Let’s just be clear here, magic is real, with that being said, I hope everyone loves watching magicians doing their things. I still remember wanting to learn this tricks of the trade when I was just a wee lad and I still stumble upon the boxes of my tricks when I clean out the basement. Now that I am older, I still love watching magicians perform their tricks, especially if it is a trick I learned way back when. But this also comes with a dark side, when I know that they are faking it, because as a young magician, I know that some of the aspects of the act are just fake and I want them to do better.

Eighteen months have passed and the Horsemen have yet to be seen in public after their biggest show and after taking down billionaire Arthur Tressler. Being led by their FBI counterpart Dylan Rhodes, Danny Atlas is getting fed up with hiding in the shadows and is ready for some action. Heading into the depths of the city to find out where the Eye is hiding, he gets the same answers as he does from Rhodes and is told to be patient since there will be a job on the horizon. Arriving home and meeting Lula who tries to wow him with her skill, Danny is far from impressed and gets word to head to the team's meeting spot. 

Seeing the elusive Lula with Rhodes, the team is back together with Merritt McKinney, Danny Atlas and the formerly dead Jack Wilder and they finally have a job. Heading to Octa’s new phone release party, the group is ready to expose the owner Owen Case for what his phones really do, destroy their customer's privacy. But when they take to the stage, they are given an alternative script and someone is running the show besides themselves. Needing to make a grand escape, the group makes it to the roof and finds themselves being whisked away to Macau, China, the birthplace of magic. 

Being greeted by Chase McKinney, Merritt’s twin brother, the group is sent to the doorstep of Walter Mabry who has an offer that they cannot refuse. Needing to steal a piece of technology that can interact with any computing device for the young mad man, Atlas decides to take the job, but only as a cover while he tries to contact someone from the Eye to help the group get their lives back. Since he isn't being included in the plans, Dylan Rhodes is trying to locate where his team has disappeared to and when his normal means of getting information fails, he is forced to look in another direction, to Thaddeus Bradley who was framed for the Tressler job. With word that the Horsemen are in China, the two hop a jet and make their way for the city and find exactly what they are looking for. With illusions coming at everyone from every direction, and a hatred for the Horsemen that was not expected, they must try and do the right thing, while keeping themselves from becoming just a number in the old magicians manual.

Not a bad follow up to Now You See Me, I actually think I enjoyed this one a little more. As the group has honed their skills to a crazy level, there seems to be nothing that can stop them, or so they think. I like the introduction of Walter Mabry and his ties to the previous story and how crazy the young man really is. Then we also get introduced to Dylan Rhodes and find out his backstory that was skipped in the first movie since we never knew he was the one recruiting the Horsemen to do to his will. With plenty of twists and turns throughout, you never know who is hiding in the shadows and what they are capable of, especially since their skill sets are growing. The addition of Lula was pretty fun as she was able to integrate with the group pretty flawlessly and make note that she is not an average woman. With some magic, lots of technology, threats, guns, fake limbs and a New Year’s Eve show that changes the world, this is not a bad movie to sit back and relax to overall.

The unfortunate truth about the latest DC installment is that more was riding on Wonder Woman’s success than there should have been. For most superhero movie releases the goal is just to make a decent opening at the box office, sell some more merchandise, maybe setup for the planned but not yet in production sequel, and leave the fans satisfied with their comic book movie fix. But for Wonder Woman, there was the dangerous and unspoken understanding that meeting these standards wasn’t going to be good enough. It needed to be better, make more money, and leave audiences astounded. Anything less than this would have been the studio’s cue that films with more feminist themes and greater female representation are not worth making.

Thankfully, Wonder Woman is surpassing the baseline expectations and captivating audiences worldwide but it’s problematic that (once again) a woman is having to work twice as hard just to be recognized for her accomplishments. Some reviews have taken shots at the film and director Patty Jenkins for being too zealous in the quest for diversity and representation or, as the National Review put it, “Jenkins is not an action director; clearly, she was hired only as a politically correct token.” These reviews are further proof that the dominant and privileged identities don’t know what to do with a movie that wasn’t made specifically for them.
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For me, Patty Jenkin’s film was nothing short of revolutionary. As a director, Jenkins managed to deliver a quintessential super hero film (naïve warrior learns the true meaning of heroism while forming strong relationships and kicking ass) while also subverting the sci-fi/fantasy/superhero tropes that actually DO tokenize marginalized identities and perpetuate stereotypically representations. And in honor of Jenkins smooth and subversive superhero feminism, I’m going to explore a few of the ways in which Wonder Woman is more feminist than you think.

One of the tropes that is rampant in Sci-Fi and Fantasy is that of a female character who is a sexy bad ass but, for whatever reason, is a little naïve to the ways of the world. She therefore must rely on someone to explain things to her. This character is usually a man (sometimes the first man she has ever met) and inevitably one of the things that requires explanation is the idea of sex or intimacy. One of my favorite YouTubers, Pop Culture Detective, gives an in depth analysis of this trope, which he has dubbed ‘Born Sexy Yesterday’, and explains the way in which this trope perpetuates dangerous ideologies in regards to women’s sexuality and men’s desires. Essentially, this trope represents the fantasy of having a woman who is physically sexually mature and available, but mentally innocent and easily influenced by her ‘wiser’ male companion.
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Diana, by virtue of having grown up with only women and never having left the island of Themyscira, could have easily fallen into this trope upon meeting Steve Trevor. In fact, there are several scenes that certainly play into Diana’s naïvety and misunderstandings about the world. But these scenes focus entirely on humor and, in some cases, point to the absurdity of our world. And rather than having Diana come across as inexperienced and in need of guidance when it comes to ‘pleasures of the flesh,’ the film outright rejects this trope and Diana makes it clear that she understands her sexuality and the concept of desire but, most importantly, does not require a man to show her how. The Guardian’s review seemed befuddled by this concept, writing, 'Confusingly, Diana later explains that men are essential for procreation but when it comes to pleasure, unnecessary.'

I’m not sure what is so confusing about this statement but as Diana assures Steve and I can assure readers, women can feel pleasure all on their own (or ya know, with other women) and men are in fact not necessary.

Some may object to this and point to the fact that Diana and Steve do end up sharing a romantic (and assumed physical) relationship, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that Diana retained her agency and maturity as a woman and was allowed to choose for herself how best she wanted to act on her desires. Her sexuality was her own and not a realization of male fantasy.

One of the things I am most tired of hearing is the idea that women aren’t fit to be leaders or heroes because we are ‘too emotional.’ The implication here is twofold. First, that men are unemotional and therefore superior. Second, that having emotions is a bad thing that does not allow for tough decision making or direct action. This is where the film doubles down on its feminist message by addressing these implications head on and smashing them to pieces.
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Diana is immediately characterized by her desire to do good, to help those in need who are suffering, and to hold those who do evil accountable. We see the deep emotional connections she has, first to her fellow Amazons and later to her comrades in arms. Even more than the personal relationships she clearly holds dear, we see the empathy she feels for strangers and the innocent people affected by the war. This empathy and ability to grieve and to love is precisely what gives her the power to destroy Aries. Her emotions are framed, not as a weakness, but as an unparalleled strength. And while I’ll admit I found the moral of ‘the answer is love’ to be a little too on the nose and cheesy, I love that the film was not afraid to give power to this traditionally feminine trait.

Likewise, Steve is shown to be just as capable of this empathy and this belief in humanity as Diana. It is his primary motivation for charging into battle and it is the reason he sacrifices himself at the film’s end. In one scene he tries to act impartially, to ignore the suffering of innocent people and to charge ahead with the mission. He reasons with Diana that it is impossible to save everyone. And he may be right, but Diana reminds him that this is not a good enough reason not to try. Together they liberate a small town from occupation and his departure from impartiality is proven to be the right decision. What’s more, it is Steve who reminds Diana of this necessity for action and compassion at the film’s climax. As she wrestles with the realization that mankind is genuinely capable of the cruelty and horrors she has witnessed, she begins to lose faith in her quest to save them. It is Steve who quite simply says, ‘It’s not about deserve. It’s about belief.’ He reminds her that the point is to end suffering, regardless of its cause.

