WandaVision Spoiler Special, plus reviews of Minari, Coming 2 America, and I Care A Lot! - Home Theater #5
Greetings to all you film and streaming fans out there! Mike, Jacob, and Keona are back with another episode of the Renegade Home Theater, where we watch the latest films and TV and chat about them for your benefit, dear listener! This episode, we talk about Eddie Murphy’s big comeback in Amazon’s Coming 2 America, Rosamund Pike’s turn as a big-time con artist in Netflix’s I Care A Lot, Steven Yeun’s excellent performance in the brilliant premium VOD entry, Minari, and of course, the latest chapter in the MCU’s long-running tale, WandaVision. Spoilers ahead, so bear that in mind, and enjoy the show!
Coming 2 America (Amazon Prime)
First up is Coming 2 America, which unfortunately hasn’t garnered the best reviews or word of mouth since its release on Amazon Prime. I haven’t seen the film, so I personally don’t know how much I would enjoy it, but both Jacob and Mike seemed pretty disappointed by this one. Here’s the Captain’s thoughts:
“Our story begins roughly 30 years later in the lush and royal country of Zamunda. Newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York - where it all began. My thoughts on this film are complicated. On the positive side, it's just good to see Murphy and Hall slipping comfortably back into their most iconic roles, but with the wisdom and experience that comes with age. In fact, almost everyone from the original gets to return in some capacity. As for the new players, the standouts are Jermaine Fowler as Lavelle Junson, Leslie Jones as his mother Mary, Kiki Layne as Princess Meeka Joffer, and Nomzamo Mbatha as Mirembe. As a coming of age story, I think this movie does as good a job, if not better than the original with its themes about challenging ancient traditions and forging your own path in the world. However, as a comedy, it kinda falls apart. That's not to say it was unfunny by any means, when you stack the deck with this much comedic talent, at least a handful of jokes will naturally land. It's just unfortunate that too many of said jokes are direct lifts from the original. So while I'm generally on the positive side, I do not think Coming 2 America belongs in the great pantheon of comedy sequels.” - THE CAPTAIN
I Care a Lot (Netflix)
“While there are some good ideas and concepts on display here, including an excellent performance by Rosamund Pike and a decent cast full of talented actors like Eiza Gonzalez and Peter Dinklage. However, this film is tainted by a plot that starts out intriguing and seemingly deep, but nosedives into absurdity and an uneven tone within twenty minutes of its opening sequence. I’m frankly amazed at how abruptly this movie lost me and failed to regain my interest until its final few moments, when it actually had something to say about society and the system in which we’re all trapped in this godforsaken world. I expected a dark satire, and instead got a mid-level thriller about bumbling Russian mobsters and the most unlikable protagonist I’ve ever witnessed. Go watch Gone Girl, Promising Young Woman, or White Lie instead. Thumbs down.” - NEOPLASMIC
“I Care a Lot is a comedic thriller film written and directed by J Blakeson, and starring Rosamund Pike, Eiza González, Peter Dinklage, and Dianne Wiest. The film follows Marla Grayson, a court-appointed guardian, who seizes the assets of elderly people for her own. However, she finds herself in hot water once she discovers her latest ward is a woman with ties to the Russian Mafia. If nothing else, this movie serves as a great starring vehicle for Rosamund Pike, who gives 110% to this performance. I don't think this movie would have worked quite the same without her, as this role required someone with a very specific energy that commands the screen. Tonally it's a bit unbalanced, and it took a bit of adjusting before I was able to get on the film's wavelength. However, once I got there, I was locked in. I'm not that familiar with J Blakeson's filmography, but I imagine he has a lot of strong opinions about guardianship, and how Grayson's vocation isn't all that different from organized crime. That grey morality works just well enough for us to root for Pike and González as our main protagonists, while still acknowledging that they are equally corrupt. As for Dinklage, it's fun to see him in a more "villainous" role, matching wits with Pike. Some people are not going to like the ending, but I kinda found it to be an amusing callback to the first scene (plus Macon Blair is tragically hilarious). I'm not sure who the target audience for this film is, but if you're into films like Burn After Reading, then I can comfortably recommend I Care a Lot.” - THE CAPTAIN
Minari (Premium VOD and In Theaters)
