Review: ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’, Lana Condor Shines In Netflix’s Best Teen Rom-Com Yet

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August 17, 2018

“I write a letter when I have a crush so intense that I don’t know what else to do,” says Lara Jean Covey in Susan Johnson’s delightful teen rom-com To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, another win in the genre for Netflix. Lara Jean is a romantic, a hopeless one at that; she dreams of having the kind of romance you see in movies and read about in cheesy novels. Naturally, she’s going to get all of the boy trouble she can handle soon enough, but what makes this movie special is that it isn’t so much about which boy she chooses, but what Lara Jean learns about herself in making that choice.

Lara Jean is played by Lana Condor, best known for playing Jubilee in the most recent X-Men movie. When Lara Jean starts talking about her letters, written to the five boys she’s had the biggest crushes on, we know they’re destined to get out. And sure enough they are, which causes Lara Jean all sorts of problems. One goes to her best friend and literal boy next door, Josh (Israel Broussard), who just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend of her older sister Margot (Janel Parrish), who has just left for college. While three of the letters are pretty harmless, one goes to Peter (Noah Centineo), the handsome and athletic former boyfriend to her school nemesis, Gen (Emilija Baranac).

After literally fainting from the humiliaton, Lara Jean and Peter hatch a classic teeny-bopper plot to fool everyone into thinking they’re a couple. That way Peter can make Gen jealous enough to take him back, and Lara Jean can finally get Josh to see her as more than a friend. Are we sure John Hughes didn’t write this? Should we expect Patrick Dempsey to come riding over the hill in his lawnmower?

I appreciate that screenwriter Sofia Alvarez, adapting the popular novel by Jenny Han, doesn’t dwell on the mystery of who sent Lara Jean’s letters. It doesn’t really matter, and would take the focus off where it needs to be, which is on her feelings now, not what they were before. Of course, her feelings now lead to some confusing mishaps and questions of the heart, but the film doesn’t treat these things as a joke. It takes Lara Jean’s feelings seriously into account, whether she’s angsting over boys or dealing with issues at home. As the mixed-race middle daughter of a widowed father (the always-welcome John Corbett), Lara Jean has concerns that go beyond her latest case of puppy love.

Unabashedly beholden to the works of John Hughes, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before also isn’t afraid to recognize how much times have changed since then. When Lara Jean forces Peter to watch Sixteen Candles they both react to the offensive Asian stereotype that is Long Duk Dong. Interestingly, Lara Jean’s Korean heritage is never really a factor; not that it absolutely needs to be, but it does get some mention in Han’s novels, of which this film is based on the first two of the trilogy.

From top to bottom there’s a great young cast of rising stars. Broussard, who some may recognize from Bling Ring, is down to earth and likable. Centineo is incredibly magnetic as Peter, and together he and Condor have an easy chemistry that should stifle any Team Josh supporters out there. But the breakout star is Condor, who as Lara Jean is charming and funny, with an awkward wit that is undeniable. Lara Jean is shy, but Peter helps break her out of that shell. Their connection feels genuine, whether they are gleefully enjoying their fake relationship or arguing because it’s starting to get too real.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before doesn’t set out to break the mold, but by staying true to its characters and the mixed-up feelings of youth, it improves on what so many films before it have gotten wrong.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Donald Trump Tried To Talk ‘Apocalypse Now’ And Got It Spectacularly Wrong

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John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning”. That classic line, said by Robert Duvall in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, is one we’ve all probably repeated at one point or another, and made it part of our lexicon. Even those who have never seen the war movie know it, but apparently Donald Trump? Well, he don’t know shit about it. Not that you can convince him of his ignorance.

In a bizarre story from early in his *shudder* administration, Trump and newfound nemesis Omarosa Manigault-Newman were hosting a meeting with military veterans and the discussion turned to helping vets with specific issues, with one bringing up those affected by deadly herbicide Agent Orange. Trump then asked if Agent Orange was “that stuff from the movie”, and eventually it became clear that he was talking about the napalm in Apocalypse Now that Duvall’s character was referring to.

The vets tried to explain the difference, but Trump being Trump he wouldn’t listen to those who actually know more than him…which is just about everybody on the damned planet. Here’s a breakdown of it courtesy of The Daily Beast…

Trump refused to accept that he was mistaken and proceeded to say things like, “no, I think it’s that stuff from that movie.”

One clue belying the president’s insistence is that the famous Robert Duvall line from the scene in Apocalypse Now, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” is not “I love the smell of Agent Orange in the morning.”

He then went around the room polling attendees about if it was, in fact, napalm or Agent Orange in the famous scene from “that movie,” as the gathering—organized to focus on important, sometimes life-or-death issues for veterans—descended into a pointless debate over Apocalypse Now that the president simply would not concede, despite all the available evidence.

