28 Years Later

My View:  28 Years Later  (2025)  R  28 Years Later takes place almost three decades after a virus was unleashed on the world. A group that has survived has been housed on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway. A father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and son, Spike (Alfie Williams), leave the island on a mission to go into the heart of the mainland, and there they discover the secrets, wonders, and horrors of the outside world. Back in 2002, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland unleashed 28 Days Later, a horror film that gave us zombies created from a virus that weren’t your old-fashioned slow-moving, leg-dragging creatures but one who could move with speed and had intelligence. In other words, a nightmare that unfolds before our eyes on the screen. Now that directing/writing duo has come back with a new film to explore what has happened since the original film. Unlike the first film, where we, along with the main character, slowly figure out what is happening to the world, 28 Years Later puts us in the middle of a small settlement that has flourished because of its isolation and strict rules. The film follows Jamie and Spike as they leave for a rite of passage for Spike. He is about to go to the mainland to kill his first zombie. They leave the safety of the island and travel inward, where Jamie cooly guides Spike into killing a zombie, but soon, they are confronted with a group of zombies that the two can’t handle, and it’s now a race for life or death. And that’s just the first 30 minutes of the film. 28 Years Later is a very different film from the 2002 film. This is more of a coming-of-age film about Spike and what he will do to save his family. The film is centered around courage, love, and the decision of someone to put their life on the line to save a loved one. I don’t want to give too much away, as the plot makes this a very different type of film from your ordinary zombie apocalypse movie. It is scary, though I will admit I was expecting more scares than it actually delivers. However, it more than makes up for that with a storyline that is moving and rich in feeling. Alfie Williams is outstanding as Spike, who is determined to do whatever he can to help his family, even if it means defying his village. Williams gives us a hero to follow, one who makes mistakes but whose heart is in the right place and makes the best decisions he can. So go and get engrossed in a zombie tale that has incredible cinematography, a bombastic soundtrack, and an ending that you will not see coming.      My Rating: Full Price  28 Years Later Website   Now playing in theaters nationwide.  

