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Review by Steve Barton II  Parody movies have had their historical runs back in the 80s and 90s, but the genre had been put on life support after the debaucherous year of 2013 that gave us Movie 43 and Scary Movie 5! With back to back stinkers like that, audiences were completely fine with letting parody stay online or on television until Frank Drebin Jr. saved the genre. With The Naked Gun becoming a box office hit last year, Akiva Shaffer proved that well-written parody can still work in the 2020s and the Wayans’ Brothers were taking notes! With the boys losing the franchise to the Weinsteins after Scary Movie 2, the series went on a quick decline in quality and their lack of involvement left a gaping hole that only Shawn, Marlon and Keenen Ivory Wayans could fill! Now over 20 years later, the brothers are back and they’re here to get silly! Scary Movie (or Scary Movie 6) sees the core four friends return to their hometown 26 years after the original masked killer massacre and they’re here to stop them from killing the new generation and their movies! Scary Movie plays on the “requel” tropes that Scream, Halloween and several other horror franchises have done in the 2020s by making a direct sequel to the original, while (not so) subtly referencing the other movies. Early reactions are mixed on the humor in Scary Movie and the material itself is too. Some jokes and references like Weapons were quite creative and funny, the jokes at “being politically correct” about LGBTQIA+ topics and toilet humor fall extremely short in 2026. The marketing material calling this “edgy” and using the train scene in the trailers are the worst aspects of Scary Movie and may turn some people off from even entering the theater. Humor is ultimately subjective, but the Wayans do a great job at poking fun at everyone (including themselves and their past work) and keeping it fun and not mean spirited or hateful.  The weakest part of Scary Movie would be the overarching plot and how messy it can be. Some scenes do fit into this absurd plot, but there are scenes that almost feel like Family Guy cutaway jokes or SNL skits with no context. With the original using most of Scream’s plot as their blueprint, this Scary Movie uses Scream 5 for its main inspiration and it works. Shawn, Marlon and Keenen did throw in some of their own flair, but they keep the bones intact. While most audience members are present to see the original cast reunite, the movie introduces a new generation of characters with Cindy and Brenda’s children and a few others who are mainly there for the old cast to make boomer jokes at their expense. Other than that, the new cast serves almost no purpose and when they’re the only ones on screen, you’ll be counting the minutes until Shorty, Brenda or even Ghostface show back up!
If someone said a Scary Movie sequel would come out 26 years after the original and it would still capture the same magic and have box office success back 10 years ago, they’d have been committed to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. While Marlon has stayed around Hollywood doing stand-up and making mediocre movies, Shawn and Keenen stepped away and the comedy world has missed this legendary team! Everything from the funny references from both recent movies and Wayans Brothers past projects, the hilariously random celebrity cameos and cartoonish characters make this film feel the most like the original. If sitting in a packed theater with your friends and laughing at absurdly goofy jokes and cringing at the boomer humor, then I just have one question left for you. What’s your favorite Scary Movie? Scary Movie is in theaters starting June 5th! Rating: 3.5/5
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Review by Steve Barton II  While American football and basketball rank the highest among American sports fan’s viewership, soccer reigns supreme worldwide with over three billion fans. The most prestigious event in the sport of soccer is the FIFA World Cup, which is held in a different country every four years. The tournament began back in 1930 and has become the largest and most highly regarded event in the sport of soccer for both the teams, their owners and their local governments. The teams have the honor of being one of the thirty-two teams invited to the most prestigious tournament in their sport and the local governments are all hoping that they are chosen to host the tournament, in hopes of bringing tourists and wealth to their home. In Mexico 86, we follow Martin De La Torre (Diego Luna) as an audacious Mexican bureaucrat who will stop at nothing to convince the FIFA organization to host the 1986 tournament in Mexico, even if he has to get dirty. Diego Luna proves to the world once again that he is an incredible talent and completely became this fictional bureaucrat who you want to root for due to his charm and presence, but he’s not a perfect protagonist. From the opening, we see Martin (Luna) meeting a beautiful woman (Karla Souza) at her door and quickly find themselves making love, but then learn that he’s married and this is NOT his wife. Martin is a compelling businessman who you shouldn’t look away from, because he’s like a sly fox who is always making moves. It's also interesting that Martin De La Torre isn’t fully based on a real person, rather a blend of political figures in Mexico in the 1980s. Having this flawed protagonist makes what could be a boring story about the behind-the-scenes of soccer interesting, even if it may not all be historically accurate.  Without Luna, Mexico 86 may not have been on anyone’s radar due to the story being a bit niche and boring. They try to amp the fun up with the ridiculous party scenes and the love triangle that Martin places himself in, but it doesn’t land as hard as intended. While soccer is the biggest and most popular sport in the world, the politics behind the game is most certainly not. In 2026 where we’ve had a mixed bag of biopics already, Mexico 86 is gonna struggle to find its way to the top of the pile to be seen. Gabriel Ripstein captures the look and tone of the 1980s and the editing in with the archival footage helps place the audience there too. With Ripstein’s previous work on Narcos, he borrows some familiar components from that like the narration helping to frame the story.
