Netflix And Chill: Bumblebee (2018)

While it has certainly happened before, mainly in horror franchises, I wish more people would take the opportunity to use familiar IP in a way that still allows for films that feel more fresh and fun than whatever formula has been decided upon throughout a number of previous movies. Bumblebee not only does just that, but it does so brilliantly.

The story is quite simple. It's the second half of the 1980s, and transforming robot Bumblebee ends up on Earth. While in the guise of a Volkswagen Beetle car, Bumblebee is taken to the home of Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld). He eventually reveals his true form, and the two bond as it becomes clear that some danger is heading their way. That may be in the shape of other robots, and it may also be in the shape of a military man named Agent Burns (John Cena).

The first live-action feature from director Travis Knight, who also helmed the superb Kubo And The Two Strings, this is exactly the kind of enjoyable entertainment that you should expect from a film that has a young woman befriending a big robot. Writer Christina Hodson may not always attach herself to the best projects, but she has proven throughout her career that she can often write witty and satisfying blockbuster fare. This is her best work yet, mainly thanks to the whole load of heart that is allowed to take up so much of the screentime. A lot of the plot points may be obvious (Charlie missing a dead parent, Bumblebee figuring out just what is needed to complete an important mission, angry military types threatened by powerful tech), but they're mixed together well enough around characters that viewers should enjoy spending time with.

Steinfeld is great in the lead role, as she has been in pretty much everything that she's done so far, and she's given great support from Pamela Adlon and Stephen Schneider (playing her mother and stepfather, respectively), as well as Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (a guy with a crush on her, which leads him to also finding out about Bumblebee). John Ortiz has a small role, one that benefits from having his familiar face there, and Cena is good value as the determined man out to deal with what he perceives to be a major threat.

The 114-minute runtime, like everything else here, feels relatively bright and breezy in comparison to other Transformers movies, and there's a great pop soundtrack, as well as references to a number of iconic 1980s movies, whether in recreated moments or just film posters hung on the walls of our main character's bedroom.

Every set-up is paid off, there are a good selection of running gags (one of the best being about Bumblebee's inability to hide), and it's all just a genuinely heart-warming and fun teen movie that happens to have one of the awkward teens being played by a Transformer. I can imagine most people choosing to watch this again ahead of so many other entries in the franchise, and I don't blame them. In fact, I include myself amongst them.

9/10

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Babes (2024)

I totally understand when opinions seem to vary wildly when we see the many "greatest films/films you must see"lists covering specific years that have just gone by, but I was very surprised to see so many people seem to miss, or completely overlook, Babes. Not only is this one of the best comedies of 2024, it's one of the best comedies I have seen in years. I hope this small corner of the internet can allow me to praise it highly enough that others get to discover just how wonderful it is.

Ilana Glazer is Eden, a good friend to Dawn (Michelle Buteau). The pair have been friends for many years, and the film starts with them having to rush to the hospital as Dawn goes into labour with her next child. Eden is happy enough without her own children, but that situation is about to change in a major way, all thanks to a handsome man named Claude (Stephan James). It's not too long until Eden is considering how to cope with her situation, but she starts to discover that Dawn cannot always give her the time and energy that she needs from those she considers more family member than friend.

Co-written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, both doing excellent work, and directed by Pamela Adlon, smoothly transitioning from helming some TV work to her first feature, Babes is a perfect balance of big laughs and nicely-crafted emotional moments. It has a central message that can be found in many other movies, one about the joys and importance of motherhood and family, but it sets itself apart from the crowd by also delivering the equally important message that family doesn't necessarily mean people you are related to by blood. You can make your own family. Your friends can be family. And the family that you make of your own choosing can be much better for you than the options that you are simply given from birth.

