Project Hail Mary

My View: Project Hail Mary  (2026)  PG-13 In Project Hail Mary, science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light-years from home with no idea who he is or how he got there. He soon figures out that his mission is to somehow stop a mysterious substance from killing the sun. Ryland is not alone up there and discovers unexpected help from an alien. There are some films that you enjoy from beginning to end, and this is one of them. You are going to fall in love with the alien that Ryland names Rocky. Project Hail Mary is such a wonderful film, from brilliant and jaw-dropping effects to a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat while simultaneously laughing, that it is a wonder to behold. Gosling is perfect in the role of an everyman who isn’t trained to be an astronaut, much less a hero, but who is smart and willing to meet an alien life form not only halfway but become that life form's friend. While the running length may seem daunting at over two and a half hours, you never feel its length, as the story keeps you interested, excited, and joyful. There are some amazing space sequences that keep you on the edge of your seat, but the heart of this film is the friendship and trust that develops between Ryland and Rocky, as they try to save their worlds while feeling the weight of not wanting to fail. Project Hail Mary is a film full of wonder, humor, and suspense, and one you just might go see again.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Project Hail Mary Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide

My View:  Ready or Not 2: Here I Come  (2026)  R Ready or Not 2: Here I Come begins after surviving the game where the family Grace (Samara Weaving) was marrying into tried to kill her. She has now been kidnapped by four rival families, vying for a throne by killing her. To raise the stakes, Grace’s sister (Kathryn Newton) is now her partner in the new game. I loved the first film, Ready or Not, which I said was a perfect example of the definition of a ‘dark comedy,’ a film that makes light of a subject that is generally considered taboo, and I loved the gutty and fiery performance of Samara Weaving. While I enjoyed this film, as you would expect from a sequel, it doesn’t quite deliver the thrills of the original. Kathryn Newton’s addition to the cast as the estranged sister of Grace, who has a chip on her shoulder for being abandoned by Grace when she was 15, is a boon, as their interplay throughout is a lot of fun. There are still some fun kills, and yes, people do still blow up, getting blood everywhere (kind of a running gag in this one). I did enjoy the new characters, including the twins, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy, who have a very strange relationship. I will say that I was thrilled with the ending, so if you liked or loved the first film, go on another escape the nutty family with Grace, and this time you have her sister to help deal with all the blood. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Ready or Not 2 Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Tow  (2025)  R  Tow is about Amanda Ogle (Rose Byrne), a homeless woman in Seattle who has been living in her car for the past few years. Her world comes crashing down when her car is stolen and is found in a tow company's holding yard. To get her stolen car back, she will have to sue the company after receiving a bill that she can never afford to pay. Rose Byrne and a stellar supporting cast, including Demi Lovato, Dominic Sessa, Octavia Spencer, Ariana DeBose, Simon Rex, and Elsie Fisher, try to overcome both a script that tends to wander and a direction that never can find a place to concentrate on. We get a cast of characters that don’t help the storyline and are asked to say lines like, “No porn on the Lord’s Wi-Fi.” We get a lot of scenes of phone calls and texts between Amanda and her daughter, Avery (Elsie Fisher), that amount to a lot of feeling guilty and Avery feeling abandoned, all of which could be shown in one or two conversations, instead of every five to ten minutes. The final courtroom scene falls flat, making Amanda’s victory feel hollow and powerless. It’s a long way to go on a journey that never really gets started.   My Rating: Cable  Tow Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  André Is an Idiot  (2025)  André Is an Idiot is a documentary about a self-proclaimed ‘idiot’, André Ricciardi, who learns that, after skipping the colonoscopy that could have saved him, he is dying of colon cancer. He decides to go out with how he has always lived his life: with irreverence, humor, and curiosity. I really enjoyed this documentary, but man, I am glad that I never knew the guy because he would have driven me crazy. To say that André’s view of the world is a little off-kilter would be an understatement. However, if you are going on a journey with a man who is going to die of cancer, you might as well go on that journey with a guy who sees the world as his playground, and we are all just there for him to mock. There is a ton of animated scenes that illustrate Andre's kooky ideas, including a game show where contestants vie to kill him. André fights as long as he can and does it on his terms, and no one else is going to change his mind. My Rating: Full Price  Andre is an Idiot Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film: Cold Souls  (2009) PG-13  Paul (Paul Giamatti) is an actor preparing for his Broadway role in “Uncle Vanya”. However, Paul isn’t feeling it, and he learns that there is a doctor who can put his soul in storage, giving him a new outlook. When losing his soul doesn’t work, he asks for someone else’s and is given a new one, one of a Russian poet. It improves his performance but ruins everything else in his life, and he is desperate to get his old soul back. This is a very strange comedy that is worth seeing because of Paul Giamatti, who is brilliant in this strange, deadpan comedy that wonders if you really need a soul. My Rating; Full Price  Cold Souls Info  The film is available on Amazon Prime

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Project Hail Mary:  Royal Navy Logistics

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice  (2026) R   In Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Nick (Vince Vaughn), a mobster, must use a time machine to travel back in time to save his friend, Mike (James Marsden), from being murdered. To complicate matters, Nick has just found out that Mike has been having an affair with Nick’s wife (Eiza González). I love the tagline of the film, “A time-traveling, double-crossing, ass-kicking comedy.”  Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice Website  Premiering on Hulu on Friday, March 27, 2026.

