Ballerina

My View: Ballerina  (2025)  R   In Ballerina, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) was lost and alone when her father was cut down by an assassin’s hand. She is found by a man who sees she is in trouble and 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. I am a huge fan of the John Wick films and felt that John Wick 4 was a successful and satisfying ending to a character that we loved to see kill and maim bad guys while getting the crap beat out of him. John Wick was a character who took more punishment than anyone could survive, much less stand up immediately afterward. I mean, how many times can a guy get run over by a car or two or three? So when you watched the Wick films, you had to suspend quite a bit of believability, but you were constantly amazed by the staging of the fighting and the ability of Wick to keep going. In Ballerina, we meet Eve Macarro, who has been trained since childhood in both ballet and combat, with an emphasis on no-mercy-style fighting. Wick was a legendary assassin/fighter who spent years perfecting his craft. Ballerina wants us to believe that Eve is on the same level as Wick after one assignment. The film feels like one long fight sequence with battles that make little sense and action that feels like trying to top itself with each new fight. There is a sequence with two high-powered flamethrowers that is laughable in how badly the fight is produced. Ballerina is what my father would call an all-hat-and-no-cowboy film. It attempts to make everything flashy and shiny but fails to deliver a coherent storyline. Look at all the fancy moves and forget about any plot item we throw out the window with a hand grenade or two. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ana de Armas. She was great in Knives Out, and I thought her performance in No Time to Die was worthy of giving her the mantle of Jane Bond. However, in this part, she is asked to maintain one emotion at all times. Pissed off and not much else. And yes, Mr. Wick shows up (this takes place before John Wick 4), but even his actions don’t make this film believable, even in the John Wick universe.   My Rating: Cable  Ballerina Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  The Phoenician Scheme  (2025)   PG-13   The Phoenician Scheme is about wealthy businessman Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro), who has survived plane crashes and attempts on his life by rivals, so he knows his days are numbered. He appoints his only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a nun, as the sole heir to his vast estate. As Korda embarks on one last venture, he and his daughter will have to deal with scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, assassins, and a few distraught family members. I am a huge Wes Anderson fan, with his Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and The Royal Tenenbaums battling out to make my Top 25 Films of the Past 25 Years list. I love Anderson’s use of deadpan dialogue and scenes that slowly develop into madness. Unfortunately, I left the theater feeling that this film is one of Anderson’s lesser works. There are some outstanding performances in the movie, including a love-struck odd tutor played magnificently by Michael Cera, and I loved Mia Threapleton as the nun who finds herself an heir to a man she has just met. Threapleton is incredibly funny in a very deadpan way, as Liesl, who wants to remain a nun but will bend a rule or two to keep close to her father. The cast is extensive, including a Bill Murray role that fits perfectly in the oddball world that Wes Anderson has created. I didn’t find the film as funny or as enjoyable as Anderson’s past films, feeling that it sometimes went too hard into the jokes and at other times not hard enough. Del Toro is fun and is up for anything that Anderson wants to put him through, though I did get a little tired of his delivery. I enjoyed a couple of running gags that appear throughout the film, but I came away from it ultimately feeling a bit disappointed. Unlike most of Anderson’s films, I didn’t want to see it again right away. If you are a fan of Wes Anderson, then you might enjoy this film. If you disliked Asteroid City (2023) or particularly The French Dispatch (2021), you may want to steer clear of this one.      My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Phoenician Scheme Website    Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Dangerous Animals  (2025)  R  Dangerous Animals takes place off the coast of Australia, where surfer Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) has traveled to ride the waves. She encounters Moses (Josh Heuston), who falls for the girl almost instantly and is upset when she suddenly goes missing. Little do the two know that there is a captain of a local “swim with sharks” tour boat (Jai Courtney) who plans to feed the sharks with more than just chum. Sharks in films are often portrayed as scary and perceived as threats, almost always seen as evil. Well, how about a serial killer that uses sharks to do his dirty work? I’m not giving away too much (that fact is shown in the first minute of the trailer and in the first ten minutes of the film itself); instead, this is a film about a battle of wills and wits between the serial killer captain, played a wonderfully creepy Jai Courtney and our heroine, played by Hassie Harrison, who gives us a view of a woman who has been through a lot, doesn’t want ever to settle down, and this serial killer has picked the wrong woman to mess with. The film offers plenty of thrills, a few twists, excellent pacing, and a memorable performance by the two leads, along with some rather gruesome kills and an ending that must be seen. Dangerous Animals is a film for horror fans who love a bit of blood, and it sure makes you rethink going out on a boat with a stranger, especially to look up close at a shark.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dangerous Animals Website  Now playing in theaters.   

