Americana

A splash
of fiery pastels

across the sky

cast the park

in a timeless gloam

the biting flies

courtesy of standing water

from summer storms

become lethargic

and are consumed

by the welcome swarms

of dragonflies

Meredith 

cracks a Miller Lite

-tchick-fsssshh-

and we appreciate

the grass

the fading light

the cooling night

'Coyote vs. Acme' A Review

Coyote vs. Acme is a live-action/animated comedy about Wile E. Coyote's legal action against the Acme company for faulty products which uncovers a dark and sordid secret.

Will Forte as Coyote's lawyer is a great co-lead and is uniquely positioned to execute the tricky tone, a weird mix of oddball comedy, heart, and commentary. He's able to play off the cartoons with a sincerity and commitment the movie absolutely requires in order to succeed. And it's so wonderful to see the Looney Toons characters again and within this context, the most successful combination since Space Jam and here the themes are much more complex. The supporting human cast is all solid, notably John Cena as the heavy, and although the only 'big' names are Forte and Cena the cast, human and cartoon, is rich and committed, it all comes together in a surprising emotional harmony.

Visually the film is surprisingly clean, the integration of and interaction with the characters is relatively seamless. Some sets, some on location, and some greenscreen shots all woven together cohesively. The soundtrack is simple and effective, but they triumph is really just the story(both within and about the film). Funny and goofy enough for kids, proving the Looney Toons still have juice for any generation, satisfying character arcs, and a pretty timely message about the dangers of unfettered corporations and monopolies. Not to mention the extra-textual of it all, the fact this film was originally slated to be shelved by WB in it's effort to make it's balance sheet more attractive for acquisition then sold after public outcry. It's amazing we get to see this movie, it's a really good movie, and one has to wonder part of the decision to shelve it is that one of it's minor themes is criticizing the kind of corporate merger WB is currently going through.

A delightful, family friendly comedy with heart and something worthwhile to say.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

Always Do Your Best

Give it everything you got
every day

every ounce

of effort and will and faith and joy

you got

every last drop

squeeze it out

to the dregs

it'll look different

day-to-day

but that's living

you'll be tired

that's life,

days

you only got but so many

'Don't Say Good Luck' A Review

Don't Say Good Luck is a family drama about high schooler Sophie(Sunny Sandler) whose eventful but relatively normal sophomore year(auditioning for the school musical, kissing, learning to drive etc.) is upended by her mother Elizabeth's(Melanie Lynskey) battle with cancer.

Sandler is good here, you can tell she's getting better, more natural and comfortable onscreen. Her emotions and her inner life feel authentic. The script is relatively paint-by-numbers coming-of-age and the beats are somewhat predictable but she holds the center well. She's in company with the likes of Mia Hawk in that she's a relatively rare legacy that has talent and continues to improve. Lynskey is, as always, compelling but this is more a showcase for Sandler. Elizabeth's whole character arc sole purpose, basically, is to effect Sophie's. The mom dying of cancer basically has no interiority, at least as written, Lynskey's able to inject some juice into it but she can only do so much. The supporting cast- Max Greenfield as the dad(great to see him), Stephanie Beatriz as the drama teacher, Jon Lovitz in a delicious extended cameo- are all great.

Visually the film is competent but nothing more, it's effective but there's no moment or shot that shows any real artistry. Which is fine, this is clearly relatively low budget, produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison, good on him for making this kind of movie which is exceedingly rare. The soundtrack is nice if not evocative with a couple engaging needle drops even if quite a bit of the diegetic singing is autotuned. It's simple, it's entertaining, it has a message. Is it amazing? No. But it works.

A less stirring version of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

'Remarkably Bright Creatures' A Review

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a drama based on the 2022 novel of the same name about Tova(Sally Field) a an introverted widow who is the night janitor at an aquarium in small town Washington. She befriends a drifter Cameron(Lewis Pullman) and the two grow closer as they care for Marcellus the octopus who's thoughts serve as narration(voiced by Alfred Molina).

Field is as good as she's ever been but she doesn't reach the heights that she did in her last lead performance Hello, My Name Is Doris not through any fault of hers but of the script and the direction. She does what she can with the melodrama in the script and almost single-handedly corrects the tonal confusion but even with all her powers deployed she can only do so much. Pullman, who showed quite a bit of promise and range in Thunderbolts, puts up a bit of a dud here. He's not overtly bad but he just doesn't have the experience or juice to do anything with such a nothing script.

The visuals are mostly glossy and bright reminiscent of a Lifetime or Hallmark movie. The fisheye shots from Marcellus's POV are jarring and ineffective. Director Oliva Newman fails utterly in her job of tone management. What we get is this bizarre treacly downer which is 95% conflict and the characters inability to communicate all while piling on overwrought plot devices.

A maudlin, confused, emotionally regressive feature masquerading as a feel-good. Grating to watch.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

America's Pastime

All I can think to write about
is baseball
the stadium, the togetherness
the grass, the open air
the singularness of purpose
the blessed fleeting moment

'The End Of Oak Street' A Review

The End Of Oak Street is a scifi flick about a neighborhood in the 80's that gets transported back to the pre-historic era. A family- Denise(Anne Hathaway), Greg(Ewan McGregor), Audrey(Maisy Stella), and Brian(Christian Convery) deal with emotional baggage as they attempt to survive.

I like Anne Hathaway but this is the fourth feature she's appeared in in 2026, with one more still to go. This is too much Hathaway. She could give an incredible performance and I don't know if it'd register simply because she has been to ever present in the release schedule this year. McGregor fairs slightly better but they as well as Stella and Convery are burdened with a confused script and clashing tones. The movie doesn't know what it wants to be- is it a family drama wrapped in a scifi conceit, is it a nostalgic family adventure a la Spielberg, is it commentary wrapped in a blockbuster? It's unclear and signals at all those achieving none.

Visually the film is uneven, the production design is pretty flawless(although there seems no reason to set it in 1982 other than as nostalgia bait) but the CGI is surprisingly uneven. A scene involving an injury to McGregor's character is particularly cartoonish and looks cheap. It's a diverting enough summer flick if you've already seen The Odyssey and Spider-Man but it's kind of a stunningly benign third feature from writer/director David Robert Mitchell.

Overwrought familial melodrama hamstrings what this should be(and sometimes is)- fun.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.