Tag: Comedy

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Movie Review

A Different Man (2024) Movie Review

A Different Man – Movie Review

A Different Man explores an aspiring actor's transformation through surgery, revealing the complexities of identity and the harsh realities of appearance.

First Reaction – A Different Man flashes a spotlight on a serious discussion.

Director: Aaron Schimberg

Writer: Aaron Schimberg (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An aspiring actor undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance, but his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare.

Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: A Different Man starts when aspiring actor Edward (Stan) struggles to get roles because of his appearance. Even after meeting his beautiful new neighbour, Ingrid (Reinsve). However, a company has come up with a radical medical procedure which could transform his life.

Edward decides to participate in the procedure, which radically changes his appearance. His disfigurements vanish turning him into a handsome man. However, the change makes his life even more complicated as he appears as a stranger to everyone around him. Meanwhile, Oswald (Pearson) appears and offers a different look for the upcoming project that Edward would have once been perfect for.

Verdict on A Different Man

Recap

The movie follows a disfigured actor who undergoes a radical medical procedure to change his look. However, it changes the chance for a big role in a play after an actor turns up who fits the role better and has the skill to lead the role.

Best Parts

This movie has an excellent reflection on visual appearance in acting. It shows how someone’s appearance does stop them from getting roles and the transformation people go through to get their dream looks. This brings a twisted vision of chasing dreams. The performances are fantastic, and the inclusive style of filmmaking is important too. Where the comedy shines is by balancing the comedy with the drama in a deliciously dark style.

Final Thoughts –A Different Man is a fantastic dark comedy with a serious subject.

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Movie Review

Hostages (2025) Movie Review

Hostages – Movie Review

"Hostages" is a satirical comedy thriller about four strangers trapped in a terrorist situation, highlighting the dangers of social media fame.

First Reaction – Hostages spirals into the chaos and desperation of social media.

Where to Watch

Hostages is available on Digital HD 22 December. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.

Director: Jim Owen

Writer: Jim Owen (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Comedy thriller about five strangers caught in an unfolding terrorism situation.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hostages starts when four strangers Charlie (Ritchie), Rochelle (Moodie), Keith (Ashbury) and Himmat (Ghatak) get caught in the middle of a hostage situation. They take shelter in a hotel room, but they discover that Charlie’s desperation for social media fame puts them in danger.

The four must decide what to do, with Charlie’s actions making them internet celebrities. However, the terrorists know they are in the building and begin trying to track them down.

Verdict on Hostages

Recap

The movie follows four strangers who believe they are in the middle of a terrorist attack. They take shelter in a hotel room and wonder what to do next. However, their differences cause bigger problems, and one strives for social media fame.

Best Parts

The movie plays into the modern world of social media news and how easily people will believe whatever they want to hear. It creates a more satirical level of comedy, which plays out throughout the story. The performances are great and carry the situation unfolding.

Worst Parts

The comedy uses a lot of deadpan and satirical comedy, which doesn’t click as well as other subjects have.

Final Thoughts –Hostages is an entertaining satirical comedy.

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Movie Review

How to Start a Cult in 5-Easy Steps (2025) Movie Review

How to Start a Cult in 5-Easy Steps – Movie Review

The film follows a college grad who starts a cult, exploring themes of power, belief, and moral chaos.

First Reaction – How to Start a Cult in 5-Easy Steps has a twisted vision on the cults and how they come about.

Director: Wes Clark

Writer: Wes Clark (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Lew Temple (The Walking Dead)
  • Haulston Mann
  • Kathy A Bates
  • Vince Eisenson
  • Del Alan Murphy (The Quinceanera Killer)

Plot: A debt-ridden college grad starts his own religion after seeing a local priest’s wealthy lifestyle. His scheme for a fresh start spirals into a wild adventure of moral quandaries and unforeseen chaos.

Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: How to Start a Cult in 5-Easy Steps starts when down on his luck college grad Tomas (Mann) decides to do something drastic. He wants to create his own religion and quickly gathers a few followers. Tomas learns from Uncle Ed (Temple) and they quickly begin putting them through a strict series of events.

However, the plan sees him showing a much darker side to his personality. It leaves him questioning his motivation and understanding what could get out of control when it comes to faith and cults.

Verdict on How to Start a Cult in 5-Easy Steps

Recap

The movie follows a desperate college grad who decides to begin his own cult. It doesn’t take long before he gets followers, but it sees him spiralling out of control with power.

Best Parts

The dark comedy thrives in how Tomas creates this new cult. It highlights how easily people will follow something they believe to be the right cause and how things can get out of control. Elsewhere, the performances are great and the story highlights the need to find and make your own opportunities in life.

