Dolemite is My Name

I love underdog stories, whether it's a sports story or in this case, a entertainer past his prime and who really has no shot of making it in the showbiz world. This is the true story of Rudy Ray Moore, played by the great Eddie Murphy. Dolemite is My Name is kind of like the Black 1970s version of Ed Wood or The Disaster Artist. Rudy is a man who's hell bent on making something of his life after his farmer father told him he would amount to nothing. The story begins with a middle aged, slightly overweight Rudy, working in a record store with a failed singing and comedy career already behind him. But Rudy is tenacious, the belittling words of his father linger in his head; he presses on. He creates the character of Dolemite, a crude, rude, rapping pimp persona with a catch phrase, "Dolemite is my name and fucking up motherfuckers is my game." This line is delivered (multiple times) by Murphy with a profane panache that plastered a big smile onto my face. Murphy is great in this role.
So Rudy begins to have some mild success with his Dolemite character on vinyl records - a large segment of the black intercity crowd loves Dolemite. But when Rudy goes and watches the film, The Front Page, a white comedy for white audiences, he realizes that to be a true star, he needs to make a movie. Rudy goes all in to make a B- version of Shaft with very little in terms of experienced talent or budget. I had a hell of a good time watching it all go down. Catch this bad motherfucker on Netflix.

Younger

Are you looking for a new light, funny, smart series you can binge? If so, look no further, Younger is the show for you. What's it all about? It about Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) a forty-something year old woman who is going through a divorce and needs to find her way back into the workforce. She used to be an editor before motherhood. When she applies for a job, she is told she is too old. Liza Miller looks young for age - still gets asked for ID. So she decides to lie, pretend she is 26, dresses really young, and boom, she lands a job as and assistant in a publishing house, Empirical Press.
This is a very likable show with a very likable cast. I was very skeptical going in, as it was a recommendation for my wife from a friend and I thought, oh god, not a chick-flick series; which it kinda is. It also stars Hilary Duff - large eye roll from me. My prejudices are coming out. Duff is great in the show as is the entire cast. The writing is smart enough and the ideas are fresh from show to show. I found myself surprised over and over again about just how good Younger really is.
And here is a little bonus for you, the fashion of the show is something to behold. The clothes! OMG I don't think I saw a single outfit worn more than once by any character. Nobody could afford the clothes in this show, but who cares? Pay close attention to Liza's boss, Diana Trout (played wonderfully by Miriam Shor). This woman has an astounding collection of necklaces, some of which are ridiculous, while others are stunningly beautiful.
Shows run about 22 minutes an episode and there are 12 episodes per season. There are 6 seasons and it's has been renewed for a 7th.
Slide into this DM by catching it on Amazon Prime.

Midsommar

The movie Hereditary was one of my favourite films last year. I actually let out an audible gasp while watching it. I didn't and still don't understand the Exorcist cult-like ending - it was bananas. But I loved every minute of it. So when I heard Ari Aster had a new film coming out, well I was giddy.

Midsommar is off the hook bananas. OMG did I love this movie. It's like if The Wicker Man had a Rosemary's Baby with The Holy Mountain. What's it all about? Good grief, where do I start?!

The simplest explanation, it's about a bunch of university kids who go spend their summer at a Swedish hippie farm for their summer festival. But not all is as it seems (of course) and the weird factor just keeps ramping up and up. I think in this day and age, it takes courage to go this weird. It's also about Dani (played by Florence Pugh) who has lost her parents and has a clingy relationship with her boyfriend Christian. There is a lot going on in Dani's post traumatized head and it's compounded with everything that's going on the Swedish Kool-Aid Acid Farm. Take a trip to Sweden and catch this one on streaming services or in a rep cinema near you.  

Us

It's October, so let's get into some horror movies. Let's begin with something that came out earlier in the year, Us. Us is the second horror film from comedic star, Jordan Peele. Critics gushed over his first film, Get Out. I liked it, didn't love it. Peele seems to have embraced the horror genre with loving arms, so much so that he has rebooted The Twilight Zone. So I went into Us with somewhat midgrade expectations; horror is hard to do well. I was delighted to find a very creepy monster knocking on my cinema's door.

