Saturday, May 30, 2026

Top 10 Dwayne Johnson Films

 

Sherman J. Pearson here for another Top 10. Dwayne Johnson is now at 10 films on his LRF resume - interestingly half are live-action while the other half are animated, so it seems like a good chance to make a Top 10 list....

Top 10 Dwayne Johnson Films
10. Rookie's Road
9. The Banded Ants 2 - The Mortal Enemy
8. AGOS: A Game of Survival
7. Kazaria: Burns of the Lavita
6. The Banded Ants 3 - Showdown
5. Scrappy
4. The Banded Ants
3. The Fall Guy
2. The Fall Guy: Trouble in Tahiti
1. Donkey Kong Country

Friday, May 29, 2026

Release: Donkey Kong Country

 

Donkey Kong Country
Genre: Animation/Comedy/Adventure
Director: Mike Mitchell
Writer: APJ
Based on the Nintendo video game series
Voice Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Skyler Gisondo, Danny Glover, Mark Hamill, Kiernan Shipka, Elizabeth Banks, Dax Shepard, Ike Barinholtz, Fred Armisen

Budget: $120,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $372,337,999
Foreign Box Office: $348,096,669
Total Profit: $242,043,104

Reaction: Donkey Kong Country closes its theatrical run as the second highest grossing animated film in LRF history, so it's obvious that we're pleased with the results.




"Who expected Dwayne Johnson to play the role of Donkey Kong? Even more so, who expected him to give such a charismatic and likable tint? Okay, probably everyone, but still, Donkey Kong Country is a surprisingly fun time that doesn't make a monkey out of itself with its coming-of-age story for Donkey Kong. Add in a few great character beats, some engaging fight sequences and a thrillingly hammy performance from Mark Hamill, and you have one of the best animated films in LRF history." - Mitchell Parker, New York Times


"Donkey Kong Country is a colorful, high-energy adaptation that captures the chaotic charm of the games while delivering plenty of inventive action. Director Mike Mitchell leans into slapstick and momentum, with standout sequences like the mine cart chase and the Gangplank Galleon finale. Dwayne Johnson brings an easy charisma to DK, while Skyler Gisondo’s Diddy provides much of the film’s comedic spark. It’s light, fast, and consistently entertaining—even if it never aims for much more." - Trevor Malloy, Saturday Morning Review


"While Donkey Kong Country nails the look and kinetic energy of the games, it struggles to build a story around them. The plot is thin and predictable, with character arcs—especially DK’s—feeling rushed and surface-level. The voice cast is a mixed bag: Johnson fits the tone, but others feel underused or mismatched, and Mark Hamill’s K. Rool, while fun, leans heavily on familiar villain beats. Kids will likely enjoy the nonstop action, but the film rarely rises above a collection of set pieces." - Caroline Hedges, The Family Screen Journal







Rated PG for action, mild peril, and some rude humor.








GAME TO FILM: DONKEY KONG COUNTRY

 

Welcome back for an all-new Game to Film! This time around, we will be taking a look at the voice cast for the latest Nintendo adaptation.... Donkey Kong Country. Mike Mitchell (Kung Fu Panda 4, Trolls) is helming the animated film from a script by APJ (Batman: Duality, Broadway Joe).













Thursday, May 28, 2026

Now Showing: Donkey Kong Country

 

Donkey Kong Country
Genre: Animation/Comedy/Adventure
Director: Mike Mitchell
Writer: APJ
Based on the Nintendo video game series
Voice Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Skyler Gisondo, Danny Glover, Mark Hamill, Kiernan Shipka, Elizabeth Banks, Dax Shepard, Ike Barinholtz, Fred Armisen

Plot: Morning breaks over Kong Island, the jungle alive with sound. Birds scatter around a massive treehouse built over a glowing gold cave. Donkey Kong (Dwayne Johnson) snoozes atop a throne of golden bananas, snoring blissfully while Diddy Kong (Skyler Gisondo) zips around on a cobbled-together go-kart outside. Diddy revs it up and crashes it through the treehouse deck, waking up DK and his grandfather Cranky Kong (Danny Glover). Cranky scolds DK for sleeping on a treasure his ancestors fought for. DK brushes him off, stuffing a banana in his mouth.

