For It Is Man's Number: keke palmer

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Wednesday, 13 May 2026

Prime Time: Good Fortune (2025)

Written by, directed by, and starring Aziz Ansari, Good Fortune is a film that wants to explore the adage about money not being able to buy happiness. As you may already be aware, many people would rather "struggle" with a huge bank balance to support them than struggle through soul-sapping days of relative poverty and repetitive drudgery.

Ansari plays Arj, a young man keeping himself busy with a number of jobs. He's struggling to make ends meet, but that could all change when he lands a job with the rich and friendly Jeff (Seth Rogen). Things don't quite go to plan though, but an angel (Gabriel, played by Keanu Reevs) decides to try helping Arj by showing him how unsatisfied he would be if he had Jeff's life. Unfortunately, Arj realises that he would absolutely love to be Jeff. He doesn't want to go back to his old life, which leaves both Jeff and a now-Earthbound Gabriel stuck.

Good Fortune works best when it is giving time to the cute ideas that set up the plot beats. Gabriel is an angel who usually keeps an eye on people who are texting while driving. A hand on their shoulder at just the right time can help avoid some unpleasant accidents. The "bodyswap" sequence provides some fun. And having Keke Palmer in a supporting role is always an easy way to gain some more goodwill.

Where it doesn't quite work is in the scenes that try to highlight just how horrible and worker-unfriendly the "gig economy" is, and how everyday life can become a much more arduous experience for people who keep having to think about where they will find the money for rent, travel, etc. I couldn't help thinking that Ansari initially wanted to make more of a comment about the modern job market and gross inequality, but he seems to have then been understandably conflicted between making some important points and delivering the expected comedy.

Ansari doesn't stretch himself too much in his main role. It feels very much like the kind of character we've seen him play in full-on hustle mode before, albeit with less at stake. Rogen is also doing familiar schtick, just an appropriately toned down version, Reeves is perfect to play a kind angel who makes a big mistake he may not be able to fix, Palmer is as delightful and welcome onscreen as she usually is, and Sandra Oh is entertaining in her small role.

Enjoyable, if unspectacular, this is certainly another success when it comes to showing Ansari being as capable behind the camera as he is in front of it. I'm not sure it's destined to be remembered a year or two from now, and the third act feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity, but I am glad that I finally got around to watching it. Maybe it's time for Ansari to move out of his comfort zone though, which would mean delivering a feature that was either a full-on comedy or a very serious drama highlighting the frequent inequalities and injustices that are everyday realities for so many people.

7/10

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Wednesday, 13 August 2025

Prime Time: The Pickup (2025)

There have been many movies made that show people trying to rob an armored truck full of cash. Some are very good, some are not. The Pickup makes use of the concept to give us a crime comedy that partners up Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson. I enjoyed it, but I tend to like Pete Davidson in most things anyway.

Murphy plays Russell Pierce, a man who just wants his workday done so that he can get to a dinner with his wife (Natalie, played by Eva Longoria) as they celebrate 25 years of marriage. Unfortunately, Pierce is saddled with the young and dumb Travis Stolly (Pete Davidson). Even more unfortunately, the armored truck that they're driving is targeted by robbers who seem to know what part of their route takes them through a dead zone that renders them isolated and helpless. Pierce and Stolly won't give up without a fight though, especially when they figure that the robbers will kill them when they get inside the truck anyway. Oh, there's also a woman named Zoe (Keke Palmer), someone Stolly had a very nice night with recently. She might be able to help our leads, but the whole situation is complicated by a lack of clearly-defined morality and some unexpected and messy emotions.

While I know director Tim Story better than I know writers Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider, I wouldn't say that I would rush to see any film just because his name was attached to it. This was a film that I was sold on by the cast, but I have to give it to Story, Burrows, and Mider for playing to the strengths of their cast in a way that makes it a lot easier to accept the predictable plotting and implausibilities while being amused by the many fun exchanges between the leads.

