Daron's Weekly Roundup, Week Ending 30/08/26

Jay Chandrasekhar’s Super Troopers 2 (2018)

Continuing on from last week, another catch-up with the Broken Lizard team. A long-delayed sequel to the 2001 original, Super Troopers actually surpasses that film in nearly every regard, with better jokes, nicer visuals, and a better plot. Well, I say plot, like the first it is mainly there to string several comedic set pieces together, but there is a much better flow this time round. 

I am sure some will disagree, as the first Super Troopers is held in quite high regard by fans, but this sequel is easily one of Broken Lizard's best. The team are all in typically great form, with their characters all having moved on since the last movie. A secret mission brings them all back into the police force, along with their long-suffering chief played by Brian Cox, once again stealing the show. 

There are also some great new additions to the cast such as Emmanuelle Chriqui, Taylor Labine, Will Sasso, and best of all Rob Lowe, who is more than happy to send up his image as the film's slimy villain. 

The film may upset you if you’re Canadian, as many of the jokes are at their expense, but there isn’t anything here that I would consider grossly offensive. The Lizards poke just as much fun at America during the film. 

Rating: 4/5

Jay Chandrasekhar’s Beerfest (2006)

I would have said Super Troopers 2 was my favourite Broken Lizard film if it wasn’t for Beerfest. The team were never better than they were here, with the jokes flying relentlessly in its 100-minute runtime. The plot is frankly ridiculous, with Chandrasekhar shooting the film like an 80’s sports movie. That means several training montages, but here the team is learning how to best drink beer rather than getting fit. 

Unlike previous Lizard films, Beerfest was 18 rated (in the UK), which it more than earns through the copious amount of nudity, swearing, and violence on screen. No stone is left unturned in the group's attempts to mime comedy. 

Unlike in their previous movies, where someone from outside the group has come in to steal the film, the main focus is on the Lizards, with each of them getting their chance to shine. Steve Lemme is maybe the standout, with his character being miles away from what he has played before. 

The supporting cast is filled with the likes of Donal Sutherland, Jurgen Prochnow, and Cloris Leachman, with each of them being hilarious in their scenes. Prochnow even sends up his most famous role in Das Boot (1981) for one of the film's best gags. It was also nice to see Will Forte and Ralf Moeller as members of the German drinking team, even if their screen time is relatively short. This was clearly early in Forte’s film career, with him being mostly known for Saturday Night Live at the time.

Rating: 4.5/5

Collin Higgin’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)

With the news of Dolly Parton’s passing, I thought it was apt to revisit one of her films. To be honest, my main reason for owning this film was more down to it starring Burt Reynolds, but that doesn’t diminish Parton’s work in the film, with her very clearly being the star. 

Although it takes a somewhat sanitized view of prostitution, one where everyone is happy to work in a brothel, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas still tackles some adult themes in amongst its numerous musical numbers. 

Whilst Higgins’ film could be considered a bit of froth, it is terrific fun. The performances and musical set pieces combine perfectly, with the film hardly setting a foot wrong. Clearly Reynolds is no musical man, but the filmmakers recognize this, with his role playing to his strengths. 

Parton steals the show as the Madam of the Whorehouse, with her and Reynolds sharing quite good chemistry together. Parton wrote additional songs for the film, with her “I Will Always Love You” probably ending up more famous than this film, with it going on to be sung by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard (1992). 

Outside of the two leads, Reynolds' old pals Dom DeLuise and Charles Durning show up in memorable supporting roles, with DeLuise being unsurprisingly hilarious any time he’s on screen. 

Prior to The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Colin Higgins had written and directed Foul Play (1978) as well as being the screenwriter on cult favorites Harold and Maude (1971) and Silver Streak (1976). This also marked his second film with Parton after writing and directing 9 to 5 (1980). Sadly, this would be Higgins’ final film as director, with him dying in 1988 of an AIDS-related illness. 

Oren Uziel’s Spider Noir Season 1 (2026)

While most eyes would have been on the MCU’s Spiderman: Brand New Day (2026), for a truly unique Spiderman experience fans really should be turning their attention to Spider Noir.

Set in an alternative 1930s, Spider Noir focuses on Nicolas Cage’s private detective Ben Reilly, who previously worked as local superhero the Spider. After a personal tragedy made him turn his back on his heroic exploits, Reilly now makes ends meet by mostly taking photos of people cheating on their spouses. 

