The Social Reckoning

My View: The Social Reckoning  (2026) R  The Social Reckoning centers on Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a Facebook engineer who discovers that the company favored corporate profit over user safety and teen mental health. She teams up with reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) to expose what Facebook is doing, while Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) tries to find the source of the leak and stop it from getting out. The Social Reckoning is a sequel, of sorts, to the 2010 multi-Oscar-nominated (3 wins) film The Social Network, for which Aaron Sorkin won a well-deserved Academy Award for his screenplay. I say “of sorts” because The Social Reckoning feels very disjointed from the earlier film. The Social Reckoning seems like a film that is too little, too late. Unlike in 2010, when David Fincher directed one of the year's best films, Sorkin both wrote and directed this one. And that, my friends, is the problem with this film. In 2010, we were still learning what a weird, egomaniac Zuckerberg was, and The Social Network showed us who he was and how Facebook began. Sorkin has created a film where he blames Zuckerberg for both the insurrection of 2021 and the death of journalism. Both ideas keep hitting us over the head with rapid-fire dialogue and flashbacks that show us the violence committed that day and its aftermath. If this film had been made in 2021 or even 2022, maybe it would have had more of an impact. But in 2026, with Trump re-elected, it feels hollow and loses any impact Sorkin wanted. I did enjoy the back-and-forth dialogue (in true Sorkin fashion) between the two heroes. Frances, played by Mikey Madison, who proves her Oscar win wasn’t a ‘one and done’, is a woman who slowly realizes she can’t give Jeremy Allen White’s reporter, Jeff Horwitz, a few clues about what is happening at Facebook but must help tell the story. Things move along as the two characters bicker with each other while both conclude the world needs to know what Facebook is doing to make money at the expense of its members' safety (and, for that matter, the nation's). I can see why Jesse Eisenberg turned down returning to a role that got him an Academy Award nomination. Jeremy Strong’s Zuckerberg is so lifeless that they could have used one of those old robots in Disney World’s Hall of Presidents to play the part. I won’t give away the end, but it is so heavy-handed and low-impact that the final shot with Mikey Madison’s character is laughable. This isn’t a bad film; it’s just bland. With this cast and Sorkin as a writer, The Social Reckoning should have been great, but it has no impact on today’s audiences. I’ll sum up The Social Reckoning with a saying my father used to say: “A day late and a dollar short.” Okay, more than a day late. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Social Reckoning Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  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. It’s an awful film when the best jump scare you have is wasted in the trailer. This tedious, un-scary “horror” film is boring, stupid, and lacks any imagination. The only hope for this film was if they had camped it up, but it takes itself so seriously that when the family gets together to divide up the kitchen utensils to take on the baddy demon, I had to laugh out loud. “You take the meat cleaver, I’ll take this potato masher and honey, what do you want?” I guess that Jessica Chastain signed up for this drag of film, because she was a fan of the book, Josh Malerman’s 2024 bestselling novel “Incidents Around the House”,which I hear is “keep all the lights on in the house when you read it” scary. This film, sadly, is not scary, shape, or form (mother or demon-wise), even close to being more than an "oh, look, the kid is now on the ceiling" boring. Skip this snooze-fest and go read the book. My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Other Mommy Website  Now playing in theaters 

My View: Animals  (2026)  R    Animals follows a mayoral candidate (Ben Affleck) and his wife (Kerry Washington) as they desperately try to pay their kidnapped son’s ransom and resort to extreme measures to get the money they need, uncovering dark secrets they never intended to confront. With an all-star cast that includes Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun, Ben Affleck stars and directs this thriller about a kidnapping that gets more complicated as the night goes on. Washington and Affleck are believable as a couple whose marriage isn’t as solid as it seems. I liked the scenes between them as the tension grows, and they’re forced to tell each other the truth about their marriage. Yeun is good as the campaign director focused on getting his candidate elected, and, as usual, Gillian Anderson is fun as a mysterious money person who can come up with the money and a plan to get the kid back. As a director, Affleck does an adequate job creating tension, and this is a darker film, without some of the lightness of his past thrillers; except for the always deadpan Anderson delivering some delicious lines, the film is nothing more than an I blame you, and you blame me story. There are some twists and turns, but unfortunately you can see some of them coming before they are played out. The ending feels too effortless to believe, and the film is an unsatisfying thriller that stays too grounded and can’t be saved by its two leads trying to carry the story.  My Rating: Cable  Animals Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform

Indiefest:  Who is Martin Mull?  (2026)  Who Is Martin Mull? is a documentary that follows his life from his early days in smoky comedy clubs and opening for rock acts to prime-time television like Roseanne and films like Mr. Mom, all while he pursued his true passion: painting. His paintings were hung in major institutions like the Whitney and the Museum of Modern Art. I have been a fan of Martin Mull since I saw his PBS special, 60 Minutes to Kill, in the early 80s, and it was a comedic gem. I love that this documentary gives us so much footage from his early years as a comic. I was going to say stand-up comic, but he spent most of his comedy tours in a worn-out armchair. He mixed incredibly funny songs with an almost asshole demeanor, with stories and jokes that always had a twist and, most of the time, tricked or even insulted the audience to their delight. What the film brings to light is that comedy wasn’t his first love. It was painting, and he used the money he made so that he could paint. His painting didn’t become popular or expensive until his 60s, but he was always painting. It’s funny, but a lot of comics have rough childhoods. Martin declines to talk about it, but his siblings tell us what a horrible dad he had, and it’s amazing how Martin became a nice, sweet man who cared about people, especially his second wife and his daughter. So pull up an easy chair, grab a drink, and sit down to enjoy a man whose comedic talent was vast, but whose passion for painting kept him going. Bob Saget directed most of this film before his untimely death, and Neil Berkeley completed it. Martin, who died in 2024, comments on how many of his friends are dying around him. It’s shocking that so many of the people interviewed in this film also died before this film was completed.  My Rating: Full Price    Who Is Martin Mull? Website     Now playing on the Netflix platform

My View: Matchbox: The Movie  (2026)  PG-13 In Matchbox: The Movie, Sean Walker (John Cena) returns home and reunites with his childhood friends. What his friends don’t know is that Sean works for the CIA and has been kidnapped by a group looking for a nuclear warhead. The CIA accuses his friends of stealing the warhead, and so the group decides to save Sean on their own and re-steal the warhead. I loved Matchbox cars as a kid. My favorite was a white Chaparral 2 car with a cool rear wing. So you would think there would be a whole lot of really cool cars in this film (maybe even one with a tall rear wing). Nope, there aren’t even that many car chases. Instead, we get a lot of Cena beating up bad guys, an incredibly stupid plot, and Jessica Biel being wasted in her first film role in almost 10 years. I have no idea who this film was aimed at; I guess Matchbox kids that have grown up. Too bad we get this unfunny, very generic action film without a lot of cool cars to play with. My Rating: Cable  Matchbox: The Movie Info  Now playing on Apple TV

Forgotten Film:  The Masque of the Red Death  (1964)  A European prince (Vincent Price), who worships the devil, terrorizes the local peasants during the fatal plague known as the “Red Death”, going as far as burning their villages and stealing women he covets. While the peasants are dying, the prince holds a lavish masquerade ball for the wealthy nobility. The prince soon meets a person in a red cloak and mask who will change his life. This is not the usual schlock film that had made Roger Corman the king of cheap horror films. Instead, the film is lush in its costumes, and the cinematography is incredibly striking (by a soon-to-be director named Nicolas Roeg). Most people today know Vincent Price only for his narration of Michael Jackson’s "Thriller," but Price is incredibly sinister in this film, making his character drip with evil oozing from every pore. This is a fun ride of a Poe short story and worth watching as a taste of the coming Halloween season. My Rating: Full Price  The Masque of Red Death Info Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of Animals: Color Scientist 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: You Can See Everything  (2026)  R  You Can See Everything is a documentary where a documentary crew is invited to follow Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes every move, just thirty-four days before she is sent to prison. What starts as a portrait of an embattled executive becomes a three-year journey into manipulation, truth, and reality.  You Can See Everything Website  In theaters on Friday, October 16, 2026\

Until Next Time!

