Meanwhile, 'Sunny' series centers on a desperate woman and a clever robot.
It’s Joey Chestnut’s ultimate nightmare.
Hot dogs, sausages and even lowly buns take over the world in the rude animated series “Sausage Party: Foodtopia” on Prime Video, while Apple TV+’s “Sunny” provides some food for thought. Both debut this week.
We’ll also review “Kill,” a killer action film from India; “Green NBorder,” an intense refugee drama; “The Convert,” an engrossing Maori epic; and the refreshing LGBTQ-themed “National Anthem,” a standout debut from a former San Ramon resident.
Here’s our roundup.
“Sausage Party: Foodtopia”: Prime Video’s eight-part follow-up to the vulgar and irreverent 2016 animated feature “Sausage Party” is — you guessed it — vulgar and irreverent and poised to offend everyone, at least once. But the hard-R-rated comedy is also hilarious, even when it trips over its own crudeness. The premise seems to be the product of a writer devouring too many edibles: Food items — from sausages to oranges — have wrenched global control from pathetic earthlings, many of whom are now dead. But this societal shift doesn’t come trouble-free. Chaos rules the land as unrestrained libidos, feuding ruling parties, power-mad politicos and unexpected disasters such as deadly rainstorms muck things up for Frank (voice of Seth Rogen), a sausage; Brenda (Kristen Wiig), a bun; and Barry (Michael Cera), a hot dog. They tangle with each other as well as with stupid, horny human Jack (Will Forte), and despotic Julius (Sam Richardson), an orange who’s rancorous and obstinate. There are obvious parallels to today’s bizarro political landscape and its annoying, blustery players, and the topicality of that adds spice to “Sausage Party: Foodtopia.” But more than anything, it’s the series’ oh-they-didn’t-just-go-there naughtiness, terrific vocal cast and ridiculous situations that make you laugh uncontrollably. Details: 3 stars out of 4; all episodes drop July 11.
“Sunny”: It’s easy to assume this mind-boggling 10-episode Apple TV+/A24 series with Rashida Jones and “Drive My Car’s” Hidetoshi Nishijima seeks to capitalize on our escalating fears about AI. But that isn’t what showrunner/executive producer Katie Robbins is aiming for in this Japan-set comedy/drama, an engrossing adaptation of Colin O’Sullivan’s novel “The Dark Manual.” She’s cooked up something else entirely. In this intriguing but needlessly drawn-out series, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, named Suzie (Jones) eventually learns to rely on Sunny, a robot on wheels designed by her brainy husband (Nishijima). The relationship between ‘bot and human evolves as Suzie grieves and starts to demand answers over what happened to her husband and son, both missing in a plane crash. The intrepid Suzie, of course, uncovers something large and ominous, and her pursuit for the truth draws in her secretive mother-in-law (Judy Ongg) and a sassy bartender named Mixxy (Annie the Clumsy). You never quite know where “Sunny” is heading and that’s a good thing. The series leaves the door wide open for a Season 2 and I’d gladly walk through it. Details: 3 stars; two episodes drop July 10, with one episode coming each week after.
“Kill”: “They’ll get off this train for sure … BUT only for their funeral!” This rabid declaration gets spit out in a fireball of pure rage, as does much of the exclamatory dialogue, in an over-the-top, excessively violent action import from India. Preposterous beyond belief, writer/director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat applies no brakes to the action as a gaggle of pirates square off with two cocky commando captains — Amrit Rathod (Lakshya) and Viresh Chatwal (Abishek Chauhan) — while on a train barreling toward New Delhi. Amrit deploys an array of creative acrobatic maneuvers and killer moves to dispense with the vile cretins aboard who are preying on his besotted lover (Tanya Maniktala), her rich family and any clueless passenger that gets in the way. After a groan-inducing 15 minutes of exposition, “Kill” lets go of all that baggage to become an outright blast while making a convincing argument for Lakshya becoming our next big action star. Details: 3 stars; in theaters now.
“Green Border”: Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland offers a clear-eyed perspective on the pressing global refugee crisis in this drama named for the swampy border between Belarus and Poland — where the displaced ping-pong back and forth due to a failed system. You can all but feel Holland’s quaking outrage over the political and societal injustices involved here, in particular that desperate, fleeing humans are treated like parasites. Her anger gives “Green Border” a steely resolve and emotional heft, but 75-year-old “Europa Europa” filmmaker manages to avoid preaching at us. It helps that she divides her epic (2 hours, 32 minutes) into chapters, each told from a different perspective. There is a desperate family from Syria, an unsettled border guard who’s soon to be a father and a lonely teacher turned activist. Each of these characters comes with a complex, fully developed backstory, and each finds themself sinking further and further into a quagmire. “Green Border” tells an important, of-the-moment story that seeks to shake the world awake to the insanity of world refugee crisis. Details: 3½ stars; opens July 12 at the Roxie in San Francisco and expands to more theaters in following weeks.
“The Convert”: In Lee Tamahori’s engrossing 19th-century New Zealand historical film, it seems like we’re getting stuck with another white savior story. Ignore that, since Guy Pearce’s 1830s British preacher man Thomas Munro is a morally complex White guy who gets caught in the crosshairs of two feuding Maori tribes. Tamahori’s film addresses how New Zealand’s indigenous people were mistreated and exploited, but it’s also an accomplished character study into the plight of three principles: Munro, translator Charlotte Hegarty (Jacqueline McKenzie) and Rangimai (Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne), a Maori who has escaped death and lives with Munro on the British shoreline town of Epworth after a warlord killed her husband. It is in Epworth where hostilities and hatred of Maoris become obvious, and even lead to murder. “The Convert” culminates in the two warring tribes engaged in a bloody battle, but even in that graphic sequence Munro participates but doesn’t take command. Those touches, along with the performances — in particular Pearce’s deft work — and the stunning shots of New Zealand, make “The Convert” a rousing assessment of that land’s rich history and how outsiders came there to put their stamp on it. Details: 3 stars; opens July 12 in theaters and is available On Demand.
“National Anthem”: Dylan (Charlie Plummer, in a sensitive, delicate performance) has always been a loner, working quietly at construction jobs at various sites in New Mexico when he’s not tending to his younger brother since mom’s often too drunk to do so. Dylan’s world view expands with a burst of rainbow colors once he starts working at a queer ranch, the House of Splendor. It is there — amongst trans and gay rodeo competitors and horseback riders — that he finds his voice, finds love and finds his own loving, nonjudgmental tribe. Director/co-screenwriter Luke Gilford’s professional resume (he’s an ace photographer) and his personal brushes with queer rodeo give this feature debut a sense of authenticity as it captures a unique, expressive and welcoming home on the range. Gilford — who spent some of his teen years in San Ramon – pulls in the reins in unexpected ways, scaling back on the drama to allow for a more liberating and genuine finale that also serves as just the beginning of the new road that Dylan’s set to travel. See it in a theater; it’s gorgeous to behold. Details: 3 stars; opens July 12 at the AMC Kabuki in San Francisco; expands to more theaters the following week.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
