Taylour Paige

I Love Boosters (2026): Boots Riley Delivers a Bright, Colorful, Mind-Freak of a Flick

Posted on by Jack Drees

“I Love Boosters” is written and directed by Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You, I’m a Virgo) and stars Keke Palmer (Nope, Password), Naomi Ackie (The End of the F***ing World, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Taylour Paige (Zola, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Poppy Liu (The Afterparty, Sunnyside), Eiza González (Ambulance, Baby Driver), LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Get Out), Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Maze Runner), Don Cheadle (Space Jam: A New Legacy, Iron Man 2) and Demi Moore (The Substance, Ghost). This film is about a group of shoplifters who go after a fashion maven and try to sell their clothes at a lower price.

© 2026 – Neon

“I Love Boosters” is not my first exposure to Boots Riley’s filmography. While I missed it in the theater, I ended up checking out his film “Sorry to Bother You” after buying it on Blu-ray. I was fairly impressed with it. I thought it had good performances, clever writing, and an excellent use of color and production design. While “I Love Boosters” was not the biggest release over Memorial Day weekend, I will not deny that I was constantly exposed to its marketing, particularly one of its posters. Other than that, I went in with no memory of watching any trailers or hearing the film’s general premise. I heard interesting things about the movie, and I was onboard. I am delighted to say that this film is a unique cinematic experience that I will think about for a long time.

This is not my favorite film of 2026, but there is truly no picture that I have seen this year that provides an experience like this one. “I Love Boosters” is one of those movies that could have easily clashed its tones to such an unbelievable degree. But this picture is smarter than that. It finds a way to present likable heroes of their own story, a compelling antagonist in Christie Smith (Moore) whose mere existence brings forth diabolical charisma, all the while showcasing some of the most rad production elements I recall seeing in a film recently.

Courtesy of NEON – © Courtesy of NEON

Perhaps my favorite thing about “I Love Boosters” is that it is so vivid and colorful. Then again, given one of this film’s initial opponents at the box office, there could be some recency bias to take into account with this sentiment. This film came out the same weekend as “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and not only do I think this is the better movie, but to my surprise, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” comes off as an occasional eyesore between its questionable color palette choices, dull presentation, and lack of flair. Within the first five minutes of “I Love Boosters,” I thought I was on drugs. This film’s emphasis on color is some of the finest I have ever seen. It has a look that belongs on a children’s TV program but perfectly blends itself into a mature story. Everything from the many eye-popping outfits that the characters don on screen… To the multitude of interiors that sometimes answer the question, “What if an M&M were a floor or a wall?”… Even seeing the different colors on the characters’ hair make me think that in another universe that this movie would be selling action figures like hotcakes.

Speaking of things that you have to see to believe, this film’s editing is jaw-dropping. This film moves fast, and boy am I not even close to becoming furious. If anything, the editing makes for a blessing and a curse. It keeps the movie from being boring, but the film is also so quick that it makes me wonder if I missed something important. Ah well, I plan to watch this a second time regardless.

Another favorite thing about this film is something I cannot see… The music. The Tune-Yards composed an original score for this film, and boy does it score. They previously scored another Boots Riley title, “Sorry to Bother You,” so it is clear he likes their approach, and I can see why, because much like some of John Williams’ memorable tracks, the score is almost its own character. The year is still young, but I could see this being my favorite score of 2026 by the end of it. I listened to this film’s theme several times since my screening. When I look at the screen and I see characters played by Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, and Taylour Paige, lingering in the background is a supporting role that can best be described as a sick beat.

While not exactly as good, I find “I Love Boosters” to be this year’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” It is a film that runs at one of the most breakneck paces imaginable. It is all killer, no filler. There is a perfect blend of comedy and drama. In fact, speaking of that, it is tough to really put this film in a box and give it a specific genre. It is not that the film does not know what it wants to be. It is that it wants to be something so unique, so fresh, something that even as a jaded moviegoer, I cannot recall ever seeing in my life. At the same time though, that probably makes this film slightly harder to recommend to certain people. I feel like Marty McFly in “Back to the Future,” part of me is ready to say to a collective audience that they might “not be ready for that yet.”

