A critique often levelled at Nia Vardalos’ Big Fat Greek Wedding films is that each, thus far, has played largely as might a protracted sitcom episode. There’s irony there. After all, the actual sitcom spun from 2002’s original sleeper hit proved a stonking miss. Fans slept on that one. Kirk Jones’ ‘long awaited’ 2016 sequel proved more successful and now here comes a third. It’s a more of the same offering from Vardalos, who directs in addition to writing and producing for the first time, and is best related to the movies often born of sitcom origins. Yes, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is a holiday romp. Run out of ideas? Send your popular characters elsewhere in the world. The formula is tried, tired, and tested. It is some not inconsiderable mercy that Vardalos’ returning cast remain so fundamentally likeable.
There’s said to be a fine line between horror and comedy. Certainly, these must be the hardest of art’s genres to master. It’s a high bar to leap when a viewer’s enjoyment is determined by the manifestation of a tangibly physical response to what they are watching. You’ll get no such twinge in a viewing of Cobweb, the first horror to spawn from the comically-oriented Point Grey Pictures. As producers, Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg may be well versed in the elicitation of laughter but screams? Not so much apparently. Rogan and Goldberg have a dozen horrid comedies in their filmography and can now add a laughable horror to the roster. It would seem it really is a fine line.
Blue Beetle deserves better than a lacklustre release at the arse end of a dying franchise. This hugely likeable super romp will play to the dust balls. A minimalist promotional programme from Warner Bros. says it all. Flash bombed and word on the streets has it that audiences just don’t care anymore. All executive eyes are instead on next year’s James Gunn franchise reboot. Expect, maybe they should care about this little try hard. Forget the wider world for one moment and embrace Blue Beetle as the most heartfelt, charming and unselfconsciously funny film the DCEU has produced in…well, perhaps ever. Sure, the bar’s low but don’t let that put you off either.
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