Mike's Fearless Oscar Picks

 

As always these are who I think are going to win on Sunday night, not who I think should win.  If I have a Spoiler listed, it's a someone/film that I think has a chance to win.

Winners in blue!  I got 21 out of 24.

Best Picture:  One Battle After Another               Spoiler: Sinners

Best Director:     Paul Thomas Anderson (One  Battle After Another)                             

Best Actress:   Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

Best Actor:  Michael B. Jordan (Sinners                                      Spoiler:   Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme)

Best Supporting Actress:  Amy Madigan (Weapons)                 Spoiler:  Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)

Best Supporting Actor:  Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)

                                                                                             Spoiler: Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value)

Best Adapted Screenplay:  One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay:   Sinners   

Best Casting:  One Battle After Another                                    Spoiler:    Sinners                    

Best Cinematography:  One Battle After Another                Spoiler: Sinners

Best Costume Design:  Frankenstein

Best Film Editing:   One Battle After Another                                           Spoiler:  Sinners

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:   Frankenstein

Best Production Design:   Frankenstein                                     Spoiler:   Sinners

Best Score:  Sinners

Best Song:   Golden (KPop Demon Hunters)                                    

Best Sound:   F1                                            Spoiler: Sinners

Best Visual Effects:  Avatar: Fire and Ash                             Spoiler: F1

Best Animated Feature:   KPop Demon Hunters

Best Documentary Feature:  The Perfect Neighbor                Spoiler:  Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Best International Film:   Sentimental Value                      Spoiler:   The Secret Agent

Best Animated Short:    Butterfly                      Spoiler: The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Best Documentary Short:  All the Empty Rooms                Spoiler: Armed Only with a Camera

Best Live Action Short:  Two People Exchanging Saliva                  Spoiler:  A Friend of Dorothy 

The Bride!

My View:  The Bride!  (2026) R The Bride! is a retelling of the story of the Bride of Frankenstein. In the 1930s, Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) had traveled to Chicago to seek the aid of Dr. Eupronius (Annette Bening) in creating a companion. Together, they revive a murdered woman, creating The Bride (Jessie Buckley), who is far more than expected. This sparks a romance, police attention, and more. It’s very hard to describe what this film is. Is it a horror film? Sort of. A musical? Sort of. A comedy? Sometimes. A romance?Nearly. Hard to follow? Absolutely. It is a film with some outstanding performances by Christian Bale as the love-lorn monster and Jessie Buckley as his intended love interest, but to say this movie is off-the-wall bonkers and all over the place would be putting it mildly. I mean, this film even has an homage to Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Buckley gives an incredible performance of a young woman who is raised from the dead and has a second person in her brain. That person is Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, credited with creating a story that is the origin of both horror and science fiction. Few actors could master this role, but Buckley mesmerizes, switching smoothly between characters, even within a single line. Bale’s monster is mostly a sidekick to The Bride and is happy to go along for the ride. Writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal went for way over the top with a storyline that just gets weirder as it goes along, with musical numbers, murders, and lots of yelling. It’s a big swing by Gyllenhaal that just never connected for me and, frankly, by the end of the film, gave me a bit of a headache. A little of this film goes a long way, and I wasn’t willing to go that far with it. Still, Bale’s monster in tux and tails, doing a song-and-dance number, will stick with me for a long time. Ultimately, The Bride! left me more exhausted than entertained. There is a mid-credit scene if you can make that far.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Bride! Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Hoppers  (2026)  PG  Hoppers takes place after a group of scientists invent a way to “hop” a human mind into a lifelike robot-animal body. Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda), an animal-loving teen, ‘hops’ into a robotic beaver to thwart a construction company from destroying an animal habitat. Mabel discovers that the animal world is full of surprises, including her unwitting role in an animal uprising. Hoppers is a fun, funny, and delightful return to good filmmaking for Pixar. The storyline is inventive, and the humor works from start to finish. Hoppers message about taking care of the environment is effective without being preachy. The film is fast-moving, and young kids are going to love all the talking animals. The humor makes this film stand out, and while the kids will be laughing at the antics, adults will enjoy all the side quips the characters make. Hoppers keeps the storyline moving as we go on a riotous adventure into the animal world that you won’t soon forget. The film has two post-credits scenes you'll want to stick around for. My Rating: Full Price  Hoppers Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: Protector  (2025)  R  Protector is about Nikki (Milla Jovovich), a decorated ex-soldier who left that life to raise her daughter, Chloe (Isabel Myers). When Chloe is kidnapped, Nikki sets off in a race against time to find her daughter, combing through the seamy criminal underworld. Nikki will stop at nothing to find and destroy the people who threaten her daughter. I have a feeling that they either didn’t have a huge budget or Milla wanted to take a day off, because once the film gets to the kidnapping, we are just told about Nikki’s first attempt to rescue Chloe. Then, later in the big battle sequence, there are a couple of times when we hear gunshots but see nothing other than Nikki coming through the doors where the shots were fired. I think fans of Milla will be disappointed with the action sequences, which mostly feature her shooting people rather than hand-to-hand combat. And Protector has an ending that just feels like the writer wanted a twist at the end and then said screw it, here’s a twist that will mess with you. Instead, it just makes you mad. My Rating: Cable   Protector Website   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Dolly  (2025)  R  Macy (Fabianne Therese) is out in the woods with her boyfriend when they encounter a monstrous, doll-masked figure, Dolly (Max the Impaler), who takes Macy back to a house of horrors, where Dolly intends to raise Macy as their own child. This gore-fest horror film starts out strong but runs a bit out of steam by the end. The film is shot on 16mm film, which gives it a great 70s horror vibe, with plenty of Texas Chainsaw Massacre homages thrown in, but it lacks the scares to keep our interest in the slender storyline throughout. Fabianne Therese does an admirable job as our heroine, but there’s not enough in this film to make it more than an interesting idea that just doesn’t have enough substance for a full-length film. My Rating: Cable  Dolly Website     Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Heel  (2025)  Heel follows 19-year-old Tommy (Anson Boon), whose life revolves around drugs, parties, and violence. After a night of debauchery, he is kidnapped by a married couple (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) who hold him in the basement and subject him to relentless mind games in an attempt to put him on the right path and make him a ‘good boy.’ This is an interesting concept for a film that spends too long developing the story and then ends up very predictable. However, the film is worth watching for the two leads, with Stephen Graham as the dad/kidnapper/jailer and Anson Boon as the punk imprisoned and subjected to constant brainwashing. Stephen Graham has just the right amount of creepiness, making his character seem sincerely nuts while also showing a bit of caring. Anson Boon is perfect as the young man who thinks he can live forever and get away with anything he wants to, including violence. Boon keeps the film moving, and we never know when he will erupt and unleash the retribution he promises. Still, the film feels stunted in its character background, and we never find out why the whole family accepts the kidnapping. We just know that Tommy will never change. Or will he?  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Heel Website  Now playing in select theaters and available to rent on some streaming platforms.

