^{Narrated by Justin Fife}

EDITOR'S NOTE: While Damian Beagan is out this month, Alanna Smithee — the OG Tumbly movie reviewer — has graciously dusted off her critic’s cap for a special cameo. Thanks, Alanna!

The Bad Guys 2

PG, 1h 44m

This sequel to The Bad Guys (2022) is a first-rate follow-up to the entertaining original. It’s fresher, with more wit and action, but the same strikingly stylish animation. Our cast of characters is back: Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz). This time the crew is struggling mightily to be good! However, they can’t find jobs, no matter how hard they try. No one will trust them, much less hire them.

Meanwhile, someone is pulling off spectacular heists. The press and Police Commissioner Luggins (Alex Borstein) immediately suspect the Bad Guys. Our guys protest their innocence but are set up for the heists by a new set of thieves: The Bad Girls, consisting of Kitty Cat (Danielle Brooks), Doom (Natasha Lyonne), and Pigtail Petrova (Maria Bakalova). In an homage to The Silence of the Lambs — which only the adults will get, but kids will still find funny — Diane Foxington tries to help Mr. Wolf and the team by visiting the first movie’s villain, Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), in prison.

Ultimately, the Bad Girls blackmail the Bad Guys into helping them with one BIG heist, which leads to a fantastic, action-packed finale. This is an excellent heist film delivering thrills, character development, some great one-liners and a sweet message about friendship. There’s also a nice setup for what must be The Bad Guys 3.

This is a MUST SEE if you’re a fan of the original movie, and definitely SEE IT IF YOU’RE DOWN WITH excellent animation, heist movies, lotsa action, engaging family movies, or any of the brilliant actors doing the voices! Stay for the cut scene mid-credits.

F1

PG-13, 2h 35m

Ok, stop me if you’ve seen this one before: Disillusioned sports veteran reluctantly agrees to return as a mentor for a talented rookie and one last chance at glory. An overdone trope, I know! But hear me out. This movie was outstanding, and clearly made to be seen on a big screen. The races are an absolute thrill ride, the character development is better than average, the musical score (Hans Zimmer) is exceptional, and the tropes are played with a sparkle of wit and heart.

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) suffered career-ending injuries in his initial season as an F1 driver. Since then, he’s bounced around every form of motorsport all over the world, with anyone who would let him drive. He’s fallen far. Hayes’ old friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) has a flailing team, including innovative engineer Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), and Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), a brash young driver who needs to be tamed. Cervantes convinces Hayes to come aboard and, as much as you can predict the clashes, the tension is palpable (all credit to Pitt’s acting).

This is a cinematic adventure ride from the same director who gave us Top Gun: Maverick (2022); and man, does his technical expertise show! You never feel the run time, and it all just works. Is it an accurate depiction of  Formula One racing? No; but you’re having such an amazing time, you don’t care. It was rereleased in IMAX August 15. Get to it there, if you can!

MUST SEE for the fun, high-octane, and surprisingly emotional cinematic experience!

The Naked Gun

PG-13, 1h 25m

Whoever convinced Liam Neeson to play Detective Frank Drebin, Jr. and lend his “particular set of skills” to this role, nailed it. This is a decent throwback to the classic Naked Gun trilogy (1988 – 1994), and the madcap and perfectly silly story follows Detective Drebin as he investigates the apparent suicide of tech bro Simon Davenport (Jason MacDonald).

Simon’s sister, femme fatale Beth Davenport (a perfectly cast Pamela Anderson), comes to Drebin’s office and plays out a classic noir spoof scene. In a plot strongly reminiscent of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), they uncover a scheme by Simon’s boss, Richard Cane (Danny Huston), to use Simon’s invention — a literal P.L.O.T. device — to “turn people into their primal selves”. 

There are some background action gags, sight gags, and a healthy dose of outright silliness (and, of course, puns galore). There’s also a trippy love story between Drebin and Beth which goes off the rails in a mountain cabin. It’s a good time, and, for the most part, stays in the spirit of the originals, but doesn’t quite hit the hilarity of the classics.

SEE IT IF YOU’RE DOWN WITH the Naked Gun trilogy, nonstop sight gags and general mayhem, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson. 

Alanna Smithee is a former employee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences® and a lifelong movie fan.