Tag: Movies

Bill Maher settled on a curious recurring joke during his interview with Spencer Pratt.

The future Mark Twain Prize winner told Pratt to stop making the L.A. mayor’s race so darn “personal.”

Sure, your house burned to a crisp thanks in part to government incompetence, but isn’t it time we look past that nagging issue?

Maher’s gag fell flat the first time he tried it, while Pratt took it with surprising grace. The host trotted it out a few more times during their hour-plus conversation.

By the end, it seemed obvious that Maher was on Team Pratt. He just couldn’t say it out loud.

He didn’t have to.

The curious exchange found Maher gently pressing Pratt on several key issues, from the city’s current, dysfunctional state to the future of solar panels in the Golden State.

The latter was a rare swing-and-miss for Pratt, but he quickly recovered to say that renewable energy isn’t atop his “to-do” list.

Nor should it be given L.A.’s sizable flaws.

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Maher remains a loyal Democratic voter, but he suggested he may not pull the lever for either Mayor Karen Bass or far-Left candidate Nithya Raman.

How?

“You had me at hello,” Maher told Pratt at the end of their conversation. Yes, Maher is liberal and he adores his adopted city of Los Angeles.

He also knows societal decay when he sees it.

“I didn’t know until I talked to you … but you have the exact right impatience with this s***. It’s very authentic,” Maher said.

It’s one thing for Pratt to drop by Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” The right-leaning candidate did just that a few days ago, a venue that let him share his talking points with little blowback.

Visiting with a man renowned for his liberal politics is something else.

The fact that Pratt either won Maher over or the comedian was sold on Pratt’s campaign long before he entered the podcast studio speaks volumes. At times, Maher played the political advisor, suggesting where Pratt should tone down his pitch and where to double down on it.

He’s clearly rooting for him to shake up the status quo, if not win the whole shebang.

It’s also noteworthy that Maher would “platform” Pratt in the first place. The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” recently savaged Pratt from his ABC pulpit, a blend of partisanship and personal attacks. 

Wouldn’t it be easier to invite Pratt onto the ABC show and settle things in person? Kimmel would never do such a thing. His audience would revolt.

More importantly, he might get his clock cleaned by Pratt, rhetorically speaking.

Maher understands having Pratt on the air is more than just a great talk show “get.” It’s a way to save Los Angeles from its disastrous status quo.

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Quick, who have benefited from the U.S. more than Taylor Swift?

Tough question, right?

America has delivered endless dreams to hard-working patriots, immigrants seeking a brighter future and those who never stopped reaching for their stars.

And then there’s Swift. She’s the biggest pop star on the planet, a 30-something artist who has taken full advantage of the freedom and opportunity America offers. To her credit, she’s made the most of every chance her country gave her.

Now, it’s time to return the favor, but it won’t be easy.

Swift should agree to join the flailing Freedom 250 concert lineup, the very one that shed the vast majority of its acts in recent days. Artists like Bret Michaels, Martina McBride, Young MC and more broke their promises to appear because:

• The event proved more political than they expected (sans proof)
• The event put their lives in jeopardy (potentially true given the Left’s lust for violence)
• Everyone else is quitting, so …

Pick your choice. 

Editor’s Note: It’s a brutal time to be an independent journalist, but it’s never been more necessary given the sorry state of the corporate press. If you’re enjoying Hollywood in Toto, I hope you’ll consider leaving a coin (or two) in our Tip Jar.

Either way, the fallout is clear. Even C-list stars aren’t willing to face the professional blowback for aligning with a concert that’s pro America and, potentially, Trump adjacent.

President Donald Trump created the Freedom 250 group to honor the nation’s 250th birthday next month. Toward that end, it designed a massive, state fair-like gathering to celebrate the milestone.

And, once progressive pressure came down on the acts in question, they bailed one by one.

Vanilla Ice may be the last act standing.

“It’s all about enjoying the great times of 250 years. From George Washington to now. All the presidents and everybody in between, this is a magical event that’s gonna happen,” he said in the video. “It’s very rare. I’m honored, man. This is gonna be epic. And that’s it. We don’t take anything too seriously, and we’re gonna bring the ‘90s, that’s how it works.”

Not all heroes wear capes. And it’s well past time for Swift to either try one on or channel her inner Ice.

Why? 

