Godzilla Minus Zero

My View:  Godzilla Minus Zero  (2026)  R  Godzilla Minus Zero is set in 1949 Japan, two years after Godzilla was defeated, as postwar Japan still recovers. Godzilla may be gone, but a new, possibly even more dangerous, kaiju attacks Matsumoto City. Our heroes, including pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), his now-wife Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), must band together again to save Japan from a new monster rampaging across the Country. My first reaction to this film was that it should be King Ghidorah Minus Godzilla because the Ghidorah monster shows up much sooner than our spiky friend and gets a lot more screen time. I have been a fan of Godzilla movies since I was a little kid, as they were the only horror films my parents would let me watch on TV. I had nightmares if a film was too scary (don’t get me started on flying monkeys). I thought Godzilla Minus One was one of the best films of 2023, and I saw it once in color and once in black and white. So I was amped for this film. While this film is more about the people in the film and dealing with the double dose hits of WWII and Godzilla destroying much of Japan, I still had fun with the movie. Just not as much, but that’s how much I love the big guy. I did enjoy Ghidorah's origin story, who, until later in the film, isn’t quite the same King Ghidorah I knew and loved from the early films. Godzilla Minus Zero focuses on the people who are trying to recover from WWII while also trying to defeat monsters that suddenly appear at their doorsteps. Some of the cast of characters are from our first battle with Godzilla, and we see how they have moved on from that encounter. We also get new characters, including a somewhat mad scientist willing to do anything to destroy the monsters, even if it means a few people die in the attempt. I had a good time watching this adventure, but filmmakers, take note. We want Godzilla front and center in the next one. No more of Ghidorah hogging the spotlight. He can find his own movie to star in.   My Rating: Full Price  Godzilla Minus Zero Website     In theaters and IMAX

My View: Wild Horse Nine  (2026)  R  In Wild Horse Nine, CIA agents Lee (Sam Rockwell) and Chris (John Malkovich) take a vacation from their efforts to overthrow the Chilean government and spend some time on Easter Island. As usual, trouble follows them to the island full of big stone heads. You might know that when the Academy Award is presented, it doesn’t have your name on it. They do that backstage at the awards show, where they engrave the award so you can take it to the parties and then home. Well, I am telling the Academy they can go ahead and engrave John Malkovich’s name on the Best Actor award, because no one else this year is going to top his performance as Chris, a CIA agent who's probably spent too many years in the spy/dirty-tricks business. This is a once-in-a-lifetime performance from an actor who has given us many brilliant performances. Watching him work with Sam Rockwell is like watching a magician pull rabbits out of a hat. A whole lot of them. You say to yourself over and over,” How did he do that?” This is a fun, funny, and sometimes incredibly touching film about friendship and caring. Rockwell is the perfect partner for this comedy duo, setting up Malkovich for the punchline, even when you don’t think there will be one. I loved Steve Buscemi as the asshole CIA boss who hates Chris because of the messes he causes. There are even some fun minor roles for Tom Waits and Parker Posey to have fun with. This film is filled with mystery, smart-aleck remarks, and an ending that will stay with you for a long time. So pack a bag and look at a lot of big-headed statues on an island with two characters you will fall in love with and maybe shed a tear or two with.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Wild Horse Nine Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Being Heumann  (2026) R   Being Heumann follows disability rights activist Judith Heumann (Ruth Madeley), who leads a historic 28-day sit-in occupation of a federal building in 1977. The sit-in forced HEW Secretary Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo) to sign Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Ruth Madeley gives us a tough as nails performance as a woman who won’t take failure as an option and is willing to stop traffic to make her point. It’s a powerful performance that doesn’t quite match the material, as it follows the biopic conventional script a little too closely. The film has its heart in the right place but can’t quite put it over the finish line. Still, it's worth a watch to see how far we have come with disability rights and to see a firebrand performance from its lead. It's a fun and inspiring film that shows every once in a while the good guys win. Sometimes, despite themselves and their hardheadedness.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Being Heumann Info   Now in select theaters and on Apple TV on Friday, November 13, 2026

