Superman

My View:  Superman  (2025)   PG-13  In Superman, Superman (David Corenswet) must reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his life as the human Clark Kent. As always, Superman embodies truth, justice, and is a force for good, battling forces of evil, including Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). This 2025 Superman is not your Zack Snyder Superman (I am convinced that Snyder hates Superman (the hero), nor is it your old origin story like the 1978 Christopher Reeve film. We don’t see Superman as a baby, his Earth parents (tiny spoiler alert) are both still alive, and he has been working and living as Clark Kent for the past three years. Instead, we are transported to a weak and hurt Superman, who has just lost a battle to a mysterious bad guy, The Hammer of Boravia, who seems to be Superman’s equal. Right from the start, we also see that this film, like director/writer James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, this film will have a lot of humor in it as Superman whistles for the Superdog Krypto, who proceeds to jump and try to play with the hurt Superman. And from that start, we get one of the better superhero films in the past years and certainly one, if not the best, Superman movie. We are given a Superman film that is entertaining, filled with emotion, and features a superb villain in Lex Luthor, played to perfection by Nicolas Hoult. Hoult portrays Luthor as someone who is convinced that Superman is the bad guy and needs to be taken into custody because of his excessive power. To take on Luthor and his band of henchmen (some of which are just computer nerds), Superman has in his corner fellow reporter and girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). I will tell you right now that two characters steal the movie. The first one is Krypto, who is darn cute and always getting into trouble. The second is Mr. Terrific, a character that you might not know a lot about (unless you watched the CW show Arrow). Mr. Terrific, brilliantly portrayed by the cool and calm Edi Gathegi, is a tech wizard who utilizes various gadgets to fight crime.  Rachel Brosnahan is delightful as Lois Lane, the girlfriend of Superman, who has doubts that their relationship can last, especially since she is a tough-as-nails reporter who must cover Superman’s exploits, both the good and bad. I loved the chemistry between Brosnahan and Corenswet, shown in a back-and-forth scene where Lois interviews Superman, and they have to keep turning off the recorder due to arguments. David Corenswet is just what you want in Superman —a believable Man of Steel who perhaps trusts mankind too much and struggles to understand the complexities of living in a world where right and wrong are not always set in stone. I had so much fun watching this film, with a great bad guy, lots of humor, plenty of great action sequences, and a dog that not only flies but also can save the world almost as well as Superman. And yes, there are two post-credits scenes: one in the middle and one at the very end of all the credits.    My Rating: Full Price  Superman Website  Now playing in theaters, including IMAX. 

Indiefest:  Sovereign  (2025) R  In Sovereign, father Jerry (Nick Offerman) and son Joe (Jacob Tremblay) are members of a group of anti-government extremists called the Sovereign Citizens. The two soon find themselves in a standoff with a chief of police (Dennis Quaid) that sets off a manhunt. Buoyed by a riveting performance by Nick Offerman, Sovereign is a slow turn into madness by an anti-government extremist who makes his living giving talks around the country in small groups about how to take on the government. Jerry is raising his son to follow in his footsteps, homeschooling him, and using every moment to underscore how the American government is taking away his money and his liberties. It’s a chilling performance of a man who thinks he is always right and everyone else is wrong. Jacob Tremblay plays Joe as a young man who idealizes his father but wonders if he has gone too far and is tired of being isolated from the world. Sovereign is a film that ramps up the tension and dread as Jerry is convinced that he will win in the end, and his son starts to have doubts about his father’s beliefs and his future. Based on a true story, Sovereign is a tale that is destined to be sad for both the father and son, as well as the lawmen who attempt to force Jerry into something he doesn’t believe in.   My Rating: Full Price  Sovereign Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story  (2025)  R   Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story follows Abraham Van Helsing (Titus Welliver), who has relocated his family to America in an effort to escape his troubled past after battling Dracula. However, the past has a tendency to resurface when one least expects it. The film offers an intriguing premise about what happened to Van Helsing after he defeated Dracula, but the pacing is so slow that viewers may find themselves wishing for something—anything—to happen. Abraham’s Boys focuses more on a man who is haunted by his past while he and his wife raise their two sons in isolation. The film hints at the presence of vampires from time to time, but the scares are never there, and this is more a film that promises more than it can deliver. Fans of horror would likely have more fun watching one of the classic Hammer Dracula films from the 1960s or 1970s than spending time with Abraham’s Boys. My Rating: Cable  Abraham's Boys Info  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Daniela Forever  (2024) R  Daniela Forever is about Nicolas (Henry Golding), who struggles to cope with the tragic loss of his girlfriend, Daniela (Beatrice Granno). In an attempt to heal, Nicolas joins a clinical trial of a new drug, which starts delivering a reconstruction of Daniela through lucid dreams. What would you do if you had the ability to bring back a loved one in your dreams that felt real? Would you choose to remain there? That’s Nicolas’s dilemma as he starts dreaming about his lost love, Daniela, and doesn’t want it to end. It’s an interesting premise that never finds its footing in this film. However, the film struggles to engage its audience due to the lack of depth in Daniela's character. We see very little of her before Nicolas begins his dream journey, leaving her almost a blank slate. This makes it difficult for viewers to understand why Nicolas was so madly in love with her in the first place. The film squanders a believable and enjoyable performance by Henry Golding, who once again shows his ability to dominate a scene with his charm and charisma. However, that’s the problem, as his character is far more interesting than Beatrice Granno’s Daniela, and it makes you wonder why someone would want to spend all their time with them. The film drags on, taking too long to come to an ending that, while satisfying, ultimately feels anticlimactic given the emotional journey we experienced for nearly two hours. I doubt I’ll be dreaming about Daniela tonight.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Daniela Forever Website  Now playing in select theaters.