The nation’s birthday shouldn’t be a partisan slugfest. We all know if President Kamala Harris sparked the Freedom 250 group, the concert would be wall-to-wall superstars. Springsteen. Beyonce. Roan. Bunny.

Except Harris couldn’t topple Trump at the ballot box. That means artists would rather do anything except perform for the nation’s big birthday. Their patriotism ends when Democrats don’t hold the levers of power.

See how this works?

If Swift ignored the corrupt Legacy Media and her fellow progressives to anchor the ceremony, she would singlehandedly resurrect the concert.

And it would start with a soul-searching Instagram post.

Y’all know I didn’t pull the lever for Donald Trump. And I disagree with many of his philosophies. But the country’s 250th birthday is bigger than one president. It’s about the American experiment, an evolving dream that has given the world so much.

That’s why I’m putting politics aside to honor my home’s 250th birthday. And I hope you’ll join me in D.C.!

Now, the chances of that happening are even slimmer than Lloyd Christmas landing a date with his dream girl.

Still, Swift is perfectly positioned to do just that and give America the patriotic present it deserves. She’d be crucified in the media, of course. MS NOW-style outlets would burn endless calories attacking her choice.

The op-eds would be legendary, as would the snark from her fellow stars.

Remember how the press turned on her for not immediately backing Hillary Clinton for president? If you don’t, just know that some media outlets suggested she was a White Supremacist.

Really.

Swift is literally too big to cancel. If she stood her ground and sang for her country out of pure gratitude, she’d survive the “scandal.”

She survived that faux controversy. And, chances are, she’d survived this one, too.

And, here’s betting, other musicians would follow her lead. America deserves nothing less.

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Lilly Wachowski wants a major movie studio to fund the director’s passion project.

So far, no takers.

Wachowski famously co-directed both “Bound” and, later, “The Matrix.” The latter rocked Hollywood, changing the way we process action movies. The film’s provocative themes and aesthetic gave Wachowski the ability to tell any story, any time.

Except the director’s follow-up projects either disappointed (two “Matrix” sequels) or outright flopped.

Think: “Jupiter Ascending,” “Cloud Atlas” and “Speed Racer.” Three high-profile duds, at least from a box office perspective.

Why would any studio trust Wachowski at this point?

Except the director has an answer for this creative dry spell. It’s fascism, don’t you know.

I feel like the industry is a microcosm of what is happening all around the world: the consolidation of wealth, the corporate consolidation that you’re seeing. It’s creating an ecosphere where fascism can thrive, and so within that ecosphere, queer stories, trans stories, Black and brown stories are all on the chopping block.

Even venerated film directors are struggling to get new projects off the ground. John Waters comes to mind. So does John Sayles. Kathryn Bigelow spent time in Director’s Jail following her 2017 flop “Detroit” before her 2025 Netflix comeback, “A House of Dynamite.”

Wachowski takes big swings, no doubt. Perhaps a better approach moving forward is taking a cue from the next generation of visionaries, directors like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons.

Make more with much, much less. Those filmmakers rocked the box office with projects that cost less than $10 million.

Earlier in the IndieWire chat, Wachowski skewered film critics, a body that leans relentlessly to the Left. Not according to Wachowski. Consider this reflection on the release of “Bound,” a film following a lesbian couple battling with the mob.

I remember the first screening that we had [at Sundance] was hugely tempered because the day of our screening — that morning — a review came out in Variety by Todd McCarthy, and he just trashed the film…The film played well, it won over the crowd, but since then, I was always skeptical of critique and came to understand, much later, the motivation, and why do people write what they write. Sometimes that stuff is seeped-in misogyny; sometimes it’s seeped-in homophobia; sometimes — a lot of the times — it is seeped-in, sort of, anti-socialist tendencies. And so you end up with these reviews, or critique, that has nothing to do with your film, but has to do with ideological differences.

Wachowski is partly right. Modern film critics routinely let their biases, both cultural and political, sway their reviews. It’s often in the service of a left-leaning agenda.

Just ask Jim Gaffigan, who bristled at critics for reviewing elements of his film that didn’t exist.

Wachowski suggested this liberal body is misogynist, homophobic and anti-socialist.

That seems … unlikely, to say the least.

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Director John Carney may have peaked with “Sing Street,” but we still need his brand of music-driven cinema.