Indiefest:  Club Kid  (2026)  R  Club Kid follows underground party promoter Peter (Jordan Firstman), whose life changes when he is forced to care for Arlo (Reggie Absolom), a 10-year-old Peter never knew he was the father of. The opening sequence is worth the price of admission, but the performances of Jordan Firstman and Reggie Absolom make it a film to watch. Club Kid is about Peter, a man who, if he keeps living the life of a club promoter, will either spend his days in jail or, more than likely, die. He is a man who doesn’t like himself and is all about getting high at his next party. Arlo enters his life unexpectedly, a shock to Peter’s system. Suddenly, a man who thinks it's fine to show up to a business meeting stoned out of his mind now has another person he is responsible for. To make matters more serious, Peter has no way to get Arlo out of his life. This is a brilliant film that gives us an inside look at how one person, in this case one child, can change a person for the better. Jordan Firstman is brilliant as Peter, who lives his life one party at a time until Arlo shows up. Reggie Absolom is adorable as a kid who seems too good to be true and is just happy to have a home to be in. It’s a beautiful film, and its ending touched me because Peter’s life is a mess, and it will not be fixed in a Hallmark movie instant. So grab your glow-in-the-dark wristbands, put on your dancing shoes, and go clubbing with Peter and his kid.  My Rating: Full Price  Club Kid Website   Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Gentle Monster  (2026) R   In Gentle Monster, Lucy (Lea Seydoux) is a successful concert pianist who, after sacrificing her career, moves to the country with her family when her husband, Philip (Laurence Rupp), suffers burnout. Her life changes when police arrive at Lucy’s, searching her home and charging her husband with possession and distribution of child sexual exploitation material. This is a heartbreaking and tough watch about a family that is pulled apart as Lucy finds that her life and her husband are not what they seem. The film asks who you believe and who you turn to when things go wrong. Lea Seydoux does all the heavy lifting in a role that hurts to watch, as she navigates the emotions of a woman who thought she knew the person she married and now has to figure out what to do. It’s a breathtaking, heartfelt performance in a film that slowly reveals its secrets, and some of them are more shocking than others.  My Rating: Full Price  Gentle Monster Website  Now playing in select theaters and on the Netflix platform on November 18th

Forgotten Film:  Destroy All Monsters (1968)  All of Earth’s monsters are held in Monsterland until a group of aliens shows up and releases them. It’s a kid’s dream of monsters and one that I loved seeing, where all the favorites like Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and yes, King Ghidorah are fighting a bunch of new monsters, including a lizard that jumps, a sea serpent, and a giant spider. The special effects are bad, the dialogue is corny, but it’s a monsterpoluza, and I love it.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Destroy All Monsters Info  Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Club Kid:  Tattoo Illustrator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  How to Rob a Bank  (2026)  R  How to Rob a Bank is about a crew of bank robbers who use social media to document their heists and gain public support for their Robin Hood mentality of fighting the corrupt rich. An FBI agent (John C. Reilly) and a computer hacker (Zoe Kravitz) are hot on the bank robbers’ trail. The cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Christian Slater, Pete Davidson, Anna Sawai, and Rhenzy Feliz.  How to Rob a Bank Website  In theaters nationwide on Friday, November 13, 2026.

Until Next Time!

The Mongoose

My View:  The Mongoose  (2026)   R  The Mongoose follows Ryan “Fang” Flanagan (Liam Neeson), a decorated combat veteran who has been wrongly accused of murder, who leads the police on a cross-country car chase in a Mustang Shelby Super Snake. As the chase becomes televised, members of his former Special Forces battalion and a fascinated public help him. This is the type of movie that Roger Corman used to make in the 70s. Plenty of car crashes, a wronged man who mocks the police in a souped-up car, outsmarts the establishment with the help of vets across the country, and makes wisecracks while flirting with his ex-wife. He even has a sidekick in his car’s navigation system that talks to him like his best friend. There’s even a scene where truckers help our hero out while country music plays (Smokey and the Bandit, anyone?). And like those early 70s films, there is even a growing protest of people across the country who say he is innocent. There’s even an evil head of the highway patrol, played by Michael Chiklis, who would have been perfect in any Corman film, spouting country-wise cracks. And the ending is right out of the Corman playbook. Too bad there aren’t many drive-ins left, because it would be right at home there.   My Rating: Cable  The Mongoose Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  La Bola Negra  (2026)  R  La Bola Negra comprises three lives spanning nearly a century, weaving together the stories of queer men Carlos (Milo Quifes), Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente), and Alberto (Carlos González) across 1932, 1937, and 2017. Walking into the theater, I knew nothing about La bola negra, an unfinished play by revered Spanish writer Federico García Lorca, who wrote only four pages before being shot during the Spanish Civil War. I wish I had known about this because most of the film centers on the play and its subject of a wealthy young man being blackballed (literally, as we see the vote being conducted with white and black balls) into joining a prestigious casino in his town because he is a homosexual. The film jumps constantly between three stories. Carlos, in 1932, is the young man who gets blackballed from joining the privileged ranks at the casino. Sebastian, who only wants to play his trumpet but is forced into joining the Nationalist army and finds himself guarding a wounded Republican prisoner of war. And Alberto, who discovers that he is inheriting something from a grandfather who recently died. A grandfather he knows nothing about, and one who has kept a deep secret for years. La Bola Negra is beautifully shot, with each timeline feeling and looking different. The film's opening sequence is worth the price of admission. This moving film covers a lot of ground and gives us a look at three men bound by love and a play that was never finished. I had trouble keeping up with the two timelines in the 30s and, at times, got confused by the blending of the stories, not quite knowing who was related to whom. I also felt the story should have ended much earlier, because it gives us too much to delve into. La Bola Negra will test your patience, but overall, it’s a beautiful telling of a story that isn't fully known. It’s a film full of secrets, desires, and untold stories, until now.    My Rating: Full Price  La Bola Negra Website   Now playing in select theaters and will be streaming on Netflix on December 2nd

