Caught the last theatrical screening of REGRETTING YOU (2025) (based on the Colleen Hoover novel) AMC had in the NYC area. I'm a sucker for well-made family melodramas and this one does mostly right by its source material. Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames look cute and have great young love chemistry, Allison Williams is stuck in "Megan" mom mode, Dave Franco is doing a pitch-perfect James Marsden impersonation and Clancy Brown seems to enjoy himself playing cancer-fighting cool grandpa. An unchallenging way to entertain you and your folks for two hours.
Ken Russell's ALTERED STATES (1980, CRITERION 4K UHD) is the complete opposite of 'unchallenging.' An utterly batshit insane adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky's novel, this is the closest a Russell production came to the mainstream while simultaneously rejecting easy categorization. Sexual but also intellectual, body horror that delves into metaphysical psychology and creature feature that uses religious allegory to portray duality of man tropes (wrapped in an underwhelming 'love conquers all' finale), this remains at its core a great 'trip' movie. The newish 4K transfer lets us watch the mostly optical effects work (with some air bladder prosthetics shots) hold remarkably well for a 45 year-old. William Hurt and Blair Brown are great. YMMV.
Had never seen John Hughes' UNCLE BUCK (1989, SUNDANCE CHANNEL) until a recent online watchalong with fans. It's got its share of dumb jokes and visual gags (that car! 🥵😷) and John Candy's comedic timing's solid, but young Macaulay Culkin outright steals the show. No wonder Hughes gave up directing and pivoted to "Home Alone." Every time Macaulay is on screen Buck is invisible. Lack of a consistent tone (is Buck just lazy? Crooked?) and the 80's usual s***al undertones conspire to make this a vanilla-flavored, low-key family drama. Don't feel l missed out on 36 years of great "Uncle Buck" memories.
ZOOTOPIA 2 ('25, IMAX) took almost a decade to come out, but in its animal-centered world rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and reformed fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are still on their first week as one of the police force's few mixed partners. Nick wants to take it easy but Judy's already jonessing to break-up another major crime. Other than many of the better supporting characters from the prequel (Idris Elba's Chief Bogo, Nate Torrence's Clawshauser, Shakira's Gazelle, etc.) are reduced to walk-ons or cameos, "Zootopia 2" is more of the same. Goodwin and Bateman's vocal chemistry is so good it feels wasted on a besties-only relationship. Ke Huy Kwan's Gary De'Snake threatens to annoy, but towards an earned finale the character is a relentless pathos machine. Except for Fortune Feimster's Nibbles Maplestick "comic relief" (🤢🤮) "Z2" is the Disney family movie machine cranking at full steam.
Howdy! 👋😃
ReplyDeleteCaught the last theatrical screening of REGRETTING YOU (2025) (based on the Colleen Hoover novel) AMC had in the NYC area. I'm a sucker for well-made family melodramas and this one does mostly right by its source material. Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames look cute and have great young love chemistry, Allison Williams is stuck in "Megan" mom mode, Dave Franco is doing a pitch-perfect James Marsden impersonation and Clancy Brown seems to enjoy himself playing cancer-fighting cool grandpa. An unchallenging way to entertain you and your folks for two hours.
Ken Russell's ALTERED STATES (1980, CRITERION 4K UHD) is the complete opposite of 'unchallenging.' An utterly batshit insane adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky's novel, this is the closest a Russell production came to the mainstream while simultaneously rejecting easy categorization. Sexual but also intellectual, body horror that delves into metaphysical psychology and creature feature that uses religious allegory to portray duality of man tropes (wrapped in an underwhelming 'love conquers all' finale), this remains at its core a great 'trip' movie. The newish 4K transfer lets us watch the mostly optical effects work (with some air bladder prosthetics shots) hold remarkably well for a 45 year-old. William Hurt and Blair Brown are great. YMMV.
Had never seen John Hughes' UNCLE BUCK (1989, SUNDANCE CHANNEL) until a recent online watchalong with fans. It's got its share of dumb jokes and visual gags (that car! 🥵😷) and John Candy's comedic timing's solid, but young Macaulay Culkin outright steals the show. No wonder Hughes gave up directing and pivoted to "Home Alone." Every time Macaulay is on screen Buck is invisible. Lack of a consistent tone (is Buck just lazy? Crooked?) and the 80's usual s***al undertones conspire to make this a vanilla-flavored, low-key family drama. Don't feel l missed out on 36 years of great "Uncle Buck" memories.
ZOOTOPIA 2 ('25, IMAX) took almost a decade to come out, but in its animal-centered world rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and reformed fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are still on their first week as one of the police force's few mixed partners. Nick wants to take it easy but Judy's already jonessing to break-up another major crime. Other than many of the better supporting characters from the prequel (Idris Elba's Chief Bogo, Nate Torrence's Clawshauser, Shakira's Gazelle, etc.) are reduced to walk-ons or cameos, "Zootopia 2" is more of the same. Goodwin and Bateman's vocal chemistry is so good it feels wasted on a besties-only relationship. Ke Huy Kwan's Gary De'Snake threatens to annoy, but towards an earned finale the character is a relentless pathos machine. Except for Fortune Feimster's Nibbles Maplestick "comic relief" (🤢🤮) "Z2" is the Disney family movie machine cranking at full steam.
More reviews later. ✌️😇