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Average suburban guy, Craig (Tim Robinson) meets his new neighbor, Austin (Paul Rudd), a local weatherman oozing charisma as the quintessential of cool. But when their single serving friendship comes to an abrupt halt, it’s anyone’s guess just how far Craig will go to hold on. Written and Directed by Andrew DeYoung, this slip stream cult classic, leans heavily into the comedic stylings of Robinson and his knack for the awkward, absurd, and down right uncomfortable; an acquired taste which may be hard to swallow on first watch, but, similar to Napoleon Dynamite (2004), has potential to become an instantly quotable celebration of all things bromance gone sour. Meanwhile, performance from Rudd is hauntingly familiar to his time as the intrepid field reporter and ladies man Brian Fantana in Anchorman (2004), no stretches were made in the making of this film. That is to say, the cringe factor of this film is comedically high which inevitably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who are familiar with and enjoy Robinson’s body of work, the result is limitless, and particularly re-watchable. Tonally the film does seem to lack some direction, but then again, thanks to both Robinson and Rudd’s ability to pivot on a dime, this seems to go largely unchecked. This weekend, enter the slip stream and find the absurd, running one hour and forty minutes, Friendship is rated R.

Caught in a deathtrap, an unintentional and unconventional group of dark mercenaries team up to fight a new superpower poised to entrap and ensnare humanity; but first, success of their mission will require battling their own inner demons and confronting the darkest parts of their psyche. Will the self named Thunderbolts have the strength to overcome, or will they fall prey to the void?Written by Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo, and Kurt Busiek and Directed by Jake Schreier, this proverbial defibrillator shock to the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to be the re-energization necessary to awaken fans from the malaise known as Marvel-Fatigue. Delivering the anti-hero narrative with healthy sarcasm, humor, and just enough bite, this ensemble piece leans heavily on the talents of Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Wyatt Russell to deliver the bittersweet and pithy one liners to elevate the picture above the formulaic yawn inducing paint by numbers approach to Marvel’s monster of the week cadre. And, while not breaking new ground in terms of hero action, to that end it’s the standard meal plan, the significantly darker psychological bend does add for a new haunting depth of pathos previously un-mined in the MCU. So, it’s about spirit and heart, and a well timed stay, at two hours and 6 minutes of runtime, yes stay for all the credits, we’re not exhausted at the finish, and instead, for the first time in a long time, actually excited to see where things go. Thunderbolts is rated PG-13.

A mysterious note from Treasury Chief, Ray King (J.K. Simmons), who’s gunned down in a nightclub raid puts Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) on the case; but, it will take the analytical power of the neurodivergent Christian Wolf (Ben Affleck), the accountant, and his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to apply their methods of problem solving, legal and illegal, to get to the bottom of things while an ultra-lethal assassin is on the loose, tying up ends might get messy. Written by Bill Dubuque and Directed by Gavin O’Connor this big budget action thriller sets up with a convoluted plot that unfurls itself in lumpy fashion from start to finish, but in the meantime sets up for a handful of well choreographed action set pieces. And, the chemistry between Affleck and Bernthal does in fact have the cinematic X-factor to draw the viewer along for the ride, even when they’re not advancing the plot but instead providing more pulp or context. But, back to the uneven pacing, it’s the many moving parts of the Accountant 2 that makes this two hour and four minute piece overstay its welcome, albeit, the picture works in totality, but the Jenga like tower of plot points barely stands on its own by the end. Suspend disbelief and you’ll be just fine. The Accountant 2 is rated R.