Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
October 19, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Alexa Blair Robertson, Antonella Rose, Bryce Johnson, Damien Leone, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Lauren LaVera, Margaret Anne Florence, Mason Mecartea, Samantha Scaffidi, Terrifier, Terrifier 3 Leave a comment
Art-ful Horror (CREDIT: Cineverse/Screenshot)
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, Mason Mecartea, Alexa Blair Robertson
Director: Damien Leone
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (Theaters)
David Howard Thornton is a really great mime…
And that’s the entirety of my Terrifier 3 review!!!
Grade: 33 Clown Gags out of 55 Interdimensional Terrors
October 18, 2024
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Anora, Fate & Alcohol, Goodrich, Happy's Place, Heavy Lifting, Japandroids, Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue, MC5, Poppa's House, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Slipping Away, Smile 2, Tension II, The Gift of Love, Tim Heidecker, What We Do in the Shadows, Woman of the Hour Leave a comment
Keepin’ it poppin’ (CREDIT: CBS/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Anora (Theaters)
–Goodrich (Theaters)
–Smile 2 (Theaters)
–Woman of the Hour (October 18 on Netflix) – Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut.
TV
–Happy’s Place Series Premiere (October 18 on NBC) – It’ssssssssssssssss Reba!
-2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (October 19 on Disney+) – An edited version of this event will also just so happen to air on ABC later this year.
–Poppa’s House Series Premiere (October 21 on CBS) – Starring Wayans Sr. and Jr.
–What We Do in the Shadows Season 6 Premiere (October 21 on FX) – Final Season Alert!
Music
-Tim Heidecker, Slipping Away
-Jennifer Hudson, The Gift of Love
-Japandroids, Fate & Alcohol
-MC5, Heavy Lifting
-Kylie Minogue, Tension II
October 17, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Andie MacDowell, Carmen Ejogo, Danny Deferrari, Goodrich, Hallie Meyers-Shyer, Jacob Kopera, Kevin Pollak, Laura Benanti, Michael Keaton, Michael Urie, Mila Kunis, Nico Hiraga, Poorna Jagannathan, Vivien Lyra Blair 1 Comment
Good ‘n’ Rich (CREDIT: Ketchup Entertainment)
Starring: Michael Keaton, Mila Kunis, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Urie, Kevin Pollak, Vivien Lyra Blair, Jacob Kopera, Nico Hiraga, Danny Deferrari, Laura Benanti, Andie MacDowell, Poorna Jagannathan
Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Rating: R for Gently Explicit Profanity
Release Date: October 18, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton) wakes up one day to discover that his wife (Laura Benanti) is in rehab and that she’s leaving him. And he simply cannot believe it! He had absolutely no idea that she was struggling with prescription pills, and he didn’t pick up on any signs that he was drifting apart. So he uses this moment as a wake-up call to be a more mindful father to his nine-year-old twins Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Mose (Jacob Kopera), as well as his pregnant adult daughter Grace (Mila Kunis). Meanwhile, he’s also trying to keep his struggling art gallery afloat by convincing the jazz musician daughter (Carmen Ejogo) of a recently deceased artist to let him exhibit her mom’s works.
What Made an Impression?: Is He a Bad Dad?: Writer-director Hallie Meyers-Shyer needs us to take a lot on faith in the setup of her second feature (after 2017’s Home Again). Because here’s the deal: based on what we actually see of him, Goodrich is a pretty dutiful dad. It’s reasonable to infer that he wasn’t always this attentive, as Blair, Kopera, and Kunis’s performances are weighed down by years and years of frustration. But even the picture that they paint doesn’t sound all that bad. Sure, he often works late and is kind of clueless, but he’s clearly making an effort to be available to the people who are important to him. You can’t tell me that he figured all that out in one day! But putting that straining of credulity aside, Meyers-Shyer has not bungled into a formula for disaster. Far from it, in fact. It’s a pleasure to watch Keaton play a guy who takes the extra step to do the right thing, especially when that entails obliviously but enthusiastically attending a feminist-themed performance space.