What's it all about? It's about the childhood fears of getting lost and it's about adult fears and guilt of losing a child. It's also about the innate existential fear of being replaced - somebody could take my job; my partner could leave me and get a better me; my kids could have a better stepfather than their real dad; our very existence will one day be gone and we will be replaced.

It's about the Wilson family, Gabe and Adelaide (played with great intensity by Lupita Nyong'o) and their two kids. One night a strange family comes knocking on the Wilsons's door. It's their doppelgangers dressed in red outfits and wearing ornate racing gloves - it's scary shit.

Peele is a comedian and he has sprinkled humour throughout his new monster movie of the self. Elisabeth Moss calling for the police is particularly amusing. This is all I want to tell you - go watch it with the lights out.

You couldn't do much better than Us, to begin your Halloween horror movie season. Catch it on streaming services. 

Between Two Ferns: The Movie

Comedy is tough. It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud at a film. Between Two Ferns: The Movie made me laugh out loud, multiple times.
There is no reason for this film to exist other than it acts as a way to string a bunch of episodes of Between Two Ferns together (it's very self aware and we know they know).
If you are not familiar with the comedic genius of Zach Galifianakis, well it's time to get to know him. He plays that awkward guy with beard in The Hangover movie series. He has alone been in It's Kind of a Funny Story and Due Date - if you haven't seen these, they are worth your time. If you have never watched an episode of Between Two Ferns, watch this one with Brady Pitts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnF-zTrHvGs

Galifianakis deadpan insults his star guests with the most cutting and rude questions imaginable and they all sit there and take it. It's extremely funny and for some reason it doesn't get old, at least not in this movie. Catch it on Netflix. 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Nostalgia - it's the one word I would use to describe Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As I write this, Tarantino is fifty six years old and I just turned forty nine. A seven year gap. But I'm old enough to remember old TV shows like Bonanza, Adam West's Batman, and have spent a good portion of my life watching the films of the 1960s; Steve McQueen, Bruce Lee, and the spaghetti Westerns of Clint Eastwood to name a few. Tarantino is a film geek; I say this with great affection because so am I. He has packed so much of the zeitgeist of the late 1960s Hollywood into his new movie, it oozes with polyester, sunglasses, and cigarettes. This is a homage to the stars and the films of that area. It's also the first film where Tarantino has shown some real depth of character with Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio). What's it all about? It's about Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who chauffeurs Dalton around. Dalton is a former TV Western star trying to make it in feature films but only manages to land roles as the bad guy. He has a drinking problem and not a lot of prospects. Oh, and he lives next door to Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski. I know what Charles Manson's family did, so when we reach the climax of the film, well Tarantino gives us his fictional version of the Manson-Tate events like he did in Inglorious Bastards. Why? I'm left puzzled by the ending. Perhaps by subverting the truth, he is giving us the "Hollywood ending" we all want - we want the hero to kick ass and win. Maybe this is Quentin's point. The ending is the only thing about the film I didn't care for but there is sooo much to like, it's worth your time to check it out, especially if you are a film geek like me. Catch it in theatres now.

The Peanut Butter Falcon

This kind of small independent film is why I love going to the movies. This is a touching funny movie and if you are looking to spend your money at a major chain cinema, this is what to spend your money on. What's it all about? It's about a young man, Zak who has Down syndrome, played by Zack Gottsagen who really does has Down syndrome. Zak is living in an old age home because he has no family and there is no other facility to look after him. He dreams of becoming a wrestler like he has watched a thousand times on his VHS tapes and wants to get to the Salt Water Redneck wrestling school (the Salt Water Redneck is played by Thomas Haden Church and he is great). With the help of Zak's roommate (played by Bruce Dern) he escapes the old age home and runs into Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) who is also on the run from fishermen he has really pissed off. Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) is sent to find Zak. When she does, it's a lovely adventure. This little film charmed the pants off of me. Catch it now in theatres.