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With: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, Tom Hanks
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Written by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
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Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
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MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout including slurs, sexual content and drug use
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Running Time: 107
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Date: 04/04/2025
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Oaktown Bound
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
While it will appeal mainly to viewers who can tune into the movie's time and place (others may feel left out) Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's bonkers crime comedy Freaky Tales is a crazy quilt of stuff that makes for great cult classics.
It's 1987 in Oakland, California. A narrator (Too Short) tells us four wild stories. In the first, a group of punk rockers decide — including Tina (Ji-young Yoo) and Lucid (Jack Champion) — to defend 924 Gilman from an attack by skinhead Nazis. In the second, hopeful rappers Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne) are given a chance to battle on stage with local legend Too Short (DeMario Symba Driver).
In the third, a tough guy henchman, Clint (Pedro Pascal), tries to get out of the crime game after a personal tragedy. And in the fourth, it's May 10, and the Golden State Warriors are playing the L.A. Lakers in a playoff game. "Sleepy" Floyd (Jay Ellis) saves the day with a record 29 points in the fourth quarter, but during the game, thieves have broken into his house. When the unexpected happens, Sleepy goes on a rampage of revenge.
Freaky Tales is filled with punk rock, hip-hop, martial arts, bloody violence, animation, VHS tapes, and basketball. It has a killer soundtrack (actors portray the punk/ska band Operation Ivy, which was a staple at Gilman) and clever cinematography with changing aspect ratios, and FX that mimic an un-tracked VHS tape or an old film reel.
It has Nazis and white supremacists for villains (still very timely), and a wonderfully despicable Ben Mendelsohn as the bigoted leader of a crime ring. It has a fun Tom Hanks cameo. It has the real Too Short and the real Sleepy Floyd in cameos. (The title comes from a 1989 Too Short song.)
The stories are simple and not very deep — they're like wild stories someone might tell at a party — but they overlap in fascinating ways. The characters are all downtrodden or victims of circumstance, and they're all lovable. (Pascal and Ellis are especially good.)
It's as if the writing and directing partners Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck wanted to unwind and have a good time after their multi-million dollar foray into MCU territory (Captain Marvel). All in all, Freaky Tales may not stack up next to Pulp Fiction, but it has the same kind of joy and enthusiasm that make it an irresistibly enjoyable experience.
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