Final Destination: Bloodlines

My View:  Final Destination: Bloodlines  (2025)   R   Final Destination: Bloodlines is about Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student plagued by a recurring violent nightmare. She returns home to find the only person who knows how dangerous the nightmare is and what it means. Final Destination movies are always interesting, as the deaths pile up like logs on the back of a truck, only to be spilled across the highway, mauling us along with the on-screen victims. The film's villain is death, so it's hard to root against him or her. Instead, you want the deaths to be creative and, at times, funny because people are going to die inevitably. It’s been since the summer of 2011 that a Final Destination opus has been in theaters, and now we finally have FD: Bloodlines. If you like the series or like just bat-crap crazy deaths, then this latest installment is right up your alley (be sure to watch out for that semi that made a wrong turn and is heading right for you). Skip the blood bath if grisly deaths that kill people in extraordinary and sometimes creative ways are not your thing. I enjoyed this film, mainly because the deaths were creative and gruesome and because the storyline actually has some heart to it, as a family tries to band together to survive. Also, the opening sequence is making up for lost time, as there are so many deaths in a short amount of time that I lost count. This film gives you a few twists and turns in how the deaths occur, teasing you with items that could be the cause of death, only to use something else. Also, this is the last film of the late, great horror actor Tony Todd, who was in a slew of Final Destination films, as the only one who had cheated death, and he gets to make a swan song appearance in this film. So, don’t be late. Get your popcorn early and settle in for a death or two or a hundred. My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Final Destination: Bloodlines Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Hurry Up Tomorrow  (2025)  R   In Hurry Up Tomorrow, a musician (The Weeknd) suffering from a horrible bout of insomnia is on the verge of a mental breakdown. A mysterious stranger pulls him into a journey, leading to an odyssey that challenges everything that he knows about himself. Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye stars as a singer on an area-filled tour. He is going through a rough patch as his girlfriend has just broken up with him, and he is having trouble with his voice. Add to that drug and alcohol by a ton, a manager (played by Barry Keoghan) who keeps feeding him drugs to keep him going, and our singer is a mess of a man. He has a breakdown on stage and meets a young woman who we have seen setting fire to a house out in the middle of nowhere and has somehow gotten floor seats to our singer’s sold-out show. Maybe fans of The Weeknd will enjoy this film, but at my screening, most of the audience pulled out their phones about a third of the way through the film, looking for something that made more sense than the plot of this film. Trey Edward Shults, who directed and co-wrote the film, gives us a meandering tale of a person breaking apart, but we never feel bad for the person. In fact, in the first few minutes of the film, we hear a phone message that The Weeknd’s girlfriend leaves him, telling him and us that she thought he was a good person but has realized that he isn’t. And by the end of the film, we feel the same way. The film is being sold as a psychological thriller, but the thrills are never there. There are just a lot of shots of The Weeknd in closeups, shedding tears or singing emotionally as we are being asked to feel sorry for him. The story tries to become a trip into the mind of a tormented person (by what we are never clear what, bad childhood maybe?) but instead becomes one long music video that seems to never end. Look, I love Jenny Ortega as much as anyone out there, but having her sing and dance to The Weeknd’s songs for what seemed like forever was just too much to take. Instead of Hurry Up Tomorrow, I want the title to be Hurry Up One Hour and Forty-Five Minute Film.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Hurry Up Tomorrow Website     Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Deaf President Now!  (2025)  Deaf President Now! is a documentary about a student protest in 1988 at Gallaudet University, an over 100-year-old institution that was the world’s first university for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The Gallaudet students, backed by alumni, faculty, and staff, shut down the campus in protest of picking a hearing candidate to become President of the university. Deaf President Now! is one of the best documentaries of the year. I found the way they told the story captivating, allowing the three students and a dean to share their involvement as leaders of the movement. It’s a fantastic tale of a student body that was tired of being told that just because they were deaf, they had to shut up and take what the university board told them. Instead, they fought back and wouldn’t take anything other than a deaf president for their university, something that had never happened in 124 years. The story is right out of a Hollywood drama: young students fighting against the establishment. The bad guy, in this case, bad person, is the head of the board of directors, a white, 60-ish prim and proper woman who was not deaf, nor had ever even bothered to learn sign language. She is right out of central casting, the kind of person who thinks she can say a few words and everything will get back to normal because of who she is and what she stands for. In fact, I almost believe that she is a villain from a animated Disney film. Instead, the students held their ground, and there is a brilliantly put-together part of the film that has one of those moments in a movie when you cheer at the screen. I loved the students who tell the story to us, which is told with passion, insight, and, very often, humor. Deaf President Now! is a film that we need right now, where the little guy, fighting the good fight, wins and makes a difference.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Deaf President Now! Info  The film is now on Apple TV+ and was shown at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. 

