"Bad Trip" Review: A Mixed Bag Of Hilarious & Familiar Bits

We could all use a good laugh these days. Netflix’s Bad Trip is a blend of scripted narrative with real pranks. For me, I’m not a huge fan of Jackass or Borat, but I get a huge kick out of people’s natural reactions to pranks on shows like Punk’d or IG channels. So if any combination of things I just listed appeals to you, this film will too!

The basic storyline of this film follows friends Chris (Eric Andre) and Bud (Lil Rel Howery), who take a cross country trip to unite Chris with a high school flame he thinks he has a shot with. Like, Dumb & Dumber, “so you’re saying there’s a chance” type deal! In order to get to New York, they decide to drive Bud’s sister Trina’s (Tiffany Haddish) Pepto Bismol colored car while she’s in jail. Only she’s not in jail, she just escaped, and she wants her car back!

With a thinly knit storyline, the entertainment is really in the various pranks along the way. Some are lighthearted, like Chris’ character breaking into song and dance about love in the middle of the mall. Others are extremely raunch like Chris being “violated” by a guerrilla at the zoo. With Trina hot on their tail, it’s funny to see the buddies enter a place and then her enter not to long after. What’s priceless are the faces and reactions of the bystanders at each of the prank locations that capture a slice of America from Florida to New York!

The film focuses on Eric Andre’s ability to be a shameless, mixed bag of emotion, hopeless romantic. While Andre is a “I’ve seen that guy before” actor that isn’t as famous as his co-stars, it also helps sell the story that he could go in to different places and get people to believe he’s an everyday individual. Lil Rel and Tiffany Haddish get makeup, different hairstyles and tattoos to help make them a little less recognizable. While Lil Rel plays the straight man in this comedy, Haddish is able to let loose with her character as she’s done in another movie with trip in the title, making for hilarious moments.

The blend between cinematic shots and reality tv setups can take you in and out of the film at times. It’s clear that in order to sell the prank, certain shots- like a drone flying over the main characters to capture him hanging over a building- would have to have been done at a separate time. However, if you just go with it, you’re guaranteed to laugh out loud more than a few times! The film ends showing the reveal of the pranks to the people involved, so stick around for the end credits.

Rating: B-

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" Review: A History Lesson

Knowing our history is important. As a human race, regionally, locally, and right down to your family unit’s history. It tells us where we’ve come from, lessons learned along the way, and perhaps where we’re headed. August Wilson penned a ten play series collectively known as The Pittsburgh Cycle which beautifully documents a part of history for Black America. The contrast of the events and themes that have taken place in America in 2020 in regards to race and the themes that are dealt with in this film adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” make the film, but more so the plays, that much more powerful. 

In 1927 Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) was a voice to behold! Dubbed the “Mother of Blues”, she sang the pains and joys of her people from her soul. Director George C. Wolfe captures a fictional day in the life of the singer and her band as she’s brought to Chicago for a recording session. The boys in the band consist of Levee (Chadwick Boseman), Toledo (Glynn Turman), Cutler (Colman Domingo), and Slow Drag (Michael Potts), and they’re all waiting for Ma to arrive. As they wait, Levee, the promising young trumpet player with a burning desire to do and be more, tries to convince the band to play the songs with a little added flavor he’s created. 

When she finally makes her fashionably-extremely late entrance, Ma brings her nephew Sylvester (Dusan Brown) and her lover, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige). Ma makes it clear that she is on time because her time is the right time and the studio is lucky to have her in their presence. She also makes it clear that the music will be played the way it was originally written to Levee’s chagrin.

The majority of the film takes place in either the recording studio or the basement of the studio where the band gathers while waiting. While initially you may forget that this was adapted from the stage, there are certainly moments that will remind you, as the story is not told visually. The focus of the story is on the words. The telling of and analyzation of struggle. In perhaps the most talked about scene in the film, Ma explains why she won’t start to sing without the coca-cola she asked for in the studio. “They don’t care nothin’ about me,” she states. “All they want is my voice. Well I done learned that, and they gonna treat me the way I wanna be treated no matter how much it hurt them.” 

It’s so interesting to watch a black woman, at that time, with such a confident, “play with me if you want to, but I’ll show you who is boss” attitude. We’ve become trained to believe that she is being “difficult”, demanding, and could possibly “get in trouble” with the white studio executives. Yet, at her core, she is simply demanding to be treated like a human being rather than a commodity. Which goes back to the importance of Wilson’s work.

As far as performances go, the entire cast gives great performances. Viola Davis shows why she’s one of the best actresses of our time. I’ve enjoyed the way she has spoken out about pay inequity between her and Meryl Streep as of late. Davis stated that off-screen she’s starting to speak up more and go after what she wants in a recent press conference held by Netflix for the film. It’s obvious that she stepped into the role with a certain kinship with Ma Rainey that comes through on screen. 

