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Reviews
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer (2023)
He's Officially Jumped The Shark
I'm not offended by any material, including trans jokes. But enough is enough. This special was lazy, self-indulgent, repetitive and just plain tired. Dave has turned into a hollow version of himself. What a disappointment from a man who used to be one of the greatest comedians of our generation.
When offending people becomes more of a priority for you than making them laugh, you're no longer a comedian. You're a troll.
Seinfeld once said that if you're joke is funny enough, it will be immune to controversy. That's something some comedians still don't get. Dave's jokes weren't offensive because of the subject matter. They were offensive because they weren't funny.
Matt Rife: Natural Selection (2023)
This Was Strategy, Not Comedy
As we all know, Matt Rife is a viral sensation, whose entire fame exists on social media. He's established himself as the king of crowd work. And he really is masterful at it. Add to that, his good looks made him immensely popular with the female demographic.
And that's where the problem lies. He went into this comedy special knowing full well that his base of fans is primarily female. Rather than construct this special with funny material, he decided instead it to pack it with material that he (mistakenly) thought would woo male fans. So, from the very beginning, he hits us with a barrage of jokes about domestic violence, feminine hygiene and mocking special needs children. I guess he thinks guys love that. Well, this guy doesn't. And I'm confident that most won't. Not because the subject matter is controversial. But because it's not funny. The jokes aren't delivered with irony or from a funny perspective, but instead from hate.
The result? A comedian who presents as nothing more than a younger, prettier Andrew Dice Clay who giggles a lot at his own jokes. Controversy isn't the worst crime a comedian can commit. Being unfunny is.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
One Scene Embodies The Whole Film
You need to watch only one scene to understand how horrible this film is:
A group of heavily armed men is facing down a group of dinosaurs who are all the same size as the men. Not one of them fires their gun to defend their own lives. Not one. They just stand there pointing their guns at each dinosaur, until each of the men gets predictably eaten. And the worst part is: You won't care. You're so done with this tedious, mind-numbingly stupid scene that you're wanting them all to be finished off as quickly as possible, so you can move on to the next scene in hopes that the plot will finally go somewhere and matter.
And, of course, you get Owen Grady doing the "dinosaur whisperer" thing. Yet, after 3 movies, Owen is still not yet confident that his "trained" raptor won't eat him or his family at any given moment. And sadly, you wish that would happen, so you don't have to watch a dead-eyed Chris Pratt do that insufferable hand thing.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
Bait And Switch
If they want to make a black mafia movie set in the 60's, then by all means do it. I'm sure there's an interesting story to be told. But don't throw it into a blender with the backstory of an iconic television series and then sell it as a Sopranos Prequel. Here's how it came off: "Livia sure was unhappy, but how about that black mafia?" and "Tony just wanted his uncle's love and approval, but how about that black mafia"? Laughable portrayals of young Junior, Sil and Paulie. And nothing of substance happens until the last 30 minutes. By then, you're scratching your head as to why you sat through this movie. Shockingly disappointing.