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

My View:  Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere  (2025)  PG-13   Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere takes place just as Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) is climbing into the stratosphere of rock stardom. In 1982, he decided to craft and record an album called Nebraska, which caused him to reconcile his stardom with the ghosts of the past. I am a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, and my greatest concert experience was seeing him play for 3 hours in December 1978. So, I was excited to see a film based on the book by Warren Zanes about the troubles Bruce Springsteen faced while recording Nebraska. Two brilliant performances anchor Springsteen: Jeremy Allen White as Bruce and Jeremy Strong as Springsteen’s manager and confidant, Jon Landau. White does a fantastic job of bringing Springsteen’s powerful stage presence and charisma to the screen, while also letting us see a personal side of a man haunted by his childhood and depression, which doesn’t always allow him to let people in too close. Strong is brilliant as Jon Landau, a former rock journalist who, after seeing Bruce perform one night, wrote, “I have seen the future of rock and roll and it’s Bruce Springsteen.” Strong gives a nuanced, sometimes reserved performance as a man who cares more about Bruce’s welfare than about albums and top ten hits. The scenes between Strong and White are the film’s best and get to the heart of what Bruce was trying to convey in his music. It doesn’t hurt that we have Paul Walter Hauser to show up from time to time, adding a little comic relief as Bruce’s go-between and somewhat tech guy to help set up Bruce’s recordings from his hideaway home. Springsteen suffers a bit with Odessa Young as the romantic interest, Faye, who starts as just a fun fling but gets serious, much too serious for Bruce at that time to handle. The relationship is pretty shallow and too predictable to make the audience care about how it turns out. The film is also a bit slow, as we spend a lot of time with Bruce walking around by himself or brooding at home, and some scenes showing Bruce as a kid interacting with his father feel slightly overkill. However, the film does a great job of showing how personal the Nebraska album was to Bruce and how much he cared about how he wanted the world to hear what he heard when he wrote the songs. For Bruce Springsteen fans, this will be a great ride down memory lane. For those of you who only know Bruce as an aging rock star, you can see why an album with no hit songs and no publicity did so well at the time and is considered one of the great albums of the 20th century. Hopefully, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere will get you to listen to some of Bruce’s early work, including my favorite, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle.  My Rating: Full Price Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere Website Now playing in theaters nationwide

My View:  Frankenstein  2025)  R   In Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist, Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life as part of a horrific experiment. The creation that brought life to the world will ultimately lead to the downfall of both the creator and the creature. There have been hundreds (some estimates exceed 400) of movies about Frankenstein and his monster. Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pinocchio), a self-proclaimed horror film nut, is the latest to try his hand at the Mary Shelley novel. Does del Toro succeed? In creating a super scary horror film (like I was hoping for)? No. Does he create an engaging, worth-watching psychological drama with a bit of horror thrown in? Absolutely. Unlike some of the films of the past that have portrayed Dr. Frankenstein as misunderstood and somewhat sympathetic, Oscar Isaac’s Doctor is a self-centered, righteous jerk who takes out his bad childhood on everyone he comes into contact with, including ‘the monster.’ We see how horrible the Doctor is as he attempts to steal his brother’s (Felix Kammerer) fiancée, Elizabeth (played by Mia Goth), right under his brother’s nose. However, the Doctor is ‘blocked’ by his own creation, the monster, with whom Elizabeth has a connection. I thoroughly enjoyed Jacob Elordi’s performance as the monster, who transitions from a childlike simpleton to a vengeful creature with more emotion and intelligence than his creator. Christoph Waltz also delivered an impressive, scene-stealing performance as the Doctor’s benefactor, who has his own plans for the monster. The cinematography, set design, and costumes—especially the gowns worn by Goth—are remarkable and effectively set the tone for the film and its characters. However, I wish there had been more focus on the horror elements. Frankenstein opens with an amazing opening sequence that is both terrifying and beautiful, but never delivers the scares I wanted to see in a film like this. Instead, we are presented with a drama centered on a man that we ultimately come to despise and a monster that, while maybe we may not love, we understand better than the Doctor.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee Frankenstein Website  Now playing in select theaters and on Netflix starting November 7, 2025

