Mortal Kombat II

My View:  Mortal Kombat II  (2026)  R  Mortal Kombat II takes place when champions, including newcomer Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), battle to end Shao Kahn’s savage rule, which threatens Earthenrealm’s existence. The first film, 2021’s Mortal Kombat, I felt was short on plot and heavy on blood and gore, making it one long video game. This is more of the same, with one exception: this film has Johnny Cage, played by the master of the cool look, Karl Urban. If you aren’t a fan of the game or didn’t see the first film, you are in good hands with Johnny, because he doesn’t have a clue (for most of the film) about what is going on and doesn’t want to be there. Urban is perfect as a former karate champion who went into the movies and is now barely making it by attending fan expos to sell autographs. Johnny is basically kidnapped to participate in the tournament and doesn’t really commit to the team until near the end of the film. Urban is funny, getting his butt kicked in almost every fight, trying to talk his way out of everything, until Johnny figures out that he really belongs in the fight. The plot is pretty simple, and the fighting sequences are just okay, but Urban makes this film what I like to call ‘stupid fun’. It’s a film that you think is dumb in plot and execution, but knows what it is and has fun with it. So put on your Ray-Bans and join in the fight. You just might have a good time.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Mortal Kombat II Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  The Sheep Detectives  (2026)  PG   In The Sheep Detectives, every night, a sheepherder (Hugh Jackman) reads a mystery novel to his herd before they bed down for the night. When one morning they find he is dead, the sheep realize that his death is under mysterious circumstances, and they set out to solve the crime. If you are looking for a film to take your family on Mother’s Day weekend, we have a winner. This is a delightful film that the whole family will enjoy. Book clubs and mystery fans will enjoy how the sheep use what they have learned listening to the mystery novels to solve the crime. Fans of the book by Leonie Swann, Three Bags Full, are going to be happy with the adaptation. Kids are going to love the sheep, especially the two teen sheep, Ronnie and Reggie (voiced by the hilarious Brett Goldstein), who just want to butt heads all day long over any subject. The voice cast is led by Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, who takes the lead in solving the mystery, Patrick Stewart as the grand old man of the herd, Sir Richfield, and Bryan Cranston as an outsider sheep known as a winter lamb who slowly becomes Lily’s accomplice in solving the crime. When I saw the trailer, I was a little worried the film would be too cutesy, but it pulls off the talking sheep brilliantly, letting us fully understand the herd's characters and dynamics. The Sheep Detectives is a funny, warm, and quick-paced movie, making it a joy to watch. And when’s the next time you are going to get to watch a herd of sheep solve a murder? Maybe not until there is a sequel.  My Rating: Full Price  The Sheep Detectives Website  Now playing in theaters   

My View:   Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour  (2026)   PG-13  Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is a concert film from Eilish’s seventh headlining tour. Right away, you see something different when James Cameron (yes, that guy) tells Billie that she is directing the film and that his name will appear in small letters below hers. While primarily a concert film from her latest tour, more than an out-and-out documentary, it does feature conversations between Cameron and Eilish and behind-the-scenes footage of her preparing on the day of the concert. I saw the film in 3-D, but I don’t think you need to see it that way, though I would try for the best theater sound system you can find so you can be swept up in the concert’s vibe. Eilish is a dynamo on the stage, performing on an enormous stage in the center of the arena. She doesn’t have backup dancers, and her band and backup singers are primarily in open areas below the stage. Eilish talks about aspiring to be like the rappers that she loved. How they commanded the stage and got the audience jumping to their music. It is amazing how in sync the audience is with her performance, often taking cues from her to shout out lyrics or sing along, taking the chorus lines while Eilish is singing the main lyrics. The film is shot so we feel part of the crowd, though we do get to see what happens when Eilish steps offstage to set up the next song. My only quibble is that there are far too many reaction shots of the crowd singing along, almost always in tears. However, you will understand why she means so much to her fans when you see Hit Me Hard and Soft. If you aren’t a fan, you'll be soon! My Rating: Full Price Hit Me Hard and Soft Website   Now playing in theaters 

My View:  Remarkably Bright Creatures  (2026)   PG-13  Remarkably Bright Creatures follows Tova (Sally Field), an elderly widow who works the night shift at a local aquarium. She forms an unlikely bond with Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina), a grumpy Giant Pacific Octopus, who helps her solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance. We all fell in love with octopuses when we saw the Academy Award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher. Now we get an octopus that talks (voiced by Alfred Molina). Marcellus is an octopus that watches humans pass by his tank at the aquarium. The only person with whom he enjoys interacting is Tova, who is the night cleaning woman. She is the only person who talks directly to Marcellus, though only we can hear his replies. Into Tova’s life comes Cameron (played by Lewis Pullman), a musician down on his luck who is trying to find his long-lost father to collect what he hopes will be a bunch of money. The two of them don’t know it, but somehow, someway, Marcellus sees that the two are meant to be in each other’s lives, and he is determined to figure out a way to make that happen. This is a wonderful, kind movie that studios in the 70s and 80s regularly put out. Field is wonderful as always, as the headstrong Tova, who is trying to avoid going to a retirement home and continues to mourn the loss of her son, who died as a teenager. Cameron is another lost soul whose hopes of becoming a musician are fading. Pullman and Field have a nice chemistry, and the supporting cast is outstanding, with stalwarts such as Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, and Colm Meaney filling out the film with colorful characters. Still, this is a film that features an octopus that you believe will somehow, someway get Cameron and Tova to see that they are meant to know each other. This is an enjoyable film that works because of the cast and will make you wonder what those aquatic animals are thinking the next time you visit your local pet store or aquarium.  My Rating: Full Price  Remarkably Bright Creatures Website   Now playing on the Netflix platform

