Daron's Weekly Roundup Week Ending 23/08/26

Kevin Heffernan’s The Slammin Salmon (2009)

This was the only Broken Lizard film to date that I hadn’t seen. Watching The Dukes of Hazard (2005) the week prior put me in the mood for more of their hijinks.I knew the Slammin Salmon wasn’t meant to be the best example of their work, but I was still willing to give it a go. 

The main difference between this and prior Broken Lizard films is that it isn’t Jay Chandrasekhar at the helm. This time it is Kevin Heffernan, making his directorial debut. This did make me slightly wary, for as funny as Heffernan is on screen, he also directed Quasi (2023) which is by far Broken Lizard’s worst film. 

Thankfully, Slammin Salmon isn’t the dud Quasi ended up being, with there being several hilarious setpieces throughout its brisk runtime. While it doesn’t rank as their best work, everyone brings their A game, with the Broken Lizard guys going to extreme’s to raise a laugh. 

Similarly to their earlier Club Dread (2004), the funniest character isn’t even played by one of the group. Where Club Dread had Bill Paxton, the Slammin Salmon has Michael Clarke Duncan who is hilarious as restaurant owner, and former heavyweight Cleon Salmon. Striking fear into his employee’s, Duncan steals every scene he is in, with him not being scared to send up his own image. 

There are also appearances from the likes of Will Forte, Cobie Smulders, Lance Henriksen and even Morgan Fairchild who all add to the fun. 

The Broken Lizard films are definitely an acquired taste, but for those knowing what to expect, there is a good deal of fun to be had with the Slammin Salmon. 

Rating: 3

Katie Dippold’s Widow’s Bay Season 1 (2026)

Release on Apple, Widow’s Bay is a fine mixture of horror and comedy that brings to mind the best Stephen King adaptations. In fact, if I were to compare the show to anything, it would be SyFy's Haven (2010) which was based on King’s novella The Colorado Kid. As great as Haven was, it was slightly reigned in by SyFy’s broadcast restrictions, something Apple doesn’t have to worry about, with Widow’s Bay not shying away from swearing or violence.  

Matthew Rhys leads the show as the town’s out of his depth Mayor Tom, not wanting to admit that there is creepy goings on in case it scares away the tourists. He’s like a more aware version of Murray Hamilton’s character in Jaws (1975). He also has some secrets of his own, with the growing tension between him and his son around his lies adding to the drama. 

For me, I mostly knew Rhys from the brilliant The Americans (2013) and latterly his take on Perry Mason (2020). His role here is far removed from either of those, with Rhys getting to show off his comedic side as much as his dramatic one. 

The great Stephen Root shows up as town believer Wyck, with him and Rhy’s Tom striking up an uneasy alliance as they work to deal with the supernatural threat the town of Widow’s Bay faces. The scenes between him and Rhy are some of the series’ best, but that isn’t to diminish the work of the other cast members, with Kate O’Flynn playing one of the series most engaging characters’ Patricia. 

What I particularly appreciated was that the series wasn’t afraid to go off on tangents, with full episodes not featuring the main cast members. The best example of this is episode 6 which goes back hundreds of years to focus on a new bride played by Betty Gilpin, with her quickly realising how dangerous her new husband is, as well as the mysterious Widow’s Bay itself. 

The ten episodes fly by in next to no time, with the majority of them clocking in at roughly 40 minutes. With it already being renewed for a season two, I can’t wait to see where the show goes from here. 

Rating: 4/5

Jay Chandrasekhar’s Club Dread (2004)

After watching the Slammin Salmon earlier in the week, I thought it was time I revisited my favourite film from the Broken Lizard Team. A hilarious send up of the slasher genre, with it taking as much care with the horror aspects as it does the comedy. 

Being backed by a major studio, this has much better production values as Slammin Salmon, with Club Dread easily being the best looking of the group's films. The beautiful island location where the action takes place certainly helps matters too. 