Forgotten Film:  In the Mood for Love  (2000)    Two married couples move into apartments next to each other. Mrs. Chen (Maggie Chueng) and her husband who is always on the road. Mrs. Chen works as a personal secretary for a businessman and spends her free time going to movies.  Mr. Chow (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and his wife, who is always working late, leaving Mr. Chow to fend for dinner on his own. In the Mood for Love is an outstanding love story of two people who realize that they aren't happy with their lives and that their spouses are cheating on them. They find solace in each other, but (here's the catch) they don't want to be like their unfaithful partners, so they refuse to cheat, but this doesn't stop them from falling in love. The film is visually stunning, boasting incredible cinematography. The two lead actors have such charisma that it’s almost painful to watch. Their love story theme is Nat King Cole singing in Spanish, and it hits you right in the heart each time you hear the song. It's easy to see why this film consistently appears on many top 50 lists and was recently restored.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  In the Mood for Love Info  The film is currently in some regional theaters due to it’s restoration. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Superman:  Journeyman Sign Writers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Eddington  (2025)  R  Eddington is set in a small town in New Mexico in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is running for mayor against incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).  As the election unfolds, the town descends into chaos, with mask mandates, conspiracy theories, and a sense of society unraveling in the background.  Eddington Website  In theaters on Friday, July 18, 2025.

Until Next Time!

Jurassic World: Rebirth

My View:  Jurassic World: Rebirth  (2025)  PG-13  In Jurassic World: Rebirth, scientists are on the brink of a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. The only problem is that they need DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures that are living on an isolated and forbidden island. Zora (Scarlett Johansson), a mercenary-for-hire, is tapped to lead a group of scientists to obtain the samples. I am going to call this film “Island of the Misfit Dinos.” While I think this is a better film than the last two Jurassic World pics (Fallen Kingdom, Dominion), primarily because of the action sequences, the plot is razor thin, with the film telling us that dinosaurs were genetically cross-bred to give the viewing public more exciting and thrilling dinosaurs to stare at (or get killed by when things go wrong) as if Raptors and T-Rex weren’t scary enough! The film blends two groups of people: one, a family out on a sailboat trip (along with one lazy boyfriend) and a group of mercenaries hired to take a paleontologist (Jonathan Bailey) to an island to get DNA samples from three gigantic dinosaurs to make a heart cure that will save millions and make even more money. The two groups come together when some dinos decide that they don’t like boats or people trying to take their DNA. The film makes numerous callbacks to the original film, but the sense of wonderment and stunning visuals we experienced then are not matched by this film. There is a lot of needless setup, mostly to let us know that the pharmaceutical rep Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) is a bad dude and that some of our heroes have lost people in the recent past. Adding to the fun is a family that, in most films, would be chomped by the dinosaurs in the first few minutes because they keep doing really stupid stuff. And don’t get me started on the dinosaurs, some of which are genetically modified creatures, including the big, bad dinosaur that we are supposed to be terrified of at the end of the film. The problem is that its head looked a lot like Sloth from The Goonies, and it looked to me to keep changing sizes in the last fifteen minutes of the film. There are some fun action sequences, and there is some good chemistry between Johansson and Bailey. However, Jurassic World: Rebirth takes too long to get going and then throws in lots of nostalgic vibes while also introducing numerous dinosaurs that we know nothing about.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Jurassic World: Rebirth Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  The Old Guard 2  (2025)   R  The Old Guard 2 is about Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors who continue on their mission to fight evil and protect humanity. They have to face a formidable new foe who threatens the very fabric of the Old Guard and, at the same time, deal with the return of an immortal thought to be long lost. Just one catch.  Andy is now mortal, and so the stakes are much higher. In my review of the first film, I mentioned I wouldn’t mind seeing the gang from The Old Guard make another film. I got my wish, but it would have been nice to have been here sooner. If you haven’t seen The Old Guard film or only saw it when it was released in 2020, I recommend watching it before seeing this film. I didn’t rewatch the film, and I will admit that I was lost for about the first fifteen minutes before I got my bearings and figured out what was happening. The film features two new principal characters: one, played by Veronica Ngo, is from Andy’s past and may be out for revenge, and the other, a new villain in Discord, is played by Uma Thurman. While not as enjoyable as the first film, as it forgets how good the banter and chemistry was between the gang of immortals, the action sequences still are kick-ass, and Theron doesn’t disappoint with her star power in commanding a scene. Add in the fact that we get to see a couple of nasty battles between Thurman and Theron’s characters, and it still makes it an enjoyable film to watch. A bit of warning: there is a setup at the end of the film for a third movie to follow.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Old Guard 2 Website    Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

My View:  Heads of State  (2025)   PG-13   In Heads of State, the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and US President Will Derringer (John Cena), who don’t like each other, must form an alliance when they escape from a terrorist attack and are stuck out in the world where they are targets of a powerful enemy. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world if they can just get along. This is a fun comedy/action film reminiscent of the buddy cop action films of the 1980s and 1990s. It’s a film where two characters don’t like or respect each other but are forced to work together for the good of keeping the world safe from evil forces. Cena is perfect as Will Derringer, a former action star who, because of his popularity and nice-guy persona, has been elected President of the United States. Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, a career politician who openly supported Derringer’s opponent, and resents the fact that Will’s idea of politics is what he used to do up on the screen. Added to the mix is Priyanka Chopra Jones, playing a British MI6 agent who shares a past with Sam. I wish I had seen this film on the big screen instead of my TV as the action sequences are fun and thrilling, with a great opening sequence when Noel and her agents take on the bad guys during the La Tomatina festival in Spain, where everyone joins in a tomato throwing battle that turns into a real fight. When President Derringer and Prime Minister Clarke barely escape an assassination plot, they are forced to band together and try to find their way back to safety, but the bad guys aren’t far behind. I will admit the banter between the two leads gets a little overdone, with some lines feeling forced. However, the action sequences are fun and exciting, with an outstanding car chase sequence that is thrilling to watch. Heads of State is a fun action film to watch with the family over a weekend, accompanied by lots of popcorn and maybe a bit of fish and chips for an after-movie dinner.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Heads of State Website   Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform. 