The Kids Are All Right: One of the reasons that Andy doesn’t struggle to be a better dad is undoubtedly because his kids are just a delight to hang out with. Billie sets the tone early on when she announces, “If you don’t want me to talk like I’m from L.A., don’t raise me in L.A.” If that line sounds too precociously showbiz-y for you, then why are you even watching this movie? Honestly, a good chunk of the script is catnip for anyone who’s ever worked as an entertainment journalism professional. At one point, someone even declares, “You’re the Senior Entertainment Writer!” Maybe I’m making this sound a bit too niche for a general audience, but let me amend by saying that I suspect that its charms are fairly accessible. It’s grounded by the story of a family of intuitive folks who like to hash things out with each other through vulnerable conversations, and that’s pretty relatable and engaging.
Goodrich is Recommended If You Like: One-Season SNL Cast Members, Wacky open-mindedness regarding sexual orientation, Classic Michael Urie Neuroticism
Grade: 3 out of 5 Galleries
October 16, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Drew Barrymore, Dylan Gelula, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Naomi Scott, Parker Finn, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Ray Nicholson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Smile, Smile 2 1 Comment
TFW you’re not smiling… (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, Kyle Gallner, and Drew Barrymore as Herself
Director: Parker Finn
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Rating: R for Disturbingly Creative Self-Mutilation, Some White Powder, and a Lot of F-Bombs
Release Date: October 18, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: The cursed entity from the first Smile is back at it again! Its latest victim is pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who’s about to embark on a world tour one year after being seriously injured in a car accident that killed a dear friend. She’s mostly recovered, but she still has some gnarly scars and terrible back pain. Alas, nobody will prescribe her anything stronger than over-the-counter painkillers, thanks to her history of substance abuse. So she turns to an old classmate (Lukas Gage) for some Vicodin, but as luck would have it, he’s under the sway of the Smile Demon, and his sudden graphic demise passes it onto her. Soon enough, she’s seeing the creepy upturned lips among her fans, handlers, and most traumatic memories. Her demise feels as inevitable as that of everyone else who’s been infected, although a mysterious stranger might have some ideas about how to break the curse.
What Made an Impression?: Curses Are Gross: When I looked up my take on the original Smile, I recalled how frustrating I found that initial go-round due to the profound inability of the main characters to fight against the evil. With Parker Finn returning as writer and director, the sequel doesn’t do much to deviate from the already well-established formula. Like Sosie Bacon’s overworked therapist in the original, Skye is too psychologically vulnerable to fight back in any meaningful way (although the dynamism of a showbiz career does allow for a little more chaos). But a shot in the arm to mix things up does arrive in the form of Dylan Gelula as Skye’s estranged best friend Gemma. Ever since her breakout performance on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, she’s been a reliable avatar of disaffected youth, which allows her to convincingly react to the horrors that Skye is going through with lines like, “Ew, oh my god, what?” Sometimes evil just needs to be called out for being lame and disgusting.
Symphony of Blood: Horror movies can be satisfying whether or not the monster is defeated at the end. But it’s hard to remain engaged if evil’s triumph feels inevitable. Smile 2 proposes a solution that could potentially end the Smile Demon, though it also resorts to a series of fakeouts that dash any sense of hope. That’s not exactly a problem, as the hallucinations are consistently tantalizing. On the other hand, at a certain point you can’t help but wonder: is anything that Skye experiences after being possessed real in any way? While it might be nice to have a little more clarity on that point, Finn papers over that concern with a more playful and daring approach than he utilized before, with disorienting upside-down cityscape shots and a bravura final set piece that may not conclude every plot point but does wrap things up emotionally with quite a bit of finesse. He’s an orchestra conductor directing his mayhem with devilishly perfected timing. The final note will leave you screaming, in pain and/or excitement, about the possibility of this story never ending.
