The latest film releases are Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Shirley, The American Society of Magical Negroes, and Carol Doda Topless at the Condor. Weighing in are Shawn Edwards, film critic for FOX 4 News in Kansas City, and Monica Castillo, freelance film critic and senior film programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
In this sequel to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Spengler family moves to the New York City firehouse where it all started and teams up with the original ghostbusters. The cast includes Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson.
Castillo: “It is more of a nostalgia fest than anything else. It really made me feel like I wanted to watch the originals, which I guess is effective in that way. But in and of itself, I didn't have that much fun. … There's a lot of other references to the movies, and even just some of the ways that the scenes are shot. But the actual film itself, there's so much stuffed into it. One of my notes says, ‘Feels overstuffed like a Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.’”
Edwards: “This film may have broken the record of the number of times a sequel references the original, which is saying something in this age of lazy filmmaking. I mean, it's all nostalga factor. … There's nothing new, there's nothing original. They relied too heavily on the OGs. And then the cast from Afterlife — I mean, Paul Rudd, pun intended, is clueless. They don't give the kids anything to do. And the poor mom might as well be in a science fiction film because she's completely in outer space. They do nothing with her. They do nothing with anyone in this film. And at this point now, you might as well just watch the original, which … wasn't that good in the first place.”
Shirley
Regina King plays the first Black Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm as she launches her 1972 presidential campaign. John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) is the writer and director.
Edwards: “Shirley Chisholm is an extremely important figure in the history of American politics, and rightfully deserves a movie about her life and her political career. And Shirley … is a baffling case of misuse of the platform. Because the task of telling a compelling story in one hour and 55 minutes is impossible. So why not make this a series? That's the biggest problem. However, John Ridley tries to solve that problem by smartly deciding to focus only on her political run for the presidency in 1972. And while watching this film, you’ve got to fasten your seat belt because it really zooms through her challenges and successes, without really explaining much. It's really a cinematic Wikipedia page, which is unfortunate because there's a lot here you could wade through, like her struggles with the women's movement, her struggle with the Black Caucus, her struggle with her own team that she put together to help her run for the candidacy.
But the biggest thing in the movie is they never really fully explained why she actually decided to run for president of the United States, which was a huge deal, particularly for a Black woman in 1972. And they leave that out because they're really aiming this towards more of a mainstream audience, which is fine. But for anyone … finds politics really fascinating, it's not the film for you because the intellectual level of what's being presented never soars. But don't take away from Regina King's fabulous performance. Regina King can only deliver what's on the page. And that's really inexcusable because John Ridley is a great writer. He won an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, but none of that pedigree is demonstrated with this film.”
Castillo: “I thought this was just lit, composed, shot, written so badly that it just made me want to watch a better Shirley Chisholm film because she is such a remarkable figure. She's accomplished so much and broke so many barriers, and had to deal with a lot of stuff. We haven't seen that story yet.”
The American Society of Magical Negroes
In this satire comedy, Justice Smith and David Alan Grier star as a pair of magical Black people dedicated to making white people’s lives easier.
Edwards: “Nothing about this movie works at all, including one of the worst titles in the history of motion pictures. Yes, I understand the trope. The trope has existed since people began making movies. And yes, it is a subject matter that is ripe for satire.
… The reason why this doesn't work as a satire is because number one, it doesn't work by definition of what a satire is. Number two, the movie’s just flat-out not funny. And number three, it does a complete reversal almost five minutes into the film, because it's technically a rom-com. And this whole focus on this elite group of Black people that are tasked with eliminating white people from being put in uncomfortable positions in society — is basically just the backdrop for a love story that doesn't work. Because the lead, Justice Smith … he's boring. You don't care about him. He seems very aloof in the film. There's no chemistry with the love interest. … None of it works as a satire. It completely fails as a rom-com. And you're expecting this hard-hitting, biting take on racism in America, and you get none of it.”
Castillo: “I sat down in the theater and within five minutes, I knew exactly where this was going to go, how this was going to play out. And we spend most of our time with the most boring people in the most boring place, this tech startup knockoff situation.”
Carol Doda Topless at the Condor
This documentary is set in 1960s San Francisco, when Carol Doda became the first public topless dancer in the country.
Castillo: “It did a really great job of introducing Carol Doda. … I wasn't familiar with her. They do a great job of making those connections between her and the feminist movement. But then after all this wonderful buildup and zany stories and all that fun San Francisco club history, it just peters off. … And then you're left with some really sad stories. I was hoping for a little bit more. There's some really great use of archived footage and photos, and then you start to realize they’re repeating some of them. … I was just hoping for better.”
Edwards: “It is worth the watch just because it was a discovery for me. Because I had heard the name, but I didn't know a lot about the person. So I did appreciate … her background. … The first … 40 minutes are very interesting, and you learned so much.
… The archival footage is great. Everything is there for this to be a great documentary. They just did not know how to build the ending. But I still found it fascinating. I also found it heartbreaking. And it also justifies that Carol Doda deserves a feature film.”