The director struck gold with both “Once” (2007) and “Begin Again” (2013). His ode to ‘80s music, 2016’s “Sing Street,” may be the best Reagan-era flashback since “The Wedding Singer.

But Carney’s fine but formulaic “Flora and Son” went straight to Apple TV+ and lacked the filmmaker’s signature touch. Now, he’s back on solid ground with “Power Ballad,” a film boasting a stellar first act but a story unsure how far to push its premise.

Paul Rudd stars as Rick, a wedding singer who once dreamed of being an arena rock god. Fate had other plans, and he settled for a blissful marriage and being a Dad to a sweet, well-adjusted teen.

Playing classic rock for newlyweds scratches that old, artistic itch.

Barely.

Those old dreams resurface when he bumps into an aging boy band alum, Danny (Nick Jonas, perfectly fine but far from remarkable). The two get drunk, tinker with their respective music and bond over unfinished tracks.

The sequence works, in part, because Rudd can do virtually anything on screen. Plus, Carney’s musical instincts remain uncanny. You don’t have to be a guitar hero to admire two artists stumbling along until the right riff emerges.

This is Carney’s sweet spot.

Except one of their collaborations sticks in Danny’s head. And, when his label demands he come up with a hit, or else, he swipes one of Rick’s old noodlings. Voila, his ice cold career is hot again.

Naturally, Rick hears the song and can’t believe Danny betrayed their trust. What happens next isn’t as wacky as the film’s trailer suggests. Nor is it cynical to the core.

“Power Ballad’s” mid-section is unfortunately flabby, even if the film’s core gimmick is rock solid. Carney isn’t quite sure where to take this tale. Will Rudd channel his inner “Role Models” character and hound Danny until he admits to his pilfering?

Might Danny regret using a stranger’s song to boost his career?

“Power Ballad” does get some mileage out of Rick’s bandmates. They’re a talented group of Irish musicians with big personalities, and they offer some texture to the tale. Rick’s wife (Marcella Plunkett) doesn’t get anough screen time, and when some major tension rocks their bond later in the film, the circumstances seem driven by plot, not character development.

And as good as it was to watch Rick and Danny collaborate in those early scenes, the film can’t dig deeper into that connection.

“Power Ballad” isn’t as cynical as it could be, nor as hard edged as the story demands. Carney’s screenplays (this time with co-writer Peter McDonald) are still better than many modern storytellers. His comic timing never betrays him, and Rudd’s exasperation at missing his last chance for stardom is oddly relatable.

Carney’s best films deliver instantly catchy songs, from the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly” to “Begin Again’s” “Lost Stars” and “Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home.”

The key track here, “How to Write a Song (Without You)” is fine. Nothing more. But when we’re asked to believe it could revive Danny’s career and become the “It” hit of the moment, it’s no sale.

Still, there’s a maturity to “Power Ballad” that’s hard to shake and easy to admire. Imagine “Power Ballad” under a more conventional approach, from the inevitable comic violence to an ending guaranteed to answer all our nagging questions.

Carney mostly resists that safe, sugary potential.

This is adult storytelling, and if that means we aren’t spoon fed easy solutions or cathartic third-act reveals, so be it.

Just look for a street busker cameo for the ultimate Carney easter egg. This talented filmmaker has more than earned it.

HiT or Miss: “Power Ballad” is the equivalent of a great Yacht Rock song. It’s easy to enjoy and will leave your feet a-tapping, but you might forget all about it in short order.

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Bonnie and Clyde robbed banks.

So do the antiheroes in “Carolina Caroline,” except the filmmakers are too enamored of the duo to tease out right from wrong.

It’s the biggest hurdle this indie film encounters, smacking its narrative shin in the process. The other is less obvious but profound. We’ve seen these characters too many times before, and “Carolina Caroline” isn’t sly enough to make them stand out from the crowd.

Star Samara Weaving tries her best, and at times her stirring work comes close. It’s not enough to salvage the feature.

Weaving plays Caroline, a Heartland gal whose life hasn’t panned out as planned. She lives with her father (Jon Gries) and makes a modest living at a local convenience store. That’s where she meets Oliver (Kyle Gallner), a moody rebel who plays the locals for fools.

And, to be fair, they go along a mite too well.

She’s enamored with his moxie and willingness to bend society to his liking. They fall in love, fast and hard, and he takes her on as a protégé. Who would think such a stunner would pull two-bit scams on unsuspecting souls?