Eventually Trump’s questioning got around to the original vet who asked the question, and he again told him that it was napalm, and that the film was hardly an advocate for war veterans. Trump couldn’t handle being wrong so he decided to be a dick and replied, “Well, I think you just didn’t like the movie”, as if the soldier had some sort of axe to grind.

It’s okay to totally fuck up a pop culture reference or miss the point of something; I do it all the time. But I think this anecdote involving one of the greatest war films ever tells us everything we need to know about the guy currently sitting in the White House. Not only did Trump feel the need to try and school military veterans when he has earned the nickname “Cadet Bone Spurs” for his draft-dodging efforts, but he apparently thinks they come to official meetings to talk about shit they saw in a 40-year-old movie.

Retro Rewind: ‘Blade’

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John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

“Some motherf@*kers are always trying to ice skate uphill”

Any film that includes a quote so undeniably awesome was destined to become a classic. At the time, no one could have guessed it but 20 years ago this week the movie world was unquestionably changed forever. Blade, which hit theaters August 20th, 1998, was the pebble whose ripples eventually became the tidal wave of comic-book movies we have today. The start of the modern comic book era is often credited to X-Men (2000) but the truth of the matter is that without Blade, X-Men never gets the green light. The mid to late 90’s were a perilous time for comic book properties, books weren’t selling that well and after 1997’s Batman and Robin it looked like superhero based films had seen their last premier date. Enter writing icon in the making David S. Goyer, who pitched the idea to New Line Cinema with only one person in mind for the lead….Wesley Snipes. Snipes, ironically enough, became involved in the film because he was in talks with Marvel about a Black Panther movie. Side note, this is the other major oversight when people talk about firsts in the comic book world, sorry T’Challa you were amazing, Blade was the first African-American led superhero film. Snipes has been quoted s saying he didn’t know who Blade was at first, but just knew he’d get to do martial arts in a leather outfit…he wasn’t wrong.

Blade wasn’t satisfied in breaking new ground just in terms of comic-book movies, the movie made strides in Vampire lore, blurred genre lines, and was one of the first big movies to use a full CGI effect (thought the results are debatable). At the end of the day, while all of this is notable, it’s not what made the movie a surprise hit. Blade is cool, not just cool the man is frigid and I don’t think anyone could have done this the way Snipes did, he fit the character like he was born to play it and took it seriously where many actors wouldn’t have, again in 1998 comic book movies were not viewed as the pinnacle of a career that they are today. His all black outfit, leather trench coat, crazy haircut, tribal tattoo’s (which later became all the rage), martial arts mastery and bad-ass weaponry was more than any of us was fully prepared for. Whether you are a mall ninja or not EVERYONE though his sword was cool, and that defense mechanism that takes your hand off if you don’t know how to deactivate it? Astounding. Therefore, on his 20th birthday we come to say thank your Daywalker for starting us down the road to the comic book heaven we live in today, I can only hope that there is a worthy adaptation on its way for you…a Netflix series at least! If you need any more proof that this movie is worthy of it’s iconic status I present the Vampire Dance Club scene which opened the movie and showed us right from jump street what we were in for, to this day the song played is the only techno song most people from the 90’s remember.

Glenn Close Talks Scarlett Johansson Trans Casting Controversy

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John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

There’s a good chance Glenn Close will earn a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her tremendous performance in The Wife, which opens here in DC soon. However, her last nomination came seven years ago for Albert Nobbs, in which she plays a woman living her life as a man so she can make headway in 19th-century Ireland. While that character wasn’t transgender, Close still weighed in on the recent controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s casting as a trans man in Rub & Tug, a role she would ultimately pull out from…

“My thinking right now is that people who are producing and directing properties like that need to go out of their way to get trans actors jobs,” Close said in a podcast with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, “but they also should have the opportunity to cast the best person.”

Close added, “Acting is a craft… I think personally that anyone should be able to play anyone. But I do understand the frustration.”

The years since Albert Nobbs have seen many of Hollywood’s top actors playing transgender roles, and earning multiple awards along the way. While there has been a push for greater LGBTQ representation, Johansson’s casting was the final straw for many in the community. Her casting brought criticism from trans actresses who were not afforded the same opportunity, and after standing defiant initially Johansson dropped out from the film. She would have played Dante “Tex” Gill, a 1970s massage parlor owner and head of a prostitution ring. Gill had originally been thought to be a woman posing as a man, but was revealed to be transgender.

