Is “Novocaine” worth the pain? 6 new releases streaming and in theaters | See It or Skip It

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Will you be heading to the theaters this weekend for the new Jack Quaid-led action comedy, or staying at home to see the new Netflix film from the directors of “Avengers: Endgame”? Geekshow podcast’s Rebecca Frost joins ABC4 Film Critic Patrick Beatty to tell you what to see and skip.

Novocaine (R)

Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is an unassuming and quiet man who works as an assistant manager at a bank. He has a condition that makes it so he cannot feel any pain, which causes him to be extra careful in life due to not noticing danger. New hire Sherry (Amber Midthunder) steals his heart, making him realize there’s nobody else out there for him but her — when she’s suddenly kidnapped in a bank robbery. Now, Nathan is left with no choice but to use his unique set of skills to get the girl he loves — but can he get to her before it’s too late?

Patrick loves the action and comedy throughout the film, while Rebecca praises the performances of Jack Quaid and Ray Nicholson. It is a movie filled with cringe-inducing violence and gore, but both agree that this is one worth seeing in theaters.

See It or Skip It? See It!

Black Bag (R)

Spy couple George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn Woodhouse (Cate Blanchett) have their marriage put to the test as Kathryn suddenly becomes a suspect in betraying the nation. Will their bond be unbroken, or are their spying days numbered?

Rebecca loved the film, praising the immense talent behind the scenes with Steven Soderberg and the stylish writing by David Koepp.

Patrick agrees he also believes this film also works well on streaming due to the dialogue-driven plot, but may not be what a theater audience would hope for in a spy thriller.

See It or Skip It? Rebecca says See It, Patrick says wait for streaming.

Opus (R)

World-famous rockstar Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) is releasing a new album for the first time in years, and journalist Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) has been personally invited to his “listening retreat” along with numerous others connected to Alfred in some way. All is not as it seems, as the retreat slowly turns into a cult initiation from which Ariel may never escape.

Both Rebecca and Patrick agree that Opus is not the best work from A24. With a meddling plot that doesn’t work on multiple levels, there’s not anything new about this story that hasn’t been done better in previous films.

See It or Skip It? Patrick Says Skip It

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (PG)

Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (Eric Bauza), alongside Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), are on their own adventure in a new hand-drawn feature-length animated movie. Their house has been destroyed, and as they search to find a way to rebuild it, they uncover a deadly plot involving chewing gum that could destroy the entire planet.

Both Patrick and Rebecca rave about the film’s animation styles, humor, and fun. This is one to take your kids to in theaters to get a full introduction to the Looney Tunes.

Check out our full interview with Eric Bauza and Candi Milo on ABC4’s website.

See It or Skip It? See It

Invincible Season 3 (TV-MA)

Returning to Prime Video is “Invincible”, the adult superhero animated series starring Steven Yeun. In season three, we get a continuation of Mark’s (Yeun) story as he grapples with being a superhero, while also co-parenting a superpowered half-brother, and trying to save him from making the same mistakes that he did.

The entire season is available to stream now, and I had a great time with it. There’s still plenty of gore and blood overload, but there is a lot more development of the supporting cast that I thought was really well executed. The ending moments are gut-wrenching and epic in scale, but Patrick feels that compared to the previous 2 seasons, the animation wasn’t quite as dynamic as we’ve seen already.

Overall, it’s still definitely worth checking out.

See It or Skip It? Patrick says See It

The Electric State (PG-13)

Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) has been on her own ever since she lost her family when the robot wars began. Now orphaned, she discovers that her brother may still be alive when she comes across a sweet and familiar robot. With the help of smuggler Keats (Chris Pratt), Michelle is determined to find a way to save her brother.

Patrick and Rebecca dislike both the exposition-heavy dialogue and nonsensical world-building. This film had an almost $300,000 budget tied to it and still was unable to match it in quality and storytelling.

See It or Skip It? Skip It

Follow Rebecca Frost on her social media, and listen to her on the Geekshow podcast. Follow Patrick on his social media, as well as check out more See It or Skip It.