They Will Kill You

My View: They Will Kill You  (2026)  R   They Will Kill You follows a young woman (Zazie Beetz) who takes a job as a housekeeper at a NYC high-rise that has a history of mysterious disappearances. She soon realizes that the high-rise is a deathtrap, and she is its latest victim. They have no idea who they hired, but the high-rise is about to find out. Anyone who has seen the trailer for this film knows it's going to be a wild ride. I just didn’t know how wild a ride it is. The first fight sequence has an incredibly shocking conclusion that I won’t reveal, but just say that this film is absolutely a nutty, off-the-wall, throw-everything-at-us-it-can kind of film. Zazie Beetz does an amazing job of being a tough, kill them with anything type of warrior while also being able to handle some of the film’s comedic moments (which had me laughing quite a bit at the wondrousness of it all). The fight sequence where Zazie’s character takes on the bad guys in a darkened room with a fireman’s axe that she has set ablaze (why not?) is thrilling and well done. This is a bloody mess of a film that takes a while to reveal its full plot, but it's such a fun ride that I just wanted to see how Beetz’s character was going to get out of this maze of hell. It’s one bloody ride into crazy town, and I loved it.  My Rating: Full Price  They Will Kill You Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Forbidden Fruits  (2026)  R   In Forbidden Fruits, Apple (Lili Reinhart) runs an after-hours “femme witchy cult” within a ritzy mall store called Free Eden. Her followers include Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp), and they are soon joined by a fellow mall employee, Pumpkin (Lola Tung). Pumpkin will eventually challenge Apple’s reign, and unlike their outfits, it will not be pretty. Forbidden Fruits is a film that wants to become a cult classic (think of some witch movies of the past 30 years), but never reaches the level of comedy or satire that could elevate it to that stature. The film always seems to be just on the edge, but rarely delivers a scene, trying too hard to make a point. Forbidden Fruits takes a long time to set up the confrontation and then goes into a really convoluted storyline that comes out of nowhere. The cast tries hard to make the film work, but they aren’t given enough material to keep us interested. Do stay through the first portion of the credits, as there is a bonus scene that explains a little bit of the missing plot. Just not enough to make it work.  My Rating: Cable  Forbidden Fruits Website Now   playing in theaters

Indiefest: A Magnificent Life  (2025)   PG-13 A Magnificent Life is about the famous French filmmaker, playwright, and novelist Marcel Pagnol, who, in this animated film, sits down to write his memoirs. He is visited by his younger self, who guides him to tell his story of his years in cinema, along with the ups and downs of his personal life. This is a loving look at a filmmaker who had a great impact on French filmmaking. The animation is lovely to look at, with colors that are inspired by paintings and Pagnol's own movies. However, the film is incredibly slow and spends most of its time trying to cover the vast body of Pagnol's work, which makes it feel a little shallow. Instead, we get an almost newsreel feel to a life that was filled with too much product to be shown in such little time.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  A Magnificent Life Website  Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Pretty Lethal  (2026)  R  Pretty Lethal is about five ballerinas on their way to a dance competition whose bus has broken down, and they have taken refuge in a remote inn. A group of armed men shows up, and the women will have to use their rigorous training and dance skills to transform their art into a weapon. This is another in a long list of films that would play well with crowds at a midnight horror film festival, but doesn’t have the staying power to make it in the feature film world. It’s a film with a great premise, but it runs out of steam soon after the first fight, when the ballerinas realize they can use their dance moves to kill and maim the bad guys. Uma Thurman hams it up with a horrible accent as the ballerina turned mobster who runs the hotel and wants to expand her reach or get revenge (I never quite figured that part out). The action sequences are fun at first and then become increasingly silly, but not in a fun way. I became bored with the plot about halfway through. I had high hopes for this film with the cast of Iris Apatow, Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Avantika, and Millicent Simmonds playing the ballerinas, but they were given a script that could have been a fun short, but not a feature film.  My Rating: Cable  Pretty Lethal Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform

My View: Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice  (2026)   R  In Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Nick (Vince Vaughn), a mobster, must use a time machine to travel back in time to save his friend, Mike (James Marsden), from being murdered. To complicate matters, Nick has just found out that Mike has been having an affair with Nick’s wife (Eiza González).   Mike & Nick & NIck & Alice Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform   The review will be up Friday night

Indiefest:  The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist  (2026)  PG-13   The documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is told through the perspective of filmmaker Daniel Roher. Daniel is about to become a father and is worried about the existential threats posed by artificial intelligence. So he goes and talks to the experts in the AI world, including the CEOs of companies trying to capitalize on the technology. This is such an interesting film, part horror, part comedy, and full of information you will still be sorting out long after leaving the theater. Roher is hilarious as the filmmaker trying to figure out AI, using incredible stock clips, animation, and even conversations with his wife to be the everyman wanting to know what AI is and whether it can be the end of civilization as we know it. The film is told in parts, with the first part interviewing a wide range of experts who have come to the conclusion that we are all doomed by AI. Roher follows that with talking with experts who believe AI will save us and make the world better. And then that is followed by experts who say it will be a little of both. This is a fascinating film about an incredibly complex subject, but Roher presents the interviews and ideas with a flair for keeping the story interesting and captivating. I loved the ending, which I won’t ruin, but let’s say both he and his wife have ideas on the subject. Is it going to stop you from asking AI about how to make your garden gopher-proof? Probably not, but it will make you think and just might get you to investigate this subject further or even call someone in Congress.  My Rating: Full Price   The AI Doc Website   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Marc by Sofia (2025) PG-13  Marc by Sofia is a documentary that gives an intimate, unconventional portrait of the iconic American designer Marc Jacobs. It's a documentary that only Marc Jacobs fans will love. While it is fun to watch how much work and detail go into staging a fashion show that lasts only minutes, that's about all I learned about the subject. I found out almost nothing about Jacobs in this documentary, other than that he makes some really weird clothes, has worked with and for some famous people, Sofia Coppola has known Jacobs for a long time, and Jacobs is obsessed with details. The documentary feels more like a Vogue or Vanity Fair pictorial: lots of glamour and fluff, but very little detail about the man himself. Marc by Sofia is Coppola's first attempt at a documentary, and I will say this: she appears in the film almost as much as the subject himself.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Marc by Sofia Website  Now playing in select theaters 

Forgotten Film:  Purple Violets  (2007) R  This is the story of two couples at a crossroads who encounter their college sweethearts. The couples that are destined to be together are writer Brian (Patrick Wilson) and a failed writer turned realtor, Patti (Selma Blair), and lawyer Michael (Ed Burns) and teacher Kate (Debra Messing). All are in relationships, but their attraction to each other is what makes this film work. Written and directed by Ed Burns, this is a fun and funny romance about lost love and having to decide if your life has turned out the way you wanted it. Blair and Wilson are the couple you root for from their ‘meet cute’ and make this little-seen film worth watching. My Rating: Full Price  Purple Violents Info  The film is available on most streaming platforms

Weird Credits: From the credits of Forbidden Fruits:  Movie Animals Protected Representative

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Fantasy Life   (2025) R  Fantasy Life follows Sam (Matthew Shear), a law school dropout who has just lost another job. His psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) gives him a job babysitting the psychiatrist’s three granddaughters, and Sam soon falls for Dianne (Amanda Peet), the mother of the girls, who just happens to be in a bad marriage. This is Amanda Peet's first feature film since 2015's Sleeping with Other People.  Fantasy Life Website In theaters on Friday, April 3, 2026

Until Next Time!