Indiefest: Everest: The Other Side  (2026)  PG-13  Everest: The Other Side is a documentary that follows elite ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they attempt to climb and then ski down Mount Everest’s perilous North Face, something no one has ever successfully done. When I watch a mountain-climbing film, I always wonder what it’s like going back down. In Everest: The Other Side, you get to see someone attempt to come back down Everest on skis. Mountain climbing is an incredibly dangerous sport, and at one point, the two filmmakers (one is a key climbing team member) talk about how many people have sat at their dining table and are now dead from mountain climbing (it’s a lot). This is a remarkable rollercoaster of a film, where we slowly get to know Jim Morrison, the man who wants to ski down the north face of Everest. It’s an amazing story of perseverance, guts, and grief. You will need lots of tissues for this documentary, as Jim's life isn't always happy. The film uses extensive drone footage and GoPros mounted on the climbers to keep us close as they traverse a mountain known for avalanches. While watching this film, you will question why anyone would risk their life to do this sport. Near the end of the film, Jim’s partner, Hilaree, shares her reason for climbing, and it's a beautiful, moving thought. So get a hot beverage and get ready to spend a lot of your time on the edge of your seat. It’s not an easy climb to the top, and maybe even a tougher ride back down. My Rating: Full Price    Everest: The Other Side Info   Now playing in theaters and IMAX

My View:  The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (2026) R   The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is about Harry (John Turturro), an aging, struggling old-school pickpocket who has a hard time surviving in a modern world of trackable smartphones and cameras everywhere. Harry makes the mistake of taking a highly valuable USB stick from a ruthless crime family and is in a world of trouble. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, set in today’s world of iPhones, plastic watches, instantly cancellable credit cards, and wallets with no paper cash, follows a man stuck in the past. Harry has chosen a life of crime, one he is so good at that he can steal candy from a child or take anyone’s watch and wallet without the victim realizing it before Harry is long gone. But Harry has a secret. His wife is catatonic, unable to speak, and Harry is her only caretaker. The problem is that Harry has stolen from the one type of person he's avoided all his life: a man connected to the mob. I loved this movie, where John Turturro gives a performance of a lifetime as a man who loves his wife but is a thief who knows he will have to pay for his sins someday. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a love letter to the city as Harry travels, mostly by subway, all over to conduct his business. I loved how Harry, who doesn’t have an iPhone, constantly asks for directions. The supporting cast is a cornucopia of acting prowess, with Steve Buscemi as a crusty pawn shop owner where Harry takes his merchandise, and Giancarlo Esposito as a soon to be retired detective who knows Harry on a first-name basis, having arrested him a time or two. There are some very cool surprises that I won’t spoil, but they make this film a delight to watch. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York takes me back to those character-heavy seventies films where the City of New York was as important as the actors themselves. So put on an overcoat that has an inside pocket, and get ready to walk the streets of New York City and its boroughs. Just keep an eye on your phone, watch, and wallet, because Harry will be nearby.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  The Mosquito Bowl  (2026) R  The Mosquito Bowl is about four star college football players who joined the Marines after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Before the invasion of Okinawa, the four participate in a legendary football game that, for many, will be the last time they play the game they love. This is a very different movie than the one I thought I was going to see. The football game section of the film that they play before the invasion of Okinawa is only about ten minutes long. Instead this is about the friendships developed in wartime, the sacrifices that they make and the heavy cost in lives. The Mosquito Bowl is more of an anti-war film than anything else. The film starts with a quote from Herbert Hoover "Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. And it is youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war.” And that sums up the feeling of this film. The young men who played a game and played it well, sacrificed their lives to fight a war. The battle sequences are very graphic and hard to watch, especially seeing young men in the prime of their lives, go down and die horrible deaths. Does the film bring  anything new to the war films of the recent past? I think as a storyline, the film is weak, missing some early chances to make the film feel more interested in the characters. The battle sequences are well done and we get a lot of up close and personal shots of how each man is handling the stress of war. But the film feels rushed in some sequences, especially what I thought would be the centerpiece of the film. Instead we barely get any set up for the game itself which doesn’t hit the emotional level that it needs. The Mosquito Bowl is a film that doesn’t quite flesh out its characters and therefore their sacrifices  seem not to hit the right emotional level that it should.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Mosquito Bowl Website    Now playing in theaters and will be on the Netflix platform starting November 25th 

Forgotten Film:  Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum  (2018)  A crew from a horror web series goes to an abandoned psychiatric hospital to do a live YouTube broadcast. They start shooting, staging a few scares, hoping to gain viewers. However, the crew soon discovers that things happen that can’t be explained, terrors that aren’t faked. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum starts slowly, but once the scares begin, the film is off to the races, making for an incredible, heart-racing look into a haunted asylum where former patients aren’t too happy to be there. You may start with the lights off, but by the end, you'll have turned on every light in your house and react to every noise. My Rating: Full Price   Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Info    Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Only Living Pickpocket in New York: Pickpocket Consultant

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Godzilla Minus Zero  (2026) R  Godzilla Minus Zero is set in 1949 Japan, two years after Godzilla was defeated, and postwar Japan is still recovering. Godzilla may be gone, but a new, possibly even more dangerous kaiju attacks Matsumoto City. Our heroes, including pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki and his now-wife, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), must band together again to save Japan from a new monster rampaging across Japan. This sequel to the hit 2023 film Godzilla Minus One is the 39th film in the Godzilla franchise. It is the first film in the franchise's history to receive an R rating.   Godzilla Minus Zero Website In theaters and IMAX on Friday, November 6, 2026

Until Next Time!