Forgotten Film: That Evening Sun  (2009) PG-13  An absolute masterclass in acting from Hal Holbrook, playing a man who has had his farm taken away from him and wants it back. This is a wonderful look at rural life in the South, with great supporting cast performances by Ray McKinnon, Carrie Preston, and Walton Goggins. The cinematography is beautiful, and the dialogue hits to the core. The reason to see this film is Holbrook, a man past his prime but still ready to fight for what he feels is his birthright, and will not let anyone tell him otherwise. This is a moving tale of an imperfect man standing up and making his voice heard. I saw this film recently at the Atlanta Film Festival as part of their 50th anniversary celebration, and it is still an amazing piece of acting.   My Rating: Full Price   That Evening Sun Info  Available to rent on Amazon Prime

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Mortal Kombat II: Fabricator Hand

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: In the Grey  (2026)  R  In the Grey is about a covert team of elite operatives who live in the shadows. This team, led by Sophia (Eiza González), is called in when mistakes are made and you need insurance. A ruthless despot has stolen a billion dollars, and the team is sent in to do the impossible: recover the money. The cast includes Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kristofer Hivju, Fisher Stevens, Emmett J. Scanlan, Jason Wong, and Rosamund Pike, and is directed by Guy Ritchie.   In The Grey Website  In theaters on Friday, May 15, 2026

Until Next Time!

Avatar: The Way of Water

My View: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) PG-13  After years of peace, a familiar threat returns to finish what they previously started with a new weapon. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family must now decide whether to stay and fight or run and hide. You must see this in a theatre on the biggest screen you can afford, and if you like 3-D films, this is one you will want to see because it uses the 3-D format to dazzle and amaze you. It is a gorgeous film, and the underwater sequences are absolutely outstanding. The brilliant colors and the lush detail of the underwater world are almost overwhelming. This tops the first film, and the visual experience is awe-inspiring. I will warn you that the film was shot at a different frame rate and takes a bit of getting your eyes used to. That being said, the film is very long (3 hours twelve minutes), and you sometimes feel the length. The storyline, unfortunately, is the movie's weak point, with some plot holes that a whale could swim through. The film creates some evil superbad guys, and then they seem to be pretty easily killed (anyone figure out how to stop an arrow going through a windshield? No, I didn’t think so). 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. That being said, it is worth seeing for the experience of going once more into the world of the Navi and the wonders it has to display.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Avatar: The Way of Water Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) R  An legendary Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker, Silverio Game (Daniel Giménez-Cacho), is being courted to receive a prestigious award in the US, where he now makes his home with his family. Silverio will go on a journey to reconcile the past with the present and his identity as a Mexican citizen. There are some films that, when they start, you know you could be in for a long night. This is one of those films. The film opens with a scene where we see the shadow of a man running in the desert, gaining enough speed that he suddenly becomes airborne. This is a beautiful and thrilling shot, but then we see it happen again and again and again. That's what you are in for in this film, an exploration of a man who likes to talk, a lot. Speeches go on for minutes that seem like hours. The film seems to ramble, as does the speeches that Silverio makes, and although the film is filled with mesmerizing images, it feels like a movie that could never find the point it wants to make. Too surreal for my taste and way too long; I wanted this film to end much sooner than it did.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Bardo Website  Now playing in select theatres.

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Seen Only in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Detective Knight: Redemption (2022) R  The Christmas Bomber is leading a group of Santa Claus disciples on a terror spree. In walks Detective James Knight (Bruce Willis), who is out to stop them by any means necessary. This is another of the Bruce Willis films he made in the last few years, so don’t expect him to be in many scenes. But hey, just in time for Christmas!  Detective Knight Info  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Prancer (1989) G Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) is a 9-year-old who is living on a farm with her father (Sam Elliott) and her brother. She misses her late mother, especially around Christmas time. She finds a wounded reindeer and is convinced it’s one of Santa’s, Prancer. Jessica feels it's her mission to save Christmas and get Prancer back into shape for Christmas Eve. Now, if only her family and the rest of the town would believe it. Besides Sam Elliott, the cast includes Cloris Leachman, Abe Vigoda, Johnny Galecki, and Michael Constantine, which helps the film, but it’s the performance of Rebecca Harrell that makes this film work. It’s a stunning performance, and she plays well off of Sam Elliott. This is one of those feel-good Christmas films that works.   My Rating: Full Price  Prancer Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Avatar: The Way of Water: Performance Free Diving Coach

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Our local friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, aka Miles, is asked by Gwen Stacy to join forces and travel across the Multiverse to fight a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered. The first film, 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was not only one of the best-animated films of that year (Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film) but was one of the best films of that year. I can’t wait to see what they do next! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Info  Film will be releasing in June of 2023.

Until Next Time!