Freakier Friday

My View:  Freakier Friday  (2025)  PG  Freakier Friday takes place twenty-two years after Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan) had the body swap that changed their lives. Tess is now trying to support her daughter Anna as she merges two families. Anna is about to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto) and is trying to encourage her daughter, Harper (Julia Butters), to get along with her soon-to-be stepsister, Lily (Sophia Hammons). It turns out that Tess and Anna aren’t the only ones capable of switching bodies. In 2003, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan made a Disney film about a mother-daughter duo switching bodies. Lohan proved she had some acting chops, and Curtis stole the movie as the teen inside a 30-something body. So it’s 22 years later, and we get to see if magic can happen again. While not quite up to the 2003 Freaky Friday film, it is still a fun ride, this time watching four body switches rather than just two. I think what helps is that in this film, we get Anna’s daughter Harper, a very unhappy, rebellious teen, and Anna’s soon-to-be step-daughter, an equally unhappy British teen, Lily, who wants to get back to London, also to be in on the body switch fun. As with the first film, Jamie Lee gets to do more of the comedy, as Lily has taken over her body, and once again, Curtis is an older woman with the mind and vantage point of a teen. As with the first film, Lohan is a little more reserved of the two, as her granddaughter has taken her over. The two unhappy teens decide to take advantage of their new adulthood and sabotage/stop the marriage of their two parents. Like the first film, Chad Michael Murray is brilliant as the hot guy who still has a crush on the older woman in Tess. Fans of the 2003 film will love this film, and even if you haven’t seen that film, you will have a good time watching Lohan and Curtis have a blast as teens unleashed. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Freakier Friday Website   Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Weapons  (2025) R  Weapons begins one morning, when at 2:17 am, every child except one from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up and left their homes, never to be seen again. What happened to the seventeen children, and how can a community discover their fate? Weapons is a horror film that is equally disturbing and funny. I was expecting far more scares (and there are still plenty), but I wasn’t expecting the humor, which took me for a ride. I saw the film with a packed audience, and one moment they were laughing and in the next they were shrieking from fear. I can’t give away too much of the plot because the reveals are so well thought out and brilliant that I don’t want to spoil it for you. From the first moments when we see the kids in the dead of night leaving their homes and running with their arms out behind them while George Harrison’s song “Beware of Darkness’ is playing, to the hectic and shocking ending, this is a masterful tale of horror, suspense, intrigue about a group of people in a small town trying to make sense of a mystery they can’t cope with. The film features remarkable performances, particularly from Josh Brolin, who portrays a father grappling with the disappearance of his son, and Julia Garner, who plays the troubled teacher of the classroom attended by the 17 missing students. Weapons is an exhilarating ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly anticipating each reveal and shocked by the unexpected twists. It is a strong contender for horror film of the year and is a movie that will spark discussions not just in the parking lot, but for years to come.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Weapons Website Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  The Pickup  (2025) R   In The Pickup, Russell (Eddie Murphy) is about to retire as an armored truck driver when he is matched with Travis (Pete Davidson). They are ambushed by a ruthless gang of criminals led by a savvy mastermind, Zoe (Keke Palmer), who has plans that extend far beyond the contents of the truck. When I watched the credits, I was surprised that there were only two writers credited because I could have sworn that this was a film that either had fifteen writers throwing everything they could against the wall to see what stuck, or it was the first feature film solely written by AI. This unfunny buddy action comedy has so many plot holes I was wondering how the script would get our two heroes out of hot water in the end. It doesn’t, and like the rest of the film, it forgets any ability for common sense and throws a happy ending at you that seems so sudden and poorly conceived that I almost had whiplash from it. The Pickup is one of those films where all three bad guys somehow survive a couple of horrendous vehicle crashes, but it doesn’t give us a clue how they survived. Just accept that all three get away with minor scratches. There are only two action sequences and one caper. The rest of the film is the characters talking. And they just keep talking, filling up lots of time without humor (unless you think Travis playing the Neutron Dance song from Beverly Hills Cop is funny) and wasting the talents of Murphy and Palmer. The lack of chemistry between Murphy and Davidson is palpable, and their banter grows tiresome very quickly. And please, someone, wake up Eddie Murphy; he has another line to deliver before the credits roll!  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  The Pickup Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime

Familyfaire:  Sketch  (2024) PG  Sketch follows a young girl named Amber (Bianca Belle) who accidentally drops her sketchbook into a mysterious pond. The drawings she created suddenly come to life, wreaking havoc in her town. Now, Amber, along with her brother and a ‘butthead’ of a friend, must confront these creatures that were never meant to exist and save their families and the beloved town. Amber is a young girl who is angry and sad because of the death of her mother and her father’s inability to deal with the death. So Amber, on the advice of a school counselor, she channels her anger and loss into drawings in a sketchbook. The problem is now the drawings have come to life, and most are of horrible creatures that want to wreak havoc. Sketch is a wonderfully creative film that teaches kids about how to deal with their feelings and how to channel those emotions. Anchored by an outstanding cast and creative animation, the story is a heartfelt adventure in how kids see the world and react in different ways to grief and pent-up feelings. Bianca Bell is outstanding as Amber, who can’t believe that her drawings have come to life. Tony Hale excels as the father trying his best to connect with his children, only that his attempts at reaching his kids doesn’t always work the way he wants it to. While some of the creatures are a little scary, most will be enjoyable to kids to see as they are right off the pages of a child’s imagination. Sketch is a fun and meaningful film full of surprises, revealing heroes in unexpected places. Every kid fantasizes about being a hero and saving their family from creatures, and in Sketch, they do.  My Rating: Full Price   Sketch Website Now playing in theaters. 

Familyfaire:  Hola Frida  (2024)   Hola Frida is about a little girl named Frida Kahlo who sees life in vibrant colors. When life’s trials and tribulations come her way, she faces them with her spirit and her overflowing imagination. Hola Frida is a film that children will enjoy with vivid animation and a story that centers around a child who uses her imagination to create an imaginary self that she uses to escape the problems that Frida encounters. The film explores Frida’s troubled childhood, when she got polio and was teased for her weaker leg, but Frida always found a way to overcome her obstacles and persevere. Frida was a young girl who fought for her artistic ideals and became one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Hola Frida offers young viewers a magical glimpse into her early years and the many challenges she overcame.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Hola Frida Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest:  My Mother’s Wedding  (2023)  R  In My Mother’s Wedding, three sisters (Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham) return home to attend their twice-widowed mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) third wedding. The sisters struggle to understand their mother’s decision to marry again. As they navigate this unusual situation, the family is compelled to revisit their pasts and confront their future, aided by some unexpected wedding guests. My Mother’s Wedding is one of those films that has a dynamic cast, an interesting plot core, and one excellent speech, but the sum of its parts does not make up a good movie. The humor is somewhat forced and doesn't find an emotional center, which causes some of the hard-hitting moments to feel flat and lack any impact. The film centers mostly on Katherine, who is a Navy officer about to be given the promotion of a lifetime. Still, she can’t commit to her longtime companion (played by the always lovely Frida Pinto) and has trouble connecting with her son. Throughout the film, we see snippets of her childhood in black and white animation, as Katherine struggles with her mother’s wedding while thinking about the two fathers that she lost. I had a hard time connecting with each of the sisters, and I didn't figure out who was whose father until near the end of the film. There is a lovely moment near the end of the film when Kristen Scott Thomas’s character gives an impassioned speech to her daughters to grow up and quit idolizing their long-dead fathers. Thomas, who wrote the script based loosely on her life (both her father and stepfather died serving in the British Naval Air Force) and directed the film, gave herself the best scene in the movie. I wish she had written more compelling roles for the other three actors playing the daughters. My Rating: Cable  My Mother's Wedding Website Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film: The War of the Roses  (1989) R  Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) are seemingly the perfect couple, with two grown kids, a beautiful house, and lots of money. Barbara has been the ideal housewife and mother, but now that the kids are out of the house, Barbara realizes she has been under Oliver’s shadow too long and decides that she wants a divorce. Things are about to get ugly. Directed by Danny DeVito, The War of the Roses is a black comedy that pushes the boundaries of violence and outrageousness to extremes, resulting with a hilarious chaotic outcome. Turner and Douglas were at the top of their game and are willing to go all out in the physical comedy that starts slowly and escalates to an all-out war where any object that means something to the other person is fair game to be thrown or destroyed. It is an amazing piece of acting and storytelling, where you end up hating both spouses and loving every minute of their battle for the house.   My Rating: Full Price  The War of the Roses Info  Available for rent/buy on Amazon.   

Weird Credits: From the credits of Sketch: Caption and Language Strategist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Roses  (2025)  R  Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman) are a married couple with a beautiful house and two kids. Ivy is an incredibly successful chef whose stamp on the world is getting bigger. Theo is an architect who has lost his job and is unhappy in his marriage. Theo decides he wants a divorce, and the war between the couple is on. The Roses is a loose remake of the 1989 film The War of the Roses. The Roses Website     The film will be in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 29, 2025. 

Until Next Time! 