My View:  40 Acres  (2025)  R  40 Acres takes place in a famine-decimated future where Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) and her family are the last remnants of African American farmers who settled in rural Canada in 1875. Their descendants survived the first Civil War, and now the Freemans must make their own stand against those intent on taking their home. Danielle Deadwyler gives a spellbinding performance of a single-minded leader of a family who she constantly drills into her family that they can’t let their guard down in order to ensure their safety in a world where the only thing they can depend on is each other. Right from the opening sequence, when we see Hailey and her family take down an invading force with skill and precision, without remorse or hesitation, it becomes clear that this is a very different world in which the family is living in. It’s a world where everyone wants what the Freeman family has: a farm that provides them with food. What sets this film apart from other recent horror films is that the invaders coming aren’t zombies, but ordinary people desperate to take what the Freemans have. The film constantly ups the tension, fueled by Hailey’s constant paranoia as she keeps watch from the outside world invading her beloved farm. 40 Acres features some outstanding twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming, culminating in a final sequence that offers heart-pounding action sequences that will have you wondering if you can survive this movie, much less if the Freeman family can.   My Rating: Full Price  40 Acres Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  North Country  (2005)  R  Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) takes her two kids, leaves her abusive boyfriend, and moves back to her hometown in Minnesota. Josey takes a job as a miner, but she is not welcome by the men in the mine, as she has ‘taken a job from a man.” There are other women miners in the company, but most keep their heads down and suffer from harassment and obscenities hurled at them. Josey is picked on because she is new and because she shares a past with her supervisor, Bobby (Jeremy Renner), who wants her to quit. Her only ally is a union rep, Glory (Frances McDormand), who tells her the only way is not to confront the men. Josey can’t take it anymore and hires a local lawyer (Woody Harrelson) to take the owners of the mine to court. Based on a true story, North Country is anchored by two Academy Award-nominated performances by Theron and McDormand. It is a movie that will make you mad and cheer when Josey gets the better of the men and the mine owners. It’s a moving film that packs a powerful punch. My Rating: Full Price  North Country Info   The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jurassic World: Rebirth:  Personal Hair to Miss Johansson 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Weapons  (2025)  R   One morning, at 2:17 am, every child except one from Mrs. Gandy's class woke up and left their homes, never to be seen again. What happened to the seventeen children, and how can a community discover their fate? The cast includes Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, and June Diane Raphael. Weapons is from filmmaker Zach Cregger, known for his award-winning 2023 film Barbarian.  Weapons Website The movie is in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 8, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

F1: The Movie

My View:  F1: The Movie  (2025)  PG-13   In F1: The Movie, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a retired driver who thought he had burned too many bridges to ever return to F1 racing. An owner (Javier Bardem) wants to make a splash in the racing world and brings in Sonny to team with a new hot shot driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). F1: The Movie is a big Hollywood film with a huge, bankable Hollywood star that is about one of the world’s most popular sports and was done not only with the full cooperation of the sports governing body but with the world’s most famous driver (and many time world champion) Lewis Hamilton, as a producer. See this film in the theater, with as big a screen as you can, because the racing scenes are some of the most thrilling auto-racing sequences that have ever been filmed. F1 excels at putting you in the cars with the drivers while they race on tracks around the world. With the full cooperation of F1, the filmmakers were able to shoot some of the film on the actual race circuits, which makes this film feel even more real and thrilling. Pitt is everything you want in a big, charismatic star who makes you believe he isn’t over 60 and that he is one of the great race car drivers in the world. It’s a role that few stars out there could do, and Pitt does it with a flare that makes you believe he could go into F1 and be successful in only a few races. So, those are the pluses of this film: thrilling racing scenes and a star who knows how to be a star. Unfortunately, the power of the film's racing scenes is lost when the storyline gets in the way of making it work. F1: The Movie is a film that runs over two and a half hours, and too much of the film is spent setting up storylines that either don’t work or we don’t care about. I loved the relationship and chemistry between Sonny Hayes, the off-putting over-confident race car driver, and Kate McKenna, the team’s chief engineer (played by the always wonderful Kerry Condon). Sonny asks Kate to create a car that handles differently than most F1 cars, and reluctantly, she buys into what he’s selling. There is some great chemistry between Condon and Pitt, but I kept hoping that the romantic aspect would be put on the back burner and let this working dynamic unfold without the need for them to get together. There are plenty of problems with the plot, including how Sonny plays bumper cars without a serious crash or penalty, a poorly done feud between hot shot driver Joshua and Sonny, and a play for control of the racing team that you see coming from almost the start of the film, that doesn’t resolve itself until the very end. Still, you will have a great time watching a superstar actor in a role that he was made for and racing sequences that are incredibly well done and thrilling. Maybe take a bathroom break or refill that popcorn when the talking starts. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  F1: The Movie Website       Now playing in theaters nationwide, including IMAX. 

