Boots Riley has another weird, wonderful Oakland film

Leave it to Boots Riley to dream up one of the craziest (and we mean that in a good way) streaming series yet in 2023.

The Oakland filmmaker and influential music man delivers another jaw dropper — this time for Prime Video — with “I’m a Virgo.” The biggest release in theaters this week finds Wes Anderson meandering through another visual wonderland, this time set in the ‘50s Southwest (Spain doing a fine job understudying for much of it).

The big news for MCU fans is that Disney+’s “Secret Invasion” proves to be a big step forward for the MCU. If you prefer Westerns, well pardner, we’ve got one starring a “Black Panther” series standout.

Here’s our roundup.

“I’m a Virgo”: It’s always an E-ticket ride whenever Boots Riley cooks up something new, no matter if it’s music, a film or, now, a TV series. The Oakland fount of creativity follows up his wild bit of absurdism — 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You” — with another bold brushstroke of originality that is also set in Oakland and shakes it head at out-of-control greed. The Prime Video eight-part series is doled out in 30-minute-or-so bite-sized chunks, and each one is about as unpredictable as anything you’ll likely see all year. It’s a surreal “Gulliver”-like fable about 13-foot-tall 19-year-old Cootie (Jharrel Jerome, the utter personification of innocence and curiosity). Sheltered by his aunt and uncle who ban him from eating anything processed, Cootie wants to just break free from their bonds and hang out with newfound friends as well as the woman he’s crushing hard on at a burger joint in The Town. Then there’s that oh-so-white Hero he’s read about in the comics. How do their stories collide? You’ll have to watch and find out in yet another surreal head trip from one of the Bay Area’s visionary artists. Walter Goggins is a standout in a supporting role. Details: 3½ stars out 4; out June 23 on Amazon Prime.

“Asteroid City”: As it turns out, the joke’s on the audience for Wes Anderson’s droll bit of tomfoolery, and that’s fine, given that the distinctive craftsmen’s latest gorgeous-to-look-at production is both carefree and entertaining, even if it doesn’t amount to much. There will be those who will read something more meaningful into his fanciful and beguiling pop-art enterprise, but really there’s no need to overstrain yourself; this is the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy. Overstuffed per the norm with Anderson players — Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson and so on — it also adds new faces, including East Bay native Tom Hanks (given little to do), for a slice of 1955 Americana that gets served pipin’ hot in the American Southwest town of Asteroid City, population 87. That colorful (it is Anderson after all) desert pitstop not only attracts a troop of young brainy stargazers and their parents for an astronomy to-do, but an actual alien encounter. When Anderson sticks to just that story and hones in on the flirtatious interactions between photographer Augie Steenbeck (Schwartzman) and the screen siren Midge Campbell (Johansson, channeling Elizabeth Taylor and other icons), “Asteroid City” goes into orbit. But it makes a crash landing whenever Anderson intermixes it with meta B&W scenes of a playwright (Norton), as well as the backstage antics of the “actors” who are playing the characters and a wistful narrator (Bryan Cranston) who warbles on — and on. It’s nothing but an annoyance and intrudes on the playful “story” itself.  The other parts are pure magic. Details: 3 stars; in theaters June 23.

“Secret Invasion”: Equal parts “Bourne Identity” and TV’s “Alien Nation” series,  Marvel Studios’ smart and snappy six-part series (only two episodes were made available for review) corrects some of the Marvel wrongs committed on film, namely the loosely scripted ways of  “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Showrunner Kyle Bradstreet calibrates the action with intriguing scenes, giving us a smashing showdown that pits a rogue band of shape-shifting aliens (repeat Marvel players known as the Skrulls) with the always-welcome Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a league of others, including the good-guy Skrull Thalos (Ben Mendelsohn) and a could-be-shady MI-6 agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman, classing it all up). Built more around a serpentine conspiracy rather than nauseating CGI action sequences, “Secret Invasion” moves at a thoughtful pace, and even touches on issues resonant today — in particular, global disinformation campaigns and how they can pivot countries into war. Marvel buffs will be able to collect their fair share of Easter eggs, but this one can be enjoyed by a PG-13-suitable crowd that prefers action (this one is pretty violent, though) with a relatable plot that doesn’t require you to watch all in the MCU canon to understand what is going on. In supporting roles, Kingsley Ben-Adir stands out in this promising leap forward for Phase 5 of the MCU. Details: 3 stars; available June 21 on Disney+.

