Neighbors
SimilarAmélie (2001), Bed and Board (1970),
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Bring It On (2000), Charlotte's Web (2006), Couples Retreat (2009), Election (1999), Go (1999), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Look Who's Talking (1989), Look Who's Talking Too (1990),
Mary Poppins (1964) Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Party Monster (2003), Valley Girl (1983), Wonder Boys (2000),
Josh Forbes’ uneven horror-comedy goes nowhere after a while, but has fun getting there.
Apartment life means having to give up most expectations of peace and quiet. I’ve had a neighbor who spent most of his days listening to disco music set at eleven on the volume dial, occasionally letting out a joyful “woo!” Another would tunelessly noodle on a keyboard for hours at a time. A third sounded as if he offered Irish step dancing lessons for extra income. Some people talk a good game about not putting up with noise, but most of us just learn to deal with it, usually by grumbling about it and making our own noise to cover it up.
Every now and then, however, a person will just snap, and then you end up with Destroy All Neighbors, a likably silly horror-comedy that compensates for a lack of plot and character development with gory practical effects and a memorable performance by Alex Winter. Continue Reading →
Scream VI
SimilarCube (1997), Cube Zero (2004), Klute (1971), Maria Full of Grace (2004), Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995),
Watch afterAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Evil Dead Rise (2023),
StarringJack Quaid, Josh Segarra,
The Scream franchise's strength has always been in its self-awareness. Initially, it turned the camera towards the audience, demanding that they ask themselves why it's so entertaining to see other people being made to suffer, and what happens if, as the tagline went, someone took their love of scary movies too far. Then it mocked the inevitability of sequels, then the movie industry in general, then how the media treats trauma victims like celebrities, with varying levels of success. The 2022 reboot, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, sought to address all of it in some fashion, with toxic fandom on top of that. It was mostly successful, despite being at times aggressively meta. Scream VI does much of the same, although this time the knowing winks and nods are starting to feel a little tired. Continue Reading →
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
SimilarBeverly Hills Cop (1984), Bring It On (2000), Memento (2000), Night at the Museum (2006), The Holiday (2006), The Simpsons Movie (2007),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
The more things change, the more they stay the same. For the latest example of this phenomenon, notice how, 34 years after Who Framed Roger Rabbit? changed movies forever, moviegoers are getting another comedic mystery hinging on live-action humans interacting with famous cartoon characters. The shadow of Zemeckis' revolutionary blend of filmmaking styles looms large over its modern-day thematic successor, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Continue Reading →