Another week, another See it or Skip it with Film Critic Patrick Beatty! He’s here to talk about Superheros, cold cases, and a whole lot of Ted Lasso!

Shazam! Fury of The Gods

Warner Brothers and DC Studios have sent out ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods with almost no marketing, and barely a promise of a potential future with James Gunn rebooting the entire DC Universe, and putting all that money into the upcoming ‘Flash’ film. The Shazamily is back and now up against the daughters of Ares, played by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler. While DC may not have as much faith in David F. Sanberg and co. I really enjoyed myself in a packed theater, learning to stop worrying and love this acceptable yet forgettable film.

Billy Batson has his family, but he’s worried about aging out of the foster program and being left alone- again. His family is all branching out to do other things, and he’s desperate to utilize their superhero abilities to keep his loved ones with him. I think that’s a good twist, most superhero films focus on keeping the ones our hero loves away from the fight, but Billy is coaxing them into them as family home evening activities. Maybe something that could have been explored more, but this is a very surface-level, what you see is what you get kind of story.

I loved the daughters of Ares, they were menacing, formidable, and smart up until the third act. Helen Mirren dominated and the creatures unleashed by them are fascinating and unique. The humor, much like the first Shazam is hit or miss. Sometimes they were effective, and others were just throwaway lines that dampened the stakes a bit.

If you love Zachary Levi and the first Shazam! you will have a good time here as it does rachet up the thrills and fun. If you’ve never seen the first, you won’t miss anything. If you’re invested in where the future of the DC Universe is heading, maybe watch and stick around for the two post-credit scenes.

See It or Skip It: See It

Ted Lasso Season 3

Our Mustachioed gentleman Ted Lasso is back for the final season of the self-titled global hit. I have to admit, I’m a little saddened to have it end so soon as it began, but a story has three acts, and in this case, so does Ted. What I can say about the first 4 episodes of this season is it’s just as delightful, just as funny, and just as heartfelt as ever.

Richmond is in dire straights. Nate the great has left for the biggest Football club in the league, run by Rebecca’s slimy ex-husband Rupert. The teams ranked 20th, and Ted’s dreams of winning seem to be fading as he misses his family more and more. Will the team be able to pull off a miracle and bring a winning home this season? I don’t want to spoil too much so I’ll leave my review here, that this is one of the brightest shows in my life at the moment, and I am so happy it’s back.

See It or Skip It: See It

Moving On

Jane Fonda and Loly Tomlin are the DeNiro/Pacino of 2023 now with their second 2023 film ‘Moving on’, a dark comedy that is much dark than comedic but still has good performances by its leads. The story revolves around Jane Fonda’s character out for revenge for an assault back in her college days. Her assaulted, now widowed, is playing the sympathetic character in his family but she knows the truth. When she runs into Lily Tomlin’s character, they both hatch a plan to take matters into their own hands.

I suppose there are enough moments in ‘Moving On’ to consider it somewhat of a comedy. But much more this is a drama exploring trauma that lingers for decades, and how that can be unleashed in unhealthy ways. The balance between the two is hit-and-miss for me, and the suspense of the story isn’t very suited for the type of comedy Tomlin and Fonda are giving. The dramatic performances are great, but I would say you could wait for this till streaming.

See It or Skip It: Skip It

Boston Strangler

Keira Knightley plays an up-and-coming reporter who delves into the murders of women in her area by the now-infamous ‘Boston Strangler. This story revolves around what went right in the investigation, and what was hidden and used to cover up the mistakes of the people meant to protect us.

This is a slow film from start to end, unable to really capture the suspense needed to sustain itself. The performers are doing all they can with the material but the story and writing feel like a straight-to-streaming film… which is what this is. Now more than ever, the theatrical experience is needed to help delineate between films that cannot hold an audience and the ones you can leave in your streaming queue for months. Overall, you may be better off checking out some documentaries of the Boston Strangler.

See It or Skip It: Skip It