Avatar: Fire and Ash

My View:  Avatar: Fire and Ash  (2025)   PG-13  In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are trying to deal with the aftereffects of Neteyam’s death. Their status in the Metkayina clan is shaky, and Neytiri is openly shunning Spider (Jack Champion) because of Neteyam’s death. A new threat emerges: the Mangkwan clan (Ash people), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). They ally with Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who promises them weapons if they help him kidnap his son, Spider. Here is a quote from near the end of my review of Avatar: The Way of the Water (2022): “You will have a sense near the film’s end that we have been here before, and you would be right. I hope that for the next Avatar film, James Cameron spends a little more time in the writer’s room and less time in the special effects room.” Well, he didn’t, and it’s more of the same. If you are a fan of the Avatar films, then you will enjoy this film. If, like me, you were disappointed by the plot holes and slow-developing storyline of the second film, then you will also, like me, think, ‘Oh, it’s more of the same.” This is another over 3-hour experience where the visuals are once again stunning, but the storyline is weak, and the film doesn’t really move until the last 30 minutes, when the final battle is going on. For most of the film, I kept thinking, I don’t really care about this family and their fight for survival. I did enjoy the new bad guy in Varang, played with a lot of evil fun by Oona Chaplin, but I grew weary of Spider, the son of Quaritch, who seems to speak only in one-word expletives. I will admit the final battle is engaging, and I finally cared what happened, but, boy, did it take a long time to get there. If James Cameron has grown tired of this world and wants to move on, this film ends on a note that leaves the series feeling complete. However, I have a word of warning. I hear that they have already shot about 40 percent of the next film, and there are a couple of loose ends that could come back in the next one. I kind of hope we are done and Cameron can find another world or characters to thrill us with. Blue was never my color anyway.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Avatar: Fire and Ash Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  The Housemaid  (2025)  R  In The Housemaid, Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is a young woman with a troubled past who, against her instincts, takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar) and their young daughter. The seemingly perfect life of the family unravels as Millie discovers dark secrets hidden just below the surface. I like Paul Figg as a director, but his last two films, Jackpot! (2024), which was horrible, and Another Simple Favor (2025), which was nowhere near the first Simple Favor film, were not a lot of fun to watch. I am pleased to say that you can’t say this about The Housemaid. I saw it with an audience filled with fans of the book by Freida McFadden, and we both had a blast watching Amanda Seyfried have the time of her life, going nuts on screen in a role that has to be seen to be believed. I had wondered why Seyfried, who just might get an Oscar nomination for her role in the soon-to-be-released The Testament of Ann Lee, would take this role, but then I saw the film. Seyfried gets to chew up scenery with relish, and it’s a delight to watch someone have so much fun going off the wall crazy. Sydney Sweeney, who seems to be in just about everything, does an admirable job of playing the girl with a troubled past who is just trying to survive in a household where the rules keep changing by the minute. Brandon Skenar, hot off the 1923 TV series, is fine as the handsome put-upon husband, but this is Seyfried’s film, and she is front and center for it. The twists are fun (though I figured one out about a third of the way in), and the film keeps the tension ramped up all the way to the end. I talked to a few of the book club audience members who saw the film with me, and they loved it and were happy with the minor changes the film made from the book. So, make yourself a cocktail, but you might want to down it because you are about to go on a rollercoaster ride on the suburbia crazy train.  My Rating:  Full Price  The Housemaid Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Is This Thing On?  (2025)  R   Is This Thing On? follows Alex (Will Arnett), who is going through a rough time with a marriage that is unraveling. He is separating from his wife, Tess (Laura Dern), and their two kids, getting a small apartment in the city. Alex wanders into a comedy club and decides to try his hand at stand-up. It seems that the only place he can feel alive and make sense of his life is doing standup. This is a movie about a marriage that has lost its steam, its momentum, and both partners know it's true. So Alex is looking for something to fill the void, and by chance, he finds stand-up comedy. Now, if you are going to this film hoping for a laugh-out-loud comedy, this isn’t your film. Alex’s comedy is a slow-burn type, delivered with a world-weary tone, where he doesn’t tell jokes; he just offers observations about his life, which is crumbling around him. Arnett and Dern have a chemistry between them that makes this film feel real. We believe that they once loved each other but have grown apart, especially now that their kids aren’t little anymore and don’t need as much attention. This is a story without a bad guy, no one to blame, but about two people trying to be civil with each other during a trying time, while also exploring life without each other. The more I thought about this film, the more I enjoyed the experience of spending time with two adults who cared but knew it was time to move on.   My Rating: Full Price  Is This Thing On? Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  La Grazia  (2025)   R   La Grazia tells the story of the President of Italy, Mariano De Santis (Toni Servillo), a staunch Catholic who faces moral crises over pending euthanasia legislation and, at the same time, considers pardoning two people who killed their partners, all the while grappling with his late wife’s infidelity during his final months in office. Add in the fact that Mariano thinks that his best friend was the person who slept with his wife 40 years ago. This is a fascinating and well-acted character study of a man still grieving for his wife as he confronts the fact that he has grown old and has only six more months in office. This is a man who doesn’t make rash decisions but has been too cautious his whole life and now has to move on. Toni Servillo is perfect in the role of the President who secretly (sort of) loves rap, smokes one cigarette a day (because he only has one lung because of cancer) and his main sounding board and assistant is his daughter, who has devoted her life to her father and wants him to sign the euthanasia legislation that she has worked so hard to get passed. This is a man who values the law above everything and everyone else, but can’t even make a decision when his beloved horse is sick and needs to be put down. The film is full of twists, and the cinematography is beautiful and sometimes inventive. I think you will be surprised at what decisions the President makes by the end of his term. And be sure to stay for a mid-credit scene that is quite a joy to stay for.  My Rating:  Full Price   La Grazia Website Now playing in select cities 

