Mortal Kombat II

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until Next Time!

Michael

My View: Michael  (2026) PG-13  Michael tells the story of Michael Jackson’s journey from child star of the Jackson Five to the “King of Pop”. It would have been really easy to rename this film “Saint Michael.” Other than some very slight hints that Michael might develop a drug problem, this film does nothing to help us understand Michael as a person and never attempts to show him in a bad light. If you want to sing along with the hits and see recreations of Michael performing, then go ahead and buy a ticket. If you want to know anything at all about Michael other than he didn’t have any friends (except his animals, his bodyguard/driver, and his lawyer), this isn’t the film for you. The film keeps hitting us over the head with what a horrible person Joseph (Colman Domingo), Michael’s father, was. How his mother, Katherine (Nia Long), loved Michael, but other than being Michael’s TV-watching pal, did little to keep Michael from being constantly abused by Joseph. As for Michael’s brothers, I feel for the actors who portrayed them, because they had only a few lines and were used as background scenery. Oh, and by the way, Janet, I guess, was just a figment of our imagination because in this film, she doesn’t exist. Colman Domingo gives us his all, but the character is such a cardboard cutout of a horrible dad that it wears out its welcome very quickly. Both Juliano Valdi, as the young Michael, and Jaafar Jackson, as the teen/adult Michael, do a great job of re-creating the dance moves of Michael, but so does every Las Vegas impersonator. We learn almost nothing about Michael other than that he got the name of his hit album Thriller from old horror movies and that he studied Gene Kelly and Little Richard for dance moves. If you want to spend over two hours watching what I am calling “The Michael Jackson Musical Experience,” then this film is for you. If you want a film that explores the man, the myth, the legend, and tries to understand what made him the musical genius that he was, then this isn’t your movie. And by the way, the film ends with a title card that says "His Story Continues." News flash: I don't care.  My Rating: Cable  Michael Website   Now playing in theaters nationwide

Indiefest:  Mother Mary  (2026)  R   Mother Mary is about the world-famous pop star Mary (Anne Hathaway), who is on the eve of a comeback tour and is in need of some costumes. She reaches out to reconcile with her estranged best friend, Sam (Michaela Coel), which triggers a terrifying look into their complicated, messy past. This is a film where the music and costumes dominate a story that struggles to keep up with its visuals. Hathaway has a beautiful voice and a stage presence that fully convinces you that her character is a huge music star. And that’s one of the problems with this film, those scenes with Mother Mary on stage are incredible, and the music is beautiful, so much so that you want more of that and less of Mother Mary and Sam talking in riddles to each other. The visuals in this film are stunning, from the set designs to the costumes that fill the movie. The problem is that the more the two talk, the more confusing what they are talking about becomes. And I'm not taking anything away from Michaela Coel’s performance, which she delivers with a steely flair that perfectly spares with Hathaway’s Mother Mary. Filmmaker David Lowery, who gives us A Ghost Story, where we watched someone eat a pie for 10 minutes, and the breathtaking The Green Knight, tells us at the start that “This Is Not a Love Story” and “This Is Not a Ghost Story”. Fine, all I know is that it is a stunningly beautiful film without much of a story.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Mother Mary Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Apex  (2026)   R   In Apex, Sasha (Charlize Theron) is in the Australian Outback to conquer riding down a notorious river. She soon discovers something far more dangerous than a roaring river: a man (Taron Egerton) who wants to hunt her for sport. Besides Tom Cruise (because he is nuts), I always wonder what makes an actor take a job that will require very strenuous action sequences and working under very uncomfortable conditions, like Liam Neeson in The Grey, or Ed Harris in The Abyss. Now we have perineal Oscar contender Charlize Theron, white-water rafting and rock climbing, and doing an outstanding, convincing job that makes us believe she is a thrill-seeker extraordinaire. I enjoyed this cat-and-mouse game between a fit, fearless woman, Sasha, and a crazy outback man, Ben, who is excited that he finally has a prey that will give him a good chase. The action sequences are thrilling, the scenery is amazing (wish it was shown on a big theatre screen), and Theron is a force of nature, making me believe she could scale enormous cliffs free solo. Taron Egerton makes an adversary, and I will warn you that his character’s secret is pretty horrendous, but this is Charlize’s film, and she deserves a climber's congrats with a hearty shout, “Project Sent!”   My Rating: Full Price   Apex Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform

My View: Over Your Dead Body  (2026) R  In Over Your Dead Body, a married couple on the brink of divorce, Lisa (Samara Weaving) and Dan (Jason Segel), have gone to a secluded cabin by a lake to try to patch up their marriage. Instead, they find out that they have plans to kill each other. The best way to describe this is War of the Roses with a whole lot of blood and gore. The first third of the film is the couple trying to out-duel each other in ways to kill your spouse. Then some unwanted guests drop in, and the madness starts flowing with body parts flying and blood spewing. This is a dark comedy with tones of cartoon-like violence that keeps you guessing as the beatings and guns hitting body parts start piling up. I found the film hilarious in parts, but it seemed that director Jorma Taccone wanted to see how much an audience could stomach and then go a little further. Weaving and Segel play off each other well, and it’s fun to see their war of words continue as the stakes get higher. If you can stand the sight of blood and body parts coming off while laughing, then pull up a seat. Just don’t sit too close to the screen. You might get some blood splatter on you. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Over Your Dead Body Website  Now playing in theaters 

My View: I Swear (2025) R  I Swear follows the true-life story of John Davidson (Robert Aramayo), who wanted to be a soccer player, but life had other plans, as John had a rough childhood, being diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome. John eventually finds people he can trust, including a mentor named Dottie (Maxine Peake), who helps him deal with a world that doesn’t understand him or his condition. This is one of the best films of the year, and in it is an amazing performance by Robert Aramayo. Aramayo is a joy to watch as you see John struggle through life, taking what seems like one step forward to seemingly be pushed back two steps. However, through a group of friends and co-workers, he finds a home where he can be himself without feeling pressured to fit in. The film does a remarkable job of letting us into John’s life, from when he was a kid who had a bright future as a soccer goalie to being bullied at school, being arrested when he wasn’t the cause of the incident, or being hurt, both mentally and physically, by people who didn’t understand his condition. It’s a brilliant, astonishing performance full of life, warmth, and humor. This is a rare film that gives us a person, not as a saint (looking at you, Michael), but someone who shows us who he is and doesn’t back down on how hard it is to cope. It’s a film that shows us not only how John deals with his life but also how some beautiful people accepted John into their lives, not judging him by his words but by his actions and intentions. It’s a tightrope act that writer/director Kirk Jones navigates with a light touch, letting us understand John and where he comes from. There is a scene near the end of the film that will have you reaching for a tissue or two. I Swear is a journey you want to take, and you will be a better person for walking along with him, because he has made this a better world for us all, not just for people with Tourette’s.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  I Swear Website    Now playing in theaters

Forgotten Film:  The River Wild  (1994)  PG-13  Gail (Meryl Streep) is a former Montana river guide who, in an attempt to mend her family differences, takes her husband (David Strathairn) and son (Joseph Mazzello) on a rafting trip. As they travel down the raging river, a group of three men begin to follow them. It turns out the three men, led by Wade (Kevin Bacon), are on the run from a robbery gone bad and need help escaping down the rapids. The film has some major plot problems, but it’s fun to watch Streep and Bacon play together on-screen. The river scenes are exciting, but the film tries too hard to make David Strathairn’s character the hero and not letting Streep’s character do it all. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The River Wild Info The film is available to rent on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Mother Mary:  Red Woman Electrician

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Mortal Kombat II  (2026)  Champions, including newcomer Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), battle to end Shao Kahn’s savage rule, which threatens Earthenrealm’s existence. This is a sequel to the 2021 film.  Mortal Kombat II Website  In theaters on Friday, May 8, 2026

Until Next Time!