That night, as lightning cracks across the island sky, shadowy figures slip through the trees. Kremlings creep into the hoard cavern with net launchers and crates. Diddy hears something and peeks outside, only to be pounced on by Klaptrap (Fred Armisen), a tiny yapping gator with a mouth too big for his body. DK awakens to find the hoard gone and Diddy dragging himself back, bruised and wide-eyed. Cranky’s face is grim. This wasn’t just theft - it was an attack on the Kong legacy. But DK, still half-asleep, only seems to grasp the scope of it when he sees the empty cave echoing behind him - all his gold bananas gone.

Far offshore, King K. Rool (Mark Hamill) watches from the deck of his rusting pirate ship, The Gangplank Galleon. He holds a banana aloft like a trophy, ranting to Krusha about how this will finally rewrite the balance of the island. The bananas aren’t food—they’re power, legacy, joy. And now they’re his. Back on land, DK straps on his wristbands with new resolve. Diddy clambers onto his shoulder, hooting in excitement. With Cranky grumbling behind them - “Don’t trip over your own ego” - the two launch into the trees. The quest begins.

DK and Diddy plunge into Vine Valley, crashing through exotic jungle foliage and leaping across mossy platforms. Diddy shows off, flipping mid-air. Zingers - large wasp-like threats - swarm in from their hives above, forcing Diddy and DK and swing and dodge their stingers. They fall through a canopy into a field of bouncing drums and must time their jumps to avoid plunging into a pit of snapping plants. After a frantic escape, DK and Diddy finally make it to the safety of a checkpoint shack. Candy Kong (Elizabeth Banks) is already there, sunglasses on. She offers them glowing “banana boosters” - trail snacks that recharge their strength - and tries not to laugh as DK awkwardly flirts, flexing while Diddy makes exaggerated gagging noises. Candy warns them about a flooded canyon on their route ahead. DK says he's not afraid of a little water. Candy then mentions it's the eels he should be afraid of. 

Moments later, DK and Diddy are underwater, paddling through the blue waters. Enguarde the Swordfish bursts through patch of seaweed. DK and Diddy grab his dorsal fin and hold tight as he speeds through coral reefs and abandoned mine tunnels, fending off chomping clams with his sword-like snout. They finally surface in a sunken Kremling outpost, where crates marked with the Banana Hoard insignia are being shipped by barge to Crocodile Cove. A Kremlin patrol spots them. DK and Diddy leap onto a mine cart that leads into the Monkey Mines. DK barely fits in his cart and causes sparks with every bounce. Diddy launches ahead, steering like a pro. Behind them, Klaptrap rides a cart half his size, but spins out on a broken rail. The track breaks into three separate paths: one full of fire barrels, one with a rotating gear trap, and one missing entire stretches of track. DK tries to catch up to Diddy, using sheer muscle to lift his cart onto the right path. They narrowly avoid a collapsing bridge and burst through a wall of rock - landing with a thud right in front of dozens of Kremling guards waiting outside the mines. Suddenly DK and Diddy are rescued by Funky Kong (Dax Shepard), who swoops in on his barrel-copter, asking if they need a lift. DK and Diddy leap up to the chopper. Funky flies them to a cliffside above the ocean, explaining the K. Rool is parked offshore at Crocodile Cove and finalizing the launch of a Mega Banana weapon. Funky tells them that they will have to find a way to the shop without him as K. Rool would see his barrel-copter a mile away. With that, Funky flies off, leaving DK and Diddy at the cliffside.