The Lizard’s all do their usual great work, but it is Bill Paxton that steals the film as faded singing superstar Coconut Pete, whose holiday resort Pleasure Island is where the film takes place. Clearly based on Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, the team have a great time sending up Buffet’s famous resorts, and to an extent Buffet himself. 

Not shying away from the blood and gore, this is definitely the most violent of Broken Lizard’s output, but it is hard to take any of it seriously, with the majority of the kills being played for laughs. 

Rating: 4/5

Jean-François Richet’s Mutiny (2026)

“Accidentally” leaked onto Amazon, Jason Statham’s latest actioner has all the hallmarks fans have grown to love about the action star. This is definitely lesser Statham fare, but it moves along at a fair pace, clocking in at just over 90 minutes. It does take a while to get to the action, but there is just enough of Statham kicking arse to keep action fans happy. 

The fact that this leaked is somewhat ironic, as out of Statham’s most percent output I would say Mutiny is the one film I feel would probably do better if it was released on streaming, with it lacking the style or sheen of a lot of his earlier films. This is surprising, as director Richet isn’t exactly a slouch, with his prior films having a distinct look and style about them, whereas Mutiny has that flat digital look that plagues so many modern actioners. 

If I had to compare it to any of Statham’s earlier films, It would be Expend4bles (2023). Well, mostly the second half of the film, which like Mutiny mostly takes place on a ship. At least Mutiny doesn’t look set bound, with the surrounding interiors of the ship all looking suitably authentic. The rammed corridors are used well during the finale, allowing for some inventive action scenes. I must say, I did appreciate the filmmakers not skimping on the violence, with shootings, stabbings and gougings all being par for the course. One particularly memorable scene even had Statham put a padlock through someone’s cheek. 

If you were only to watch one Statham film this year, I would go with the superior Shelter (2026), but for a quick action fix, Mutiny does the trick. 

Rating: 3/5  

Toa Fraser’s The Dead Lands (2014)

The cover of The Dead Lands would have you believe you are going to see a mix between Apocalypto (2006) and the Raid (2011). While there is definitely a fair level of action and violence throughout, it merely leads the audience to disappointment as they are expecting a different film from what Toa Fraser ultimately delivers. 

The Dead Lands is a distinctly Maori story, focusing on tribal warfare and a young Chieftain's son's desire for revenge. Similarly to Apocalypto, the film results in several chase sequences, but the resulting film is very different from Mel Gibson’s masterpiece. Not to diminish Fraser’s work, but it never comes close to emulating the quality of Gibson’s historical actioner. 

However, it does shed light on Maori history and their own particular brand of martial arts, with Fraser including several exciting fight scenes throughout the film. The fights don’t shy away from brutality either, with every character ending up either bruised and battered or alternatively dead. I particularly appreciated the filmmakers approach to the bloodletting, with Fraser opting for practical effects for the most part.  

Obviously, I can’t fully judge the film on its historical accuracy, but as an exciting, action packed tale, it more than fits the bill. Performances are all on point, with everyone doing their best to make the action scenes convincing. 

Director Toa Fraser would later go on to direct the great 6 Days (2017) about 1980’s Iranian Embassy Siege. For any fans of Who Dares Wins (1982), it’s a must see, adhering closer to the truth than the famous Lewis Collins actioner, albeit, less fun in its storytelling. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Richard Gray’s The Unholy Trinity (2024)

As much as I love Westerns, many these days are sub-par, made on a shoestring budget with a no name cast. The Unholy Trinity thankfully doesn’t fall into this trap, with good production values and a star studded cast headed by Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L Jackson. 

I had an idea that this would be better than your typical VOD Western due to it being directed by Richard Gray, who had impressed me with his earlier Western outing Murder at Yellowstone City (2022). Overlook the god awful title like I did, and you're sure to have a great time. 