In the 5 years since giving up his life as the Spider, local gangster Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) has seized full control of the city. After a case finds him facing off against one of Silvermane’s goons, Reilly realizes that he may have to become the Spider once again. 

Amazon gives the option of watching the show in its original black and white or alternatively in a garish colorized version. I opted for the black and white, which is clearly how it should be viewed. This is one beautiful looking show, with terrific visuals and perfect period detail coming together to make this show really stand out. 

Performances for the most part are great. It’s no surprise that Nicolas Cage gives the role his all. Even if you're not the biggest fan of Cage, you could never accuse him of phoning it in. He manages to imbue his version of Spiderman with enough Cage-isms to make his take on the character truly distinct, although he makes sure never to go too far. 

Gleeson is also fantastic as Silvermane, with him having something of a love-hate relationship with Cage’s Reilly. He gets some of the film’s best dialogue and with this being made for streaming, he doesn’t hold back on the bad language. Li Jun Li, Lamorne Morris and especially Jack Huston also make an impression in their supporting roles. 

However, it is Andrew Caldwell that you will find yourself talking about. Not because he’s good, more that you will be wondering how the fuck he kept his job by putting in such a poor performance. Honestly. This show would have been a 5 out of 5 if it wasn’t for his woeful pantomime performance. 

Shite Caldwell performances aside, Spider Noir is still well worth your time and easily surpasses Brand New Day for the best Spiderman film/show of the year. 

Rating: 4/5 

Godfrey Ho’s Princess Madam (1989)

For anyone in the know, Godfrey Ho is probably one of Hong Kong cinema’s poorest filmmakers. His films are made on the cheap, with many of them being made of spliced together reels from different films resulting in some of the most incoherent films you will ever see. 

In my head, I remembered Princess Madam at least being a better than usual Ho movie, with it at least being all shot as one movie. Obviously I was remembering the film through rose-tinted glasses, or I may have been pished at the time, but Princess Madam is just as poorly put together as any of Ho’s other films, with its saving graces being a couple of well put together action scenes. 

Moon Lee was synonymous with the “girls with guns” subgenre at the time, starring in the likes of Iron Angels (1987) and Devil Hunters (1989), both of which are much better films than this. However, Lee is still terrific in her role, although it isn’t one that exactly stretches her in terms of acting, she still gets her fair share of kick-ass fight scenes. 

Sharon Yeung also fares pretty well, even if her character makes one stupid decision after another. Whilst Moon Lee is initially the lead, the film transitions to focus more on Yeung as the film progresses, with her relationship with foster father Kenneth Tsang being where most of the drama comes from. 

Michiko Nishiwaki is decent as the film's main villain, although like Yeung, she also makes some mental decisions throughout the film. Her grand plan relies on her seducing Moon Lee’s husband, but this ultimately serves no purpose in her grand scheme. Maybe she just fancied him. 

Typically for Ho, he seems to forget about the main plot about an hour in and sets up another subplot which leads to the film's violent finale. As poorly made as this film is, I can’t deny that the stunt work and action scenes are first-rate. Honestly, Godfrey Ho must be an extremely nice guy to convince people to put their lives on the line for such a poor film. 

Rating: 2/5 

Shiv Rawail’s Alpha (2026)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the seventh entry in the YRF Spy Universe. Not only due to the poor word of mouth surrounding it, but because the prior entry in the franchise, War 2 (2025) was so disappointing. 

What I can say is that it is an infinitely more enjoyable film than War 2, although it does have several issues that stop it from being one of the best entries of the franchise. The main issue is the miscasting of Alia Bhatt in the lead role who is wholly unconvincing as a supposedly top-tier assassin. Her action scenes come off as somewhat unconvincing, even though the fight choreography is suitably solid. It doesn’t help that Bhatt’s character is either emotionless or a complete bitch for the majority of the film's runtime. 

Sharvari actually makes more of an impression as Bhatt’s long-lost sister, with her showing more personality and being more convincing in the film's action scenes. Even so, her performance alone wouldn’t have been enough to hold interest so thank God for screen veteran Anil Kapoor who steals the show, reprising his character from War 2. 

Bobby Deol also impresses as the film’s main villain, being one of the series’ more memorable bad guys. Then there’s superstar Hrithik Roshan who cameos as his War character Kabir, making the most of his 10-minute screen time. To be honest, Roshan probably gets the film's most memorable sequence, even if it is blatantly ridiculous. It will be interesting to see where the franchise takes his character next. 