Indiefest:  Lilly  (2024)  PG-13   Lilly Ledbetter (Patricia Clarkson) endured constant mistreatment from her male coworkers while working at the Goodyear factory for 19 years. As she approaches retirement, she learns that the company has been paying her almost half what men in similar jobs are receiving. While outside forces attempt to keep Lilly quiet, she continues to pursue her case all the way to the Supreme Court. I wanted to like this film, especially since the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is basically the narrator of the film, but the film is so ham-fisted put together that it becomes frustrating to the viewer. Ginsburg’s narration is from an interview she did about Lilly and the case that Lilly brought up to the Supreme Court. I kept thinking about films that told stories of women fighting the system, like Norma Rae (1980) or Silkwood (1984), but this film has no idea how to tell the story to make Lilly stand out. Patricia Clarkson's performance is wasted, and there isn't a stand-alone moment in the film to make the message of this film have an impact. It doesn’t help that the soundtrack feels like a YouTube collage, and the film’s bad guy, a politician who turns to dirty tricks to stop Lilly from continuing her fight, played by Josh McDermitt, is right out of a bad 50s Perry Mason episode. Add in the first third of the film, which tells Lilly’s years at the Goodyear plant, is shot in a weird sepia tone look that I almost went into the lobby to complain that the screen didn’t look right. Add in some strange family drama with Lilly’s son (that takes years to resolve), and the film feels flat, never giving us that moment to bask in the glow of the triumph. Lilly Ledbetter deserved more.   My Rating: Cable  Lilly Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View: Summer of 69  (2025)   Abby (Sam Morelos) is a high school senior who has had a crush on Max (Matt Cornett) since they first met in elementary school. The only problem is Max has always had a girlfriend. Until now. Abby finds out that Max is newly single, and Abby sets her sights on him with the goal of having sex with him. The only problem: Abby is a virgin and knows nothing about sex and doesn’t have enough experience to make a move, much less know what the heck Max’s rumored favorite sexual position is. To help guide her to her ultimate goal, she hires a stripper named Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman) to teach her the ways of seduction and the bedroom. Summer of 69 is a fun and, at times, raunchy comedy that brings back memories of all those teen sex comedies of the 80s and 90s. While a little too long and a bit haphazard in its plot, Summer of 69 works because of the outstanding chemistry and comedic chops of Sam Morelos and Chloe Fineman. Sam Morelos is hilarious as the nerd with a side job of people watching her play games online (with a monster mask on) and who, from time to time, when things get overwhelming, goes into a fantasy mode in her mind. Chloe Fineman plays a stripper who wants to save her strip club from a mobster (played by the always-funny Charlie Day). Fineman is having a blast as the stripper who puts Abby in a boot camp for sex to get her ready for Abby to not only get Max into bed but know what to do when there. The film has some funny cameos from the likes of Nicole Byer, Alex Moffet, and Natalie Morales that keep the film moving. Summer of 69 falls apart a bit in the 2nd half, but it’s a fun romp led by two winning performances that will brighten your summer.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Summer of 69 Website Now playing on the Hulu platform. 

