THE BUBBLE
Judd Apatow’s newest comedy doesn’t feel like a Judd Apatow comedy, and that’s a huge bummer. It kicks things off with its best jokes and goes downhill from there. There’s no heart and the humor feels very much forced, getting weary rather fast. The story is about a group of performers who are straining to shoot a big blockbuster sequel while being stuck in a hotel during the pandemic. Other movies have tried to base their narrative around COVID-19 with little success. Admittedly, Apatow and co-writer Pam Brady (Team America: World Police, Hot Rod) manage to make better use of it, though they ultimately rely on it too much, and as you might expect – it just ain’t that funny.
What remains is a movie that spends roughly two hours mocking all aspects of the moviemaking process. The laughs don’t come easy with that, either. And there’s a plethora of untapped potential from the great ensemble cast encompassing talent like Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Leslie Mann, Keegan-Michael Key, Maria Bakalova, Fred Armisen, and David Duchovny. I wasn’t aware of Harry Trevaldwyn, but I am now because he’s the funniest of the bunch. Still, there’s an enormous disconnect with not only the characters they portray but with almost everything going on around them. I hate to say it, but this is Apatow’s worst one by far.
APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD
Bursting with a stellar sense of wonder and nostalgia, this animated coming-of-age tale magically transports us back to a more innocent time where kids could be kids. It’s the summer of 1969, and in the suburbs of Houston is a boy who dreams of going to space as his excitement builds for the Apollo 11 moon landing. At the same time, with an abundance of warmth and charm, we float through a picturesque portrait of the times he’s living in. Returning to his unique style of rotoscope animation, writer/director Richard Linklater gets purely personal while mixing the historical with the fantastical. The remarkable detailing of his own cherished memories during such a celebrated chapter of America will have you missing, remembering, and appreciating your own childhood and the lasting impression it leaves as adulthood takes over.
RETURN TO SPACE
From the directors of Free Solo comes an interesting trek into a new era of space exploration. They provide unprecedented access of the first crewed mission launch from the U.S. since 2011 that sent astronauts to the International Space Station and back thanks to NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. After NASA’s last space shuttle launch, they were in need of a change, so they blasted off towards the private sector. Welcome to the commercialization of space! The star of this motivating documentary is Musk and his SpaceX creation, which started close to two decades ago with their Falcon 1 rocket that failed a few times and essentially made the company broke. But their luck changed on the fourth try as they watched in awe when the Falcon soared into orbit, and a beautiful and very lucrative relationship was forged between SpaceX and NASA.
Filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin gloss over Musk’s big personality, controversies, and competition, mostly ignoring the outside noise and sticking to his innovative vision of what’s beyond our planet. We also get to spend a little time with the astronauts who have been chosen for the notable mission to the ISS towards the end. For those who have ever wondered what it’s like to be one, you get a small inkling of an idea here. The film’s foremost fascination is always with the exuberant billionaire and his fearless SpaceX that’s making space flight cheaper and cheaper – changing the industry forever. Overall, this could afford to have more wonder and further explore other facets; though, there’s enough discovery involved to be excited about our country’s future voyages in to the unknown.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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