The Fantastic Four: First Steps

My View:  The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) PG-13    The Fantastic Four: First Steps is about four people forced to balance the life of a family with being superheroes. The Fantastic Four must defend Earth from an evil space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). I am a huge fan of Jack Kirby, who, in the early days of Marvel, was one of their leading artists and helped shape and create many of their iconic superheroes. Kirby had a unique drawing style, one that could be identified in almost any panel he drew. The scale and monstrousness of his villains was always impressive. So I was thrilled to see that Kirby’s influence was very present in this latest attempt at bringing us The Fantastic Four to the screen. First Steps is not an origin film, as it takes place four years after the four gained their superpowers in that accident in space. The world has accepted the four, and they have saved the world many times before Galactus and his servant, the Silver Surfer, show up intending to consume the Earth and all its inhabitants. The film is set in the 1960s, but it’s a comic book setting with tall, streamlined rocket ships, flying cars, and black and white TVs. The Fantastic Four is composed of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). I was content with Pascal’s portrayal of Reed, and I thought Ebon Moss-Bachrach had the right amount of humor and clumsy grace for The Thing. I wasn't happy with Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch, feeling that he gave a rather wooden performance that didn't give Johnny much personality. Vanessa Kirby's performance as Sue Storm is the driving force behind the film. Kirby is the glue that keeps the team focused and moving forward, even when things seem bleak. I was never a big fan of the Silver Surfer when I read comic books, and Julia Garner isn’t given much to do other than show up and make a few pronouncements, along with wrecking about everything she comes in contact with. I had a great time with this film and feel that Marvel is back on track with a group of superheroes that have personality (except Johnny), humor, and can carry a movie. I look forward to seeing more from this gang. And by the way, stay through all the credits. There is a substantial mid-credit sequence and a fun end-credits sequence. My Rating: Full Price  The Fantastic Four: First Steps Website Now playing in theaters nationwide, including IMAX.  

My View:  Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)  PG-13  Happy Gilmore 2 takes place thirty years after Happy (Adam Sandler) won his first Tour Championship. He now must come out of retirement to pay for his daughter’s ballet school. I knew we were in trouble from the very beginning when just two minutes in, there's a joke about how Happy and Virginia had four kids in four years, followed by Virginia landing Happy a gig for a condom commercial. With a ton of cameos, numerous callbacks to the first film, loads of bad jokes, and Happy as an alcoholic, the film tries too hard to capture the magic of the first film and fails for almost its entire two-hour length. Bad Bunny as a waiter who becomes Happy’s caddie is about the only bright spot in this mess of a sequel. However, I’m not sure even golfers will find this film amusing, although one joke about Scottie Scheffler getting arrested did elicit a brief laugh (you might want to Google it). Ultimately, Happy Gilmore 2 feels like nothing more than a vehicle for Sandler to create another film with his friends, similar to his previous unfunny works like Murder Mystery or Grown Ups 2. Just like Happy's golf game at the beginning of the movie, Happy Gilmore 2 is a big slice that goes way out of bounds.  My Rating: Cable   Happy Gilmore 2 Website Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest:  Oh, Hi!  (2025) R  In Oh, Hi! Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) go on a romantic weekend road trip. On their first night at the rental, they engage in some playful bondage scenarios. While Isaac is tied to the bed, he reveals to Iris that he is not looking for a relationship at this point in his life. Talk about the wrong time to mention that, Isaac! I thoroughly enjoyed this film, even if it occasionally pushes the plot a bit too far, because Molly Gordon is brilliant in the role of Iris. Seemingly the perfect girlfriend, Iris goes overboard when she finds out that Isaac is not only not interested in a relationship, but that he has been dating other women. Gordon is perfect as the funny and impulsive Iris, who is convinced that if she makes a case for herself (after a night of googling what seems to be every self-help guru out there), Isaac will come to his senses and see that she is perfect for him. The film would be a bit of a chore if it were just these two characters, but it has a great supporting cast in David Cross as a nosy neighbor and Geraldine Viswanathan as Iris’s best friend, who drops everything to come and try to help Iris. However, this is Gordon’s movie, and she rises to the challenge and shows off a dance move or two to our delight. The main question is whether you will feel sorry for Isaac or join Iris in her quest. Wait until the end to make your decision. My Rating: Full Price    Oh, HI! Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Shoshana  (2023)  R  Shoshana is set in 1930s Tel Aviv, during the period of British control over the region. The story follows Thomas (Douglas Booth), a British police officer who falls in love with a beautiful Israeli woman named Shoshana (Irina Starshenbaum). As Thomas investigates the whereabouts of a Zionist independence fighter, he suspects that Shoshana’s family may be supporting his ideas. Shoshana is a fascinating film about the start of Israel under British rule and how complex the idea of a Jewish state even then was, full of so many factors that made it almost impossible to solve. The film is based on a true story of star-crossed lovers who attempt to stay together despite the world conspiring against them. Shoshana has the love story at its center, but it’s really a film about just how fractured that part of the world was — and still is. Booth and Strashenbaum have excellent chemistry, and we do root for the two to find happiness, but we also know that in that part of the world at that time, that happiness was going to be short-lived. Shoshana is a thriller that has a romance at its heart, and that heart can be broken when the world continues to fight.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Shoshana Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film: The Patriot  (2000) R  Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a widower who is raising seven boys on a farm. He has preached peace with the British in the past, but when a British officer murders one of his sons and burns his home down, Benjamin takes on the British, joining the Colonials on their quest for independence. This film harkens back to the blockbuster that could open big on the back of just one star like Mr. Gibson. Nominated for three Oscars, the cinematography is magnificent, and the battle sequences are thrilling (though I doubt how authentic they are). With a cast that includes Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Chris Cooper, and Logan Lerman as one of Benjamin’s sons, the film works well as a big blockbuster film featuring a score by John Williams. There are worse ways to spend an evening than watching Gibson beat the British almost single-handedly.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Patriot Website The film is available on many streaming platforms. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Fantastic Four: First Steps:  Prop Hand Improver