But if I were to recommend “I Love Boosters” to somebody, it would probably have to be someone who likes stories about people rising up against the bigger man. Perhaps someone who does not really feel the need to take everything so seriously. There is quite a bit of absurdity in this film. Yet in the context of its universe, characters, and vibes, all of the absurdity is seamless and makes the movie an animal of its own. As for myself, I cannot wait to watch this movie again. Not just because I had a blast watching it, but as I suggested before, this film flies by. I have a feeling I missed something cool the first time around. There are probably one or two memorable lines or moments that flew over my head that are probably going to land better the second, third, maybe fourth time I watch this.

In the end, it is almost impossible to describe “I Love Boosters” without using terms like wild or zany or nonstop. This is an experience. Sadly, with this film opening up against “Star Wars,” it kind of hurt its box office potential from the start. Then again, if somebody pitched this movie to me and I happened to be an executive, I think it would be a hard sell no matter what. It is debatable as to whether the characters are actually “heroes.” Then again, it is possibly true that everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story. The concept of this film is so unique that it is difficult, at least to me, to compare this film to many others. But the fact is that this film is worth watching at least once. It has a fantastic cast lead by the always charismatic Keke Palmer. Its look is going to make for a fantastic demo down the line if I end up buying a new television or projector. And boy, is that theme song still stuck in my head. I am going to give “I Love Boosters” a 7/10.

“I Love Boosters” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! This is a bit of a short-notice announcement, but on SATURDAY, JUNE 20TH, I will be dropping the next episode of Movie Requests! This one is going to feature “The Wall” and “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick. You can hear his suggestion by clicking the video above! What do you think it is? If you want to find out what film he asked me to review, as well as my thoughts on it, you can watch the review right here on Flicknerd.com, or you can subscribe to my YouTube channel!

My next review is going to be for “Backrooms.” Stay tuned! Also coming soon, I will be sharing my thoughts on “Masters of the Universe,” “Another World,” “The Breadwinner,” “Disclosure Day,” and “Toy Story 5!” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “I Love Boosters?” What did you think about it? Or, what is one of the wildest films you recall watching recently? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Zola (2020): You Wanna Hear A Story About a Negative Film Review?

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Zola” is directed by Janicza Bravo (Lemon, Gregory Go Boom) and stars Taylour Paige (Boogie, Hit the Floor), Riley Keough (The Lodge, The Devil All the Time), Nicholas Braun (Prom, How to Be Single), Ari’el Stachel (Blue Bloods, The Band’s Visit), and Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead, Euphoria). This film is based on a story summed up in 148 tweets on a single account. These tweets were the foundation for where they ended up taking this film, which is about a girl who goes down to Florida with a stripper named Stefani only to find herself in a prostitution scheme with Stefani’s pimp, X.

I have a soft spot for A24. It is a studio that has made some of my favorite films of the 2010s including “Room,” “The Disaster Artist,” and “Lady Bird.” In a world of big, gigantic blockbusters, many of which I enjoy like those of the “Star Wars” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises, sometimes I need something simpler, something lower in budget and scale. Something more intimate. A24 usually hits the spot because they have a tendency to align themselves with talent that can tell a great story with a limited budget. Portions of “Zola” seem to reflect this lower budget. Certain shots go on for such a long time, there are shots that look like they fit more in a YouTube vlog compared to a typical movie. That previous statement by the way, is also one of my big critiques because despite this movie having some good framing here and there, the shot selection occasionally feels repetitive or, as I said, vlog-like. Looking like a vlog is not always a bad thing, but it sort of almost pulled me out of the movie. It lacked a slight sense of immersion if you will.

