We Bury the Dead

My View:  We Bury the Dead  (2024)  R   In We Bury the Dead, Ava (Daisy Ridley) travels to Tasmania to join a military-led body retrieval unit after a catastrophe has created corpses that are reanimating. Ava is searching for her husband, who she hopes has survived amidst the rising undead. This isn’t your usual horror film about zombies. Instead, it’s about grief and the steps we must take to confront that loss, no matter how you try to avoid the inevitable truth. Daisy Ridley gives a touching performance as a woman who is convinced that the love between her and her husband is so strong that he can survive even the end of the world, and she is willing to go to the ends of the earth to prove it. This is a slow advance into the world of zombies, as Ava goes deeper and deeper into trouble. We Bury the Dead is a different type of horror film that values learning about oneself over bashing in zombie heads (though Ava does that also).  My Rating: Full Price  We Bury the Dead Info  Now playing in theaters

My View:  The Dutchman  (2025) R  In The Dutchman, Clay (Andre Holland), a successful businessman whose marriage is crumbling, meets a mysterious woman (Kate Mara) who seduces him. As the night goes on, Clay realizes that this woman knows everything about him, including things that only Clay knows. It’s a night that is full of mistakes, mysteries, and a game that Clay is just a pawn in. This is a film that never escapes the fact that it is based on a play, and it feels that way. There are too many speeches that go out into the ether, where the characters seem to talk just to spout some wisdom that we don’t need. I enjoyed the performances, but it tries too hard to be strange without giving us any clue what is going on. By the end of the film, I didn’t care who survived and what was left of them.   My Rating: Cable   The Dutchman Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: The Best You Can (2025)  R  In The Best You Can, Stan Olszweski (Kevin Bacon) is a night security guard in a residential section when he gets a call about a break-in and meets Cynthia Rand (Kyra Sedgwick), a doctor who is married to a much older man, Warren (Judd Hirsch). A friendship develops between Stan and Cynthia over late-night texts discussing their lives, including Cynthia’s husband, who is showing signs of dementia, and Stan’s attempts to connect with a daughter he left behind in his youth. I adore Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, and anyone who follows the couple’s social media knows they love each other and have a ton of fun together. The chemistry on screen is amazing, and the two work off each other with such ease. Unfortunately, the script isn’t worthy of their efforts to save it. The dialogue feels unfinished, and the movie fails to provide meaningful conflict or stakes as the story simply drifts without engaging momentum. Despite the strength of the cast, I found myself losing interest early on. Unless you are just looking to admire two great actors, skip this film and check out their hilarious social media presence instead.  My Take: Cable  The Best You Can Website  Now playing on Netflix and available to rent on other platforms.

Indiefest:  Best Wishes to All  (2022)  R  A young woman from a big city (Kotone Furukawa), who has been away from her hometown for a long time, visits her grandparents in the countryside. As the visit progresses, the young woman notices that her grandparents are acting strangely. She finds them staring at a door in a hallway, imitating a pig’s grunt for minutes at a time while eating pork, or constantly asking if she is happy. Little does she know, her grandparents are hiding a dark secret. A secret hidden from her, about to be shockingly revealed. This is a wonderful and, at times, scary horror film that slowly reveals that the grandparents and maybe the entire community are hiding the reason everyone is happy and full of life. Best Wishes to All becomes dark, creepy, and full of madness, set in a world that, from the outside, seems normal and full of sunshine, shattering the world the young woman used to know and love.  My Rating: Full Price  Best Wishes to All Info  Now playing on AMC+ and is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Indiefest:  Mistress Dispeller  (2024)  This documentary follows three people: a long-time married couple and the husband’s mistress. When the wife finds out about the affair, she hires someone to secretly end her husband’s extramarital relationship in an attempt to save the marriage. This documentary is on the Academy Award shortlist, and I can see why. It is a fascinating look that takes a turn you are not expecting, at least for this critic. I am amazed that they got these people to participate in this documentary and that we got to see as much into their lives as we did. It’s a look at the complexity of relationships and why we do things that might hurt others. This is a film that doesn’t judge; it just explores people's feelings and lets them do the same, allowing the subjects to tell their story without fear. You will be glued to your seat to find out what happens next.  My Rating: Full Price  Mistress Dispeller Website The film is available to rent on most platforms

Forgotten Film:  Milk  (2008) R  The story of Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), a man who believed he could help people and, by doing that, could change the world. He was a gay activist who fought for gay rights and was elected as California’s first openly gay official. It’s the story of a man who transformed his life and hoped that others would follow. Penn gives a moving, complex performance that shows Harvey wasn’t a perfect man, but the right man to speak up at the right time. It’s a hard movie to watch in that you know how the story ends, and the sadness of knowing Harvey died before seeing the big changes he hoped would take shape.  My Rating: Full Price  Milk Info  Available for rental on most platforms

Weird Credits: From the credits of We Bury the Dead:  Texture Artist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Dead Man’s Wire  (2025) R  In February of 1977, Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) enters the office of a mortgage company, taking the president of the company hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a ‘dead man’s wire.’ All Tony wants is some respect and the money that he feels is coming to him. Directed by Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho), the film is based on actual events that made national news.  Dead Man's Wire Website  The film is in theaters on Friday, January 16, 2026

Until Next Time!