Brosnan and Jackson may not be the most obvious choices for a Western, but both have experience within the genre. Brosnan starred in the fantastic Seraphim Falls (2006), where he memorably faced off against a truly pissed off Liam Neeson. More recently he headlined Western television series the Son (2017), another quality outing that was sadly cut short just as it was getting going. 

Unsurprisingly, Brosnan is at his charismatic best in the lead role, getting to use his Irish accent for a change, or at least a variation of it. While he may be getting on in years, Brosnan still takes part in several well constructed action scenes. Gray smartly integrates Brosnan’s advancing years into the action, with it appearing as if he’s out of his depth on more than one occasion. Even so, he’s still a  tough old bastard when he needs to be.  

Jackson on the other hand takes a back seat to the action, smartly turning everyone against the other so he can whittle down the competition. Jackson’s character is evil at heart, although he comes nowhere close to who he played in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012). 

The likes of Tim Daly, Beau Knapp and David Arquette all make appearances to add a bit of colour to the film. Scottish actor Gianni Cappaldi did kinda get on my tits a bit, but he’s meant to be a dick so he didn’t bother me as much as he normally would. 

The Unholy Trinity doesn’t come close to the quality of the other Western’s the leads have appeared in, but it is still an enjoyable watch, with director Richard Gray clearly showing a love for the genre. 

Rating: 3/5  

Jay Chandrasekhar’s Super Troopers (2001)

Probably Broken Lizard’s best known film, Super Troopers is what introduced me to their brand of humour. They had made Puddle Cruiser (1996) years before, but it seriously pales in comparison to their later films. Well all but Quasi (2023), which is fuckin godawful. 

The film's plot is merely an excuse to have a series of comedy sketches, with them mostly consisting of the gang getting themselves into ridiculous situations. Not all of the comedy scenes hit their mark, but the film has a fair ratio of jokes to laughs, with the Broken Lizards doing typically good work in front of the camera. Chandrasekhar also proved himself here to be quite an adept director, working with a miniscule budget of $3 million. 

Like many of their films, no matter how good the Lizards are, the film invariably gets stolen by a member of the supporting cast, be it Bill Paxton in Club Dread or Michael Clarke Duncan in Slammin Salmon. Here it is Brian Cox, stealing every scene he is in, showing off considerable comic chops that the likes of Manhunter (1986) or Rob Roy (1995) never alluded to. 

Super Troopers may not be my favourite from the Broken Lizard guys, but it is great fun and helped put them on the map. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa (2006)

There isn’t much I can say about Rocky Balboa that hasn’t already been said. Coming during something of a lull in Stallone’s career, Rocky Balboa more than exceeded my expectations upon its release. While I had always been a fan of the series, I didn’t expect Stallone’s long delayed return as the titular Rocky to be such an emotional experience. 

I remember upon it’s release, I ended up watching it 3 times in the space of 2 days. This was down to me watching it myself then convincing my Granda that he had to see it, so I wound up watching it with him. Afterwards, my Mother also mentioned wanting to see it, so there I went to watch it again. Not once was I bored during these viewings, with me watching it again for a fourth time before the year ended. It was easily my favourite film of the year. Sure, some of this could be flavoured by nostalgia, but Sylvester Stallone’s work both in front and behind the camera shouldn’t be diminished. 

Stallone took what everyone loves about the series but injected it with a melancholy, making the film about a man coming to terms with his past successes but realising there might still be some gas left in the tank. Unsurprisingly, Stallone is wonderful, reminding everyone once again what an accomplished actor he can be. He also got into ridiculous shape for the movie, with the end fight being one of the series’ most memorable. 

Burt Young is still on hand to keep Rocky grounded and give him his pearls of wisdom when required. Milo Ventimiglia stays on the ride side of annoying and real life boxer Antonio Tarver makes for a decent combatant for Rocky to face off against. 

I would argue with anyone that says they dont get emotional when they hear Bill Conti’s famous score, with it being used to maximum effect here. Even this stone cold bastard had a tear in his eye as the film drew to a close. 

Rating: 5/5