“Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie” 

(Documentary: 2 hours, 00 minutes) 

Starring: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong and Lou Adler

Director: David Bushell

Rated: R (Drug content throughout, sexual material, language and some nudity.)

Movie Review:

“Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie” is one of the better productions from the comic duo Richard ‘Cheech’ Marin and Thomas ‘Tommy’ Chong. Current ages best.  It gives you a candid look at these men, now ages 78 and 86. They still love their marijuana, but they also share insights about their life off the stage, such as their dealings with family, friends and others in their entertainment circle.

This documentary starts with the two men in a car on a desert highway, looking for a place called The Joint. As they travel, they recollect their past, including the good and bad times. They are more seasoned entertainers now and, in many ways, more interesting as people and comics. Their richly lived pasts offer a nice retrospective.

This documentary shows you two men who, like everyone else, have complex lives. Tommy Chong, a musician, songwriter and director, is notably interesting off stage. He shuffles between two interracial families and tells how he integrated children and wives. Interestingly, the wives, the former and current, have cameos in this movie that are amusing.

Cheech Marin’s early life shows the racism he faced as a Chicano American in the 1950s and 1960s United States. Otherwise, his life is more traditional than Chong’s. Marin Marion went to a Catholic school and later to college. He planned on being a priest until showbiz gained his attention. “Last Movie” does not offer as much insight into Marin’s family life as it does Chong’s.

Their desire to entertain caused them to encounter each other and become a sensational comedic team. When the two men became Cheech and Chong, their lives changed, and the number of people observing them grew.

Like good documentaries, “Last Movie” gives a history for these two men before jumping to what made them famous. This insight is good. Even better, is watching the two men now is older people reminiscing, including a disagreement that caused a turbulent relationship during their movie-making period from 1978’s “Up in Smoke” through the 1980s. The argument drove them apart for a while.

Directed by Daniel Manahan, this movie makes Cheech and Chong interesting again, giving the suspicion that this may not be their last movie. They remain a dynamic duo.

Grade: B (This nostalgic trip is one of their best.)

 

“Until Dawn”

(Horror: 1 hour, 43 minutes) 

Starring: Peter Stormare, Ella Rubin and Belmont Cameli

Director: David F. Sandberg

Rated: R (Strong bloody violence, gore, strong language)

Movie Review:

“Until Dawn,” based on the 2015 survival horror video game entitled the same, has all the tropes of modern horror movies. Mix those elements with a repeating day sequence like “Groundhog Day” (1993), and audiences have an entertaining screenplay, but one that is thoughtless simultaneously.

Five young adults, who seem as if they could be family members but are not, find themselves in a rural area. Clover (Rubin) leads the group there looking for her sister Melanie, who mysteriously disappeared. The five people stumble upon a house, a seemingly welcome station for visitors. The place has been deserted since 1998, based on artifacts within the structure. Soon, the five young people are reliving the same night. The problem is they are killed each night.

Many horror flicks feature a time loop inclusion: “Happy Death Day” (2017), “Triangle” (2009) and “Jagged Mind” (2023). “Until Dawn” is one of those movies that the longer it continues, the more awkwardly asinine it becomes. Just when the scary stuff starts, characters try to explain matters with crackpot scientific theories.

Peter Stormare reprises his role of Dr. Hill in what starts as an intriguing story setup but quickly becomes bad psychological science fiction. Unlike the video game on which this is based, one cannot hit the reset key on the controller.  

Grade: C (See it before dawn to get the matinee price.)

 

“On Swift Horses”

(Drama: 1 hour, 59 minutes) 

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva and Sasha Calle

Director: Daniel Minahan

Rated: R (Sexual content, nudity, violence and language)

Movie Review:

“On Swift Horses” is a romantic drama starring two people caught between lovers. This movie is based on the 2019 novel by Shannon Pufahl. The problem is that it feels like you need to read the book to understand the movie. Producers assume most people have read the book, so they craft a story that leaves much to the imagination.

From Kansas to California during the 1950s, Muriel (Edgar-Jones) and her husband Lee Walker (Poulter) have a committed relationship, or so it seems. Muriel ventures on a trek of self-discovery that leads to bisexuality. She has a relationship with Lee and begins one with Sandra (Calle), her neighbor. Muriel also desires a love affair with Julius (Elordi, who played Elvis in 2023’s “Priscilla”), Lee’s brother. Julius falls for Henry (Calva), a Mexican-American who dually faces discrimination because of his race and sexuality.

Edgar-Jones, currently in an off-screen relationship with Elordi, presents a lovely appeal that one wants her character Muriel to be happy. Poulter’s Lee has plans to have a family with Muriel and start it in a nice neighborhood. Poulter plays Lee with a certain silence that speaks volumes. Elordi and Calva’s characters form a neat relationship, but writers Bryce Kass and Shannon Pufahl fail to make their romance persuasive. This also is true of Edgar-Jones coupling with Calle. Muriel and Julius’ lives could easily be two separate, better movies.

While it is good to see a movie showcase sexuality and its complexities within society, “On Swift Horses” never quite gets a footing to establish its fascinating couples, played by an attractive and capable cast. The characters have complex lives that are never fully explored enough to be abundantly engrossing.   

Grade: C+ (Too swift to develop its interesting people.)