Clayface

My View:  Clayface  (2026)  R   In Clayface, rising Hollywood actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is horribly disfigured by a local crime boss. Desperate to resurrect his career, he sees a doctor, Caitlin Corr (Naomi Ackie), who offers an experimental treatment Matt hopes will restore his face. It works at first, but then suddenly turns his body into living clay, which fuels his pain as he seeks revenge. First, a warning: If you don’t like the sight of blood, this is not your movie. Blood and how it behaves are important parts of the movie, along with self-mutilation. Unless you are a fan of the TV series Batman: The Animated Series or a comic book Batman fan from way back, you will not know who Clayface is going into this film. Matt Hagen slowly turns into a bad guy, set on revenge and willing to kill his victims in rather gruesome deaths. I like this film (not love, only liked) because we get to see how he becomes so consumed by his road to vengeance and feels the world has turned against him. You aren’t going to like Matt/Clayface. Heck, you don’t really like him when he's an up-and-coming star at the start of the film, at the top of his game and just getting an Oscar nomination. This is a horror film, not a superhero film, and it’s meant to make you squirm. There is a scene on a plane where Matt’s new face is not working correctly, and while he is trying to rectify the situation with a knife very close to his eye, I watched with my hand in front of my face. I didn’t love this film because, aside from being set in Gotham, there isn’t much to tie it into the DC universe, and Clayface's revenge tour goes on a little too long and is a little underwhelming in its plot. I should have been chomping at the bit after the film to want to see this villain take on a superhero or two, but I didn’t really care. As someone yelled out at the end of my screening, “Where’s Batman?” I wondered the same thing. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Clayface Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Wicker  (2026)  R   Wicker follows a lonely, ill-tempered fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who is tired of living alone and asks a local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a wicker husband. His creation comes to life (Alexander Skarsgard) and is everything she could ever want in a companion. However, his presence sparks the close-minded village into chaos. Wicker is an absolute blast to watch and is a joyful look at finding love when you least expect it. This is a fable about a wicker man who comes to life, made only to fall in love with a woman who has given up on a meaningful relationship. I loved every performance in this film. Elizabeth Debicki is delightfully wicked as the village matriarch, controlling what everyone thinks and feels about what happens in their community. Peter Dinklage is amazing as the grumpy but kind wicker maker, happiest when he figures out he can make beings come to life to enrich people’s lives, while spouting monologues about why he can do it. Then, there is Alexander Skarsgård, who plays the devoted and in-love wicker man, who is with someone who is amazed that anyone would be interested in someone like the fisherwoman. It’s a remarkable role where the only way to convey his feelings and emotions in a wicker casing is through his words and his eyes. Olivia Coleman gives a masterful, award-worthy performance as a woman who feels all the emotions of being in love but still doubts she is worthy of the devotion the wicker man gives her. Only a gifted actor like Coleman can give us a character we feel deeply for and root for, someone whose love and hurt betrayal we understand. Wicker is a wonderful tale of love, redemption, and triumph of the spirit that you will want to see again. An unusual love story, which, at its heart, isn’t that unusual after all.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again  Wicker Website  Now playing in theaters   Don't confuse this with the two versions of The Wicker Man: the bizarre 1973 Christopher Lee version and the even weirder 2006 Nicolas Cage version (known as the Cage in the Cage with Bees version).

My View:  Wildwood  (2026)  PG-13  Wildwood follows 13-year-old Prue (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) who, after her brother is kidnapped by a band of crows, ventures into the “Impassable Wilderness” to rescue her brother. With her best friend, Curtis (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), she encounters talking animals, bandits, and a very scary woman (voiced by Carey Mulligan) who once ruled this magical world and wants that power back. Please note that this movie is rated PG-13 because of violence that could shock very young children. Not to spoil anything, but the main villain outright kills someone in full view of the viewer. Visually, it's one of the most astounding pieces of animation I have ever seen. At times, this film has over 500 characters (heck, maybe more) in the frame, all done in stop-motion animation, and it is magical. Wildwood is a beautiful, jaw-dropping-looking film. The attention to detail and the breathtaking scenery is worth the price of admission. I haven’t read the book, but this film is extremely dark in tone and deals with death, betrayal, and grief. All very heady stuff that will require some discussion between parents and their children. Wildwood is a story of belief. Believing that you can overcome it. You are strong and smart enough to defeat evil if you learn to work together and outsmart your adversaries. It’s also about finding family in unexpected places and finding strength in it. Wildwood is a modern fairy tale where the stakes are high, sacrifices must be made, and if you fail, things will never be the same.  My Rating: Full Price  Wildwood Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Klara and the Sun  (2026)  PG-13   Klara and the Sun is set in a future where genetic engineering has divided society into social classes and technology dominates daily life. A sick girl's parents purchase an android named Klara (Jenna Ortega). Klara becomes best friends with Josie (Mia Tharia) and goes on a mission to find a cure for Josie’s illness. This is another in a long line of films that try to adapt a book that probably should never be adapted. I like Jenna Ortega, and who doesn’t love some Amy Adams, but this film never works. From the start, the humor is too broad and not funny. Robots learn about life from a store manager (Natasha Lyonne) who tells them stories that are just movie plots. I guess we are supposed to be charmed by this, but in my mind, I kept thinking, why are we seeing this? The friendship robots are dumb. We get it in the first couple of minutes. Move on. This isn’t a bad film, but it’s not a good one either. This is a downer of a film that keeps trying to lift our spirits with stupid stuff Klara does or says, but it just makes it more depressing. I love some of filmmaker Taika Waititi’s films, especially his 2nd feature, Boy (2010), which is brilliant and moving, but this movie is neither. The film is filled with paper-thin characters that feel like a first pitch to a studio, where the person pitching has no clue where the film will go or who the characters are. While the film is told mostly through Klara's eyes, it is often hard to understand her perspective on the story.  Klara and the Sun is about a robot who worships the sun. I thought sun worshipers were out of style. Mr. Waititi hasn’t gotten the message.  My Rating: Cable  Klara and the Sun Website   Now playing in theaters

