I’m not sure if I’ve ever rooted for a killer more than I did in the new slasher black comedy “Bodies Bodies Bodies”. And I’ve seen all of the “Friday the 13th” movies – a franchise notorious for the generic throwaway fodder it called characters. Here it’s simply a case of being stuck for 95 minutes with really dumb people who aren’t just forgettable, they’re insufferable. I guess you could say they at least provoked a reaction. I just doubt openly wishing for their demise was the reaction the filmmakers were looking for.

But it should be said that “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is very much a satire which becomes more and more obvious as the movie progresses. It’s satirical crosshairs are firmly set on Gen Z, specifically the young, privileged, and hyper-sensitive upper-class. So in truth, with perhaps one lone exception, these characters aren’t meant to be liked. But we should be able to tolerate them which I found to be harder and harder as the story went on.

In “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, director Halina Reijn and screenwriter Sarah DeLappe have a lot of things going on. And as often happens in a movie this busy, some things work much better than others. Though it takes time to find its footing, the black comedy element works the best. You have to navigate some early unfunny patches (such as Pete Davidson aggressively doing Pete Davidson). But the satirical jabs land well, poking fun at Gen Z and all of their popular labels and phraseology. And with the exception of one second-half scene which is admittedly amusing but way overdone, the satire is very organic to the story.

On the negative side, the horror/slasher angle isn’t nearly as effective. The movie borrows numerous genre tropes but doesn’t really put its own spin on any of them. There’s the getaway to a remote location (usually a cabin in the woods, here a mansion). We get a group of coked-up obnoxious young people who make great chum for whoever’s doing the killing. Of course there’s the proverbial storm that knocks out the power. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s no phone service. Unfortunately, none of those things add an ounce of terror to what’s essentially a fright-free story. The only hint of suspense is in the whodunnit element, but it’s mostly out of curiosity rather than any palpable tension.

The story is fairly basic. The first five minutes are spent trying hard to convince us that the otherwise chemistry-less Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova) are a young couple. The pair are the last to arrive for a “hurricane party” at a big country mansion. The estate belongs to the parents of David (Davidson) who is Sophie’s best friend (another not-so-convincing match). David is there with his actress girlfriend Emma (Chase Sui Wonders). Also among the partygoers is a podcaster named Alice (Rachel Sennott) and her considerably older beau Greg (Lee Pace), and the temperamental Jordan (Myha’la Herrold).

As Sophie and and Bee arrive it’s clear there’s a little tension between friends. We learn Sophie is fresh out of rehab and her substance abuse took a toll on her relationships with the others. Bee is a shy and reserved working-class girl from Eastern Europe who is in the States to attend college. The party guests aren’t particularly thrilled with Bee being there and they aren’t too good at hiding it.

The party kicks off, lots of booze is downed, lots of cocaine is snorted, yadda yadda yadda. Later the wasted seven decide to play a game called Bodies Bodies Bodies. Basically everyone draws a piece of paper and whoever draws the one marked with an ‘X’ is the killer. They then turn out all the lights and the killer must “kill” one of the other players while keeping his or her identity concealed. The “dead” player must lay still until found by the other players. After that, the survivors have to figure out who is the killer between them.

It sounds like a fun game, but not among this lot who are soon arguing and at each others throat. But when one of them ends up with their throat slashed, the fun and games end and the story takes a darker and bloodier turn. What follows is more yelling, more accusations, and of course more bodies. We get several plot contrivances, some ridiculous character choices, and more reasons not to root for any of these people.

But again, the movie is saved once the satire kicks in. There are some genuinely funny bits that got big laughs from the theater audience I was with. And it helps that lines are so cleverly incorporated and earnestly delivered. The movie also sticks its landing, delivering a hilarious and fitting conclusion. It doesn’t erase all of the blemishes that came before it. But it makes them a little easier to digest. “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is now playing in theaters.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

After co-directing the terrific franchise launcher “John Wick”, director, producer, actor, and stuntman David Leitch has put together a filmography of big action spectacles of varying quality. And while I may not be a fan of his “Deadpool 2” and “Atomic Blonde” romps, there’s no denying that his movies have their fanbases and have made good money at the box office. Those are big reasons why Leitch was brought on to helm the star-studded action-comedy “Bullet Train”.