Davidson does his goofy thing well enough, but his nervous energy works very well opposite a more relaxed and mature Murphy, who still gets a chance to utter one or two sentences that feel like the kind of thing you would hear from him during his peak movie years. Palmer remains a consistently brilliant and valuable addition to any film she graces with her presence, and there's a palpable feeling here of her loving every minute that she gets to interact with her comedic male co-stars, but particularly when she gets to be alongside Murphy (who, despite the many bumps in his career, remains a certified legend). Longoria does well in her much smaller role, Andrew Dice Clay is a horrible boss who you know cares much more about his trucks than any of his employees, and Marshawn Lynch makes a strong impression in his couple of scenes. Jack Kesy and Ismael Cruz Cordova are a convincing threat as two dangerous robbers, but they're also shown to have a main weakness when they consistently underestimate the people they're trying to rob.

Solid entertainment from start to finish, this has enough laughs and a few decent action beats. The laughs are executed better than the stunts, but the two are blended just about to perfection. You can take points off if you dislike any of the leads. Everyone else can go to this as an easy viewing choice when looking for some new comedy. The fact that the runtime is only 94 minutes is also a plus. It might just be the little pickup that you need.

7/10

Tuesday, 3 June 2025

One Of Them Days (2025)

Sometimes you're in the mood for something light and enjoyable, and that can be one of those times when you find it most difficult to pick from the recent selection of movies available to you. Thankfully, I decided to finally make some time for One Of Them Days, and it ended up being a great choice. This is very funny stuff, and both leads (Keke Palmer and SZA) work so well together that I immediately want them paired up in another dozen movies with this tone.

Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are best friends. They're also roommates. They also seem to be at very different points in life, with Dreux hoping to move up the career ladder while Alyssa gets to enjoy spending a lot of her time creating art. Alyssa also spends a lot of her time with her selfish and freeloading man, Keshawn (Joshua David Neal). Keshawn, in turn, causing a big problem when he spends a lot of money that isn't his. It's the rent money that Dreux and Alyssa need to pay their landlord by the end of the day.

A very standard premise familiar to comedy fans - two best buds racing against the clock to find a solution to one or two major problems - One Of Them Days manages to be as entertaining as it is because of everyone involved all working on the same wavelength. This may be the debut feature of director Lawrence Lamont, as well as writer Syreeta Singleton, but there's a confidence here, perhaps helped by assembling such a consistently brilliant cast. Individual set-pieces are fun and memorable, the whole thing feels as if it has actually been structured with some care (as opposed to certain comedies that feel planned around lengthy improv sessions), and there's a real comfort and warmth in knowing how a number of plot resolutions will surely fall into place by the time the end credits roll.

I have been a fan of Palmer for some time now, but I had somehow never remembered how funny she could be, despite her main role in the brilliant, hilarious, and short-lived, Scream Queens TV show. SZA is, as far as I'm aware, not known for her acting. I couldn't sing you any of her tunes, but music has been her main artistic endeavour for a number of years. You wouldn't know that this was her film acting debut, considering how easily she lights up the screen, and how well she and Palmer spark off one another. Neal is very funny, playing one of the biggest douchebag boyfriends I've seen in cinema for a while, and the rest of the cast is stuffed with a variety of people doing great work. Katt Williams is a lot of fun as Lucky, someone trying to warn our leads about the dangers of a payday loan. Maude Apatow is enjoyable as Bethany, a young woman who moves into the apartment complex and hopes to be friends with her new neighbours, blissfully unaware of the sticky situation that they're in. Patrick Cage is a handsome man worryingly named "Maniac", which causes Palmer's character to keep trying to resist her attraction to him. Keyla Monterroso Mejia is a smug and callous moneylender, Rizi Timane is the impatient landlord, Amin Joseph is a dangerous figure who shouldn't be crossed (adding to the whole mess when Dreux and Alyssa end up on his radar), and Aziza Scott is the formidable and fiery Berniece.

Everything is bright and busy, even as we move into evening time and closer to that deadline, thanks to the cinematography from Ava Berkofsky, there's a wonderful score from Chanda Dancy, and kudos to costume designer Kairo Courts for some of the more memorable wardrobe choices. Nobody lets the team down though, and it's that consistent attention to detail, as well as brilliant development of everything that feeds into the stream of quality gags, that makes this such an entertaining time.