Suddenly, her small-town dreams aren’t enough. He offers her a way to do more than just survive. Yes, that means they’ll soon be robbing banks.

If you think you know where this story is going … give yourself a gold star. Part of “Carolina Caroline’s” problem is how predictable this template proves. We’ve seen too many charismatic strangers lure broken women down dark paths.

Screenwriter Tom Dean does little to shake up that formula. It’s all there, from her budding confidence to the close calls the duo face as they strive for bigger targets.

Weaving and Gallner boast crackling chemistry, and there’s something enthralling about seeing them build each other up. Oliver isn’t as cruel as most characters in this story template, which is both smart and part of the story’s undoing.

He’s tender and empathetic, yet he’s willing to put her in harm’s way. Repeatedly. What kind of partner does that, even a kinder Clyde type?

“Carolina Caroline” makes no fuss about the crimes in question. Sure, the two rationalize their schemes, but it’s pure spin.

They’re two-bit hoodlums, no matter how they frame their actions.

Caroline’s backstory has her pining to visit South Carolina, presumably where her estranged mother lives. Said Momma, given an over-the-top turn by a recognizable star, explains some of Caroline’s emotional pain.

It’s still not enough to justify the moral pretzel twists on display. But that’s modern Hollywood for you. Too many films make us root for antiheroes, putting the law on a back burner. Heck, our broken economy (late-stage capitalism!) gives crooks an unblinking green light.

Sorry. Not even close.

That moral toxicity gives way to a third act teeming with genre action, at least until a sinking feeling emerges.

Whose side is this story on?

We’ve seen endless hitman movies begging us to cheer on unrepentant killers. It’s a trend the woke mob allowed without incident, one of many reasons not to trust that crowd.

The recent “Emily the Criminal” suggested the antihero’s thievery made her worthy of an aw, shucks finale.

“Carolina Caroline” is far messier, to its credit. It’s also fallen so hard for its leads that its final sequence, meant to be a “yessss” epilogue, becomes more of a sickening sigh.

HiT or Miss: Strong performances and a sturdy soundtrack give “Carolina Caroline” a welcome pulse, but we’re left wondering why lawbreaking is suddenly hip on screen.

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Let’s start with the obvious.

Remaking “Cape Fear” isn’t the best use of Apple TV’s resources. Or any studio, for that matter.

Did anyone complain about the 1962 original or that gonzo Martin Scorsese’s update?

It doesn’t help that the series needle drops Bernard Herrmann’s epic score and recycles Scorsese’s X-ray visuals from the 1991 version.

Stop reminding us that two superior films exist for all to see. Please.

What emerges is a watered-down plot that drowns the original chills, replacing them with head-scratching twists and lukewarm suspense. The show’s A-list cast is left scrambling to explain why they’ve gathered in the first place.

NOTE: This critic screened the first three installments of a 10-episode saga.

It’s Javier Bardem’s turn to play Max Cady, a wrongfully convicted man who spent more than a decade behind bars. Yeah, he looks guilty of something, but the system betrayed him.

Or was it his legal representation?

We’re in spoiler territory, but the setup isn’t dramatically different than the previous films, both inspired by John D. MacDonald’s “The Executioners.”

Married lawyers Anna and Tom Bowden (Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson) live in Savannah with their teen son and daughter. The girl (Lily Collias) is a high-achieving athlete, while their son (Joe Anders) is a sullen lad with a lot on his plate.

Anna worked on Max’s defense, and she’s understandably shaken to learn what happened to his case. Her motives are murky, to say the least.

She should pay more attention to her quasi-Southern accent. Yikes.

The Bowdens fear Cady’s arrival on the scene will crush their picture-perfect life, a potent theme that show creator Nick Antosca (“Candy,” “Brand New Cherry Flavor”) fumbles early on.

Meanwhile, Anna’s boss (CCH Pounder) sees Max’s case as a perfect way to promote her Innocence-style legal project. Pounder’s character milks Cady’s case to fund her nonprofit, but it’s a one-dimensional portrait that’s beneath the great character actress.

The Bowdens seem ripe for an implosion long before Max shows up, but is he responsible for the eerie events that start happening to the family?

The “new” story expands the “Cape Fear” canvas, deletes parts of the 1991 version and flirts with woke themes without going the full Lena Dunham. A key character’s sexuality doesn’t track with the earlier version of the film. 

