Billy Madison: Why Has No One Cancelled This Yet?

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A spoilt rich kid, played by Adam Sandler, must return to school despite being an adult.

I understand that to some this film is a comedy classic, I don’t see how that can be. I think this film highlights Sandler at his exploitative worst, early Sandler fare like this and The Waterboy want us to laugh at how dumb and stupid the central character is: which is cheap but done. However, where these films are particularly bad is Billy and Bobby, in The Waterboy, are almost certainly mentally handicap so the joke is no longer laughing at these characters because they are dumb but instead because they are disabled and that is sickening. We can also see this trend continue into later Sandler fare such as Sandy Wexler and Hubie Halloween.

Moreover, Sandler is at his most obnoxious here as well. There is no way in hell you will like the central character by the end of the film, whether it is the smug grin he constantly spouts, his dumb jokes or the voice Sandler does for the character. It is all grating.

Additionally, the romance between Sandler’s character and the teacher is problematic on a number of levels and feels to me like it is trying to play off the harmful fantasy of sleeping with the teacher, which is messed up for all kinds of reasons.

The humour of this film is just as grating as the rest of it, there is not one single funny line here and I know comedy is subjective, but unless you find disability and icky situations funny, you won’t be laughing much here. This film should be left in the rejects pile of the early noughties to die.

Overall, simply awful.

Pros.

It is short

Cons.

It is not funny

It feels exploitative towards those with disabilities

Sandler is incredibly obnoxious

The teacher student romance storyline needs to die

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Await Further Instructions: A Precursor To Lockdown Life

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A strained family spend Christmas together, however the day after they arrive they see themselves quarantined by a strange unknown entity that only communicates with them through the television.

I think part of the genius of this film is that it resembles so closely our own lives over the last few years entirely unintentionally. It adds to the dread and the horror that these ideas of isolating and illness have become our norm. If I were a different person I might be so inclined to say that the makers of this film had some kind of future knowledge as they reference pandemic life, yet I know that is just silly.

I enjoyed this films comments on conformity and believing a narrative without question, I thought it made a number of good points. The juxtaposition between the abusive for queen and country patriarch, played by Grant Masters, and the more free thinking son, played by Sam Gittins, couldn’t be more stark and in that lies the beauty.

My only complaint of the film would be that by the end the film demystifies itself and the answers it gives are unsatisfying. Throughout the film the key questions are what’s going on and who is doing it, then we get the reveal of the TV snake creatures, this in and off itself is not bad but then the film goes out of its way to show why they are doing it and tries to explain their existence, this didn’t work for me as I felt like the ending needed to be more open ended.

Overall, a surprisingly relevant horror film.

Pros

The dread

The unknown aspects of what’s going on

The comments on conformity

The performances

Cons.

The monsters

It loses its sense of mystery

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Chucky: I Like To Be Hugged

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Chucky, voiced by Brad Dourif, continues to push Jake, played by Zachary Arthur, down the path of murder.

I thought this episode was one of two halves. On the one hand you have the good half, which is to say everything to do with Chucky, his backstory continued his attempts to kill those in Jake’s life he doesn’t like and of course his attempts to have Jake become his apprentice. All of this is good and with regard to the backstory it helps to flesh out the Child’s Play world nicely,

Whereas on the other hand, you have all of the teen angst stuff. I understand the show wants to dive into teen issues such as bullying, sex and sexuality and that is not necessarily a bad thing, as Sex Education shows us it can be done and done well. However, the issue here is that all of the teen characters are such wet blankets that as soon as they come on screen you find yourself longing to be back with Chucky again. It was a noble aim to tackle these issues but maybe one executed poorly.

Overall, two thirds of this episode are really good sadly the teen stuff is just dragging it down.

Pros.

Chucky’s backstory

Jake’s further descent into become Chucky’s apprentice

The ending

Cons.

The teen angst stuff is boring

The teen characters are wet blankets

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Women Is Losers: Societal Anger

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The plot follows a young woman, played by Lorenza Izzo, as she deals with issues surrounding poverty and opportunity, whilst raising a child.

Generally I find the use of fourth wall breaking to be tired and played out, it hasn’t been cool or novel in several decades, yes Deadpool had some fun with it, but even then that got repetitive. However, here I found the film actually benefited from directly addressing the audience as it can better communicate its message, which is effectively that life for women in the Sixties was hard, and even now it is not wholly better. To this aim it draws attention to a number of issues and conversations that still need to be addressed in our own society, every day predatory behaviour or sexism.