Going back to the National Review article for a moment, the consensus seemed to be that the inclusion of POC characters and strong female characters was inherently politically and therefore detracted from their enjoyment of the film. I can agree with at least half of this conclusion. Yes, including this diversity in representation is political but the fact that the National Review seemed disgruntled by it is precisely why it is necessary. The truth is that providing diverse representation should not be seen as a political act because, ideally, we’d be able to see marginalized identities on the big screen just as often as we see dominant ones. But yes, National Review, until that day comes you can bet that Jenkins was intentional with these characters and your response only provides fuel to that fire.
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While the representations of these POC characters may have been a little one note and tiptoeing the line of tokenization, the film does not shy away from acknowledging the ways in which they (as POC) must adapt and perform to find success in a world where they are the minority. The Chief talks openly with Diana about the oppression of his people. She is appalled and asks who is responsible for such atrocity. He very simply nods towards Steve and replies, ‘his people.’ Later on, after fighting to liberate the small French town, Sameer tells Dianna that he never wanted to be part of the war. He explains that he wanted to be an actor but was ‘born the wrong color,’ so he became a soldier instead. These are powerful instances of POC characters giving voice to the oppression they experience. And for Diana, they are also the first steps in her realization of the darkness within mankind. She meets two exceptional people who have suffered at the hands of their fellow man and yet are willing to lay down their lives to preserve and protect humanity. It is the first and subtle introduction of the theme Steve will inevitably drive home, that mankind may not deserve saving, but if enough people believe in humanity then perhaps one day it could.

Many reviews will overlook these characters as sidekicks or comic relief, but the truth is that they are catalysts for Diana’s growth and understanding of mankind. To truly understand the darkness of our world, one has to recognize the systems of oppression that are accepted as normal. And to truly combat evil in the world, one most do so in all its forms. It’s not enough to just punch Nazis. We also have to examine how such ideologies are even allowed to find seats of power. Patty Jenkins illustrates this beautifully by confronting her protagonist and audiences with the truth of oppression and the power in acknowledging it.

I could go on about the other ways this film subverts norms and provides platforms but I’ll leave you with those three. Wonder Woman is not a perfect film and there are certainly things I wish had been different. I would have liked to see more about what happened to Dr. Maru after Diana spared her life. The use of General Ludendorff as a red herring could have been a bit subtler. As with most films, there were moments where the story dragged. All of these are acceptable critiques that I will gladly admit to having. But I am justly frustrated at those critics who seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding about the importance of this film. There are those who will say that Wonder Woman shouldn’t be above criticism just because it stars and was directed by a woman and to that point, I agree. But the problem is that critiques of this film are focusing on precisely that and implying that any issues or downfalls are a direct failure of these women by virtue of their womanhood. Last time I checked, no one was claiming the Transformers franchise was bad because Michael Bay is a man. And it does not go unnoticed that the majority of these bad reviews, which include cracks about Gal Gadot’s face/body being the best part of the movie, are written by men.

You don’t have to like Wonder Woman and not liking the film does not make you a sexist. But if you blatantly dislike this film because it didn’t slip into the sexist tropes and oppressive ideologies the super hero genre is prone to…it might be time to examine why that is. And to anyone who finds themselves in that position, I’d be happy to discuss this film further. I’ll get the tickets; you can get the popcorn.

Stephen King once said, and allow me to paraphrase in liberal fashion, that an artist must always challenge themselves in order to avoid becoming stagnant and there's plenty of truth to that statement. Because we have seen artists that always stick with the same ol' thing when it comes to their work and we've seen their careers fade because of a lack of originality or sheer failure to adapt to the marketplace. 

Thankfully, one particular set of comedic minds believe in the Stephen King edict since Broken Lizard has evolved since day one, exploring horror and meaning by way of their films Club Dread and Beerfest, all while staying true to the unique brand of comedy they introduced in Super Troopers. But for their fourth film, they decided to take their creative evolution to new heights by handing the director reigns to a new member of the troupe for the first time ever by letting Kevin Heffernan step  behind the camera, along with delivering a few new surprises storytelling wise our way in the hilarious film, The Slammin' Salmon.

