I’m guessing few people expected 2004‘s oddball comedy “Napoleon Dynamite” to go from a low-budget indie debuting at Sundance to the absurdly funny and infinitely quotable cult classic it is today. The film made a star out of its lead, Jon Heder who over the years has helped nurture the film’s vocal and devoted fan base (I have several fellow card-carrying “Napoleon Dynamite” enthusiasts in my family including a cousin who actually ventured to the small town of Preston, Idaho just to visit the shooting locations).

Now 20 years later we see Heder tapping back into that successful formula with “Tapawingo”, a proudly and profoundly offbeat feature film that recently screened at the El Dorado Film Festival. While the comparisons to “Napoleon Dynamite” are inescapable, “Tapawingo” isn’t some shameless clone. Director Dylan K. Narang (who also wrote the script along with Brad DeMarea) has plenty of his own comic twists up his sleeve.

“Tapawingo” has a uniquely zany brand of humor, and much like its comedic kin “Napoleon Dynamite”, it probably won’t click for everyone. But what can I say – it’s my kind of comedy. Yes it’s incredibly silly and utterly preposterous. But it’s also meticulously made, with funny bits scattered everywhere. Narang finds the means to make us laugh in nearly every facet of the filmmaking – the dialogue, the costumes, the camerawork, the editing, the music, even the production design.

Heder plays a small town oddball named Nate Skoog (what a great name). When he and his best friend Will (Jay Prichard) aren’t cruising around in Nate’s dune buggy or killing a few hours playing bingo at the Elk’s Lodge, they’re training to one day become high-paid mercenaries (yep, you read that right). “High risk, high reward.”

Nate still lives at home with his mother Ramona (Amanda Bearse) who has an annoying new boyfriend, Tom (John Ratzenberger) who’s always hanging around their house. As far as a job, Nate works in the mailroom at Amalgamated Insurance where he’s routinely hounded by an overly flirtatious co-worker (Gina Gershon). He’s also tasked with picking up his boss’ geeky son Oswalt (Sawyer Williams) after school.

One day while dropping off Oswalt, Nate gets a glimpse of the tough-as-nails Gretchen (a really good Kim Matula). He’s instantly smitten but their interactions are hilariously awkward due to his inability to communicate. Over time they slowly warm up to each other and soon sparks begin to fly (at least the best way they can in a movie this goofy).

But things take a turn when Nate and Will upset a local hoodlum named Nelson Tarwater (Chad Dukes) after rescuing Oswalt from Nelson’s two dimwitted younger brothers (played by Jacob Tyler Kemp and Ariel Flores). This sets off a chain of events that ultimate leads to Nelson calling in his big brother, Stoney (a subtly hilarious Billy Zane who’s given no dialogue and whose only task is to look menacing). A showdown is all but inevitable.

Narang and DeMarea’s script is the biggest reason “Tapawingo” works so well, but there are so many other key ingredients. First is the top-to-bottom game cast. Heder is no stranger to kind of material so it’s no surprise he nails it. But everyone else seems to be on the same wacky wavelength. And I haven’t even mentioned George and Paul Psarras who play self-proclaimed martial artists and mustachioed twin brothers Glen and Ben.

There’s also the DP Jarrod Russell’s fabulous cinematography that cleverly incorporates a variety of snap zooms, camera whips, and cross-cuts among other things. It works especially well alongside the outstanding production designs and costumes. Then there’s the synthesized percussive score laced with countless killer needle-drops from Quiet Riot, Pat Benatar, Kiss, and ELO among so many other.

“Tapawingo” is still working out distribution so there is no concrete date for its official release. But keep an eye out, especially if your a fan goofy self-aware comedies. Dylan Narang and his talented cohorts have made something right up my alley. Not all of the gags land as intended and occasionally a side character is pushed a little too far. But for the most part Narang is able to wrangle everything together into a fun and cohesive movie full of big-time laughs. “Tapawingo” recently screened at the El Dorado Film Festival.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

There have been countless variations of the A.I./Robot going haywire idea. Just last year we got everything from “M3GAN” to “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”. Now you can add the new film “T.I.M.”, a science fiction thriller that actually dropped last year in the UK but is now getting its release here in the States.