Indiefest:  If I Had Legs I'd Kick You  (2025)  R   If I Had Legs I Kick You focuses on Linda (Rose Byrne), who is increasingly troubled by the burden of all that life has dumped on her. Between her sick daughter, a house that is falling apart, a husband who is always away, and a very hostile relationship with her therapist, Linda is barely holding on. At the center of the film is a gutsy and magical performance by Rose Byrne, about a character that you want to root for but can’t always because she keeps pushing the boundaries of common sense, while we wait for her world to finally crash down around her. This isn’t a film for everyone, as Linda keeps putting herself in situations that you think are not only bad ideas but could get her in major trouble. Linda is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown with a husband who manages her life from a phone, a daughter who she has to monitor 24 hours a day because of an illness and a therapist who treats her like she isn’t worth his time (kudos to Conan O’Brien for a taking a role that not only isn’t funny but is our right hate-able). Byrne skillfully portrays Linda, a character who, in the hands of less talented actors, could easily become unlikable or a caricature. Instead, she makes Linda someone we want to root for and care about, hoping she receives the help—both physical and emotional—she needs before she collapses under the weight of responsibility, guilt, and motherhood. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a fantastic film that combines suspense, black comedy, and heart to tell a story about a woman who is trying to jump through all the hoops and keep in the air all the balls that life has given her but it’s just too much effort to do both simultaneously and Linda in her heart knows it. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Blue Moon  (2025)  R Blue Moon tells the story of songwriter Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke), who was at the top of the Broadway world alongside his writing partner, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott). However, Rogers has left Hart to work on his new hit musical, Oklahoma!. Heartbroken and longing for a woman he secretly loves, Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), Hart decides to attend the afterparty for Oklahoma! in an attempt to drown his sorrows. It’s going to be a night that few will forget. Ethan Hawke gives the performance of a lifetime as Lorenz Hart, who is described at the beginning of the movie as “the saddest man I ever knew.” Hawke portrays one of our greatest lyricist of all time as a man who has no hope with two of the most important people in his life, his former song-writing partner, Richard Rogers (played by Andrew Scott) and a college student, Elizabeth (played by Margaret Qualley), who Lorenz is madly in love with, even though she is over 25 years his junior. Hawke, who is sporting a horrible comb-over (Hawke shaved the top of his head for the role), and through camera and movie magic, has shrunken his height from 5’10 to a little under 5 feet tall for Hart’s appearance. It is a remarkable and commanding performance of a man who has burned too many personal and creative bridges and continues to believe, against all hope, that he has a chance with Elizabeth. It’s a moving performance that makes us root for a man who won’t win any battles, except one of wits. Margaret Qualley is perfect as the beautiful and smart Elizabeth, who sees Hart only as a friend and a way to get into the Broadway world. I loved Bobby Cannavale as the bartender who sees Lorenz not only as a good customer but also as a friend. Who wants to stop Hart from drinking but knows he will always give in to a man he can’t resist. The film is an hour and forty minutes long, but it makes sure we wait, like Hart, for the moments between Elizabeth and Lorenz until the last third of the film. It’s like watching a man who we know is about to be killed by a firing squad, but he thinks he is about to be pardoned. Hawke is a wonder to watch as he is in every scene as Hart weaves his way through story after story, while also figuring out a way to get drinks he shouldn’t be getting. Blue Moon is a film that you are dazzled by a performance of an actor who is playing a man who makes words become songs we will never forget, just as we will never forget this performance that Ethan Hawke has given us. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again Blue Moon Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Regretting You  (2025)  PG-13 In Regretting You, Clara (Mckenna Grace) and her mother, Morgan (Allison Williams), worlds are shattered when Chris (Scott Eastwood), Morgan’s husband is killed in an automobile accident with Morgan’s younger sister (Willa Fitzgerald). As Clara copes with this tragedy, she begins to uncover a shocking secret that her father and aunt may have been hiding. Regretting You is another in a long line of films that are probably far better books than the movies they are based on. The big twists in the plot are revealed almost from the start, and the decision to let James Franco and Allison Williams, both playing adults in their 30s, also play themselves in numerous flashbacks as teens, was a horrible idea that is jarring, to say the least. The only saving grace of this tearjerker/romance is the performances of Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames as the two teens who are on a collision course to become involved. The two have great chemistry, and both have some star power that lets you forget at times how badly the script is written, with dialogue that seems almost from a 50s TV soap opera. By the way, an AMC here in Georgia has more screen time in the movie than Scott Eastwood does, which was a little weird, since I saw the screening at a Regal Theater. Maybe if the writer had spent a little more time in that theater, the script would have been better.  