Indiefest: The Secret Agent (2025) R   In 1977, Marcelo (Wagner Moura) lives in Brazil and is a technology expert fleeing a mysterious past. He moves back to his hometown to be near his son, but he soon realizes that the city is far from the refuge he seeks. The Secret Agent is a film you have to stick with, because it is so layered that it takes a while to get to know the people in the story, what Marcelo is up to, and why. Once you learn his story and what he is searching for, you fully understand the stakes of the film and of Marcelo. The film perfectly captures the paranoia of the time in Brazil. It’s a warranted paranoia, and the film ramps up the tension as Marcelo gets closer to the answers he needs, but so do the long tentacles of the regime. Wagner Moura gives a moving and complex performance as a man who knows the long arm of the government is closing in, but he must continue, even if it means his dreams become nightmares. The Secret Agent is a film whose opening sequence becomes more meaningful and menacing as it goes along, and that is rare.  My Rating: Full Price  The Secret Agent Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  Chicken with Plums  (2011)  PG-13 A violinist in 1950s Tehran loses his love of music and decides to die. Over the next 8 days, we see how he and his family deal with his decision. As the man slowly dies, the film shows how he made this decision through a series of flashbacks that trace the major events of his life. This is a beautiful film, and it’s one that I wasn’t really liking, that is, until the last fifteen minutes, when everything we have seen earlier in the film suddenly fits together. It was then that I fell in love with this film. My Rating: Full Price  Chicken with Plums Website  Available for rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Avatar: Fire and Ash: Practice Nurses

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Mercy (2026)  PG-13  In the near future, a system is implemented that, if you are arrested for a capital crime, you go before an A.I. Judge, and you have only 90 minutes to prove your innocence. Detective Raymond (Chris Pratt) wakes up and is accused of killing his wife. He now has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson).   Mercy Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, January 23, 2026

Until Next Time!

