Toy Story 5

My View:  Toy Story 5  (2026)  PG   In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang meet LilyPad, a chatty electronic toy, and their connection to playtime is put to the test. The Toy Story magic works again, and you will love going back to the world where toys not only talk but also care about you. This time, Jessie (voiced by the brilliant Joan Cusack), the cowgirl with the lovable horse, is the main character. We learn that not only has Buzz become smitten with Jessie, but he wants to marry her, but can’t find the courage or the right time to pop the question. However, there are bigger things going on in the household. Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) is having a tough time making friends. Her parents are concerned and finally bite the bullet, buying her a LilyPad (voiced by Greta Lee), an electronic device that Bonnie, along with all her classmates, becomes obsessed with, ignoring Buzz, Jessie, and the gang, for games and chat with others on the device. Soon, it becomes a war between Jessie, Buzz, and the rest of the toys, with Lily vying for Bonnie’s attention. This is a film about losing oneself to the electronic world and missing out on the world that kids create with their own imagination. It’s also about the isolation that kids feel, even when the electronic devices they are glued to promise friendship and connection. There are some new characters that we get introduced to, with a character voiced by Conan O’Brien who makes this Toy Story one of the funniest in the series. There is also a wonderful subplot involving a new version of Buzz Lightyear that I am sure kids will want. This is a remarkable film franchise that keeps hitting the movies out of the park, being able to find humor, warmth, and bittersweetness that both kids and adults will love, and yes, bring a few tears to an eye or two. Here’s to the wonderful group of toys that make us feel like kids again, even if only for a couple of hours. Note: You will want to wait until Taylor Swift finishes singing during the credits before you leave because there are some bonus scenes that you won’t want to miss.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Toy Story 5 Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  The Death of Robin Hood  (2026)  R The Death of Robin Hood follows the legendary Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman), who, unlike the tales about him, has lived a life of crime and murder. Fighting in a battle that he assumes will be his last, Robin Hood is gravely injured. A mysterious woman (Jodie Comer) finds him, offering him healing and a chance at salvation. The Death of Robin Hood is set in a time when no good or bad deed goes unpunished. This is a film about legends and the tales that are told to make heroes out of villains and give hope to people who need something to hang onto. Robin isn’t a hero, and he will tell you himself. We find this out from the beginning, when a man who is weary of living has to keep his wits about him because it seems during his life he has killed many people, and their families want vengeance. The first half of this film is a brutal bloodbath that is incredibly disturbing to watch, and in no way should any child see this film. In fact, I will warn you in advance that there is a scene with a child that is bone-chilling to watch. This is the story of a man living in a kill-or-be-killed world, and he knows his time is just about up. The Death of Robin Hood is a film in two parts: the first shows us Robin as the man who doesn’t hesitate to fight and kill, and the 2nd part is a man who is struggling with what he has done in the past and trying to come to grips with that, wanting to slowly fade into obscurity, but the past won’t let him. The second part of this film is incredibly slow (especially compared to the violent first half, and the friendship that develops between Jodie Comer’s healer character and Jackman’s Robin takes a long time to develop. If you are expecting a big finish to the legend of Robin Hood, you will be disappointed, because that isn’t the idea behind the film. It’s about a man who is ready to fade into the past, not realizing that his story will be continued, right or wrong, to be told long after his misdeeds are forgotten. The film’s two parts are so shockingly different that the second half feels like a letdown, even with some outstanding performances. Sometimes you want the legend and not the truth.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Death of Robin Hood Website   Now playing in theaters

My View: Girls Like Girls  (2026) R  Girls Like Girls takes place in rural Oregon, where Coley (Maya da Costa), a 17-year-old, is dealing with the death of her mother. Things look up when she meets the ever-popular Sonya (Myra Molloy), and the two quickly become friends. Coley realizes she is having stronger feelings for Sonya than Sonya will admit. The teen years are hard enough, but dealing with a now deceased mom who was probably had bipolar disorder, a father that she doesn’t know, and someone you have fallen for but is giving you mixed signals, and you get what Coley is dealing with. Maya da Costa carries this film with flair, delivering a performance that is both sweet and heartbreaking. Girls Like Girls perfectly depicts what it is like to find someone you care about, but having to deal with a person who isn’t ready to go on that journey with you. The film is set in the early 2000’s, when AOL was the norm, and everyone had a Sidekick for messaging. Girls Like Girls is silly, funny, and full of tears and thoughts about a teen’s world crashing down and never being fixed. Until it is. My Rating: Full Price  Girls LIke Girls Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: Leviticus  (2026)  R  Leviticus is set in a remote Christian community, where Naim (Joe Bird) has just moved in. He strikes up a friendship with a local boy, Ryan (Stacy Clausen), and it is evident that the two want more than just friendship. Little do they know that there is evil in the community, and if the two boys act out their forbidden desires, there will be deadly consequences. What do you do when the person you love is the person you cannot trust? How about the mother who you thought cared about you, but turns on you? How about the religious community that you thought would give some comfort and appearance, but instead sees you as evil? That is what Naim faces in the terrifying story of a young man whose choice of whom to fall in love with will harm him. This is a combination of a horror story and a love story. It’s about a first love and wanting to be the one. However, it’s also about a community that can’t tolerate other lifestyles and will punish those who stray from their ideas of what is normal. Even if the consequences are deadly. My Rating: Full Price   Leviticus Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Color Book  (2024)  R  Color Book is about Lucky (William Catlett), a widower, who is dealing on his own for the first time with his 11-year-old son Mason (Jeremiah Daniels), who has Down syndrome. Lucky wants to give Mason a day he won’t soon forget: an Atlanta Braves baseball game. It’s a journey that will test their bond. This is about a parent who is still grieving and is overwhelmed at taking on the duty of being a single parent with a child who constantly needs attention and love. It’s a slice-of-life film presented in stark black-and-white photography as the two navigate their relationship and their place in the world. The chemistry between Catlett, as the patient father who has one setback after another, and Daniels, who plays his son, who misses his mother but is ready to go on a journey to be with his dad. This is a remarkably touching film that is at times heartwarming but ultimately heartbreaking, as the obstacles the two encounter are just too big to overcome. Color Book is a remarkable work that will make you frustrated and proud in the same film. My Rating: Full Price  Color Book Info  Premiering on Netflix and in select theaters on Friday, June 19, 2026.

Indiefest:  Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul (2026)  Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul is a documentary on the life and origins of one of the founding members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group, The Allman Brothers Band. I am a big fan of a couple of James Keach’s documentaries: the fantastic Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me and the film about the fitness guru who gets ALS in Augie. Unfortunately, this documentary feels shallow and spends too much time on Gregg’s last few years. The film never captures the magic that was Gregg or the Allman Brothers Band performing live. The film seems to barely scratch the surface of a man who was incredibly complex and was a very troubled soul for most of his life. The man was married six times and had lots of kids, but we really only get glimpses of his marriage to Cher, and then spend a lot of time with his last wife, Shannon. Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul's last 20 minutes is about his last few years overcoming alcohol and drug addiction, reconnecting with some of his children, and featuring extensive songs played during an all-star tribute to Gregg. I wanted more and got what seemed like a liner notes type film about his life.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul Website Now playing in select theaters.

