HO-HO-OH NO
What "brilliant" Disney+ executive said: "You know what we need? Another unnecessary Home Alone movie, but one where the only likeable characters are the 'robbers' who are getting royally screwed over by capitalism, so every time the little brat hurts them with a 'comedic' trap, you actually feel really bad." Home Sweet Home Alone is a tonal mess because the lead kid who's left home alone — Max (Archie Yates) — is a pure menace with none of that Macaulay Culkin charming naivete. Meanwhile the robbers (Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper, both doing the absolute most with what little the script gives them) are just parents trying to save their home for their kids after job loss. They only try to break into Max's house to retrieve a priceless doll that they think Max stole. Instead of a series of comedic pratfulls, Home Sweet Home Alone essentially becomes kid-friendly torture porn, because this monsterous child is brutalizing the people you want to see win. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
GRAINS OF TRUTH
What if the world truly were run by a shadow government? What if lizard people, clone replacement programs, mole people and more were all real and orchestrated (or covered up) by a secret corporation? Netflix animated series Inside Job takes a humorous look at what that world might look like, while poking fun at some of the more ludicrous conspiracy theories that linger today. Follow scientist Reagan as she tries to step into leadership while keeping her major snafus along the way out of the news. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
ALRIGHT ALREADY
Dazed and Confused bombed at the box office before becoming a cult fave flick for its depiction of one night in the lives of late-'70s teenagers in small-town Texas. I don't know that I'd call it a "classic," but the book Alright Alright Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused makes a pretty good case for that label. Even better, author Melissa Maerz uses her extensive interviews with everyone involved — cast members, studio execs, Linklater himself — to create a revealing look at how the film industry functioned in the early '90s, especially for a buzzed-about young auteur like Linklater with only one feature to his credit (Slacker). If you're a Dazed fan, this book is worth a read or listen to its audio version. (DAN NAILEN) ♦
