The most interesting aspect of "The Littlest Reich"—which is a series reboot of sorts—is that it's scripted by S. Craig Zahler, the writer/director/songwriter behind bloody, but soulful genre hybrids "Bone Tomahawk" and "Brawl in Cell Block 99." "The Littlest Reich" features brief flashes of Zahler's flinty wit and machismo, but it also often feels like a bizarrely misconceived side project. One by one, disposable supporting characters—several of whom are attacked simply because they are gay, Jewish, or black—die ostensibly comical deaths. The only people who can stop their pint-sized murderers—who descend on a hotel full of unsuspecting guests in Pottsville, Texas—are sad sack comic book artist Edgar (Thomas Lennon), his obnoxious BFF Markowitz (Nelson Franklin), and his literal girl next door love interest Ashley (Jenny Pellicer). Unfortunately, none of these characters are well-developed beyond an isolated scene or two, like when Edgar is confronted by his uptight/suspicious dad Tom (James Easton) after he moves in with his parents following a messy divorce. 

The rest of the film's non-puppet-related scenes are dominated by Markowitz, whose persistent need to mock Edgar and his girlfriend is pretty monotonous and predictable. Markowitz is what you'd get if you half-heartedly tried to make "South Park" brat Eric Cartman simultaneously repellent and likable. First he jokingly asks Ashley to take her top off, then he tries to banter with bartender Cuddly Bear (Skeeta Jenkins), a stereotypically sassy black supporting character who talks in the third-person and understandably looks askance at Markowitz after he tries to hit on and then (again, jokingly) asks Cuddly Bear to poison a fellow bar patron who he describes as a "bookish blonde" (Alison Viktorin). Markowitz's pseudo-playful banter with Cuddly Bear suggests that he's self-aware enough to know that he's a nuisance, but also ostensibly sympathetic enough to be laughed off as a harmless sex pest.

Still, you might wonder why Markowitz is the most developed character in "Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich" given that Edgar is constantly presented as the film's lead protagonist. You also might find some answers in the scene where Markowitz, upon checking into his hotel, is confronted by a smirking, passive-aggressive comment from the concierge: "You must be Markowitz," the unnamed hotel employee says. Markowitz scoffs and asks if that remark was made because he looks Jewish. The concierge shrugs and says, "Well, are you Markowitz?" Markowitz sheepishly admits that he is, and the concierge moves on, his dickish point seemingly having been proven. Because apparently you're only telling it like it is if you casually point out that a Jewish stranger appears to be Jewish.

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