My Rating: Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man  (2026) R Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is set in 1940 Birmingham, amidst the chaos of World War II. Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), against his better judgment, has returned to face his own demons and choose between confronting his legacy or destroying it. This is a must-see for fans of the TV series, but if you haven’t seen the TV program, you can still get the gist of the plot pretty easily. This is a wonderful and interesting character study of two men: Tommy, who has lost everyone he cares about, and Tommy’s son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), who has taken over the Peaky Blinders gang. Duke is trying to make his own way in the world, but he's making some risky decisions that will have major consequences. Tommy has escaped into the countryside and is writing his memoirs. Two people show up to convince Tommy to save his son from a major mistake. His sister, Ada (Sophie Rundle), pleads for him to come back with little result, and Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson), the twin sister of Duke’s mom, who was the love of Tommy’s life. Kaulo, though some seducing and Romani Gypsy logic, convinces Tommy to come back. Now the question is, can he reach Duke in time, and will Duke betray him? The film is a blast to watch, as Cillian Murphy does what he does best: brood and be imposing. Adding to the mix is Keoghan, who plays the wild-card kid perfectly, whose choice we don’t know what it will be or when he will erupt. This is a perfect companion to the series, and even if you don’t know the story, the film’s storyline and performances will keep you on the edge of your seat.  My Rating: Full Price  Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Website   Now in select theaters and on Netflix on Friday, March 20, 2026

Forgotten Film:  Best in Show (2000) PG-13  A behind-the-scenes mockumentary about what goes on in the cut-throat world of competitive dog shows. We follow a group of dog owners who are willing to do anything to ensure that their pampered canines have every chance of winning. Directed by Christopher Guest and co-written by Guest and Eugene Levy (though much of the film features improvised dialogue), the film is a hilarious look at a special group of people who believe their dogs are better than even they are. I picked this film out because, even though it has an all-star cast, the late Catherine O’Hara stands out as Cookie Fleck, the co-owner with her husband, Gerry (Eugene Levy), of their dog, Winky. Cookie, it seems, has slept with everyone at the show with the possible exception of her husband. O’Hara’s performance is a masterclass in how to deliver comedy with such ease and is a delight to watch. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Best in Show Info The film is available on most streaming platforms.

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Bride!: Special wigmaker to The Bride

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: They Will Kill You (2026)  R  A young woman (Zazie Beetz) takes a job as a housekeeper at a NYC high-rise that has a history of mysterious disappearances. She soon realizes that the high-rise is a deathtrap, and she is its latest victim. They have no idea who they hired, but the high-rise is about to find out. Zazie has been on a hot streak with her Supporting Actress Emmy nod in the TV series Atlanta, and films like Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, and Joker: Folie a Deux.  They Will Kill You Website The film will be in theaters on Friday, March 17, 2026

Until Next Time!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

My View: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery  (2025)  PG-13  In Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back, and this time it’s to crack a murder case that seems to be unsolvable. A charismatic priest has been killed in a manner that makes it appear impossible for anyone to have committed the crime. I am a big fan of the first two films in the series, Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022). While I liked this film, the first two had a much more intriguing mystery. This time, I figured out who the killer was early on and did not have as much fun watching Benoit solve the crime in his extraordinary and fascinating way. Unlike the first two films, which featured standout performances by Ana de Armas in the first and Janelle Monae in the second, there wasn’t a character I enjoyed watching in this one, aside from Josh Brolin as the overbearing priest whose murder must be solved. Instead, it felt like writer/director Rian Johnson gave out too many parts to a whole lot of famous actors that he didn’t always know what to do with them. Kerry Washington and Thomas Haden Church are wasted in characters who don’t bring a lot to the plot, other than to throw us off a bit. I still enjoyed Daniel Craig in a role that is very evident he enjoys with relish. I hope the next Knives Out film will be more of a mystery and less of an exercise in padding the cast with as many actors as possible.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Website Now playing in theaters and on the Netflix platform on Friday, December 12, 2025

My View: Hamnet  (2025) PG-13  Hamnet is a historical drama that follows the relationship between Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), and the impact of the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, on their lives. This tragedy ultimately inspires Shakespeare to create his most iconic play, Hamlet. I have always wondered where Mr. Shakespeare got his ideas from, and Hamnet offers a few clues. When we first meet William, he is a disappointment to his father and is not thought much of by anyone else in the area where he lives. In fact, when he meets Agnes, a fiery independent woman who is rumored to be a witch, the only way he can get permission to marry her from her family is by getting her pregnant. I loved their early meetings, where William is a bit of a tongue-tied idiot around Agnes, but she sees something in him I don’t think he quite sees in himself. Hamnet isn’t really the story of William; it’s the story of Agnes, who was his rock, holding down the family while he was off becoming the playwright whose works drew crowds to the theater. And this is Jessie Buckley’s film. In fact, they can go ahead now, even before the nominations are out, and etch her name on an Oscar, because Buckley gives a groundbreaking and powerful performance that has to be seen. It’s a performance that is filled with passion, humor, and, yes, also grief. While William was known for his words, Buckley’s performance is shown through her body language and her incredibly expressive face, giving us insight into a complex woman who saw the world differently than the rest of us and inspired a writer to create works that captivated a world thirsty for drama. Hamnet is a heart-wrenching tale of two people who love each other deeply but know that they belong to different worlds. Hamnet is a film that will break your heart but make you love Shakespeare’s work even more. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again Hamnet Website Now playing in theaters

My View: Eternity  (2025)  PG-13  Eternity is about what happens after death. In the afterlife, souls have one week to decide where they want to spend eternity. When Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) dies, she has one week to make the impossible choice between the man she spent her life married to, Larry (Miles Teller), and her first love, Luke (Callum Turner), who died young and has been waiting for decades for her to arrive. Who will Joan choose to be with for all eternity? I love Elizabeth Olsen, and she works really hard to make this film work, but her best efforts can’t overcome a script that lacks the wit and charm that it sorely needs, along with a few badly needed laughs. I think the biggest problem is that Olsen, who is trying to carry the film all by herself, doesn’t have the badly needed chemistry with either Miles Teller or Callum Turner. My other problem is that I didn’t like either choice that Joan was being forced to make, as I think both men are a bad match for her to spend eternity with. By the end, I didn’t care who Joan picked. In fact, I hoped she would pick something where she could finally be on her own, even if it was for an eternity.  My Rating: Cable Eternity Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Familyfaire:  Zootopia 2  (2025)  PG Zootopia 2 follows Officer Judy Hopps, a rabbit, and her partner and friend, Nick Wilde, a fox, as they investigate the first snake ever to infiltrate Zootopia. However, they soon discover that there is more to this snake than meets the eye, and Hopps and Wilde are determined to uncover the truth. The first Zootopia film came out in 2016, and I thought it was funny, with some fantastic messages for kids about racism and profiling, and a ton of inside jokes that made it enjoyable for adults. I am happy to say that this sequel is equal to the first film, though I miss the evilness of the Jenny Slate-voiced character as the bad guy. This time, our favorite odd couple are out first to catch a snake that has somehow made it into Zootopia, but our pair soon learn that Gary De’Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) is on a mission to prove that snakes have been given a bad rap and deserve to be allowed back into Zootopia. Once again, kids will love all the action scenes, and adults will enjoy the dialogue and a few fun Hitchcock references that the film puts in from time to time. The comedy portions are aided by a beaver named Nibbles Maplestick, who makes a lot of hilarious observations while chewing on anything that is wood. So go on another adventure with Hopps and Wilde as they figure out another mystery and save the day again. Oh, and be sure to stay through all the credits for a bonus scene that sets up the next film.  My Rating: Full Price Zootopia 2 Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Sentimental Value  (2025) R  In Sentimental Value, after the death of their mother Sissel, estranged sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve), an actress, and Agnes Borg (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), a housewife and mother, are compelled to confront their distant father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). Gustav, a once-famous but now almost forgotten film director who abandoned the family when the girls were still young, now wishes to produce a play based on his mother. He wants Nora to take on the lead role, something she vowed never to do. A lot of films that are made about actors, directors, and filmmakers feel just like that: actors portraying actors. I just reviewed a film that felt like that in Jay Kelly, where I knew it was George Clooney portraying a character. Then you get films like Sentimental Value, where the characters feel real, and while acting and filmmaking are part of the plot, they’re not what the film is about. Instead, Sentimental Value is about broken promises, childhood heartache, and making your profession more important than that of your family. Sentimental Value is about love, finding your passion, and how just because a house is called a home, it isn’t necessarily a home to everyone. This is a powerful film that follows four people on a journey to explore the past, how it affects them now, and if they can find and possibly handle the answers that they are searching for. Led by Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård, the cast is brilliant, offering performances that are incredibly rich in depth and impressively revealing the pain and grief the past has dealt them and how it has driven each person to a breaking point. Sentimental Value is one of the best films of the year, moving, painful, and at times inspiring. Exactly what kind of film both Gustav and Nora would be proud to make.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again Sentimental Value Website Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film: Same Time, Next Year (1978) PG  It’s 1951, and an accountant named George (Alan Alda) and a housewife named Doris (Ellen Burstyn) have a night of passion that they will never forget. Just one problem: it’s the 50s, and they’re both married to other people and have families to get back to. The two decide to meet on the same date every year, keeping their marriage vows except for that one weekend. We follow the relationship of the two over the years as we see them meet in five-year gaps. As the times change, so do their relationships, jobs, and families. What remains is their love for each other and their commitment to meet every year. Alda is fine in the role, but it’s Burstyn who proved again that she is an amazing actress. I find the script slightly weak, and the production is a little stagy (it’s based on a play), but Burstyn makes this film work, and it’s worth seeing to see how good she was as a lead.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee Same Time, Next Year Info  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery: Nail Technician

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Song Sung Blue (2025)  PG-13  Mike (Hugh Jackman) and Claire (Kate Hudson) are both struggling singers when they meet. They decide to start performing together as Lightning & Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute band, and they suddenly find success. However, life isn’t as sweet or easy as a Neil Diamond song. The film is from Craig Brewer, the award-winning director of Hustle & Flow (2005) and Dolemite is My Name (2019). Song Sung Blue Website The film is in theaters on Christmas Day. 

Until Next Time!

Wicked: For Good

My View: Wicked: For Good  (2025) PG   In Wicked: For Good, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda (Ariana Grande), the Good Witch of the North, begin to embrace their roles, and a rift begins to develop between the two friends as their lives move down a path of confrontation. Oh, and a certain young woman from Kansas is about to come onto the scene. I love musicals, both in cinema and on the stage, and I loved the first film and felt that the Jonathan Bailey dance sequence in the library was incredible. Does Wicked: For Good capture the magic again? Not quite. First, the second film is much darker than the first, exploring betrayal, sorrow, and lost friendships. So this film doesn’t have the feel-good moments that the first film had. Second, there is a rift between the two friends, Elphaba and Glinda, and what was so much fun and touching was the on-screen chemistry between Erivo and Grande. Unfortunately, the two characters aren’t on the screen together for a good deal of the film, as they have separated, living isolated, opposing lives. Ariana Grande gets a bit of the short straw in the film, as her numbers aren’t as dynamic or memorable as Erivo’s. Erivo has the big power number in the middle of the film to herself, and it’s the highlight of the film. I also think that splitting what should probably have been one 3-hour film into two was a mistake, as the storyline isn’t as strong as the first film’s. There also isn’t a big musical number in this film that rivals that library dance scene in the first one. Wicked: For Good is still a fine, enjoyable film; it’s just not on the level of emotion or spectacle as the first one. And while, yes, a young girl from Kansas does show up, the film makes it very clear that this isn’t her story. I walked out of the screening thinking, I just saw a good film. The problem is that I didn’t see a great one.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Wicked: For Good Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Rental Family  (2025) PG-13  Rental Family is about an American actor, Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who lives in Japan. His roles have recently dried up, and he takes a job at the Rental Family agency, where Phillip will play ‘stand-in’ roles in other people’s lives. Through this unique experience, Phillip discovers surprising connections and unexpected joys within his new families. Rental Family isn’t a film that explores or answers big questions. However, it does handle how connecting with someone else is essential to mental health and well-being. Brendan Fraser is lovable as an American actor who is having a tough time making a living in Japan and takes on the job of being a rental for people who need a friend, someone to blame, or even someone to stand in for a parent or a loved one. It’s also about trying to understand a different culture other than your own. Rental Family is a predictable film, but I never felt it was too sappy or wasn’t sincere in its portrayal of people who need to feel less lonely or want to experience something important from their past. Rental Family is a feel-good movie, if only to watch Fraser be kind and work his magic on-screen. And sometimes that’s all we need in a film. My Rating: Full Price Rental Family Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Sisu: Road to Revenge  (2025)  R  Sisu: Road to Revenge is about Aatami (Jorma Tommila), “the man who refuses to die,” as he returns to the home where his family was murdered during the war. He dismantles the home and loads it on a truck, intending to rebuild it. When the Red Army commander (Stephen Lang), who killed Aatami’s family, returns, it sets off a cross-country chase where the body count will be high and revenge will be on the mind of Aatami. The first film, Sisu (2022), was a surprise hit, with brutal action, a good guy who seemingly can’t be killed as our hero kills what seems like a thousand Nazis, often in really creative ways. Our hero is back, and all he wants to do is take lumber from his home and bring it back to Finland. This time, our man is battling Russians, led by a sadistic officer who was so bad the Russians even had him in jail, but let him out to hunt down Aatami. I have a feeling that with the success of the first film, the budget was higher because everything from motorcyclists in armor to fight planes to a bomber is after our man and his trusty dog. The action is almost nonstop, and the deaths are gross and spectacular in an outlandish way. I had a great time watching this film and shrieked with glee a couple of times at the incredible kills. Sisu: Road to Revenge isn’t a film for everybody, but man, if you love creative ways to kill a bad guy and want to go on an adventure with Aatami, it’s worth the ride. Just be sure to duck a few times. You might lose your head. My Rating: Full Price   Sisu: Road to Revenge Website   Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Selena Y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy  (2025)  PG  Selena y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy is a documentary that shows Selena Quintanilla’s journey from playing at local events in South Texas to filling stadiums with the family band Selena Y Los Dinos, becoming the ‘Queen of Tejano Music.’ Living in San Antonio, Texas, for a long time, I got to see Selena perform several times live, and they were always so much fun. She and her band always gave a great show, and she was such a charismatic and talented singer. Most people now know Selena through Jennifer Lopez’s career-making performance in the 1997 film of the same name. While that film centered on Selena and the romance between her and her future husband, Chris, this documentary lets the whole family tell the story of the band and what it was like to be a family traveling on an old bus from small town to small town. Through the vast number of interviews Selena did and new interviews with members of her family and her husband, Chris, we get to see how they got started and the slow rise to fame that changed quickly when the band changed the type of music they were performing. One thing I found interesting was that Selena, her brother, and sister spoke very little Spanish when they started performing, and that they received a cool reception when Selena and the band first toured in Mexico, where they were seen as outsiders. Selena y Los Dinos is a fun and fascinating look at a family that loved to perform, and it wasn’t just Selena who had musical talent. Fans of Selena will love revisiting a talented performer who we can only guess would have become a major force in the music industry if her life had not been cut short so soon.  My Rating: Full Price Selena y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform 