My View:  M3GAN 2.0  (2025)  PG-13   M3GAN 2.0 takes place two years after roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) created M3GAN, a robot meant to be a companion to Cady (Violet McGraw), a robot that turned into a killing machine. A new military-grade robot, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), has been built using M3GAN’s technology and has become self-aware, turning against its creators. It is now attempting an AI takeover and sees Gemma and Cady as targets. Not if the new and improved M3GAN 2.0(Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis)  has anything to say about it. Back in 2023, I gave M3GAN, the first film in the series, a terrific review, stating, “Full of humor and some cool special effects, we have a horror star who makes Chucky look like an amateur.” Unfortunately, this time around, instead of returning to the horror/humor style that worked so well, they decided to make M3GAN the next action hero, and it doesn’t work. Instead of horror, we get a robot that is out to take over the world, and our team of robot scientists, including Cady (who in two years has somehow become a world-class Aikido fighter), go into a secret lair bunker, straight out of James Bond movie, to build a new M3GAN. You can almost hear the words being said: “We can make her better than she was. Better, stronger, faster.” While the first film had a lot to say about the state of parenting, this film is all about the evils of AI taking over our lives. The plot is razor thin, and the humor is forced, though there is a magnificent scene where M3GAN serenades her creator Gemma with a rendition of the Kate Bush song ‘This Woman’s Work.’ And yes, M3GAN dances, but it doesn’t have the quirky feel of the original film. And that’s the key issue: this two-hour film is simply not fun. Instead, it’s as if director Gerard Johnstone watched too many of those Cannon films of the 80s as a kid and decided it was time to bring them back. Instead, can we please have M3GAN return be creepy and scary? We already have enough superhero movies. My Rating: Bargain Matinee M3GAN 2.0 Website Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  My Mom Jayne (2025)   TV-MA   My Mom Jane is a documentary by Mariska Hargitay, who was only three years old when her mother, Jayne Mansfield, died in a horrible car accident. Mansfield, at the time, was one of the most famous people in the world due to her films and the constant publicity she generated about her life and appearance. This is a film about the personal journey of a woman who didn’t know or remember her mother but whose shadow always followed her. My Mom Jayne is a captivating exploration of discovery, as Hargitay delves into her mother’s life—including her early marriage and pregnancy, her pursuit of a career driven by sheer determination, and her experiences with multiple marriages while raising four children.  We see as Mariska discovers things about her mother that were buried in the past and how, when they come to light, Hargitay gains a better understanding of her mother, including all the trials and tribulations that her brief but prolific life entailed. Mariska keeps peeling back the layers and discovering more about a mother she thought she knew, but she finds there is so much more. Hargitay does a marvelous job of showing us never-before-seen photos and home movies, along with a ton of Mansfield’s TV talk show appearances, that make you feel you are right there along with Hargitay. My Mom Jayne, is an emotional film that keeps surprising you as mysteries are solved, some of which are jaw-dropping revelations. By the end of the movie, you gain a deeper understanding of how misunderstood Mansfield was and how loving a mother she could have been to Mariska if her life hadn’t been cut short. It’s a poignant journey of pain, loss, and love—one that you won’t soon forget. My Rating: Full Price My Mom Jayne Website  Now playing on the HBO Max platform.  

Indiefest:  Tatami  (2023)  Leila (Arienne Mandi), a judo champion in her native Iran, and her coach, Maryam (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), have traveled to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home her country’s first gold medal. Midway through the competition, Leila receives an order from the Islamic Republic to fake an injury and withdraw. Will Leila do as she is told or continue competing, putting herself and her family in danger? Part sports movie and part thriller, with political intrigue thrown in, Tatami is a compelling watch that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Arienne Mandi gives a powerful performance as a woman who is willing to risk everything to achieve her dreams. Shot in black and white, the film follows Leila and her coach as she competes, and she feels that this is her day, that this is her tournament, and nothing can stop her. However, politics and a regime that prioritizes making a statement over sportsmanship threaten to derail her aspirations.Tatami is an emotionally charged and tense film where strength and courage are not just demonstrated on the mat, but also behind the scenes. It's an emotional rollercoaster, enthralling and complex, that will take you on a journey of unexpected emotions and places. It is a film that, like Leila, keeps fighting the good fight until the end.  My Rating: Full Price  Tatami Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025)  The documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore focuses on actress and activist Marlee Matlin, who won an Academy Award at the age of 21 for her performance in the film Children of a Lesser God (1986). Marlee has not only been a trailblazer for deaf actors but also a dedicated advocate for increased inclusion and accessibility within the Deaf community. I have been a fan of Marlee Matlin since seeing her heartbreaking and powerful performance in the 1986 film Children of a Lesser God, from which she won an Academy Award. That film propelled her overnight into three things she was not prepared for: becoming a spokesperson for every deaf person on the planet, an acting career based on one role in an industry that had never even considered that deaf people could be star material, and being in a relationship with a man who physically took out his insecurities on someone who loved him. Not Alone Anymore is a profile of a woman who never let people/critics define her by her hearing impairment. It’s a fascinating look at a woman who broke ground with every role she took on. Everyone who has used captioning when watching TV shows or movies should bow down to Matlin, as she was an almost a one-woman crusader for closed captioning. The film allows Matlin to tell her own story, and what a story it is. We discover the origins of her relationship with William Hurt and how it turned into a terrible, physically abusive one. Matlin tackles her drug addiction head-on with us and goes into detail about how she was treated by the press and by the deaf community. What I loved about this film was how it used closed captioning, allowing the hearing-impaired to express themselves without having to wait for an interpreter to catch up to what they were saying. It also shows how hard Matlin had to fight to have a career and how many times she had to hold her ground or fight for a role when studios would rather hire a hearing actor instead of someone with a hearing impairment. I loved the moment in the film when Marlee is with her brothers and sister, and Marlee, even with a family that is used to dealing with a deaf person, is left out of conversations because they aren’t talking to her or where she can see them. At one point, she signs to the camera, “I’m bored.” Watching this film about this amazing activist and actor, you will never make that statement. The film ends with two scenes. One is Matlin enjoying time with her newborn grand-baby, talking to the baby using ASL. And as credits roll, we watch Marlee in a car, signing along with a Billy Joel song as she waits at a red light. I can’t wait to see what Matlin does in her next role because I know it will be like her: powerful, tough, and thoughtful.   My Rating: Full Price  Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Website  Now playing in select theaters.  