The film would have reunited Johansson with Rupert Sanders, her director on Ghost in the Shell, a film that was met with backlash for white-washing the Asian lead character. No replacement for Johansson in Rub & Tug has been found, and it looks like the film may not move forward without her. [via Deadline]

‘The Oath’ Trailer: Politics Ruins Ike Barinholtz And Tiffany Haddish’s Thanksgiving

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John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

It’s safe to say that politics has divided this country in ways we’ve never seen before, causing friends to unfriend one another at a rapid rate, and making already-tense family dinners unbearable. If I get another email from Uncle Joe spouting some QAnon bullshit I’m going to refuse to accept that he’s one of ours. While this is definitely a problem with no easy solution, it’s also a great opportunity for some laughs, and that’s what Ike Barinholtz’s new comedy, The Oath, is all about.

Barinholtz, who you probably recognize from Neighbors, Suicide Squad, and more, takes triple duty as writer, director, and star of a ridiculous story that sounds eerily possible in today’s age. When the President of the United States demands all citizens sign a “Patriot’s Oath” of loyalty to him, it causes a split down tribal lines. With the post-Thanksgiving deadline to sign approaching, it turns one ideologically-diverse family’s dinner into a war of words. Barinholtz has assembled a great cast for this one with Tiffany Haddish, Nora Dunn, John Cho, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen, Meredith Hagner, Jon Barinholtz, and Chris Ellis.

The Oath hits theaters on October 12th. Watch it with your ideological opposite and discuss it after.

Jason Bourne TV Prequel ‘Treadstone’ Gets Series Order From USA Network

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John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

Well, I kinda hoped this got deep sixed somewhere along the way, but that Bourne prequel series, Treadstone, is headed to TV. The USA Network has given a straight-to-series order to the show, which will attempt to keep the franchise alive after the lukewarm response to Jason Bourne.

Treadstone is the covert government agency that has been a constant thorn in the rear of badass super-agent Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon. They’re responsible for behavior modification procedures that have turned regular agents into killing machines, planting these sleeper agents all over the world. The series will follow other sleeper agents that have woken up the same way Bourne did.

Originally conceived as a pilot for USA’s upcoming slate, but they decided to bypass that when negotiations began to heat up with Amazon Studios for the international rights. That means less of a financial burden for USA, more profit, and incentive to invest more attention on the show’s future. I can see Treadstone being a solid replacement for the recently-canceled Shooter, and will probably tap into the same audience.

Tim Kring, best known for NBC’s Heroes, will develop the series. He’s a TV vet with a history of creating franchises on the small screen, so let’s see if he’s the guy to reawaken Bourne. The trick will be how to do it with Matt Damon’s presence. The last time they tried to move on without him it was with Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy, and that did so poorly Damon had to come running back in to save things. [Deadline]

‘Star Wars Resistance’ Trailer: Poe Dameron Recruits A Spy In The New Anime-Style Series

By

John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

Get ready to lock S-foils in attack position! While there’s some turbulence with Disney’s live-action Star Wars movies right now, their animated shows remain true, and the next one is coming up on us fast. Disney has confirmed an October 7th launch date for the anime-inspired Star Wars Resistance, and along with it we have the first teaser trailer.

A prelude to the current Star Wars trilogy, Resistance follows Kazuda Xiono (Christopher Sean), a pilot recruited by the Resistance to track the growing threat of the First Order. We get to see a couple of familiar faces, like the lovable BB-8 and ace fighter pilot Poe Dameron, voiced by Oscar Isaac himself. Otherwise it’s mostly new characters that I’m sure will become embedded deep in Star Wars lore just like the cast of Star Wars Rebels did.

Here’s the synopsis: Poe and BB-8 assign newly-appointed spy Kaz to the Colossus, a massive aircraft re-fueling platform on an outer rim water planet, home to colorful new aliens, droids and creatures. While undercover, Kaz works as a mechanic and lives with Poe’s old friend Yeager, a veteran pilot who operates a starship repair shop run by his crew: Tam, Neeku and their old battered astromech droid, Bucket. Kaz soon finds himself in over his head with his new friend BB-8 as he’ll have to compete in dangerous sky races, keep his mission a secret from his newfound family, and avoid the danger of the First Order.

Star Wars Resistance will premiere on the Disney Channel at 10pm on October 7th, before moving to Disney XD later.

‘Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween’ Trailer: Kids Need To Stop Opening R.L. Stine’s Books

By

John Nolan

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August 17, 2018

Goosebumps was a surprising $150M hit for Sony a few years ago but they were talking sequel long before that. Doubtful they thought it would end up looking like Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, which has a virtually unknown cast and lacks the presence of the prior film’s biggest draw, Jack Black as author R.L. Stine. That said, it’d be wrong to write the film off completely because based on this new international trailer it’s going to have a lot of trick ‘or treatin’ action.

The story is mostly the same as before, with a new group of kids finding yet another of Stine’s dangerous manuscripts. This one unleashes a horde of monsters just in time for Halloween, all led by the evil Slappy the Dummy, who was previously voiced by Black but now by Avery Lee. The kids must defeat the monsters, including some creepy-looking Gummi Bears, and stop Slappy from causing a Halloween apocalypse.