“T.I.M.”, the feature film debut for director Spencer Brown, fits more in the “M3GAN” mold than “Mission: Impossible”. Rather than an AI-powered doll for little girls, T.I.M. (which stands for Technologically Integrated Manservant) is a butler, housekeeper, cook, and personal assistant all wrapped into one creepy synthetic body (he’s eerily played by Eamon Farren). As for the story, it drifts into some pretty familiar waters. Yet Brown does a good job tapping into the already existing unease about artificial intelligence.

The film gets a boost from its cast, namely a really good Georgina Campbell. She plays Abi, a prosthetics engineer recently promoted to a department head position at the tech company Integrate Robotics. As part of her promotion she and her husband Paul (Mark Rowley) are provided brand-new fully integrated, state of the art ‘smart home’ complete with its own “T.I.M” unit. T.I.M. isn’t available to buy yet, but her company’s ambitious CEO (Nathaniel Parker) is determined to be first to market. So what better way to test their signature product than to have each department head give it a whirl?

T.I.M. immediately connects with the home’s network and even requests Abi and Paul’s passwords to help manage their various accounts. Paul is (understandably) hesitant while Abi quickly consents. “I have nothing to hide”, she asserts, hinting at a tension in their relationship. It turns out that Paul has a track record of infidelity and mending their marriage was a big reason she took the promotion. Perhaps a new setting will them get a fresh start.

But as you can probably guess, things don’t go precisely as planned. Over time T.I.M becomes strangely infatuated with Abi. Paul sees it which makes him more and more uncomfortable. The engineer inside of Abi is quick to dismiss it. “He’s just a computer”, she reasons. From there the film pretty much stays true to formula, following a track laid by similar movies before it. But to Brown’s credit he has a lot of fun with the premise. He develops a growing sense of unease yet adds dashes of dark humor that keep it from taking itself too seriously.

“T.I.M.” is part cautionary tale that taps into the current-day fears of many people who are still trying to fully understand what it is that frightens them. The story is a bit of a slow-burn, but it holds your attention despite not being the slightest bit scary and not delivering a single surprise. But these movies are resonating right now and Brown shows us why. He shapes an undoubtedly silly premise into something fun, entertaining, and weirdly timely.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles craze hit its stride after I had gotten older but I knew all about them. How could you not? They had their genesis in comic books but really launched with a popular animated series in the late 1980’s. For several years they had one of the hottest toy lines. They appeared in numerous video games. They even had a trilogy of feature films in the early 1990’s (and several reboots in the years that followed). The Turtles were a pretty big deal.

Like many, I felt the Turtles had had their day in the sun. Well, not so fast. Co-directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears along with producer and co-writer Seth Rogen have revived the franchise on the big screen with their computer animated feature “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”. It’s a modern(ish) spin on the classic Turtles although one that doesn’t really distinguish itself outside of its surface-level flourishes. Yet I’m betting there’s enough of that to satisfy the TMNT faithful, young and old.

“Mutant Mayhem” diverts from the original material in several areas and puts much of its emphasis on the teenage side of the titular ‘Heroes in a Half-Shell’. Most notable is the highly stylized, sketchbook inspired animation. It’s a bold choice that’s fresh and innovative but also inconsistent and uneven. The art ranges from cool and inventive to sometimes chintzy and gimmicky. It really stands out in the characters. Some are impressively designed. Others, not so much.

The movie’s biggest issue is in the writing. Sure, there is some fun teen banter, a handful of amusing jokes, and a stray heartfelt moment or two. But the script really doesn’t give us much beyond that. Our four big-hearted pizza-loving Turtles are basically all the same character but with only the slightest distinctions between them. Then we’re given a rather predictable story that channels where it’s going early on. So that leaves us with pop-culture references aplenty, countless needle-drops, and a heaping helping of nostalgia to get by.