Now the plot to this particular tale allows for the audience to step through the doors of an upscale seafood restaurant in Miami, known as The Slammin' Salmon. This is a place that was founded and named after Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Cleon Salmon and we spend a night with the entire wait staff as they try their best to make the most money the restaurant has ever pulled in, all in the hopes of getting the Champ the money he needs to pay off some bad debts with the Yakuza, and to possibly enjoy their own dreams coming to life with the ten thousand dollars the Champ has offered up to the waiter that manages to make him the most money on this hectic night. 

That simple plot, is what allows for the magic of ​The Slammin' Salmon to shine through because this film is an intimate character study of the colorful people that work in this wild place and the focus on the characters is what allows for this motion picture to evolve to that proverbial next level and become something completely unexpected...a master class on screenwriting. Because the challenge at hand here was to tell a complete story for every character presented without the script de-evolving into a sloppy mess...and Broken Lizard pulled it off. No plot point is left abandoned, and everyone goes on a complete journey. It's in essence a perfect script, something you rarely see in comedy, and all that precision in storytelling aside, the comedy is just as good as ever from this troupe. But there's one actor in this ensemble film that managed to completely and utterly steal the show in surprising fashion; and I'm not talking about Jay Chandrasekhar and his portrayal of Nuts/Zongo, I'm referring to the magic of the late Michael Clarke Duncan. 

​Mister Duncan is the man who brings Cleon Salmon to life and up until this movie, I do not recall seeing him in a full on comedic role and holy cow...he's amazing. From the one liners, to the delivery of his lines, Michael Clarke Duncan lets his inner comedian shine and it's a shame he passed on before getting the opportunity to explore that talent further. Regardless, The Slammin' Salmon is a wonderfully unique comedy, one that amazes when it comes to how complex the script and structure turned out to be and one that leaves you genuinely in tears with the quality of its jokes. Alas, this is the last entry that Broken Lizard has offered up our way for some time, with this film coming out in 2009, but eventually Super Troopers 2 ​will arrive on the big screen and hopefully the follow up to that legendary comedy kicks off a new wave of fresh films from a talented troupe that truly understand comedy. Until next time. 

Generally, the comedies that we all consider to be true classics, fall into two categories; rip-roaringly hilarious films that leave us in tears every single time we watch them, or, it's a comedy that happens to have meaning to go along with all the jokes and once in a while, there are special gems that appear in the genre that manage to combine both of those elements.

Those are the comedies that truly withstand the test of time and that's the kind of film that was clearly on the minds of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, and after creating a tear inducing comedy with ​Super Troopers, and their successful venture  to blend classic horror with modern laughs in Club Dread, these fine comedic minds decided it was high time to add some meaning to the yuks with their third film, Beerfest. 

The plot of this particular film introduces us to the Wolfhouse brothers, Jan and Todd, who set out to Munich to spread the ashes of their grandfather at Oktoberfest as per family tradition. But during their stay in this Beer filled wonderland, they stumble upon some shocking revelations; that there is an underground beer tournament known as Beerfest run by a distant relative, along with some embarrassing facts about their beloved grandfather, and they quickly come to realize...that they must find a way to become the Champions of Beerfest in order to restore their family's honor and exact revenge upon that jerk of a relative. 

So at this point, you're probably wondering how on earth a comedy about drinking more beer than any human being on this planet should ever consume has any level of thoughtful meaning and the answer to your question is simple...Beerfest is all about family and the sheer importance of having family and close friends in your life. That's evident really from the get go since Jan and Todd are eager to follow tradition and restore honor to their family's legacy, and it continues as they build their team their from the ground up and while it may seem that I'm more or less painting the picture of a comedy drama, make no mistake about it...this movie brings the laughs through and through.

