Tapawingo (2025) | Tapawingo - where the fights are sloppy, the humor is dry, and the hero looks confused even when he’s winning. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.2/10. Tapawingo drops us into a small-town ecosystem full of lovable weirdos, ’80s nostalgia, and enough dry humor to dehydrate a cactus. Jon Heder plays Nate Skoog, an oddball drifting through life with the comedic energy only Heder seems capable of harnessing. That strangely hypnotic low-voltage awkwardness he perfected in Napoleon Dynamite. His only real friend is Will (Jay Pichardo), a partner-in-crime type who seems equal parts loyal sidekick and reluctant witness to Nate’s orbit. Always a win to see John Ratzenberger pop up, and pairing him with Amanda Bearse as Nate’s parents just solidifies the film’s dedication to its retro DNA. It’s not subtle. And I don't think it’s meant to be.

The story really kicks off when Nate becomes an accidental hero, stepping in to save Oswalt (Sawyer Williams), a misfit teenager being targeted by the Tarwater family, the local dynasty of bullies. In doing so, Nate also becomes the kids’ new best buddy, a responsibility he never asked for but takes on with a sincerity that sneaks up on you. Director Dylan K. Narang clearly set the dial to “1980s homage,” and he never unplugs it. Between the soundtrack (you’ll get your Quiet Riot fix and then some) and a small-town vibe dripping with retro personality, the film feels like it was pulled from a forgotten video store rental shelf.

Gina Gershon shows up as Dot, dressed like she teleported straight from an ’80s glam-rock tour, while Kim Matula’s Gretchen enters the movie to the tune of Quiet Riot’s “Bang Your Head”, a meet-cute that basically hammers the nostalgia theme into your skull. The romance between Nate and Gretchen is sweet, offbeat, and refreshingly low-stakes, until Nate discovers her last name: Tarwater. Yes, that Tarwater family. Suddenly, the budding connection gets tangled in a family feud that’s as silly as it is strangely endearing.

When the Tarwater brothers, led by Billy Zane’s wonderfully odd Stoney Tarwater, set their sights on Oswalt, Nate assembles a ragtag protection squad consisting of Will and the local capoeira fighting twins Glenn and Ben (George and Paul Psarras). If you’re expecting polished fight choreography or big action sequences, abandon those hopes now. The fights here look like someone tried to stage a brawl using instructions from a malfunctioning VHS fitness tape, and, keep reading, they did.

For a new film, Tapawingo has a warm, dusty, VHS-aged feel that works in its favor. Beneath the stupid-but-satisfying comedy and deadpan delivery lies an earnest message about loyalty, belonging, and figuring out who you are when you don’t quite fit anywhere. Just resist the urge to constantly compare it to Napoleon Dynamite. Yes, the DNA is similar, but this movie wants to be its own oddball creation.

Tapawingo (2025)

Oh—and don’t skip the credits. Mike’s pre-YouTube martial arts training video is a tiny comedic gem worth sticking around for. Thank you, Staci, for sending this one over.

https://jackmeat.com/tapawingo-2025/

Bugonia (2025) | Dark comedy turns dangerous fast in this sharp satire where every scene asks the same question: what if she’s really an alien? #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.3/10. Bugonia opens with Teddy (Jesse Plemons) delivering what has to be one of the most committed conspiracy monologues ever inflicted on a family member. His cousin and best friend, Don (Aidan Delbis) sits through it with the patience of someone who’s clearly heard this speech dozens of times before - only this time, Teddy’s taking action. According to him, Michelle (Emma Stone), a snooty, sky-high CEO, isn’t just another corporate overlord. She’s an alien. And depending on who you ask, that might not even be the most outlandish claim ever made about upper management. I’ve worked in enough corporate environments to safely say some of those higher-ups absolutely sound like they’re from another planet, a mostly robotic one.

It doesn’t take long for Teddy and Don to throw on their beekeeper suits like a bargain-bin Mission: Impossible team and nab Michelle in a kidnapping sequence that leans fully into slapstick chaos. The film has a great time making it obvious that these two are not criminal masterminds. Maybe the moment they slather her entire body with antihistamines to “dull her telepathic abilities” is a clue as to the mental horsepower we’re dealing with. But the humor works because the film grounds its delusions in something very real - Teddy’s mother is in an induced coma due to the drugs produced by Michelle’s company. His paranoia didn’t just appear, it was fed.