Indiefest:  Rose of Nevada  (2025)   Rose of Nevada is set in an almost abandoned fishing village in Cornwall, UK. Thirty years ago, the loss of the fishing vessel Rose of Nevada and its crew rocked the community. One day, the fishing vessel reappears, tied up in the harbor. It’s decided that a crew will man the ship in search of fish. When the crew returns, they find something amiss: they are back where they started, but from 30 years ago. This is a strange and wonderful film about what it would be like if you could go back into the past and heal old wounds. Shot on grainy 16mm film and featuring a soundtrack that seems to be fed through a speaker from 30 years ago, this is a magical film where two fishermen go back in time. One, Liam, played by the always-interesting Callum Turner, is happy in this new world, finding a home and family. Whereas Nick (George MacKay) is now Liam’s opposite, having lost his wife and child in the present, and is now part of a family that isn’t his. Nick, in fact, keeps getting back onto the ship, hoping that at some point he will return to his life in the present. This is a fascinating film about time travel and its effects on the men sent back to the past to start their lives over. A life that isn’t their own, but fate has made it theirs anyway.   My Rating: Full Price  The Rose of Nevada Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Unidentified  (2025)  PG-13  In Unidentified, the body of a teenage girl is found in the desert. When no one claims the body, Nawai (Mila Al Zahrani), a divorced woman who recently lost a child of her own and is a true crime aficionado, gets involved in trying to solve the girl’s senseless death. It is rare to find a film that shows another culture through a woman’s point of view, with her as the hero of the story. This is one woman’s fight to find the truth, as she battles both her culture and her bosses to doggedly uncover what happened to a woman nobody wants to claim. Mila Al Zahrani gives a magical performance as a woman who loves listening to and watching true crime stories (which are also done while the host shows makeup tips), and takes on a case that most feel is unlovable. The film slowly reveals the secrets that everyone wants to keep buried. We get immersed in Nawai’s life, a mother who is on her own after divorcing her husband and losing her newborn daughter. She finds purpose in finding out who the dead woman is and why there is a cover-up about her death. It’s a film with lots of twists and turns, many that seem to be dead ends, but Nawai keeps at it, against the odds and her culture. It’s a fascinating film that keeps you guessing until the very end. My Rating: Full Price  Unidentified Website  Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Voicemails for Isabelle  (2026) TV- 14  In Voicemails for Isabelle, Jill (Zoey Deutch) is leaving voice messages for her sister, detailing her life in the big city. Unbeknownst to Jill, the phone number is now for Wes (Nick Robinson), a real estate agent who becomes intrigued by this mysterious woman on his voicemail. I am a fan of rom-coms, but the good ones are hard to find. Voicemails for Isabelle, while hitting your usual rom-com tropes, works thanks to an inventive storyline and Zoey Deutch's charisma and charm. Deutch gives us a multilayered performance that combines humor, warmth, and goofiness, with a solid layer of grief over missing someone who was a huge part of Jill’s life. There is some nice chemistry between Nick Robinson and Zoey Deutch, but this is Zoey Deutch’s film, and she delivers. And yes, the plot is easy to predict, but Deutsch makes it so enjoyable to watch that we follow along just to see how she will react to each scenario. And I have to say that no one has danced to Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” with such joyful abandon as Deutch. This is a rom-com with heart, setting it apart from most of its genre. Plus, who doesn’t want a dessert taco? My Rating: Full Price  Voicemails for Isabelle Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform

Forgotten Film:  The Long Goodbye  (1973) R  Set in 1973 Los Angeles, private eye Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) investigates a friend’s suicide that he is convinced is a murder. The more Philip investigates, the more the plot thickens, as the mob, money, and a missing novelist all become part of the mystery. This is not your typical Marlowe mystery, with Robert Altman directing and Leigh Brackett adapting the Raymond Chandler novel originally set in the 50s. This is more of a commentary on L.A., the people who will do anything to make money in a world where truth, loyalty, and friendship are worthless. Gould is fine as the down-on-his-luck P.I., but it’s Sterling Hayden that steals the show as the missing novelist who is the key to everything going down. The casting is eclectic, with Gould nowhere near the ideal Chandler Marlowe and a bunch of character actors filling out the cast, including Nina van Pallandt, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, David Arkin, and Jim Bouton, and a very small (blink and you'll miss it) appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Long Goodbye Info  The film is available to rent on Apple TV+

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Death of Robin Hood:  Snow Effects Technician

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Invite  (2026)  R   The Invite starts at a point where Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela’s (Olivia Wilde) marriage is going quickly down the drain. When they invite their mysterious neighbors (Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) over for a dinner party, the night quickly spirals into chaos in very unexpected places. The film is directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack.  The Invite Website   In theaters on Friday, June 26, 2026.