I found the film to be very moving. Lorenza Izzo did a great job in the lead role and I really felt connected to her plight, I felt angry for her, angry at the men in her life, angry at the situation she was put in, angry that she was always put down. In many ways I think this film encourages us the audience to reflect on our own lives and makes us question our privilege.

Overall, a strongly topical and relevant watch, let down by a weak supporting cast and an ending that feels unsatisfying.

Pros.

Izzo

The message

The use of fourth wall breaks

Cons.

Simu Liu and the rest of the supporting cast are deeply underwhelming

The ending feels too nice and lacks authenticity

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Star Wars Visions: T0-B1

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

In the days after the Jedi Purge a droid dreams on a distant world of one day becoming a Jedi Knight.

This along with Tatooine Rhapsody are the worst episodes of Star Wars Visions for sure, this is mainly due to the fact they don’t seem to understand the tone of the show, and instead try and pitch a small children alternative. I am not saying Star Wars isn’t for kids but a lot of the franchise’s content has a certain grit to it, think of The Mandalorian or the live action films, this just doesn’t translate into fare for toddlers which is what this episode goes for.

This is furthered by the art style which again doesn’t fit the aesthetic of the series, of the first six episodes this is easily the worst as everything just looks too clean. Of all the art styles across the episodes I have seen so far this was the hardest one to adjust to.

The story itself aims for heart, but there is nothing of substance here that you have not seen before, and done better. I didn’t really care about any of the characters and found myself questioning just skipping the episode several times over whilst watching.

Overall, poorly judged and certainly a lack of understanding of what Star Wars is.

Pros.

It is watchable

Cons.

None of the characters are memorable

The plot feels been there and done that

The art style is jarring

It doesn’t fit

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In For A Murder: The Real Crime Here Is A Terrible Marriage

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The film revolves around a bored housewife, played by Anna Smolowik, as she becomes increasingly involved in trying to solve a murder.

This film was very eh for me, it had some moments of fun but for the most part it was just dull. The humour of the film was very much hit or miss and only made me laugh a few times, I don’t know if it is a different sensibility or something but it mostly didn’t work for me; humour is of course subjective.

I found the murder mystery aspects of the plot to be initially interesting but then quickly played out and stale. I think this is because the pacing of this film is wildly off and every scene feels a few minutes too long. Whenever the film presents you with an interesting idea it ruins it by overly exploring it.

In terms of acting I didn’t find anyone to be particularly either way, neither good nor bad rather just fine.

Overall, this film does have some moments of promise, however for the most part it is dull.

Pros.

Some promise to the murder mystery

A few funny moments

It’s watchable

Cons.

It is poorly paced

It becomes boring

The acting is all very flat

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Paranormal Activity Next Of Kin: Break On Through To The Otherside

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young woman, played by Emily Bader, tries to find out more about her biological mother as such she travels to the Amish community she grew up in, bringing a film crew along for the ride because why not? However, once there things start to turn sinister.

Okay so this film won’t win any prizes for originality, but that is not to say that this film is bad quite the contrary. I will admit I soured on the Paranormal Activity franchise after the ending of Ghost Dimension all that build up and for what? Then the initial trailers for this didn’t look great, and I was worried that this film was going to taint the series reputation even further, but if anything it resurrects it.

This film isn’t quite sure whether it wants to be a sequel to the other films or a straight up reboot of the series, as such it goes in both directions there is no direct reference to the previous films either in terms of events or characters, however there is enough free space narratively that they could connect it up if they wanted to.

What I think is the best thing about this film is that it does the opposite of Ghost Dimension and actually delivers on the pay off of the film. The film ends with, spoilers here, a demon coming up to earth to begin a reign of terror, with seemingly no one able to stop it as it can jump from body to body. Not only did I think this was a terrific ending in terms of everything the film had been building to, but I also thought this was magnificent in what it sets up for the series, what’s next? The possibilities seem endless and that has me excited.

Overall, I would say this film is easily up there as one of the best of the franchise and you should check it out if you like all things spooky.

Pros.

The pay off

The set up for the future

A few good scares

Not being too lore heavy
Cons.