At the same time though, the movie has a number of shots that are beautifully lit. This movie gave me a fine first impression with the opening five minutes for providing one of the most vibrant scenes of the year. Technically speaking, this movie is a mixed bag. Unfortunately, it may be the best part of the movie because I progressed through “Zola” rolling my eyes, placing my hands over my head, and the desire to put a gun in my mouth. “Zola” is probably my least favorite movie of 2021. Yes, I know some would argue it is a 2020 film, but it just had a big release this year, so I’m counting it as a 2021 film. Either way, this movie has an intriguing first five minutes, but as for the rest of the hour and a half, the wheels fall off the wagon and it comes tumbling toward a cliff.

This film starts off with some catchy and magical music then tops off its candylicious intro off with some of the best lighting I have seen this year. Like many other A24 films, this one definitely has its quirks. These were some solid quirks, but examples of quirks I could give later in the runtime just get worse. Admittedly, there is this quirk that annoyed me, I don’t know if the rest of humanity would feel the same way, every time I would hear a notification noise during the movie, part of my brain wanted to check out. I know this is based off tweets, but come on!

One thing that kind of, and I repeat, KIND OF, holds this movie together is the acting. The chemistry between Zola and Stefani is not my favorite of the year, but the respective actors that play these characters, Taylour Paige and Riley Keough, are decently put together. Certain scenes made them feel like a natural pair for the story that was being told. I do want to give a shoutout to the supporting cast too. At the same time however, they honestly felt like they were occasionally overacting. This film is based on a tweetstorm and I feel like it occasionally gets overhyped for the sake of having a “big screen experience,” which is weird to say about something that is a small, independent picture. Actors like Nicholas Braun were sometimes a delight to watch and made me feel like I was not actually wasting my time. Seeing him and others made the movie feel like it was jacked up on caffeine, but it did not make for an excellent product in the end because I left feeling unsatisfied and having placed my hand on my head way too many times.

Also, I don’t know the actual story, and for all I know, some of the tweetstorm from Zola may have been fabricated, but I want to bring up Stefani’s voice. Throughout the movie, Stefani talks in this weirdly southern accent, and I don’t know why, but by the end of the movie, it felt like that voice transported me through a cheese grater. It was so annoying! I watched an interview of Riley Keough on “The Tonight Show,” so I know that her voice in “Zola” is not her actual voice. But her voice in the movie t feels over the top and similar to something out of a C-grade “Power Rangers” villain.

Honestly, what makes this movie even worse is that it has not even been a full week since I have seen “Zola” and I feel as if I have forgotten a majority of it. Thankfully, I remember some things about the movie. Both good and bad as evidenced by this review. But if I go through this review nearly blanking what to talk about and I have not even gone through a full week without seeing the movie, that’s a problem. I went through THREE weeks trying to get a review out for “Tom & Jerry” and that film was awful! I knew what to talk about in that review! “Zola” is one heck of a story, but as a movie, I just wish it stayed in my brain for just a bit longer. Is it funny? Occasionally. Is it sexy? Kinda. Is it quirky? DID YOU SEE THE A24 LOGO?! But if anything, this did not add up to ride that was compelling. It added up to something that feels sliced and diced and nearly discombobulated despite looking somewhat polished.

In the end, “Zola” is not only my worst movie of the year so far, but as of right now, it is probably also my least favorite film from A24. “Midsommar,” you’re saved. To say a film is bad is hard enough. To say a film from A24 is bad, that’s another level. Because A24 is one of my favorite studios working today. I’ve already gone on about how amazing some of their films have been over the past few years. “Zola” on the other hand, not only felt like a waste of time, but oddly forgettable too. At least I still remember why I was absolutely turned off by “Midsommar.” I still recall its ugliness to this day. Plus with “Midsommar,” you could make the argument that the film was supposed to give me the reaction that I ultimately gave it. I was supposed to be turned off by that film. With “Zola,” I was supposed to be thrilled, turned on, and maybe jumping out of my seat from time to time. The movie did not do its job and I wasted 90 minutes of my life. I’m going to give “Zola” a 2/10.