Until Next Time!

Disclosure Day

My View: Disclosure Day  (2026)  PG-13   Disclosure Day follows Daniel (Josh O’Connor), a cybersecurity expert who has access to long-held government secrets about extraterrestrial life. As it becomes evident that an alien presence is on Earth, Margaret (Emily Blunt), a local TV meteorologist, starts speaking an alien language during a live telecast. Steven Spielberg has always been fascinated by the possibility that aliens have been visiting Earth for quite some time. Daniel is our hero, a man who decides that the world should know that we are not alone in this universe, and he has proof that the government has known for over 75 years. Like Close Encounters and E.T., this is a film about one person who goes against big government and feels it’s his duty to the world to let everyone know that extraterrestrials are real. The government and a secret organization are convinced that if this information gets out, the world will go into chaos, and our lives will fall apart. What Spielberg does so well is get us to back Daniel and want him to succeed against all odds. This is a wonderful cat-and-mouse chase film, filled with car chases, big brother constantly just around the corner, and our hero, along with his loyal girlfriend and a new recruit in a shell-shocked weather caster, tries to find a way to broadcast their findings before being caught, or worse, being killed. The best thing about this film is Emily Blunt's performance, who once again shows she has the acting chops to play comedy and drama in the same film. It’s a brilliant performance (though I have some trouble with her choice of voices for Margaret, who sounds 20 years younger) and brings a lightness to the story sorely needed when things seem hopeless. This is a film that doesn’t feel anywhere close to its almost two-and-a-half-hour runtime. The film moves constantly from scene to scene as Daniel and, soon, Margaret are on the run, barely escaping the big bad government bad guys, led by a creepy performance from Colin Firth. I think anyone who has an interest in the possibility of alien life will absolutely go nuts for this film. Everyone else will be just on board for a great time. You don’t have to believe in aliens to enjoy Disclosure Day, but you do have to believe in the goodness of humanity to enjoy its ending.  My Rating: Full Price  Disclosure Day Website  Now playing in theaters everywhere

My View:  The Furious  (2025)   R  Set in Hong Kong, The Furious follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a mute tradesman whose life is shattered when he witnesses his daughter, Rainy, being kidnapped by an international human trafficking syndicate. He goes on a one-man rescue mission to save her and then finds an ally in an undercover journalist who is trying to find his wife, who is also missing from the same gang. I became a fan of Kung Fu films when, as the newest member of the film department of a TV station, I was given the job of editing for time and content our weekly Kung Fu Theater films. The genre has gone from campy and exploitative to films like The Raid or John Wick, where the action sequences are so well done that they dazzle you with speed and sequences that seem to go on forever. Along comes The Furious, which starts out as a father/daughter film and soon becomes a quest to utterly destroy an entire network of badges. Our hero Wang Wei (played by the incredibly athletic Xie Miao) is joined by a chain-smoking reporter, Navin (Joe Taslim), who is Wang Wei’s equal in martial arts. There is an extensive scene in a nightclub where, unbeknownst to each other, both men have gone to find a way to get information from the bad guys and locate their loved ones. The two separately fight countless attackers and then end up inside the bowels of the club, and start fighting each other until the reporter sees the picture of Wang Wei’s daughter and realizes that the two are out for the same thing. This is an incredibly violent film (I saw a father and young son leave very early in our screening) where bones are constantly being broken, and heads are being smashed with sledgehammers. The fight sequences are off-the-wall amazing, and there is a scene where Wang Wei fights what seems like a never-ending group of bad guys in a mixed martial arts ring, as he continually climbs above the bodies that are piling up beneath him. The audience at the screening I saw the film at was cheering and screaming with glee at some of the action sequences, including a huge bad guy who keeps showing up and fighting anyone within reach. If John Wick or The Raid films are your sweet spot, then this is a film you don’t want to miss. For action fans, this is a smorgasbord of flying bodies and bones being broken by the ton, and is not to be missed.   My Rating: Full Price  The Furious Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Stop! That! Train!  (2026)  R  Stop! That! Train! follows best friends Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), train stewardesses facing unruly passengers, snooty first-class attendants, and a catastrophic storm. Together with the President (RuPaul), they must stop a runaway, high-speed train, all while keeping their mascara from running. It is very obvious that the cast was having a blast while making this film. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the audience. Although the jokes come fast and furious, the humor is lacking throughout. Most of the jokes fall incredibly flat, and the attempts at physical humor just fall, or should I say fail. I am sure fans of RuPaul and the Drag Race TV show will have fun for a while watching a ton of drag performers cascade across the screen, but I just wanted it to be funnier. There are a couple of funny running gags, one of which features Sarah Michelle Gellar and one where one of the flight attendants keeps having fantasy moments about the hunky pilot of the plane, which work really well. I just wish the rest of the script had kept that momentum going. The comedy runs out of steam long before the end. There are some outtakes and a few surprises during the credits.My Rating: Cable   Stop! That! Train! Website  Now playing in theaters 

