Friday, June 28, 2024

Reunion: Movie Review




A nice, easy watch but minimal comedy and intrigue.
Most recently popularized by the AppleTV+ series, The Afterparty, a high school reunion is an intriguing setting for a murder mystery. Reunion is a quick little splash in that genre; some fun characters but too slight of a movie to make a lasting impression. We start with a cop, Evan (Billy Magnussen), and Ray (Lil Rel Howery) dancing around in his underwear and getting dressed in his old high school clothes.   2024

Directed by: Chris Nelson

Screenplay by: Willie Block, Jake Emanuel

Starring: Lil Rel Howery, Billy Magnussen

Thursday, June 27, 2024

A Family Affair: Movie Review




High on the comedic energy, very low on the romance.
We’re in the era of competing movies on the streamers. Two months ago, Amazon released The Idea of You, a single mother dates a famous pop star, and now Netflix has released A Family Affair, a single mother dates a famous actor. However the few deviations provide big differences in the tone and theme of the two movies. A Family Affair is strictly a romantic comedy, emphasis on the comedy, where the 20-something daughter takes great umbrage with her mother’s new romantic interest.   2024

Directed by: Richard LaGravenese

Screenplay by: Carrie Solomon

Starring: Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Kathy Bates