Ella McCay

My View: Ella McCay  (2025) PG-13 Ella McCay follows Ella (Emma Mackey), who is juggling life as a 34-year-old lieutenant governor with a family that is falling apart. To make matters worse, the state’s longtime incumbent governor (Albert Brooks) has suddenly accepted a cabinet position in the upcoming administration, leaving Ella as the new governor. Writer/director James L. Brooks has won 3 well-deserved Oscars and has brought us some great films, including writing my favorite Burt Reynolds film, Starting Over. Add in Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News (a huge favorite of mine), As Good as it Gets, and another favorite of mine, Spanglish. So I was excited when it was announced that after 15 years, he was writing/directing a new film. So after walking out of the screening of his new film, Ella McCay, I was incredibly sad. I couldn’t believe how bad the film I had just seen was. With a plot that makes little sense, side stories that just lay there and do nothing to move the story along, and a lead character that you just want to slap and say the old “Moonstruck” line, “Snap out of it!” The film is dead on arrival from the first scene, with a couple that you can tell right away is destined to fall apart. Almost nothing is funny in this film, and that’s saying a lot when you have talent on the screen like Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, and the legendary Albert Brooks. The film feels much longer than its almost 2-hour runtime, and I wanted it to be over about 30 minutes in. Ella spends half the movie worrying about her brother (Spike Fearn) and trying to avoid her estranged father (Woody Harrelson), who wants to make amends for being such a crappy husband/father. All the while being announced as the Governor, a role she seems to avoid for most of the film. This is a film with tone-deaf dialogue, characters you don’t care about, much less want to spend time with, and an ending that feels slapped together after Brooks realized he had put his main character in a corner with no exits. If I wasn’t a film critic, I would be looking for the exit to the movie theater. My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again Ella McCay Website Now playing in theaters

My View: Merv  (2025) PG  In Merv, Anna (Zooey Deschanel) and Russ (Charlie Cox) have broken up after living together. The problem is that they share a dog named Merv, and he has become depressed over the breakup. Will a trip together with Merv help mend their relationship? Or perhaps bring them back together just in time for the holidays? I am a big fan of romcoms, though I try to avoid most of the Christmas ones put out this time of year. While this takes place at Christmas time, most of the film takes place at a resort in Florida that caters to dog owners who want to vacation with their beloved furry friends. Merv (played by a lovable dog named Gus) is cute but depressed after his two owners break up. The film features two likable characters who broke up after receiving bad news, and Russ tried to make up for it by proposing. Now, they share a dog, trading him off every week. Unfortunately, much like Merv for most of the movie, the film just lies around. There isn’t much spark between Deschanel and Cox, including a very awkward dance between the two that is not fun to watch. When we watch a rom-com, we want some fun, some romantic moments, and an ending where the two characters finally figure out they are right for each other. I got little from this film, other than Merv/Gus is a very cute dog.  My Rating: Cable Merv Website Now playing on the Amazon Prime format

Indiefest: Scarlet  (2025)  PG-13  Scarlet is an animated film about a medieval-era princess who has trained all her life to handle herself in any situation. After failing to avenge the death of her father, the king, Scarlet finds herself injured in a surreal world. Desperate to return to the real world, she meets a young man who helps her understand that revenge isn’t always the best path forward. I often have trouble with Japanese animated films because they are often based on TV shows or manga books, and knowledge about the characters is needed to fully enjoy them. This is not the case with Scarlet, a standalone animated film loosely based on Hamlet with a little bit of Joan of Arc thrown in. It’s a gorgeously animated revenge film that takes our heroine to an underworld where she tries to find a way back to the living to get her revenge. Scarlet is ruthless on her journey, but along the way, we see that learning about life and forgiveness is beautifully told. My Rating: Full Price Scarlet Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest: Dust Bunny  (2025) R  Dust Bunny is about Aurora (Sophie Sloan), an eight-year-old girl who is convinced that a monster under her bed has eaten her family. She asks her neighbor, a hitman (Mads Mikkelsen), to help kill the monster. What could go wrong? Well, to answer that question…a whole lot. I loved this quirky movie, a feast for the eyes, as a young girl decides the only person who can save her and get revenge for her parents is a neighbor she discovers is a man who can take on anything. I love that the film takes a story that we all know, about the child who claims monsters are underneath her bed, and turns it on its side when we discover the monster isn’t a figment of a child’s imagination but is real and deadly. The film works because of the chemistry between Sophie Sloan, who plays Aurora, a child with determination and guts, and her not-so-friendly neighborhood hitman, played by the sullen and magnetic Mads Mikkelsen. It’s a fun relationship between a world-weary killer and a young, wise, and confident girl. Aurora goes as far as stealing money from the collection plates of a church to buy the hitman’s services. What I loved about this film is that nobody believes Aurora until it’s too late, with the exception of the hitman, who slowly realizes that there may be more here than meets the eye. Dust Bunny is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen, as the fight sequences are spectacular and the apartment Aurora lives in is off-the-wall nuts, especially when the monster that no one but Aurora thinks is real actually shows up. Just heed Aurora’s warning and stay off the floor, or you will regret it!  My Rating: Full Price Dust Bunny  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Lone Samurai  (2025) R  Lone Samurai follows Riku (Shogen), a 13th-century samurai who, after successfully defeating an invading fleet, finds himself shipwrecked on a deserted island. As despair sets in, he contemplates ritual suicide. However, his plans are abruptly interrupted when a tribe of cannibals arrives, making him their next intended meal. I saw this film at the Rome International Film Festival and had a blast watching it. It’s a film that takes its cue from the gory Samurai films of the past, with a little Tarantino thrown in. The first third of the film is about a Samurai who has completed his mission, is on what he thinks is a deserted island, and is ready to end his life. Then a group of cannibals shows up, and Riku decides he will go out on his terms and not by the hand of someone who wants to eat him for dinner. The last third of the film is thrilling, and the fight on a beach between our lone samurai and a horde of angry cannibals is an outstanding bit of fight choreography. It’s an amazing piece of fighting (mostly by the stunt crew that worked on The Raid films) and swordplay, which is thrilling and bloody. If you like Samurai films or want to see more after seeing the Kill Bill extravaganza, then get ready for a bloody fight to the end. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Lone Samurai Website  Now playing in select theaters