Familyfaire:  Elio  (2025)  PG   Elio is about an 11-year-old orphan named Elio, whose love for space is so strong he dreams of being abducted by aliens. One night, his wish comes true when he is taken aboard an alien ship and transported to the Communiverse, a place inhabited by intelligent life from across the galaxy. Mistaken for Earth’s leader, Elio must navigate through a crisis that threatens to destroy the new friendships he has just formed. When adults go to see a Pixar film, we expect to see imaginative storytelling, brilliantly done animation, and a plot that will move you (and possibly make you cry). Elio works on the first two points but misses badly in the emotional department, as we never achieve the impact we needed to create the desired emotional impact. I liked the storyline, as Elio is a fun kid who, while he is in over his head, is still willing to help his newfound friends against an evil warlord who wants to take over the Communiverse. Youngsters are going to love the action and all the trouble that Elio gets into. The cast of characters are fun and the evil warlord, Lord Grigon, is impressive looking in his armor but isn’t scary for young kids to be afraid of. I loved the meeting between Elio and his soon-to-be best friend, the giant-worm-like blob named Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly). Elio instantly realizes that Glordon, though weird-looking and with lots of teeth, is someone he can not only be friends with but also understands what Glordon is going through with his father, Lord Grigon. The animation is visually stunning and brilliantly executed.   However, I never got that catch in my throat from any emotional impact in this film that I wanted. I think the writers missed the boat by not emphasizing Elio’s life with his parents, who he lost recently and is now being taken care of by his aunt (voiced by Zoe Saldana), who apparently has had to sacrifice her dreams to take in Elio. We get glimpses of how hurt Elio is, but those are brief and miss that emotional point that we needed to make the final scenes have more impact. While much better than, say, Lightyear, Elio isn’t up there with the classic Pixar films that we all shed tears at, and that’s too bad. I could have used a bit of a cry. There is a bonus scene after the first portion of the credits and a rather strange promo trailer at the end of all the credits.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Elio Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bride Hard  (2025)  PG-13  In Bride Hard, Sam (Rebel Wilson) is serving as the maid of honor at her childhood best friend Betsy’s (Anna Camp) destination wedding. When a mercenary group takes the extravagant wedding hostage, chaos ensues. However, what the mercenaries don’t realize is that Sam is actually a secret agent, ready to unleash hell on anyone who threatens her best friend’s special day. I have already added this movie (in pen) to my list of the worst films of 2025. The plot is devoid of anything remotely funny, and it absurdly suggests that Rebel Wilson is the agency's top spy. If you think that using hair curlers like nunchucks is entertaining, or if you find it hilarious when Sam kills another bad guy and then takes a piece of wedding cake, saying “peace of cake,” then you won’t mind the hour and forty-five-minute runtime that feels much longer. I couldn't tell if this film was intended as a parody of action films (and perhaps wedding films) or simply a poorly executed comedy. I know it was painful to watch, almost as painful for the guy in the fight with Sam, who kept getting burned by the hair curlers. My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Bride Hard Website Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  The Queen of My Dreams  (2023)   The Queen of My Dreams is about Azra (Amrit Kaur), a Pakistani Canadian woman who has had a fractured relationship with her parents since coming out as a lesbian. Azra travels to Pakistan after her father’s passing, guided by memories of her mother’s youth, her love of Bollywood films, and her own experience in rural Canada. The Queen of My Dreams is a film about how, in the blink of an eye, a relationship can change, in this case, when a mother realizes that her daughter is interested in girls and not boys. Through Bollywood fantasies Azra has, flashbacks to her childhood, and scenes from her mother’s past life in Pakistan, we see how the two, mother and daughter, are so alike.  We see how Azra’s mother (played in these flashbacks by Amrit Kaur) was a fiercely independent modern woman who, like her daughter in the future, rebelled against what was thought a woman should be like in the Pakistani culture, eventually breaking away from her parents, just like Azra in the present is doing. I loved the interweaving of the Bollywood musicals into the film, often with Azra taking over a role to show us how she is feeling and experiencing life. The Queen of My Dreams is a lovely tale of two women who blazed their own trail and followed their dreams and not the dreams of their parents.  My Rating: Full Price  The Queen of My Dreams Website   Now playing in select theaters.  

My View:  Surviving Ohio State  (2025)  Surviving Ohio State is a documentary based on Sports Illustrated reporter Jon Wertheim’s cover story on the decades-long abuse scandal of male athletes by a doctor, Dr. Richard Strauss, at Ohio State University. The film features extensive interviews with members of the wrestling team that first brought the scandal to light and then goes into detail on how the abuse wasn’t just concentrated on the wrestling team but on other male athletes and even students who weren’t on scholarship but sought treatment at the student medical center. The film highlights how the university was aware of the doctor’s misconduct yet took no action for ten years, allowing him to have significant freedom. This included taking long showers with teams, conducting full-body exams during every visit with male athletes, and even making inappropriate advances in the showers alongside referees.  Surviving Ohio State has gotten some publicity because Ohio congressman Jim Jordan was an assistant coach on the team while the abuse was going on and claims he knew nothing about the allegations. The first half of this film is a shocking first-person tale through interviews of how the abuse started with each person and how they reacted at the time. It’s a sickening tale of abuse of power and taking advantage of teenagers who don’t have a way to fight back. The second half of the film explores how the university has handled the allegations over the years and how it still has not taken full responsibility for its lack of action. Surviving Ohio State is a film that will sadden you to think how many lives were ruined, how many young men suffered in silence, and how a university kept quiet.My Rating:  Full Price  Now playing on the HBO Max platform. 