Yorgos Lanthimos balances this mix of absurdity and bitterness incredibly well. He keeps the silliness of the alien hoax front and center, but the pharmaceutical-industry satire is unmistakable. It never turns preachy, but the target is clear. Michelle’s character rides a sharp line between terrified captive and dangerously intelligent survivor. Stone nails that complexity - never too sympathetic, never too monstrous, always unreadable in a way that feeds our lingering question: what if she actually is an alien?

It also deploys its themes cleverly, never allowing them to get in the way of the entertainment. There's a neat parallel between the bees, who are efficient, emotionless, alien-looking creatures, and the humans, who, from the outside looking in at least, seem bafflingly self-destructive. It resonates all the way to the final scene, which practically invites you to decide for yourself whether humanity is worth saving.

But Bugonia’s real strength isn't in the message; rather, it's in the execution. The dark comedy hits consistently, the tension builds in all the right places, and the dramatic musical cues give the film a pulse that never falters. It’s violent, it’s weird, it’s funny, and it kept me engaged with the simple, nagging “what if?” hanging over every scene. The ending sticks the landing, and it is entirely up to you how to take it.

Bugonia (2025)

I haven’t seen the 2003 Korean original Save the Green Planet! to compare, but Bugonia easily stands on its own. It’s bizarre, stylish, and thoroughly entertaining, one of those films that rewards you for going along with the madness.

https://jackmeat.com/bugonia-2025/

One Battle After Another (2025) | Oscar's incoming? Penn and PTA shine in this bold, bizarre epic led by DiCaprio and rising star Chase Infiniti. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.7/10. One Battle After Another throws you straight into the muddled, smoky headspace of Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), a washed-up revolutionary who’s been living off-grid long enough to forget what year it is. His daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) is the one actually keeping their little two-person fortress running, a sharp, resilient counterweight to Bob’s stoned paranoia. Paul Thomas Anderson wastes no time establishing the family dynamic, giving us a quick, efficient rundown of Bob’s turbulent past with Willa’s mother, Perfidia (Teyana Taylor). It’s the kind of opening that feels like a creative necessity. Get the emotional scaffolding in place and then get on with the chaos.

It doesn’t take long before Sean Penn arrives as Colonel Lockjaw, and yes, he shows up with a full, unapologetic boner, because of course he does. Penn chews into this role like it’s been waiting for him his whole life, and he walks away with the film’s best performance. Anderson mentioned it took him about twenty years to write One Battle After Another, a process that he calls both embarrassing and philosophically necessary. Watching the film, you can see why. It’s sprawling, ambitious, and clearly infused with the literary fingerprints of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland. There’s even a major sequence reportedly written in one marathon night with Benicio del Toro, which honestly tracks with the film’s fever-dream logic.

The acting is phenomenal where it counts. Infiniti absolutely holds her own, matching DiCaprio’s tired paranoia with grounded energy. Penn, again, is operating at a level that almost feels unfair. Del Toro does exactly what he’s asked to - it’s just that the role doesn’t ask much of him. And that’s a recurring issue: most of the cast is solid, but they aren’t given the depth or the range to show off anything beyond competence.

Still, this story is written in a way that keeps you hooked through its full 162-minute runtime. It’s better than most of what’s come out this year, even if it’s not the flawless masterpiece some people are desperately labeling it as. Anderson doesn’t miss often, and he doesn’t miss here either, but the film meanders between tones and genres. It dips into comedy and satire, embraces bursts of action at the right moments, and shifts its thematic focus from rebellion and racism to the influence of shadowy organizations convinced they’re preserving “balance.” It’s messy, but in that intentionally layered, meticulously edited PTA style that somehow still feels effortless.

The cinematography is gorgeous - those road shots belong on a wall - and the film’s visual language sells the tug-of-war between power, corruption, and legacy better than any monologue could. Does it deserve a Best Picture nomination? Yes. Should Anderson and Penn be in their respective races? Absolutely. But don’t walk in expecting a 10/10 life-altering masterpiece. This is a great movie, not a perfect one. Temper the hype, sit back, and enjoy a filmmaker who still knows how to swing for the fences.

One Battle After Another (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/one-battle-after-another-2025/