In the end, Mexico 86 is a niche film that is made purely for fans of soccer and historical fiction. Luna fans will get their fill of his charm and charisma, while he gets lost in the makeup and becomes Martin De La Torre. The politics behind soccer may get a bit slow at times, but they do a decent job and picking the pace back up and not letting you nod off too long. A companion piece documentary to pair with Mexico 86 would make for an interesting afternoon. If the FIFA World Cup and its history is of any interest to you, give Mexico 86 and shot and see if you’ll hit the net! Mexico 86 is available on Netflix starting June 5th! Rating: 3/5 Review by Steve Barton II  In the year of 2026, we have no shortage of large monster attack horror/thrillers, each with its own unique style and attention to special effects on the creatures themselves. Whether it’s a post-World War II Yeti or a shark attacking a crashed plane in the ocean, these creature features take pride in nailing the look and impact of their monster. With the new film Chum, they made the unfortunate decision to either use artificial intelligence or the cheapest technology available to create their murderous shark and it's disappointing to say the least. Chum follows a newlywed couple celebrating their wedding on a yacht trip in the Mediterranean. As their relationship begins to show cracks, their trip does as well when they find themselves trapped between a crazy ship captain and a shark who smells blood in the water. Chum is a perfect name for this film, because it’s using the rotted remains of past films in an attempt to repurpose them for their own gain. From the opening scene being a cheap recreation/reimagining of the iconic opening sequence of Jaws, even down to the bastardizing John Williams’ incredible score. Any horror genre fans will immediately spot those references along with blatantly obvious lines like the villain stating “because you we’re here” like he’s one of the lame creeps from the newest Strangers trilogy. It’s one thing to pay homage to past inspirations with a creative twist or flair, but these examples just feel lazy and unnecessary.  The movie has five credited writers and it makes so much sense because it feels like we’re watching multiple movies at once. Certain movies like Dangerous Animals from last year can balance a shark and serial killer plot and flesh out both to make a coherent narrative, but Chum doesn’t. Jim Klock as the crazy captain Roy doesn’t feel believable as this mentally unstable guy, but his efforts in selling it become cartoonish. Unfortunately, they also failed to make their shark look even remotely realistic or menacing. The VFX team either went on strike, plugged a prompt into the trash robot of ChatGPT and produced absolute slop or they simply just didn’t get paid enough because Chum makes Sharknado look like Avatar by comparison. Either way you slice it, the villains of this movie are neither thrilling nor entertaining and leave the audience feeling unfulfilled and frustrated.
The one saving grace that Chum has is the familiar beautiful face of Alice Eve as our lead bride. While she does have a few dramatic moments where she can show her acting prowess, unfortunately she alone couldn’t save the sinking ship that is Chum. The remainder of the cast are fairly unknown actors who do their best with their poorly developed characters who are ultimately just cannon fodder for the carnivorous sea beast. Johnny Gaffney’s performance as the annoying comic relief is easily the most memorable of the crew but not enough to warrant the price of admission. In the end, Chum is a film that’s truly missing its own identity. Whilst paying tribute to the gods who laid the foundation, director Johnathan Zuck forgot the best and most important aspect of a horror/thriller and that’s to make it thrilling or frightening in any way. People who aren’t craving the brutal carnage may find the lack of scares or disturbing visuals refreshing, but audiences looking for a realistic shark attack won’t find anything resembling that with Chum. Chum will be best enjoyed with commentary from the MST3K crew or at a party with friends looking to laugh at a silly B-movie, but it won’t be joining the monster movie Mount Rushmore. Chum swims its way into theaters and VOD on June 5th! Rating: 1/5 Review by Steve Barton II  Has the action/thriller genre lost its charm and the grip it once had on the world? Of the top 10 domestic box office movies, over half of them fall into the action/adventure category so what is it? If it’s not the genre itself, is it the poor effort that seems to be put in or is it a lack of budget that handcuffs filmmakers into making a paint-by-numbers story with effects that looked dated 15 years ago? When it comes to Seven Snipers, the star power is on display, but the material itself is hollow and confusing. Seven Snipers follows a retired sniper, codename Voodoo Child (Radha Mitchell) who is living a secluded Australian farm life with her daughter when she’s forced to reunite with her former team of elite soldiers to fight off a deadly warlord named The Dragon (Tim Roth). The Dragon is there for one reason and he’s not leaving until he’s got it! The biggest component that Seven Snipers has going for itself is its cast full of recognizable faces from the early 2000s. Whether it’s Radha Mitchell from her iconic role as Rose De Silva in Silent Hill, Ioan Gruffudd from his time as Mr, Fantastic in the early Marvel universe or the always incredible Tim Roth, millennials are primed to enjoy seeing their old friends. With this being an Australian production, they also grabbed some local familiar folks like Ryan Kwanten from True Blood and the underrated James Wan gem, Dead Silence in a cameo appearance to kick off the action. Fans of 2000s cinema will have a field day pointing at the screen, recreating the Leo meme as they dig into their memory banks and reminisce.  Unfortunately, Seven Snipers doesn’t use the talent they’ve acquired to make a great action thriller. The story being told follows a simple blueprint that’s been used several times over the last 20 years, only swapping out names and settings like a Mad Libs book you filled out as a child. Most audience members can accurately predict the conclusion before the first act is completed, even if the editing of some scenes feels uncanny and strange. It feels scenes are either missing or out of order, but noting that dramatically alters the outcome. While it does capture some visceral violence and tension with how brutal The Dragon is, the digital blood and CGI effects take the air out of the scene every time. While the low budget certainly plays a role, the effects in Seven Snipers would’ve been considered dated 10+ years ago and one shot almost looked completely animated.
