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There were a lot of viewing options this weekend. Below are my take on some new movie options to watch in theaters or at home. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Buddy (Theaters)
Starring: Keegan Michael Key, Cristin Milioti, and Michael Shannon
Synopsis: Have you ever watched Barney? Have you watched him as a gentle purple giant playing with and inspiring the kids. And while you were watching, did you ever wonder what would happen if Barney just lost it one day and turned on his co-stars? I wager if you’ve wondered that, you’re not alone. The makers of the new horror film Buddy likely had the same thought. Only they took that exploration a step further and brought the nightmare to life. In the film, Buddy (Key) is a cuddly, bright orange unicorn. He’s a friend to all the children and adults in his special place. When they call on his name, he’s there to help them and to help guide them through life. He does it all with a warm smile, some hugs, and a catchy ear worm of a song. But the problem is, Buddy is broken. He seems to have slipped out of his happy persona into something darker. He begins attacking the special creatures and adults on the periphery, doing them harm. When the kids catch on to this change, things really get dark. Soon, the kids who he’s captured and brought into his magical realm are forced to flee for their lives. Can they find a way out? Can they find a way to stop this menacing orange nightmare? You don’t have to wonder if the film is riffing on Barney, it’s pretty clear. Not only is the show-within-a-show earily similar, but Buddy’s also catchy theme song is a near perfect rip-off. And that’s what makes this a lot of fun. We have heard rumblings of supposed Barney films, or dark Barney films, and this scratches that itch. It also has a few twists in concept that make it feel compelling and like a bit of fun. The film comes from director Casper Kelly, who co-wrote the script with Jamie King. He has a good feel for the material and building a world that feels fit for kids but is just a bit twisted. The film is shot in the style of an old, 1990s public access episode, too, which adds to the nostalgia of the sequences. It’s also a film blessed with some talented adult contributors. Key is great in bringing Buddy to life. Patton Oswalt provides a character voice and Michael Shannon shows up to voice a character with a unique relationship with a pitch-perfect Clint Howard. Yes, it’s a horror film, but you can’t help but laugh at some of the sequences and the way it all comes together. We also get a wider subplot about the world and how these kids came to be trapped here. That brings us a fun interlude with Topher Grace and Cristin Milioti, who ends up playing a bigger role in the back half of the film. All of it works well to build tension and take you on a wild ride. The film clocks in at 95 minutes, so it doesn’t wear out its welcome. It also wraps things up in a clever fashion with a closing twist that is in keeping with the tone of the rest of the film. It’s at times gory and often unsettling, but it delivers well on the premise. This will be a fun theater-going experience for horror fans looking to wrap up August in style.
Rating: Rated R for bloody violence, some drug content and language – all involving children.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Colony (Theaters)
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun and Koo Kyo-hwan
Synopsis: This new horror thriller comes from Yeon Sang-Ho, the writer of Train to Busan. As you might expect, this is another action-packed and dangerous ride. It focuses on a young professor (Ji-hyun) who is attending a biotech conference. Unfortunately, a rogue scientist decides to release a virus for which only he has the cure. It turns the people into a mindless and dangerous hoard, or colony, trapping the attendees who are looking for a way out. We’ve seen these kind of stories before—a rogue virus that turns people into flesh-eating zombies. This plays out in a fun if by-the-numbers sort of way. I liked the premise, and the execution was solid enough. The set up and location work well, and we get some decent performances. I liked Ji-hyun in the lead role, too. This will be fun for those who enjoy the genre and can find it playing in limited release there.