Ultimately, Alpha could have been better, but it is a more than serviceable action thriller, and still keeps you wanting to see where the YRF Spy Universe franchise will go next.

Rating: 3/5

Mike Christie’s Wham! 10 Days in China (2026)

Coming out on a limited cinema release last month, Mike Christie’s Wham! 10 Days in China made its television debut this week, allowing audiences a unique insight into this frankly mental period of history. 

Even if you're not a Wham fan, there is so much to enjoy about this documentary, with it being a wonderful history lesson of times gone by. Filled with a fine mixture of hilarious, dramatic, and traumatic footage, director Christie combines all this footage to make one of the most exhilarating documentaries of the year. 

Western audiences may be surprised by just how culturally different the China of 1985 was. With Wham being the first Western band to ever play there, a culture clash was bound to happen, but I never expected it to be the way in which it is documented. It would seem the Chinese government of 1985 really just wanted everyone to toe the line, with one poor bugger even getting arrested for the dangerous crime of enjoying himself. 

However, the Chinese government doesn't come off as bad as the press, who prove to be complete arseholes throughout. It seems no matter what country they hail from, they just love to rile people up and talk absolute pish. 

With George Michael being no longer with us, it was refreshing to see his attitude at the time, with him speaking a lot of sense whilst looking absolutely scunnered on more than one occasion. Andrew Ridgeley can sometimes come off as antagonistic but fares extremely well here. The interview footage is all good, but it's the concert footage that makes the film come alive, and even if you're not a Wham fan there is no denying the talent on stage. 

It’s also interesting to see footage of veteran director Lindsay Anderson included in the film, as he was originally hired to document the band’s visit to the country. His version was ultimately blocked for whatever reason. Judging by the footage of him here, it was possibly due to a dislike of Michael and Ridgeley as Michael eventually took over the edit of the film and turned it into the documentary Wham! in China: Foreign Skies (1986). 

Some have said that Anderson’s cut, If You Were There, was both boring and scornful of Wham as a band, with Anderson being more interested in the changes happening within the Chinese government than what the band were doing. Eventually, If You Were There was screened publicly in 2024. 

Rating: 5/5

Peter Thorwarth’s Blood & Gold (2023)

The release of Blood & Gold had truly passed me by. I knew nothing about this film before stumbling upon it. Released on Netflix back in 2023, it would appear that it has mostly gone unnoticed. This is a shame, as this is one extremely entertaining WW2 actioner, filled to the brim with intense gun battles, tension, and mystery. 

Taking place at the tail end of WW2, the film focuses on Christian Becker’s deserting Wehrmacht veteran Heinrich, and his numerous run-ins with a group of vile members of the SS. His escape brings him to a small village, but there is no safety for him there, with the SS occupying the area in their search for hidden gold. 

With how it is shot, the violence and musical score, director Thorwarth is clearly looking to mix the Spaghetti Western with the war film. Some would undoubtedly compare the film to the works of Tarantino, as if he came up with these genres that he unceremoniously pilfers from. Whilst Blood & Gold could be considered as being derivative, please don’t say it's from Tarantino, as there are much better influences on show here. 

Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, Blood & Gold is a tight, excitingly staged action movie and one of the better films to come out of Netflix in some time. 

Rating: 4/5

Clint Eastwood’s Blood Work (2002)

Based on Michael Connelly’s book of the same name, Blood Work is definitely a lesser film in the Eastwood canon, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad film. Eastwood brings his typical skill and professionalism behind the camera, while being his usual commanding self in front of it. His character isn’t anything new for Eastwood in terms of personality, with him being his loveably gruff self, but having his character go through a heart transplant shakes things up a little bit. 

The majority of the film takes a leisurely approach as Eastwood looks into a mysterious serial killer, but it is never boring. Eastwood even throws in a couple of small action scenes that allude to his films of years past i.e. Dirty Harry (1971). Considering he was in his early 70s during production, Eastwood is still in great shape and is still wholly convincing as a tough guy, even if his heart issues slow him down. 

Typically for Eastwood, Blood Work is shot in a no-bullshit manner, more interested in telling the story than flashy visuals. The photography is crisp and clear and the score by Eastwood regular Joel Cox fits the story being told. Sure, this could be considered run of the mill for Eastwood, but it’s always great to see him on screen. 

He is capably backed up by a likeable Jeff Daniels, who may know more than he is letting on. Anjelica Huston is always good, here playing an old battleaxe of a doctor sick of Eastwood’s shite. Paul Rodriguez does somewhat get on the tits, but that’s the point, whereas Dylan Walsh is totally wasted in a nothing role as Rodriguez’s partner. 