My View:  Jay Kelly  (2025) R Jay Kelly (George Clooney) is one of the world’s biggest movie stars, but is starting to reflect on his life and career. He decides to go on a trip with his daughter, Daisy (Grace Edwards), but it’s never simple living the life of Jay Kelly, movie star. Jay Kelly is a film you might think would be picture-perfect for George Clooney, one of our last true Hollywood superstars and someone who has taken over the mantle of the older heartthrob from Cary Grant. The problem is that Clooney is almost always likable on-screen, while Jay Kelly isn’t. In fact, Jay Kelly is a self-righteous jerk who puts his own well-being above everyone else and has no clue he is doing it. Jay is a part that Clooney could literally phone in, and to his credit, he doesn’t. However, the script treats Jay like such a great guy, even though he can’t even take the time to connect with his grown daughter. Writing this review, I kept thinking how the part that Adam Sandler plays, his manager Ron, would have been a better character to center the film around, and let Clooney’s character be in the background. There’s a better story there, and we certainly like Ron more than Jay. It’s not that Ron is a saint; in fact, I think Ron has a lot of baggage to deal with, but it would have made a far more interesting film. By the end of the Jay Kelly, I didn’t want to spend one more minute with Jay, and neither did anyone else in the film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee Jay Kelly Website  Now in select theaters and on Netflix on Friday, December 5, 2025.

Forgotten Film:  Twenty Bucks  (1993) R  The story follows the journey of a twenty-dollar bill as it interweaves with the lives of different people. The first person to encounter the 20 dollars is Linda Hunt, a street person who is convinced that the 20 bucks will bring her good luck and win the lottery. Others get the twenty, including Brendan Fraser, who receives it as a wedding gift, and a stripper (Melora Walters), who gets it at a bachelor party. Everyone from Christopher Lloyd to Elizabeth Shue (my favorite story) show up in the stories. Some are better than others, but each tells an interesting story about how 20 dollars can change a person’s life, for better or worse. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Twenty Bucks Info  Available on Tubi and Amazon

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wicked: For Good:  Dance Tutor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Hamnet  (2025) PG-13  Hamnet is a historical drama that follows the relationship between Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), and the impact of the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, on their lives. This tragedy ultimately inspires Shakespeare to create his most iconic play, Hamlet. The film is from Chloé Zhao; the filmmaker known for her two-time winning 2020 Academy Award-winning film Nomadland, and is expected to get multiple Academy Award nominations. Hamnet Website   In theaters on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

Until Next Time!

Priscilla

My View: Priscilla (2023) R   Priscilla tells the story of teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny), who meets rock and roll superstar Elvis and begins a romance that the world followed until his death. Priscilla tells the story of the one woman who knew Elvis the best in private moments: a thrilling crush, an alley in loneliness, and a vulnerable best friend. The film is Pricilla’s story, and it is not always a pretty one. I can see why the Elvis estate did not allow any of his music to be put into the film, as the ‘King’ doesn’t come off very well. Cailee Spaeny does the impossible, effectively playing a young girl of 15 to a young mother in her late 20s when she left Elvis. The film gives us an inside look at what it was like to live in Elvis’s shadow, a prisoner of his celebrity and lifestyle. The film makes it clear that Elvis groomed Priscilla to be his wife, almost from their first meeting when she was just a teenager in Germany living on a base. Watching Priscilla can be uncomfortable, especially when Elvis relies on his friends and family to court her. Jacob Elordi does an outstanding job of playing the Elvis we rarely got to see, a man full of insecurities and one who was addicted to pills from the first moments that he met Priscilla. This is a beautiful-looking film, and we get to see what it was like to live inside the halls of Graceland. The opening shots of Cailee walking on the now-famous shag carpet of the home of Elvis is marvelous. The film's visuals and the main cast's performances were enjoyable, but the storyline became boring during Elvis' run in Las Vegas. I am not sure how fans of Elvis will react to this film, but fans of Priscilla will love it. I, on the other hand, just liked it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Priscilla Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide. 