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Together  (2025) R  Together follows Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie), a couple who, years into their relationship, relocate to the countryside in hopes of saving their marriage. As tensions rise to an all-time high, they confront an unnatural force that threatens to disrupt their relationship, their lives, and even their physical well-being.  Franco and Brie are married in real life.  Together Website   In select theaters on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

Until Next Time!

F1: The Movie

My View:  F1: The Movie  (2025)  PG-13   In F1: The Movie, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a retired driver who thought he had burned too many bridges to ever return to F1 racing. An owner (Javier Bardem) wants to make a splash in the racing world and brings in Sonny to team with a new hot shot driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). F1: The Movie is a big Hollywood film with a huge, bankable Hollywood star that is about one of the world’s most popular sports and was done not only with the full cooperation of the sports governing body but with the world’s most famous driver (and many time world champion) Lewis Hamilton, as a producer. See this film in the theater, with as big a screen as you can, because the racing scenes are some of the most thrilling auto-racing sequences that have ever been filmed. F1 excels at putting you in the cars with the drivers while they race on tracks around the world. With the full cooperation of F1, the filmmakers were able to shoot some of the film on the actual race circuits, which makes this film feel even more real and thrilling. Pitt is everything you want in a big, charismatic star who makes you believe he isn’t over 60 and that he is one of the great race car drivers in the world. It’s a role that few stars out there could do, and Pitt does it with a flare that makes you believe he could go into F1 and be successful in only a few races. So, those are the pluses of this film: thrilling racing scenes and a star who knows how to be a star. Unfortunately, the power of the film's racing scenes is lost when the storyline gets in the way of making it work. F1: The Movie is a film that runs over two and a half hours, and too much of the film is spent setting up storylines that either don’t work or we don’t care about. I loved the relationship and chemistry between Sonny Hayes, the off-putting over-confident race car driver, and Kate McKenna, the team’s chief engineer (played by the always wonderful Kerry Condon). Sonny asks Kate to create a car that handles differently than most F1 cars, and reluctantly, she buys into what he’s selling. There is some great chemistry between Condon and Pitt, but I kept hoping that the romantic aspect would be put on the back burner and let this working dynamic unfold without the need for them to get together. There are plenty of problems with the plot, including how Sonny plays bumper cars without a serious crash or penalty, a poorly done feud between hot shot driver Joshua and Sonny, and a play for control of the racing team that you see coming from almost the start of the film, that doesn’t resolve itself until the very end. Still, you will have a great time watching a superstar actor in a role that he was made for and racing sequences that are incredibly well done and thrilling. Maybe take a bathroom break or refill that popcorn when the talking starts. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  F1: The Movie Website       Now playing in theaters nationwide, including IMAX. 