In the end, Seven Snipers has some interesting ideas and a few shocking moments, but nothing that you’ll remember even a few hours later. While it is fun to have a 2000s reunion of moderately famous actors, it’s not enough to make up for lackluster production and editing issues. Tim Roth makes for an entertaining villain from his acting prowess alone, but he’s not on screen for enough time so we don’t get the information we need to understand his motivations. The body count does stack up and the violence can be shocking, but the blatant CGI blood splatter ruins it. If they cut one or two of the bigger names in the cast and invested in squibs, blood packs and a rewrite on the script, Seven Snipers may have deserved the top spot Walmart bargain bin or on top of the digital rental list. Seven Snipers releases on Digital platforms starting June 5th! Rating: 2/5 Review by Steve Barton II  As a stand-up comedian, getting the opportunity to star in your own comedy movie is one the major milestones that you yearn for. The tradition began with Bob Hope with The Big Broadcast back in 1938 and it’s become a goal for every major star to reach. When it comes to commercial success for comedians in film, there are mainly two routes to go down. It’s either do a crass, raunchy sex comedy like The 40-Year-Old Virgin or you do the family comedy like Grown-Ups, Cheaper by the Dozen or Daddy Day Care. When it comes to The Breadwinner, stand-up superstar Nate Bargatze made the safe bet to put down the condoms and break out the mini-van instead. The Breadwinner follows Nate Wilcox (Bargatze) as a majorly successful car salesman whose life revolves around being the greatest at his craft. When his wife, Katie’s (Mandy Moore) invention finds traction and forces her to travel outside of the home, Nate is forced to step up as a temporary single parent and manage the household with their three kids. Entering The Breadwinner, most audience members can predict the plot with ease because this movie doesn’t trend any new ground other than the modern cringe dialogue. Older fans of the family comedy genre will immediately spot the nearly identical parallels with the 1983 Michael Keaton hit Mr. Mom, whether it’s the basic plot or even the amount of children they have. Dan Lagana and Bargatze use the Mr. Mom blueprint to map out where to include Nate’s stand-up bits to create a visual representation of his old material. While it can be seen as Nate just reheated his old soggy nachos, his longtime fans will gladly gobble them up as “Easter eggs” to share with their family.  Nate also seems to be borrowing from Adam Sandler’s playbook too by casting a beautiful woman like Mandy Moore to play his wife, while also getting a few of his comedic buddies paid too! Nate has a few moments in The Breadwinner that got some big chuckles from the crowd, but the scene stealers were Colin Jost as the only “school dad” who feels threatened by Nate and Will Forte as the contractor working on their house. Will is perfect at playing the over-the-top idiot who you can’t help but root for and Colin is perfect as a self conscious, awkward dad who just begs for attention and acceptance.
The look of The Breadwinner is nothing special, but they could’ve done some classic bits had they put in a bit more effort. The stuff with the horse was humorous and will play well to the kids in the crowd, having more practical stunts and gags like they did in classics like Home Alone would’ve helped this stand out in the crowded room of family comedies. The (not so subtle) product placement in this film may have been the most nauseating aspect of the whole experience. Whether it’s a Toyota dealership being a major location or Nate pushing the all free clear branded laundry detergent into the camera as he’s washing clothes for his family. While they at least make an effort to include the products into the plot, the blatant shilling for corporations is embarrassing, especially when it has major studio backing. In the end, The Breadwinner isn’t gonna be the next record breaking comedy, but it will be your mom’s new favorite movie! The heart is present all over with Nate writing the family story from a personal angle. Bargatze is a girl dad himself and he shares his struggle to connect with his kids at different stages in their development and how they all need a unique approach. While Mandy may be a bit out of Nate’s league, their chemistry as a couple is believable and he genuinely presents as a guy who wants to be a supportive partner and father, but his own selfish tendencies get in the way. The Breadwinner isn’t gonna win over anyone who isn’t fond of Bargatze and his style of dry humor, but his fans and families who all want to laugh without fear of anything too crass will make a fun memory at the theater together! The Breadwinner is in theaters now! Rating: 3/5 |