My View:  A Talent for Murder  (2026) R   A Talent for Murder, a young literary agent, Edward (Alden Ehrenreich), travels to a secluded Swiss chalet in 1995 to convince author Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) to write one final Tom Ripley novel. Highsmith only agrees to do it if Edward first helps her plan the ‘perfect murder.’ The question is, is Edward going to be the murder victim? Or will Patricia be his? A Talent for Murder is three stories in one. The first story is a cat-and-mouse game between Edward and Patricia: Edward wants her to sign a contract for a new book, and Patricia wants Edward to help her create it before she signs. The second story is a love story between Edward and a woman, Clementine Balfour (Olivia Cooke), whom he meets and becomes infatuated with while traveling on a train to meet Patricia. The third story is the one Edward, prompted by Patricia, comes up with: the Ripley story, using himself as Ripley and his new infatuation, Clementine, as a love interest to show how Ripley gets away with murder. Helen Mirren has a ball as the hard-drinking, chain-smoking writer who is used to getting her way by bullying and possibly murder. It’s a marvelous role, and Mirren relishes in creating a character that is wicked, smart, but who might have met her match in the young, full of himself book executive who will not take no for an answer, even if it kills him. I loved this film, with its constant twists and turns that keep you guessing and wondering if anyone is going to die, and I don’t mean the character in the story Edward is telling. Sadly, I felt the ending of the film didn’t match the rest of the film’s cleverness. It’s too easy an ending and feels messy and underwritten. Nevertheless, the rest of the film, with its constant twists of the knife, is a devious romp into the minds of two very clever, screwed-up characters. But be careful: that gun on the wall just might be loaded, and that knife next to it looks pretty sharp.  My Rating: Full Price   A Talent for Murder Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest: Making Marie Antoninette  (2026)  Making Marie Antoinette is a documentary about the making of Sofia Coppola’s award-winning 2006 film. It’s always fun for me, as a film critic and movie lover, to see how movies are made. It’s a hard, long process that requires an incredible number of people, and it’s a miracle if the film turns out even ok, much less if it turns out well. However, this is a very different kind of documentary because it's made by a mother, Eleanor Coppola, documenting a movie being made by her daughter. Add in the fact that this movie was completed after Eleanor had passed away, and it makes it even more poignant. It’s a very personal look at a young filmmaker tackling a big-budget film for the first time in a setting, the Palace of Versailles, that has never allowed this type of film to be made there. We get to see all the thousands of decisions that a director has to make, all the while trying to keep the picture moving along. What makes this film work is that Eleanor gives us insight (with Diane Lane doing the voiceover for Eleanor) on how she sees the production and the worried mother on how her daughter is handling the stress. What I loved about this movie is that it showed how detail-oriented Sofia was, how real flowers were used, over 70 dresses that Kristen Dunst wore in the production, and how all the food shown on camera was edible. I hope this documentary will make you want to see Sofia’s movie, whether again or for the first time. And while you are watching the movie, remember how hard everyone worked to bring this vivid look at a doomed queen to life. My Rating: Full Price    Making Marie Antoninette Website   Now in select theaters and streaming on MUBI on Friday, November 6, 2026.