My View:  M3GAN 2.0  (2025)  PG-13   M3GAN 2.0 takes place two years after roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) created M3GAN, a robot meant to be a companion to Cady (Violet McGraw), a robot that turned into a killing machine. A new military-grade robot, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), has been built using M3GAN’s technology and has become self-aware, turning against its creators. It is now attempting an AI takeover and sees Gemma and Cady as targets. Not if the new and improved M3GAN 2.0(Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis)  has anything to say about it. Back in 2023, I gave M3GAN, the first film in the series, a terrific review, stating, “Full of humor and some cool special effects, we have a horror star who makes Chucky look like an amateur.” Unfortunately, this time around, instead of returning to the horror/humor style that worked so well, they decided to make M3GAN the next action hero, and it doesn’t work. Instead of horror, we get a robot that is out to take over the world, and our team of robot scientists, including Cady (who in two years has somehow become a world-class Aikido fighter), go into a secret lair bunker, straight out of James Bond movie, to build a new M3GAN. You can almost hear the words being said: “We can make her better than she was. Better, stronger, faster.” While the first film had a lot to say about the state of parenting, this film is all about the evils of AI taking over our lives. The plot is razor thin, and the humor is forced, though there is a magnificent scene where M3GAN serenades her creator Gemma with a rendition of the Kate Bush song ‘This Woman’s Work.’ And yes, M3GAN dances, but it doesn’t have the quirky feel of the original film. And that’s the key issue: this two-hour film is simply not fun. Instead, it’s as if director Gerard Johnstone watched too many of those Cannon films of the 80s as a kid and decided it was time to bring them back. Instead, can we please have M3GAN return be creepy and scary? We already have enough superhero movies. My Rating: Bargain Matinee M3GAN 2.0 Website Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  My Mom Jayne (2025)   TV-MA   My Mom Jane is a documentary by Mariska Hargitay, who was only three years old when her mother, Jayne Mansfield, died in a horrible car accident. Mansfield, at the time, was one of the most famous people in the world due to her films and the constant publicity she generated about her life and appearance. This is a film about the personal journey of a woman who didn’t know or remember her mother but whose shadow always followed her. My Mom Jayne is a captivating exploration of discovery, as Hargitay delves into her mother’s life—including her early marriage and pregnancy, her pursuit of a career driven by sheer determination, and her experiences with multiple marriages while raising four children.  We see as Mariska discovers things about her mother that were buried in the past and how, when they come to light, Hargitay gains a better understanding of her mother, including all the trials and tribulations that her brief but prolific life entailed. Mariska keeps peeling back the layers and discovering more about a mother she thought she knew, but she finds there is so much more. Hargitay does a marvelous job of showing us never-before-seen photos and home movies, along with a ton of Mansfield’s TV talk show appearances, that make you feel you are right there along with Hargitay. My Mom Jayne, is an emotional film that keeps surprising you as mysteries are solved, some of which are jaw-dropping revelations. By the end of the movie, you gain a deeper understanding of how misunderstood Mansfield was and how loving a mother she could have been to Mariska if her life hadn’t been cut short. It’s a poignant journey of pain, loss, and love—one that you won’t soon forget. My Rating: Full Price My Mom Jayne Website  Now playing on the HBO Max platform.  

