Minions & Monsters

My View:  Minions & Monsters  (2026) PG Minions & Monsters takes place in the 1920s, when the guys, who have stumbled into stardom, are going to make a monster movie in Hollywood. To make a movie, they need a monster, so the guys decide to summon an actual monster. Not their best idea! I am not a fan of the Minion movies and can’t remember much about them, but I know that my experience with them is that a little of them goes a long way, and they are better suited to supporting roles in the Despicable Me films. This is why I was surprised by how much I was laughing during the first third of Minions & Monsters. Now, some of this is because the Minions find themselves in the middle of Hollywood filmmaking during the silent film period, and I loved all the references to the classic films of the time. In fact, even the opening credits give a nod to the early days of filmmaking when shots of dogs or even elephants were being filmed, and somehow the minions got to join in. Unfortunately, when we get to the main plot of the Minions trying to save their Hollywood careers by creating an actual monster, things slow down. The film is further dragged down by a group of Minions who have abandoned Hollywood and have found an alien robot to follow. The robot subplot serves no purpose in the film other than bringing it to an end. And, at least in this film, Minion talk is a combination of gibberish and Italian, which seems a little off from what they have done in the past. Still, kids will enjoy the Minions' antics, and parents will have fun during the first 30 minutes. While there are some funny moments in the closing credits, you won't miss much if you leave early.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Minions & Monsters Website Now playing in theaters nationwide

My View:  Enola Holmes 3  (2026)  PG-13  Enola Holmes 3 follows Enola (Millie Bobby Brown), the youngest of the Holmes siblings, who is about to marry Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). However, there is a problem. Enola’s more famous brother, Sherlock (Henry Cavill), has been kidnapped and, of course, Enola is on the case. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and will watch anything that involves the brilliant and eccentric sleuth. I have enjoyed the Enola Holmes series as we have watched Enola grow up from a flighty girl to a young woman who is sure of her talent and her ability to gather clues. Millie Bobby Brown is always fun to watch in this role, as a boundless bundle of energy who gets excited by trying to top her older, more established brother. I just wish that this time the mystery was better. The film tends to lag, letting Enola go off to ponder the ocean or watch so many people get shot without doing much about it. As always, the film gets a boost from Helena Bonham Carter playing Enola’s firecracker of a mom, who is, in fact, a loose cannon. The film feels a little too much like Millie Bobby Brown fan fiction, with much of it centered on Enola’s wedding rather than the mystery. Still, I had fun with Enola, talking to us about her clues and desires, and taking down the bad guys with a stiff roundhouse kick. The film feels like it’s the end of the Enola Holmes series, but I wouldn’t mind going on another mystery or two. Just make sure there are more than just a few clues to follow.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Enola Holmes 3 Website  Now playing on the Netflix platfor

Indiefest:  Lockbox  (2026)  R  In Lockbox, after her mother’s death, Ellen (Carla Gugino) moves to a small town with her cousin, Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci). Trying to put their lives back together, Ellen soon realizes that something evil is in the house, threatening Winthrop. Ellen will have to risk everything to defend her cousin against an otherworldly entity. The storyline takes so long to develop that you lose interest, sapping any intrigue or scares. Carla Gugino gives the film a bit of a boost just by her presence, but the story takes forever to get going, and then when we find out the stakes, it ends with a bit of a letdown. There isn’t enough suspense in the first half of the film, other than a few jump scares and Winthrop just being creepy. By the time we reach the last third of the film, it loses itself in a complex, overly long final act that feels unworthy of the time we put into it. It’s a frustrating and unsatisfying experience that never finds the momentum that it needs.   My Rating: Cable   Lockbox Info  Now playing in select cities

Forgotten Film: The Conversation (1974) PG   Directed by Francis Ford Coppola at the height of his directorial powers, the film is about a surveillance expert, Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), who uncovers a possible assassination plot, which takes him on a journey of secrecy and paranoia. Harry is a very private man who has devoted his life to electronic surveillance. He is hired to do the impossible: record a conversation between a couple (played by Cindy Williams and Fredrick Forrest) while they walk through the open, noisy Union Square. When Harry hears the woman say, “He’d kill us if he had the chance,” it sets Harry on a mission to stop the killing. Harry’s past affects his actions, as we find out that a past assignment resulted in murder. As the film progresses, Harry and the audience can’t tell whether he is now the object of surveillance, and he begins a path that can only lead to madness. The film uses cutting-edge sound design by Walter Murch, which earned him an Academy Award nomination and hit a nerve with the moviegoing public when wiretaps were at the heart of the Watergate scandal that shook the White House. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Conversation Info  Available on Amazon Prime and for rent on Apple TV+

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Enola Holmes 3: Daftperson

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass  (2026) R  Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass follows Gail (Zoey Deutch), who is devastated that her fiancé has slept with his “celebrity pass” Jennifer Aniston. She goes to a fortune teller, who tells her that to make things right and go on with the marriage, she must sleep with her own celebrity pass. Gail, along with her best friend, Otto (Mile Gutierrez-Riley), travels to Hollywood to find her own ‘free pass’: Jon Hamm. The film features a large cast of cameos, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Henry Winkler, Elizabeth Banks, and, of course, Jennifer Aniston and Jon Hamm.  Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass Website The film is in theaters on Friday, July 10, 2026.

Until Next Time!