It would be a shame to not mention this film is Chadwick Boseman’s last on screen, and what a bittersweet performance it is! Before he was Black Panther, he was playing dramatic roles of important black figures. In fact, 42 was one of the first films I reviewed with Picture Lock in 2013. Here, Boseman crafts the essence of young talent that shows up as arrogance due to a chip on his shoulder built from life’s challenges. In an electric scene, Levee rages at God for not being there during pivotal moments in his life. It’s a moment of gut level honesty that we may have in our private thoughts that he brings to life in a memorable way. While it’s sad that we lost him this year, he put it all on the line in the films he was involved in, without complaint.

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is an analyzation of white exploitation of Black culture and Black voices. It’s a sad history that has been documented in history books and film. Wolfe and his cast do a great job of capturing the essence of Wilson’s work and putting it before us to dissect. A tip of the hat goes to Denzel Washington for his commitment to bringing all 10 plays to the screen. This is important history, that I likely would not have known if not for the film.

Rating: A

Lost In Space Season 2: Interviews & What To Expect!

The new season of Lost In Space finds the Robinsons several months after season one’s final episode ended. They’re stranded on a planet with what seems like no way out. Impossible situations that take intelligence, courage, and the love of family seems to be the norm for the Robinsons this season. In fact, Don West (Ignacio Serricchio) says it best during an intense moment during the season, “Is something wrong? Of course there is.” That’s the fun of watching this show! Creators Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, and Irwin Allen have constructed a beautifully imagined world that we get to explore through the eyes of a loving family. That expected conflict is matched by its’ unexpected solutions.

So what can you expect to see this season? I can say that each family member gets an episode to shine in for their character development. One of the best things about this modern version is the writing. Couple the emotional evolution of its characters with the amazing production design by Ross Dempster and Frank Walsh and you’ve got a fully realized sci-fi world you can sink into and binge watch this holiday season!

I got to talk with some of the cast and writers of the series. Check out this interview with Maxwell Jenkins (Will Robinson), Parker Posey (Dr. Smith), and writer Zach Estrin:

Here’s what Mina Sundwall (Penny Robinson), Ignacio Serricchio (Don West) and creator Burk Sharpless had to say about their roles and this season:

"Triple Frontier" Review: Big Stars Take To The Small Screen Stream

Plenty of us love a good war or military strategy film. Not necessarily because we love the violence of war, but because it gives us a sense of what it’s like to be there without being there. The danger, heroism and moral dilemmas soldiers face in the field is incredible and in many ways can be a metaphor for the battle of every day life. Triple Frontier uses all the action sequences we are drawn to in those films to have a deeper conversation about the motivations of its characters to take on a deadly mission in hopes of a final payoff after years of service to their country.

The film starts out in typical narrative by giving us a glimpse at Santiago “Pope” Garcia’s (Oscar Isaac) current assignment chasing down a cartel leader in South America. Eluding him for years, Pope has an informant that not only knows where Lorea is, but that the multi-millions of dollars in cash that he has amassed is in the house with him. Director J.C. Chandor gives us the recruitment sequences but jumps to the parts we need to see and know. He doesn’t spend time showing Pope on a flight to the U.S. and looking through folders with files. Instead, Pope shows up in an ongoing chat that has been cut in between Pope’s backstory with William “Ironhead” Miller (Charlie Hunnam), who is now giving speeches to current soldiers transitioning to private sector life. He finds Ironhead’s brother, Ben Miller (Garrett Hedlund), at an MMA fight. The fight is a good excuse to round up the entire crew. Tom “Redfly” Davis (Ben Affleck) is the retired brains who understands how to carry out an attack to the minute, and Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal) is their helicopter pilot.

Once the team is in place, the recon proves the mission could be more of a suicide attempt than they had expected. It’s after the action occurs (reminiscent of an 80’s Schwarzenegger or Chuck Norris flick) that we still have half of the running time left to go in the movie. It’s in the space of their retreat that they find themselves up against the wall with moral and survival dilemmas. 

This film feels very old school in it’s handling of action, but new in the conversations it brings to the table. The toll of war is evident on each character’s face as well as in their decision making. Whether they make a decision to kill, compartmentalize what has been done due to the rationalization of the situation, or tuck the guilt in their pocket momentarily to push through, the weight is obvious. What is the impact of taking someone’s life? Does one life outweigh another? What do our veterans have to show for their efforts after years of service? These are questions that screenwriters J.C. Chandor and Mark Boal try to wrestle with throughout the film.

This is a solid tactical shoot ‘em up with just enough heart to make it stand out for a flick for the guys (it’s definitely a bro movie). Proving that direct to streaming is a viable option these days, Triple Frontier is a good watch for your Netflix perusing. 

Rating: B