Arthur the King

My View: Arthur the King (2024)  PG-13   Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg) is an adventure team racer who believes this is his last chance to win the 435-mile endurance race through the Dominican Republic. Mikael befriends a wounded stray dog named Arthur. Against the odds, Arthur joins the team in the race and becomes a valued team member. We all know what suckers we are for movies that center around dogs, especially if the dog is cute. I am glad to say that Ukai does a great job playing the remarkable Arthur. Unfortunately, Ukai can’t save a storyline that feels slapped together with some band-aids and twine. I think the problem is that the film does a lot with the set-up and doesn’t do enough with the race's hardships. Early in the race, there is a remarkable sequence where the team decides to zip-line across a deep gorge to cut some time and it becomes a spectacular rescue that has to be seen to be believed. However, once our favorite dog joins the gang on the trip, the film becomes about Mikael's journey to learn about himself and how to be a leader who listens. The last fifteen minutes feel a little too much in an attempt to finally pull on the heartstrings. Still, you may need a tissue or two for this final bit. I don’t recommend this for young kids, as some scenes involving Arthur are a little unsettling (hence the PG-13), but older kids will enjoy rooting for Arthur to complete the journey.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Arthur the King Website  Now playing theaters nationwide.

Indiefest: Problemista (2023) R  Alejandro (Julio Torres) is a young man from El Salvador who dreams of being a toy designer. His work visa is about to run out, and he makes a deal with the devil, an erratic, demanding art critic (Tilda Swinton) who is on a mission to retrieve her dead partner's art and mount a show. It’s a job that Alejandro may not survive. Julio Torres is a four-time Emmy-nominated writer (SNL) and won a Peabody Award for his TV show Los Espookys. He has now written and directed a funny and creative surreal comedy that borders on the absurd. This comedy deals with a real problem: the hoops people have to go through to get a work visa in this country. He is fired from his job, which seems to be sitting in a room with a frozen person and their artwork, but is saved when the artist’s wife takes a liking to him and offers him a way to get her to sponsor his work visa. Little does Alejandro know he has just made a deal with a crazy person who changes her mind every few moments and has no idea how to survive in the modern world; all the while, the clock is counting down on Alejandro’s ability to stay in America. The film uses Alejandro’s rich imagination to give us insight into how he is feeling and thinking like when he sees someone being told their application to stay has been rejected, they vanish into thin air, or when he is told what he needs to get his work visa, Alejandro imagines a series of maze-like rooms with hidden doors that never lead to the key he needs to unlock his future. As a director, Torres lets Tilda Swinton have a blast as the widow who is convinced the whole world is out to get her. Swinton gives us a character that is outlandish and sometimes cruel but, in the end, is still likable because she only cares about one thing: the legacy of her dead husband, whom she dearly loved. Problemista is about having the courage to try, the perseverance to keep moving, and the guts to finally speak your mind.   My Rating: Full Price  Problemista Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest: Love Lies Bleeding (2024) R  Lou (Kristen Stewart) is a gym manager in her small town where her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), runs the area with an iron hand. Into Lou’s gym walks Jackie (Kate O’Brian), a bodybuilder who takes Lou’s breath away. It’s a meeting that will change their lives forever. In fact, someone may die. Part film noir, part 80s nostalgia, Love Lies Bleeding is a film where our hero, Lou, no matter what she does, gets pulled further and further into a mess that she probably will never get out of. Set in a time (the 80s) when female body-building was all the rage with women like Corey Everson and Rachel McLish, who were not only on the covers of muscle mags but appeared in mainstream movies and TV shows. Love Lies Bleeding is a love story that goes off the rails. The film is full of violence, sometimes done to shock and other times done to almost comedic tones. The film starts as a romance but quickly becomes bigger than life, like Ed Harris, who has the longest mullet ever seen on the big screen. Kristen Stewart shows us again that she is one of the best actors in the cinema today. Her reaction shots are amazing, as we see on her face how smitten she is from the first time Jackie comes into the gym. The film keeps you guessing what will happen next, though you can almost bet that someone else will die a gruesome death. And there is an ending that will have you talking to your friends as you head to the parking lot. Love Lies Bleeding isn’t a film for everyone, but for fans of Stewart and weird film noir, it’s a delight.  My Rating: Full Price  Love Lies Bleeding Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View: The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024) PG-13   Aren (Justice Smith) is recruited to join a secret group, The American Society of Magical Negroes, made up of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people feel better about themselves. I enjoyed the first half of this film when Arne is still learning the ropes and is shown how the Society keeps white people from causing harm. It’s a fun swipe at how Hollywood has made through the years where a Black supporting character will help in some way the main White hero find his way and save the day. The movie runs into problems in the 2nd half, when Aren starts falling for Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), who works at the same company that Aren’s subject he is supposed to help succeed, Jason (Drew Tarver). Things get complicated when Aren is instructed to help Jason date Lizzie, something that Aren, who by now has connected with Lizzie, wants to avoid. The film is aided by the great chemistry between Smith and Bogan, and their ‘meet-cute’ is fun and imaginative.  