Forgotten film:  I Am a Hero  (2015)  TV-MA  Hideo (Yô Ôizumi) is an artist who works on Japanese-style comic books called Manga. He once had a promising future, with a girlfriend and an award for “newcomer of the year” from his employer. However, his life has gone into the dumps, working as an assistant on other people’s work, his girlfriend has thrown him out, and now the world is being attacked by zombies. Hideo is an unlikely hero, though he fantasizes he is, and more often than not, he cannot pull the trigger (literally, in most cases during the film, he fails to shoot his shotgun at critical times). All Hideo wants in life is to be a man of action and courage, but he is more a man of indecision, often freezing when he should act. Yo Ôizumi is pitch-perfect as the ineffective Hideo. He seems to show every emotion broadly on his face, so we are aware of what he is thinking without having to have it explain it to the audience. The reason that this film is a blast to watch is the zombies. The zombies keep some of the characteristics of who they were when they were alive. A gifted athlete is still capable of performing fantastic feats as a zombie. Someone who like to shop, in zombie form, will attempt to enter stores with a determined purpose. The zombies can also talk, so very often they are muttering phrases that they often said while they are alive, like a zombie barista to kill Hideo while also trying to take his order. I Am a Hero is a brilliant, action-packed film that will make any zombie lover want to see this film repeatedly, hoping that if the zombie apocalypse happens, we can also say, “I Am a Hero.”    My Rating: Full Price   Surviving Ohio State Website  Available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Elio:  Additional Sweatbox Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)  Five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident and cover it up, keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, they are confronted by a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did and is out for revenge. The friends discover this has happened before and ask for survivors of the Southport Massacre of 1997 for help. This film features Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr., two of the stars of the 1998 film.   I Know What You Did Last Summer Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, July 18, 2025.

Karate Kid: Legends

My View:  Karate Kid: Legends  (2025)   PG-13   In Karate Kid: Legends, Li Fong (Ben Wang) has been studying Kung Fu under Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Li and his mother are forced to move to New York after a family tragedy uproots them from their home in Beijing. Li tries to fit in, but trouble keeps finding him, and he enters a karate competition to change his path, and Mr. Han arrives to help but sees that Li needs the skill of a karate master. They ask for help from no other than Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). The original Karate Kid (1984) is a favorite of mine, particularly because it gave the world Elisabeth Shue. It was an outstanding against-the-odds, fish-out-of-water story that hit all the right notes and had a tremendous and completely gratifying ending. Following the success of Cobra Kai, the studio decided that the time was right to revive the Karate Kid format, blending the old with the new. For the first two-thirds of the film, this approach works. From watching the trailer (numerous times in theaters), I had no idea how significant a role both Joshua Jackson and Ming-Na Wen had in the film. Jackson plays Victor, a former boxer who now owns a pizza place in the neighborhood where Li and his mother have just moved in. Li makes friends with Victor and his daughter, Mia (Sadie, Stanley), who attends the same school as Li. He gets involved with Victor when he is attacked by some thugs who want the money that Victor owes to the local mobster and LI steps in with his Kung Fu moves to save the day. Victor is so impressed with his Kung Fu skills he begs him to help him train for a fight that he hopes will win enough prize money to get the mob off his back. Li's mother's job as a doctor is the driving force behind their move to New York City. She wants to get Li away from the Kung Fu school that Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) runs and give the two of them a new start, away from something bad that happened to their family (which we find out later). Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ben Wang have fantastic chemistry together, and their scenes are fun, touching and make the first hour of this film work. Sadie Stanley is reminiscent of a young Jennifer Lawrence, with great comic timing and lots of charm. Then, the storyline forces the past to come into the film, with Daniel LaRusso's appearance, and the film begins to unravel. The thing that worked so well in the original was the bonding that went on between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi while he taught Daniel not only how to do karate but also about life and friendship. We don't get any of that when Daniel shows up to train Li for a Karate tournament. The film tries too hard to be light and fun, leading to some cringeworthy scenes of training as Daniel and Mr. Han put Li through the paces. The film attempts to create tension between Mia and Li with a breakup (you knew one was coming from a subway ride away), which is forced and out of the blue. Then we get the tourney, which is completely rushed through, with the fighting sequences over in a matter of seconds, not minutes. There isn’t any tension at all in the tournament scenes, unlike the first film, and the air is let out of any attempt to create some sort of ending other than a happy one. Is Karate Kid: Legends worth seeing? Yeah, I just wish Daniel LaRusso had stayed home in California with Mr. Miyagi’s cars. There is a bonus scene after the first bit of credits at the end.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Karate Kid: Legends Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bring Her Back  (2025)   R  Bring Her Back is about Andy (Billy Barratt), who has just lost his father and therefore, he and his younger disabled sister, Piper (Sora Wong), go to live with a foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), and her foster son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). From the beginning, things start to look odd, and Andy quickly realizes that he and his sister are in danger. I was excited to see this movie because of the great work done by the Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou in the hit 2022 horror film Talk to Me. Like that film, this one also deals with the occult, but in a much more uncomfortable and gruesome manner. I will warn you I am a horror fan, and I am accustomed to seeing some disturbing content, but I had to look away a couple of times during this film. Sally Hawkins is exceptional in the role of the foster mom, who, from the start, we know is up to no good. However, this film is all about grief and how Laura manipulates the two grieving siblings, ultimately for her own plan. The film feels mean-spirited throughout, and the horror scenes aren’t terrifying but just gross and off-putting, making for a distasteful viewing experience. I was both thrilled and scared by Talk to Me. In their follow-up film, I was just troubled and uncomfortable.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bring Her Back Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Bono: Stories of Surrender  (2025)  Bono: Stories of Surrender traces the life of rock star Bono from his humble beginnings in Ireland to his international fame as the lead singer of U2. I am a fan of U2, but I am not a fanatic. I think that if you saw in person the performance of Bono's stage play, telling stories and singing bits and pieces of his hits, you would have a great time. Unfortunately, the film lacks the dynamic vibe that you need from an in-person performance. The film gives us brief versions of the classics and too much of Bono playing to the audience with stories that seem meandering and sometimes self-serving. Yes, there are times when Bono sings that you are mesmerized by his stage presence and voice, but I grew tired of the staging and the fact that we often get stripped-down versions of his songs, which seemed too vacant, much like the stage he was on. I think only those who are super-fans of Bono and U2 will be thoroughly entertained. The rest of us desire a bit more.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bono: Stories of Surrender Website  Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform. 