Forgotten Film:  Before Night Falls (2000) R   Before Night Falls is the story of Reinaldo Arenas (Javier Bardem), the Cuban novelist and poet who believed that Fidel Castro’s revolution would liberate his life. Instead, he was targeted for his homosexuality and imprisoned for years, where he continued to write. We follow Arenas through his life as he continues to write, as his life becomes harder and harder. Javier Bardem delivers a riveting and touching performance as a man who is repeatedly put down but refuses to be anything but himself. It's a master class in acting, and because of it, Javier Bardem received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Of note is that Johnny Depp has a dual role in the film, one as a military officer who takes advantage of Reinaldo’s incarceration and as “Bon Bon’, a fellow inmate who is a crossdresser who helps Reinaldo smuggle out his writings.    My Rating: Full Price  Before Night Falls Info  Available to rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits:  From the credits of F1: The Movie:  Bolero Technician

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) PG-13  Forced to balance the life of a family with being superheroes, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from an evil space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). The Fantastic Four comprises Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The Fantastic Four: First Steps Website  The film opens nationwide on Friday, July 25, 2025.  

Until Next Time!

28 Years Later

My View:  28 Years Later  (2025)  R  28 Years Later takes place almost three decades after a virus was unleashed on the world. A group that has survived has been housed on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway. A father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and son, Spike (Alfie Williams), leave the island on a mission to go into the heart of the mainland, and there they discover the secrets, wonders, and horrors of the outside world. Back in 2002, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland unleashed 28 Days Later, a horror film that gave us zombies created from a virus that weren’t your old-fashioned slow-moving, leg-dragging creatures but one who could move with speed and had intelligence. In other words, a nightmare that unfolds before our eyes on the screen. Now that directing/writing duo has come back with a new film to explore what has happened since the original film. Unlike the first film, where we, along with the main character, slowly figure out what is happening to the world, 28 Years Later puts us in the middle of a small settlement that has flourished because of its isolation and strict rules. The film follows Jamie and Spike as they leave for a rite of passage for Spike. He is about to go to the mainland to kill his first zombie. They leave the safety of the island and travel inward, where Jamie cooly guides Spike into killing a zombie, but soon, they are confronted with a group of zombies that the two can’t handle, and it’s now a race for life or death. And that’s just the first 30 minutes of the film. 28 Years Later is a very different film from the 2002 film. This is more of a coming-of-age film about Spike and what he will do to save his family. The film is centered around courage, love, and the decision of someone to put their life on the line to save a loved one. I don’t want to give too much away, as the plot makes this a very different type of film from your ordinary zombie apocalypse movie. It is scary, though I will admit I was expecting more scares than it actually delivers. However, it more than makes up for that with a storyline that is moving and rich in feeling. Alfie Williams is outstanding as Spike, who is determined to do whatever he can to help his family, even if it means defying his village. Williams gives us a hero to follow, one who makes mistakes but whose heart is in the right place and makes the best decisions he can. So go and get engrossed in a zombie tale that has incredible cinematography, a bombastic soundtrack, and an ending that you will not see coming.      My Rating: Full Price  28 Years Later Website   Now playing in theaters nationwide.  