If it wasn't for the fact that I could see a few of the "punchlines" coming a mile away, this would have been something I considered perfect. As it is, I'll drop one point from my rating. No more though. One Of Them Days is one of them films I will go back to again and again when I want to stay in a good mood for the duration of the runtime.

9/10

Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Nope (2022)

I have aimed to keep this spoiler-free, talking about some general ideas that resonates with me before mentioning a few specifics about the film, but I would advise people to go into this film knowing as little as possible. Seriously. The less you know, the more you are likely to enjoy it. As long as you prepare to watch something that isn’t what you expect.

Cinema has progressed so much in the 100+ years that have passed since it began, not always for the better (we've all seen fads come and go), but it's worth remembering that all you need to make a movie is the right camera and the right level of creativity. In fact, you could argue that everyone can make a small animated movie with some drawings on a flickpad. And maybe more people should do that, giving themselves a reminder of the sheer joy that comes from creating a teeny tiny motion picture.

Cinema has also been built on the blood, sweat, and tears of many others, from the stunt performers who often risk their lives to the imaginations that were pillaged, appropriated, and simply used up as industry execs kept searching for the next big thing. Streaming may be a relatively new phenomenon, but the quest for content has always been a giant machine chewing up the lives of those who aren't situated high enough to stay out of its way. Cinema is exploitation, even when it isn't. It exploits animals, it exploits natural resources, and it exploits people. Even when audiences are being catered for, they are also being exploited, which was maybe most obvious during the blaxploitation boon of the 1970s.

And yet, and yet, despite the perils, despite the horrible history of it, cinema, and indeed the arena of showbusiness, continues to cast a mesmerising spell over everyone. There are those who want fame, those who want to seize an opportunity they know is only available fleetingly before others come along to snatch it away from them, and those who have had a taste, no matter how bitter it may have been, and keep trying to get another slice of the pie. Everyone thinks they can take the beast, until it rips their limbs off.

What does this have to do with Nope? Maybe nothing, maybe everything. With his latest film, a genre-blend of sci-fi, horror, and more, Jordan Peele has delivered a layered and thought-provoking film that provides familiar thrills and entertainment while also providing a small, but important, overview of the history of cinema.

Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are OJ and Em, siblings who end up working together for a while after the sudden, and strange, death of their father (Keith David). The family business is all to do with training horses for movie work, but OJ has already sold a few of his four-legged assets to the nearby child-star-turned-animal-show-host Ricky (Steven Yeun). When OJ starts sensing a presence in the clouds above him, he not only enlists the helps of his sister, but also a local tech store employee (Angel, played by Brandon Perea). And Em becomes convinced that they need the help of legendary cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), a man known for his ability to do the impossible. That is all you need to know. In fact, it is probably more than you need to know.

With great visuals throughout, from the effects to the consistently gorgeous cinematography from Hoyte Van Hoytema (browse his filmography to see a selection of gorgeous movies that he has worked on), and a score from Michael Abels that mixes perfectly with flawless sound design to create one of the best audio-visual experiences in modern horror cinema, Nope is an audacious and thrilling experience from start to finish. It’s a thought-provoking dissemination of art, business, and race delivered in a Spielbergian blockbuster package, something that paradoxically feels like the biggest AND the most persona film yet from the talented Peele.

He is helped massively by his talented cast, with both Kaluuya and Palmer absolutely stellar in their lead roles. Yeun is also great, Wincott has what may be his best role in year, and the only weakness, for me, is the character played by Perea, the one bit of writing and acting that feels less tonally assured than any other aspect of the movie.

I have said all I want to say about the movie. A big chunk of this may not even feel like a review, but it very much is. It is everything I wanted to blurt out after the end credits rolled, and it gives an idea of how much is packed into the 2+ hour runtime. I cannot wait to see this again. I cannot wait to own it. And I cannot wait to see what Peele will deliver next, because it will be hard to top his greatest achievement yet.

I thought long and hard about my rating for this. There are a couple of minor issues that I had to mull over (mainly to do with the scenes involving Petra’s character). Then I realised that they didn’t bother me enough. You can think of a movie as subjectively perfect even while you acknowledge that there are minor imperfections. This, for me, is one of those movies.