The American Society of Magical Negroes dies in the third act when it tries to tie everything up in a nice bow that the film doesn’t need or deserve. I wish the 2nd half of the film had been as imaginative.   My Rating: Cable  The American Society of Magical Negroes Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View: Irish Wish (2024)  Irish Wish takes place when the love of Maddie’s life, Paul (Alexander Vlahos), gets engaged to her best friend, Maddie (Lindsay Lohan), against her better judgment, goes to Ireland to be in the wedding. While in Ireland, Maddie makes a wish that she was the one marrying Paul and wakes up the following day discovering that she is now the bride-to-be. Be careful what you wish for; they might come true. I enjoyed Lindsay’s last rom-com she did for Netflix, Falling For Christmas, as I felt it utilized Lohan’s star power and ability to elevate anything with her charm and ability to play a bit with the humor of the film. In this film, Lindsay plays a woman, Maddie, who is secretly in love with an author she has worked closely with to make him a success. Sadly, she doesn’t let him know her feelings, and he falls for her best friend. So off we go to Ireland for the wedding. Maddie makes a wish, not knowing the Irish magic is in full force, and wakes up the next day as the bride-to-be, getting married to a man she thinks she is in love with. She soon learns the grass is not always greener, even when it's all the way in Ireland, and of course, she soon discovers that maybe the one Maddie thought she was destined for isn’t the one she should be involved with. Irish Wish is a fun film that sometimes tries a little too hard, but still, it’s filled with some beautiful shots of Ireland, a fun romance in the making for Maddie, and, of course, a happy ending. Go ahead, Netflix, keep making these Lindsay Lohan rom-coms, and I’ll keep watching them.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Irish Wish Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View: Remembering Gene Wilder (2023)   The documentary Remembering Gene Wilder is about the legendary actor Gene Wilder, who went from the Broadway stage to starring in classic films like Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), and Silver Streak (1976). This documentary is an absolute delight to watch as Wilder (using audio from his autobiography, Kiss Me Like a Stranger) narrates his life to us as we watch his magical career develop because of both talent and luck. It’s a remarkable film that makes you miss Wilder even more as we see just how talented an actor he was, someone who could play the meek or underdog but also could erupt in the blink of an eye, making a scene go from funny to on the floor laughing till it hurt. The film gives us a man who never thought he would be a leading man, but that was part of the charm of Wilder; he was an everyman who could make you love him, even in the silliest film. The uses behind-the-scenes footage, along with interviews with Wilder that are combined with current interviews with his last wife, Karen Boyer, along with Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, Carol Kane, and Richard Pryor’s daughter, Rain. The film will bring you many laughs and a few tears as we go down memory lane with a great talent and wonderful person. You will want to see a film or two of his after this documentary. I will never forget seeing Silver Streak back in 1976 and thinking, hey, if that goofy guy has a chance with Jill Clayburgh, then maybe I do, too.   My Rating: Full Price  Remembering Gene Wilder website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View: One Life (2023) PG  This is the story of Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker, who, in the months leading up to World War II, almost single-handedly rescued over six hundred children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. This is a gripping tale of a man who saw a disaster waiting to happen and felt that he had to try to rescue as many children as he could at significant risk to himself and his fellow volunteers. The film starts in the mid 80s when Nicky is feeling a bit melancholy, forced to organize and get rid of stuff he has collected through the years by his wife, to make room when his family, soon to be larger when a grandbaby arrives, comes to visit. Nicky revisits his time in Czechoslovakia and his attempts to get as many children out before the Nazis invaded. The film works because Hopkins gives us a man haunted by the past and all the children left behind. We see how remarkable it was to get as many children out as he did, navigating all the bureaucracy, money, and physical transport to find homes for these children, leaving their loved one’s behind. The last third of the film is a tear fest; first, as we learn, Nicky wasn’t always successful. However, the film ends on a good note, and if you don’t know the final part of the story, I won’t ruin it for you. One Life is worth seeing how it all turns out, along with another in a long line of memorable performances by Mr. Hopkins.  My Rating: Full Price  One Life Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest: Club Zero (2023)   Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) is a new teacher at an exclusive private school, where she is about to teach a course called conscious eating. Miss Novak forms a strong bond with five students, a relationship that eventually takes a very dangerous turn. Club Zero is a dark comedy with some horror aspects peeking through, about what happens when someone starts using their influence and made-up facts to brainwash young people looking for something to latch onto. I had some trouble getting fully absorbed by the film because most of the parents of the kids Miss Novak puts under her spell seemed to be one-sided, almost cartoonish characters. This is a film that pushes a few boundaries and does its best to make you feel uncomfortable but never shows you too much, something that maybe it should have. I felt unattached to the characters, never quite invested in their welfare or how they would turn out. By the end of the film, this made me feel empty, not caring too much about Miss Novak or her students. It felt a bit like a meal where you aren’t given enough to eat, and there aren’t any seconds in sight.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Club Zero Website