Smile 2 is Recommended If You Liked: The First Smile But Thought It Should’ve Been More Like Beyond the Lights
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Donut Weights
October 15, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Bill Smitrovich, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey, Jacob Lofland, Joaquin Phoenix, Joker, Joker: Folie á Deux, Ken Leung, Lady GaGa, Leigh Gill, Sharon Washington, Steve Coogan, Todd Phillips, Zazie Beetz Leave a comment
What a joke! (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey, Bill Smitrovich, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Leigh Gill, Ken Leung, Jacob Lofland, Sharon Washington
Director: Todd Phillips
Running Time: 138 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: October 4, 2024 (Theaters)
Whenever they weren’t singing in Joker: Folie à Deux, I thought, “Why aren’t they singing?” And even when they were singing in Joker: Folie à Deux, I often thought, “Why aren’t they singing… more?” Occasionally, they were putting the right amount of emphasis on the Crooning & Hoofing.
The cartoon at the beginning was pretty good. Maybe they should’ve just done that the whole way through. Or if the animation just had to be a one-off lark, perhaps they could’ve at least behaved cartoonishly.
It was all so dour.
Grade: 77 Jokes out of 0 Punchlines
October 15, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Aleksei Serebryakov, Anora, Darya Ekamasova, Karren Karaguilan, Mark Eydelshteyn, Mikey Madison, Sean Baker, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov 1 Comment
Ani, are you okay? (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karaguilan, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov, Darya Ekamasova
Director: Sean Baker
Running Time: 139 Minutes
Rating: R for Stripping, Partying, Shtupping, and Maybe a Concussion or Two
Release Date: October 18, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Multilingualism is a skill that can help you get ahead in the workplace, but can also be taken advantage of for somewhat questionable purposes. Mikey Madison learns that the hard way as the title character of Anora, a loopy and tragic farce about a not-exactly-promising romance. Ani is a Brooklyn-born stripper who can speak Russian and does some high-end escorting on the side, which is how she hooks up with Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), a bratty Russian heir who’s looking to have some fun with a nice lady in between all the video games he plays at his mansion. Their dalliance leads to an impromptu wedding in Vegas, and just as it looks like Ani and Vanya can beat the odds, word gets back to his parents, who don’t exactly approve of what their boy has been up to. So then a group of handlers suddenly show up to rectify the situation, leading to an all-night odyssey through seemingly every Russian-speaking corner of the borough to settle this matter once and for all.
What Made an Impression?: Always an Adventure!: Perhaps you’ve heard the slogan “sex work is work,” which is generally meant to restore humanity and remove the stigma from a group of people who are often shamed and ostracized. The idea is to emphasize that everyone, no matter what they do for money, is just trying to get by like everyone else. But in the films of Sean Baker, the emphasis is more about how a sex worker’s life can be just as ridiculous as anybody else’s. Anora slots right into his typical m.o. with what is essentially Pretty Woman by way of the Coen brothers. It’s basically an increasingly absurd comedy of errors in which nobody really has any idea what they’re doing. At times, the chaos threatens to become so over-the-top that you might start to wonder if the Russian goons will have to fight Ron Burgundy and the rest of the Channel 4 News Team with fire and pitchforks.
The Promise of the Real: But as loopy as Anora is, it remains fastened to the rails of realism thanks to a series of performances that give off vibes like “Won’t you just let me do my job?” or “Can’t you just let me love who I love?” or “Won’t you just let me be me?” Madison anchors it all in what the entire world simply must accept is a star-making turn. If you’ve been anxiously awaiting for something like this after seeing her shine for five seasons as the oldest daughter on the FX sitcom Better Things, then your prayers have been answered. All of the supporting performers around her slot in with the appropriate amounts of cuckoo, unhinged, and/or harried. And WATCH OUT when Aleksei Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova show up as Vanya’s mom and dad; if you only encounter one cinematic pair of disapproving Russian parents this year, you could do much worse than Nikolai and Galina. And keep a close eye on Yura Borisov, whose henchman character will keep you guessing. That brings me to another classic mark of a Sean Baker movie: it features plenty of interesting people.