10/10

Friday, 12 August 2022

Lightyear (2022)

I am quite behind on my Pixar viewings nowadays, sadly. With one or two notable exceptions (mainly the Cars movies), I was happy to see every one of them as soon as I could. But two things have now combined to take the shine off them. One is a more varying level of quality, and the other is the fact that having them release directly on to a streaming service allows me to think “oh well, it is there when I want to eventually get to it” for a few of their main titles.

Lightyear was not high on my list of priorities, but the fact that it landed so early on a streaming service meant that I actually decided I would check it out right away. I like the main voice cast, I like the franchise it is side-stepping from, and I like some fun sci-fi shenanigans. So I expected to enjoy an evening planned with this as my main event.

It was okay. It was odd, and a step below the quality of the main Toy Story movies, but okay, hampered by one major detail that I will get to soon enough.

This is not necessarily the tale of a character named Buzz Lightyear (voices here by Chris Evans). I mean . . . it IS, but it is also supposed to be, most importantly, the film that Andy saw in the mid-1990s that made him want a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Buzz is not real. He is a film character. Remember that.

While exploring some strange new worlds, Buzz ends up crashing the spaceship while attempting a desperate escape from hostile life-forms. He really thought he could do it alone, and he also thinks he can be the person responsible for testing the necessary fuel crystals that can take his vehicle to the right speeds needed to get everyone home again. Unfortunately, every time Buzz makes a space trip, minutes for him, years pass by on the planet below. People age, have full lives, and pass away while Buzz keeps trying his best to complete his mission, his only constant being a robo-cat, SOX, that was gifted to him for companionship. As the years pass, disaster strikes, the planet is besieged by the dastardly Zurg (James Brolin) and his many robot warriors. Buzz finds a ragtag group of non-professionals who think they can help him put things right, but can they overcome the biggest obstacle, which is Buzz trying to do everything on his own?

Other characters worth noting here are Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), a good friend to Buzz who we see at various stages in her life, and the group of amateurs who end up helping our hero: Izzy Hawthorne (the daughter of Alisha, voiced by Keke Palmer), Darby Steel (an elderly woman on parole, and very handy with explosives, voiced by Dale Soules), and Mo Morrison (someone who seems to be constantly out of his depth in any situation requiring some combat skill, voiced by Taika Waititi).

The first feature to be solely directed by Andrew MacLane, there’s nothing technical here that deserves too much criticism. Although aiming for a slightly different style to a number of other Pixar movies, this looks and sounds about as good as you would expect. MacLane does a perfectly decent job, but he is stifled by the script, which he helped to co-write with about four other people (Andrew Stanton, Matthew Aldrich, Jason Headley, and Lauren Gunderson), which generally lacks the charm and heart that viewers have, rightly, come to expect from Pixar. It also comes perilously close to replicating Lost In Space (1998) at times, and I don’t think anyone was asking for an animated reworking of the Lost In Space movie.

Evans is a good choice for the lead, and he has the confident tone in his voice that Buzz needs, as well as investing his character with some sadness and regret in time for the “insurmountable” obstacles to be overcome in the finale, hopefully. Palmer is delightful, Soules and Waititi are both good fun, and Brolin is a suitably weighty villain (in terms of his vocal delivery). Aduba does well with her relatively small amount of screentime, and Peter Sohn is a real highlight while voicing SOX.

Taken as an animated sci-if film without any other context, this is perfectly fine, if disappointingly unmemorable, entertainment. The biggest thing that works against this is the way it is framed. Thinking of the age Andy should have been when he saw it, and of how impactful it is supposed to have been, it just never feels authentic or more than a cynical attempt to wring more money from a franchise that should now probably be left alone. I know it may seem really silly, but I couldn’t watch this without constantly thinking that it was sub-par. And not just sub-par for me, I just couldn’t imagine a kid being so impressed by it that they had to get the action figure (an action figure that, as we see, was missing a number of potentially exciting accessories).

Maybe I have just forgotten how strongly we can react to the widest range of entertainment when we are kids. Or maybe this just isn’t quite good enough. Not good enough for viewers today, nor good enough for fictional viewers who would have seen this back in the first half of the 1990s.

5/10