Wicked: For Good

My View: Wicked: For Good  (2025) PG   In Wicked: For Good, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda (Ariana Grande), the Good Witch of the North, begin to embrace their roles, and a rift begins to develop between the two friends as their lives move down a path of confrontation. Oh, and a certain young woman from Kansas is about to come onto the scene. I love musicals, both in cinema and on the stage, and I loved the first film and felt that the Jonathan Bailey dance sequence in the library was incredible. Does Wicked: For Good capture the magic again? Not quite. First, the second film is much darker than the first, exploring betrayal, sorrow, and lost friendships. So this film doesn’t have the feel-good moments that the first film had. Second, there is a rift between the two friends, Elphaba and Glinda, and what was so much fun and touching was the on-screen chemistry between Erivo and Grande. Unfortunately, the two characters aren’t on the screen together for a good deal of the film, as they have separated, living isolated, opposing lives. Ariana Grande gets a bit of the short straw in the film, as her numbers aren’t as dynamic or memorable as Erivo’s. Erivo has the big power number in the middle of the film to herself, and it’s the highlight of the film. I also think that splitting what should probably have been one 3-hour film into two was a mistake, as the storyline isn’t as strong as the first film’s. There also isn’t a big musical number in this film that rivals that library dance scene in the first one. Wicked: For Good is still a fine, enjoyable film; it’s just not on the level of emotion or spectacle as the first one. And while, yes, a young girl from Kansas does show up, the film makes it very clear that this isn’t her story. I walked out of the screening thinking, I just saw a good film. The problem is that I didn’t see a great one.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Wicked: For Good Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Rental Family  (2025) PG-13  Rental Family is about an American actor, Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who lives in Japan. His roles have recently dried up, and he takes a job at the Rental Family agency, where Phillip will play ‘stand-in’ roles in other people’s lives. Through this unique experience, Phillip discovers surprising connections and unexpected joys within his new families. Rental Family isn’t a film that explores or answers big questions. However, it does handle how connecting with someone else is essential to mental health and well-being. Brendan Fraser is lovable as an American actor who is having a tough time making a living in Japan and takes on the job of being a rental for people who need a friend, someone to blame, or even someone to stand in for a parent or a loved one. It’s also about trying to understand a different culture other than your own. Rental Family is a predictable film, but I never felt it was too sappy or wasn’t sincere in its portrayal of people who need to feel less lonely or want to experience something important from their past. Rental Family is a feel-good movie, if only to watch Fraser be kind and work his magic on-screen. And sometimes that’s all we need in a film. My Rating: Full Price Rental Family Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Sisu: Road to Revenge  (2025)  R  Sisu: Road to Revenge is about Aatami (Jorma Tommila), “the man who refuses to die,” as he returns to the home where his family was murdered during the war. He dismantles the home and loads it on a truck, intending to rebuild it. When the Red Army commander (Stephen Lang), who killed Aatami’s family, returns, it sets off a cross-country chase where the body count will be high and revenge will be on the mind of Aatami. The first film, Sisu (2022), was a surprise hit, with brutal action, a good guy who seemingly can’t be killed as our hero kills what seems like a thousand Nazis, often in really creative ways. Our hero is back, and all he wants to do is take lumber from his home and bring it back to Finland. This time, our man is battling Russians, led by a sadistic officer who was so bad the Russians even had him in jail, but let him out to hunt down Aatami. I have a feeling that with the success of the first film, the budget was higher because everything from motorcyclists in armor to fight planes to a bomber is after our man and his trusty dog. The action is almost nonstop, and the deaths are gross and spectacular in an outlandish way. I had a great time watching this film and shrieked with glee a couple of times at the incredible kills. Sisu: Road to Revenge isn’t a film for everybody, but man, if you love creative ways to kill a bad guy and want to go on an adventure with Aatami, it’s worth the ride. Just be sure to duck a few times. You might lose your head. My Rating: Full Price   Sisu: Road to Revenge Website   Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Selena Y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy  (2025)  PG  Selena y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy is a documentary that shows Selena Quintanilla’s journey from playing at local events in South Texas to filling stadiums with the family band Selena Y Los Dinos, becoming the ‘Queen of Tejano Music.’ Living in San Antonio, Texas, for a long time, I got to see Selena perform several times live, and they were always so much fun. She and her band always gave a great show, and she was such a charismatic and talented singer. Most people now know Selena through Jennifer Lopez’s career-making performance in the 1997 film of the same name. While that film centered on Selena and the romance between her and her future husband, Chris, this documentary lets the whole family tell the story of the band and what it was like to be a family traveling on an old bus from small town to small town. Through the vast number of interviews Selena did and new interviews with members of her family and her husband, Chris, we get to see how they got started and the slow rise to fame that changed quickly when the band changed the type of music they were performing. One thing I found interesting was that Selena, her brother, and sister spoke very little Spanish when they started performing, and that they received a cool reception when Selena and the band first toured in Mexico, where they were seen as outsiders. Selena y Los Dinos is a fun and fascinating look at a family that loved to perform, and it wasn’t just Selena who had musical talent. Fans of Selena will love revisiting a talented performer who we can only guess would have become a major force in the music industry if her life had not been cut short so soon.  My Rating: Full Price Selena y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform 