Rating: Rated R for bloody violent content and some language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Coyote vs. Acme (Theaters)
Starring: Will Forte and John Cena
Synopsis: Every film has its own unique journey to the screen. Some of those journeys are more harrowing and more public than others. That’s the case for Coyote vs Acme, which at one point looked like it was never going to see the light of day. Now, it’s opening wide on Friday. The film was a soft reboot, of sorts, for the Looney Tunes brand when it was announced, cast, and started filming in 2022. But a year later, in 2023, when Warner Bros decided to shelve a number of film projects and write off the loss, the movie was cancelled. That left many upset and hopeful it would one day see the light-of-day. Now, it is. That gives Coyote vs Acme more of a public boost—and more pressure—than it might have had three years ago. So, does it live up to the hype? The answer is sort of. The film focuses on our old friend Coyote who continues to try and find a way to get the Roadrunner. But his schemes always seem to fall short, often leaving him to suffer the consequences. No matter how promising the Acme product is, it just doesn’t work as expected. Soon, Coyote learns he’s not alone. So, he turns to a lawyer named Kevin Avery (Forte). Avery has made a career out of suing Acme, always settling for a small claim that gets his client some quick money. But Coyote has bigger plans, pushing for a major action against Acme and its CEO, Foghorn Leghorn. That puts Avery up against a tough corporate lawyer, Buddy Crane (Cena). As they battle it out in court, it becomes clear that there is more to it than expected. All that could lead to a major win for Coyote and Avery, as Coyote also discovers he might have been wrong about his old nemesis Roadrunner all along. This film comes from a screenplay by Samy Burch based on a story from him, Jeremy Green, and James Gunn—yes that James Gunn—who serves as a producer. It’s brought to life by director Dave Green, who seems to be having fun with the concept and the world. It’s nostalgic to see all these Looney Tunes favorites back on screen, too. While this plays like a courtroom drama, it is also a comedy that examines some of these iconic characters in a new way. Bugs Bunny is like a deep throat character. Foghorn Leghorn is a corrupt CEO. Coyote is misunderstood and maybe, just maybe, finds a new friend in the Roadrunner. It’s all a spot of fun, but that isn’t consistent. I wanted to love this movie because of my love of the Looney Tunes and because of what happened to it. I suspect I’m not alone. But the trouble is that while this is fun at times and certainly nostalgic, the bit wears thin after a while. There are some fun moments but it’s not consistent enough. I enjoyed the idea, and I enjoyed the idea here. There is plenty to like and it’s worth seeing if only to send a message that art deserves its day in the sun. But I wish I had liked this more.
Rating: PG
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

The Dog Stars (Theaters)
Starring: Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce
Synopsis: This is the latest from Ridley Scott, based on the novel from Peter Heller. It’s set in a near future where a virus has wiped out most of the world’s population. In a remote spot outside Denver, Hig (Elordi) is carving out a life with his dog, Jaspar, and his partner Bangley (Brolin). He's still mourning his late wife and the life he once had. But he’s got a kindness that isn’t rewarded by the world in its current state. He picks up a broadcast, presumably from Grand Junction, and decides he should see what else is out in the world. Along the way, he breaks down and meets Cima (Qualley) and her father (Pearce). While he forges a connection with them, like-minded people trying to survive in a world gone mad, others have taken a chance to re-make the world in a darker image of their own design. It becomes a fight for hope and survival. If this film had come out 20-25 years ago, it might have felt unique and compelling. There are things to like here. This is a solid cast, and I enjoyed Elordi, Brolin, Qualley, and Pearce in these roles. Scott does a nice job pacing the story and there are certainly some emotional beats, particularly in Hig’s story. But this is a market and a space that has been saturated by similar stories. Shows like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us present these kind of bleak worlds that are full of danger, the biggest of which is the other survivors who have decided to make their mark on a world gone mad. And that’s where The Dog Stars loses me, at times. There were a lot of predictable beats, up to and including what Hig and his friends discover when they finally arrive in Grand Junction. Is it well done? Sure, it’s executed at a competent level. But it doesn’t feel particularly unique, fresh, or compelling. It’s another in a long line of dark, dystopic stories about how the world might end that features some characters trying to re-build a life worth living. It’s a fine watch, but it doesn’t feel like a must-see film.