Forgotten Film:  Lady Snowblood  (1973) In order to place blame on tax collectors, 5 people from a small village attack a family. They kill the father and daughter and then rape the mother. That mother, while in prison, then gives birth to a daughter and curses her to get revenge on the 5 people who attacked the family. The daughter, Yuki (Meiko Kaji), trains for twenty years with an assassin and then sets out to find and kill the 5 people responsible for the deaths of her parents. After the success of the Lone Wolf and Cub samurai series, the studio decided to make a samurai film with a female lead. Like the Lone Wolf films, the violence is filled with arms being chopped off and blood spurting everywhere. Yuki uses the idea that she can go just about anywhere without worrying that people will figure out she is on a mission to kill. The film’s action sequences are not quite up to par with the Lone Wolf films, but they are still fun to watch, and it is filled with some outrageous characters. The film has a bit of a surprising finish. This was definitely a film that not only inspired Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series, but Tarantino also featured the music from Lady Snowblood (sung by the lead actress Kaji) in the films.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Lady Snowblood Info   Lady Snowblood is available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Furious: Washroom Attendants

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Girls Like Girls  (2026) R  Girls Like Girls takes place in rural Oregon, where Coley (Maya da Costa), a 17-year-old, is dealing with the death of her mother. Things look up when she meets the ever-popular Sonya (Myra Molloy), and the two quickly become friends. Coley realizes she is having stronger feelings for Sonya than Sonya will admit. The film is co-written and directed by Hayley Kiyoko, adapted from her best-selling book, which was an adaptation of a song with the same title she recorded in 2015.   Girls Like Girls Website  In theaters on Friday, June 19, 2026.

Until Next Time!

Masters of the Universe

My View: Masters of the Universe  (2026)  PG-13   In Masters of the Universe, a boy named Prince Adam was sent to Earth for his own safety. Two decades later, the now young man (Nicholas Galitzine) uncovers the legendary Sword of Power and is suddenly hurled into the extraordinary world of Eternia, where he must rally his long-lost allies and engage in battle to defeat the menacing, evil Skeletor. I enjoyed watching this film, though it takes a heck of a long time for our hero to discover the sword and then even longer to become “He-Man.” The film is an ode to the 80s cartoon series, using the backdrop of Adam leaving his home and living on Earth as a kid. While growing up, he constantly drew pictures of his life on Eternia, and, because he was a kid, he gave nicknames to everyone he knew, including himself (i.e., He-Man). While I felt the film went too far into Adam being a human resources worker and trying to use the same skills in talking to employees as he does when talking to people he is trying to lead into battle, or even trying to talk the bad guys out of killing him and his allies. However, the film is a fun watch, and the battle sequences are well done. I especially enjoyed Camila Mendes's performance as Teela, a warrior who knew and liked Adam when he was a kid and is now willing to follow him because he has the sword that could save her world from the evil Skeletor. I also enjoyed Jared Leto voicing Skeletor, the evil lord who seeks the Sword of Power to become even more powerful. The performance is done with a ton of tongue-in-cheek lines, including a couple of times when Skeletor does an evil laugh and doesn’t get the response he needs. The film is greatly helped by an incredibly supporting cast ,including Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn (the name says it all), Idris Elba as Teela’s father and disgraced former guard in charge of Adam’s family safety, and Kristen Wiig as the voice of a once mighty warrior robot who is now a maid. Kids are going to have fun, though the two-and-twenty-minute run-time may test their patience a bit (I know it did me). Adults reliving their childhood are going to love this, with a ton of Easter eggs and a few cameos from the past. Overall, it’s a fun ride; I just wish the big muscle blond guy had shown up a bit sooner. And be sure to stay for both a mid-credit and an end-credit scene.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Masters of the Universe Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide

My View:  Scary Movie (2026) R  Scary Movie follows Cindy (Anna Faris) and Brenda (Regina Hall), who have reunited and must gather the rest of their friends, as the masked killer from 26 years ago returns. So we get to see some of the original cast return, including Anna Faris and Regina Hall. Add in every member of the Wayans family appearing, a running joke in itself, and this should have been funnier than this film is. In fact, I saw the film with about 20 other people, and I think I was the only one laughing at the few bits that worked. Sure, they mock Weapons, Sinners, Nope, Get Out, and a bunch of newer horror films, almost all miss the mark, making almost every joke fall incredibly flat. I will say that both Anna Faris and Regina Hall are game for just about anything and seem to have fun playing these incredible idiots. There are a bunch of cameos from the early films that I won’t give away, so fans of the series will have some fun with that. For the rest of us, Scary Movie just feels like the Wayans wrote this in about 1 week, throwing everything they could against the wall, not to see if the jokes would stick, but to see if they would just bounce back to them. Unfortunately, most of them did. There are two bonus scenes, one after the first portion of credits and a another extended scene during most of the remaining credits.  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Scary Movie Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide

My View:  Office Romance  (2026) R  Office Romance follows Jackie Cruz (Jennifer Lopez), a high-powered, no-nonsense CEO of an airline, known for its rigid anti-fraternization policy for all employees. When lawyer Daniel Blanchflower (Brett Goldstein) is hired, suddenly sparks are flying between Jackie and this new, hot-shot hire. Will Jackie risk losing everything she’s built and drag Daniel down with her in pursuit of love? Look, I really like Jennifer Lopez and loved Brett Goldstein in Ted Lasso; this film made me dislike their characters. For two characters who are in very important jobs, they are two really stupid people who are having an affair without thinking that a very famous person would be seen out with someone else. Instead, we are to believe that these two keep their romance hidden from anyone with an iPhone, while only a private detective discovers them. The film wants us to love Daniel because he has come from a rough childhood in England and is now a successful lawyer. The film also wants us to love Jackie because, despite the board and her father challenging her every move, she has created a successful airline. To say this isn’t your usual rom-com would be an understatement. It’s crass and foul-mouthed, with the F word being used with abandon, often for no reason. Office Romance then wants us to believe that Lopez is so beautiful that our lawyer (hero?) gets an erection when they first meet, so much so that Jackie can’t notice. That was my first sign that this film would keep going for cheap, shocking jokes. This cheap, shocking humor continues, as when Jackie's determined-to-work assistant goes into labor in Daniel's office, and the camera lingers twice, on a close-up of the baby's head crowning. The so-called fun continues as we see a man almost die choking on a breakfast burrito, a woman get so drunk she breaks a tooth falling over on a date, and the HR head (Tony Hale) is shocked when Daniel continually keeps using an obscene word that goes on way too long. Some may find Office Romance funny or charming, but for me, it just left me reaching for the airsickness bag. And to make matters worse, there is a series of very unfunny scenes during the credits in which the beleaguered HR person endures a parade of office romance confessions.  My Rating: Cable  Office Romance Website   Now playing on the Netflix platform

