“Jen Paski’s White House Briefings”
Perhaps it is just the relative calm of watching someone intelligent and professional speak at a podium from the White House, but the semi-daily (they tend to be three times a week) official press briefings featuring Jen Paski is essentially appointment viewing (live-streamed and archived on the White House’s Twitter account). The White House Press Secretary is a master of the nuanced comeback like almost no Press Secretary before her. She’s also assisted by Fox News’ current White House correspondent, Peter Doocy, who attempts to turn every briefing into a “gotcha” moment only for Paske to swat his obviously partisan and often illogical questions back at him with ease (sometimes hilariously). Sure, there have been some stumbles along the way (Paski’s answer on whether the administration should send COVID tests to every home in the U.S. was not her finest moment), but for the most part, it’s a masterclass of working a room and a breathe easy escape from the rest of the fires popping up all over the nation’s capital. –Gregory Ellwood
“Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”
The culotte queens of comedy have been crowned in Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumalo. Not that there was a lot of competition gunning for the queens of the “mom-com,” but there is now a high bar set, nonetheless. As absurd as the title, “Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar” finds its leads, Barb and Star, played by the aforementioned Wiig and her long-time writing partner, Mumalo, middle-aged, jobless, stuck in a slump, and venturing to the luxurious Florida beachside of Vista Del Mar in order to find their mojo again. Mix in a dash of an ‘Austin Powers‘-esque spy plot, multiple Tommy Bahama and culotte references, an over-the-top Jamie Dornan musical number, and a talking crab played by Morgan Freeman and you’re just scratching the surface of how brilliantly and absurdly dumb this movie truly is – and I say that as a high compliment. Perfect for a lazy Sunday viewing with your mom, ‘Barb & Star’ is one of the most hilarious and underrated comedies of the year – and, to quote its lead characters, it’s a real tit flapper. –Mike DeAngelo
“Chucky”
There’s nothing quite like a good guy (or a Good Guy doll) to break those fall doldrums. “Chucky” introduces another chapter in the notorious serial killer’s legendary crime spree with a delight that warms this horror girl’s heart. Of course, it helps that “Child’s Play” creator Don Mancini was on board to make sure this story gave longtime fans and newcomers to the franchise something special. While knowing the films is not necessary to enjoy the first season, it means so much more when you understand why faces from the past come to both praise and purge the title character. Jennifer Tilly and Fiona Dourif deliver in their roles of Tiffany and Nica respectively. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Dourif’s fantastic performance as Charles Lee Ray — a role her father, and voice of Chucky, Brad Dourif originated over thirty years ago. Not to be outdone, Alex Vincent returns as the original kid to tangle with Chucky, Andy Barclay, and Christine Elise once again appears as foster sister Kyle. The series even had time to introduce a great cast of young actors and a wonderful teenage love story that is just too adorable. Did I mention Devon Sawa’s turn as twins? Yes, “Chucky” is all that and so much more. –Valerie Thompson
“Mortal Kombat”
Say what you will about 1995’s first attempt at adapting blockbuster video game franchise “Mortal Kombat” for a run at theaters-if nothing else, it somewhat course corrected the then-new genre following 1993’s disastrous “Super Mario Bros.” and embraced the undeniable silliness of the games fans had fully embraced without so much as a second thought. Following sequels, YouTube reboots, and that earworm of a theme song I still can’t help but enjoy to this day, this year at long last brought audiences another big-screen take. And it’s easy to see why the film met with a collective facepalm upon release-shedding the fight tournament plotline essential to the games and ‘95 original with a story that vainly tries to bring about some realism to the fantastical nature of “Mortal Kombat,” there’s as much to appreciate as there is to roll an eye or two, but one can’t help but smile at the decent fight scenes, Benjamin Wallfisch’s excellent score (which does indeed make use of the classic theme) and halfhearted acting that somehow manages to best that seen in 1995 while standing on its own as perfectly ridiculous. Movies are meant to serve as an escape, and “Mortal Kombat” is just that, an experience which insists that whatever switch activates deep thinking be removed altogether prior to viewing this film and that there just may be enough present here to warrant further, better ventures into the franchise as time goes on. Did anyone honestly expect Shakespearean-levels of quality? At the very least, it’s worth a view. –Brian Farvour
“New York Ninja”
2021 has been a banner year for restorations, rediscoveries, and actual discoveries, from Ivan Zulueta’s “Arrebato” to George Romero’s “The Amusement Park” to Questlove’s “Summer of Soul.” Vinegar Syndrome, the grungy preservationist cousin of the Criterion Collection, has given us the best reminder possible that one man’s trash is could potentially be actual treasure and thus deserves the same level of curation, care, and regard as what we tend to consider “high art,” and that reminder is John Liu’s “New York Ninja.” It’s the 1980s. New York City runs rampant with violent cartoonish gangs. In a tragic instance of “wrong place, wrong time,” Nita (Ginger Lynn) ends up dead after seeing a crime in progress, spurring her grieving husband, TV news station sound tech Liu (also John Liu), to don white pajamas and starts whupping gang ass all over town. Liu is an accomplished martial artist and a veteran martial arts movie star, from “The Secret Rivals” to “The Invincible Armour”; the dude knows how to choreograph a good snap kick. What really drives “New York Ninja,” though, is joy emanating from the other side of the lens. So bad it’s good? Not at all. So cheesy it’s a good time. Not every movie can be great art, so they should at least be great fun. –Andy Crump