Indiefest:  Tornado  (2025)   R  Set in Britain in the 1790s, Tornado tells the story of a young Japanese woman named Tornado (Koki), who travels the country with her father’s (Takehiro Hira) traveling puppet show. When the two cross paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden), Tornado’s father is killed, and she escapes into the countryside. Little does the gang know that Tornado’s father was a Samurai who trained his daughter in the ways of the sword, and she has now vowed revenge. I am a massive fan of Samurai films (I even took a class on them in college), so I wanted to see this film in a theater. John Maclean's film looks gorgeous, and it's clear that he has a fondness for Kurosawa in the way he filmed the sword fights. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on character development. The film spends a lot of time with Tornado running away, hiding, and getting people hurt who are trying to help her. Tim Roth talks a lot but rarely delivers any excitement to the role, and Jack Lowden, as Sugarman’s son, mostly broods while hiding behind trees and only gives us a glimpse of why he wants to get out from under his father’s thumb. Despite Koki's impressive swordplay at the end of the film, the battles are all one-sided and short. It’s a long cinema walk for a very short climax for this Samurai fan.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Tornado Website    Now playing in theaters.   

My View:  Lost in Starlight  (2025)  PG  Lost in Starlight is set in Seoul in 2050, where Nan-young dreams of following in the footsteps of her late mother and becoming an astronaut. Her mother failed to return to Earth after a mission to Mars, and Nan-young longs to go to Mars, hoping to find a trace of her mother. Jay, a musician, comes into her life just as her dreams are beginning to come true. Will someone who has always dreamed of the stars stay on Earth to be with the one she loves? Lost in Starlight is a brilliant and beautiful love story about two damaged individuals who find each other and then must let each other go to follow their destiny. This is a stunningly visual film with an excellent soundtrack that enables you to fall in love with the two characters as they slowly explore their relationship, all the while trying to overcome the pain of their past. Lost in Starlight is a sweet love story that remains engaging from start to finish, mostly because the two characters are fun to be with, and the love between them feels genuine and authentic. The film is filled with twists and turns as we learn about their pasts, insecurities, and the necessity to overcome them. Ultimately, the two realize that they are committed enough to each other to overcome whatever the future holds. With strong, exquisite animation and a soundtrack that complements the moods of the characters, this is a love story that will touch you and bring a few tears along the way. My Rating: Full Price  Lost in Starlight Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

