darth Vader and his Emperor. Who will reign supreme, the good side or the dark side? That is the ultimate question. Debra Chow had a tall task trying to do a story involving Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. She threw in a few curve balls nobody expected, such as Princess Leia. Some famous cameos were also added to the show to add a little fun and excitement. A few missteps along the way might have derailed the show, but she ended this season on a strong note. The battle of good versus evil — the Jedi against the Sith — is the bedrock of this franchise, now and forever. Let's not lose sight of that fact. The writers and showrunners need to keep this in mind going forward Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+. Rating: 4.5/5 |