Nobody 2

My View:  Nobody 2  (2025)  R  In Nobody 2, Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a former lethal assassin, has been away from his family for too long. It’s time for him to make amends by planning a family vacation. Unfortunately, Hutch has chosen the wrong destination for him and his family to relax and unwind. I had fun watching the first Nobody film that came out in 2021, which I said, “If you are an action fan and don’t mind a bloody body count, then have fun as Hutch ruins a few bad guys’ day.” I had fun again watching 62-year-old Bob Odenkirk beating the crap out of a bunch of guys that deserved getting beaten to a bloody pulp. My problem with the movie is that, unlike the first film, we are in on the joke, and it takes a long setup time, with only a few fights, to get to the final confrontation. We have a couple of new bad guys to take on. Colin Hanks as a local sheriff and Sharon Stone, happily chewing up scenery, as Lendina, a mob boss whose solution to everything is just to kill everyone. If you can get through the first hour of setup and a few roadblocks that are soon forgotten, the last 30 minutes are a blast (no pun intended) as Hutch, his dad (played by the amazing Christopher Lloyd), and a few surprises take on Lendina and her goons. I have a feeling that we will be seeing Hutch again, this time maybe with the family joining in on the fun. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Nobody 2 Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Highest 2 Lowest  (2025)  R   In Highest 2 Lowest, set in New York City, music mogul David King (Denzel Washington) becomes the target of a kidnapping. However, in a case of mistaken identity, his chauffeur’s son is abducted instead. As King strives to protect his family and preserve his legacy, he faces a significant moral dilemma. I made the mistake of watching the morning before our screening, Akira Kurosawa’s film High and Low (see review below), which is a two-part drama, the first part a character study and the second a hard-boiled detective film. Spike Lee adapted Kurosawa’s film, updating it for the modern world. He transformed Toshirô Mifune’s character, a shoe company executive, into Denzel Washington’s character, a music mogul who once had the music world at his feet but may have lost his touch. I had problems with Highest 2 Lowest, mostly because I couldn’t figure out if this was a drama, a comedy, or a satire. Unlike the original film where the ransom exchange is full of tension and drama, the ransom exchange in this version is full of humor with a very loud combination of Yankee fans chanting and a Puerto Rico day celebration with a jazz performance by Eddie Palmieri and his Afro-Caribbean Jazz Orchestra, where the ransom bag full of money exchange is seemingly bungled, or is it. Lee seems to be constantly poking at us with somewhat clever items like an apartment adorned with the address of A24 (the distributor of the film) or jokes about insurance ads when Dean Winters (the star of a series of insurance TV spots) is in the cast playing a constantly angry and possibly racist cop. I predicted to a fellow critic that, unlike the original film, where Mifune’s character disappears for the most part in the 2nd half of the film as the detective’s work to find the kidnapper, Denzel’s character would do the searching on his own. I also had a hard time with the character of King’s wife, Pam, played by Ilfenesh Hadera, who didn’t help anything with a wooden performance that lacked spark. In the original film, Gondo’s wife (Kyôko Kagawa) is the voice of reason and conscience, who convinces Gondo to pay the ransom. Pam, on the other hand, is cold-hearted and only cares about her wealth and her son’s safety. She shows little concern for the child whose life is at stake if the ransom is not paid. As always, I enjoyed watching Denzel perform, and his scenes with Jeffrey Wright, who portrays his chauffeur and best friend, are the highlights of the film. However, these performances were overshadowed by the film's bizarre tonal shifts, which transitioned from a drama (with a very conservative soundtrack) in the first half to a wild, sometimes off-the-rails, cheeky film that let Denzel explore a wide range of antics. Additionally, I hope not to see another Yankee uniform in a film anytime soon, as they appeared in seemingly every scene.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Highest 2 Lowest Website  Now playing in theaters 

