Category: Movies at Home

‘The King of Staten Island’: Davidson and Apatow proudly roll out their royal comedy

Jeff Mitchell

“The King of Staten Island” – “My dad, if you don’t know, was a fireman, and he died on 9/11.  He was a very good dude, and I have a lot of jokes about it.  If you don’t like the first one, you probably won’t like the rest.” – Pete Davidson Yes, “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson’s father died on 9/11, and this talented comic and uber-producer/director/writer Judd Apatow partnered on “The King of Staten Island”, a sprawling comedy (almost dramedy) about an unmotivated, pot-smoking 24-year-old tattoo artist whose…

Celebrate Best Friends Day with ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’

Jeff Mitchell

Hey, June 8 is Best Friends Day, and in the movie-world, “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” (1997) is the first movie that popped into this critic’s mind. Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and “Friends” legend Lisa Kudrow make up this dynamic duo who brave their 10-year reunion with a game plan.  They also make up a story:  They invested Post-it Notes!   This plan might fool everyone, but then again, maybe not.  Massive corporation 3M actually made this handy invention 20 years earlier…1977. Oh well, Sorvino and Kudrow easily convince us that…

Say ‘Hello’ to ‘The Farewell’ on Awkwafina’s birthday

Jeff Mitchell

Happy Birthday, Awkwafina!  Actress, comedian, rapper, and all-around cool lady Awkwafina turns 32 on June 2, and there’s no time like the present to celebrate her work by watching director Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” (2019) again or for the first time. Wang’s autobiographical picture depicts her family’s choice to celebrate a wedding in China, but the affair is a ruse.  Billi’s (Awkwafina) grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) only has a few months to live, so her relatives – led by her parents – stage a false marriage ceremony in order…