After being mutated by a mysterious green ooze 15 years earlier, turtle brothers Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Rafael (Brady Noon), and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) live deep in the New York City sewers with their protective father and sensei, a rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan). They sneak around the city undetected, gathering supplies and soaking in the popular culture than the humans enjoy. It creates a longing within them to be accepted by the humans. But Splinter is quick to warn them of the dangers that revealing themselves might bring.

Through a bit of rambunctious goofing around the Turtles meet and befriend April O’Neal (Ayo Edebiri), an aspiring journalist and an outcast at her high school. She agrees to help them with a plan to win the human’s acceptance. Together they will track down a local menace named Superfly (Ice Cube as a literal housefly mutated by the same green ooze). The Turtles will apprehend him and turn him over to the police. April will chronicle their feat and report it, leading the city to love and embrace them.

Of course their plan goes sideways fast and the Turtles quickly find themselves not only battling Superfly and his army of mutants, but also the Techno Cosmic Research Institute and its shady (and woefully underdeveloped) executive Cynthia Utrom (voiced by Maya Rudolph). These conflicts lead to some pretty creative action scenes, highlighted by some eye-popping animation and some clever cinematic effects. Not all of the action works, but when it does it can be thrilling.

It’s not too difficult to figure out where things are heading. But there is fun to be had beyond the predictable plot. The voice cast is mostly excellent, especially Cantu, Abbey, Noon, and Brown Jr. as the Ninja Turtles. Ice Cube is handed some of the film’s more amusing lines and there’s just something inherently funny about him in such an absurd role. His Superfly isn’t a particularly memorable villain, but it’s fun listening to him nail some pretty great lines.

To its credit “Mutant Mayhem” does several things that set it apart from (and in many ways set it above) the past TMNT feature films (you could say that’s a low bar and you wouldn’t be wrong). But once you look past the highly original art style and handful of modern updates, there’s not much new about this latest iteration. That said, it’s solid enough for the Turtle faithful to enjoy and the pure nostalgia of it will probably go a long way with certain audiences.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

Action movies are plentiful and they exist in all shapes and sizes. So many of them come and go without ever leaving a mark. But there’s something to be said for those that create and embrace their own corner of the genre. You could make a good case that Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films has done that with their gleefully stylish, unashamedly over-the-top, and immensely fun YRF Spy Universe.

The latest installment in the lucrative and ever-growing shared universe is “Tiger 3”, the fifth feature in this series of spy action films chronicling the adventures of various fictional RAW agents. Directed by Maneesh Sharma, “Tiger 3” is a sequel to 2017’s “Tiger Zinda Hai” and follows the events of 2019’s “War” and this year’s “Pathaan”. It sees the return of the effortlessly charismatic Salman Khan as RAW agent Avinash “Tiger” Singh Rathore and Katrina Kaif as his wife and ISI agent Zoya.

“Tiger 3” delivers everything fans love about the Spy Universe’s high-octane brand of action but on an even bigger scale. The signature style, the self-aware swagger, the rousing music, and most of all the huge electrifying set pieces – it’s all here in spades. As for the story, it works under a pretty basic premise. But it’s a premise that does what it needs to – set the table for the action while throwing in a few surprises along the way.

Written for the screen by Shridhar Raghavan from a story by Chopra, “Tiger 3” incorporates a number of frequently used spy movie angles. And while it may not stray from the Spy Universe’s distinct formula, it remains an absolute blast, fueled by some of the best action sequences you’ll see this year and driven by Khan and Kaif’s attention-grabbing presences.

Well-versed Spy Universe fans will be quite familiar with the movie’s narrative framework. There are twists, turns, and betrayals. There is globetrotting, espionage, and political power grabs. Of course there are also fierce shout-outs, kinetically choreographed fight scenes, and moments of jaw-dropping action that simply defies explanation in such a small space. And how can I forget another power-mad villain, this time with deep personal connections to our two protagonists.

While none of those things feel particularly new, Sharma and Raghavan weave a good story around their two characters who many of us have grown to love. The story begins with a prologue that introduces us to Aatish Rehman (a terrific Emraan Hashmi), an ex-ISI agent and Zoya’s former mentor. When Rehman goes rogue Zoya is forced to expose him, ending in his imprisonment for treason.