My Rating: Cable Regretting You Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Shelby Oaks  (2024)   R Shelby Oaks centers on Mia (Camille Sullivan), whose sister Riley went missing after shooting a YouTube video about hunting ghosts. Now Mia has footage from the day Riley went missing, and it turns out the ghosts Riley was looking for might be real. Shelby Oaks starts with a bang, as we see, through news reports and YouTube videos, what happened to Riley just before she went missing. Then a shocking thing happens to Mia in the present day, and I think, now we have a movie. Unfortunately, the plot, like Riley, disappears, and the rest of the film is a slow, disappointing slog that rarely creates anything more than ‘jump out of the dark’ scares and has an ending that we have seen too many times before.   My Rating: Cable    Shelby Oaks Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc (2025)  R   Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc is about Denji, the “Chainsaw Man”, a boy with a devil’s heart, and part of Special Division 4’s devil hunters. Denji’s life takes a dramatic turn when he meets Reze, a mysterious girl who works at a cafe, and he finds himself falling for her. I am not a big anime fan, mostly because I don’t read the manga and don’t watch the endless TV series. Most of the time, I see an anime that isn’t a standalone, I am lost and spend most of my viewing time trying to figure out what is happening, who to root for, and why they are doing what they are doing (which usually involves a lot of fighting). I am happy to say that not only did I greatly enjoy this film, but I was able to figure out pretty quickly not only who was who, but what the storyline was. Some of it has to do with the main character, a superhero guy who is half a human and the other half a demon who can turn into a fighting machine with not only chainsaw arms but one sticking out of the top of his head and as long as he is reaving up (with a pull cord coming out of his chest) he can’t be killed and can regenerate. What makes this film different from some other anime is that it is R-rated, and a good portion of it is about our hero, like many young men, being torn between two young women who are interested in him. The first portion of the film shows our hero going on dates with both women and how conflicted he is about them, suggesting he doesn’t have much experience with dating. Then, just when things are going great, bad guys show up and mayhem ensues. And I mean mayhem, with lots of blood, arms being blown off or cut off, and people dying in some rather gruesome ways. The film is fun, the action sequences are a blast to watch, and I loved our hero and how geeky and uncomfortable he can be, even though he’s half-demon. I saw the film at a screening full of fans of the character, and they were having a great time watching the antics of Chainsaw Man and his friends, as he goes on dates and has bloody battles with demons out to cut out his heart (I never figured out why that was a significant plot point). So if you’ve never seen anime before and you like lots of action with a bit of romance, this might be a great way to start. My Rating: Full Price Chainsaw Man: The Movie Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost  (2025)   Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost is a documentary about the husband and wife comedy team of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Directed by their son, Ben Sitller, this is a loving tribute to two people who were married for over 60 years and, for the first part of their careers, acted together on stage. Stiller & Meara offers a moving and detailed look at a couple who deeply loved each other but were actors, actors who had ambition to be the best they could be. Aided by the fact that Jerry threw nothing away and was always either tape-recording or filming, the documentary provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of two remarkable comedic actors who were also partners in life. At times, the film may come off as overly sentimental or self-reflective from Ben’s perspective, but it effectively conveys how the couple collaborated to become a successful comedy duo. It also explores how their individual careers and the dynamic of their relationship changed due to their working apart, ultimately benefiting their marriage. It’s also a look at how Jerry and Anne’s parenting and working relationship had such an impact on Ben and his sister Amy. For those of you who only know Jerry through Seinfeld and Anne through all her guest star appearances, his documentary sheds light on the significance and humor of their partnership during their early years on stage. My rating: Full Price   Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost Info  Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform

Forgotten Film:  Predestination (2014)  R   A time-traveling law enforcement officer (Ethan Hawke) goes after the one bad guy who has eluded him all these years - the infamous terrorist known as the “Fizzle Bomber.” During his travels, the officer encounters a woman (Sarah Snook) with a significant tale to tell. I loved this film. It’s quirky and full of twists and turns, so you will not see the ending coming. Hawke is perfect in the role, and Sarah Snook is an absolute revelation in a dual role, bringing a complex character to its full potential. If you like mysteries combined with a little Sci-Fi, then this film is for you.  My Rating : Full Price Predestination Info Avaiable on the Roku Channel and for rent/buy on Amazon Prime

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Frankenstein:  Frankenstein Family Portrait By

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Secret Agent (2025) R In 1977, Marcelo (Wagner Moura) is living in Brazil and is a technology expert fleeing from 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 film is getting a lot of buzz as a possible multiple Academy Award nominee, including Best Actor for Moura. The Secret Agent Website The film will be in theaters on Friday, December 5, 2025.