Ari Aster’s third theatrical release, “Beau Is Afraid,” is undoubtedly his most daunting from a viewer’s perspective. It is a three-hour display of Murphy’s Law, where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. While Aster’s first two films “Hereditary” (2018) and “Midsommar” (2019) were certainly horror films, “Beau Is Afraid” is equal parts comedy, drama and horror. With each unfolding of events, the number of possible interpretations of the story grows as the lines blur between reality, dreams, nightmares and hallucinations.
“Cocaine Bear” spends so much time confused about which tone to take on that it lacks any real direction. This film had every chance to provide an over-the-top thrill ride that mimics the aforementioned effects of cocaine for viewers. Instead, it’s an hour and a half of back-and-forth scenes that leave the audience confused on whether to laugh or cry.
The film adopts the narrative premise of disaster movies and frames it in a realistic, though highly satirical, scope. The film sets up characters that play into the archetypes of those found in disaster films, like the heroic scientists, the sacrificial savior and the president who is willing to take action. However, the film deconstructs these archetypes to highlight the futility in such efforts if humanity were to ever confront a global threat that could cause extinction.
It is easy to discount “Don’t Look Up” as ‘2020: The Movie,’ but there is a human story beneath the over-the-top satire. If the film’s premise and themes are too obvious, it is still worth watching for the performances alone.
Hollywood comedies are a dime a dozen: very few of them go out of their way to dispense their humor in ways that challenge film form and introduce new ideas to the genre. For every “Palm Springs”,...
I think I have earned the title of “Netflix Comedy Special Aficionado” and I feel the world deserves to benefit from this knowledge. After all, shouldn’t something other than my much-improved sense of humor and ability to reference any comedy sketch come from all of those hours of binging comedy specials? I think so.
If there’s something to be said about “An Evening With Eric Andre,” it felt like a really bad episode of the Joe Rogan Podcast and I mean that deeply and passionately. DJ Douggpound served as something of a moderator and sampler, while Eric Andre lazily answered questions from students asking for advice about how to deal with the stresses of COVID and becoming an entertainer.
Adam Sandler might be one of the most hated actors of all time. Sure, Sandler has starred in some classic comedies and the occasional “dramatic comedy,” with movies like “Punch-Drunk Love,” the...
Over two years after the conclusion of its third season, “Rick and Morty” returned to Adult Swim on Nov. 10, 2019, with not only five new episodes to round out the year, but also tons of hype.
Between...
The simple favor turns out to be not so simple in this eagerly anticipated adaptation of Darcey Bell’s “A Simple Favor” starring two of the most beloved young actresses in Hollywood, Blake Lively...
Where is comedian Amy Schumer right now? Probably somewhere coming up with bits about her weight as it’s what she usually jokes about at her shows. Now where are fellow comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris...
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