Maybe he did some convincing. Perhaps he called in a favor. Either way, Leitch was able to get Brad Pitt to lead his rapid-fire over-the-top actioner that pretty much runs at one speed. Based on the Japanese pulp novel “Maria Beetle” by Kōtarō Isaka, Leitch and screenwriter Zak Olkewicz reshape the original story and characters, leaning on the charm and charisma of Pitt and the talent-rich cast to keep us locked in.

But Pitt and company can only carry the movie so far, and it quickly becomes evident that there’s nothing of substance underneath the flimsy veneer of steady quips and non-stop action. You can see Leitch and Olkewicz working so hard to be cool, stylish, and edgy. But all they manage is a Tarantino knock-off that operates under the idea that all you need is forced humor, endless f-bombs, a few needle-drops, and over-cranked violence to capture QT’s success. And as the storytelling more and more takes a backseat, this exhausting endurance test becomes almost unbearable.

The story itself is pretty inconsequential. Basically you have an assortment of assassins who board a bullet train in Tokyo bound for Kyoto. Each are onboard for their own reasons, but they soon discover their individual missions (some professional, some personal) are all connected and it’s no coincidence that they’re all on the same train. That’s a sound enough premise, especially for a movie with action as its centerpiece. Unfortunately, the story barely goes an inch deeper.

While the movie bounces around from character to character, Pitt gets top billing playing a hitman called Ladybug. Sporting a bucket hat and black-rimmed glasses, the notoriously unlucky Ladybug recently took some time away from contract killing to find inner peace or something silly like that (it’s a reoccurring joke the movie never gets tired of). But now he’s back at the behest of his handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock). She has the newly zen Ladybug an easy job – a simple snatch and grab. Yeah right.

Also on the train are two quarrelsome “twins”, Lemon and Tangerine (Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who are escorting a mob boss’ son and a briefcase full of cash back to a mysterious crime lord known as White Death. There’s Prince (a good Joey King), a calculated killer who plays the “poor innocent girl” card to deadly perfection. Then there’s Yuichi, a Japanese assassin looking to pay back the person who put his 6-year-old son in the hospital. There are a few others like The Hornet (Zazie Beetz) and The Wolf (rapper Bad Bunny), but they mainly show up for a quick action scene each and that’s it.

The biggest problem with these characters is that none of them feel real. None of them give you anything to latch onto or any reason to care about them. The cast puts in the effort and seem to be having a good time. But aside from their surface appeal, every character feels hollow. And once their cartoonish coolness wears off there’s nothing left. Now that may sound like nitpicking especially for a movie that clearly aims more towards style than story. But I can’t help it. I like characters with at least a few layers.

Muddying things up and bloating the runtime are a plethora of irrelevant flashbacks framed to have more meaning than they really do. Add to them several snooze-worthy exposition drops that play like vain attempts to add story depth. When you combine all of that with the juvenile dialogue and the slew of jokes and gags that aren’t nearly as clever or funny as the filmmakers think they are, you’re left with a tedious and frankly numbing experience.

As the story barrels forward, the filmmakers choose louder over smarter and end up sending the film right off the rails (sorry, it’s a cheap pun but I couldn’t resist). We’re left with a movie that doesn’t bother with logic and that believes piling on more stylized action, more shallow humor, and a few cheap cameos in enough to get by. And maybe they’re right. Maybe the film’s furious pace will offer enough misdirection to keep audiences from looking at its glaring flaws. And maybe some will see this as one of those films where you just turn your brain off and have a good time. But even throw-away popcorn movies need a soul. And no matter how hard I looked, I never found one in “Bullet Train”.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

I’m far from what you would call an animated film connoisseur. For reasons that I’ve never quite been able to pinpoint, animated movies have never registered with me in the same way they do with millions of other moviegoers. Now there are some I’ve genuinely loved (“The Illusionist”, “The Lego Movie”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, “Ratatouille”). But it’s nearly impossible for me to muster the enthusiasm others do whenever a big new animated feature is announced. I’m kinda jealous.