My View: The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023) R   Helena (Daisy Ridley) has a past that she has tried to forget. Her father, known as the Marsh King, kidnapped Helena’s mother, and two years later, Helena was born. At age ten, the Marsh King was caught and put away. Now, he has escaped and is after Helena and her daughter. Helena will use everything he taught her about surviving in the wilderness to keep her family safe. This is another in a long line of films based on a book where the source material is far better than the film. I wanted to love this film because I read a lot of books like this one, but the film doesn’t deliver the needed suspense and has an ending that we can see coming from a mile away (maybe with a rifle’s scope). I liked Ridley as the woman whose first ten years of life were spent in the wilderness, being shown how to survive using your senses and hunting skills. The film has a series of flashbacks about Helena’s life as a ten-year-old and then shows us her life as a mom and a wife. It’s a contrast that doesn’t always work, as the flashbacks are far more interesting than what is happening in the present day. I wanted more of a cat-and-mouse game between Helena and her dad after he escapes from prison, but most of what should have been thrills are wasted as just slight hints of what could happen.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Marsh King's Daughter Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Quiz Lady (2023) R  Anne’s (Awkwafina) mother owes eighty thousand dollars to the mob because of gambling debts and has run away from the nursing home. Anne and her sister (Sandra Oh) devise a plan to get Anne on a game show to win the money to get their mother off the hit list. Quiz Lady is a film that is perfectly suited for seeing online. This film is light and funny, though it doesn't always hit the mark with its jokes and has a weak middle part. However, it ends on a high note, making it a fun watch. I am a fan of Awkwafina, and she is perfect in the role of a woman who tries to be the sensible one between her mother, the gambler, and her sister, who never can settle on what she wants to do in life. I got a little tired of Sandra Oh’s performance; it was just a little too broad for my taste, but Awkwafina is always able to reel Oh in with a look or a line. Quiz Lady is bolstered by a cast that includes Jason Schwartzman as a smarmy quiz show champ, Holland Taylor as the grumpy next-door neighbor, and, of course, Will Ferrell as the quiz show host who is loved by his audience. So, find a comfy place on the couch and take a trip to a quiz show that isn’t great, but still a fun ride.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Quiz Lady Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform. 

Indiefest: Radical (2023)  Sergio (Eugenio Derbez) is a teacher in a Mexican border town where his students live in a world filled with neglect, crime, and violence. However, Sergio is a different type of teacher who challenges his students’ curiosity and drive to succeed, even when the odds seem against them. I haven’t always been a big fan of Eugenio Derbez, as he tends to overreact in his comedies. However, in this film, Derbez gives us a powerful and moving performance of a man who wants to teach kids but doesn’t want to follow the rules. Sergio, we find out, is a man who has lost his faith in his abilities to teach and reach young children. He takes a job at a school that no one wants to teach at and try something different to inspire his students to think independently and not be force-fed a curriculum that becomes a babysitter for a few years. I loved that what we see on the screen feels real, and Derbez gives off an energy that excites us to the possibilities his character is trying to do might work. Radical is helped by a cast of students that are all believable and touching. So join the class and sit down to be wowed by a teacher who might teach you a thing or two while having fun doing it.   My Rating: Full Price  Radical Website  Now playing in theatres. 

My View: Rustin (2023) PG-13  Rustin tells the story of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), who broke barriers everywhere he went, including helping Martin Luther King Jr. and others organize the 1963 March on Washington. Colman Domingo gives a performance that needs to be seen to be believed! It’s a brilliant portrayal of a man who was forgotten for too long because he was Black and gay at a time that either could get you arrested, beaten, or killed. Rustin, the true architect of the March on Washington, was a charismatic force of nature who used his brains and charm to get things done. However, Rustin paid a heavy price, often being put in the background because of his being gay, and never got the credit he deserved. The film drags a bit before Rustin comes up with the idea of a gathering of 100,000 people in Washington, DC, to make the President and Congress act on Civil Rights legislation. Rustin is a film where a performance of the leading actor dominates every scene, and Colman Domingo is nothing short of brilliant in this story that needed to be told.  My Rating: Full Price  Rustin Website  Now playing in theatres and on Netflix on Friday, November 17th. 

My View: Fingernails (2023) R Anna (Jessie Buckley) and Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) are in love, and their love has been proven to be confirmed by a controversial new technology. Anna has doubts and begins working at the company that uses the technology to put people together. Soon, her doubts will become more than just thoughts when she becomes attracted to her co-worker Amir (Riz Ahmed). The reason to see this film is the on-screen chemistry between Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley. From their first meeting, we know they will end up being drawn together. We can feel that draw right from the get-go. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t let us enjoy this very much as it revolves around a technology that doesn’t make a whole heck of a lot of sense. The film takes a long time for the two main characters to realize that maybe, despite the odds, they are meant together, no matter what technology says. Fingernails spends a lot of time on how stupid the technology is, but this isn’t a comedy, and it tries too hard to be a black comedy. I still had fun watching Buckley and Ahmed together, but in the end, it wasn’t worth the effort.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Fingernails Info  In select theatres and on Apple TV+.

My View: The Persian Version (2023) R  The Persian Version takes place when a large Iranian-American family gathers, and a family secret is uncovered that will force an estranged mother, Shireen (Niousha Noor), and her unconventional daughter, Leila (Layla Mohammadi) into a journey of exploration. It turns out that mother and daughter are more alike than ever imagined. Leila is a lesbian who just broke up with her wife and decides one drunken Halloween night to have sex with a guy (though it must be said he was in a Hedwig and the Angry Inch costume). Leila's mother is an unstoppable force, having come from Iran to the U.S. with her husband and now manages a big family and successful real estate business. The two do not get along. Shireen disapproves of her daughter’s lifestyle, and Leila doesn’t feel she fits in with the family. Then things happen. The Persian Version is one of those films you long for as a film critic. It’s a funny, smart, moving film that touches on a ton of subjects, including marriage, single living, religion, politics, and the love of family. The two leads are so much fun to watch. Layla Mohammadi is funny and gives us, through her character’s narration, a look at a family that has roots in Iran and its culture but has found a place in America. Niousha Noor has the tougher part of giving us a mother that we don’t always understand where she comes from, but we soon learn that her past has shaped her present. There are a couple of fantastic dance sequences, including a rousing number done to ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,’ courtesy of a very young Leila smuggling in a Cyndi Lauper cassette tape into Iran. The Persian Version is a film about fighting for your rights as a woman, as an Iranian, and as a family member. The Persian Version is a dazzling look at two women who seem to be miles apart but learn that they share a lot more than just the family bond. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Persian Version Website  Now playing in theatres.

