The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020) - Movie Review

Paul Hogan has been Australia’s cultural ambassador to the rest of the world for nearly forty years. He may not hold the title officially, but whenever someone beyond our shores thinks of Australia, it’s usually in connection to either “shrimp on the barbie” or “that’s not a knife”. Personally, I grew up around stories of him having problems with the taxation office, but that’s neither here nor there; as much as he has influenced stereotypes, he’s an icon for a reason, and I respect his contribution to the Aussie cultural identity. Which is why I am sorry to report that his latest film, a meta-sequel to the films that made him famous, is fucking dreadful.

The Last Laugh (2019) - Movie Review

As I’ve gotten into in past reviews, there is something rather irksome about how older actors are treated in recent films. For every film willing to show that these old dogs still got some bite, there’s something close to a dozen that use ‘old = funny’ as its sole blueprint and burn away dignity for the sake of cheap yuks. Not to say that this is a one-sided aspect, since there is definitely some ‘stopped giving a fuck’ behind why certain actors choose those particular scripts (either that or they’re raising money for the grandkids), or that there isn’t any comedy to be mined out of the older generation, same as any other generation; just that the approach for the most part leaves a lot to be desired.

The Day I Watched Vacation (2015)

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) - Movie Review