Indiefest:  Carolina Caroline  (2026)  R  In Carolina Caroline, a young woman working at a gas station, Caroline (Samara Weaving), meets a charismatic drifter, Oliver (Kyle Gallner), and impulsively embarks on a journey to master the art of the con. The pair will blaze a trail of deceit and deception until their luck inevitably runs out. This is a Bonnie and Clyde-type cross-country crime spree film that, like that 1967 film, you know won’t be ending on a happy note. The film works because of the sparks between Samara Weaving, as the waitress who wants to escape her life, and Kyle Gallner, who is willing to show her how to hit the road and live an endless life of con jobs. What starts out as a game for Caroline soon becomes real as their con jobs become more and more dangerous, as the couple wants more and more thrills. Caroline soon learns that people get hurt and cons can go bad, but must decide if it's worth it to stay with a man who only knows how to lie for a living. What makes Caroline interesting is her connection to home and a father who cares about her and insists on keeping in touch as she travels across the country. Caroline is also on a mission to find her long-lost mother. While I won’t reveal the story, Kyra Sedgwick gives a brilliant performance as Caroline’s mother, rounding out the film's strong cast. This is a tale of star-crossed lovers that is sure not to end well. Or does it?  My Rating: Full Price  Carolina Caroline Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Silent Friend  (2025)  Silent Friend revolves around a majestic Ginkgo biloba tree as it watches humans over the course of a century, observing their lives marked by longing, belonging, and consciousness. The story follows three storylines, set in 1908, 1972, and 2020, set in a university town in Germany. The three stories are: the university’s first female student, in 1908, who is challenged by her professors and fellow students, finds solace through the lens of a camera, studying plants through her pictures. An awkward student in 1972 meets a woman whose project is a geranium she is studying to see if it can be proven to bond with her. He is tasked with caring for the plant while the young woman is on vacation, and his life is changed when he connects with the plant. And a neuroscientist who is stuck alone on campus when Covid hits, and he decides to find out whether he can see the same type of brain waves humans have in the giant tree that has been on the university grounds for all this time. The film follows how each person tries to connect with nature, and we see how the tree responds, even if the people don’t know it’s happening. The three people undergo their own metamorphoses as they attempt to connect with nature, each in their own way. This is a fantastic journey of discovery, seen from the tree’s quiet perspective on how nature reacts to us, even as we often ignore it. Silent Friend is about trying to belong when you don’t feel part of the group, but if you let yourself be open to new ideas and feelings, you might find the bond with nature you have been missing.  My Rating:  Full Price  Silent Friend Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  After Life  (1998)   After Life follows recently deceased people who arrive in a mysterious place, where they have three days to choose the single memory they will bring with them into eternity. A group of counselors, including Takashi (Arata lura) and Shiori (Erika Oda), are on hand to help new arrivals pick their memory, helping them go over what was most important to them. The counselors will then create a film that will allow the people to relive their memory and move on. The film is by Japanese writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda, known for his recent award-winning films Shoplifters (2018), Like Father, Like Son (2013), and Monster (2023). This is a beautiful, warm, and funny film that explores not only the lives of the people trying to pick a memory but also the counselors working hard to help each person pick the perfect memory. One of the fascinating things about this film is that Kore-eda filmed over 500 hours of interviews with ordinary people about which memory they would want to remember. He then used some of those interviewed for the film, so some of the people are actors, and others are ordinary people telling their own stories. This is one of those films that, while watching it, you are invited to reflect on your own life and pick which memory you would choose, joining the film’s journey of wonderment and self-discovery.  My Rating: Full Price   After Life Info   Available to rent on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Masters of the Universe: Pig Boy Artist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Toy Story 5 (2026)  PG   When Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang meet LilyPad, a chatty electronic toy, their connection to playtime is put to the test. New characters join the fun, including one voiced by Conan O’Brien.  Toy Story 5 Website  The film will be released in theaters everywhere on Friday, June 19, 2026 

Until Next Time!