Buddy

• Director: Casper Kelly
• Writer: Casper Kelly, Jamie King
• Starring: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt, Clint Howard, Eric Bauza

Grade: B+

What if the cuddly, loveable plush mascot of your kids’ favorite daytime TV show was actually a controlling, murderous sociopath? Director Casper Kelly’s comedy-horror film Buddy thankfully doesn’t just rest on this first-thought premise, instead adding in a twisted coming-of-age tale and a subplot about grief amongst the bloodshed. The gambit doesn’t always work, but Kelly is a master of subverting extremely specific, classic TV genres, so at the very least, there’s an incredible attention to detail to be found in every corner.