“Surrounded”: Director Anthony Mandler’s survival-of-the-fittest Western dusts off old-school tropes and reinvigorates them rather than reinvents them. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Letitia Wright’s fierceness fits snugly in the role of former Buffalo soldier Moses “Mo” Washington, a woman pulling a Yentl on other cowboys five years after the Civil War so no one will deter her from a goal of staking her claim in gold country out West. Best laid plans, of course, go awry when outlaw Tommy Walsh (Jamie Bell) and his odious posse attack a stagecoach she’s traveling on, and through a twist of fate Mo then keeps watch over Tommy.  There’s not much of a plot, per se, but the sweeping cinematography by Max Goldman is stunning as it roams over those New Mexico landscapes. There’s even a small but crucial role from the late Michael K. Williams. If you’re a fan of Westerns, you won’t want to miss this exciting genre entry. Details: 3 stars; available June 23 on Amazon Prime and Google Play.

“Maximum Truth”: Who would have thought that Ike Barinholtz and Dylan O’Brien would make such an ideal comedy team? Together and apart, they’re both hysterical as a bumbling campaign team with the sue-’em-all lawyer Rick Klingman (Barinholtz) posturing as an inept candidate while his “muscle” and clueless idea man Simon (O’Brien) plots to run a smear campaign on the other guy. The actors’ gift for comedic timing and the sharp tongue-in-cheek screenplay from Barinholtz and director David Stassen make this mockumentary a scream, and a takedown of empty-headed gotcha politicking. “Truth” gives off a breezy “Schitt’s Creek”-like vibe throughout as hucksters Rick and Simon — who lives with his mom — try to dig up any dirt on an ethical politician (Max Minghella). It’s painfully funny given that at many times “Maximum Truth” does speak the truth — almost too authentically — about the politics of today. Details: 3 stars; out June 23 in theaters and available to rent online.

“Extraction 2”: If you’re looking for a nuanced, character-driven screenplay that makes actual sense, avoid this in-your-face Netflix sequel to that mammoth Chris Hemsworth 2020 hit. But if you’re looking for wall-to-wall stunts and action — including a video-game-like 21-minute sequence in a prison that’s virtually one shot – this is absolutely for you. Left for dead after the first film, mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) agrees after resting up and getting his Rocky Balboa workout on to rescue his ex-wife’s sister from a nasty Georgian prison where she’s locked with her kids and abusive husband. The setup is flimsy, and while screenwriter Joe Russo creates a hissable group of bad guys, it’s as predictable as movies come. No matter. What counts in an action film is the action, and former stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargrave more than delivers on that promise. As a bonus, Idris Elba pops in, working his magic and smoothly upstaging everyone else. Details: 3 stars, available now on Netflix.

“The Last Rider”: What was it like to be a competitive cyclist in the chew-you-up, beat-you-down Tour de France before the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong? Director Alex Holmes puts us into the saddle, and into the psyche, of renowned American cyclist Greg LeMond, a triple Tour de France winner, who took to riding when his family moved to Lake Tahoe. “The Last Rider” shifts gears between LeMond’s life and his career, and address his childhood sexual abuse and how those suppressed emotions came to the fore during his first Tour win. Although traditionally assembled –  interviews with LeMond, his wife and others involved with the Tour – LeMond’s triumphs over adversity and his fidelity to the sport he cherished reminds us of the purity of a race that’s been forever tarnished by some of those afterwards. Details: 3 stars; in theaters June 23.

“20 Days in Mariupol”: Frontline and the Associated Press collaborated for this grim, essential piece of journalism, an immersive account from Ukrainian journalists at the AP who spent nearly three weeks embedded in a port city targeted and mercilessly attacked by Russia. The tight-knit consisted of the only journalists in the city, where a hospital and maternity ward came under fire and left many dead. Director Mstyslav Chernov has made a historical account that is unsparing in its details, from the mass graves to the bloodbaths in hospitals and elsewhere. It’s both urgent and necessary and provides a complex time capsule of the war. Given the misinformation and lies so easily dispersed these days, it’s vitally important to be on the ground with legitimate news sources to document the truth as it unfolds. Details: 3½ stars; opening June 23 at the Roxie.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].