But there was something about the trailer for the recent Dreamworks Animation film “The Bad Guys” that clicked with me. Not enough to get me to see it at the theater, but definitely enough to check it out on Peacock where it’s now streaming. Directed by Pierre Perifel and written by Etan Cohen, “The Bad Guys” touted an interesting premise and was said to pull inspiration from a variety of films like “Oceans Eleven”, “Reservoir Dogs”, and “Pulp Fiction”. And then there’s a cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, and more.

Loosely based on a children’s book series by Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys” follows a notorious criminal gang of anthropomorphic animals. We have their smooth-talking leader, Mr. Wolf (Rockwell); his cranky best friend and the gang’s safecracker, Mr. Snake (Maron); hacker extraordinaire, Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina); a master of disguise, Mr. Shark (Robinson); and there’s Mr. Piranha (Ramos), a loose cannon who loves a good fight.

Together they have avoided capture despite the dogged efforts of the manic Police Chief Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein). That’s because they always play it smart and never make a job personal. But after the newly elected Governor Foxington (Beetz) puts them down in a televised speech, Wolf decides to pull a heist that will prove their reputation and cement their legacy.

Their job is a big one – steal a trophy called The Golden Dolphin during a gala where it is set to be presented to Professor Rupert Marmalade IV (Richard Ayoade), a beloved guinea pig philanthropist. But their caper hits a snag after Wolf gets an unexpected taste of being good. Things go south, the gang loses the Dolphin, and a conflicted Wolf begins to rethink their Bad Guy status.

As stories goes, this one has it moments in large part thanks to the characters and the terrific voice work. There’s nothing particularly innovative here and it’s not as funny as I had hoped. But there’s a good chemistry between our reluctant heroes that makes them fun to spend time with. And the animation style is inspired and more often than not quite good.

Unfortunately the movie does fall victim to some of the same tired gags that seem to find their ways into many modern animated films. For example, Perifel and Cohen not only throw in fart jokes and butt jokes, but they come back to them several times. I also found myself checking out a bit during the chaotic and unrestrained finale. But while these things bring “The Bad Guys” down a notch, there’s still plenty to like especially if you’re already a fan of the formula that many of these Hollywood animated films follow. “The Bad Guys” is now streaming on Peacock.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

Ethan Hawke as a masked child-abducting psychopath in the late 1970s? Yep, I’m in. That’s part of the setup for “The Black Phone”, a spooky supernatural horror film from director Scott Derrickson (“Sinister”, “Doctor Strange”). I was onboard after first hearing the names involved. One great trailer and a creepy poster later and “The Black Phone” moved pretty high up on my ‘Most Anticipated’ list.

This Blumhouse produced chiller is based on a 2004 short story by Joe Hill, son of Stephen King. Derrickson co-wrote the script with his frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill. For “The Black Phone”, the pair pull from several horror sub-genres, even injecting their story with a crafty crime-thriller element. But what it does best is capture its period setting and develop a truly menacing atmosphere. There are a couple of hard-to-miss oversights which had me scratching my head. But as a whole, the movie sucks you in and keeps you firmly planted on the edge of your seat.

Set to a well conceived 1978 backdrop, the story unfolds in a tight-knit neighborhood in North Denver. A young boy named Finney (Mason Thames) has plenty to fear. He’s constantly hassled by a pack of punk bullies at school. His widowed father (Jeremy Davies) is an abusive drunk who takes out his loneliness and grief on his children. Oh, and then there’s the string of missing children in the area, some who Finney knows well.