Indiefest:  Caught by the Tides (2024)   Years ago, Qiao Qiao (Zhao Tao) was working as a successful model and dancer. Her boyfriend and her manager, Guao Bin (Li Zhubin), left her for the big city with the promise that he would bring her there after he’s settled down. After waiting for word that never came, she sets out on a journey to be reunited with him. Director Jia Zhangke combines footage from his past films with newsreel footage from over the years to tell the story. The film is in three parts, with the start of the story told with almost no dialogue as we follow the life of Qiao Qiao as she goes from job to job, interspersed with dates, sometimes miserable ones, with her boyfriend. Part two is the journey that Qiao Qiao takes to find her lost love, a travel log that ends with a very unhappy reunion for the two. The third part of the story is about the two reuniting years later; their lives have not turned out how they thought they would, and the years have taken their toll. I had a hard time following the storyline and the sometimes very surreal storytelling. What I found fascinating was how the film shows us in the past twenty years how much China has changed from a country that was trying to keep the past prevalent to the present day where China is modern and bustling. Caught by the Tides is a slow-moving film that is, at times, beautiful and, at other times, shows the ugliness of the world. It is a testament to how time moves along, even when we aren’t aware of it.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Caught by the Tides Website  I saw the film at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted  (2024)    Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted is a documentary that chronicles the legendary musician Swamp Dogg and his eccentric lifestyle that he continues to lead. And by the way, his pool is being painted during the film. I was unaware of Swamp Dogg, Jerry Williams, or his initial recording name, Little Jerry Willams. He had a minor hit under the name Little Jerry when he was eighteen. This documentary is about the man, the myth, and, depending on who you talk to, the legend Williams and his alter-ego Swamp Dogg. Swamp Dogg may not be famous, but he is a lively and interesting character with lots of friends, the respect of the music world, and lots of opinions about everything. He lives in a house with two roommates, a performer named MoogStar and a legendary guitar player named Guitar Shorty. Swamp Dogg is content with who he is now and what he used to be. The film wanders a bit, especially when the focus of the film is given over to MoogStar and his trip to Evel Knievel’s grave. The film has animation, lots of music, and some strange poems (songs?) that Swamp Dogg composed. All the while, people like Johnny Knoxville, Tom Kenny, and Mike Judge drop by to have some conversations with Swamp Dogg. We see Swamp Dogg perform his magic when singers Jenny Lewis and John Prine show up to work with him. And yes, Swamp Dogg is getting his pool painted, and it's worth watching just to see how it turns out. But while you’re waiting for the paint to dry, you will have a good time getting to know Swamp Dogg as he tells us about his life, music, love for his family, and the nine cars he used to own. You won’t be bored, and you might enjoy the music. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The film played at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted Website   Now playing in select theaters.

Forgotten Film:  Bad Company  (1972)  PG   Drew (Barry Brown) is sent away from the strife of the Civil War by his parents out west, having already lost their oldest boy to the conflict. Out west, he meets a young man, Jake (Jeff Bridges), who at first cons him and then lets Drew join his band of young men on a trek through Indian country. Bad Company is a tale that takes the romanticizing of the old west and turns it inside out, as the boys, set on becoming outlaws, often become victims of what they were hoping to become. Instead of becoming a gang of feared outlaws, they turn on each other, with only Jake and Drew staying true to each other. The film was written and directed by the late Robert Benton, one of my favorite filmmakers, who, among other films, won Oscars for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984). Benton wrote, along with the legendary Bonnie and Clyde (1968), one of my favorite comedies, What’s Up, Doc? (1972). Bad Company, while a flawed film, was part of a movement in Hollywood to make films grittier and real. The film is at its best when Benton gives the cast dialogue that transcends time.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bad Company Info  Bad Company is available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Hurry Up Tomorrow: Barricade Supervisor 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina  (2025) R Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) was lost and alone when she lost her father to an assassin. She is found by a man who takes her to a ballet school. However, the school is a facade, and Eve is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma. The film takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). And yes, Keanu Reeves returns as our favorite kick-ass, dog-loving action hero, John Wick. Also returning is Ian McShane as Continental manager Winston, and Anjelica Huston as the ballerina assassin instructor, The Director.  Ballerina Website   The film will be in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 6, 2025.

Until Next Time!