My Rating: Silent Night, Deadly Night  (2025) R  Silent Night, Deadly Night opens with the scene of a child witnessing the murder of his parents by a man in a Santa suit. That child is now grown, dons the Santa suit, and embarks on a violent quest for revenge. This is a new version of the 1984 film of the same name. In fact, this film uses four songs written for the 1984 film. This time, Billy (Rohan Campbell) talks to someone inside his brain who tells him who to kill and how to find them. Now, Billy kills only during the Christmas season and only kills people who have done horrible things. This is a stupid but fun film that has no scares but plenty of bloody deaths and a whole lot of surprises (you will not believe one of his victims). The original film wasn’t great and had some controversy because of the violence in the film, but this one does a nice job of adding humor and some really fun twists. If you like your Santa impersonator with a little blood on his suit and maybe an axe handy, then this is your film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Silent Night, Deadly Night Website Now playing in theaters

Forgotten Film: Gorillas in the Mist (1988) PG-13  Gorillas in the Mist is the story of Dian Fossey (Sigourney Weaver), a woman with no formal training, who ventured into the jungle to study the mountain gorillas of central Africa. She was instrumental in expanding our knowledge about the gorillas and became famous through a number of TV specials. The film’s first half is brilliantly done, as we, along with Dian, discover the wonders of gorilla life, and we see how deeply she cares about them. There are some amazing scenes between Fossey and the gorillas as she slowly earned their trust. The film is magical in the first half, and Weaver’s brilliant performance gives us a glimpse into a complicated woman who found her calling alone in the jungle. The film falls apart in the 2nd half, with a romance that Fossey has with a photographer (played by Brian Brown) and Fossey’s attempts at stopping the killing of gorillas, which eventually (spoiler alert) cost Fossey her life. I came away from the film thinking that I knew more about the gorillas than I did about Fossey.  My Rating: Full Price Gorillas in the Mist Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits: From the credits of Scarlet: Stunt Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Housemaid (2025)  R  In The Housemaid, Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is a young woman with a troubled past who, against her instincts, takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar) and their young daughter. The seemingly perfect life of the family unravels as Millie discovers dark secrets hidden just below the surface. Fans of the McFadden book are really looking forward to this film. The Housemaid Website  In theaters on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025

Until Next Time!