Written by Brian Helgeland, this could be seen as one of his more generic offerings. He would follow this up a year later with another Eastwood movie, the Oscar-nominated Mystic River (2003). What is particularly interesting about this is that in the same year he would go on to write and direct possibly one of the worst films I have ever seen, the supernatural shit show that is The Order (2003).     

Rating: 3/5

Dave Green’s Coyote vs Acme

For a while there, it looked like Coyote vs Acme would never see the day, with Warner Brothers' own complete fuckwit trying to shelve it as a tax write-off. The fact he felt this was a viable option, and that somehow Coyote vs Acme was unreleasable tells me a couple of things about Zaslav. One, no matter how many millions he’s worth, he’s a fuckin idiot. Second, he’s obviously a crook when trying to write a fully completed film off as a tax write-off stating it's unreleasable only to be found out he was clearly lying. So Davy, how many other tax write-offs have there been? Talk about running a company into the fucking ground. 

Anyway, Coyote vs Acme is exactly the film you either hoped or expected it would be, filled with knowing nods to Looney Tunes history with enough social commentary and laughs to make it a winner. Both Will Forte and John Cena get ample opportunity to show off their comedy chops, but it is Wile E. Coyote who steals the show, with the filmmakers not giving in to the urge and having him talk. 

Most of Looney Tunes’ favourites show up in supporting roles, with even the animated Peter Lorre making an appearance, with this easily being one of the film's many highlights, along with a brief showing from sex pest Pepe Le Pew. 

The animation is beautifully integrated into the real-world setting, with the characters having as much personality as any of the film's human cast. It also shows how far animation has come since the likes of Joe Dante’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).

The film isn’t perfect, with some of the jokes falling slightly flat, but for the most part, this is a fun and heartfelt comedy, one that young and old viewers will appreciate.

Rating: 4/5

John Flynn’s The Outfit (1973)

Please provide the text you would like me to fix for spelling errors. There have been numerous films based on the books of Richard Stark a.k.a. Donald E. Westlake and his infamous professional thief Parker. Typically, the character's name has been changed in his transition to the screen, being called Walker in Point Blank (1967), McClain in The Split (1968), and Porter in Payback (1999). It actually wasn’t until Jason Statham’s portrayal of the character that he was eventually given his proper name on screen, with him playing him in Taylor Hackford’s Parker (2013). 

For me, each take on the character has its own merits, but the standout is clearly John Flynn’s The Outfit, where Robert Duvall plays our Parker variant, this time called Earl Macklin. While the name may have been changed, the character's toughness and steely resolve haven’t been diminished, with this being one of the most hard-hitting takes on Stark’s novels. 

Flynn keeps things moving at a great pace, never shying away from the violence or dark themes that make Stark’s stories stand out. Employing the skills of ace director of photography Bruce Surtees additionally helps matters, giving the film a gritty, realistic look that sets the overall tone of the film. 

Robert Duvall may not be your initial idea of “Parker,” but he is easily one of the most convincing, with him bringing a cold toughness to proceedings. In some respects, he is a character that is hard to like, but he still lives his life to a code and is loyal to his friends. 

1973 proved to be quite the year for Joe Don Baker, not only featuring in this but starring in Charley Varrick (1973) and Walking Tall (1973). Now Charley Varrick is easily one of the best crime thrillers of the seventies, but The Outfit doesn’t come far behind it in terms of quality, with both films featuring a terrific Baker performance. Both films show his character's propensity for violence; the difference in Varrick is that his character is a sadist. 

Karen Black does get somewhat overshadowed in this “macho” tale, but still does well, with her character feeling extremely real, not falling into the typical love interest that later action films would feature. 

I should also mention Hollywood great Robert Ryan, who gives one of his last performances as the crime boss Duvall and Baker find themselves going up against. He only has a handful of scenes, but as expected, he is wonderful in all of them. As I have said before, Ryan was incapable of putting in a poor performance.  

Director John Flynn would go on to direct the cult favorite Rolling Thunder (1977), another violent, gritty revenge thriller. It is probably the better known of Flynn’s films due to being co-written by Paul Schrader as well as the praise heaped upon it years later by Quentin Tarantino. Not that I am saying it isn’t a great movie, but personally, I would put The Outfit above it in terms of enjoyability. 

Rating: 4.5/5