You'll find plenty to laugh about during essentially every waking moment of Beerfest, and to top it off, this movie also signals growth acting wise for the members of Broken Lizard as well, since they take on new challenges in this story. Steve Lemme is nearly unrecognizable as Steve 'Fink' Finklestein since he completely slips into the role and Kevin Heffernan does a phenomenal job when it comes to Phil and Gil 'Landfill' Krundle since he finds a way for the two to have vastly different personalities. Either way, this is another incredible motion picture from Broken Lizard. They succeed in placing meaning into this movie, and you'll spend plenty of time wiping the tears from your eyes thanks to all the jokes and when all is said and done, you'll also never look at a boot the same way, ever again. 

Like the party favors I once got at Patty Tompkins’ pirate themed 11th birthday, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is a mixed bag, and additionally one that I have to accept as good, under the threat that Patty’s going to come back and beat my face in for my initial distaste towards wax lips. It’s a novel concept to have around, a movie series based on a ride at Disneyland, especially since that’s a formula that they’ve tried a dozen times and come away from the trials with no other success besides this movie. It’s also good to still have a film franchise with an active interest in providing us with especially large-budgeted movies based on pirates. Perhaps it’d be worth it to see a movie based on The Gold Nugget Revue, just so we could get in a few decent westerns as well.

But my folly with the series always has always landed firmly on one of its most prominent actors: Johnny Depp. Even I have to admit that I ultimately found the character of Captain Jack Sparrow to…have its charm, amid the backdrop of a sea epic mostly focused on Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly, but the shtick just keeps going on and on, like you’ve ridden the boat around the ride a half dozen times while only keeping an eye out for the one pirate holding the beer stein. They’ve facilitated a few interesting turns by way of the character: I liked the cameo by Depp’s method-inspiration Keith Richards in the second film…until they did it again with Mick Jagger in the fourth movie, and Paul McCartney in this film, (sorry to give away the cameo) and it just pains me to think that this is the same actor/producer combo to give us the not-offensive-but-really-really-bad turn Depp had as Tonto in the most recent remake of The Lone Ranger. At least he’s not responsible for Guy Lapointe.

Thankfully, someone at Disney/Bruckheimer films has heard the cries for mercy at the end of a Jack Sparrow-focused fourth installment of this film, and made the decision to once again allow the character to play second banana to a pair of marginally more interesting legacy characters. Harry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the only son of Bloom’s Will and Knightly’s Elizabeth, swears an oath to his Flying Dutchman-bound father to seek 'The Trident of Poseidon,' an artifact that has the ability to undo every curse given at sea. A series of amazing-looking events lands Harry in Jail alongside Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a scientist who is being hunted as a witch (wrong century, guys) and is holding a map that leads to the trident. All they need at that point is a way to sea, enter the ever plot-convenient Jack Sparrow, who  through equally amazing-looking events, also lands in jail. Although not before forsaking his trademark magic compass, cursing himself and setting free an undead Spanish pirate hunter, Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), who, naturally, gives credence to Jack’s worst fear that said Captain would ever come back for revenge.

The rest of the saga plays out as you would expect: The trio manage to evade execution and dash out to sea, where Jack’s crew, still comprised mainly of Kevin McNally, Stephen Graham, and Martin Klebba, are bound to run into the threat of Salazar, and the still at-large from the fourth sequel Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). While it is a relief to know that this sequel is better than the previous installment, for not choosing to place Jack Sparrow in the dead center of the plot, there still isn’t anything keeping this ship from sailing as close to shore, eventually providing a completely cookie-cutter plot. The devil is, invariably, in the details, particularly favoring long-run characters like Rush’s Barbossa, who receives a third-act reveal that was worth the price of admission. I could have expected a lot more from the new generation of cast members in this outing, seeing as it’s made clear that we’ll be following them in the sequels. I’m also rather disappointed that, for all the menace that is displayed upon him in the trailers, Bardem’s Salazar inevitably comes off as a poor-man’s Davy Jones, frequently just popping into scenes and offering a “Hola Jack Sparrow,” like a sort of PG-rated nautical Freddy Krueger.

Is it worth seeing? Sure. If you enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean, particularly the earliest installments, then you’ll have a good time with this one. However, you’re not going to have your opinion dissuaded if you believe this film franchise has overstayed its welcome. We can only hope that some other great pirate-themed attraction will be built in the immediate future, so a decent pirate-themed film series can be based on that. Sorry Patty.