At least Finney has his precocious little sister Gwen (a terrific Madeleine McGraw). The two are extremely close and often find refuge in each other. While Finney is a bit more reserved and non-confrontational, Gwen couldn’t be more different. She’s a fireball and (unfortunately) one way the filmmakers show it is with the tired and overdone potty-mouthed child trope which they milk for a cheap laugh or two. What makes Gwen so compelling isn’t her slinging f-bombs. It’s her come-and-go psychic abilities similar to ones her late mother possessed. It adds a compelling layer to the her character and the story.

Strangely, despite the rash of neighborhood child abductions, parents seem pretty lax and let their kids roam the streets unattended. So it’s no surprise when Finney is snatched by the man dubbed “The Grabber”. Hawke plays him with an unsettling calm, laced with brief yet terrifying bursts of violence. I love Derrickson’s choice not to reveal his face. We get one slightly blurred image during Finney’s abduction. Otherwise his face remains mostly hidden by a hideously disturbing mask.

Interestingly, we never really learn anything about The Grabber. His anonymity is meant to add to the dread. He poses as a part-time magician who cruises around town in a black van with the words “Abracadabra” painted across it. There are also his black balloons that may or may not be a signature. The aura of mystery mostly works although the character does fit a tad too neatly into the movie serial killer archetype. Still Hawke is pretty great and his first foray as a true villain is quite effective.

Finney is thrown into a concrete soundproof basement with a dirty toilet, a mattress bolted to the floor, and a disconnected black rotary phone hanging on the wall. To the boy’s surprise, the phone periodically rings and on the other end are voices that I won’t spoil, by they offer tips to help him escape. And then you have Gwen’s dreams which seem to reveal hints to where her brother may be. In a sense these supernatural components offer a cool twist. But they also bring a “Stranger Things” vibe to parts of the story. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but don’t expect something grittier and more grounded.

Though its story is hardly seamless, “The Black Phone” keeps its audience locked in by maintaining its sinister tone and building some true edge-of-your-seat suspense. And it’s a lot of fun watching Hawke dig into such an evil character. To no one’s surprise he’s really good. And while I wish there was a little more backstory to The Grabber, Hawke carves out such a frightening presence that you’re too engrossed to focus on the missing details. “The Black Phone” is out now in theaters.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

I have this deep and hard to explain affection for these small quirky indie comedies that are both light-hearted and melancholy. Last year it was “The Man in the Hat”, a wonderfully moving and whimsical road-trip movie starring Ciarán Hinds that deserved a much bigger audience. This year “Brian and Charles” most certainly scratches that itch. Its story about a lonely inventor who builds a seven-foot-tall cabbage-loving robot is every bit as wacky as it sounds. It’s also endlessly charming and as big-hearted as anything else you’ll see this year.

First time director Jim Archer employs a genuinely funny mockumentary style to introduce us to Brian (David Earl), a down-on-his-luck handyman living alone in rural Wales. He spends most of his time doing small jobs in a nearby village and playing darts with himself at home. To help ease his sense of loneliness and boredom, Brian began inventing things – odd creations such as a pine cone bag, an egg belt, and my personal favorite, a flying cuckoo clock.

In town, Brian shares small talk with a sympathetic general store owner named June (Cara Chase) and struggles to get a word out to a young woman named Hazel (Louise Brealey) who he clearly has eyes for. Meanwhile his timidity makes him fodder for the village bully, Eddie (Jamie Michie) and his roughneck daughters (Lowri and Mari Izzard). Then it’s back home where he sits alone with his inventions.

One day he spots some junk on the side of the road. In it he finds a mannequin heads which inspires him to build something new – a robot. It takes him 72 hours piecing together whatever parts he has around his house. And with a few clicks of a switch, Charles is “born”. With his mannequin head and washing machine torso, the awkwardly tall Charles (wonderfully voiced by Chris Hayward) is a hilariously unusual sight.

Co-written by the the films stars Earl and Hayward, “Brian and Charles” starts off hysterically exploring a budding friendship. Early on, Brian is more like a father as Charles’ personality goes from playful child to a rebellious teen. But as Charles quickly “matures” the two become chums. In addition to their funny exchanges, there are numerous touches that amp up the humor. Like the hilariously on-the-nose “Happy Together” by The Turtles as the two buddies play in the yard.