Anora is Recommended If You Like: The vicarious thrill of watching other people getting up to misadventures while staying up all night
Grade: 4 out of 5 Annulments
October 11, 2024
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television, Video Games Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, Becky G, Elsbeth, Encuentros, Family Guy, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Ghosts, Myles Kennedy, No Obligation, Piece by Piece, Shrinking, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, SUPERCHARGED, Terrifier 3, The Art of Letting Go, The Linda Lindas, The Offspring Leave a comment
Smart. (CREDIT: Prime Video/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Piece by Piece (Theaters)
–Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Theaters
–Terrifier 3 (Theaters) – I might also watch Terrifier and Terrifier 2, although I doubt I need to.
TV
–Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season Premiere (October 14 on ABC)
–Family Guy Halloween Special (October 14 on Hulu) – Entitled “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Cheater”
–Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? Series Premiere (October 16 on Amazon Prime Video) – Hosted by Travis Kelce.
–Shrinking Season 2 Premiere (October 16 on Apple TV+)
–Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Series Premiere (October 17 on CBS) – A spinoff of Young Sheldon, which was itself a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory.
–Ghosts Season 4 Premiere (October 17 on CBS)
–Elsbeth Season 2 Premiere (October 17 on CBS)
Music
-Becky G., Encuentros
-Myles Kennedy, The Art of Letting Go
-The Linda Lindas, No Obligation
-The Offspring, SUPERCHARGED
Video Games
–Super Mario Party Jamboree (October 17 on Nintendo Switch)
October 10, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews A Different Man, Aaron Schimberg, Adam Brooks, Adam Driver, Adam Pearson, Aubrey Plaza, Chloe Fineman, Conor Sweeney, D.B. Sweeney, Dustin Hoffman, Francis Ford Coppola, Frankie Freako, Giancarlo Esposito, Grace VanDerWaal, James Remar, Jason Schwartzman, Jon Voight, Kathryn Hunter, Kristy Wordsworth, Laurence Fishburne, Matthew Kennedy, Megalopolis, Meredith Sweeney, Nathalie Emmanuel, Renate Reinsve, Rich Evans, Sebastian Stan, Shia LaBeouf, Steven Kostanski, Talia Shire 1 Comment
A Trio of Movie Stars (CREDIT: Shout! Studios/Screenshot; Matt Infante/A24; Lionsgate)
Starring: Conor Sweeney, Kristy Wordsworth, Matthew Kennedy, Meredith Sweeney, Adam Brooks, Rich Evans
Director: Steven Kostanski
Running Time: 85 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: October 7, 2024 (Theaters)
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Adam Pearson
Director: Aaron Schimberg
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: September 20, 2024 (Theaters)
Starring: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, Talia Shire, Grace VanDerWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Running Time: 138 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: September 27, 2024 (Theaters)
Hey dudes! I saw a few movies this week that I’m catching up on my thoughts about. Did they have any themes or intellectual concerns in common? Let’s take a closer look and find out.
October 10, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, John Crowley, We Live in Time Leave a comment
Hugging, in Time (CREDIT: Peter Mountain/A24)
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh
Director: John Crowley
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Rating: R for Tender Lovemaking
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (Theaters)/Expands Nationwide October 18
What’s It About?: At various points in their life together, Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and/or Almut (Florence Pugh) meet each other via cute-but-awkward circumstances, argue about whether or not they want to have kids, raise a daughter, struggle through a cancer diagnosis, and compete in a prestigious cooking competition. They seem more or less destined to be with each other, though their courtship and union is not without its strife, both mundane and overwhelming. They’re the two main characters of a movie called We Live in Time, and as it turns out, their story is told in non-linear fashion. Because they don’t just live in time, they bounce around in it.
