Spider-Man: Brand New Day

My View:  Spider-Man: Brand New Day  (2026)  PG-13 In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s been four years since Doctor Strange’s memory-erasing spell, and Peter (Tom Holland) lives alone in New York City, dedicated to fighting crime full-time. His love, MJ (Zendaya), and his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), have no memory of Peter, but a new, powerful villain who can alter their form will force Peter to reconnect with his long-lost friends. It’s been a lonely four years since Doctor Strange did his thing, and Spidey’s love of his life and his best friend, along with a lot of other people, forgot that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The closest thing to a friend Spider-Man has is Detective Jean De Wolff (Liza Colon-Zayas), who is just a working relationship: Spider-Man leaves the bad guys in a web and lets her know where they are. He is still reeling from the loss of his rock, his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), still putting flowers on her grave. To make matters worse, Peter suddenly feels his arachnid side dominating his human side, and it’s not fun, including losing his humanity when under its control. And in walks a new bad guy who can take over anyone’s body and get into their mind. That means that Spider-Man has no clue who this bad guy is and what they want, but it’s not good. In one of the best Marvel films of the past few years (I did like Thunderbolts), our hero is going through a lot, facing an enemy who can’t be figured out. Spidey has to ask for help from one of the most uncooperative super-heroes out there, The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who Spider-Man won’t let you forget he saved his life, and The Punisher owes him. I loved the fact that Marvel has allowed us to get to know The Punisher (in his own series), and so we already know his attitude toward any help. Oh, and by the way, a few other bad guys show up along the way, and a certain big green guy who isn’t happy and wants to smash a few things. And of course, Peter has to find MJ (Zendaya) to see how she is doing. So get ready to swing through New York as Spider-Man tackles a mysterious villain who keeps switching bodies, calling on unlikely allies like The Punisher and encountering familiar faces, both good and bad. The action sequences are visually inventive, showcasing Spider-Man's web shooters and letting Tom Holland shine emotionally and comedically. Don't miss the bonus scene after the credits, teasing Spider-Man's return; hopefully, it won’t be another four years.  My Rating: Full Price  Spider-Man: Brand New Day Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  I Want Your Sex  (2026)  R   I Want Your Sex follows the adventures of Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), who thinks he has landed his dream job at the art gallery of renowned and provocative artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). Soon, Elliot’s fantasies come true as Erika hires him to become her sex slave muse. However, Elliot soon discovers that his life is now full of obsession, betrayal, and maybe even murder. After seeing this film at the Atlanta Film Festival, my first thought was: did the Intimacy Coordinator go home every night from the set and have a stiff drink? And how much fun did the costume designers have coming up with the outfits that Olivia Wilde wore? Cooper Hoffman is hilarious as Elliot, a young man who at first thinks he has the best job in the world, until things get really strange and then really dangerous because his boss is nuts. Wilde is perfect as the artist who thinks her artwork is so wonderful and artistic that she can get away with anything, and people won’t care because she is so talented. As the relationship between Elliot and Erika gets more and more complicated, we squirm a bit in our seats, wondering just how far Elliot will let himself be dragged into Erika’s strange and kinky world. This is a film about two people who see differently how sexual consent works. It’s also about the insanity of the art world, where one moment an artwork made of chewing gum can be seen as priceless and the next as worthless. This film about sexual attitudes and changing mores wouldn’t work without the fearlessness of its two principal actors, who explore sexuality, desire, and the sometimes absurd world of art with abandon and glee.  My Rating: Full Price  I Want Your Sex Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Above & Below  (2026)   Above & Below is about five friends who embark on a dream vacation of parties and diving. During a thrilling caged dive to see sharks, they uncover a stash of cartel cocaine, forcing them to survive both Great White sharks and a ruthless gang of criminals. Above & Below is one of those films where, in the first five minutes, you can pick who will survive and who will die. The only question is, will the kill be by a human or a shark? Antonio Banderas plays the main bad guy in this film, and as always, it’s a fun watch. Banderas whispers about half his lines and has fun playing the mastermind whose drugs are now shark bait. For fans of this genre, the sharks aren’t quite as menacing as I would have liked, as there are only a few times that the sharks really go to town. I will say, one kill is a lot of fun, and Laura Marano does a nice job in her battle with a great white. The ending feels a little too easy to come about, and the plot seems a bit generic. I think it needed a bit more bite.   My Rating: Cable  Above & Below Info   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Peter Asher: Everywhere Man  (2025)  Documentary about Peter Asher, who started as part of the British Invasion of the 60s as part of the duo Peter and Gordon, and when the duo broke up, he became a record producer and manager of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. Oh, and I forgot to mention that he was in a bunch of British movies as a child, produced records for major stars such as Cher, Bonnie Raitt, and Diana Ross, and is a good friend of Paul McCartney. The film is part concert film from his touring show about his life and music, and part documentary that interviews just about everyone famous in the music industry and beyond (Steve Martin and Eric Idle show up a lot). The film is a delight to watch because Asher is very talented and also seems like a truly nice guy. Someone you would love to spend time at a party or a dinner, talking about music, books, and everything else. And did I mention that when the Beatles were first starting, Paul McCartney dated Asher’s sister, lived in Peter’s parents’ house, and McCartney wrote a bunch of the songs that Peter and Gordon sang, including a throwaway song (that John hated) from McCartney that became Peter and Gordon’s first big hit. The film focuses on Asher’s time with the group, then on his discovery of James Taylor and on how he guided both Taylor and Ronstadt to superstardom. What I loved about Asher was that he was a cool guy who had fun and loved performing. We find out that when Linda Ronstadt toured in the late 70s, Asher was one of her backup vocalists. And by the way, he is probably the model for Mike Myers’ Austin Powers character. So, have a blast going on a musical journey into the 60s and 70s with Peter Asher. You won’t be disappointed, and you might notice how he dresses in the 60s, but don’t expect him to say “Oh Behave!”.   My Rating: Full Price  Peter Asher: Everywhere Man Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  The Deep  (1977)  PG  A honeymooning couple (Nick Nolte, Jacqueline Bisset) are diving in waters off Bermuda when they discover a sunken WWII vessel. What was once a fun exploration of a sunken vessel becomes entangled with drug smugglers seeking more than a few pieces of gold. This was the follow-up book to Jaws by Peter Benchley, and he co-wrote the screenplay. The underwater sequences are incredible; John Barry's score is amazing, and the supporting cast of Robert Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., and Eli Wallach helps make this film fun to watch. There is some controversy about this film, as the opening sequence shows Bisset diving in a T-shirt. The marketing department took a still of this without Bisset’s approval, and the wet T-shirt showed too much, making the film seem sexier than it actually was. Bisset was upset that she didn’t get credit for making the film, which was incredibly difficult due to the number of underwater action sequences she had to perform. Producer Peter Gruber claimed that the wet T-shirt made him wealthy, as The Deep was a big hit. Still, this film, along with Jaws, started a long line of underwater thrillers that keep going on today, though The Deep isn’t a shark film, and other than one attack by an eel, the danger comes from man.   My Rating: Full Price  The Deep Info  The film is available on most online formats.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Spider-Man: Brand New Day:  Standby Blues

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The End of Oak Street  (2026)  PG-13  The Platt family must band together after a mysterious event rips their ordinary street out of its location and transports it back in time. The family must stick together because there are some enormous animals roaming the neighborhood called dinosaurs. This is the year of Anne Hathaway, as she stars alongside Ewan McGregor in this film directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows (2014), Under the Silver Lake (2018)) and produced by J. J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek, Star Wars).   The End of Oak Street Website In theaters nationwide on Friday, August 14, 2026.

Until Next Time!

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

My View: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022) PG-13  The story of the life and music of Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie), who rose from singing backup for her famous mom to becoming one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time. You will have to be a huge fan of Whitney to enjoy this overlong soap opera of a film. I liked Naomi Ackie as Whitney, but she is lip-syncing to Whitney’s real singing for all the songs, but a couple of times Ackie sings at home to her daughter or to herself. The songs take up about 40 minutes of this two-hour and twenty-six-minute film, making it one of the longest lip-syncing shows of all time. I love Houston’s songs as much as anybody but do we need every hit she ever had sung for almost the whole song? The biggest problem with the film is the plot spends a lot of time bringing up all of the issues in her life without any resolution (other than escaping into drugs), as conflicts in the film are often just dropped and never dealt with. We never really understand Whitney's attraction for Bobby Brown (played cartoonishly by Ashton Sanders) other than she likes ‘bad boys.' I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a bio-pic that feels like watching a greatest hits program without the actual performer.  My Rating: Cable  I Wanna Dance with Somebody Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Babylon (2022) R  The rise and fall of the people that make the movies in the silent days of Hollywood, including a legendary matinee idol (Brad Pitt), an up-and-coming firebrand of an actress (Margot Robbie), and a man who dreams of making films (Diego Calva). I am a huge fan of silent films, so I was looking forward to this film from Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning filmmaker for films such as La La Land (20160 and Whiplash (2014). I wasn’t prepared for the wild ride this film takes you on. The first thirty minutes of this film are some of the most outrageous and outlandish filmed scenes I’ve ever seen. A warning, if you get easily grossed out, you might want to skip this film. Several of the characters are loosely (sometimes very loosely) based on real silent film actors. Brad Pitt’s character, matinee idol Jack Conrad is inspired by John Gilbert, one of the most famous actors in the Hollywood silent period. Margot Robbie’s character Nellie LaRoy is based on the life of Clara Bow, the original ‘It Girl.’ The film takes place when Hollywood was transitioning from the freewheeling days of silent films to the more established studio system that brought in the talking pictures era. This is an overlong and sometimes confusing look at three lives and how they deal with fame, fortune, and power. They also have to deal with how quickly that fame and fortune can slip through your fingers. The film seems to keep adding more and more plot lines just to show us that Chazelle cannot only shock you as he does in the first thirty minutes but also dazzle you with big spectacle filmmaking. The problem is the message is lost in all the spectacle, which is too bad, as there are performances that make the film watchable, including Pitt and Robbie. There’s a lot I would have cut out of this 3 hour-plus movie, including a bizarre sequence with a mob boss played by Tobey Maguire that adds nothing to the plot other than making you feel weird. Instead, you will leave feeling you have seen a dozen films in one night, none of them great.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Babylon Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Familyfaire: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) PG  The years of adventure and being a hero has taken their toll: Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) learns that he has burned eight of his nine lives. Now Puss in Boots finds the evil Lobo (Wagner Moura) hunting him down and enlists his friends Perro (Harvey Guillen) and Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) to help him find a mythical Last Wish to restore his nine lives. Looking back at my 2011 review, I hated the first Puss in Boots film, but boy, oh boy, I loved this one. The film is packed with humor, I loved the new character in Perro, and the animation of the action sequences are kind of mix of Spider-Verse and Japanese anime. It is very apparent that Bandaras and Hayek loved making this film together, and Bandaras gives a brilliant performance as the ego-centric hero who has become scared of dying. Florence Pugh is a lot of fun as a tough, grownup Goldilocks, leading the Three Bears on crime sprees. The film has a great villain in Lobo, the wolf that is Death incarnate, but it’s the performance of Harvey Guillen as the kind, overly friendly Perro that steals the show. You and your family will fall in love with Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and especially Perro.  My Rating: Full Price  Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Corsage (2022)  The account of one year in the life of legendary beauty Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicky Krieps), who has just turned forty and wants to maintain her status as a groundbreaking royal. This is a film about a woman who wanted to be her own person and not the person her husband, other royalty, and the public wanted her to be. Vicky Krieps gives a beautiful, moving, and dazzling performance of Elisabeth, a woman who was truly before her time and one whose life, while surrounded by servants, was never happy. This is a gorgeous film to watch, and Krieps gives life to a woman who decided to forge her own path, even if it hurt the people she loved. We watch as Elisabeth’s path blazes along, and Krieps, in any unbelievably moving performance, lets us see Elisabeth is all her unhappiness.  My Rating: Full Price  Corsage Website  Now playing in select theaters.

Indiefest: Wildcat (2022) R Documentary about a young British soldier, Harry, back from Afghanistan who is struggling with depression and PTSD. He finds a second chance in the Amazon rainforest when he meets an American scientist, Samantha, and an orphaned baby ocelot. First, let me tell you that this is not a movie for kids. I know it features an adorable baby ocelot, but the film deals with major adult issues, and there are some rather shocking and brutal scenes to watch. This is a movie about how nature and kindness can help heal people dealing with trauma. Harry is a very troubled young man who escapes to the jungle to disappear but finds a purpose to help raise a tiny baby ocelot and train it to return to the jungle as an adult. Some scenes are raw as Harry deals with a past that haunts him. Sam and the baby ocelot can only do so much to heal Harry, and it’s a difficult journey that he travels, sometimes alone. Wildcat is often a very dark and painful film to watch, but in the end, healing and hard work can succeed, even when letting a wild animal go out into the world on its own.  My Rating: Full Price   Now playing in select theaters.  Wildcat Website Now playing in select theatres and on Amazon Prime on Dec. 30th.

Indiefest: Joyride (2022) A headstrong woman named Joy (Olivia Colman) plan to offload her newborn baby on her sister is derailed when a young teenager, Mully (Charlie Reid), steals the taxi she is asleep in. They are about to go on a journey across Ireland that will change both their lives. I wanted to love this film but only like it, and that’s only because of the chemistry between Colman and Reid. The movie is full of plot holes and relies too much on us instantly liking Colman’s character (which we don’t), but Colman can make any part watchable, and Charlie Reid, in his first film role as the young teen Mully is a lot of fun. The film takes a few strange twists, and Colman’s character thinks she can talk her way out of any situation (which she can’t), which takes away from the performances in the end. Still, I enjoyed watching the two characters interact and grow fond of each other; I just wished the plot was better.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Joyride Info  Now playing is select theatres.

My View: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) PG-13  Famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back and has a new mystery to solve. He has been invited to an exclusive private island to play a murder mystery game hosted by a wealthy tycoon (Edward Norton). Things are going great until a real murder happens. Rian Johnson is back with his Knives Out format, bringing back our favorite pompous detective, Benoit Blanc, this time to solve a murder or two with a cast of strange and wonderful characters. This is such a fun movie to watch, and I had a blast with it. The cast is terrific, with actors such as Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, and Kate Hudson filling out the strange and wonderful group of people that Miles Bron, played Edward Norton, playing a sort of Elon Musk character, has invited to his island. Out of this cast, Janelle Monae stands out, playing a mysterious woman with a grudge, who the rest of the group is surprised has shown up for the festivities. Monae is brilliant in the role, and I think she could get an Academy Award nomination for the performance. The film is funny, filled with incredible sight gags, and has a mystery that isn’t easy to solve. I can’t wait to see the next movie that Johnson and Craig bring us because the world needs more of Benoit Blanc solving mysteries.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again.  Glass Onion Website    Now Playing on the Netflix platform. 

Familyfaire: Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022) PG   Matilda (Alisha Weir) is attending a new school and dares to take on the dastardly evil Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). Between parents (Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough) that don’t care about her and a school where Miss Trunchbull rules with an iron fist, what’s a girl to do? How about fighting back with her mind? Now, if you don’t know the story, the school can be a little scary for young kids, but they will love the music and the antics that Matilda and the rest of her cast-mates get into. Emma Thompson gives a villain for the ages, one who calls her students maggots and delights in punishing them. Thompson is almost unrecognizable as the ugly and mean-spirited Miss Trunchbill and belts out a song with the best of them. I loved Lashana Lynch as the sweet and kind Miss Honey, the teacher who tries her best to protect her students from Miss Trunchbull. Alisha Weir is a tiny firebrand of a singer/performer who carries the film, appearing in almost every scene and singing most of the songs, which she does with grace and humor. Weir is a delight on screen, making this enjoyable film even more fun. The songs are fun, though I am not sure there are many you will ever hum to. Still, there are some great, rousing songs, including a couple of fantastic big showy numbers, especially the final number following the big battle with Miss Trunchbull. So gather around and go on an adventure with Matilda and her extraordinary mind.   My Rating: Full Price  Matilda the Musical Website  The film is now available on the Netflix platform.

Forgotten Film: The Holiday (2006) PG-13  Two women (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet) who are both having troubles with their lives decide to swap homes in each other’s countries for the holidays to escape. Both meet a local guy (Jude Law, Jack Black) and fall in love. This is another romance film from Nancy Myers (Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap) that is just fun to watch, and both Diaz and Winslet don’t disappoint. I love the relationship that develops between Winslet’s character and Eli Wallach, who plays an old writer who wrote some of the Hollywood classics. And by the way, Jack Black is toned down and charming in this film (surprise!).  My Rating: Full Price   The Holiday Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Head of Paint

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Saint Omer (2022)  Rama (Kayije Kagame) is a novelist who is researching her next work at the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), who is accused of drowning her child. Laurence claims she did it because of demons. The film has made the Academy Award International Films shortlist and is getting rave reviews from critics.  Saint Omer Info In select theatres Mid-January.

Until Next Time!

Love the Coopers

My View:  Love the Coopers  (2015)   PG-13   Four generations of Coopers are getting together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration.  What can go wrong? It turns out just about everything.  This is a comedy where no one in the family is happy, and even the family dog has an eating disorder. A grad student could write his dissertation on all the problems this family has and, remarkably, most are solved by the end of this unfunny film. The only storyline (and there are way too many of them) I enjoyed was where Olivia Wilde’s character picks up a soldier  (Jake Lacy) at the airport bar to pose as her boyfriend. Their relationship is the only one that has any sparks and is the most enjoyable to watch. Diane Keaton and John Goodman,  the patriarchs of the family, are just exhausting to watch as their bickering gets old quickly. There is a scene between Amanda Seyfried and Alan Arkin (she’s his favorite waitress at a diner) that just turns so weird that I couldn't even begin to explain it. If you hate the holidays and want to get depressed, then this film is for you.    My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See It Again   Love the Coopers Website

My View:  The 33  (2015)  PG-13  Based on a true event, thirty-three miners are trapped underground in a mine for sixty-nine days with almost no food or water. The world watches as a rescue attempt does the impossible.  I liked several of the performances in this film, especially Antonio Banderas as the lead miner and Rodrigo Santoro, the mining minister who tries to save them. The biggest problem with this film is that there are three main events:  the collapse of the mine, locating the men, then getting them out. The film never creates enough tension and does a poor job of making us understand how the miners suffered. I never got the feeling of claustrophobia, and that should have been something that was first and foremost in this type of film. There’s a scene in the film that just doesn’t work where all the men start hallucinating about food. The audience I saw it with starting laughing and wouldn't stop till it ended. It's a film that has heart but just doesn't connect fully with its audience.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The 33 Website

My View:  My All-American  (2015) PG   Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) has always wanted to play college football but continues to be turned down.  That is until he caught the eye of the legendary coach of the Texas Longhorns, Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart). Now, Freddie faces the toughest challenge of his life. This is an earnest take on the sports film genre that is both inspiring and sad. I liked the chemistry between Wittrock and Eckhart, and both make their characters likable without creating too much sappiness. The football scenes go on too long, and it takes a while to get the film going. While not a great sports film, this film is still inspiring and one that any football fan would enjoy.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee   My All-American Website

Indiefest:  Spotlight  (2015)  R  The true story of how a group of reporters from the Boston Globe uncovered the huge scandal of child molestation and cover-up by the local Catholic Archdiocese. This is one of the best films of the year and very reminiscent of “All the Presidents Men” where a group of reporters fight both the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the city leaders to get the facts of a story that has far-reaching implications.  The ensemble cast is brilliant, led by Mark Ruffalo, who plays a gruff investigative reporter and his counterpart, a reporter who sees the good in most people, played by Rachel McAdams. Ruffalo gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a world-weary reporter who won’t give up. The story is riveting and tense, and the sets are perfect spanning between the cramped spaces of the newsroom to the contrast of the lavish Cardinal’s residence. This is an intense and moving film that perfectly captures a dark moment in time.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See It Again   Spotlight Website

Indiefest:  Labyrinth of Lies  (2014)  R   A young and determined public prosecutor (Alexander Fehling) decides, against the wishes of his colleagues, to prosecute a former Auschwitz camp commander in a country that just wants to forget its past.  I liked this film during the first half of the movie, as Johann delves deeper and deeper into a part of Germany’s history that no one talks about. His horror discovering so many people were killed so casually in the concentration camps hits home, and we feel his pain as he realizes that people he knows were involved with the camps in one way or another. The film starts to break down as Johann lets the pressure and the sadness get to him, and he starts cutting relationships with everyone he knows, including his fiancé. This film has been picked by Germany to be their submission to the category of Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards.  I am sure it impacts Germans much harder than it did me dealing with a horrible time in their country's history. I wanted more of emotional payoff from the film but it never quite delivers it. Good performances offset a script that bogs down in the second half. If the movie could have held the excitement and the pace of the first half of the film, I would have enjoyed it more.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Labyrinth of Lies Website

Indiefest:  Jafar Panahi 's Taxi (2015)   Jafar Panahi is a director living in Iran, where he is banned by the government from making movies. So what does he do? He installs cameras in his taxi and drives around the city to secretly make a movie about social changes in Iran.  At one point in this film, Panahi picks up a man who recognizes him as a director of movies. The man is convinced that everything that happens while he is in the cab is planned and staged by Panahi for a narrative film. When you see this film, you just might think that Panahi has planned it all, because the documentary works so well. It’s an fascinating, prodigious documentary that gives us a taste of what everyday life is in Iran. It’s funny, touching and sometimes you marvel at the humanity of people who are living under a repressive regime. This is one of the best documentaries of the year, and I want Panahi to make more. We could call it Panahi’s Taxi Cab confessionals.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Jafar Panaji's Taxi Website