DK scratches his head, trying to figure out the best way to get to K. Rool's ship. Diddy suggests they swim or make a raft, but DK knows the bad guys will see them coming if they try that. DK then discovers an old go-kart in the brush nearby. DK immediately begins inspecting the go-kart and gets it running. DK then tells Diddy that he has an idea. DK and Diddy strap into the go-kart. DK revs the engine. The kart launches over the cliff, landing hard on the Gangplank Galleon's deck, smashing through crates and sliding into a hangar full of Kremlings. Diddy rolls a barrel at them, knocking them over like bowling pins, while DK uses a barrel like a boxing glove and takes out the rest with a massive punch. Klaptrap emerges. DK puts a barrel over his snout, making him unable to open his mouth to attack.

In the brig, DK and Diddy find Dixie Kong (Kiernan Shipka), chewing gum with a group of knocked-out Kremlings around her. DK asks what Dixie is doing there. She says she doesn't like pirates. Diddy then asks how Dixie got past the Kremling defenses to make it to the ship. She says she swam there. Diddy chastises DK, pointing out that swimming would have worked after all like he suggested. DK shrugs. The trio then move through the massive storeroom, where Krusha stands between them and the banana core reactor. Dixie distracts Krusha with insults about his dental hygiene while DK sneaks behind Krusha and slams a barrel over his head. The trio then enter the control room to find K. Rool standing in front of a glowing, pulsing Mega Banana - powered by the banana hoard itself. He mocks DK, calling him a mascot, not a leader. DK stares at the weapon, then at his friends. He cracks his knuckles. 

The final fight begins atop the ship’s deck as storm clouds swirl. K. Rool, in full pirate-armor regalia, launches cannonballs from a handheld blaster while the Mega Banana pulses in the background. DK leaps across the deck, dodging explosions, swinging on ropes, and using vine whips to counterattack. Diddy and Dixie help below, sabotaging the power cables while fending off remaining Kremlings. Krusha returns for a final rematch, but this time the three Kongs work in sync. Diddy slingshots Dixie across the deck, where she spins through the air, grabbing DK mid-jump. He launches her at K. Rool’s blaster, knocking it into the Mega Banana. Sparks fly. K. Rool lunges for DK in a final grapple. DK sees the banana hoard glowing behind him. He tightens his grip, lifts K. Rool, and ground pounds the deck, sending his nemesis flying into the sea. The weapon implodes and golden bananas rain from the sky. Cranky Kong watches from the shore, nodding silently. DK smiles at Diddy and Dixie, offers each a fist bump. Funky lands his copter for a lift back to shore. 

Post-Credits:
The golden Banana Hoard is back at Donkey Kong's treehouse where it belongs. DK lounges in a hammock outside, wearing sunglasses and slurping a coconut-banana smoothie through a crazy straw. A soft ding-ding rings out from a rusted jungle mailbox perched at the end of a vine-covered path. DK climbs down from his hammock and gets the mail - a single red envelope with a blue kart-shaped stamp is inside. He tears open the envelope and finds an invitation card: "You are officially invited to compete in the Mushroom Kingdom Grand Prix." As DK squints at the card, he slips on a banana peel, and accidentally backflips into the trees. 


HISTORY LESSON (SEASON 13)

 

Welcome to History Lesson, where we take a closer look at the movies that dare to tackle real-life events with varying levels of accuracy, drama, and WTF casting choices. These films promise to educate and entertain, but more often than not, they rewrite history with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. We’ll be your guide through the land of miscast biopics, dramatic embellishments, and historical “inspired-by” liberties, breaking down whether these flicks are Golden Reel Award-worthy masterpieces or just a big-budget Wikipedia summary. Either way, it’s more fun than your high school history class—and there’s popcorn.

This time around we will take a look at Season 13's fact-based slate....