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

My View: Five Nights at Freddy's 2  (2025) PG-13  Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is set a year after Mike (Josh Hutcherson), Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), and Abby (Piper Rubio) escaped with their lives from Freddy’s. All three are trying to put their lives back together, but Abby has started getting messages from her animatronic friends asking her to save them. I did not like the first film, calling it “Blumhouse/Universal’s attempt at getting kids into horror films,” and I was right because Freddy’s 2 is just a continuation of that idea. The scares are small, one of the bad guys is an evil science teacher (played by Wayne Knight, who seems to specialize in playing smarmy bad guys), and even the animatronic rejects that show up aren’t scary at all. After seeing two of these films, I still have no clue why Abby thinks the animatronic figures are her best friends. We have some new bad guys introduced, and like the first film, there are plot holes the size of an extra-large pizza that the film tries to skim on by. The films are based on a bunch of highly successful video games, so I knew going in there would probably be a cliffhanger. And there is. Plus, you'll want to stay through all the credits as there are two bonus scenes that surprise, set up the next film. I think I’ll take that pizza order to go.  My Rating: Cable  Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair  (2006) Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair follows the Bride (Uma Thurman), who goes on a campaign of revenge against the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, and Michael Madsen) and their leader, Bill (David Carradine), who tried to murder the Bride. It’s been a while since I have seen the two Kill Bill films, so it was interesting to see them in this extended cut (with a 10-minute intermission between the two). There is a newly added animated sequence (in anime form) in the first half of the film that gives O-Ren an origin story, and it is fun and just as bloody as the rest of the film.  What stood out to me this time was Uma Thurman's brilliant performance. While she certainly excels as a samurai sword assassin, it is especially compelling to see how the loss of her baby and the subsequent years have affected her character. I have always considered the first film to be better than the second, mainly due to its longer and more enjoyable action sequences. However, in this version, what is most impressive is how Quentin Tarantino skillfully connects all the story elements and allows us to catch glimpses of the clues in the first half before revealing The Bride’s origin story in the second half. Is it worth seeing in the theater? Yes, because the action sequences fill the whole screen, and there are plenty of jaw-dropping wide shots throughout. By the way, there is an animated short after all the credits for Fortnite fans, but I found it a bit of an overkill (no pun intended) after seeing the film’s emotional ending. My Rating: Full Price    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair Website  Now playing for a limited time in theaters

My View:  Fackham Hall  (2025)  R   Fackham Hall is about Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe), a pickpocket who thinks he has hit the big time when he gets a job at the English manor house, Fackham Hall. He soon rises through the ranks and even starts a romance with the oldest sister of the house, Rose Davenport (Thomasin McKenzie). But a murder occurs, and Eric is blamed. No worries, Inspector Watt (Tom Goodman-Hill) has arrived to solve the case. Or maybe Eric should worry? If you really miss the Naked Gun movies or you are a sucker for Dad jokes, then this film is for you. The rest of us will find this film mildly amusing, which rarely goes far enough into the jokes to make them stand out. I did find the reverend who keeps messing up the sermon by not pausing between sentences, making everything sound dirty, was hilarious. Fackham Hall falls apart in the third act when our hero is accused of murder and ends with a whimper. I wanted bigger laughs, and all I got were some mild chuckles.  Rating: Cable  Fackham Hall Website   Now playing in theaters 

Indiefest:  100 Nights of Hero  (2025)  PG-13  In 100 Nights of Hero, Cherry (Maika Monroe) has not become pregnant by her husband Jerome (Amir El-Masry) and has been told that if she does not become pregnant within the next 101 days, she will be killed. The problem is her husband wants nothing to do with her and makes a bet with his friend, the handsome Manfred(Nicholas Galitzine), that if Manfred can seduce Cherry in the next 100 nights, he will give him the castle. Cherry’s only hope of resisting Manfred is with the help of her best friend and maid, Hero (Emma Corrin). 100 Nights of Hero is a take-off of the old story of Scheherazade telling stories in "One Thousand and One Nights," with Hero telling a tale to Manfred, so that he doesn’t end up alone with Cherry to seduce her. I enjoyed this film and the performances, especially Maika Monroe, as the slightly naïve Cherry, who doesn’t have a clue why her husband doesn’t want to sleep with her. The film is a lot of fun, just don’t think too hard on the plot, and it’s rushed to a (spoiler alert) happy ending. Just enjoy the story, or should I say stories being told.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  100 Nights of Hero Website Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Troll 2  (2025)   TV-14 Troll 2 is about three friends who reunite to deal with a giant troll who has emerged from the mountains. To defeat the troll, the three will have to get help from another giant troll to take it down. Troll 2 is a sequel to the 2022 Norwegian film Troll. Think of the first film like an ice-filled Godzilla film, and this one is like Godzilla vs. Megalon with snow. The budget was bigger on this one, probably because of two Trolls instead of one, and the storyline is a little weaker than the first film, but it’s still a fun monster film that gives us a Troll destroying a bunch of buildings and eating a few people. Just sit back and have fun. Maybe in a few years, a particular lizard-like monster will show up to join in.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Troll 2 Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform 