My View:  Predator: Killer of Killers   (2025)  R  Predator: Killer of Killers is the story of three warriors throughout history, a Viking, a Samurai, and a World War II pilot, who take on Predators who have hunted humans for sport. This is an animated look at the world of the Predators that have visited our Earth through the years. They come to our Earth to take on our warriors, seeking them out in battle to prove just how mighty a warrior they are. The story is told across different time periods, focusing on a Viking warrior mother and son seeking revenge against another Viking outpost, a pair of samurai brothers battling each other, and a World War II pilot struggling to make his mark as a Navy pilot. All three stories are about their encounters with a Predator, who has selected them to prove that the Predator, by besting them, is the greatest warrior. I loved this film and its storytelling, concentrating on giving us backgrounds on each person who is going to battle the Predator and then showing how each fare in the battle against a warrior that has superior firearms and armor but is an even match for humans who use cunning, luck and skill to even the odds. Dan Trachtenberg, who gave us the incredible Prey (2022), does it again with a story that is thrilling, fast-moving and has incredible fight sequences that make this film work from beginning to end. And by the way, there is a cool surprise at the end before the credits roll.    My Rating:  Full Price  Predator: Killer of Killers Website  Now playing on the Hulu platforms.

Indiefest:  White with Fear  (2024)   The documentary White with Fear explores the quest of America’s conservative political machine by exploiting racial fault lines and fueling the flames of white victimization. This is an unflinching look at how conservatives have, throughout the history of this country, used white victimization, made-up or distorted facts, and racial prejudice to marshal votes and support. The interviews from both sides of the political spectrum provide an eye-opening perspective. White with Fear is a documentary that reveals this is nothing new, as Nixon employed similar tactics in the 1960s and 1970s to instill fear and bring voters to the voting booth. White with Fear is a documentary that doesn’t pull punches but gives us insight into who is behind the movement and why. It’s an insightful film that will bring chills and maybe a few nightmares.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  White with Fear Website  Now available On Demand. 

My View:  Wick is Pain (2025)  Wick is Pain, which comes from a saying on the set, is a documentary on the making of the John Wick films, focusing on how the first film came about, overcoming funding and creative problems, using first-time co-directors to become a massive franchise that has generated over one billion dollars globally at the box office. This is a fascinating and illuminating documentary on the John Wick films, focusing mainly on the first film and how, by a surprising last-minute financial Hail Mary by a Hollywood star, the film was saved days away from not being shot at all. This film gives credit to not only its star Keanu Reeves, its co-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, but also all the stuntmen/women, the art directors, and line producers who also gave their blood, sweat, and tears to a film franchise that is one of the best action films series out there. With plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and a ton of stories about all four films, it makes you realize filmmaking is not for the weak or the passionless. The John Wick series was created and nurtured by action film lovers who know their movies and want the audience to feel the passion they had for making the films to be up on the screen for everyone to see. Fans of Keanu are going to eat this film up, as we get to see him in a massive amount of behind-the-scenes footage of Keanu practicing for hours on end the moves for the film. What’s thrilling is that Keanu was willing to change things up with the stunts once they were on the set, and we see time after time Keanu and the stunt people practicing and coming up with moves that they had just figured out would work better in the scene. I loved the back-and-forth discussions that director Chad Stahelski (David Leitch dropped out of the series after the first film) and Reeves have as they riff back and forth on each other. The passion the two have for the films comes through whenever they talk about what they went through to get them made. This is a film that will be studied by action film fans for a long time. Wicked is Pain is a brilliant look at how movies are made and the people who make them.   My Rating: Full Price  Wick is Pain Website  Now available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV+, and other streaming services. 

Forgotten Film:  Parenthood (1989) PG-13  Gil (Steve Martin) is trying to be a great father, and a good husband to his pregnant wife (Mary Steenburgen) and three kids while also juggling a job that doesn’t give his due and a relationship with his father (Jason Robards) that has never given him respect or love. Add into the mix Gil’s three siblings (Dianne Wiest, Harley Kozak, and Tom Hulce), all of who have kids, and it’s a big mess of a family that has lots of problems and also lots of love. I recall not liking this film when I saw it in theaters, but on a recent rewatch, I enjoyed it immensely, especially the performances of Dianne Wiest and Tom Hulce. Parenthood has some hilarious moments, some incredible lines, and at its heart, it's a story about family, love, and acceptance.   My Rating: Full Price  Parenthood Info  Available to rent/buy on most online platforms. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Phoenician Scheme: Helping Hands

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  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. This is a live-action adaptation of the 2010 animated film.  How to Train Your Dragon Website  In theaters nationwide on Friday, June 13, 2025.

Until Next Time!