My View:  Pee-Wee as Himself  (2025)  TV-MA  Pee-Wee as Himself is adocumentary on the life and trials of the beloved creator of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Paul Reubens. This is a fascinating glimpse into the man behind the character he created, which ultimately took over his life. Rubens was an extremely private man, someone who stayed in the closet and sacrificed almost everything, including his love life, to become a character on TV and in films. Directed by Matt Wolf, Paul Reubens did over forty hours of interviews with Wolf, but it was not an easy shoot, as Rubens constantly fought with Wolf over control of the documentary, including continually answering questions with more questions, at times avoiding the subject matter or making Wolf and us having to decide what was truth and what was fiction. From an early age, Reubens had a deep love for TV, particularly shows such as Howdy Doody and Captain Kangaroo. He was an art student who gravitated to standup comedy and improv; at one time, he had many characters that he created besides Pee-wee, and some of them even ended up on The Gong Show, an old, bizarre variety game show, which he and his partners kept winning. When he invented Pee-wee, the character and what Reubens was doing with him took off, and almost overnight, Rubens became famous. But here is the rub: he became famous as Pee-wee, not as Paul Reubens. This, as we see in the documentary, becomes something that Ruebens never got over. Pee-wee, the character, was given all the praise and attention; Paul, the man, was left in the background. And how quickly the world came to judge him when he had some trouble with the law, which the media ran with abandon. I learned so much about Rubens and the sacrifices he made to make the world happy with a strange little man called Pee-wee. What is shocking about this documentary is Matt Wolf had no idea that Paul Reubens was battling cancer (for 6 years) and was as shocked as the rest of the world by his death. That we have this documentary, which gives a glimpse into the strange and wonderful world of Paul Reubens, is a miracle in itself. The fact that we were able to visit Pee-wee's world through his live performances, movies, and TV show is a miracle that will remain a source of joy for years to come.     My Rating: Full Price  Pee-wee As Himself Info  Now playing on HBO Max.

Forgotten Film:  28 Days Later  (2002) R  Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a hospital bed to an empty building. While walking through the empty streets of a once bustling city, he learns that a virus has been unleashed on the world, causing unimaginable monsters. He meets a couple of survivors (Naomie Harris and Noah Huntley) who explain that the virus has created zombies that are out to kill everyone. This horrifying film is about people trying to band together and survive just for one more day. That’s all they can think about; anything else is inconceivable. 28 Days Later was instrumental in creating a new genre of zombie movies and TV shows. The opening sequence is one of the great film scenes, and the final battle is both horrifying and thrilling. The film has a lot to say about paranoia, how we treat each other in times of struggle, and what is amazing, is still relevant today after our struggles in the world of Covid. 28 Days Later is a gritty film that truly gives you chills throughout.   My Rating: Full Price  28 Days Later Info  Available to rent on most streaming services. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Karate Kid: Legends: Thanks to the Jackie Chan Stunt Team

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: 28 Years Later (2025) R  Almost three decades have passed since a virus was unleashed on the world. A small island that is connected to the mainland by a causeway has been home to one group that has survived. A father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and son (Alfie Williams) leave the island on a mission to go into the heart of the mainland, and there they discover the secrets, wonders, and horrors of the outside world. Danny Boyle has finally provided us with a movie to uncover what transpired after his horror classic 28 Days Later (2002). And I can't wait to see it!  28 Years Later Website   The film will be out on Friday, June 20, 2025.  

Until Next Time!