HISTORY LESSON: BUT WHAT AM I?
Michel Gondry’s But What Am I? rides the fine line between heartfelt biopic and surreal comedy, chronicling Pee-wee Herman’s (Paul Dano) journey from beloved man-child to scandal-ridden recluse to a man rediscovering himself. The film follows Pee-wee — er, Paul Reubens — after his iconic show ends, navigating an existential crisis involving fake proposals, disinheritance drama, and a scandal involving an adult theater that nearly destroys him. Rooney Mara shines as Chandi, an eccentric Hare Krishna adoptee and Paul’s partner in misadventure, while Matt Lucas brings diabolical flair as Bernard, a scheming butler straight out of a telenovela. Gondry’s direction transforms this strange tale into a visual playground, blending whimsical Pee-wee-esque antics with introspective surrealism.

Though loosely based on Reubens’ life, But What Am I? takes liberties as wild as Pee-wee’s famous laugh. Historical accuracy takes a backseat to bizarre twists, like an inheritance scheme that pits Paul and Chandi against Bernard in a battle of wits. The result is a quirky mix of redemption arc and offbeat mystery, with talking furniture, beachside monologues, and a heartfelt exploration of identity. Dano’s performance carries the emotional weight while capturing the joy and chaos of Pee-wee’s world. It’s a poignant, oddball film that celebrates reinvention, proving that even when life hands you scandals, you can still ride off on your Schwinn into the sunset.



HISTORY LESSON: THE TOURNAMENT
Paul Greengrass’s The Tournament transforms Matthew Reilly’s novel into a sprawling historical thriller that blends Elizabethan intrigue with Ottoman grandeur. The film follows a young Princess Elizabeth (Raffey Cassidy) and her mentor Roger Ascham (Jamie Dornan) as they travel to Sultan Suleiman’s (Yilmaz Erdogan) palace to witness a legendary chess tournament in 1550. What starts as a prestigious competition devolves into a web of murders, blackmail, and espionage, culminating in a thrilling blend of deductive logic and moral reckoning. From Sean Penn’s sinister Cardinal to Asa Butterfield’s prodigy under fire, the ensemble cast anchors the film in a treacherous world where every move could mean checkmate.... or death.

Though bursting with political tension and palace intrigue, The Tournament plays fast and loose with historical accuracy. The actual Elizabeth never visited Constantinople, and there’s no record of Suleiman commissioning Michelangelo (Ray Abruzzo) to craft chess pieces or hosting a tournament to pit the world’s best players against one another. However, the film leans into these anachronisms to craft a tense, high-stakes narrative, making the real history secondary to the thrill of watching empires collide over pawns and plots. For fans of speculative historical drama, it’s a gripping reimagining of what might have been.



HISTORY LESSON: THE CRUCIBLE
David Lowery’s The Crucible transforms Arthur Miller’s classic witch-hunting drama into a fever dream of paranoia, bad decisions, and questionable poultry usage. Casey Affleck broods as John Proctor, a farmer whose biggest mistake wasn’t cheating on his wife (Rooney Mara) with Abigail Williams (Hailee Steinfeld) but underestimating just how far Abigail would go to keep the drama alive. After a chicken-blood-and-dancing soirée in the woods turns into Salem’s hottest scandal, Abigail weaponizes 17th-century gossip to become the Beyoncé of witch accusations. Reverend Hale (Damian Lewis) and Judge Danforth (Michael Gambon) try to hold the town together, but between Abigail’s Golden Reel-worthy meltdowns and Proctor’s refusal to sign anything that might ruin his brand, Salem spirals into chaos faster than you can say, “Thou shalt not.”