The not-so-hidden attacks on the legal system suggest another progressive tic.

Tom’s legal career isn’t as high profile as his spouse’s, an angle left to dangle in the first few episodes. Other problems swamp such minor complaints.

The narrative head scratchers pile up fast, from the couple’s on-again, off-again ties to Max to Tom’s potential infidelity. Why would Patrick flirt with a female colleague at home while his son is lurking nearby?

There’s almost nothing here that wasn’t presented with more clarity or excitement before. It’s a crackerjack story warmed over for a new generation.

Bardem works hard to make Max a memorable figure, and he has moments where he flexes his character’s menacing side. The show’s 10-episode arc means his full nature may take time to emerge, another reason the show’s thrill factor feels incomplete.

And there’s a casting decision that can’t be shared here, but it offers another reminder that a remake should do all it can to improve on the source material.

If it can’t, why bother?

“Cape Fear” debuts on Apple TV+ June 5.

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Some examples of media bias are so blatant they practically scream their intentions.

Take the year-long mourning over Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” cancellation. Week after week, saw news articles bemoaning his late-night fate. Most journalists ignored the fact that the show cost CBS $40 million a year.

Oops! Did we leave that out?

Sources inside CBS have suddenly become much more forthcoming about the economics of late-night television—go figure!— revealing that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has recently been running at an annual shortfall of $40 million. https://t.co/N0H1wR1qHp

— LateNighter (@latenightercom) July 18, 2025

Had Colbert spent the last decade skewering President Joe Biden, Senatorial hopeful Graham Platner and other progressives, the same journalists would have pinned a “Kick Me” sign to Colbert’s back on the way out the door.

Instead, they collectively recoiled at his dismissal, dubbing him an “avenger” and a “minister” to a troubled nation.

Really.

Now? It’s Stephen Colbert who? 

Why? CBS News head honcho Bari Weiss is cleaning house at another hard-Left institution – “60 Minutes.” Yes, the same program that got pummeled by President Donald Trump’s lawyers for selectively editing Kamala Harris to make her sound smart in the final days of the 2024 presidential campaign.

The same “60 Minutes” that tried to fix the 2004 election with a “fake but accurate” story smearing President George W. Bush.

The same “60 Minutes” that fought with President Trump over the Hunter Biden laptop, insisting it lacked the resources to see if it was the real deal.

Remember when Trump tied to bring up Hunter Biden’s crimes and Lesley Stahl laughed and called it discredited? pic.twitter.com/Gk6BwCDPWw

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 3, 2024

It was … and they were terrified to learn the truth.

That “60 Minutes.”

Now, with center-Left Weiss attempting to bring the show to the journalistic center, the same Colbert defenders are rallying behind the just-fired Scott Pelley.

He’s been a part of the far-Left show for years, and he epitomized the modern journalist – arrogant, biased and willing to publicly trash his bosses, assuming said bosses wouldn’t fire employees for insubordination.

Wrong.

He’s out of a job, and the media is in full meltdown mode. Here’s a Google News snapshot.

That’s a small sample of the media coverage.

“60 Minutes” legend Steve Kroft says the news program has become “disastrous” under CBS News boss Bari Weiss.

“It’s the highest rated news program on television, and it has been that way for more than 50 years. The audience was up about 9% last year. Why would you mess with… pic.twitter.com/xOGFCfRaiQ

— Variety (@Variety) June 3, 2026

WTF Is Happening at CBS and ’60 Minutes’?

Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was fired from the gold-standard program on Tuesday, in the latest sign of chaos at the iconic show. https://t.co/sZEtqmrauJ

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) June 3, 2026

Scott Pelley is speaking out after being fired from “60 Minutes” with accusations that CBS leadership has forced bias and catered to politicians. https://t.co/mpW0QWdEIg

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 3, 2026

Wait … who is Scott Pelley? Newsbusters offers a crash course on his chronic liberal bias.

Consider this softball he lobbed to President Joe Biden:

“Joe Biden is among the longest-serving politicians in Washington. If there is less bounce in the step than there once was, if the words don’t flow like they used to, maybe there’s something to be said for knowhow, five decades on the Hill and in the Oval…You have lived a long life of triumph and tragedy. In November, you’ll be 80. And I wonder what it is that keeps you in the arena.”