My View:  Jay Kelly  (2025) R Jay Kelly (George Clooney) is one of the world’s biggest movie stars, but is starting to reflect on his life and career. He decides to go on a trip with his daughter, Daisy (Grace Edwards), but it’s never simple living the life of Jay Kelly, movie star. Jay Kelly is a film you might think would be picture-perfect for George Clooney, one of our last true Hollywood superstars and someone who has taken over the mantle of the older heartthrob from Cary Grant. The problem is that Clooney is almost always likable on-screen, while Jay Kelly isn’t. In fact, Jay Kelly is a self-righteous jerk who puts his own well-being above everyone else and has no clue he is doing it. Jay is a part that Clooney could literally phone in, and to his credit, he doesn’t. However, the script treats Jay like such a great guy, even though he can’t even take the time to connect with his grown daughter. Writing this review, I kept thinking how the part that Adam Sandler plays, his manager Ron, would have been a better character to center the film around, and let Clooney’s character be in the background. There’s a better story there, and we certainly like Ron more than Jay. It’s not that Ron is a saint; in fact, I think Ron has a lot of baggage to deal with, but it would have made a far more interesting film. By the end of the Jay Kelly, I didn’t want to spend one more minute with Jay, and neither did anyone else in the film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee Jay Kelly Website  Now in select theaters and on Netflix on Friday, December 5, 2025.

Forgotten Film:  Twenty Bucks  (1993) R  The story follows the journey of a twenty-dollar bill as it interweaves with the lives of different people. The first person to encounter the 20 dollars is Linda Hunt, a street person who is convinced that the 20 bucks will bring her good luck and win the lottery. Others get the twenty, including Brendan Fraser, who receives it as a wedding gift, and a stripper (Melora Walters), who gets it at a bachelor party. Everyone from Christopher Lloyd to Elizabeth Shue (my favorite story) show up in the stories. Some are better than others, but each tells an interesting story about how 20 dollars can change a person’s life, for better or worse. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Twenty Bucks Info  Available on Tubi and Amazon

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wicked: For Good:  Dance Tutor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Hamnet  (2025) PG-13  Hamnet is a historical drama that follows the relationship between Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), and the impact of the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, on their lives. This tragedy ultimately inspires Shakespeare to create his most iconic play, Hamlet. The film is from Chloé Zhao; the filmmaker known for her two-time winning 2020 Academy Award-winning film Nomadland, and is expected to get multiple Academy Award nominations. Hamnet Website   In theaters on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

Until Next Time!