Rating: Rated R for strong violence, and language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Idiots (Theaters)
Starring: O’Shea Jackson, Jr., and Dave Franco
Synopsis: When you call a film Idiots, it creates a certain expectation. You aren’t expecting well-mannered, well-appointed characters leading the story. That’s good for this new comedy, which has preview showings tonight and opens on Friday, August 28. The film originally had an edgier title which has been toned down. It also made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival and is now getting a wide release. The film comes from writer/director Macon Blair, who gave us last year’s Toxic Avenger. It’s another story of lost people trying to find their way. In this case, we focus on Davis (Jackson) and Mark (Franco). They are both having a rough time and in desperate need for work. But they have vastly different approaches to life. Davis is buttoned up but seems to constantly make mistakes, which is how he got fired from his last post with a church. Mark, meanwhile, is more of an avowed slacker. He got recently laid off, but it’s clear from the glimpse we get that he wasn’t exactly giving things his all. These two are paired together by a transport company, which isn’t an ideal match given their unique approaches to work and life. But it’s far from their only challenge. The pair are tasked to help transport a wealthy teen, Sheridan (Mason Thames), to rehab. They mistake the task for a simple case of a wealthy kid getting in too deep with drugs. But there is much more to Sheridan’s story, and he makes the process as difficult as possible. Can Mark and Davis overcome their differences to get it done? This is a wild film. But it’s also a film with an exceptional cast. We have Kiernan Shipka pop up as a stripper for a fun cameo. Later, we have Peter Dinklage and Nicholas Braun pop up as a couple wackos that are taken in by Sheridan’s story and then flip the tables. All those sequences are amusing, and it’s amusing to see these actors in wild roles. The problem is the consistency and flow here. I like Jackson and Franco, and they form an interesting enough duo. They are an unlikely set of partners that develop, over the run of the film, a grudging respect and loyalty to each other. That aspect of the story works well enough to make the payoff in the Third Act somewhat intriguing. But a lot of the work to get there feels overly long, disjointed, and lacking some comedy. Thames is a talented actor but his character here is too thin and too oddly constructed. By the time we get to the end, I still couldn’t get a read on what the script was trying to accomplish with Sheridan. But, more importantly, I didn’t much care. There are a few laughs and a few over-the-top sequences that befit this kind of comedy. But even at 99 minutes this feels overly long. In fact, one of my favorite beats is the sequence between Jackson and Killer Mike as his pastor boss that kicks off the film. It made me laugh and seemed to set the stage for a film that doesn’t actually materialize. Idiots will have its fans. It is a wild ride and has some memorable moments. But it doesn’t live up to its potential and fails to make use of a talented cast.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, drug content, some violence/bloody images and sexual material.
Verdict: One and a half stars out of five

The Last Sunrise (Prime Video)
Starring: Eva Longoria, Maia Reffico, and Fernando Lindez
Synopsis: This new film from Prime Video is a romance of sorts. Longoria is the most well-known actor, but she plays a supporting role as the over-protective mother. The story is focused on Oriah (Reffico), a talented dancer with health challenges. She’s whisked off for a summer in Majorca, where her mother (Longoria) is working on a new luxury hotel property. There, she falls in love with a local (Lindez) whose family is tied to the property being targeted by her mother’s company. This causes strife, as does her decision to skip medical advice, putting her life in jeopardy. This, honestly, could have been the plot of a Hallmark film. And if it was on Hallmark, it might have been executed better. This film felt overly long and meandering at time. The plot was cookie-cutter, and the plot points were beyond predictable. Part of what didn’t work for me is the performances and characters. I wasn’t bought into Oriah, her romance, or her nebulous condition. This was something of an under-whelming slog, but it might be a date night option for those who want to kick back and stream something.
Rating: Rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language.
Verdict: One and a half stars out of five

The Whisper Man (Netflix)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, and Michael Keaton
Synopsis: This is a new serial killer drama on Netflix. It boasts an incredible cast—which also includes Owen Teague and Hamish Linklater. Monaghan plays a detective on the trailer of a serial killer who abducts and preys on young boys. The problem is, it’s the exact same pattern as a previous killer—The Whisper Man (Keaton)—who was caught and behind bars. She turns to a veteran detective (De Niro) who previously caught The Whisper Man for help, but he’s reticent. When his son (Scott) has his own son taken by the new killer, the detective changes course and gets involved. This leads to a winding path of an investigation and the reveal of the connections between The Whisper Man and this new acolyte. This was a solid thriller that boasted a great cast. While the premise was a little too familiar, as were the beats of the film all the way through to the reveal of the new killer and the ending, it was still an enjoyable enough watch. De Niro, Scott, Keaton, and Monaghan lift the material. This ended up being fairly compelling and engaging despite the predictable nature of the story and its structure. If you’re looking for an easy-watch crime drama on streaming, The Whisper Man delivers.
Rating: Rated R for some bloody violence, disturbing images, suicide, language and brief sexual references.
Verdict: Three stars out of five