While Charles offers Brian the companionship he has so desperately longed for, he also opens Brian up to realities in his life – chances that are worth taking, antagonism that’s worth standing up against. And the second half really showcases the film’s humanity as it explores a bevy of themes that include isolation, loneliness, and longing.

Simply put, “Brian and Charles” is an absolute delight. It’s one of the funniest movies of the year and easily one of the most endearing. Its ending may seem a touch too tidy, but it’s such a fitting and warm-hearted finish that hits you right in the feels. And be sure to stay through the end credits. I missed it the first time watching but caught it during my second viewing. You’ll love it. “Brian and Charles” opens in select theaters on June 17th.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

No, this isn’t the ‘Idris Elba vs. a man-eating lion’ movie (that “Beast” comes out in a couple of months). This “Beast” is the Bollywood action-comedy from writer-director Nelson Dilipkumar (who simply goes by Nelson). The film stars Vijay, one of India’s highest paid actors with over 65 movies to his credit. Here he plays a former government agent who goes one-on-one with a terrorist group who takes over a shopping mall. Plenty of action ensues.

Vijay plays Veera, an ex-RAW agent who someone in the movie actually describes as the “Indian James Bond”. Veera quit RAW after a mission goes terribly wrong, resulting in the death of a young child. Eleven months pass and a traumatized Veera is still experiencing PTSD. Obviously nothing about any of that sounds remotely humorous and you may be wondering how this could be an ‘action-comedy’. Well, “Beast” routinely shifts gears on a dime which turns out to be both a strength and a frustration.

Case in point: Immediately after the tragedy, we see Veera getting canned by his psychologist. Afterwards the two casually bounce off to a wedding party where he meets the beautiful Preethi (Pooja Hegde). It takes a minute, but the two hit it off which leads to a big elaborate song and dance number. Now fans of Bollywood won’t be surprised as this is pretty much a signature of many of their movies. In this case, the tonal hopscotch makes it hard to take anything in “Beast” seriously.

The movie seems to want to build a relationship between Veera and Preethi. At the wedding party, we learn she is engaged to someone she hates. She has one month to “find her man and settle down” and it looks like Veera is meant to be the one. Unfortunately, Preethi quickly falls into the background almost becoming an afterthought. It’s a shame because Hegde has energy and charisma to spare.

Preethi does convince Veera to join her private security firm which is ran by the surly Dominic (VTV Ganesh). The three of them head to the East Coast Shopping Mall to discuss their contract with the manager. As they enter, Veera grows suspicious after noticing the escalators, elevators, and even the internet are all down. Within minutes, heavily armed Santa Clauses (yep) hijack the mall, sealing it shut and rigging it with explosives. With 200 civilians inside, their leader Umar (Ankur Ajit Vikal) demands the release of his brother Farooq (Lilliput) or ….you know… bad things will happen.

You know the story – bad guys take over a place but don’t realize there is a one-man army inside with them. It’s pretty conventional stuff. What makes it fun is Nelson’s keen eye for well choreographed action and Vijay’s straight-faced delivery. Together the two put together some terrific action scenes that are as silly as they are thrilling. The sweeping cameras, the intentionally gratuitous slow-motion, the brutal edginess. These scenes keep the movie entertaining.

But there are also slow patches, especially whenever the story shifts back to the police and their lackadaisical negotiations. There’s also an uninteresting and mostly unfunny side bit with a crooked Home Minister who’s in cahoots with the terrorists. These dialogue-heavy scenes drag out the runtime and keep us away from the movie’s biggest strengths.

Thankfully “Beast” has plenty of outlandish action to keep it afloat. Vijay carries himself like a bonafide star yet smartly (much like the movie) never takes himself too seriously. The movie misses an opportunity by not doing more with Hegde, and it could have easily been twenty minutes shorter. But audiences will surely come to “Beast” for the action and Nelson gives them plenty. “Beast” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 3 STARS