What to watch: ‘Joy Ride’ is one of the funniest films you’ll see all year

One of the funniest films of the year comes out this week. So does one of the most piercing character studies of 2023. Other new releases focus on two best buddies living and sparring in a biodome and literary figures getting down and dirty.

Here’s our roundup.

“Joy Ride”: The hard-R-rated comedy features a fantastic quartet of actors — Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu — who portray a diverse quartet of Asian American friends who meet up in China and get into all sorts of outlandish mischief. Director Adele Lim’s directorial debut is as much raunchy fun as “Bridesmaids” and “Girls Trip,” but it’s smart, too, commenting on the need to embrace our true identities. I’ve seen it twice and would gladly see it twice more. It’s the best comedy of the summer. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters July 7.

“Earth Mama”: Olympiad-turned-filmmaker Savanah Leaf’s impressive feature debut adopts a John Cassavetes-like approach to observing pregnant single mom Gia (Tia Nomore, in a sensational debut) as she agonizes over whether she’s going to give up her upcoming baby to another Bay Area family while working on getting back her two children who have been placed in foster care. “Mama” fills the screen with images of East Bay, but your attention will focus more on Leaf’s signature style of spotlighting the voice of a person we so rarely hear expressed. In Leaf’s raw and vulnerable debut, we see how there are many nurturing hands needed to help someone like Gia along the way. It’s an evocative debut that immerses the audience into the reality of someone well deserving of our attention, and compassion. Details: 3½ stars; in Bay Area theaters July 7.

“Biosphere”: In this two-hander starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass,  post-apocalyptic survivors and best buds live in a hermetically sealed and controlled environment that’s been created by one of them — Ray (Brown). When one fish, a source of protein for them, dies, it portends trouble ahead. But then something else happens that eventually tests both of their ideologies and the dynamics of their friendship. Director and co-writer Mel Eslyn tackles big issues along the way, from gender roles, accountability, feminism and masculinity. It’s a sharp chamber piece that would work as a stage play. But it runs on just a little too long. Brown is incredible. Details: 3 stars; in theaters and available to rent July 7.

“The Lesson”: Thrillers positioned around pretentious, duplicitous literary lions who are engaging in bad behavior don’t come around too often. When they do, they often lack the spark and nasty bite of Alice Troughton’s psychological chess match, which pits a rich, established family (Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy and Stephen McMillan) with a cargo of secrets against an ambitious, sexy tutor (Daryl McCormack) who positions himself in their ranks. Written with strategic cerebral glee by Alex MacKeith, “The Lesson” is one for the adults in the crowd. It’s beautifully acted — Grant is one of our greatest living actors and McCormack is one of our most exciting new ones — and photographed, with major props due to cinematographer Anna Patarkina. And this brain twister about a vaunted, too-full-of-himself author (Grant) and a hunky, up-and-coming writer (McCormack) has something to say. We need more films like these in theaters. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters July 7.

“Once Upon a Time in Uganda”: Everything about Cathryne Czubek’s joyous documentary about a self-taught and prolific Ugandan director named Isaac Nabwana and his sometimes co-star and devoted publicist Alan Hofmanis is irresistible. Nabwana’s irreverent blood-soaked canon features exploding heads (done on a green screen), car crashes (toy cars flipped over) and kids taking out the baddies. How these features made on $200 budgets went on to become the toast of the globe and get Nabwana invited to the Toronto International Film Festival make for a rollicking underdog story as well as a bit of a bromance between two very different film lovers — complete with some squabbles. Details: 3 stars; opens July 7 at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco.

“Brooklyn 45”: If you want to see the right way to make a terrific supernatural thriller on a  thimble-sized budget, consult screenwriter and director Ted Geoghegan. With this post-World War II chamber piece set in 1945 Brooklyn, he’s made one of the most enjoyable genre films I’ve seen in years. It all begins with four former childhood friends arriving at a brownstone at Christmastime for what appears to be a celebration hosted by another friend Clive (Larry Fessenden) whose wife recently died. But as war stories and war crimes get discussed, Clive shows his true hand — he’s set them up for a seance. Geoghegan gives each in his excellent cast – Anne Ramsay, Ezra Buzzington, Jeremy Holm and Kristina Klebe are all standouts — meaty lines to chew on, and “Brooklyn 45” nails all the details, the pacing, the dialogue, the period details. Sure, the special effects aren’t high caliber, but that is part of the charm of this intriguing puzzle that touches on several timely issues. Details: 3½ stars; available on Shudder and AMC+.

“The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster”: Numerous writers use spare parts from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” story to assemble something patchwork for their purposes. Few, however, have done it as seamlessly as writer and director Bomani J. Story. Take note of that name. If there’s any justice in Hollywood, you should be hearing much more from him. In Story’s gritty reimagining, a Black teen who loves science and is smarter than her teachers creates her own monster, in hopes of bringing back to life her murdered brother. Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes, another name to remember) is surrounded by violence and has also lost her mom while her loving but not always attentive dad (Chad Coleman) deals with his issues recovering from addiction. Vicaria vows to end all the death that surrounds her, but her anger at the injustices in the world overwhelms her. Don’t watch if you’re squeamish. Details: 3½ stars; available on Shudder.

“Jagged Mind”: There’s a good move walking around like a mad Lady Macbeth in director Kelley Kali’s queer supernatural thriller, and that’s what makes it so absolutely frustrating. An under-realized screenplay fails all involved, particularly lead Maisie Richardson Sellers. She gives it her all as Billie, a queer woman with a rotten streak with women. She also blacks out and finds herself stuck in a “Groundhog Day”-like loop. Therein lies the plot problem, “Jagged Mind” repeats its scenes too often, making it feel like this originated as a short film that got stretched into a feature. That’s too bad because Kali does a credible job of keeping us uncertain and uneasy, but “Jagged Mind” can’t sustain our interest as Billie hooks up with an enticing stranger (Shannon Woodward) who seems a bit too good to be true. Guess what? No surprises here. Details: 1½ stars; now available on Hulu.

“Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music”: Bay Area filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman do an incredible job capturing Taylor Mac’s Herculean 24-hour performance piece, an acclaimed stage show which takes an irreverent, often critical look at music through 24 decades (it has played in the Bay Area). Through interviews with Mac and scenes of backstage preparations — particularly in regards to the elaborate costumes Mac wears — we feel we’re a part of this 10-years-in-the-making production. At the same time, the film opens a window to show how Mac got to where he is, and how the AIDS epidemic plays a pivotal part in the production. Mac’s comments about growing up in Stockton particularly resonate. Details: 3½ stars; available on HBO and Max.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].