Or this commencement address during the second President Trump administration, which doubled as an MS NOW audition tape:

“Our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack, universities are under attack, freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak in America….In a moment like this, when our country is in peril, don’t ask the meaning of life. Life is asking, what’s the meaning of you?”

Is it any wonder journalists forgot Colbert’s cancellation to mourn yet another far-Left figure?

And, for added context, consider how little attention these same journalists paid to a former president suffering from obvious cognitive decline?

What’s the worst example of Pelley’s liberal bias that you remember?

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You can’t say the Wayans didn’t warn us.

The family behind the “Scary Movie” franchise returns this weekend with the sixth installment of the franchise. Just don’t call it “Scary Movie 6.” It’s just “Scary Movie,” thank you.

Their mission? Challenge audiences and bring real comedy back to movie theaters. Critics are greeting the latest film in the comedy series like an unwanted house guest.

Be gone!

The movie, opening nationwide this weekend, has a measly 25 percent “rotten” rating over at RottenTomatoes.com. General audiences have yet to weigh in on the title.

The film reunites key franchise players like Regina Hall, Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans and Cheri Oteri. The targets? “Sinners.” “Weapons.” “Get Out.” And more. Much more.

RELATED: THE USUAL SUSPECTS ALREADY TRIGGERED BY SCARY MOVIE

It’s been 13 long years since “Scary Movie 5,” and there’s plenty of horror fodder to spoof. Except critics aren’t laughing.

The far-Left TheWrap.com played the film’s alleged ideology against it.

The film’s stubborn insistence that nothing about ‘Scary Movie’ needs to change and it’s the children who are wrong now makes its profane and controversial jokes feel conservative.

And? Is that bad? Are the jokes funny or not? Isn’t that the more pertinent question?

The critic’s review reads like a crossover from TheMarySue.com, with talk of punching down and related silliness. This isn’t 2020 anymore.

RELATED: WOKE KILLED COMEDY (AND HERE’S THE PROOF)

And, since it matters, Team Wayans isn’t conservative. Or necessarily liberal. They go where the funny is, which makes them subversive in the modern era.

Toward that end, they’ll happily mock Trump voters and pronouns in a single movie. Just try and stop them.

The Guardian’s negative review also teases with the notion that mocking Millennials and Gen Z for their “safe spaces” and speech codes is, gasp, a bad thing.

Yet there are also increasing notes of sourness as Scary Movie goes on – a lack of generosity toward the younger generation that goes past playful ribbing and sometimes feels downright hostile to the very existence of anyone who dares follow them.

Film critics routinely put their thumbs on the scale of movies that don’t align with their worldview. And, if a project is under fire from right-leaning sources, they take sides.

None of this will impact the box office, most likely. The previous films weren’t critical darlings, and early predictions suggest the film will earn $45-55 million this weekend alone. That’s a big score for a comedy feature, which generally aren’t as budget heavy as other summer spectacles.

What’s your favorite “Scary Movie” character?

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“The Daily Show” attempted some fair and balanced political satire this week.

Yes, that’s a newsworthy moment.

Late-night hosts serve the DNC. Are they paid contributors or is it simply for the love of the game? We may never know, but when a show actually mocks a Democrat, it’s shocking.

Desi Lydic of “The Daily Show” did just that. She dared to mention the humiliating saga of Graham Platner. He’s the “oyster farmer” and Reg’lar Guy who hopes to dethrone Sen. Susan Collins in Maine.

Except there’s just one problem for the Democrat. Actually, dozens.

RELATED: DID ‘DAILY SHOW’ HOST JUST EXCUSE POLITICAL VIOLENCE?

Platner’s past and very recent past have caught up to him. Where to even begin?

• He had a Nazi tattoo on his chest for 18 years before he covered it up last year
• He has disparaged specific U.S. Military members
• He just got busted in an alleged sexting scandal
• He pushed his wife to record a video defending him against said alleged scandal
• He has an active account on Kik, a platform known for very, very bad behavior

That’s a partial list. And, around the Beltway, everyone expects more shoes to drop. Shoes that make his Nazi tattoo look quaint by comparison.

Still, kudos to “The Daily Show” for even mentioning Platner’s name. The show did its usual dodging though, yukking it up over a minor matter in Platner’s dating profile pic to distract from the larger issues in play.

The Democrats are rallying around a guy with a Nazi tattoo. The Left went from “Punch a Nazi!” to “Elect Our Nazi.”