Leave it to Boots Riley to dream up one of the craziest (and we mean that in a good way) streaming series yet in 2023.

The Oakland filmmaker and influential music man delivers another jaw dropper — this time for Prime Video — with “I’m a Virgo.” The biggest release in theaters this week finds Wes Anderson meandering through another visual wonderland, this time set in the ‘50s Southwest (Spain doing a fine job understudying for much of it).

The big news for MCU fans is that Disney+’s “Secret Invasion” proves to be a big step forward for the MCU. If you prefer Westerns, well pardner, we’ve got one starring a “Black Panther” series standout.

Here’s our roundup.

“I’m a Virgo”: It’s always an E-ticket ride whenever Boots Riley cooks up something new, no matter if it’s music, a film or, now, a TV series. The Oakland fount of creativity follows up his wild bit of absurdism — 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You” — with another bold brushstroke of originality that is also set in Oakland and shakes it head at out-of-control greed. The Prime Video eight-part series is doled out in 30-minute-or-so bite-sized chunks, and each one is about as unpredictable as anything you’ll likely see all year. It’s a surreal “Gulliver”-like fable about 13-foot-tall 19-year-old Cootie (Jharrel Jerome, the utter personification of innocence and curiosity). Sheltered by his aunt and uncle who ban him from eating anything processed, Cootie wants to just break free from their bonds and hang out with newfound friends as well as the woman he’s crushing hard on at a burger joint in The Town. Then there’s that oh-so-white Hero he’s read about in the comics. How do their stories collide? You’ll have to watch and find out in yet another surreal head trip from one of the Bay Area’s visionary artists. Walter Goggins is a standout in a supporting role. Details: 3½ stars out 4; out June 23 on Amazon Prime.

“Asteroid City”: As it turns out, the joke’s on the audience for Wes Anderson’s droll bit of tomfoolery, and that’s fine, given that the distinctive craftsmen’s latest gorgeous-to-look-at production is both carefree and entertaining, even if it doesn’t amount to much. There will be those who will read something more meaningful into his fanciful and beguiling pop-art enterprise, but really there’s no need to overstrain yourself; this is the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy. Overstuffed per the norm with Anderson players — Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson and so on — it also adds new faces, including East Bay native Tom Hanks (given little to do), for a slice of 1955 Americana that gets served pipin’ hot in the American Southwest town of Asteroid City, population 87. That colorful (it is Anderson after all) desert pitstop not only attracts a troop of young brainy stargazers and their parents for an astronomy to-do, but an actual alien encounter. When Anderson sticks to just that story and hones in on the flirtatious interactions between photographer Augie Steenbeck (Schwartzman) and the screen siren Midge Campbell (Johansson, channeling Elizabeth Taylor and other icons), “Asteroid City” goes into orbit. But it makes a crash landing whenever Anderson intermixes it with meta B&W scenes of a playwright (Norton), as well as the backstage antics of the “actors” who are playing the characters and a wistful narrator (Bryan Cranston) who warbles on — and on. It’s nothing but an annoyance and intrudes on the playful “story” itself.  The other parts are pure magic. Details: 3 stars; in theaters June 23.

“Secret Invasion”: Equal parts “Bourne Identity” and TV’s “Alien Nation” series,  Marvel Studios’ smart and snappy six-part series (only two episodes were made available for review) corrects some of the Marvel wrongs committed on film, namely the loosely scripted ways of  “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Showrunner Kyle Bradstreet calibrates the action with intriguing scenes, giving us a smashing showdown that pits a rogue band of shape-shifting aliens (repeat Marvel players known as the Skrulls) with the always-welcome Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a league of others, including the good-guy Skrull Thalos (Ben Mendelsohn) and a could-be-shady MI-6 agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman, classing it all up). Built more around a serpentine conspiracy rather than nauseating CGI action sequences, “Secret Invasion” moves at a thoughtful pace, and even touches on issues resonant today — in particular, global disinformation campaigns and how they can pivot countries into war. Marvel buffs will be able to collect their fair share of Easter eggs, but this one can be enjoyed by a PG-13-suitable crowd that prefers action (this one is pretty violent, though) with a relatable plot that doesn’t require you to watch all in the MCU canon to understand what is going on. In supporting roles, Kingsley Ben-Adir stands out in this promising leap forward for Phase 5 of the MCU. Details: 3 stars; available June 21 on Disney+.