My View:  Oh. What. Fun  (2025)   PG-13  Oh. What. Fun. is about Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer), who always makes Christmas special for her family. However, this year she feels she has been taken for granted and decides to go on a holiday vacation without telling anybody, including her husband (Denis Leary). Will Claire come back to the family Christmas celebration, or is she having too much fun on the road by herself? How do you screw up a Christmas family comedy with a cast that has three Oscar nominees (Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Danielle Brooks) and a bunch of other notable actors? With a script that never should have been made into a commercial, much less a movie. This movie is over an hour and forty-five minutes long. Still, it feels like three hours, with a plot that takes forever to unfold, Pfeiffer having a ‘Southern’ accent but no one else in her family does (they live in Houston), and family members you truly dislike from the beginning, which by the end of the film, that dislike becomes hate. The film is filled with characters that make little sense. I couldn’t figure out if Doug, played horribly by Jason Schwartzman, who is married to Claire’s daughter, Channing (Felicity Jones), was hinting that he was trying to come out as gay or if he was just stupid in his quest to bond with another sister of Claire’s, Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz), Claire’s lesbian daughter, whose running gag is that every Christmas she has a new girlfriend. There are some painful scenes to watch, some of which keep going as if the director wanted to see the actors fall on their faces before yelling cut. If I were Claire, I would have left that family, too. I just would have done it a lot sooner. The title of this film should be Oh. What. Have They Done!  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Oh. What. Fun. Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see when it first came out but have seen recently):  In Your Dreams  (2025) PG   In Your Dreams is about Stevie and her brother, who magically travel into the world of dreams to find The Sandman. They hope to persuade The Sandman to grant their wish to save their parents’ marriage. Kids are going to love this film because it is told from Stevie’s perspective and there are a ton of fun action sequences. Adults are going to enjoy the fact that the parents are the bad guys, as well as some fun takes from Japanese animation and a few Pixar films. Even what at the start is the bad guy, isn’t one at all, they just have a job to do. The animation is gorgeous, and the dream sequences are fun; even the ‘nightmares’ are a blast to watch. And wait until you meet Baloney Tony, a stinky stuffed animal that becomes a sidekick to the kids. Baloney, Tony steals the movie thanks to Craig Robinson’s voice work, which had me laughing at almost every wise quip Baloney says. And any parent who has tried every trick in the book to get their kids to sleep will enjoy the turtle sleep sound machine that is used almost as a weapon. So sit back and go on a magical ride to a dream state, where Stevie and her little brother set out on a quest to find the Sandman.  My Rating: Full Price  In Your Dreams Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest:  Rosemead  (2025)  R  In Rosemead, Irene (Lucy Liu) is dealing with two crises: She is undergoing treatment for cancer that no one in her family knows about, and her son, Joe (Lawrence Shou), has schizophrenia and is avoiding his prescribed medication. Lucy is in a race against time and will have to go to great lengths to protect her son and possibly others. Lucy Liu delivers a breathtaking, devastating performance as a mother who would do anything to save her son from the anguish of his everyday life. It’s a performance different from what we are used to seeing Lui in, usually the confident, glamorous, and sometimes superhero-like character that she is known for. In contrast, Irene is uncertain about what to do, focusing on supporting Joe and showing him as much love as possible. Although Irene receives some support from a social worker and her immediate family, she often feels isolated, especially after losing her husband to a sudden death, which left her and Joe to navigate their challenges alone. To make matters worse, Irene is battling cancer, keeping it a secret and making her situation even more difficult.  Rosemead based on a true story, is heartbreaking from start to finish.  However, it is a narrative that needs to be told, and Lucy Liu portrays it with a role filled with compassion, love, and empathy.  My Rating: Full Price  Rosemead Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  Troll Hunter (2011)  Shot in “Blair Witch” style, three college students make a documentary for school on bear-poaching in Norway.  The students follow a mysterious man who drives a strange truck, believing him to be the poacher. The students soon discover, though, that the man isn’t hunting bears. He’s hunting trolls. This film is funny and scary at times, but it’s Otto Jespersen in the role of the Troll Hunter that makes it so much fun to watch. He has a worn, weathered appearance, and he describes his job of Troll-hunting almost as if he drives a truck for a living instead of hunting Trolls. This film never takes itself too seriously, which makes it an enjoyable film to watch, especially if you like horror movies.   Troll Hunter Info My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Troll Hunter is available on many streaming platforms 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2:  Lead Puppet Wrangler

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come  (2026)  After surviving the game where the family Grace (Samara Weaving) was marrying into tried to kill her, she is now been kidnapped by four rival families, vying for a throne by killing her. To raise the stakes, Grace’s sister (Kathryn Newton) is now her partner in the new game. I loved the first Ready or Not film, which was full of comedic moments and genuine horror. So I can’t wait to see this one, especially since one of the hunters is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who strikes a “Buffy” pose in the trailer.  Ready or Not 2 Info The film is set to be released in April 2026. 

Until Next Time!