Jump to the present day where Tiger, Zoya, and their tween son Junior (Sartaaj Kakkar) live a cozy life in Austria. But when a friend and fellow agent is killed and questions of Zoya’s loyalties arise, Tiger is forced to investigate. The trail he follows leads to a shocking discovery – Aatish is free and has kidnapped and drugged Junior. He uses their son to force Tiger and Zoya to pull off a daring heist in exchange for an antidote. They succeed, but in the process unknowingly hand over nuclear launch codes to Aatish and his extremists. In the meantime Aatish frames them and soon they are wanted by both the Indian and Pakistani governments.

In addition to India, Pakistan, and Austria, the movie jets us to other exciting locations including St. Petersburg, Russia and Istanbul, Turkey. And as Tiger and Zoya attempt to clear their names they also fight to figure out and thwart Aatish’s plan. To do so requires the help of a few old friends. And it all builds up to an epic-sized showdown that plays out just as we expect but is still loads of fun nonetheless.

“Tiger 3” is a thrilling new installment in a cinematic universe that has no illusions about what it is. The film is pure action spectacle but with enough story (predictable as it may be) to keep you engaged. Khan still has the coolness and physicality to carry the movie, but he doesn’t do it alone. Kaif matches him line for line and scene for scene. In fact, there are times when she’s easily the most compelling and exciting person on screne. What matters most is that they’re great together, and I’ll go wherever their next adventure takes them. “Tiger 3” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Eli Roth gleefully mixes excessive gore with some good laughs in “Thanksgiving”, his new film based on the American holiday that (these days) is more about turkeys, football, and Christmas shopping than any notion of actual thankfulness. Roth’s unapologetically silly slasher-comedy spends as much time taking shots at what the holiday has become as it does gruesomely offing its hapless gaggle of victims, often in various Thanksgiving themed ways.

Written by Jeff Rendell, the story is fittingly set in Plymouth, Massachusetts where in the opening 15 minutes we witness a tragic yet undeniably hilarious Black Friday incident. A feral crowd of shoppers storm a local RightMart store as they open for their Black Friday sale. With too little security, the store quickly loses control. Chaos and violence erupts and three people are killed. Overall it’s a situation that’s clearly intended to be preposterous. But at the same time, Roth shoots it dead-seriously which only makes it funnier.

One year later, Plymouth has mostly put the Black Friday tragedy behind them. But with Thanksgiving fast approaching, the community learns that someone is not quite ready to forget. A sadistic serial killer known as (wait for it…..) “John Carver” soon begins living up to his name – slicing, stuffing, and basting the terrified local townsfolk in preparation for his own macabre Thanksgiving Day feast.

The film stars the recently crowned Sexiest Man Alive (according to People magazine), Patrick Dempsey. He plays Sheriff Eric Newlon who was at RightMart on that fateful Black Friday. Now he’s tasked with finding who’s killing his citizens in an assortment of gruesome ways. Of course the movie introduces us to a host of locals, providing many of them with ample motives to be put on our suspect list. Among them is the owner of RightMart, Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman), his avaricious wife Kathleen (Karen Cliche), a grieving father (Ty Olsson), just to name a few.

And as is the norm for slashers, we get a group of shallow teens who make you fear for the future of our world the longer you’re around them. Of course several of them end up as fodder for the killer. But as usual there is the lone tolerable one who has some sense and earns a little sympathy. Here it’s Jessica (Nell Verlaque) who almost immediately gives off ‘Final Girl’ vibes. Then again, Roth throws enough at us to where we’re never quite certain who to suspect and who to trust.

As you might expect, the kills are aplenty. Not only are they garishly gory, but in many cases they’re quite original. Roth spares no creative expense (or bodily organ) in slaughtering his mostly disposable victims. Unfortunately that same attention isn’t given to the script which only exists to usher us from one bloody murder to the next. To his credit, Roth moves us along pretty quick and doesn’t allow us much time to think about things. But it eventually catches up to him, especially in the big reveal that doesn’t make a lot sense and has some pretty hard-to-miss logistical problems.