Not gonna lie, I kinda dig this trailer even though it looks like a total cash grab. The pace is brisk, the kids don’t appear to be idiots, and Halloween always makes for a fun setting.

Directed by Ari Sandel and starring Jeremy Ray Taylor, Madison Iseman, Caleel Harris, Ken Jeong, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Chris Parnell, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween opens October 12th.

Kevin Smith’s Latest ‘Kilroy Was Here’ Adds Chris Jericho

By

John Nolan

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August 16, 2018

Whether you’re onboard with Kevin Smith’s latest chapter in his filmmaking career it’s impossible not to like the guy and root for him. I’m a full-on fanboy of the bearded one so maybe not the most un-biased opinon, but once you dig a little deeper in what he’s being doing lately, and more importantly why (no it’s not just the weed) you get to a place where you can respect it even if you don’t like it. Tusk and Yoga Hosers are both almost universally unliked. Tusk I’ll agree with, but if I can make a side note here, the film suffers from poor editing choices and not good content. The title monster is revealed half-way through the movie, before the investigation for him even really gets underway taking any tension out of the rest of the story. Yoga Hosers, while not a classic by any means, had plenty of it’s own merits. It was a fun, silly little film in the vein of budget 80’s teen horror….which is exactly what was intended. Bottom line, he’s very upfront about saying he made these movies because it’s something he wanted to see that he didn’t think anyone else would do, consequences be damned he’s doing EXACTLY what any of us that ever dreamed of making films wanted to do, it just so happens that what he wants to see isn’t what most other people want to see.

Next up is a film that Smith has been working on in bits and pieces for some time. Kilroy Was Here is an anthology horror film, in the spirit of Creepshow, which is based on the character from the OG meme (pictured above) which could be found painted all over Europe by American GI’s during WWII. The flick is being made as a joint venture between Smith, Andy McElfresh (who co-hosted one of Smith’s many podcasts), and the Ringling College of Art and Design. It’s that last part that really sets this story apart. Ringling College has a program where they bring in a filmmaker to work with their students on an actual production, no student films, no teacher who never produced a single thing, real work on a real movie. The fact that Kevin Smith is going out of his way to help the next generation of filmmakers in such a direct way sets him apart for 90% of his colleagues in terms of putting his money where his mouth is.

The titular creature is being designed by legendary creature creator and make-up FX artist Robert Kurtzman (Army of Darkness, From Dusk Till Dawn) who previously worked with Smith to create the transformed Man/Walrus (Malrus?) from Tusk, regardless of your feelings on that movie you have to admit that was one disturbing monster. Seeing as how the cute little Kilroy has something ominous about him as it is, and Smith describes his Kilroy as “Golem, the Boogeyman and the Grim Reaper combined”, I can’t wait to see what Kurtzman delivers. As for the human characters there haven’t been any big names outside of the usual Smith players announced until this morning when he posted the following to his Instagram account:

“Presenting The Gator Chaser – a nasty-ass South Florida streamer played by @chrisjerichofozzy! I’ve been shooting a horror anthology called #KillroyWasHere with the kids of @ringlingcollege,”

Is Chris Jericho a noted actor? Of course not, but he IS always a stand-out presence and brings a field of fun with him wherever he goes. Add in that hte “Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla” is playing a redneck Gator hunter from Florida and you have something I want to see.

Kilroy Was Here does not currently have a release date but stay tuned to PunchDrunkCritics.com for more info as we have it..

‘An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn’ Trailer: ‘The Greasy Strangler’ Director Returns With An Oddball Love Story

By

Travis Hopson

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August 16, 2018

Under normal circumstances I would run to any movie that featured Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, and Craig Robinson in it, but when I saw that An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn was directed by The Greasy Strangler‘s Jim Hosking, I avoided it like the plague at Sundance. Hosking’s previous film was, to put it mildly, damned repulsive, and was one of the very few times I ever quit a movie before finishing it. While some will chalk it up as being deliberately shocking, to me it was just a piece of shit. This one, however, looks much better.

The bizarro ‘Beverly Luff Linn‘ stars Aubrey Plaza as the unhappy Lulu Danger, a former cafe employee fired by her boss and husband. Her life gets turned upside down when she sees a commercial for a magic show, headlined by magician Beverly Luff Linn (Robinson), a figure from her past. All Lulu wants to do is get to the show and reconnect with the man of her dreams, and a crime caper involving her husband and his partner (Clement) may be her ticket. Emile Hirsch, Maria Bamford, and Matt Berry co-star in what looks like more outrageous absurdity from Hosking, but at least it doesn’t appear to be deliberately disgusting. I have to admit I kinda want to see this now.

An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn hits theaters and VOD on October 19th.