Predator: Badlands

My View: Predator: Badlands  (2025)  PG-13  Predator: Badlands is set on a remote planet where Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator who is an outcast from his clan, embarks on a solo mission in a perilous territory inhabited by other Predators. Along the way, he forms an unexpected alliance with an android named Thia (Elle Fanning) as Dek seeks the ultimate adversary. I loved the previous Predator movie Dan Trachtenberg directed, Prey, and I am happy to say this film is just as fun. What is different is that a Predator, Dek, is not only the hero of the story but also learns to work with others to defeat his adversaries, something that is foreign to a proud warrior. The action is fun, bloody, and at times a bit gory. What makes this film different is the android Thia, played perfectly by Elle Fanning. You don’t expect a Predator movie to have a bit of comic relief, but that is just what Thia is: an android that makes Dek understand that they have a common goal and that if they work together, they can defeat anyone or anything. Fanning is a delight as Thia, making this film work so well. We finally get to see what makes a Predator do what they do and what their motivations are, some of which are surprisingly relatable. I had a great time watching this film, which is a standalone part of the Predator franchise (though I have a feeling it may not be alone for long), and loved every high-stakes, bloody fighting minute of it. Fans of the Predator franchise are going to go nuts over this film, but it’s for the rest of us action lovers who want to root for a somewhat lovable alien fighter and a sidekick android that doesn’t mind speaking her mind. Oh, and by the way, there is a third addition to the duo that you guys are going to fall in love with, but I don’t want to say too much. Just see it to find out!  My Rating: Full Price  Predator: Badlands Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Nuremberg  (2025)  PG-13  Nuremberg is a historical drama focusing on U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), who is responsible for determining whether the captured Nazi leaders, including Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), are mentally fit to stand trial for war crimes. Nuremberg is a film that, with its cast and the story, should have been much better than it is. It’s not a bad film, but it doesn’t have a clue how to manage pacing or how to instruct the audience without making us feel the filmmakers think we are idiots. There is one reason to see this film, and it’s Russell Crowe. Crowe is superb in the role of the man who was second in charge of the Nazi regime, right behind Hitler. Crowe plays Göring as a man who thinks he is the smartest man in the room and can play the cat-and-mouse game better than anyone. Russell Crowe uses his charisma to overpower anyone else on the screen, as he dares you, much like the man he is portraying, to take your eyes off of him. I wish Rami Malek had the same energy and screen presence that Crowe brings, but Malek can’t match the intensity and seems to be almost sleepwalking through the role, which is too bad since the film is centered on his character. The script takes forever to get going, as I felt like the writing was laying brick after brick to the story, just like the construction crew shown in the film, restoring the bombed-out courtroom. There are a few parts of the storyline that are almost laughable, especially Kelly’s storyline, which tries to pull out all the stops to make everything more dramatic. Nuremberg is still an interesting film about a moment in history that needed to be told. I just needed a better script to tell that story.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Nuremberg Movie Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Train Dreams  (2025)  PG-13  Train Dreams follows Robert (Joel Edgerton), a man who drifts from job to job in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest until he meets Gladys (Felicity Jones), whom he quickly loses his heart to and marries. Robert immerses himself in his work on the land and explores nature's wonders, all while navigating the challenges of love and loss. Train Dreams needs to be seen in theaters as the scenery is not only crucial to the story but is one of the main characters. Joel Edgerton does a masterful job playing a man who didn’t want much in life, other than to be out in the woods, until he met Gladys, and then all he wanted was to share his life and his woods with her. This is a film with intense highs and lows, some of which Robert never recovers from. He is a man who wonders if his work is worth being away from his family and if what he is doing is hurting the very fabric of the place he deeply loves. Train Dreams is a haunting film that gets under your skin, so much so that you think you can smell the trees and feel the sawdust alongside Robert as he works to fell tree after tree. The supporting cast is outstanding, with Felicity Jones playing Gladys, a woman who saw Robert and knew he was the one; Alfred Hsing as a man who works alongside Robert; and William H. Macy as a demolition man who tells nonstop stories and gives advice at a moment's notice. Train Dreams is a moving and incredibly beautiful film that, like Robert’s dreams, will stay with you for a long time. My Rating: Full Price  Train Dreams Website     In select theaters and on the Netflix platform on Friday, November 21, 2025.

My View:  Die My Love  (2025)  R  Die My Love follows Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson)  as they leave New York City to move to Jackson’s rural childhood home in Montana, seeking a quieter life. As they navigate the challenges of becoming new parents and try to adjust to their new environment, Grace begins to feel increasingly isolated and stressed. This emotional turmoil leads her to slowly slip into madness, raising concerns about whether she will ever find her way back. Die My Love is a journey into madness, seen from the eyes of a woman who is struggling with a newborn baby, an often absent husband who seems lost himself, a family and friends who keep telling Grace she is doing the best she can, and a puppy that Grace didn’t want that won’t stop barking. Lawrence gives a performance that is raw, sometimes shocking, heartfelt, and real. It’s an astounding  and brave performance, where she is on screen almost the whole time and switches emotions with just a look or a turn of her body. Lawrence plays a mother who cares little about anything other than her newborn child but can’t sway the madness that keeps overtaking her, causing her to do everything from destroying a bathroom to jumping into a pool full of neighborhood kids in just her bra and panties. Robert Pattinson isn’t asked to do much as the husband who seems to know that his wife isn’t doing well, but would rather ignore her or shout right back at her. I can’t fault Lawrence for my feeling that the movie doesn’t deliver any message beyond the fact that motherhood is tough. As much as Grace howls at the moon, crawls through the weeds like a cat, or attempts to have sex with her husband at strange moments, we never know what Grace is thinking or feeling. I felt like I was watching an actress trying everything in her acting book to please a director who kept asking for more without giving any reason why.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Die My Love Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Little Amelie or the Character of Rain  (2025)  PG  In Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, Amelie is a Belgian child living with her parents in Japan. She is cared for by a Japanese companion named Nishio-san, who teaches Amelie about life. Turning three marks the beginning of transformative events that will shape her understanding of the bizarre and incredible world around her, filled with both happiness and tragedy. Little Amelie, or the Character of Rain, is an absolutely beautiful and moving film about a little girl living in Japan whose world suddenly becomes a vibrant and colorful expanse of exploration and learning. The film is told through the eyes of Amelie as she explores what it means to live, love, and lose someone. It is a fascinating film that constantly surprises you and fills you with joy as you watch a child learn what it means to be alive. My Rating: Full Price  Little Amelie or the Character of Rain Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