That’s not the only place where the writing lets the movie down. Rendell’s dialogue can be as grating as it is exhausting. Characters sling f-bombs like they’re on a counter yet rarely (if ever) get lines that might offer actual depth. And while the movie teases a satirical bite early on, it ends up having no teeth whatsoever and any satire all but vanishes in the second half which goes into straight B-movie genre mode.

Those may sound like petty gripes, especially for a movie with a clear ‘back to slasher basics’ approach. But they’re what make “Thanksgiving” an amusing time-passer rather than a new slasher-comedy classic. The pieces are all there – a great setting, delightfully grisly kills, and a good self-awareness (the hysterical tagline “There will be no leftovers” still cracks me up”). But Roth is so focused on some parts that he shortchanges others. Then again, are we supposed to care about such things in a movie like this or just get onboard for the ride? You decide. “Thanksgiving” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

Thirty-five years ago in the quiet idyllic town of Vernon, three teenage girls were found brutally murdered. Each were stabbed a total of sixteen times. The dubbed “Sweet 16 Killer”, who wore all black and a mask reminiscent of Max Headroom meets Fallout’s Vault Boy, was never found. That grim and horrifying cloud has hung over the once sleepy little community ever since.

That’s the setting for “Totally Killer”, a new retro slasher black comedy from director Nahnatchka Khan. This Amazon and Blumhouse collaboration is an enthusiastic romp that both celebrates and spoofs the resilient horror sub-genre. But the screenwriting trio of David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo don’t stop there. There’s also a science-fiction element to their story – more specifically, time travel. And it’s every bit as silly as it sounds.

Make no mistake, the filmmakers know how silly their movie is. They embrace it which is why the film works as well as it does (when it works). In reality “Totally Killer” is much more of a comedy. Yes, there’s blood and bodies. But it’s the humor that fares best, especially when we’re transported back to 1987. It’s there that the utter recklessness of the eighties collides with current day fragility, opening the door for a slew of culture clash gags, many of which garner some big laughs.

Whiny teen Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) is having a hard time with her over-protective parents, Pam (Julie Bowen) and Blake (Lachlan Munro). But you can hardly blame them. They happened to be Jamie’s age when the above mentioned killings took place 35 years earlier and they’re only looking out for their daughter. But it’s getting to be a little too much which has really put a strain on their relationships, especially between Jamie and her mom.

After a hateful spat, Jamie goes off to a Halloween night concert with her best friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema). While she’s away, the Sweet 16 Killer suddenly returns and violently kills Pam. Unbeknownst to her, a devastated Jamie happens to be the next target. While at the school’s science fair the murderer chases her into Amelia’s project – a broken time machine (yep, you read that right). And wouldn’t you know it, amid the chaos the time machine fires up and suddenly Jamie finds herself in 1987.

As she tries to deal with the sudden time shock, Jamie is surprised when she runs into the three girls who will soon be murdered. And in true “Back to the Future” fashion, she runs into her teenage mother (played by Olivia Holt) who is close friends with the doomed girls. Jamie comes up with a plan – save the girls from being killed and recruit young Pam to help her expose the killer. But that’ll take infiltrating their snobbish clique. Easier said that done.

From there the movie goes in several different directions, sometimes clinging tight to the slasher genre; other times poking fun at it. Along the way we meet a number of side characters across both timelines. Some are fun, some are endearing, some are annoying, some are as dumb as a box of rocks. Many follow common slasher archetypes. But for the most part Khan does some interesting things with them.

Not all of the eighties references land and there are certain gags that the filmmakers run into the ground. Also making sense of the final 15 minutes can seem like a chore. But overall “Totally Killer” finds the sweet spot between serious and spoof. You’ll get a kick out of the eighties attire, the musical blasts of Bananarama, Chris de Burgh, Shannon, etc., and the numerous callbacks to chillers like “Halloween” and “Scream” among others. And while it may not add much to the slasher genre, it’ll certainly have you laughing, often when you least except it. “Totally Killer” is now streaming on Hulu.

VERDICT – 3 STARS