Until Next Time!

How to Make a Killing

My View: How to Make a Killing  (2026)  R  How to Make a Killing is about Becket (Glen Powell), who was told by his mother when he was a child that he would someday be rich. That’s true, but unfortunately, there are seven people in his way to a 28 billion dollar inheritance. What would you do? I am a fan of Glen Powell, but this is not his best work. He is let down by a script that wants to be a dark comedy but forgets to be dark or comedic. Instead, it’s a bland attempt to redo the perfect 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, and it doesn’t succeed (look for the very small credit in the closing credits for this film). Something that could have saved this film (besides some actual comedy) is Margaret Qualley, who tries her hardest to bring some life to the storyline as a childhood friend who is married (unhappily) to one of the heirs to the fortune. I wanted more of Qualley’s character in the film, but she only shows up occasionally to create tension. Most of the supporting cast is wasted, including Ed Harris, who doesn’t show up until near the end of the film. The tagline of the film is “Heir today, gone tomorrow.” Well, I wish tomorrow had come much sooner.  My Rating: Cable  How to Make a Killing Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Kokuho  (2025) Kokuho takes place in post-war Japan as Kikuo (Ryo Yoshizawa), the son of a yakuza mobster leader, sees his father gunned down. Years later, Kikuo is taken in by a renowned Kabuki actor, Hanai, and Kikuo becomes his apprentice. Despite life’s challenges, Kikuo becomes a gifted performer, but jealousy and the past may become too much to overcome. This is a visually stunning film that has all the intrigue of a Shakespearean drama, with family squabbles, a son who is overlooked, an outsider who reaps the rewards until things go bad, and redemption, but with a cost. The Kabuki scenes are beautiful and fascinating. The story goes on a little too long (it spans many years and runs three hours), but the performances are strong, and the plot keeps giving us twist after twist. My Rating: Full Price  Kokuho Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  This is Not a Test  (2025) R  This is Not a Test is about Sloane Price (Olivia Holt), a teen girl who has had a rough life, abused by her father, abandoned by her sister, and who contemplates suicide. Sloane’s life changes when Sloane and four other students are forced to take shelter in their high school during a zombie apocalypse. I enjoyed this high school drama meets horror film because of Olivia Holt’s performance as Sloane, a teen who has already experienced horror in her own household by an abusive father, only to be attacked by zombies. Her only refuge is her high school, where she finds a few other students to hang out with and survive the trauma of zombies showing up, even as old teachers. Holt is what makes this film work, as she tries to find solace among her fellow students but is always confronted by her status as a loner. We know some students won’t survive, but we hold out hope that Sloane will. The zombie attacks are ok, though very low-tech, but it’s the high school kids trying to survive and get along that make this film work.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   This is Not a Test Info  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Midwinter Break  (2026) PG-13  Midwinter Break follows a long-term couple, Stella (Lesley Manville) and Gerry (Ciaran Hinds), as they take a holiday in Amsterdam. Their trip is filled with unresolved tensions, past memories, and a secret that could destroy their relationship. This had all the hallmarks of an outstanding film, thanks to the two lead actors. Regrettably, I never felt a connection with either character. From the first shot of them eating dinner, you could tell that whatever they had in their marriage was long gone. The concept is interesting, with Stella wanting a more spiritual life, but it comes across almost as if Stella had planned all along to leave Gerry there in Amsterdam. Gerry comes across as a man who loves his wife but doesn’t respect her. While Stella has a breathtaking moment telling the story of her pregnancy, there is never the poignant moment we need between Gerry and Stella to hit us. Instead, we get what feels like a feeble scene in an airport near the end of the film, leaving us disappointed to have gone on this journey with the two of them, and neither the two nor the audience has learned a thing.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Midwinter Break Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  We lost one of my favorite actors of all time this week, Robert Duvall. In his honor, I am re-running one of my Forgotten Films from Dec. 25, 2012. Tender Mercies (1983) PG  Robert Duvall plays Mac Sledge, a legendary country singer who has fallen on hard times due to his drinking. He finds himself abandoned in a small West Texas motel run by a widow, Rosa (Tess Harper), and her young son (Allan Hubbard). Through the kindness of Rosa, Mac slowly gets his life back on track, falling in love with Rosa, and he begins to write songs again. But life is complicated, and his ex-wife, Dixie (Betty Buckley), a big country star herself, comes back into the picture to mess things up possibly. Duvall gives one of his best performances, bringing depth and warmth to a deeply flawed character. Everyone in this film did their own singing, with Duvall and Buckley lighting up the screen with their vocal talents. This is almost a perfect film with an incredible script by the Texan writer Horton Foote, whose talent for finding the right words for his characters shines throughout. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Tender Mercies Info   Available to rent on Amazon and Apple TV+  

Weird Credits:  From the credits of How to Make a Killing:  Map Welfare Inspector 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Project Hail Mary (2026) PG-13  Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light-years from home with no idea who he is or how he got there. He soon figures out that his mission is to somehow stop a mysterious substance from killing the sun. Ryland is not alone up there and discovers unexpected help; from an alien. The film is from the team of Lord and Miller, responsible for bringing us The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  Project Hail Mary Website  The film is in theaters on Friday, March 20, 2026. 

Until Next Time!