My View: Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald  (2026)  R   Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald is a documentary about the legendary comedian whose unique humor took him from the desk of ‘Weekend Update’ to sold-out venues, where fellow comics consider his stand-up routines perfect and hilarious. Norm Macdonald was one of my favorite stand-up comics. He had a unique way of looking at things and making them funny, even when dealing with topics like Hitler or death. He was also an enigma. Even his closest friends knew little about Norm. They had no clue if he had ever been married (he did have a son), was straight or gay, had gone to college, or even if he graduated high school. Heck, most didn’t know that he fought cancer for the last nine years of his life. But they all knew he was the funniest guy in the room, no matter what room it was. Norm is a documentary that doesn’t give you any answers. In fact, it just continues the subject of Norm, the unknown. What we learned was that he was an incredibly talented comic who could make everyone laugh, and he did what he loved right up to the very end. The documentary gives you clip after clip of Norm being funny. It even gives you a sampling of his off-the-wall, weird and wonderful tweets, something he became even more famous for. He was a comic’s comic. As Conan says late in the film, ‘If you want to see me really laugh, watch me when Norm is on my show.’ And if you want to really laugh, do what the film suggests at the end of the documentary: go down the rabbit hole of Norm’s talk-show appearances. My favorite is a Conan clip (shown much too briefly in the doc) where Norm mocks a CarrotTop movie coming out, and Courtney Thorne-Smith, one of the movie's stars, is sitting right next to him. Even she can’t stop laughing. My Rating: Full Price   Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform

Forgotten Film: Theatre of Blood (1973) R   Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) is a Shakespearean actor who believes he is far better than any other actor but is overlooked, all because of the critics who have hurt him. So he goes on a quest to systematically murder those critics with death scenes straight from the Shakespeare plays they looked down on. Price is perfect in the role of an overly dramatic actor who is better at killing than performing. It's a role that Price, who could be flamboyant with the best of them, could do in his sleep. The final scene is not to be missed, watching an actor who knew how to make something dramatic without going over the top, while also having a twinkle in his eye. So much fun.   Theatre of Blood Info  My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wicker:  Wicker Husband Lead Makeup Artist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (2026)  R  The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is about Harry (John Turturro), an aging, struggling old-school pickpocket who has a hard time surviving in a modern world of trackable smartphones and cameras everywhere. Harry makes the mistake of taking a highly valuable USB stick from a ruthless crime family and is in a world of trouble. To learn the tricks of the trade, John Turturro studied real sleight-of-hand and theft techniques with illusionist Apollo Robbins.    The Only Living Pickpocket in New York Website   In theaters on Friday, October 30, 2026

Until Next Time!