My View:  Christy  (2025)  R  Christy tells the story of Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney), who becomes the world’s most successful female boxer in the 1990s. Christy’s struggles in life were much more dangerous than anything she faced in the ring. Christy is a film that you hoped for more of. It is very evident that Sydney Sweeney was dedicated to this role and wanted to deliver a powerful performance, but the script let her down. Christy is too much like a film we have seen before, with our heroine striving to conquer obstacles that are too simple to overcome. It’s a by-the-book boxing movie and features stereotypical characters, leaving Christy as the only fully developed character. There isn’t anything in this film that we haven’t seen before, except for Christy herself, and that’s the film’s main problem. The plot is just one scene after another of Christy reacting to something, but we never truly get to know her, her thoughts, or her beliefs. Sweeny shows she has the acting chops to carry a drama like this, but the story never lets us see Christy as she saw herself. It’s as if Sweeney has been put in the ring with one hand tied behind her back.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Christy Website    Now playing in theaters 

My View:  Love+War  (2025) R   Love+War is a documentary that follows photographer Lynsey Addario covering the war in Ukraine while reflecting on her Pulitzer-winning career.  Love+War is about a woman who is constantly doubting where she should be at any time. When she is home, she wonders why she isn’t in a foreign country covering a breaking story. When she is away, she wonders why she isn’t at home with her husband and her two children. Even when she is on the job, she wonders whether she should get closer to the war or stay in a safe place. All the while, she is taking some of the most impressive and vital photographs the world has seen. Love+War is the story of one very talented and passionate woman who wants to impact and possibly change the world, speaking through her pictures to those who can’t speak to the world themselves. You will fall in love with Lynsey, her family, and the people that she photographs, including a young woman who has given up her job to pick up a gun and fight the Russians in Ukraine. At times a tough watch, as we see Lynsey witness first hand an attack on civilians in Ukraine, Love+War is also a loving tribute to a woman who cares about her family and about the plight of women in a world that is sometimes not caring at all. My Rating: Full Price   Love+War Website Now streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and National Geographic platforms.

Indiefest:  I Wish You All the Best  (2024)  R   I Wish You All the Best follows Ben DeBacker (Corey Fogelmanis), a non-binary teenager who, after being kicked out of the house by their parents, embarks upon a journey of self-discovery that teaches them about love, friendship, and family. I Wish You All the Best feels a little like an after-school special for non-binary teens.  The film feels somewhat like an after-school special for non-binary teens; while it has its heart in the right place, it doesn't fully deliver the emotional impact necessary to convey the isolation and, often, the trauma of being someone who feels different. The film is heartfelt, and there are some good performances, like lead Corey Fogelmanis and Alexandra Daddario, who plays the very supportive sister. However, it struggles to develop the relationships Ben engages in, and the insights we do gain often come through clunky scenes. The most effective moments occur during Ben’s interactions with their art teacher, played beautifully by Lena Dunham, who gradually helps Ben open up. Overall, I enjoyed the film and Ben’s journey, but I wish it hadn't left me feeling like an outsider constantly trying to connect.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  I Wish You All the Best Info  Now playing in select theaters 

Forgotten Film:  I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With  (2006)  James (Jeff Garlin) is a 39-year-old actor who has a regular gig with the Second City improv group in Chicago. James lives with his mom and is obsessed with getting the title role of a new production of the 1950s film Marty. He just wants to make people laugh and maybe find someone he can hang out with. Into his life walks Beth (Sarah Silverman), but is she the one he wants to spend his time with? I enjoyed this film because its stakes aren’t too high and we get to see Jeff hang out a lot with his friends (most of whom are Second City alums). It’s a fun look at life in the world of small-time comics. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Info  Available on most streaming platforms. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Predator: Badlands:  Stickies Technician

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Is This Thing On? (2025) R  Alex (Will Arnett) is going through a marriage that is unraveling. He is separating from his wife, Tess (Laura Dern), and their two kids, getting a small apartment in the city. Alex wanders into a comedy club and decides to try his hand at standup. It seems that the only place he can feel alive and make sense of his life is doing standup. The film is co-written by Will Arnett and is directed by twelve-time Academy Award-nominated Bradley Cooper.  Is This Thing On? Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, December 19, 2025.