Worst Parts

Certain things feel more like college hazing, rather than a cult following. While the dark comedy could be used to navigate the concept, deeper down, there never seems to be a focus on a created religion to follow.

Final Thoughts –How to Start a Cult in 5-Easy Steps is a twisted, comical tale.

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Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 – Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 features Po on a self-discovery journey as he mentors a new warrior while facing a formidable sorceress threat.

First Reaction – Kung Fu Panda 4 is more of the same without being stronger than the rest.

Watch Kung Fu Panda 4 Here.

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ABC Film Challenge – Franchise Movie – K

Director: Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine

Writer: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Darren Lemke (Screenplay)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Kung Fu Panda 4 starts when Po must find someone to mentor and pass on his wisdom. However, a new threat leads him to join forces with Zhen and search for the evil Chameleon. The unlikely partnership searches dangerous lands to fight new enemies to stop its power search.

However, the journey will test Po and lead him down a new path of self-discovery. It puts him through the toughest test he has faced and gives him a new direction to deal with.

Verdict on Kung Fu Panda 4

Recap

The movie follows Po as he searches for an apprentice to pass on his wisdom. However, he soon discovers a new enemy, one that is deadlier than anything he has faced before.

Best Parts

Po’s journey is interesting as we see how he has evolved through the years of training. The movie brings back old favourites and lets us learn about their changes while also adding a new threat that is his biggest challenge yet.

Worst Parts

There are a lot of jokes which miss, the humour doesn’t click, and it can hold of the bigger story. For the most part you can see the target audience for the humour, but it didn’t do enough to make a wider audience laugh at moments.

Final Thoughts –Kung Fu Panda 4 has moments of fun but feels more like a 101 sequel.

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Movie Review

Turning Red (2022) Movie Review

Turning Red – Movie Review

Explore the heartwarming story of 'Turning Red', as a young girl named Mei Lee navigates the challenges of adolescence while transforming into a red panda.

ABC Film Challenge – High School/College Movies – T

Director: Domee Shi

Writer: Julia Cho, Domee Shi (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A thirteen-year-old girl named Mei Lee is torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the changes of adolescence. And as if the challenges were not enough, whenever she gets overly excited she transforms into a giant red panda.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Turning Red starts when 13-year-old Meilin embraces her first steps into adulthood. She has her loyal best friends Miriam, Abby and Priya as they go through the high school experience. However, she has reached the age a family legacy gets handed to her, when she turns into a red panda.

Meilin must learn how to control the panda to have a normal life. However, her mother Ming has been controlling her life for years. Now, Meilin embraces the change in hopes of attending a dream concert and showing the rebellious side to her.

Verdict on Turning Red

Turning Red is an animated comedy following a teenage girl who discovers she has been given a power to turn into a red panda. She isn’t expecting it and struggles to deal with the changes she goes through, dealing with the normal teenage problems.

This movie shows the changes people go through when it comes to adolescence. It shows the importance of friendship, family and understanding one’s true self. This also shows the obsession teenagers have with bands that can take over their lives causing them to change as they grow. It does get laughs and has a big heart, even if things can get out of hand through the story.

Where to Watch

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JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Turning Red has a big heart for the sweet story.

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Movie Review

In Your Dreams (2025) Movie Review

In Your Dreams – Movie Review

In Your Dreams explores sibling bonds as they navigate a dream world, seeking the Sandman's help to restore their family.

First Reaction – In Your Dreams has a big message about life, family and understanding.

Director: Erik Benson, Alexander Woo

Writer: Erik Benson, Alexander Woo (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Stevie and her little brother Elliot journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: In Your Dreams starts Stevie believing her family is beginning to fall apart. She is trying her best to keep her parents together and reluctantly must work with her little brother, Elliot. They travel into their dreams in search of the Sandman, hoping to be granted a wish.

As the siblings travel through the dream world, they discover something about each other. However, it tests their relationship as they question their future.

Verdict on In Your Dreams

Recap

The movie follows siblings who enter the dream world in hopes of meeting the Sandman. They want to receive one wish to keep their family together. However, they discover not everything is what it should be in their dreams.

Best Parts

The movie has a big message about understanding what family means. It highlights the troubled mindset a kid can get themselves into when they worry about their parents’ future. The message becomes clear and shows how important life can be despite differences in everyday life. We get some fun laughs, despite the laughs being targeted more at a younger audience. Deep down, this balances the laughs and serious side of the story.

Worst Parts

The story has been told before and with better laughs and a closer connection. Inside the dream world, it never feels big enough and we often find ourselves skipping over more interesting chapters.

