For fans of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and 'Taskmaster'
Dear Watchers,"Game Changer," on Dropout, is in many ways the hip, scrappy heir to "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Each episode features three comedians, and the host, Sam Reich, feeds them kooky prompts. The nature and purpose of the prompts vary; one episode might require a strange physical challenge and another the impromptu creation of an impassioned Civil War-era love letter. In its seventh season, which premiered earlier this month, "Game Changer" is also landing closer than ever before to "Taskmaster," and in the best ways. The season premiere, "One Year Later," gave the comedians Jacob Wysocki, Vic Michaelis and Lou Wilson — already among the show's all-stars — a year to complete a list of oddball challenges. Who can get this cardboard cutout to the most remote location? Who can perform the best magic trick? Who can find the coolest free item from Craigslist? Most episodes of the show are about 30 minutes, but this one clocks in at over an hour. The season's second episode, "You-lympics," also toys with a longer time frame. Contestants jump as high as they can, hold a cat for as long as the cat will tolerate and eat as much grated Parmesan as possible while wearing a cone-of-shame pet collar — and then they return a week later to try to outdo themselves. And then an hour after that, they try everything one more time. As with "Taskmaster," there is a loopy, discursive interpretation to just about everything, and festive rules-lawyering abounds. The most consistent feature across all seasons is a radiating sense of mutual adoration among participants. Wilson even got a custom watch to aver his friendship with Wysocki and Michaelis. Starting with Season 5, "Game Changer" also includes behind-the-scenes companion episodes — true manna for the nerdy. (I did, in fact, wonder who created the elaborate diorama of a rock 'n' roll bar for insects.) Segments like these used to be commonplace as DVD featurettes but are pitifully rare on streaming. Netflix could have bloopers if they wanted to! That's part of the appeal of a smaller, independent, somewhat niche streamer like Dropout, the sense that it is more attuned to and has more fun with the wants of its subscribers. Your newly available movies
Another nasty, hard-hitting action thriller from the director of "The Raid" sounds like ideal Friday night viewing on Netflix. But even with Tom Hardy and a cast full of grizzled genre veterans, "Havoc" is more style than substance. Better to switch gears on the same platform to a softer brand of heroism, as a conservationist nurses an adorable, endangered animal back to health in the documentary "Pangolin: Kulu's Journey." Unless otherwise noted, titles can generally be rented on the usual platforms, including Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and YouTube. SCOTT TOBIAS 'Ash' The high-concept sci-fi horror film "Ash," a hazy story about an amnesiac deep-space explorer who awakens to discover her entire crew was killed, is light on answers but heavy on style. […] Because the fractal script doesn't aim to provide explanations, this film can be confusing. But that incomprehensibility is part of its aesthetically alluring package. — Robert Daniels (Read the full review here.) 'Freaky Tales' High on revolutionary spirit, "Freaky Tales" is a frisky, frantic pastiche that doesn't always make sense. Yet the visuals are meaty, and the filmmakers (whose last feature collaboration was on "Captain Marvel" in 2019) show considerable affection for their movie's setting. — Jeannette Catsoulis (Read the full review here.) 'Havoc' (Netflix only) The gritty rendering of this crime-riddled city, aesthetically recalling "Sin City," but in color, provides some additional background stimulation. Still, "Havoc" is mostly shifting around characters to bide time until its gory set pieces. — Robert Daniels (Read the full review here.) 'Hell of a Summer' [The writer-director-stars Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk] don't relish violence or gore: "Hell of a Summer" is surprisingly tame, with most of its kills kept tastefully offscreen. — Calum Marsh (Read the full review here.) 'Locked' [Anthony Hopkins's] Hannibal Lecter credentials — and [his character] William's penchant for classical music — also give him a menacingly refined air that plays off [his victim] Eddie's rough exterior, underscoring the film's clunky rich versus poor through line. — Beatrice Loayza (Read the full review here.) 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey' (Netflix only) The healing goes both ways in the documentary "Pangolin: Kulu's Journey," as a troubled man and an endangered mammal form a startling bond. The result is a movie so sweet and soothing you'll be forced to admit that sometimes the universe — or, in this case, Netflix — gives you exactly what you need. — Jeannette Catsoulis (Read the full review here.) Also this weekend
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Skip to content