Familyfaire:  Elio  (2025)  PG   Elio is about an 11-year-old orphan named Elio, whose love for space is so strong he dreams of being abducted by aliens. One night, his wish comes true when he is taken aboard an alien ship and transported to the Communiverse, a place inhabited by intelligent life from across the galaxy. Mistaken for Earth’s leader, Elio must navigate through a crisis that threatens to destroy the new friendships he has just formed. When adults go to see a Pixar film, we expect to see imaginative storytelling, brilliantly done animation, and a plot that will move you (and possibly make you cry). Elio works on the first two points but misses badly in the emotional department, as we never achieve the impact we needed to create the desired emotional impact. I liked the storyline, as Elio is a fun kid who, while he is in over his head, is still willing to help his newfound friends against an evil warlord who wants to take over the Communiverse. Youngsters are going to love the action and all the trouble that Elio gets into. The cast of characters are fun and the evil warlord, Lord Grigon, is impressive looking in his armor but isn’t scary for young kids to be afraid of. I loved the meeting between Elio and his soon-to-be best friend, the giant-worm-like blob named Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly). Elio instantly realizes that Glordon, though weird-looking and with lots of teeth, is someone he can not only be friends with but also understands what Glordon is going through with his father, Lord Grigon. The animation is visually stunning and brilliantly executed.   However, I never got that catch in my throat from any emotional impact in this film that I wanted. I think the writers missed the boat by not emphasizing Elio’s life with his parents, who he lost recently and is now being taken care of by his aunt (voiced by Zoe Saldana), who apparently has had to sacrifice her dreams to take in Elio. We get glimpses of how hurt Elio is, but those are brief and miss that emotional point that we needed to make the final scenes have more impact. While much better than, say, Lightyear, Elio isn’t up there with the classic Pixar films that we all shed tears at, and that’s too bad. I could have used a bit of a cry. There is a bonus scene after the first portion of the credits and a rather strange promo trailer at the end of all the credits.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Elio Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bride Hard  (2025)  PG-13  In Bride Hard, Sam (Rebel Wilson) is serving as the maid of honor at her childhood best friend Betsy’s (Anna Camp) destination wedding. When a mercenary group takes the extravagant wedding hostage, chaos ensues. However, what the mercenaries don’t realize is that Sam is actually a secret agent, ready to unleash hell on anyone who threatens her best friend’s special day. I have already added this movie (in pen) to my list of the worst films of 2025. The plot is devoid of anything remotely funny, and it absurdly suggests that Rebel Wilson is the agency's top spy. If you think that using hair curlers like nunchucks is entertaining, or if you find it hilarious when Sam kills another bad guy and then takes a piece of wedding cake, saying “peace of cake,” then you won’t mind the hour and forty-five-minute runtime that feels much longer. I couldn't tell if this film was intended as a parody of action films (and perhaps wedding films) or simply a poorly executed comedy. I know it was painful to watch, almost as painful for the guy in the fight with Sam, who kept getting burned by the hair curlers. My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Bride Hard Website Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  The Queen of My Dreams  (2023)   The Queen of My Dreams is about Azra (Amrit Kaur), a Pakistani Canadian woman who has had a fractured relationship with her parents since coming out as a lesbian. Azra travels to Pakistan after her father’s passing, guided by memories of her mother’s youth, her love of Bollywood films, and her own experience in rural Canada. The Queen of My Dreams is a film about how, in the blink of an eye, a relationship can change, in this case, when a mother realizes that her daughter is interested in girls and not boys. Through Bollywood fantasies Azra has, flashbacks to her childhood, and scenes from her mother’s past life in Pakistan, we see how the two, mother and daughter, are so alike.  We see how Azra’s mother (played in these flashbacks by Amrit Kaur) was a fiercely independent modern woman who, like her daughter in the future, rebelled against what was thought a woman should be like in the Pakistani culture, eventually breaking away from her parents, just like Azra in the present is doing. I loved the interweaving of the Bollywood musicals into the film, often with Azra taking over a role to show us how she is feeling and experiencing life. The Queen of My Dreams is a lovely tale of two women who blazed their own trail and followed their dreams and not the dreams of their parents.  My Rating: Full Price  The Queen of My Dreams Website   Now playing in select theaters.  

My View:  Surviving Ohio State  (2025)  Surviving Ohio State is a documentary based on Sports Illustrated reporter Jon Wertheim’s cover story on the decades-long abuse scandal of male athletes by a doctor, Dr. Richard Strauss, at Ohio State University. The film features extensive interviews with members of the wrestling team that first brought the scandal to light and then goes into detail on how the abuse wasn’t just concentrated on the wrestling team but on other male athletes and even students who weren’t on scholarship but sought treatment at the student medical center. The film highlights how the university was aware of the doctor’s misconduct yet took no action for ten years, allowing him to have significant freedom. This included taking long showers with teams, conducting full-body exams during every visit with male athletes, and even making inappropriate advances in the showers alongside referees.  Surviving Ohio State has gotten some publicity because Ohio congressman Jim Jordan was an assistant coach on the team while the abuse was going on and claims he knew nothing about the allegations. The first half of this film is a shocking first-person tale through interviews of how the abuse started with each person and how they reacted at the time. It’s a sickening tale of abuse of power and taking advantage of teenagers who don’t have a way to fight back. The second half of the film explores how the university has handled the allegations over the years and how it still has not taken full responsibility for its lack of action. Surviving Ohio State is a film that will sadden you to think how many lives were ruined, how many young men suffered in silence, and how a university kept quiet.My Rating:  Full Price  Now playing on the HBO Max platform. 

Forgotten film:  I Am a Hero  (2015)  TV-MA  Hideo (Yô Ôizumi) is an artist who works on Japanese-style comic books called Manga. He once had a promising future, with a girlfriend and an award for “newcomer of the year” from his employer. However, his life has gone into the dumps, working as an assistant on other people’s work, his girlfriend has thrown him out, and now the world is being attacked by zombies. Hideo is an unlikely hero, though he fantasizes he is, and more often than not, he cannot pull the trigger (literally, in most cases during the film, he fails to shoot his shotgun at critical times). All Hideo wants in life is to be a man of action and courage, but he is more a man of indecision, often freezing when he should act. Yo Ôizumi is pitch-perfect as the ineffective Hideo. He seems to show every emotion broadly on his face, so we are aware of what he is thinking without having to have it explain it to the audience. The reason that this film is a blast to watch is the zombies. The zombies keep some of the characteristics of who they were when they were alive. A gifted athlete is still capable of performing fantastic feats as a zombie. Someone who like to shop, in zombie form, will attempt to enter stores with a determined purpose. The zombies can also talk, so very often they are muttering phrases that they often said while they are alive, like a zombie barista to kill Hideo while also trying to take his order. I Am a Hero is a brilliant, action-packed film that will make any zombie lover want to see this film repeatedly, hoping that if the zombie apocalypse happens, we can also say, “I Am a Hero.”    My Rating: Full Price   Surviving Ohio State Website  Available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Elio:  Additional Sweatbox Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)  Five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident and cover it up, keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, they are confronted by a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did and is out for revenge. The friends discover this has happened before and ask for survivors of the Southport Massacre of 1997 for help. This film features Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., two of the stars of the 1998 film.   I Know What You Did Last Summer Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, July 18, 2025.