The characters are all fairly meh

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Last Night In Soho: Students Are The Worst

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Fashion student Ellie, played by Thomasin McKenzie, becomes wrapped up in a sinister world of sixties intrigue and murder after she begins boarding at a London bedsit. Each time Ellie goes to sleep she gets visions of a time before her own as she sees through someone else’s eyes, however as it progresses it no longer stays confined to the world of sleep.

This film is honestly masterful, Edgar Wright manages to go from lighter and more silly fare to dark and twisted horror with the ease that many of us find when opening the door in the morning. Though there have been many stories about a young starlet’s, played by Anya Taylor- Joy, downwards decline after the industry, nay the world, chews her up and leaves her for dead, none have been told as well as this. Whether it is the surprising misdirects, or the ultimate reveal the writing feels incredibly fresh and well-reasoned, for once I was not able to guess the twist.

I think the most powerful thing about this film is how it vocalises and raises awareness to the horrors women face on a daily basis. There is something of an anger within this film towards men, rightfully so I might add. This film shows just how perverse, cruel and ultimately maddening the world can be to a young woman, how toxic men can try and control them or coerce them, and truly that is the scariest thing about it. The real frightening thing about this notion is that the world as we see it in the sixties flashbacks is not so different from the modern world of Ellie, and us the audience.

From a filmmaking point of view everything about this film is sublime even down to the performances.

Overall, Edgar Wright magnificently manages to tackle a whole new genre with ease and create one of the strongest horrors of the year.

Pros.

The subversions

The ending

Anya Taylor-Joy’s sinister performance

The comments on society

Strong scares throughout

Cons.

One or two ideas needed development

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Star Wars Visions: The Ninth Jedi

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A Jedi ruler summons a group of force wielders to his planet in hopes of rebuilding the Jedi Order.

I thought this episode had a lot of promise, it could explore the ideas around what it meant to be a Jedi, as well as the pros and the cons of the order itself. Moreover, when the twist of the episode happened and a lot of the force wielders turned out to be dark-side plants there was a lot that could have been done with it: who is this order hunting down Jedis? Are they working for the Empire and or The New Order? However, the episode chooses not to explore any of these themes or ideas and instead just leaves them as they appear at face value which is unsatisfying.

There are some strong moments of tension in the episode but even these are undercut by a sense of unbelievability. Lah Kara, voiced by Chinatsu Akasaki, is supposed to have never swung a lightsaber before yet during the final fight sequence she is easily holding her own against more skilled opponents, this is an issue as it takes away from the peril in these scenes as we know she will survive as she evidently has strong plot armour.

Overall, an episode with promise and good aspects primed for further exploration, but taken as a standalone episode one that is underserved.

Pros.

Interesting questions raised

Strong animation

A few strong action sequences

Cons.

A lack of tension

Underdeveloped ideas/characters

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Language Lessons: A Friend When You Need One The Most

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Adam, played by Mark Duplass, begins taking Spanish lessons after his husband Will, played by Desean Terry, gets them for him as a gift. Little does he know they will become a vital part of his life.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a quirky off beat comedy, as that is Duplass’s usual fare, however whilst that is a true assessment in part there is also a lot more going on beneath the surface with this film and it almost morphs into a character drama as it continues.

The film focuses on the relationship between Adam and Carino, played by Natalie Morales, his Spanish teacher. After the death of Adam’s Husband early in the film things shift dramatically, and though there are still comedic moments it becomes far more serious. However, I enjoyed that the film did not become dower at this point, and that there was still fun to be had.

Both Morales and Duplass give it there all here and though most of the film is just them talking into the camera, as the film is set over a series of online calls, each give powerhouse performances. The film really makes us the audience question our preconceived notions, and is not afraid to head into dark and possibly uncomfortable territory. There is a lot in this film that is implied but not shown, mentioned but not dwelled on, and in that aspect I find this film captures life.

I found the ending to be incredibly heart-warming even if the larger implications might not be so good. It was nice to watch this friendship grow over the course of the film and in many ways it felt natural and real, as though the film was actually a reflection of the two actors friendship in real life.

Overall, this is one of the sweetest and most true films you may see this year.

Pros.

Morales

Duplass

The genuine feeling of friendship

The emotion

The ending

Cons.

It can be hard to watch at times

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