What Made an Impression?: Boyle’s Law: Every individual viewer’s moviegoing experience is affected by the circumstances in which they see the movie. So in the interest of establishing context, I shall let it be known that the auditorium in which I saw We Live in Time was excessively stuffy. Perhaps the air conditioning wasn’t working properly, or maybe it was shut off prematurely in the early fall, but either way, I was fanning myself with my notebook way too often. So not exactly ideal conditions! But even if I had been in a perfectly temperature- and humidity-regulated environment, I doubt that I would have been blown away by We Live in Time‘s twisty format. Its achronological composition feels rather haphazard, as opposed to unveiling a scintillating mystery or finding resonance through juxtaposition. Put another way: I imagine a straightforward approach would’ve had the same effect.
Why So Dramatic?: Are Tobis and Almut #RelationshipGoals? Or is this a case of just muddling through? Eh, somewhere in the middle, I guess. They have their fair share of arguments, some of them quite nasty and personal, but they ultimately work them out more maturely than not. Plus, they have enough shared values that it feels like they’re working towards the same big goals. Which is why the moments when they don’t see eye-to-eye can be rather frustrating, as they fumble through awkward conversations and make ungenerous assumptions. Romances of course don’t always have to be perfectly lovey-dovey all the time, but these moments are all a bit a bit too petty to be dramatically fulfilling. Who has the time for that?! Anyway, there’s also a scene where Almut goes into labor in a gas station bathroom, and it’s kind of memorable.
We Live in Time is Recommended If You Like: Breaking things and then putting them back together
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Bocuse d’Ors
October 8, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews documentary, Morgan Neville, Pharrell, Pharrell Williams, Piece by Piece 2 Comments
Clap along if you feel like you’re going to watch Piece by Piece (CREDIT: Focus Features)
Starring: Pharrell Williams and His Collaborators
Director: Morgan Neville
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Rating: PG for Mildly Explicit Lyrics
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: There was something in the air in Virginia Beach in the 70s and 80s. Or maybe it was just synesthesia. Either way, Pharrell Williams was obsessed with music while growing up in The Old Dominion, and he was lucky enough to connect with a whole crew of other like-minded future professionals along the way. Soon enough, he was one of the most unique and in-demand producers and songwriters in the industry, which he eventually parlayed into his own string of inimitable hits as a lead artist. Somewhere along the way, he met up with acclaimed documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), and it all culminated in a decision to produce Piece by Piece, which tells Pharrell’s life story in animated LEGO-style form.
What Made an Impression?: Listen Up, Listen Up!: Piece by Piece flirts a little bit with hagiography (although it doesn’t shy away from its subject’s downtrodden moments), but you can understand why Neville takes such a loving approach. Pretty much everyone who has ever worked with Pharrell (or at least everyone interviewed for this movie) was immediately enthralled by him, as he has a knack for unveiling beats unlike anything they’ve ever encountered before while also uncannily capturing their essences. His collaborators are basically a who’s who of the past 25 years of hip hop, pop, and R&B, and as Piece by Piece reveals the stories behind his handiwork, I found myself marveling, “Oh wow, Pharrell was behind my favorite songs of so many different artists.” You might not have the same reaction, as individual tastes differ after all. But if you care about popular tunecraft, chances are high you’ll be tapping your toes and feeling your heart skip a beat at least a little bit.
Pharrell the Blockhead: But ultimately what sets apart Piece by Piece as a step above is in fact its gimmick. That’s right, those iconic Danish construction toys do a mighty fine job of conveying what it’s like to live in Pharrell’s head. After an intoxicating opening sequence, I wondered if this hook could sustain its novelty over a feature length running time. But whenever my skepticism reached a tipping point, PbP responded with another hit of its signature playful Lego craftsmanship. Maybe you’ve gotten to the end of this review and find yourself still asking: does Pharrell’s career merit an entire documentary? Well, if it’s going to be as creative as Piece by Piece, then sure it does.
Piece by Piece is Recommended If You Like: Talent shows, Falsettos, Rump Shaking
Grade: 4 out of 5 Hit Records
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