How to Train Your Dragon

My View:  How to Train Your Dragon  (2025)  PG  How to Train Your Dragon is a tale about Vikings and dragons, who are mortal enemies on the isle of Berk. That is until Hiccup (Mason Thames) meets a hurt Night Fury dragon that he names Toothless. Little do the two know that their future together means that they will save the lives of both species. The 2010 animated film is one of the best-animated movies of the 2010s, with a story that was touching and filled with thrilling animated scenes that showed the love between a boy and a dragon, all the while exploring the themes of legacy, father/son dynamics and finding out that our enemies are sometimes misunderstood. This live-action film follows the same themes and does it well, but the nagging question is, why do the same movie if it isn’t going to bring anything new to the story? While the performances are good, and the CGI animation of Toothless is fine, this version doesn’t give us anything new; it’s the same story, just in a longer version (beware, parents of young kids, this movie is over two hours long). I will say that I felt the flying sequences weren’t as thrilling as the animated version, and I missed Craig Ferguson’s performance as the bombastic Gobber (played this time by a less enjoyable Nick Frost). Will parents and kids enjoy watching this version? Sure, because it’s a great story. Was the production of this remake worth all the money and effort? Doubtful.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  How to Train Your Dragon Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Materialists  (2025)  R   In Materialists, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a famous New York City matchmaker who has always been lucky in making the perfect match for others but has been unlucky in love herself. Lucy may have met her perfect match in suave and rich Harry (Pedro Pascal) until her ex, John (Chris Evans), comes back into the picture. What’s a matchmaker to do? I am a big rom-com fan, and I was excited to see this film after watching the trailer. While I loved this film because of the phenomenal performances by the three stars, this is not your typical romantic comedy. Materialists is a more of a harsh reality romance than a comedy, though there are some laughs along the way. The film is about how hard and sometimes cruel dating can be, as seen through the eyes of someone who deals in the romance game and views marriage as a business agreement. Lucy is not actively looking for a mate, but she admits she will settle for one if they can ‘check all the boxes,’ including being rich. Dakota Johnson portrays a woman who is jaded but enjoys her job of finding matches for men and women seeking love, provided they meet certain requirements. It’s a marvelous performance that immerses us in Lucy’s world and her mindset, giving us a woman who is lovable yet troubled and flawed. Harry enters Lucy's world, and he is convinced that she is the one for him, no matter how many times Lucy tells him she isn't right for him. To make matters more complicated, her ex, John, comes back into her life. Evans, as Chris, portrays a man who is love-struck and has never stopped loving this complicated woman. John knows Lucy better than anyone; they have a connection, and we see that when something happens to a client of Lucy’s. Lucy doesn’t go to Harry, but to John for support and comfort. This is not a movie for everyone because its lead character is not always likable and is frustrating, doesn’t follow the usual romantic playbook and our heroine falls for a man who we know isn’t right for her and she doesn’t care. The title alone tells you a lot about Materialists. It’s a film that gives us the down-and-dirty on dating, matchmaking, and whether someone is truly perfect for someone. You will have to watch until the end to help you decide.      My Rating: Full Price  Materialists Website    Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Life of Chuck  (2024) R  The Life of Chuck explores the life and adventures of Charles Krantz, a man who is experiencing the end of his life while being celebrated by his friends and family. The Life of Chuck is one of those films that’s hard to review because its structure is complicated, and I don’t want to give away any of the surprises (and there are a few). One clue to this film is that it is based on a Stephen King novella, although more in the vein of The Shawshank Redemption or Stand by Me, rather than horror films like The Shining or It. The film is told in three parts and unfolds in reverse to tell us the story of Chuck. I will warn you that the first part is a little off-the-wall strange, and while Chuck makes an appearance, that part of the film is about two exes (Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan) who are trying to cope with a world gone off the rails and find support in re-connecting. Part two is about Chuck as an adult (played by ever-charismatic Tom Hiddleston), and part three is about Chuck as a teen (played by Jacob Tremblay) and as a kid (played by the adorable Benjamin Pajak). Along the way, there are some fantastic performances by Carl Lumbly, Mia Sara, and Mark Hamill (which I think is so good it could get him an Oscar nod). While not a musical, the film features some incredible and exciting dance numbers, with Hiddleston performing a thrilling and moving dance alongside the delightful Annalise Basso. The Life of Chuck is a film that slowly reveals its secrets, and while it throws you into a world that doesn’t make much sense at first, it becomes a joyful and life-affirming film that makes you feel glad you experienced the life of a man named Chuck.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again    Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Echo Valley  (2025)  R    Echo Valley revolves around Kate (Julianne Moore), a horse ranch owner in the beautiful and isolated Echo Valley. Her world is shattered when her estranged, drug-addicted daughter, Claire (Sydney Sweeney), shows up at her doorstep in hysterics and covered in someone else’s blood. Echo Valley is a film whose pedigree, with Director Michael Pearce (Beast), Writer Brad Ingelsby (creator and writer of Mare of Easttown), and stars Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson, and Fiona Shaw, should have been a slam dunk. Instead, we get a mess of a film that feels like it is two or three different movies pitched separately and put together by the studio to make one ‘Oscar bait’ film. Julianne Moore (who delivers a fantastic performance despite the material) plays Kate, a grieving widow struggling to keep her horse farm afloat. Sydney Sweeney portrays Claire, a troubled, drug-addicted girl who repeatedly returns to her mother for money, only to disappear again without notice. Sweeney’s character doesn’t have much depth; she mostly wanders around moping and runs back to a troubled relatioship. We get our villain in Domhnall Gleeson, who portrays a drug dealer who mostly sneers threats and keeps showing up to make mom Kate's life hell. The film is packed with so many twists and turns that it seems Brad Ingelsby may have drawn inspiration from too many 1970s TV mysteries before writing the script. It's frustrating when the major plot twist is something you can deduce halfway through the film. While I’m no detective like Mannix or Columbo (references to 1970s shows), I realized that Echo Valley desperately needed a stronger script than the one Julianne Moore was given. My Rating: Cable   Echo Valley Info   Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform.