Indiefest: Uproar (2023) PG-13   Uproar is about Josh (Julian Dennison), a seventeen-year-old who is just trying to keep his head down and survive high school as an Aboriginal native surrounded by white kids in his New Zealand hometown. Talked into taking drama from one of his teachers (Rhys Darby), his life opens up, and he is suddenly aware that the world needs his views and presence. Julian Dennison was in one of my favorite surprise films of the past ten years, the Taika Waititi comedy adventure Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), where Dennison and Sam Neil play a son and foster father who get lost in the New Zealand wilderness. Dennison spreads his magic again, as Josh, a teen attending a rich, private school only because his brother and father were ruby stars at the school. Josh is constantly picked on and is most comfortable spending his time either in the library or on a paper route, where he gets help from his best friend, a teen girl named Grace (Jada Fa’atui). It’s the 80s and a time of unrest in New Zealand as the South African rugby team, a symbol of the ongoing apartheid in that country, comes to New Zealand, and protests erupt throughout the country. Josh, at first, tries to stay in the background, convinced that he will never do anything special, but he soon learns, through his friends, his brother, and a teacher, that he has talent and a skill that will bring people together. It’s Josh’s time to leave the background and make some noise. Uproar is a beautiful and funny film that is a joy to watch, and Dennison is an incredible talent who brings Josh to life.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Uproar Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest: Frida (2024) R  The documentary Frida is about the life of dynamic and iconic artist Frida Kahlo, who led a raw and magical life, bringing joy to millions through her artwork. Using her illustrated diaries as a voice for Frida, the documentary tells the story of a woman whose paintings became more powerful and forceful after her death, giving her success that she never got during her lifetime. Frida spent much of her life in the shadows of men, and this film provides insight into why. Fernanda Echevarria del Rivero gives Frida her voice, and I loved how she was able to bring Frida and her personality to life, and we get to see her sense of humor. I was first enchanted by the animation of Frida’s paintings in the film, but I soon wanted those paintings to stand alone and not be so busy. To me, Frida’s paintings have always told her story, and I feel the animations did some disservice to her work. However, the film gives us an up close and personal feel to the life and loves of Frida. Using both home movies and newsreel footage, along with a treasure trove of photographs, we see Frida throughout her life, in good times and bad, from her childhood to her last days. The film Frida gives her a voice that she didn’t always get to express, and I am glad she is so loved now by the art world and the public. Like Frida herself, it’s an interesting and complex portrait.   My Rating: Full Price  Frida Website  The film is currently playing on the Amazon Prime platform. 

Forgotten Film: The Good Father (1985) R  Bill (Anthony Hopkins) is a man who is very bitter about his divorce and how he has limited access to his son. Bill finds out a friend of his is being sued for divorce, and the wife is leaving for Australia with her lesbian lover and wants to take their son with her. Bill decides to help the man sue for custody, using every trick in the book to win. I love how a film made almost 40 years ago remains relevant. Bill is a man who is angry at the world and feels that feminism has robbed him of the life he wanted to lead with his family. This is a man who you will not like for most of the film because he is so self-centered and plays the blame game. However, through the brilliant acting of Hopkins, the layers of Bill are slowly exposed and we see a man who has never learned how to love or be loved.   My Rating: Full Price  The Good Father Info   The film is available to buy on Amazon. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Arthur the King: Dog Colorist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Challengers (2024) R  Tashi (Zendaya) was a tennis prodigy about to set the tennis world on fire before she suffered a devastating injury she couldn’t recover from. Now, years later, she is a coach and married to a former champion who is on a losing streak, and the question is how far Tashi is willing to go to get him back on his winning streak. It will be interesting to see how well this film does at the box office. Can Zendaya’s star power lead a film?  Challengers Website  The film will be released in theaters on April 26th. 

Until Next Time!