Forgotten Film: Miracle of St. Anna (2008) R  Set in Italy during the Allied invasion during WWII, four African-American soldiers (Michael Ealy, Omar Benson Miller, Laz Alonso, and Derek Luke) are behind enemy lines taking refuge in a small village after rescuing a small boy caught in the firefight with German soldiers. Now, its citizens and the four men must unite to protect the town and the boy against impossible odds. Miracle of St. Anna is a Spike Lee film, and with many of his movies, there are some fantastic moments and some that don’t work at all. The battle sequences are brilliant, and there are some beautiful moments between the soldiers and the young boy. However, there are a few scenes that seem out of place, including a dance that takes place in the village as the enemy surrounds them. Still, Miracle of St. Anna has some powerful moments, and the battle sequences are some of the best war scenes of the last 20 years. My Rating: Full Price   The film is available to rent or buy on most online platforms.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Rustin: Background Taylors

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Fall Guy (2023) PG-13  Colt (Ryan Gosling), a former stuntman, comes out of retirement after discovering his ex (Emily Blunt) is directing a big-budget movie. It’s not a joyful reunion, but Colt is needed when the enormous star of the film has gone missing, and he must find him before the picture is shut down. This looks like it will be fun to watch with Blunt and Gosling. Based loosely on the 1980s Lee Majors TV show, which was loosely based on a real-life stuntman.   The film comes out in March 2024.

Until Next Time!

Downtown Abbey: A New Era

My View: Downton Abbey: A New Era  (2022) PG   The Crawley family and its beloved staff are back. A villa in the south of France has been passed down to Violet (Maggie Smith), and so most of the family travels to France to take ownership, but there is a problem. The previous owners are not happy. Meanwhile, adding to the excitement, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays behind at Downton Abbey to help with the filming of a silent movie on the estate. It’s busy times for the Crawley family of Downton Abbey. Fans of Downton Abbey will love this film, as it hits all the right spots to make the story feel fun and satisfying visit to a time when being the privileged class in England meant something. If you haven’t seen the TV series or the first Downton Abbey film, you may be a little lost at the start, as it is a large and vast cast. Still, once the film gets moving, it’s easy to figure out the various storylines allowing you to sit back and have fun with all the plots of the film. As usual, two characters dominate the screen time, with Maggie Smith giving us another reason to love her, as the fiery and opinionated Violet, who rules the family with an iron hand (with a bit of love thrown in), and Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, who is being forced to become the woman who runs the household and steers the family into new and possibly choppy waters, as the modern age is beginning to creep into their lives. I had fun watching this film, and if the five women who wore period dresses to the screening I saw are any indication, audiences will enjoy it too.    My Rating: Full Price   Downton Abbey: A New Era Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Emergency (2022) R   Sean (RJ Cyler), and Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) are two college friends who have mapped out a party night to remember. Then they discover a young student passed out in their dorm room. Sean and Kunie decide, rather than call 911 and, otherwise, be blamed for something they didn’t do, they will take the woman to the emergency room, but everything will go wrong on a night that started so promising. This is a film that is part comedy, part drama about friendship, racism, and the fact of being guilty just because of their appearance. The two friends are very different, with Sean being the party guy whose recent life has been dominated by weed and the idea of hitting seven parties in one night. Kunle is the opposite of Sean, a young man who is focused and is determined to make his mark by being an outstanding student and making his family proud. The two young black men are then confronted with a huge problem; somehow, a young, unknown white girl has passed out in their apartment, and they are afraid that they will be blamed for her condition. Thus starts a night that goes from bad to possibly deadly, as their predicament worsens at every turn, even when they try to do the right things. This is a film that starts out as a light comedy which soon turns into a drama that keeps upping the tension as our guys get deeper and deeper into trouble, a trouble that Sean is convinced will result in their death by cop. I loved this film, a buddy comedy that becomes a riveting look at how society can racially profile someone and make them the bad guy just from appearances, with possibly deadly consequences. There is a wonderful scene near the end of the film that sums up what it means to be a young Black man in America. It’s a scene that will stay with you for a long time.    My Rating: Full Price   Emergency Website    Now playing in select theatres and on the Amazon Prime platform on Friday, May 27, 2022.