Indiefest:  Tatami  (2023)  Leila (Arienne Mandi), a judo champion in her native Iran, and her coach, Maryam (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), have traveled to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home her country’s first gold medal. Midway through the competition, Leila receives an order from the Islamic Republic to fake an injury and withdraw. Will Leila do as she is told or continue competing, putting herself and her family in danger? Part sports movie and part thriller, with political intrigue thrown in, Tatami is a compelling watch that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Arienne Mandi gives a powerful performance as a woman who is willing to risk everything to achieve her dreams. Shot in black and white, the film follows Leila and her coach as she competes, and she feels that this is her day, that this is her tournament, and nothing can stop her. However, politics and a regime that prioritizes making a statement over sportsmanship threaten to derail her aspirations.Tatami is an emotionally charged and tense film where strength and courage are not just demonstrated on the mat, but also behind the scenes. It's an emotional rollercoaster, enthralling and complex, that will take you on a journey of unexpected emotions and places. It is a film that, like Leila, keeps fighting the good fight until the end.  My Rating: Full Price  Tatami Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025)  The documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore focuses on actress and activist Marlee Matlin, who won an Academy Award at the age of 21 for her performance in the film Children of a Lesser God (1986). Marlee has not only been a trailblazer for deaf actors but also a dedicated advocate for increased inclusion and accessibility within the Deaf community. I have been a fan of Marlee Matlin since seeing her heartbreaking and powerful performance in the 1986 film Children of a Lesser God, from which she won an Academy Award. That film propelled her overnight into three things she was not prepared for: becoming a spokesperson for every deaf person on the planet, an acting career based on one role in an industry that had never even considered that deaf people could be star material, and being in a relationship with a man who physically took out his insecurities on someone who loved him. Not Alone Anymore is a profile of a woman who never let people/critics define her by her hearing impairment. It’s a fascinating look at a woman who broke ground with every role she took on. Everyone who has used captioning when watching TV shows or movies should bow down to Matlin, as she was an almost a one-woman crusader for closed captioning. The film allows Matlin to tell her own story, and what a story it is. We discover the origins of her relationship with William Hurt and how it turned into a terrible, physically abusive one. Matlin tackles her drug addiction head-on with us and goes into detail about how she was treated by the press and by the deaf community. What I loved about this film was how it used closed captioning, allowing the hearing-impaired to express themselves without having to wait for an interpreter to catch up to what they were saying. It also shows how hard Matlin had to fight to have a career and how many times she had to hold her ground or fight for a role when studios would rather hire a hearing actor instead of someone with a hearing impairment. I loved the moment in the film when Marlee is with her brothers and sister, and Marlee, even with a family that is used to dealing with a deaf person, is left out of conversations because they aren’t talking to her or where she can see them. At one point, she signs to the camera, “I’m bored.” Watching this film about this amazing activist and actor, you will never make that statement. The film ends with two scenes. One is Matlin enjoying time with her newborn grand-baby, talking to the baby using ASL. And as credits roll, we watch Marlee in a car, signing along with a Billy Joel song as she waits at a red light. I can’t wait to see what Matlin does in her next role because I know it will be like her: powerful, tough, and thoughtful.   My Rating: Full Price  Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Website  Now playing in select theaters.  

Forgotten Film:  Before Night Falls (2000) R   Before Night Falls is the story of Reinaldo Arenas (Javier Bardem), the Cuban novelist and poet who believed that Fidel Castro’s revolution would liberate his life. Instead, he was targeted for his homosexuality and imprisoned for years, where he continued to write. We follow Arenas through his life as he continues to write, as his life becomes harder and harder. Javier Bardem delivers a riveting and touching performance as a man who is repeatedly put down but refuses to be anything but himself. It's a master class in acting, and because of it, Javier Bardem received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Of note is that Johnny Depp has a dual role in the film, one as a military officer who takes advantage of Reinaldo’s incarceration and as “Bon Bon’, a fellow inmate who is a crossdresser who helps Reinaldo smuggle out his writings.    My Rating: Full Price  Before Night Falls Info  Available to rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits:  From the credits of F1: The Movie:  Bolero Technician

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) PG-13  Forced to balance the life of a family with being superheroes, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from an evil space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). The Fantastic Four comprises Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The Fantastic Four: First Steps Website  The film opens nationwide on Friday, July 25, 2025.  

Until Next Time!