“Zola” is now playing in theaters wherever they are open. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! This week is a big one for movies because we are continuing summer blockbuster season with arguably the strongest competitor of the bunch, Marvel Studios’s first film in two years, “Black Widow!” I’ve already got my tickets for Thursday and I cannot wait to share my thoughts on the movie with you.

Also coming this Thursday, stay tuned for my review of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” in the ongoing review series, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Chest of Reviews.” If you want to see this and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account and like the Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Zola?” What did you think about it? Or, what are your favorite AND least favorite films from A24? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Boogie (2021): Keeps on Dribbling, But Misses Some Shots

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Boogie” is written and directed by Eddie Huang (Huang’s World, Fresh Off the Boat) and stars Taylor Takahashi, Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, White Boy Rick), Bashar “Pop Smoke” Jackson, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Bumblebee). This film centers around an aspiring basketball player named Albert Chin, also known as “Boogie.” He lives in Queens, New York with his family who are of East Asian descent. In this movie, Chin must balance the pressure from his parents to get into a good college with a decent scholarship, his love life with his new girlfriend Eleanor, and his dreams of making it to the NBA.

When I review a movie, you may notice that I often point out some of the other projects that the crew behind the film has done. For example when I reviewed “News of the World,” I would point out the director, in this case it would be Paul Greengrass, and I would highlight his previous work, which included, as marked in the following parenthesis, (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93). Then I would go on to talk about the actors. For example, you have the star, Tom Hanks, then I followed his name with parenthesis as well, for him it was presented as (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Toy Story), given how those are two of his projects. For this film, “Boogie,” you may notice I included parenthesis for director Eddie Huang, who has produced one of the more talked about network comedies in recent years, “Fresh Off the Boat.” Although for Taylor Takahashi, who plays the film’s lead, he has no parenthesis. That is because, and part of me is somewhat surprised, that this is Takahashi’s acting debut. Not just for features, but for anything. Now to be clear, I got this information from IMDb. For all I know, before this movie Takahashi did something on the side that maybe was either less professional, not as well known, or maybe done in his years of being educated. I do not know the full story.

I should also point out that he is not the only actor with barely any documented experience here, because Pop Smoke is in this movie, and this is likely his first rodeo in feature filmmaking. He’s more known for music, not film.

Also, going back to the director, Eddie Huang, this is, also, his feature-length debut from the director’s chair and in terms of penning the script. Huang also wrote and directed a short titled “Bitch, Please!” alongside two other people, but “Boogie” is a whole different animal for him. He wrote the script himself and he directed the movie himself.

With all that being said, the good news is for the people who will look back at this movie as a debut, chances are they could potentially go up from here.

This is not to say that “Boogie” is a disaster. I will say right off the bat, I would much rather watch “Boogie” than the live-action “Tom & Jerry” movie. But there are other movies from this year I would go back to first including “The Marksman,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Those all happened to be fun or attention-grabbing experiences that may be harder to forget than others. As for “Boogie,” even though there are elements I like, piggybacking off my previous statement, this film belongs with the “others.”

I want to talk about Taylor Takahashi (left) in this film. Now I will start off by once again confirming that this is Taylor Takahashi’s first acting role, or least the first he is credited for. Maybe he has a bright future ahead, but unfortunately he got his career started in a forgettable movie. I think as far as a first performance goes, I was quite impressed. I would not mind seeing more of Takahashi in the future whether that means they make a sequel to this movie, which I doubt would happen, or if he ends up in some other movie or television show. However, his character kind of had this asshole personality at times. I am not saying Boogie was a complete moron, if I were in this movie’s universe and had the opportunity to grab a couple slices of pizza with him, I would not back myself out of the opportunity instantaneously. After all, who can deny pizza? But I felt like he came off as slightly less relatable than he could have from his personality. There are ways that I did relate to his character from having parents pressuring me to stay in school and having aspirations that go beyond Mars, but for some reason, I did not always click with his character. My impressions of him throughout the film were not the greatest. I just found him to be a goofball, and almost in a way that would make him look like a jerk. I wish I could be more descriptive, but I think part of why I am occasionally blanking during this review is because as you may have noticed recently, I have been less active on Scene Before because I’ve had priorities, which makes me determine which movies are easier to forget overtime and which ones are easier to remember as well. This is one is, as you may have observed, easier to forget.