Except Lydic had even juicier material in hand – Colorado’s own Victor Marx. He’s running for governor on the Republican ticket, and he may be the worst candidate in a very, very long time.

Sound hyperbolic?

Victor Marx claims to have been forced to kill a man at age 7. And he talks about the necessity of killing people in the course of his “high-risk missionary” work. So I asked him how many people he’s killed on his missions.

“Does it matter?” Marx said. pic.twitter.com/AnmSo7ABwI

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) May 28, 2026

See?

Lydic dedicated the bulk of the segment to a Kyle Clark/Marx interview shown on Denver’s KUSA-TV last week. She could have done an entire episode on it, frankly. Marx’s answers bordered on the surreal.

She didn’t have to say much during the segment. Just contort her face and mug for the cameras. Marx’s answers proved comedy gold.

“This guy is the Republican front runner in Colorado,” she said. That’s not necessarily true. Polling has been scarce in Colorado, and one poll that showed Marx dramatically ahead was pushed out aggressively by his camp.

Even worse for the would-be governor?

When pressed on some of his campaign’s dubious claims during this week’s gubernatorial debate (the only one he attended) Marx suggested his dog can back up his claims.

That actually happened. 

If late-night activists want to pound the GOP moving forward, they may want to relocate to Colorado or, more specifically, Marx’s campaign headquarters.

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The Wayans vowed to push back against the woke scolds with a sixth “Scary Movie” feature.

That they do.

The new film features trans characters, pronouns, BLM and other culture war topics. Nothing is sacred or off the table, just as they promised.

The problem? They forgot to make any of the above funny. Not remotely so.

It’s an anything goes affair, scampering from meta yuks to gags only franchise devotees will get. The result? An exhausting example of how NOT to do a movie parody.

Ghostface is back, but this time he’s targeting the teen daughter of franchise regular Cindy (Anna Faris). That’s more or less the plot, folks.

The film pings in so many directions you forget you’re watching a feature film. It’s a series of limp sketches and references to recent horror movies like “Sinners,” “Weapons,” “Longlegs” and “Get Out.”

The characters break the fourth wall to remind us what the story is from time to time. Or how Hollywood treats remakes and reboots.

Or the minor details behind the franchise.

The film begins with a whimper and slowly slides downhill. A recent Oscar nominee anchors the prologue, but she proves far from the best choice for this kind of material. That, plus a brief second prologue, come and go with nary a smile, let alone a laugh.

Uh oh.

We immediately sense this movie was a terrible idea, and 20 minutes later, we’re darn sure of it.

Sitting down for Scary Movie 6.

Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/OWQqdSHNlP

— Worth it or Woke? (reviews) (@worthitorwoke) June 5, 2026

One sequence has a pulse. The three vampire figures from “Sinners” knock on the main characters’ door and perform a TV show theme song. The choice of material is smart, and the reaction to it makes sense. And it’s legitimately funny.

That brief moment suggests what this film might have been. And it’s over in a blink.

You may smile a time or two over a singular quip in “Scary Movie,” especially since the Wayans flood the zone with gags. There’s zero comic momentum afoot. The physical gags are obvious and strained, as is virtually every element of the film.

The newer, younger characters prove forgettable, while the old guard (Faris, Regina Hall and Cheri Oteri) hardly make the case for their return. And while the Octavia Spencer film “Ma” proved a guilty pleasure, leaning so hard on it with Hall’s character makes no sense.

Don’t blame the stars, though.

The ghosts of Gilda Radner, John Belushi and Richard Pryor couldn’t breathe life into this screenplay, credited to Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans and Rick Alvarez.

But will “Scary Movie” trigger the woke scolds as promised? Yes and no. 

That group got triggered by the trailer. Still, it’s hard to find any running gag or joke “offensive” when they’re so poorly written and choreographed.

We’re hungry for comedies that satirize today’s warped world. Yes, this franchise focuses on the horror genre, but a respectable sequel could do both.

Instead, this is a lazy, scattershot dud that delivers the least laughs in the series. A series, by the way, with plenty of dead spots.

“Scary Movie” plays out like a franchise on life support, not one brought back to life to crush the dying woke movement.

HiT or Miss: “Scary Movie” is a sure bet to be on many “Worst of the Year” movie lists. It richly earns it.

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