As well as being such a talented writer, Glazer delivers a brilliant comedic turn in her lead role. She's matched by Buteau, who shares a lot of the runtime until division keeps our main characters apart for a while. Not only are both leads great with the material, whether delivering laughs or being serious, but they both feel like they really have been friends since they were children (not surprising as they have apparently been friends for 20 years). It's the kind of onscreen chemistry that elevates everything. James makes a strong impression with his relatively small amount of screentime, Hasan Minhaj is very good as Marty, the husband of Dawn, and there are very enjoyable cameos from John Carroll Lynch (as a doctor as concerned with his own balding as he is concerned with his patient) and Oliver Platt (playing a dad very much aware of his own shortcomings). 

The 104-minute runtime allows for perfect pacing as things move between the jokes and the more heartfelt moments of authentic emotion, there are one or two good needle drops on the soundtrack, and you'll spend the end credits hoping that there's a future where we get to spend even more time with these characters. Babes isn't perfect, but I'll be damned if I can think of one specific imperfection worth mentioning right now. You should all see it. You can thank Glazer and co. for delivering something so fantastic (no pun intended). Then you can thank me for recommending it to you.

9/10

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After Midnight (1989)

One of many films perhaps better left as a fond memory than one to search out and rewatch, After Midnight is a slick horror anthology movie, written and directed by Jim and Ken Wheat, that frames three tales in the kind of wraparound that is both enjoyable and predictable, considering how it stems back to what is arguably the granddaddy of horror anthology movies (you know the one I mean).

Things begin with Allison (Jillian McWhirter) having a bad feeling about things. She explains this to her friend, Cheryl (Pamela Adlon), but is unable to be much more specific. Her nerves don’t look to settles down any when she sits down for a class called “Psychology Of Fear”, presented in an unorthodox manner by Professor Edward Derek (Ramy Zada). The Professor is so unorthodox that he is soon told off for his teaching methods, which leads to him inviting a number of students to his home for some late-night tales of terror. That allows viewers to see “The Old Dark House”, “A Night On The Town”, and “All Night Operator”. And, as those tales are being told, a disgruntled student (Russ, played by Ed Monaghan) plans to give the Professor one extra scare.

As with any horror anthology movie, there is an uneven mix here, and different people will have a different favourite. I personally think it is all downhill after the wonderful punchline of “The Old Dark House”, the tale of a young couple who end up wandering through the titular building after they have a tyre blow out on the long drive home. Some people may prefer the tension of the girls being chased by vicious dogs in “A Night On The Town”. And “All Night Operator” tries to tap into that When A Stranger Calls ability to raise goosebumps. It’s the scenes bookending the film that stay consistently stronger than any other tale though, with moments of enjoyable insanity that feel less cosy or safe than anything in the other stories.

Although the writing and direction aren’t terrible, both leave something to be desired. The big problem is pacing. This is a 90-minute movie that feels overlong. Shaving down each individual story and fitting in an extra little stinger would have helped massively, especially when in “A Night On The Town” (reduce it to one girl alone, and cut to the chase - no pun intended - even quicker). I would have also liked to see some more excuses for some fun gore gags. This feels like a TV movie for most of the runtime, which is disappointing.

The acting is perfectly fine, and each story usually has one or two familiar faces to catch your eye. Zada is a lot of fun as the Professor, moving easily from the professional to the possibly unhinged, depending on how strenuously he is trying to make a point about fear. McWhirter has to look uneasy for most of her screentime, which she does, and Monaghan is good value as the young man fairly reasonably upset by the teaching methods of the Professor. Mark McClure and Nadine Van der Velde do good work as they wander around “The Old Dark House”, Penelope Sudrow (well-known to horror fans for being given her “big break in TV” by Freddy Krueger) is the most recognisable member of the group being chased in “A Night On The Town”, and Marg Helgenberger is as good as ever in her role, the phone operator having trouble with a nuisance caller, to say the least.

There’s enough here to make After Midnight worth your time, not least a final few minutes that wonderfully move the dial from zero to insanity at breakneck speed. It’s no classic, but it’s an earnest attempt to add a worthwhile horror anthology to the subgenre. I will always have a soft spot for it. I just might never rewatch it again.

6/10

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