“Surrounded”: Director Anthony Mandler’s survival-of-the-fittest Western dusts off old-school tropes and reinvigorates them rather than reinvents them. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Letitia Wright’s fierceness fits snugly in the role of former Buffalo soldier Moses “Mo” Washington, a woman pulling a Yentl on other cowboys five years after the Civil War so no one will deter her from a goal of staking her claim in gold country out West. Best laid plans, of course, go awry when outlaw Tommy Walsh (Jamie Bell) and his odious posse attack a stagecoach she’s traveling on, and through a twist of fate Mo then keeps watch over Tommy.  There’s not much of a plot, per se, but the sweeping cinematography by Max Goldman is stunning as it roams over those New Mexico landscapes. There’s even a small but crucial role from the late Michael K. Williams. If you’re a fan of Westerns, you won’t want to miss this exciting genre entry. Details: 3 stars; available June 23 on Amazon Prime and Google Play.

“Maximum Truth”: Who would have thought that Ike Barinholtz and Dylan O’Brien would make such an ideal comedy team? Together and apart, they’re both hysterical as a bumbling campaign team with the sue-’em-all lawyer Rick Klingman (Barinholtz) posturing as an inept candidate while his “muscle” and clueless idea man Simon (O’Brien) plots to run a smear campaign on the other guy. The actors’ gift for comedic timing and the sharp tongue-in-cheek screenplay from Barinholtz and director David Stassen make this mockumentary a scream, and a takedown of empty-headed gotcha politicking. “Truth” gives off a breezy “Schitt’s Creek”-like vibe throughout as hucksters Rick and Simon — who lives with his mom — try to dig up any dirt on an ethical politician (Max Minghella). It’s painfully funny given that at many times “Maximum Truth” does speak the truth — almost too authentically — about the politics of today. Details: 3 stars; out June 23 in theaters and available to rent online.

“Extraction 2”: If you’re looking for a nuanced, character-driven screenplay that makes actual sense, avoid this in-your-face Netflix sequel to that mammoth Chris Hemsworth 2020 hit. But if you’re looking for wall-to-wall stunts and action — including a video-game-like 21-minute sequence in a prison that’s virtually one shot – this is absolutely for you. Left for dead after the first film, mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) agrees after resting up and getting his Rocky Balboa workout on to rescue his ex-wife’s sister from a nasty Georgian prison where she’s locked with her kids and abusive husband. The setup is flimsy, and while screenwriter Joe Russo creates a hissable group of bad guys, it’s as predictable as movies come. No matter. What counts in an action film is the action, and former stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargrave more than delivers on that promise. As a bonus, Idris Elba pops in, working his magic and smoothly upstaging everyone else. Details: 3 stars, available now on Netflix.

“The Last Rider”: What was it like to be a competitive cyclist in the chew-you-up, beat-you-down Tour de France before the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong? Director Alex Holmes puts us into the saddle, and into the psyche, of renowned American cyclist Greg LeMond, a triple Tour de France winner, who took to riding when his family moved to Lake Tahoe. “The Last Rider” shifts gears between LeMond’s life and his career, and address his childhood sexual abuse and how those suppressed emotions came to the fore during his first Tour win. Although traditionally assembled –  interviews with LeMond, his wife and others involved with the Tour – LeMond’s triumphs over adversity and his fidelity to the sport he cherished reminds us of the purity of a race that’s been forever tarnished by some of those afterwards. Details: 3 stars; in theaters June 23.

“20 Days in Mariupol”: Frontline and the Associated Press collaborated for this grim, essential piece of journalism, an immersive account from Ukrainian journalists at the AP who spent nearly three weeks embedded in a port city targeted and mercilessly attacked by Russia. The tight-knit consisted of the only journalists in the city, where a hospital and maternity ward came under fire and left many dead. Director Mstyslav Chernov has made a historical account that is unsparing in its details, from the mass graves to the bloodbaths in hospitals and elsewhere. It’s both urgent and necessary and provides a complex time capsule of the war. Given the misinformation and lies so easily dispersed these days, it’s vitally important to be on the ground with legitimate news sources to document the truth as it unfolds. Details: 3½ stars; opening June 23 at the Roxie.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].