Sense and Sensibility

My View:  Sense and Sensibility  (2026)   PG  Sense and Sensibility follows sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esme Creed-Miles) as they cope with the aftermath of their father’s death. The two sisters must navigate romance, social expectations, and the need to find a husband to keep the family from falling apart. It’s hard to follow a classic, exquisitely written film with top-notch performances. This is a fine, well-crafted movie, and the performances, especially Daisy Edgar-Jones, are wonderful. So why did I walk away from the theater feeling a little down on this film? I think it lacks the warmth and humor of Emma Thompson's script from the 1995 film. I just never got the joy and lust for life spark this Austen story needs to work. The chemistry between the two sisters is good, but their reconciliation comes too easily and lacks the passion that scene needs. Still, it’s a good movie, but does that justify remaking a classic? I came away thinking it does not. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Sense and Sensiblity Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Whalefall  (2026)  PG-13  In Whalefall, teenager Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving and is accidentally swallowed by an 80-foot whale. With only 60 minutes of oxygen, he has to figure out how to escape. There have been a lot of films about being trapped in a cave, including the excellent The Descent (2006). Still, I don’t think there are a lot of films (Pinocchio films are the exception) about trying to escape the belly of a whale, unless you want to talk about stories I learned about in Vacation Bible School. So writer/director Brian Duffield brings us Whalefall, based on Daniel Kraus's best-selling book. The film tells two stories: one is about the stormy relationship between Jay and his father, Mitt (played by the always interesting Josh Brolin), and the other is about how he ends up in the whale and his attempts to escape. As Jay tries to escape the whale, we go back into the past and see how tough Mitt was on Jay. Jay seems to disappoint Mitt at almost every turn, never living up to the standards Mitt has set for him. This continues until Jay decides to go to college in Iowa (just about as landlocked as you can get) and leave his family behind. All the while, Jay is in an incredibly claustrophobic and dangerous environment, with a limited amount of oxygen and seemingly an impossible task of escaping. This is a tough film to watch, and you will look forward to the interactions between Mitt and Jay just to get a breather from all the horrible things happening in the whale. It’s a film that you may have to look away a few times, as you would expect, things get pretty grisly. Austin Abrams does a Herculean job of showing us how frightening and difficult it is to survive in the whale. The film is somewhat brought down by the ending, which, for a film about being swallowed by a whale, feels strange and unbelievable. I also struggled to figure out what Jay’s escape plan was, since he never goes into any explanation of what he is doing. Still, if you want to join Jay on a very claustrophobic, scary ride while Mitt lectures you on the wonders of the sea, strap on an oxygen tank, check your gauges, and hold on tight. It’s going to be an icky and bumpy ride. Hope you have a strong stomach.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Whalefall Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  You Can See Everything  (2026)   R  You Can See Everything is a documentary where a documentary crew is invited to follow Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes every move, just thirty-four days before she is sent to prison. What starts as a portrait of an embattled executive becomes a three-year journey into manipulation, truth, and reality. When I tell people I see over three hundred new releases a year, they always ask, "Don’t you get tired of seeing films?" You Can See Everything is the reason I see so many films. I rarely walk in hoping that the film will be good, and then I am blown away by the experience. This is one of those films. I think this could be the first documentary to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It’s that damn great. After enduring the 4-hour rambling of the Alex Gibney Musk documentary, I was worried that I was just a few days later, walking into a screening that was almost 3 hours in length. I will tell you, not only did I notice how long the film is, but there really isn’t a place to take a bathroom break, because you don’t want to miss a single minute of this astounding film. You Can See Everything is a movie that leaves you walking out going, “What did I just see?” Most people know about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and how her company swindled a ton of money by promising her machine could test for multiple tasks from a single drop of blood. This documentary doesn’t retell her story; instead, this is about a filmmaker, Nathan Fielder, who goes to the home of Holmes, her partner Billy Evans, and their two young children to spend time with them as Elizabeth gets ready to serve her time in prison. When Fielder starts to think that Elizabeth and Billy are playing him, he then takes them up on staying in their house full time. It’s an unbelievable look at two people who are either very good at lying or truly believe Elizabeth didn’t do anything wrong. Holmes may be one of the strangest, weirdest people ever profiled so closely in a documentary. And you can see why people fell under her spell. She stares at you with an unnerving, steady intensity, nodding at every word you say. She is either one of the greatest liars of all time (she claims she has never lied in her life) or is so involved in her own little world of reality that she believes everything she says. On the other hand, you don’t like Billy from the start, and his attempts at manipulation begin almost immediately. Billy is definitely the villain in this passion play, but the question is whether Elizabeth is in on the con or being conned herself. At the halfway point of the film, Elizabeth is on her way to prison. I looked down at my watch and thought, wait, there is still more to come? Then one of the biggest twists in documentary history hits you over the head, and for the rest of the film you are just trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Please see this film as soon as possible, because the twist is going to get out, and it won’t have the impact it does if you know it ahead of time. This film feels like a comedy at times, but then, at a moment's notice, it turns into something that makes you angry or can’t believe what you're hearing. This is a magical film that you will walk out of the theater with more questions than answers. It’s also a film you will want to walk back in and buy another ticket right away to experience the thrill ride it provides again. Academy voters: do the right thing and nominate this incredibly original film for Best Picture. It deserves it.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   You Can See Everything Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Street Fighter  (2026)  PG-13  Street Fighter follows martial arts fighter Ryu (Andrew Koji) and actor Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), who are recruited to fight in the World Warrior Tournament. Little do they know that the tournament is a trap set by criminal mastermind M. Bison (David Dastmalchian) to take over the world. Video game fans will be disappointed, and people like me, who only have a vague recollection of the game, will be looking at their watches, wondering when this mess of a movie will end. WWE fans will be disappointed by the brief appearances of Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. I was especially surprised at how little fan favorite Guile (Cody Rhodes) fought in the movie. David Dastmalchian plays M. Bison, one of the worst bad guys that I have ever seen in a movie. Heck, bad 70s Saturday morning cartoons had better bad guys than M. Bison. In fact, those bad cartoons also had better comedic moments than this film. The film seems to treat the tournament as an afterthought, with very little action in the ring. And the film keeps going and going, dragging on for two hours. Then you have Jason Momoa, in a long line of weird characters, playing a Hulk knockoff with the I.Q. of a Twinkie. I liked the animation sequences (there were quite a few) that tell the origin stories of our two heroes, but they can’t save a film with no idea what its plot is, and that ends with a whimper. There is a bonus sequence after the first portion of credits, but even it’s not worth sticking around for. My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Street Fighter Website  The review of the film will be posted Friday night Now playing in theaters

My View:  Love of Your Life  (2026)  R  Love of Your Life follows Maya (Margaret Qualley), a Boston emergency room nurse who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, falls in love and marries Charlie (Gabriel Basso), only to lose him to the virus. Overcome with grief, Maya decides to become a nomad, traveling around Europe, where she meets Felix (Aaron Pierre), who helps her heal and trust again. I am a big fan of Margaret Qualley, and this is her film as we follow Maya on her journey to find love, lose it, and deal with the feeling of isolation, loneliness, and guilt. This isn't the film I expected. I expected a rom-com or maybe even a rom-drama, but this is more of a plain drama with some romance (early on) thrown in. Qualley gives a moving, captivating performance as a woman who, until she met Charlie, wasn’t interested in finding love. We see how the couple grew into something special, only for COVID to take it away. The rest of the film follows a woman trying not to feel, avoiding the guilt and despair she is hiding from. Then Felix comes along, and Maya starts to feel again, but is she ready, or able, to stay in a relationship? This drama is about loss, friendship, forgiveness, and finding the strength to change, and Qualley takes us on Maya’s journey, showing how life can be cruel, but forgiveness is possible if you work hard enough.  My Rating: Full Price  Love of Your LIfe Website  Now playing on Amazon Prime