Now I talked about the first timers from Taylor Takahashi to Eddie Huang. They put on a good show whenever possible, but I do not want to forget some of the other cast members like Pamelyn Chee and Perry Yung, who admirably play Boogie’s mother and father, but perhaps the most memorable performance of the film for me came from none other than Taylor Paige, who plays Boogie’s love interest, Eleanor. There is something about this casting choice that feels almost incomparable. Paige checks the marks of her character being fun, outgoing, and relatively casual at times. I really liked her in this movie, and some of my favorite parts are between her and Boogie because it is a fascinating look at how people manage love lives in this particular age and demographic. I was intrigued.

I will also say this… Once again, I have not watched this movie since March, so maybe I have this stored in my short term memory or something, even though this movie pretty much revolves around basketball and someone who really enjoys playing basketball, I barely even remember any of the basketball scenes in this movie. I think I might need a rewatch to actually remember any of those scenes. This is not a bad movie, but to call it an instant classic would be a straight up lie. And I don’t think I have any plans to watch it a second time.

In the end, “Boogie” kind of disappointed me. I saw the trailer for this film when I was at the theater getting ready to watch “Minari,” and “Boogie” looked pretty good, so I had some positive expectations. Unfortunately, those were not met. If you want a good recent basketball movie, although in this case, it would be more about the coach as opposed to an individual trying to become a standout player, I highly recommend “The Way Back.” Between Ben Affleck’s insane performance and the outstanding script, I cannot help but beg you all to watch that movie at least once. “Boogie” on the other hand, maybe don’t watch it. Maybe it could be okay background noise, but for me, I wanted more. I wanted something better. If Eddie Huang makes another feature-length movie, I will root for him, and the same goes for Taylor Takahashi in his acting career, but this was not the best start for either of those two. I’m going to give “Boogie” a 5/10.

“Boogie” is now playing in theaters wherever they are open and you can also buy it at home on VOD services such as Apple TV, Prime Video, and VUDU.

Thanks for reading this review! I’m pretty excited for the next couple of reviews I plan to get out to you guys, and those are a couple recent action type of films. I’m talking about “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk, and “Godzilla vs. Kong.” I cannot wait to talk about both of those.

Also, I have an announcement to make. For those of you who read this year’s Jackoff Awards, follow Scene Before on Facebook, or subscribe to the Jack Drees YouTube channel know that I announced “7 Days of Star Wars.” That series was scheduled to be released on various days on the week of May 2nd to May 8th, which would coincide with “Star Wars Day.” Unfortunately, due to being busy with school right now, wondering when I’ll get my vaccine, and an internship which is allowing me to do a side project that I will soon present to you all, those dates will not be met.

Here are the new dates for the upcoming “7 Days of Star Wars” reviews.

THE PHANTOM MENACE: May 23rd
ATTACK OF THE CLONES: May 24th
REVENGE OF THE SITH: May 25th
STAR WARS/A NEW HOPE: May 26th
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: May 27th
RETURN OF THE JEDI: May 28th
THE FORCE AWAKENS: May 29th

These dates are subject to change, as last year has proven that even the impossible is possible. May the force be with you, emphasis on the May.

If you to see more cool upcoming content on Scene Before, give the blog a follow either with an email or WordPress account, and check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Boogie?” What did you think about it? Or, did you ever watch “Fresh Off the Boat?” Tell me your thoughts! Leave your comments down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!