Category Archives: Comedy

Eighth Grade review — Excruciating, heartfelt look at teen angst

August 2, 2018 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Bo Burnham | 93 min | Crave Plus Leaving the screening, I mentioned to my cinepanion that I couldn't remember a film I've enjoyed as much as Eighth Grade while still praying, from scene to scene, it would release us from its grip. Actor/comedian/writer Bo Burnham gets so much terrifyingly right…Read More

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again review — ABBA musequel delivers fragrant cheese and fun

July 23, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Ol Parker | Written by Parker, Richard Curtis, and Catherine Johnson, based on the musical by Johnson | 114 min | Netflix I know I saw the first Mamma Mia! from 10 years ago, but I don't remember much beyond Meryl Streep having a blast. I recall the on-location cinematography clashing badly with…Read More

Sorry To Bother You review — Satire stings, then stumbles

July 15, 2018 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Boots Riley | 105 min | Netflix It's near-future Oakland, and Cassius (Cash to his friends) Green (Lakeith Stanfield) needs a job. He's living in his uncle's garage, broke and obsessed with death, though his performance- and installation-artist girlfriend, Detroit (the reliably excellent Tessa Thompson), still digs him. He gets a…Read More

Game Night review — A surprisingly hilarious mainstream comedy

June 17, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein | Written by Mark Perez | 100 mins | on Netflix There's a scene in this picture where a suburban couple, Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), work to remove a bullet from Max's arm. They're entirely incompetent, and worse, they can barely keep from tossing…Read More

Ocean’s 8 review — A sharp, entertaining spin-off

June 8, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Gary Ross | Written by Ross and Olivia Milch | 110 min Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) is Danny Ocean's little sister, and she's very much into thievery, the family business. We meet her as she's released from a stretch in prison, and the first thing she does is scam a department store for beauty…Read More

Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen reviews — Soderbergh’s heist trilogy shines like a diamond

June 7, 2018 flawintheiris

Ocean's Eleven (2001) Directed by Steven Soderbergh | Written by Ted Griffin, from the 1960 screenplay by George Clayton Johnson, Jack Golden Russell, Harry Brown, and Charles Lederer | 116 min | iTunes It seemed like a weird idea at the time: Let's take the not-so-great Rat Pack picture from the untrendy early '60s, and remake…Read More

Book Club review — 50 Shades of Awful

June 3, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Bill Holderman | Written by Holderman and Erin Simms | 104 min Candice Bergen's been nominated for an Oscar and won two Golden Globes, a plateful of Primetime Emmys, and made a powerful impact on American culture with her Murphy Brown TV series—soon to return. Jane Fonda has two Oscars and seven nominations,…Read More

Deadpool 2 review — Zip it, Thanos!

May 24, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by David Leitch | Written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Ryan Reynolds | 119 min You know, I've never thought irony was that funny. It makes movies like Deadpool or its sequel hard for me to love—the prime mover of laughs just isn't my bag. But I recognize what Ryan Reynolds and his…Read More

Tully review — A blindingly honest motherhood dramedy

May 7, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Jason Reitman | Written by Diablo Cody | 96 min Jason Reitman is the celebrated filmmaker of Thank You For Smoking and Up In The Air, and with Oscar-winning screenwriter, Diablo Cody, the teen-pregnancy dramedy Juno and Young Adult. His past two projects were explorations of unpopular genres that landed DOA at the box office;…Read More

I Feel Pretty review — Body image comedy lacks confidence

May 3, 2018 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein | 110 min Amy Schumer is a brilliant, gifted comic writer and actor. She shines especially in her stand-up and on her TV series, Inside Amy Schumer, where she explores issues of sex, intimacy, and especially the way American women see themselves. This should make I Feel…Read More