Final Thoughts –In Your Dreams delivers a strong message about the importance of family.

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Movie Review

Bottoms (2023) Movie Review

Bottoms – Movie Review

Discover the intriguing story of Bottoms, a movie about two queer high-school students who start a fight club to achieve their goals.

ABC Film Challenge – High School/College Movies – B

Director: Emma Seligman

Writer: Emma Seligman, Rachel Sennott (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Two unpopular queer high-school students start a fight club to have sex before graduation.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Bottoms starts when outsider gay students PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Edebiri) want to finish their last year of high school by having sex. However, they became public enemy number one after injuring the star football player. This leads to them wanting to create a fight club to defend women from aggressive boys.

However, it offers something new for the female students, a safe space. Something none of the women have felt about before and they can open up about the problems they have been facing. However, their plans get complicated and they must save their reputations.

Verdict on Bottoms

Bottoms is a high school comedy following two outsider students who want to have sex. They start a fight club for women and bring a group of women together in ways the high school hasn’t before. However, things get out of control for them both.

This movie shows a darker, even older vision of high school where bullying is still taking over. It does lean into the extremes of what people will do for sex. However, it does portray the boys as manipulative and the girls as naïve and believing anything a guy says. It is also difficult to see the lead to girls as ‘ugly’ members of the school and things go way past what would be acceptable in high school. It is also difficult to understand how a school comes so close to together for a football game, and always has been.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Bottoms is an outlandish high school comedy.

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Movie Review

They Cloned Tyrone (2023) Movie Review

They Cloned Tyrone – Movie Review

Discover the intriguing mystery of 'They Cloned Tyrone'. Join an unlikely trio as they uncover a government conspiracy in this thrilling movie review.

Director: Juel Taylor

Writer: Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.

Runtime: 2 Hours 2 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: They Cloned Tyrone starts when three friends Fontaine (Boyega), Slick Charles (Foxx) and Yo-Yo (Parris) hear an unusual story. They decide to investigate it, which leads them to an underground facility, where they make a shocking discovery.

The morning after, they team back up to explore the neighbourhood. However, they discover something far more sinister happening as they look to expose the truth and save their loved ones.

Verdict on They Cloned Tyrone

They Cloned Tyrone is a sci-fi comedy following three friends who discover a disturbing series of events in their neighbourhood. It follows them trying to uncover the truth as they see the changes in their loved ones, but can they stop them in time?

This movie takes an already entertaining concept and turns it into an even more comedic concept. The whole idea of people potentially being replaced brings the paranoia concept to life too. This plays into the comedy while keeping the series subject taking over. The three leads John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris are great together and show great chemistry throughout the story.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – They Cloned Tyrone is a wacky comedy that embraces the bigger style.

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Movie Review

Scooby Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019) Movie Review

Scooby Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost – Movie Review

Discover the plot of Scooby Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost. Follow Scooby-Doo and the gang on a mission to uncover the truth behind a spooky legend.

ABC Film Challenge – Franchise Favourites – S

Director: Cecilia Aranovich

Writer: Tim Sheridan (Screenplay)

Writer: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Joe Ruby, Ken Spears (Characters)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: Scooby-Doo and the gang must track down the last of the thirteen ghosts they had hunted years ago.

Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Scooby Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost starts when Mystery Inc faces an uncertain future. Freddy sells the Mystery Machine and while clearing out their old artefacts they discover a Crystal Ball. Vincent Van Ghoul has been trying to contact them in an attempt to get Daphne, Scooby and Shaggy to find the 13th ghost.

The gang must work together to solve the latest mystery as they come up against a real ghost. However, this one is more dangerous than the others they faced and Fred and Velma must learn about the events of the 13 Ghosts encounter with Vincent Van Ghoul.

Verdict on Scooby Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost

Scooby Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost is a sequel to the 1985 TV series. It follows the full gang working together to solve the unfinished mystery of the 13th ghost. They team up with Vincent Van Ghoul as Fred and Velma learn about the previous adventures they missed.

This movie uses one of the niche series of the gang which saw Daphne, Scooby and Shaggy on their own adventure. It puts Daphne in a different light for Fred, who gets lost in who he is to the gang. Meanwhile, the return of Vincent Van Ghoul and battling real ghosts adds a new level of peril. It covers up the fact Scrappy has been forgotten in the history of the series too. This feels more like a nostalgic trip for older fans of the series, as the younger audience might feel lost with certain references.

Final Thoughts –Scooby Doo! And the Curse of the 13th Ghost is a fun nostalgic trip.