Coming 2 America
SimilarHappy Death Day 2U (2019), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007),
In our ongoing reckoning with pop culture of the past, 80s comedies have fared particularly poorly, with far too many jokes relying on racism, homophobia and rape. One of the few to make it past a reassessment mostly unscathed (though it relies on an even by then tiresome transphobic gag) is 1988’s Coming to America, Eddie Murphy’s cheeky romantic comedy that, in spite of perhaps his own best efforts, still remains funny and deeply likable. Much of that can be attributed to Murphy and co-star/BFF Arsenio Hall pulling a Peter Sellers and playing multiple characters, with an energy that Murphy would lack in later movies. That effort alone set it apart from other comedies of the same era. Continue Reading →
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
SimilarEdward Scissorhands (1990),
Rebecca (1940) The Science of Sleep (2006), True Romance (1993),
It’s easy to feel like time’s been stuck in an infinite loop recently. Especially when two movies are released within a year of each other that both ask the question, “What if we remade Groundhog’s Day, but with two people instead of one?”. Unfortunately for The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, a Y.A. drama streaming on Amazon Prime, it’s now the Volcano of time loop romances (the superior Palm Springs is the Dante’s Peak, of course). Continue Reading →
Music
Watch afterJurassic World Dominion (2022),
Before its release, Sia’s Music has generated controversy regarding the handling of its titular autistic character, including the decision to cast neurotypical actor Maddie Zeigler in the role. Sia’s responses to these critiques have only enflamed the hubbub, but tragically, those concerns are immaterial. Not because Music does a good job of handling the perspective of an autistic person, but rather quite the opposite. Continue Reading →
Flawless
Where’s the line between a messy movie and a movie that’s a mess? Joel Schumacher’s clearly-flawed Flawless oozes with subplots while it tries to fulfill the obligations of an “unexpected buddy” movie. Like the pre-gentrification East Village that it’s built around, characters and cultures clash to chaotic, uneven results. Continue Reading →