My View: Chip’ N Dale Rescue Rangers  (2022) PG   The mystery-solving duo, Chip N’ Dale (John Mulaney, Andy Samberg), are leading separate lives 30 years after their TV show was canceled. However, cartoon characters are mysteriously disappearing, and the guys will need to get back together and find their missing friends. I loved this film, and if you are a child of the eighties or a fan of Disney syndicated TV cartoons of that time, you will too. This is a film that is out loud funny with an inventive plot, and so many ‘Easter Eggs’ that it will take hours to find them all. Chip N’ Dale live in a world where humans and cartoon characters live in the same world. The duo has been broken up for a long time due to a very messy breakup. When one of their co-stars is kidnapped, the guys decide to put the gang back together to solve one last crime. This film is a blast to watch, with cameos by a whole host of cartoon characters in the Disney vault, along with some surprises from other cartoons of the 80s. Full of funny jokes, mostly making fun of the 80s, it’s a joyful ride that I wish I had seen it in a theatre with an audience to hear the reactions when their favorite childhood characters show up. Even if you weren’t a fan of the TV series, there is something in this film that you will enjoy, and you just might have to explain to kids. So go on a wild and crazy ride with Chip N’ Dale and solve a mystery while taking a trip back to those lunch box-filled days of afternoon TV watching.   My Rating: Full Price   Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

Indiefest: Men (2022) R After her husband (Paapa Essiedu) committed suicide in their apartment, Harper (Jessie Buckley) goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside to recover and get away. Little does she know that something is lurking in the woods just outside her rented isolated cottage, and no one in the nearby village seems to care. I am a fan of filmmaker Alex Garland. I loved Ex Machina (2015), thinking it's one of the best films of the past ten years, and I even liked his trippy Sci-Fi film Annihilation (2018), but this attempt to make a moody horror film is a big miss. Even though Jessie Buckley is magnificent as the troubled Harper, a woman who at first puts off the weird things happening in the small English village as just strange until she feels threatened and in danger. Buckley can’t overcome a bizarre and increasingly dull script that gets weirder and weirder with no end in sight. The plot starts out promising with images of a Harper witnessing her husband’s suicide, a haunting image that the film keeps coming back to. Instead of what could have been a promising look of a woman dealing with grief and guilt, we get a meandering tale of gas-lighting, male toxicity, and just out and out weirdness that cumulates in an ending that I have no idea what it means or wants to say. Men is a mess of a film that never lives up to its beginning.   My Rating: Cable   Men Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Pleasure (2022)    Bella (Sofia Kappel) is a young woman who comes all the way from Sweden to pursue a career in the porn industry in Los Angeles. Emphatically, Bella doesn’t care about anything else but becoming a star, no matter what she is asked to do or who she has to hurt to get there. This was one of the most uncomfortable films to watch that I have seen in the last five years. Sofia Kappel gives us a compelling and powerful performance of Bella, a young woman who has her sights set on becoming a big porn star. At the start, Bella thinks she knows what she is in for, but as she tries to climb the rings of stardom, the sex becomes more and more degrading and painful (both physically and mentally). This is a rough (no pun intended) film to watch as the sex scenes are very graphic, and we see what Bella is asked to do. Pleasure is almost a horror film, as Bella goes further and further into the seedy world of porn, attempting to quickly make a name for herself by performing sex acts that become more perverse. This isn’t a film about showing how horrible the porn industry is but is a study of a woman who dreams of being a star and is willing to burn every bridge she crosses to get there, and maybe that’s where I had a problem watching this film. It’s an industry that exploits women, and in this film, it’s really Bella that exploits everyone she befriends along the way to becoming the star she thinks she wants to become.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Pleasure Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Hold Your Fire (2021)   In 1973, four young African-American men were caught stealing guns from a sporting goods store in New York City. Quickly, the store was surrounded by the police, starting the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. In walks NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg into the scene, and he is credited with starting a movement to get the police to end hostage negotiations not through violence but through using words. This is a fascinating documentary about how far things have changed in dealing with hostage crises and, then again, how things haven’t changed in how police see the people that take those hostages. What Harvey did was try to change how we deal with the people who take hostages, working to find a way to settle the standoff peacefully instead of the standard of the time, waiting a few hours and then going in with guns blazing. The film interviews not only the men who took the hostages but the hostages themselves or relatives of those hostages, some of who never recovered from the experiences. The film uses a ton of on the scene photos and video from the siege and gives you an inside look at what happened from both sides of the story. The most fascinating story is about the store owner, a hostage who constantly plans how to overtake the four men who have taken the store. He is a man who seems to, almost from the start, figure out the dynamics of the four men and who he could find a weakness in, possibly someone to attack or exploit to escape. There are some shocking interviews with former police officers that were there on the scene, along with some heartbreaking stories about the aftermath of the siege. It’s a fascinating tale that seems, in some aspects, a million years ago and in other aspects, seems like it was just yesterday.  My Rating: Full Price    Hold Your Fire Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Return to Me (2000) PG   A year after his wife dies tragically in an accident, Bob (David Duchovny) meets Grace (Minnie Driver) and instantly hits it off. It’s one of those romances where the two seem perfect for each other. Then Grace finds out that the life-saving operation she had a year ago was where she was given Bob’s dead wife’s heart. I am a sucker for romance films, and this is a sweet, cute one that works because of the chemistry between Minnie Driver and David Duchovny. They just make the romance seem real, and you want their romance to work out.   My Rating: Full Price   Return to Me Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Men: Chaperone 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Lost Girls (2022) Four generations of Darling women have dealt with and struggled in the aftermath of their adventures with Peter Pan (Louis Partridge) in Neverland. As her daughter (Ella-Rae Smith) is about to be put under Peter’s spell, Wendy (Emily Carey) must fight to save her relationship with her daughter while dealing with the past. The cast includes Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson as the Darling women of the past and Iain Glen as Hook. The story of Peter Pan has always fascinated me from the time I saw the play as a four-year-old, and I look forward to this new exploration of the legend.    The Lost Girls Info

Until Next Time!