Indiefest:  East of Wall  (2025)  R   East of Wall takes place in the Badlands of South Dakota, where Tabatha Zimiga is working to keep her horse ranch running after the death of her husband. As she navigates personal grief and financial challenges, Tabatha also provides refuge for a group of troubled teens. I highly enjoyed this slice of life film that director Kate Becroft has described as a docu-fiction. The film is based on Zimiga’s real life, and most of the cast is playing a version of themselves as fiction and reality are combined. While not a perfect film, as some scenes feel a little too loose, East of Wall captures the joy of riding a horse, the emotional connections that the kids make with their animals and with Tabatha, and the emotional toil it takes to keep the operation running as kids flock to Zimiga’s ranch to escape their almost non-existent parents. Tabatha’s daughter, Porschia, steals the movies as a teen whose talent for riding horses is matched by her ability to get into trouble with her mother. There are a few established actors in the cast, with Jennifer Ehle playing the continually drunk mother of Tabatha, whose heart sometimes guides her to a bit of wisdom when dealing with the kids or her daughter. East of Wall is a film where both adults and kids are trying to survive, with their happiest times on the Badlands plains riding a horse as fast as they can, where emotions are out for everyone to see.  My Rating: Full Price  East of Wall Website  Now playing in theaters 

Indiefest: Americana (2025)   R  Americana revolves around a Ghost shirt, which is sacred to Indigenous communities and valued at half a million dollars. Everyone wants the shirt, including Mandy (Halsey), who has a kid, Cal (Gavin Maddox Bergman), with local tough guy Dillion (Eric Dane). Also on the hunt are Lefty (Paul Walter Hauser) and his girlfriend, Penny Jo (Sydney Sweeney), along with almost everyone else in town. Which raises the question: who will find the shirt first, and who will be left to cash the reward in? I have a soft spot for modern-day westerns, and this funny, strange tale of a bunch of misfits who all think risking everything is better than the life they are living hits you over the head with interesting characters and a few outstanding performances. Paul Walter Hauser proves again what a talent he is in being able to take a simple character and give it grace. Just his presence on screen makes you root for his character to find the love he desperately needs. Americana is a combination of a Coen Brothers movie, combined with a bit of a zany 60s comedy, but without the whole happy ending. I particularly enjoyed Halsey’s portrayal of the abused girlfriend with a hidden past, who is willing to confront it to achieve her goals. At its core, Americana has a big heart, but be warned—there are many characters in the film eager to put a knife in it.  My Rating: Full Price   Americana Website Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Went Up the Hill  (2024) Went Up the Hill is about Jack (Dacre Montgomery), who ventures to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother. There, he meets his mother’s grieving widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps), who insists that he stay at her home. While there, both will experience the spirit of the deceased woman who returns to inhabit each of their bodies. Went Up the Hill is a ghost story that is all visual and very little story. It’s a film that is told in darkness, as the two strangers are suddenly thrown together, having to deal with the idea that when they go to sleep, one of them will be possessed by the dead woman. When the ghost takes over Jill, she transforms into the mother that Jack never had. Conversely, when the ghost inhabits Jack, he becomes Jill's wife and lover again, but with a sinister plan for the two to be united.  The film has almost no scares and is more about a disturbing way of looking at love, grief, and control. I wanted more than filmmaker Samuel Van Grinsven was willing to give us. It’s a visually striking movie that never matches the look to the feel of the film. Went Up the Hill is a ghost story that only shocks but never gives you a scare.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Went Up the Hill Website  Now playing in theaters

Forgotten Film:  High and Low  (1963)   High and Low is a film that is part character study and part detective film. Starring Toshirô Mifune as Mr. Gondo, a ruthless business executive who is trying to pull a deal that will give him control of a company that he has poured his life into. His plans are ruined when his son is kidnapped and demands 30 million, which will not only ruin Mr. Gondo’s plans for a takeover but also financially ruin him. Mr. Gondo is willing to pay the money until it is discovered that a huge mistake has been made. It’s not Mr. Gondo’s son but his chauffeur’s son who has been kidnapped. The film then becomes a detective film in which we see how they plan to catch the kidnapper, with or without Mr. Gondo’s help. High and Low is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat as clues slowly start coming in, a money drop is involved, and even a look at the ugly side of Tokyo’s nightlife. Directed by the legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, High and Low is a master class in pacing and framework.  My Review:  Full Price  High and Low Info  The film is available on most streaming sevices

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Highest 2 Lowest: Helicopter Ground Coordinator 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Long Walk  (2025)  R  Set in the near future, a group of teenage boys compete in the annual contest known as “The Long Walk.” The winner is awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple; maintain a pace of four miles per hour or you're out - permanently. The film is based on a Stephen King novel.  The Long Walk Website In theaters on Friday, September 12, 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!