They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

They Cloned Tyrone is a Netflix science fiction film that touches on racial tensions in the united states.

The writer from Creed II and Space Jam: A New Legacy comes to Netflix to try and direct. I could see how they could have faith. It's not his first time directing but it's his first time directing anything worth seeing. Solid job for Juel Taylor, as directing for the first time could spell trouble.

He and Tony Rettenmaier wrote the screenplay. Their writing has come a long way from when they co-wrote Space Jam: A New Legacy. There is a delicate balance when writing about race in America as too harsh one way or the other and you'll alienate the other side. They write it from the perspective of black Americans in black-dominated democratic-run suburbs. Each role is a caricature of their role as The Pimp, The Hoe, and The Thug.

Jamie Foxx plays the pimp and an overdramatized late twentieth century. I tried to think who else in Hollywood could have played this role and couldn't come up with anyone off the top of my head. Fox just has the comedic timing he solidified when he was on In Living Color, though I knew him from The Jamie Foxx Show growing up.

Teyonah Parris plays the hoe named Yo-Yo. She is one of my favorite upcoming actresses in general as she has some good movies under her belt and just one stinker in a short amount of time. Candyman wasn't a hit for me, while her performances in If Beale Street Could Talk, WandaVision, and Chi-Raq solidified her in my eyes. She's now someone I'll go see a movie just because she was in it. Hopefully, she makes The Marvels a decent if not good movie. We'll find out later this year.

John Boyega isn't a likable person outside of his movies but he does great here. He was good in The Force Awakens and The Woman King. He could have used better direction and coaching with The Last Jedi, Rise of Skywalker, and Detroit. Pacific Rim: Uprising was just okay for his performance and I have a soft spot for that film. I'll need to see Attack the Block before number two comes out, but I'm not too excited.

We now live in a world where Blue Beetle and The Last Yoage of the Demeter are released in theaters despite all their flaws and this just releases on Netflix. The film is good, solid B.

Comments

Colony (2026)

Colony is written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho , the director behind the cult classic Train to Busan . While Train to Busan has become the more celebrated film, Colony shows how much Yeon has improved as both a writer and a director. The story is stronger, the filmmaking feels more confident, and the way he builds the world gives the movie more substance than I expected going in. Jun Ji-hyun is the clear standout of the cast. She does a fantastic job conveying emotion through subtle movements and expressions rather than relying on exaggerated acting. That is not surprising considering she is one of South Korea's best actresses, but she still manages to make the character feel grounded and believable. She carries much of the emotional weight of the film. I did not recognize many of the other actors, and unfortunately, none of them really stood out enough to make much of an impression. That is not necessarily a knock against the cast as much as it is a testament to how much Jun ...

Verity (2026)

Verity was a surprise for me. Normally, the authors who turn their books into movies that I actually enjoy are Stephen King or Michael Crichton , but Colleen Hoover has been doing surprisingly well with the last four movies adaptations from her work. One thing I appreciate about her writing is that she knows how to write male characters who aren't weak or simply there to be punching bags for feminist talking points. That alone makes the characters feel more believable and gives the story a better balance. Dakota Johnson plays an up and coming writer who is brought in to ghostwrite for Anne Hathaway's character. This is easily Johnson's best performance yet. She does a good job carrying the movie and making the character's uncertainty and curiosity believable as the mystery around the house starts to unfold. Anne Hathaway does not have a huge amount to do because of her character's condition, but whenever she is actually on screen, she brings the energy you wo...

Digger (2026)

Digger is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell. Much like his name, there is a lot of symbolism and meaning packed into the film, along with plenty of references that brought a smile to my face. I went into this expecting it to be pretentious or outright bad because that was the prevailing opinion online before general audiences had even had a chance to see it. Anyone calling this movie pretentious clearly has not seen The Death of Robin Hood or Die My Love . Die My Love was so pretentious that my wife actually begged me to leave the theater, and I had to finish it another day. Digger , on the other hand, actually understands the difference between being ambitious and simply being self-important. Tom Cruise is great as Digger Rockwell, giving the character exactly the kind of larger-than-life personality the movie needs. There is so much going on beneath the surface that I found myself constantly looking for the symbolism and references hidden...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog