Digger

My View: Digger  (2026) R  Digger follows Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), an eccentric oil tycoon who accidentally triggers a catastrophic global ecological disaster. He then embarks on a mission to save the planet and become Earth’s hero. I’ll tell you right off the start that some people will not like this movie. In fact, some people won't even understand this movie. This is a film that, after an hour (we still had more than an hour to go), I would've left if I wasn't reviewing it. I guess it’s a satire, but I’m not even sure of that. I do know that it’s a mess, and except for a couple of quick scenes, it’s not funny or witty. Instead, it's a mess that tries to tell us the message that we are doomed. Thanks, but I already get that from the internet. Before the movie came out, there were thoughts that Tom Cruise might be nominated for an Oscar for this part. Not happening, Tom. In fact, I think it was really easy for Tom to do this part, as he overacts and rebels on and on. And a lot was made about the 6 hours it took to turn Tom into Digger, but he still looked like Tom Cruise, just with a pouch and some grey hair. The only bright spot in this film is John Goodman, who plays the President, a man willing to throw anybody and any country under the rug so that the blame doesn’t come back on him. There is a big twist in this movie, but it's so badly revealed that it took me about five minutes after it happened to figure out what the twist was. Sadly, the most interesting thing I found to watch in this movie was some extras acting during the credit scenes at the end of the film.  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  Digger Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Verity  (2026)  R   In Verity, Lowen (Dakota Johnson) is a writer desperate for work when she is contacted by bestselling author Verity Crawford’s husband (Josh Hartnett). After a mysterious accident leaves Verity (Anne Hathaway) incapacitated and comatose, Lowen is hired to ghostwrite the final books in Verity’s bestselling series. Lowen discovers a manuscript containing disturbing confessions, making her wonder who to believe and whether she is safe in the house. This is a stupid, fun movie with a few chills and lots of plot twists, but it's sunk by an ending that seems crafted by someone who hasn’t read the rest of the script. Hathaway looks to be having a blast as a writer who crafts books about people doing nasty, evil things and then turns out she does them in real life too. I have become a big fan of Dakota Johnson, but this is not her best work. Her mopey character has almost no charisma and makes it hard for us to root for her, which isn’t great when she is playing the other woman in this weird relationship. The ending is what makes this film fall apart; I wanted to yell at the screen, “But what about…”. Instead, we are asked just to accept it. I will say this: the movie is worth the price of admission to see the house they live in, but like the rest of the movie, it never explains how this strange house came about or why it has giant rocks in the hallways. Maybe the book the film is based on gives us more clues and a better ending.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Verity Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest: Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother   (2026)  R Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother follows Latif (Mahershala Ali), a devout Muslim hitman, as he deals with his wife’s unexpected death. He must juggle raising three children, including a newborn who needs breast milk, while he has just been given a contract to kill a local religious leader. Mahershala Ali is brilliant in this film, which is part family drama and part 70s gangster film. This is an action film where people are getting brutally killed or beaten up, all the while our hero cares deeply about his family, and for half the film, he has a baby that he is carrying around. Mahershala Ali trained for almost a year to star in a reboot of Blade, but it fell through, so he put those skills to good use in this film, including some swordplay. Ali goes from killing someone to, in the next scene, talking to his son about proper manners. This is a film where we root for someone who kills for a living but is not over the death of his wife and is struggling to find formula for his baby. Your Mother is a film where the main character has to keep making choices and deciding what is good for his family or for his livelihood. The one thing you don’t want to do with Latif is push him into a corner. The results can be deadly for the people he is dealing with, but they can also make for great action scenes for us.  My Rating: Full Price  Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother Info    Now playing in select theaters

My View: Unabomber  (2026)  R   Unabomber centers on Ted Kaczynski (Jacob Tremblay), who was once a promising student at Harvard University and became the terrorist known as the Unabomber, who terrorized the United States for almost 20 years. This is such a strange movie that doesn’t go anywhere. It jumps back and forth between Kaczynski’s time at Harvard when he was just 16 and the mid-90s, when the FBI was trying to find the Unabomber. The movie shows how isolated Ted was in college and how he was used as part of a psychological experiment (at the behest of the CIA). At Harvard, Ted thinks in the experiment, one of his professors (Russell Crowe) picks him because he is so good at debating. Instead, the experiment aims to break Ted’s will. In the 90s section, Shailene Woodley plays an FBI agent on the trail of the Unabomber who can’t convince anyone the FBI is looking in the wrong places. So she goes out on her own to follow leads. The film feels like it is just going down a list and checking off items it needs to cover. Ted’s smart. Check. Ted has social issues. Check. The professor is tricking him. Check. There isn’t much drama, even when Woodley’s character closes in. In the end, I never cared about Ted, and the movie seems to put the blame for all the people that he hurt and killed on the Harvard experiments. I have a feeling that this format would have worked better as a documentary. As a work of drama, the film takes us down a path that we never feel invested in.  My Rating: Cable  Unabomber Website    Now playing on Netflix

Indiefest: The Incomer  (2026)  R  The Incomer is set on a remote Scottish island, where adult siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke) have lived in total isolation for thirty years. The two believe themselves, having been left alone by their parents (who mysteriously disappeared), to be protectors of the island from dreaded “Incomers.” Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson) is one such “Incomer” who has been assigned to evacuate the two to the mainland, and it will not be an easy task, especially because visions of a Finman, a mythical creature, visit Isla. I loved this strange, adult fairy tale movie. The film has amazing back-and-forth dialogue, whether between the two siblings or between Isla and Daniel. This is about three oddball, lonely people finding each other and willing to risk their lives to keep what they love from being taken from them. Gayle Rankin gives a powerful, funny performance as a woman who has lived on an isolated island with her brother for 30 years, then meets Daniel, a man who's interested in her and enjoys her company, even when she goes a little overboard. Grant O’Rourke is perfect as the brother who slowly figures out he might like men and sees the world as one big surprise. Domhnall Gleeson gives us a man who wants to do the right thing but also understands that Isla and Sandy differ greatly from anyone he's ever met. The film is funny, warm, charming, and odd, with the right touch of darkness to make things uncomfortable at times. With outstanding performances and breathtaking Scottish landscapes, The Incomer is a joy to watch. After seeing this film, you just might want to copy Isla’s cry to the gulls. Just be sure to have some birdseed on hand if they get a little too close.  My Rating: Full Price  The Incomer Website  Now playing in select theaters 

Forgotten Film:  Sparrows  (1926)   Sparrows shows why Pickford was such a star. She is brilliant and funny as a young woman caring for many children while an evil man keeps them locked up on a small plot of land in the middle of a swamp. We see how evil the man is early in the film when he gets a letter from a mother hoping he is taking care of her child. He takes the doll she has sent her child, crushes its head, and then watches it as it is dropped into the muddy swamp and devoured by the mud. There is some comedy, with Pickford charming the audience as she tries to keep the kids and herself out of trouble, but it isn’t easy, as the evil man’s son is also cruel and makes it his pastime to harass both Pickford and the kids. The cinematography is striking, and the last third of the film is a brilliant piece of cinema, with Pickford’s character leading her kids to safety through a swamp full of rivers, mud, and alligators. And Jesus even shows up. This film still holds up, and I have to believe audiences went wild for it in 1926.  My Rating: Full Price  Sparrows Info   The film is available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of Digger:  Special Effects Teeth

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Other Mommy  (2026) R   In Other Mommy, Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) is living in a home where her parents (Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass) are barely getting along. One day, a supernatural doppelgänger that looks just like Bella’s mother emerges, which Bela calls “Other Mommy”. This Other Mommy is about to threaten the safety of the family by manipulating Bela against her actual parents. The film is based on Josh Malerman’s 2024 bestselling novel "Incidents Around the House."  Other Mommy Website  In theaters nationwide on Friday, October 9, 2026.

Until Next Time!

Heart of the Beast

My View: Heart of the Beast  (2026)  PG-13   Heart of the Beast follows James (Brad Pitt), a former Special Forces soldier who is suffering from residual trauma and has some personal demons. On a flight in his single-engine plane, James and his only companion, Odin, his loyal and retired combat German Shepherd, crash in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. Battling a brutal environment, James promises Odin he will get him home if it’s the last thing he does. This film is about perseverance, loyalty, and two kindred souls who have been through hell and back and are there for each other. This is a story of survival, but it’s also a story of two beings in tune and working together as a team. We all know that Brad Pitt is an excellent actor, but his screen partner, Uber (who plays Odin), overshadows him. One of my critic groups used to have an award for Best Dog. If we still had it, Uber would win hands down. In relationship-based films, critics talk a lot about on-screen chemistry. The scenes between Odin and James are amazing and incredibly touching. Heart of the Beast just gives us brief glimpses of the trauma the two share, and instead we see that both the man and dog suffer from PTSD. The action sequences are well done, and the plane crash is rather scary. So go on an adventure with James and Odin; don’t forget Odin's treats. My Rating: Full Price  Heart of the Beast Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Primetime  (2026)   R  In Primetime, reporter Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) is at the top of the TV world with a top-ten-rated show, Dateline’s To Catch a Predator. His producer, Andie (Merritt Wever), will do anything to keep the show’s ratings up. Everything is great until the line between reality and ratings brings it all crashing down. Anchored (no pun intended) by outstanding performances by Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, Merritt Wever as his producer, who ties her future to his rising star, and Skyler Gisondo as an actor who takes the job only to get his SAG card and has the job as one of the actors who lures the men to be caught, the film gives us a look at just how far a TV show would go to get ratings. Pattinson is perfect as a man so caught up in getting famous that he even answers a phone call from his wife with “Chris Hansen, Dateline.” The film shows a man who lures men into a setup where their lives are ruined, and America gets to watch it happen. I loved Merritt Wever’s producer,, who loves being in charge and making the calls, all while dealing with the diva that Hansen is. She can’t see the train wreck that is about to happen because she is convinced that this job will get her all the awards and recognition. Skyler Gisondo, as the actor hired and literally thrown into the production, gives us someone we can root for (for a while). Still, even Skyler falls under the spell of being on TV and, at one point, when Hansen has one of his meltdowns, takes over as the host of the show. My problem with the film is that I never felt an emotional pull from it. The ending feels shallow and a letdown, without the shock and horror that the situation should have brought. Having read a lot about this true story, including the 2007 Esquire article the film is loosely based on, I know many people who worked on To Catch a Predator were scared by the experience, especially the actors who lured the men into being caught. We never get that from the film, and that’s a shame. We see what causes the downfall, but not what happens afterward.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Primetime Website Now playing in theaters nationwide

Familyfaire:  Forgotten Island (2026)   PG    Forgotten Island is set in the Philippines, where two childhood friends are at a crossroads after graduating high school. Raissa is about to move to the United States for college, while Jo is trying to persuade her to stay. The two best friends are suddenly transported through a portal to the fantastic island of Nakali. It’s a place where memories gradually fade the longer one remains. I had so much fun with this film. Forgotten Island definitely takes some pointers from Japanese animation, especially whenever the two friends show emotion or excitement; their faces almost explode. The monsters are creative and fun, and the back-and-forth banter between Raissa and Jo is funny and lively. The film is creative and daring, with some great characters that show how important memories are in relationships and life. The animation is colorful and at times explosive, creating a cavalcade of action sequences that bombard you with fun sequences. I loved how the filmmakers included the Filipino mythology, showing how the ‘monsters’ are rooted in their traditions and mores. This is a blast to watch, though I think it may be a little too complicated and scary for very young kids. And while you're watching, don’t let a certain monster steal a memory or two. My Rating: Full Price  Forgotten Island Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  You Had to Be There  (2025)   You Had to Be There is a documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of the stage musical Godspell, from which many cast members would soon make their mark on comedy through projects such as The Second City, Saturday Night Live, and SCTV. This is a funny, delightful look at a time in history when so many future comedy greats were on stage in Toronto at the same time. The cast included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, and Jayne Eastwood, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director. Everyone but, of course, the late Gilda Radner, was interviewed extensively and, as you would expect, they tell some amazing stories. Even Gilda shows up in audio recordings because Martin Short, barely in his twenties, had a tape recorder he took everywhere. Since there aren’t any video recordings of the production, the film uses animation to show what the interviewees are talking about. The stories are wild; the film keeps revealing more and more stories, and everyone interviewed has a great time. What a brilliant job of casting they did in 1972, and it launched a slew of comedy geniuses who continue to delight and entertain us to this day. What I loved most about this film is that the friendships that started in 1972 are still ongoing, and we see that when, near the end of the film, they throw a party, and the cast sings songs from the production to our delight. And, to top it off, there is a special surprise near the end of the film that brings everyone such joy.  My Rating: Full Price  You Had to Be There Website    Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!  (2026) R  In Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) loves competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dancing competitions with her Mexican husband Luis (Alejandro Edda). After Luis suddenly dies of a heart attack during a competition, Haru goes into a deep depression. Her sister coaxes Haru back into the dance studio, where she meets a new instructor named Fedir (Alberto Guerra). Life suddenly comes alive again for Haru. I am not a big fan of ballroom dancing or Dancing with the Stars, and this film has a lot of dancing. A lot. Ha-Chan: Shake Your Booty! is a story about grief first and  a dance movie second. Haru deals with grief in two ways: she flirts with the dance instructor, and she still interacts with the ghost of her dead husband, who first keeps starting up a record player in the home and then shows up dressed in a giant crow outfit. The film keeps shifting in tone, moving between dance movie, comedy, dark drama, and romance. Rinko Kikuchi is wonderful in the part, sexy, funny, and full of grief and loneliness. The film has some impressive moments, including a dance sequence that goes from a fight to a line dance, but Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! in the end doesn’t get anywhere close to a 10 on my card.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! Website   Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film: Treasure Planet (2002) PG Teenager Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map promising “the loot of a thousand worlds.” He joins a space galleon, led by the valiant Captain Amelia, to find the treasure. However, someone on board has plans for the treasure and is willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way: the cyborg cook John Silver. This is a long-forgotten Disney film that, along with 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, cost Disney a lot of money. In this film, Disney blended hand-drawn 2-D animation with 3D computer-generated scenes that make it look amazing. Trying to catch on with the Steampunk style that was all the rage, the film mixes 19th-century nautical ships with sci-fi elements. The voice cast is outstanding, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jim, Emma Thompson as Captain Amelia, and Brian Murray as John Silver. The film is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island but adds new, exciting scenes and storylines to the classic story. I mean, who wouldn’t want a robot pal voiced by Martin Short?  My Rating: Full Price  Treasure Planet Info The film is available on most streaming services

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Primetime:  Suit FX Artists

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Digger  (2026) R   Digger follows Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), an eccentric oil tycoon who accidentally triggers a catastrophic global ecological disaster. He then embarks on a mission to save the planet and become Earth’s hero. Four-time Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu co-wrote and directs Digger, his first English-language feature since The Revenant (2015).   Digger Website The film opens nationwide on Friday, October 2 2026.

Until Next Time!