Historically, The Crucible might take more liberties than a Puritan at a no-questions-asked bake sale. The real Abigail Williams was an 11-year-old, so her supposed affair with Proctor is about as likely as a Puritan disco night. The film nails the Salem vibes - minus the fact that, in reality, the trials were less about lust and more about land disputes and plain old-fashioned fear. But hey, the melodrama is juicy, the stakes are high, and you’ll never look at a chicken or a courtroom the same way again. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that humanity’s true weakness isn’t witches - it’s boredom and bad decisions


HISTORY LESSON: THE WILLIAM HUNG STORY
The William Hung Story is less a movie than a 90-minute existential question: Why does this exist? Jon M. Chu directs with glossy competence, but no one - not the screenwriter, not the cast, not even the ghost of early-2000s irony - seems to know what the film is trying to say. Is it a redemption arc? A satire of pop culture exploitation? A celebration of “you tried” energy?  Hung’s fleeting fame, built on being publicly humiliated, is reimagined here as some kind of inspirational cultural moment, which is as tone-deaf as it is desperate. Nico Santos does his best with a script that vacillates between earnest and embarrassing, but there’s only so much gravity you can bring to lines like “I just want to sing Rocket Man and inspire people.”

The film’s invented suicide attempt is especially egregious - shoehorned in as a manipulative emotional crescendo that borders on offensive. There’s no evidence William Hung ever contemplated suicide, and the scene reeks of the worst kind of Oscar-bait pathos: using imagined trauma to artificially inflate a story that doesn’t warrant this level of dramatization. It's not bold or raw - just exploitative, and deeply irresponsible. Hung’s actual story - that of a well-meaning guy who briefly became famous for singing poorly and leaning into the joke - might’ve worked as a short, self-aware mockumentary. Instead, we get a feature-length melodrama that tries to force pathos onto a punchline. It doesn’t honor Hung’s legacy. It cheapens it.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Release: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Genre: Comedy
Director: Finn Wolfhard
Writer: Alex Conn
Based on the book series by Jeff Kinney
Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Woody Harrelson, Tina Fey, Keith L. Williams, Gracie Abrams, Dominic Sessa, Maude Apatow

Budget: $19,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $14,900,665
Foreign Box Office: $3,100,004
Total Profit: -$17,489,101

Reaction: Not even Finn Wolfhard's die-hard fans could draw fans into the cineplexes for this one - there simply didn't appear to be an audience for an raunchy adult-aimed film based on this kid-aimed book series.





"Despite the film’s self-satisfied warnings, its "edgy" meta-commentary isn't the free pass the filmmakers think it is. While some reboots successfully satirize their source material, this version thinks weed jokes are still the height of wit in 2025. Watching it feels like sitting through a middle school home movie where the only punchline is shouting a swear word every two seconds and calling it "comedy." By the time the credits roll, we’ve heard the same tired profanities so many times that they’ve lost all impact. It isn't edgy or transgressive; it’s just a lazy script that overstayed its welcome about ninety minutes ago." - J. Jonah Johnson, Daily Advisor


"We’ve been here before with Alex Conn: taking a kid-friendly property that already worked and slapping on a so-called “adult twist” in hopes that edge equals insight. The result is the same every time. Characters that aren’t sharper or smarter, just louder and more obnoxious. Diary of a Wimpy Kid has always carried a cynical streak, but it trusted kids to engage with it without crossing into empty provocation. This version doesn’t. The infamous end-credits cursing rant is the clearest example. Less George Carlin, more someone discovering swear words for the first time and daring the audience to laugh. It’s not subversive,  and it misunderstands both its source material and its audience." - Dexter Quinn, Cinematic Observer Newsletter 


"What was once a charming, relatable property is turned into an exhausting, juvenile mess. This version confuses edginess with comedy, piling on profanity, drug use, and sexual humor without much wit or structure to support it. Greg is no longer an awkward underdog but an outright unlikable narrator, making the film difficult to engage with. Even talented performers like Woody Harrelson and Tina Fey feel wasted in material that seems more interested in provoking than entertaining. It’s less a clever reinvention and more a misfire that misunderstands why the original worked." - Darren Holt, The Modern Comedy Review








Rated R for pervasive language, sexual content, drug use, and crude humor throughout.