“Minari is a beautifully shot and well-told tale of a Korean immigrant family who struggle to make a new start for themselves in Arkansas during the 1980s. A semi-autobiographical film by Korean-American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, Minari is meditative, gentle, and profound. I love the performances by The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun (who was also magnificent in Mayhem) as the family patriarch, Jacob, and Han Ye-Ri and Youn Yuh-Jung as Jacob’s wife, Monica, and their mother, Soonja, respectively. I was also glad to see the film avoid the obvious cliches and tropes of this particular genre. However, on some level, I also found the film a little bit glacial in terms of pacing. It could just be the fact that I’ve had a rough week and a half, but when I watched this movie, I couldn’t help but wish it would move along a bit quicker. That’s an entirely subjective nitpick, however, and I still wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone interested in a great slice-of-life film that’s already picking up a ton of awards buzz.” - NEOPLASMIC
“Minari is an American period drama written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, and starring Steven Yeun, Alan Kim, Han Ye-ri, and Youn Yuh-jung. Set in the 1980's, the film follows a Korean American family who moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. I loved this movie, and a big part of why is because of its simplicity. Drawing from his own childhood experiences, Isaac Chung did such a wonderful job telling a story all about "The American Dream," and all the hardships that come with it. I can hardly think of any significant flaws, this film is practically perfect. All the performances across the board were excellent, but three that really stood out to me were Steven Yeun as Jacob Yi, his son David, played by the adorable Alan Kim, and Youn Yuh-jung as the grandmother Soon-ja. She's where the heart of this movie lies, and nowhere is that best demonstrated than in the bond she shares with her grandson over the course of the narrative. Everything from the gorgeous cinematography, the rustic production design, to the beautiful score composed by Emile Mosseri is firing on all cylinders. Highly recommended!“ - THE CAPTAIN
WandaVision (Disney+)
And finally, we come to our big WandaVision review, with hefty spoilers from 1:00:45 in the podcast until the end. So if you don’t want to hear details about the series in its entirety, just listen to the first hour and come back once you’ve finished watching the whole series. It’s an easy binge-watch! Here’s our final thoughts:
“Overall, I’m very pleased with WandaVision. Sure, the sitcom tropes and style started to get old around episode three for me, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s performances, nor did it prevent me from gobbling up all of the fan theories and speculation that arose after each episode aired. I mean, that’s part of the fun of being a fan of these things, right? Speculating, crafting theories, trying to see where it all leads in your own mind before the show actually gets there. Only thing is, it can also lead to disappointment (see Halo 5: Guardians or the ending of Mass Effect 3), and there were many threads in this show which pointed us in directions we would have loved to see come to fruition or get paid off in some way, and a boner joke ain’t one of ‘em. Still, Kat Dennings is back in the MCU, Randall Park is amazing as Jimmy Woo, and Teyonah Parris nails her role as Monica Rambeau! And speaking of those threads… I wouldn’t be surprised if this show is utilized as a launchpad for a bunch of the concepts fans had in mind as we were all watching Wanda Maximoff deal with her grief and celebrate her love with Vision. This was a gutsy show, and though I don’t think it’s perfect, I still highly recommend it! Also, that Scarlet Witch costume is AMAZING!” - NEOPLASMIC
“So that concludes WandaVision, and wow, what a series! I've been saying for years that television is the best medium to adapt comic book storytelling, because we get to spend more time with these characters and the world they inhabit. Wanda Maximoff is one of the most compelling characters in the MCU. She's arguably the most powerful Avenger, yet the most emotionally unstable, given everything that's happened to her ever since she was a child. Elizabeth Olsen delivers one of her finest performances as this character throughout this series, as does Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris. The show's not perfect, often times it feels like it needs to check off the obligatory Marvel check boxes. But when it works, it really fucking works, and now I cannot wait to see what Phase 4 has in store for us!“ - THE CAPTAIN
And thus, we’ve reached the end of another Home Theater showcase! Thanks for joining us, and be on the lookout for more exciting content on the way, including more Fresh Takes on Gurren Lagann, the next Animation podcast, and an Arcade Anniversary Spectacular! Be safe, Renegades, and we’ll catch ya later!
-Neoplasmic
Welcome to the first episode of the rebranded Renegade Home Theater, now known as the Renegade Marquee, our movie podcast! This time, Jacob and Keona check out Amazon’s latest production, Without Remorse, an action/thriller based on Tom Clancy’s novel and starring Michael B. Jordan! Does it live up to the Clancy adaptation pedigree set by films like The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger? Let’s find out!