Indiefest:  Musk  (2026)  R  Musk is a documentary that follows billionaire businessman Elon Musk and his enormous influence on politics and life in America and the world. Alex Gibney, who won an Academy Award for his 2007 documentary Taxi to the Dark Side and gave us the incredible Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015), brings us an extensive look at Elon Musk's life and work. Four hours’ worth. I will admit I saw this at home, where I could take breaks, so I can only imagine seeing it in a theater where, at the 2-hour mark, you get a 10-minute intermission. I think this would have worked better as a doc-series (the film is already broken up into sections) than as a single sitting (where you start to feel overloaded with details about Musk and his changing opinions to make more and more money). If you don’t like Musk, you certainly won’t like him by the end of the film. If you're a Musk admirer, maybe a fan of his SpaceX work, you are going to have a hard time enjoying this film. Almost from the start, the film does not paint Musk in a good light. Well, except for the digital avatar of Musk, which is synced with his past audio quotes. The avatar Musk, in his leather jacket and full head of hair, makes Musk look a little like a movie star. The problem with this film is that, other than a few small tidbits, we learn nothing new about Musk. He is so much in our news cycle, and so many profiles have been done on him; this film feels like a visual look at something we could look up online. One scene tells you everything you need to know about Musk and his investor buddies. A joke is made that only the rich and pompous would think was funny. Everyone else would say it was not only in poor taste but offensive. Did I enjoy watching this movie? No, but I don’t like Musk or his ever-changing agenda. But I expected from a talented documentary filmmaker like Gibney to at least be entertained and learn something about his subject. Instead, I got a rehash of things I already knew or, for that matter, didn’t want to know. Documentaries should be informative and thought-provoking. I got neither from this film, just the feeling that I was tired of seeing Musk tell me how great he is.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Musk Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Misty Green  (2026) Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) was once on a hot TV show that made her an icon. However, a few bad breaks and a bad attitude have left Misty staying in her married lover’s condo, on the bottom rung of Hollywood, where she has to audition for even small parts. Add in the fact that her lover has died and his wife wants her out of the condo by the end of the week. Things aren't looking up, and she's burned every bridge she can in Hollywood. Misty then finds out about a part in a musical she would be perfect for, but it’s with a director she had a major conflict with. Chris Rock, who wrote and directed the film, also plays the director Misty caused a major problem for on a film he worked on. There is one thing that Misty can do, and it's sing, and it might be the ticket back to stardom. Misty is a hard character to like, much less root for. She is her own worst enemy, and her ego won’t let her compromise. Rosalind Eleazar is brilliant in the role and makes us believe Misty could be a star if she would learn from her mistakes. It’s a powerful performance that overshadows a script with incredibly shallow, weak supporting characters, including the director Rock plays. Every character, except the director Rock plays, has major problems, which makes his character seem too good to be true and everyone else seem nuts. The film keeps Misty making the same mistakes, and the ending could have come ten minutes earlier, which would have had more impact than Rock's ending. Eleazar gets to sing a few songs, and those are some of the best moments in the film, but overall, the film needed a few more rewrites and more fleshed-out characters to work, despite Rosalind Eleazar’s performance. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Misty Green Website  Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Tenzing  (2026) PG  Tenzing centers on Himalayan Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), who, in 1953, undertook the impossible with Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston). They became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. History often forgets the people who don’t get the spotlight, or the supporting members of a big event. When I learned about reaching the summit of Mount Everest, something that had been tried and failed, it was all about Sir Edmund Hillary, and yes, I knew he had a Sherpa guide with him, but I don’t think I ever even knew his name. This film corrects that oversight for every history teacher who taught this story when I was a kid. Tenzing is a remarkable story about a man who believed in himself and his ability to climb a mountain he'd dreamed of since childhood. The film has some incredible climbing scenes, and we get to know and root for Tenzing because of who he is. What I loved about this film is that it has two big stars, Tom Hiddleston as Edmund Hillary and Willem Dafoe as the expedition leader, John Hunt, but it’s Genden Phuntsok who carries the film with grace and believability as the resilient, positive-thinking Tenzing. This is a beautiful story about never giving up and overcoming the impossible. The film underscores this by using the local name for the mountain, Chomolungma, more often than Everest. I think it’s time to rewrite the history books. My Rating:  Full Price  Tenzing Website Streaming on Apple TV

Forgotten Film:  Since I mentioned this film in my Whalefall review, I thought I would reprint my review (June 2018 of the 2006 horror classic.  The Descent  (2005)  R  A caving expedition goes horribly wrong as six women become lost inside a previously unexplored cave. Trapped in the cave, they desperately try to find a way out as a strange breed of predators pursues them. This little-seen horror film was one of the best movies of 2005. The film builds tension almost from the start, and it features first-rate performances from Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, and Alex Reid. The film draws on many adventure films, including movies centered on space travel, and the cinematography uses the caves and darkness to build tension and scares. I will warn you: this film is very gruesome and graphic, but if you are looking for a horror film, you can't do better than this one.  My Rating: Full Price  The Descent Info  Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of Whalefall: Special Effects Manipulator 

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You:  Wicker  (2026)  R  Wicker follows a lonely, ill-tempered woman (Olivia Colman) who is tired of living alone and asks a local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a wicker husband. His creation comes to life (Alexander Skarsgard) and is everything she could ever want in a companion. However, his presence sparks the close-minded village into chaos. The film currently has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from over 30 reviews.  Wicker Website  In theaters on Friday, October 23, 2026

Until Next Time!