Spoiler Alert: It's okay for movies to be fun!

 

I've had a busy summer, starting with a trip to India in May and then a few trips visiting family in Minnesota (including CONvergence, where I was on a panel on the Foundation TV show) and some fun witch tourism in Salem, MA with friends. I don't want to be that asshole who complains about having too many travels, so instead I'll say that I haven't had much time or energy for blogging as of late. I haven't made a post in about two months!

To rectify this horrific calamity, I thought I'd write about something that has been rattling around in my head as I've tried to keep up with this summer's busy movie season: it's okay for movies to be fun! 

I've seen a lot of excellent "serious" movies (especially Disclosure Day, The Amazing Digital Circus, and the horror movies grinding up records and getting actual young people into theaters: Backrooms and Obsession). I'll have more to say about those in another post. I also want to get this out there before The Odyssey takes over the summer blockbuster space (I've heard a lot of hype for it, and it will probably live up to it).

These summer 2026 movies have reminded me that movies can be fun: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Masters of the Universe, and Supergirl. (Special mention of one I saw at this year's Chattanooga Film Festival: Jump Scare).

I was hoping to see The Mandalorian and Grogu while I was in Kolkata, India. Alas, the nasty cold I probably got from some sniffly dudes on the plane had other plans. I did see it after I got home, though. And it was super fun!

Star Wars fans are notoriously nasty. Nobody hates Star Wars as much as Star Wars fans. My advice when arguing with Star Wars fans: let the Wookiee win!

I'm not going to argue with anyone who thinks this is just a few episodes of the Mandalorian TV show (more on that in a bit). I'm definitely not going to argue with people who think all Star Wars now has to be Andor. Yes, Andor was great, but it was also very, very serious. The franchise about space wizards with laser swords has to have some room for fun!

And The Mandalorian and Grogu is one of those places! There are some moments that are a bit epic (that AT-AT scene at the beginning comes to mind), but the problem is that the TV show is already close to movie quality, so there's only so much a movie can do. I did love seeing these characters on the big screen. I've loved Baby Yoda (aka Grogu) since the first episode of The Mandalorian. I wholeheartedly agree with Werner Herzog's character: I would like to see the baby.

And see him we do! Some critics complain that there's not much character development, but I think we see a lot of development of the relationship betwen Mando and Grogu. Grogu becomes more of his own person, not just "Baby Yoda" (although he'll always be Baby Yoda to me). Did this feel like a few episodes of the show? Maybe. It probably could have been a nice arc involving the Hutts (Jabba's son has abs? Who knew?). But don't you want to see Mando and Grogu on the big screen, with Ludwig Göransson's score on the big theater speakers? Isn't that more fun? I think so. But then, I love going to the movies. It's fun!

Plus, I got this cool cup!

When I was a kid in the 80's, one of the things I loved the most in this world was He-Man. I loved the cartoon, especially the episodes when He-Man and Skeletor had to team up to defeat a greater enemy. I had a lot of the action figures. I even had a Castle Greyskull (I wish I still had that thing...). I even had a fondness for the1987 live action movie with Dolph Lundgren. I have more recently come to love Skeletor memes.

I'm not always a fan of reboots, but I heard some good things about this one and thought I'd check it out. It was a blast! Honestly, Masters of the Universe is the most fun I've had in a movie theater in a long time. It's a loving homage to the 80's property, but also has a sense of humor about the original franchise and itself. There's even an in-universe explanation for why some of the original character names are so silly ("Ram-man"?).

Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms and Allison Brie as Evil-Lyn steal the show for me, although I also loved Jared Leto's Skeletor (his voice is so strange, Leto's many detractors may not identify him). I also thought the brightly colored sets and costumes were a welcome difference from the often dreary greys of so much contemporary sci-fi. Daniel Pemberton's techno-rock score with guitar assistance from Queen's Brian May was fantastic.

There's also an interesting angle on toxic (and non-toxic) masculinity, which, I mean, a guy called He-Man should probably be thinking about. If only all rehashings of my childhood were so well done. This one both loves the original and has something new of its own to say. Great stuff!

And it's all just so fun! Seriously, check this out whether you loved He-Man as a kid or not. My friend's ten-year-old loved it, so it's not just geezers like me who love this one.

Don't I complain about superheroes taking over my beloved science fiction movies? But don't I go see all the movies, anyway? Yes, and yes. Despite my misgivings, I really enjoyed last year's Superman. It makes for some cool science fiction with a good heart. And it has Krypto, the Superdog. And who doesn't want more Krypto?

I was on one of my many summer trips when Supergirl came out, but I did see it the other day, wanting to see Krypto again while annoying the obnoxious dudebros of the internet who have boringly reviewbombed a woman-led superhero movie (c'mon, dudes, isn't this just boring even for you?).

Milly Alcock brings scruffy charm to Kara, aka Supergirl, traveling around in her spaceship with Krypto getting drunk at some of the scuzziest hives of scum and villainy in the galaxy. She gets mixed up with some space brigands and a girl whose parents they kill. Yikes. Oh, it later turns out the space brigands are kidnapping girls for disturbing purposes... I thought I said this was fun?

Okay, so a fun movie can still be pretty serious at times. And there are some serious moments here. I teared up a few times. I really liked the message about revenge, although it was a bit complicated by the superhero genre's fixation on revenge. On that note, critics complain about the script, but I honestly found it a lot less convoluted and uneven than most superhero films. And there's a fun techno score from Claudia Sarne!

And I didn't even mention Jason Momoa yet! He always seems to be having a fun time no matter what he's doing (this fun may be stretched into a more serious tone in Dune Part 3... but seriously, go watch the new trailer! I'm so excited!).

Grumpy as I may be about the continuing dominance of superhero stuff, I do look forward to seeing Supergirl and Krypto again for another fun time.

Because of my numerous travels, I only got to attend one day of this year's Chattanooga Film Festival, but one of the movies I saw was a great deal of horror fun--the horror-comedy Jump Scare. A female metal band in the late 80's goes to a secluded cabin to record a new album. And what follows is something like A Texas Chainsaw Massacre combined with the zanier bits of the Evil Dead movies. And so much style--and stylized violence. My only complaint is that I would've liked to hear more of their music, but it was overall so much fun I had to put it on this list along with these big-budget wide releases. I highly recommend Jump Scare for those who like their cinematic fun a little on the bloody side.

Speaking of horror, there's a lot of horrific shit going on in the world right now. Even the people in charge of everything are always complaining about how terrible things are. It's weird. I think appreciating beauty and humor are ways to stay human and keep the horrors from corroding your soul. And so is having a bit of fun once in a while. Especially at the movies!