Weekend Watch - Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of entertainment media and give a brief review and basic recommendation for watching or skipping that show or film. This week, the topic of conversation is the new Disney+ film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, featuring the voice talents of Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, and J.K. Simmons and the live action actress KiKi Layne, directed by Hot Rod and Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping director Akiva Schaffer.

Letter Grade: B; fun family movie with a little bit for everyone

Should you Watch This Film? If you have kids and Disney+, absolutely; if you are feeling nostalgic and have Disney+, probably so; if you want some less raunchy Lonely Island-esque humor, yes

Why?

                Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a film that definitely feels like it knows its place in the world of entertainment pretty dang well. It’s not looking to be some awards-bait pseudo-children’s movie, but it works well as an elevated family movie. Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg working together means the comedy levels are going to hit for adults, kids, and all people in between, a sure sign of a family film worth watching. The film’s premise is really fun, playing off of the groundwork of films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Space Jam, creating a world where every piece of entertainment media is actually portrayed by a real person, cartoon, puppet, Claymation figure, etc. This world creates an abundance of references in every single shot to keep the adults happy. Some of the bits might be a little more meta than the film as a whole. For example, ugly Sonic (yes, from the OG Sonic the Hedgehog trailer) makes a cameo at the beginning of the film (voiced by Tim Robinson of I Think You Should Leave) but then ends up being an important side character for the film’s third act, and I’m not convinced that I wanted to see that much of the failed Sonic animation. Seth Rogen also voices/plays a henchperson animated in the “uncanny valley style” like Polar Express, which again works as a brief bit when first introduced but breaks down the more he appears on-screen. Each bit of comedy plays on a combination of nostalgia and irreverence that works well in parody but sometimes fails to connect with the wider story. The story is a basic Chip and Dale mystery with cartoon characters going missing and being made into bootleg versions of themselves – the bootleg bit is really well done throughout the film and is actually very funny. The mystery is complemented by a story of friendship and reconnection between the two titular characters, which again helps elevate the film beyond just an hour and a half episode of the 90s television show. Overall, the family aspects of Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers combined with the irreverent comedy of Schaffer and Samberg make it into a solid, if at times over-the-top, Disney outing for their growing streaming service.

Weekend Watch - Our Flag Means Death

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week I talk about a new-ish piece of media and give you a brief, mostly spoiler-free review and tell you whether or not to watch it. This week, we’re back in the world of streaming television with a show that I’m kinda late to, and I’m sure you’ve heard about but may not have watched. It’s Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max. I started this show weeks ago when it first got big, but only watched the first episode and was relatively entertained. This week, a friend from high school recommended the show to me, so I decided to pick it back up, and let me just say, it did not disappoint.

Letter Grade: A – high quality pirate comedy

Should you Watch This Show? Yeah! Definitely.

Why?

                Our Flag Means Death fits into quite a few genres very well but also plays outside the lines of most of those genres. Perhaps most fitting genre is comedy, which it delivers on consistently in each episode, often following the Taika Waititi brand of comedy in a similar fashion as What We Do in the Shadows, crafting satire, witticisms, and legitimately quality humor into a show about pirates. At the same time, this show is not comedy just for the sake of comedy – it deals heavily with modern issues (not just modern for the 1700s either) and focuses concepts like masculinity and femininity and everything that goes into that conversation with the tact and familiarity that such concepts should be discussed. As an action show, it delivers on occasion, often seeking to poke fun at the ways we expect action sequences to go and very much emphasizing the show’s protagonist’s (Stede Bonnet played by Rhys Darby) physical aversion to violence. As a pirate show, it has those in spades. Many historical figures from the “golden age of piracy” are featured in this show in both cameos and major roles. Stede Bonnet the “Gentleman Pirate”, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, and Izzy Hands all feature heavily in the show, no doubt pleasing those looking for historicity. Also, though, the pirate stuff is just plain fun. The show plays on audience expectations of how pirates are supposed to be and turns a lot of that on its head in consistently creative and interesting ways. Our Flag Means Death does a really good job of making a show about pirates into something wholesome about friendship, relationships, gender, sexuality, and also lots of pirates.

Weekend Watch - Everything Everywhere All at Once

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week, we do a quick review and recommendation of a new piece of entertainment media – film, television, etc. This week, we’re taking a look at       A24’s latest sci-fi outing, Everything Everywhere All at Once, which has quickly become a critical success and expanded its theatrical markets for its first three weeks in theaters and broken into the studio’s top 15 biggest box office successes.

Letter Grade: A+, next question

Should you Watch This Film? Yes, go see it in theaters while you still can!

Why?

                This is the most fun I have had watching a film in theaters since Spider-Man: No Way Home, and honestly, I may have liked this one even more. This film has all the comedy, heartbreak, and action of a major blockbuster or MCU release while maintaining its originality for most of the film. There are references to other media, but they aren’t what make the film great as much as adding to an already great film. The acting from each of the film’s leads – Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan – as well as from most of the supporting cast runs the full range of the emotions asked for by the film’s script. They can be funny action stars, emotional family drama stars, and everything in-between. The story is very fun, diving into a new take on multiverses (very much not what the MCU seems to be doing) and using it to explore our connection to friends and family. Its theme of meaningful life vs. nihilism plays out in a powerful way on screen, offering audiences a refreshingly positive take on life and our place in this world. Full disclosure, when the official list on this site is updated next year, Everything Everywhere All at Once will be on here (barring some major review bombing). I don’t want to take away from that inevitable review, but you HAVE to go see this film in theaters as soon as possible. If you’re worried about not liking other things that A24 has put out, this film has enough fast-paced action and comedy to keep your interest. If that description has you worried that this is just another blockbuster with no heart or message, rest assured that it does in fact have both and is a fully rewarding watch throughout for both blockbuster fans and arthouse fans. This film bridges the gap between blockbuster and film connoisseur movie better than probably anything that I have seen since probably Parasite. Please go see it!