Forgotten Film:  Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)  R  Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) is a man who created “The Dating Game” and “The Gong Show.”  He is also an assassin for the CIA. In fact, he uses the trips his game show winners go on to travel the world and kill his targets. Any film that has Brad Pitt and Matt Damon as Bachelors 1 and 2 and they don’t get picked is a film for me. You don’t have to believe Barris is a killer; you just have to have fun watching him do it.  My Rating: Full Price   Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Love the Coopers:  Ultimate Arm Driver

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Janis: Little Girl Blue  (2015) Documentary from Oscar winning director Amy Berg about the troubled life of singer Janis Joplin.  This will be a sad tale but one that needs to be told.   Janis: Little Girl Blue Info

Until Next Time!

Jupiter Ascending

My View:  Jupiter Ascending  (2015) PG-13   Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) has always felt that she was destined for something better than her job as a janitor. But it’s much to her surprise when an interplanetary warrior, Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), shows up and informs her that her destiny is to be part of a royal family who rules the solar system.  "The Matrix" was a fun movie that took a little effort to understand. This film, also directed by The Wachowskis, is complicated, but I could see it forty times and still not understand it all. The film is a big mess, with special effects so horrible that, at one point, I thought I was watching an old Claymation movie from the 60's. The dialog is incredibly stupid as in, "Bees know royalty." There is absolutely no chemistry between Kunis and Tatum, with Kunis acting like a 16-year-old girl around Tatum's character (who, by the way, is part wolf). The movie uses the same plot device twice, making me think; "Didn't I already see this?" And Oscar nominee, Eddie Redmayne, chews up scenery like he is channeling a 90's version of Nicolas Cage. By the end of the film, your biggest question will be: "Why does Channing Tatum have Spock ears?"  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Jupiter Ascending Website

FamilyFaire:  The SpongeBob Move: Sponge Out of Water (2015)  PG   Someone has stolen the Krabby Patty secret formula. Life in Bikini Bottom turns to chaos, and it’s up to SpongeBob and his friends to catch the culprit and return the formula.  If you are a kid and a fan of the TV show, you will love this film. If you are an adult, you probably won't have a good time, even if you are a fan. The movie is aimed at kids, with lots of color and stupid comedy bits. I did like the animation during the live-action parts with Antonio Banderas as the bad-guy pirate. It's an okay kid’s movie that will probably bore adults.   My Rating: Cable  The SpongeBob Movie Website

Indiefest:  Still Alice  (2014)  PG-13  Alice (Julianne Moore) is a high respected linguistics professor who gets the shock of her life – she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She and her family must deal with her rapid decline. Julianne Moore gives an Oscar worthy performance as we see her struggle with her diminishing faculties. She is truly dazzling on the screen, running the gamut of emotions. Kristen Stewart gives the best performance of her career as the black sheep of the family who understands how Alice is feeling. I just wish the script was better at giving us the big emotional moments, but it rarely does, and lets down the amazing cast performances.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Still Alice Website

Indiefest: Love, Rosie (2014)  R  Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) have been best friends since they were five years old. But, life took Rosie and Alex in different directions. They reconnect, and now they must decide…is it just a friendship or is it something more? I enjoyed this British rom-com, especially Lily Collins, who has a nice comedic touch. Sam Claflin makes a perfect romantic partner for her, and there are some sparks between his character and Rosie. It's a fun film that says that it's never too late to find love.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Love, Rosie Facebook page

Forgotten Film: Dead Calm (1989)  R   Sam Neil and Nicole Kidman play grieving parents who are trying to get over the death of their son. They go on a sailing vacation to reconnect with each other. Out in the middle of the ocean, they encounter a charming young man (Billy Zane) who is sailing alone on another boat, but there is more to his story than he lets on. This is a tense thriller with three excellent performances, especially by Kidman. The story centers around her and to watch her character evolve before our eyes is almost magical. The film has a great plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.   My Rating: Full Price   Dead Calm Info   

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jupiter Ascending: Movement coach

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Last Five Years  (2014) PG-13  A musical with Anna Kendrick? Yes, please!   The Last Five Years Website 

Until Next Time!