My View:  Deep Cover  (2025) R    Deep Cover is about three struggling London improv actors (Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed) who are hired by the police for a series of sting operations. Can they say their usual improv phrase “yes, and…” and still survive as they find their way into joining a criminal gang? As someone who appreciates improv and had dabbled in it during my acting days, I found the premise intriguing. Little did I know the jokes would be flat, and what improv there is is so poorly done it’s painful. The only character that you have fun watching is Marlon, portrayed by Orlando Bloom, who isn’t exactly known for his comedic chops. He brings life to the film with his portrayal of Marlon, an actor stuck in small commercial roles but dreaming of being like Brando or De Niro. Marlon’s character tends to go over the top, crafting backstories so dramatic they could bring any hardened criminal to tears. Regrettably, the rest of the cast fails to shine, and actors like Paddy Considine, Ian McShane, and Sean Bean are underutilized in a script that recycles every poor cop movie trope without delivering any real comedy. I considered improvising a joke here at the end of this review, but this film took me out of the moment. Can anyone out there say ‘yes, and’ for me?  My Rating: Cable  Deep Cover Info  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform. 

Indiefest:  Prime Minister  (2025)   The documentary Prime Minister chronicles Jacinda Ardern’s tenure as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, during which her terms she had to navigate a mass shooting, COVID-19, and giving birth to a first child. Prime Minister is an outstanding documentary about a person who never expected to come into power, but when she did, she went all out, even while having a child while in office. The film commences with Jacinda's leader resigning, resulting in her becoming a top contender for her party's Prime Minister nomination. We then follow Jacinda through the election, which she barely wins, a reeelction in a landslide, putting her in office for five years. Prime Minister is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how leadership can work and how it can just as quickly be undone. We also get to see how she managed a relationship and the birth of a baby while in office. We get personal footage, which I loved because her partner shot a lot of it (they didn’t get married until after her stint as Prime Minister), and we see up close and personal their back-and-forth conversations about everything that is going on in their lives.We gain insight into her decision-making process and the reasoning behind her conclusions. While some of her decisions led to great successes, we also witness her struggles, including the impact of COVID-19 and the influence of Trump supporters reaching all the way to New Zealand. Throughout the documentary, we hear recordings she made during her years as Prime Minister, and we also see what she is doing now—hint: she’s teaching at a university in the U.S., which has been making headlines. Prime Minister is an inspiring film about a political figure who genuinely cared for people, prioritized their needs, and was willing to share her thoughts and feelings on pressing issues. What a novel concept.  My Rating: Full Price    Prime Minister Info  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Titan: The OceanGate Disaster  (2025)  Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is a documentary about Stockton Rush, whose quest to become the next billionaire inventor led to the development of the Titan, a doomed underwater deep-sea sub that he hoped would bring oceanic exploration to the masses.Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is a fascinating and infuriating story about a man who had a vision to take the world down into the sea and share its wonders. Unfortunately, stupidity, ego, and money got in the way and ultimately cost the lives of five people. The film utilizes extensive footage and interviews with most of the principals behind the creation of the sub and its attempts to become a means for the world to see the Titanic’s wreckage up close in person. The film gives you a detailed look at both the lead-up to the accident and the investigation by the Coast Guard into how the deaths happened. I won't use the word 'accident' to describe what caused people to lose their lives because the disaster that happened was going to happen that day or weeks/months later. From the start, the idea of using a carbon fiber hull instead of steel or titanium was destined for failure. Stockton Rush was a man who thought he knew more than anyone else and was convinced, even when the testing told him otherwise, that the hull would stand the pressure. There is some horrifying footage of a dive the sub took that is as scary as what we experienced in the recent theatrical film Last Breath. There is a reason it took so long to discover where the Titanic was because it was resting so deep in the ocean floor. Maybe we should just let the ship stay at the bottom of the sea and stop trying to disturb its slumber. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Titan: The OceanGate Disaster Website  Now playing on the Netlfix platform. 

Forgotten Film:  Safe  (1995)  R  As a well-off housewife, Carol (Julianne Moore) devotes her time to remodeling her home, attending charity events, and gardening. Carol starts experiencing physical symptoms, such as coughing uncontrollably after being exposed to exhaust fumes or getting a nosebleed when getting a perm at her hair salon. Carol's condition continues to worsen, and doctors are unable to determine the cause. She then, encouraged by friends, to go to a retreat that specializes in allergies. There, she continues to get worse, finally isolating herself in a completely sterile environment. The film was directed by Todd Haynes, known for his engaging and sometimes controversial films, including Far From Heaven (2002), I'm Not There (2007), Carol (2015), and Wonderstruck (2017). Safe is a film about a woman who embarks on a path where she is constantly given reasons why the problem is in her head, but the symptoms persist and worsen. Julianne Moore is outstanding as Carol, whose life keeps getting worse and worse. The film can be viewed as a horror film, as for someone like myself who has dealt with severe allergies all my life, not knowing the cause of your problems can be horrifying, especially when everything you do compounds the problems. Critics and the Hollywood establishment saw in her performance in Safe that Moore would become a force to be reckoned with as an actor. My Rating: Full Price  Safe Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of How to Train Your Dragon:  Lock Off PA

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Superman  (2025)  PG-13  Superman (David Corenswet) must reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his life as the human Clark Kent. As always, Superman is the embodiment of truth, justice, and trying to be a force for good while battling forces of evil, including Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). James Gunn, the man responsible for the amazing Guardians of the Galaxy film series, is behind the film.  Superman Website   The film will be out in theaters on Friday, July 11, 2025.

Until Next Time!