Lorne (2026)

Lorne Michaels, the maverick behind Saturday Night Live for the past five decades, is given his own spotlight here, where he is as cagey, elusive and stoic as ever, including to his own friends and co-workers. This doc attempts to penetrate the mystique that surrounds this aura with a cheeky narrative approach that guesses at half-truths, along with some candid footage of the man behind the curtain at Studio 8H, where he ushered in an era of counter-cultural voices and leaves behind an enormous legacy of comedic talent. Yet, at the end of the day, we still don't know much more than when we started. 

2½ Dr. Evil impressions out of 5

Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)

Chris Farley's next big screen outing proved that he could capably headline his own solo feature film. Adopted into a Japanese monestary as a baby and believed to be the prophecized "Great White Ninja," Haru is raised as one of their own and trained in the ninjutsu ways, but still grows up to be fat and clumsy. He is recruited on a mission to Beverly Hills by a beautiful woman where it becomes a strange fish out of water story, in a take on films like American Ninja and Beverly Hills Cop. The laughs are big and broad, which might not be suited to everyone's sensibilities, but it's funny if you bring yourself down to its level. These movies are sweet at their core and don't deserve the amount of critical vitriol they received at the time. I just want to live in the spaces where it exists because life seemed a lot simpler back then.

3½ astral projections out of 5

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Tony Scott takes over the reins from the original, resulting in a much more action-oriented approach, but a lot less brains. The result is not quite as memorable or iconic as the first film, but the catchy soundtrack remains.

Murphy reprises his role as smart-aleck Foley, with John Ashton returning as the hard-nosed sergeant, but Judge Reinhold undergoes a bit of character assassination here as a gun nut. It mostly thrives off the camaraderie and witty repartee between Axel, Rosewood and Taggart, and sometimes that's enough.

3 shoot-outs of 5

Spiral (2021)

AKA: Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Chris Rock heads a second effort to breathe new life into the withered Saw series. The result feels slicker, with a bit of dark humor injected, although it takes on more of a straight procedural format. While it does a good job at emulating the gritty tone of the earlier films, the audience has already been down this path one too many times before, so it doesn't offer much to differentiate it from the pack. Plans for a direct sequel were quickly discarded and they went back to the drawing board.

2 familiar tattoos out of 5

TOP FIVE [2014]

Comedian Chris Rock pushes himself forward by writing, directing and starring in his own film (with the help of music heavyweights Jay-Z and Kanye West producing).
The romantic/comedy with a sneer Top Five proves itself to be quite witty, entertaining and subtly funny.
It follows the story of a slapstick comedic actor, on his way out of the popularity door, that's attempting to be taken seriously with a less than stellar historic drama.  A character study of stardom, being true to oneself, and racial issues are all supported by extended scenes of cleverly observational dialogue that aren't always laugh out loud funny but constantly gets the brain working.  Rock displays a side of vulnerability and sensitivity that I never really knew he had in him and that makes for a breezy but very likeable film.

3 bear-cops out of 5

Pootie Tang (2001)

Don't judge me.

This was a really bad comedy. The only reason I sought it out is because it was the first and only directorial effort by Louis CK, a comedian whose work I've been appreciating more and more. But even this was a step back for him. Pretty much based off a character from The Chris Rock Show (which I've never been a fan of), it's filled with many talented actors, but not enough comedy. Shot on a shoestring budget, it's a one-note idea stretched far too thin, and it shows.

1 loss of respect out of 5