They Will Kill You

My View: They Will Kill You  (2026)  R   They Will Kill You follows a young woman (Zazie Beetz) who takes a job as a housekeeper at a NYC high-rise that has a history of mysterious disappearances. She soon realizes that the high-rise is a deathtrap, and she is its latest victim. They have no idea who they hired, but the high-rise is about to find out. Anyone who has seen the trailer for this film knows it's going to be a wild ride. I just didn’t know how wild a ride it is. The first fight sequence has an incredibly shocking conclusion that I won’t reveal, but just say that this film is absolutely a nutty, off-the-wall, throw-everything-at-us-it-can kind of film. Zazie Beetz does an amazing job of being a tough, kill them with anything type of warrior while also being able to handle some of the film’s comedic moments (which had me laughing quite a bit at the wondrousness of it all). The fight sequence where Zazie’s character takes on the bad guys in a darkened room with a fireman’s axe that she has set ablaze (why not?) is thrilling and well done. This is a bloody mess of a film that takes a while to reveal its full plot, but it's such a fun ride that I just wanted to see how Beetz’s character was going to get out of this maze of hell. It’s one bloody ride into crazy town, and I loved it.  My Rating: Full Price  They Will Kill You Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Forbidden Fruits  (2026)  R   In Forbidden Fruits, Apple (Lili Reinhart) runs an after-hours “femme witchy cult” within a ritzy mall store called Free Eden. Her followers include Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp), and they are soon joined by a fellow mall employee, Pumpkin (Lola Tung). Pumpkin will eventually challenge Apple’s reign, and unlike their outfits, it will not be pretty. Forbidden Fruits is a film that wants to become a cult classic (think of some witch movies of the past 30 years), but never reaches the level of comedy or satire that could elevate it to that stature. The film always seems to be just on the edge, but rarely delivers a scene, trying too hard to make a point. Forbidden Fruits takes a long time to set up the confrontation and then goes into a really convoluted storyline that comes out of nowhere. The cast tries hard to make the film work, but they aren’t given enough material to keep us interested. Do stay through the first portion of the credits, as there is a bonus scene that explains a little bit of the missing plot. Just not enough to make it work.  My Rating: Cable  Forbidden Fruits Website Now   playing in theaters

Indiefest: A Magnificent Life  (2025)   PG-13 A Magnificent Life is about the famous French filmmaker, playwright, and novelist Marcel Pagnol, who, in this animated film, sits down to write his memoirs. He is visited by his younger self, who guides him to tell his story of his years in cinema, along with the ups and downs of his personal life. This is a loving look at a filmmaker who had a great impact on French filmmaking. The animation is lovely to look at, with colors that are inspired by paintings and Pagnol's own movies. However, the film is incredibly slow and spends most of its time trying to cover the vast body of Pagnol's work, which makes it feel a little shallow. Instead, we get an almost newsreel feel to a life that was filled with too much product to be shown in such little time.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  A Magnificent Life Website  Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Pretty Lethal  (2026)  R  Pretty Lethal is about five ballerinas on their way to a dance competition whose bus has broken down, and they have taken refuge in a remote inn. A group of armed men shows up, and the women will have to use their rigorous training and dance skills to transform their art into a weapon. This is another in a long list of films that would play well with crowds at a midnight horror film festival, but doesn’t have the staying power to make it in the feature film world. It’s a film with a great premise, but it runs out of steam soon after the first fight, when the ballerinas realize they can use their dance moves to kill and maim the bad guys. Uma Thurman hams it up with a horrible accent as the ballerina turned mobster who runs the hotel and wants to expand her reach or get revenge (I never quite figured that part out). The action sequences are fun at first and then become increasingly silly, but not in a fun way. I became bored with the plot about halfway through. I had high hopes for this film with the cast of Iris Apatow, Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Avantika, and Millicent Simmonds playing the ballerinas, but they were given a script that could have been a fun short, but not a feature film.  My Rating: Cable  Pretty Lethal Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform

My View: 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). What’s worse than one Vince Vaughn doing his usual too cool for you persona? How about two Vince Vaughns in this mess of a time travel/mobster film that thinks really bad jokes are always funny if you keep telling them. This film goes on and on, seemingly with no end in sight. And it doesn’t know when to quit (there are even horrible added scenes during the credits that continue the trend of not being funny). It’s sad when the only thing I liked in the movie is a cat with an attitude. My Rating: Cable     Mike & Nick & NIck & Alice Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform   

Indiefest:  The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist  (2026)  PG-13   The documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is told through the perspective of filmmaker Daniel Roher. Daniel is about to become a father and is worried about the existential threats posed by artificial intelligence. So he goes and talks to the experts in the AI world, including the CEOs of companies trying to capitalize on the technology. This is such an interesting film, part horror, part comedy, and full of information you will still be sorting out long after leaving the theater. Roher is hilarious as the filmmaker trying to figure out AI, using incredible stock clips, animation, and even conversations with his wife to be the everyman wanting to know what AI is and whether it can be the end of civilization as we know it. The film is told in parts, with the first part interviewing a wide range of experts who have come to the conclusion that we are all doomed by AI. Roher follows that with talking with experts who believe AI will save us and make the world better. And then that is followed by experts who say it will be a little of both. This is a fascinating film about an incredibly complex subject, but Roher presents the interviews and ideas with a flair for keeping the story interesting and captivating. I loved the ending, which I won’t ruin, but let’s say both he and his wife have ideas on the subject. Is it going to stop you from asking AI about how to make your garden gopher-proof? Probably not, but it will make you think and just might get you to investigate this subject further or even call someone in Congress.  My Rating: Full Price   The AI Doc Website   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Marc by Sofia (2025) PG-13  Marc by Sofia is a documentary that gives an intimate, unconventional portrait of the iconic American designer Marc Jacobs. It's a documentary that only Marc Jacobs fans will love. While it is fun to watch how much work and detail go into staging a fashion show that lasts only minutes, that's about all I learned about the subject. I found out almost nothing about Jacobs in this documentary, other than that he makes some really weird clothes, has worked with and for some famous people, Sofia Coppola has known Jacobs for a long time, and Jacobs is obsessed with details. The documentary feels more like a Vogue or Vanity Fair pictorial: lots of glamour and fluff, but very little detail about the man himself. Marc by Sofia is Coppola's first attempt at a documentary, and I will say this: she appears in the film almost as much as the subject himself.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Marc by Sofia Website  Now playing in select theaters 

Indiefest: Alpha  (2025) R  Alpha is about a troubled 13-year-old girl (Melissa Boros), who defies her single mom (Golshifteh Farahani) and gets a tattoo. Their world collapses when she learns that she may have contracted a lethal, blood-borne disease from getting the tattoo.  The movie is from filmmaker Julia Ducournau, known for her award-winning films Titane (2021) and Raw (2016); both were a little too strange for my taste. This is a much easier film to watch, though it moves back and forth in time between when Alpha is currently 13 and when she was 5. Alpha is a headstrong young girl, flirting with sleeping with a boy (who has a girlfriend), and isn’t afraid to smoke and drink. She does suffer from panic attacks, which are incredibly scary. We see the effects of the first panic attack early in the film, when she attempts to leave her room via her window and has an attack that makes her think the balcony is going to blow away due to incredibly strong winds. While the film doesn’t name HIV/AIDS as the virus, it uses a stand-in where, when people are infected, they slowly become solid like rocks. Alpha is thought of by the school and her fellow students as a pariah, as a person who could have the virus, and Alpha is constantly dealing with being shunned or threatened. To make things worse for Alpha, she is forced to share her room with her mother’s brother, a man who has shown up to get clean from heroin. While I enjoyed Melissa Boros’s performance, I had a hard time keeping up with the storyline, which kept jumping back and forth in time, and I did not enjoy the ending, which left more questions than answers. I also did not like the way the mother, a doctor, treated her only daughter, who might have the virus, including having her share a room with an addict. I think the storyline would have worked better if the film had stayed in the real world rather than wandering so much into fantasy.My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Alpha Website Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  Purple Violets  (2007) R  This is the story of two couples at a crossroads who encounter their college sweethearts. The couples that are destined to be together are writer Brian (Patrick Wilson) and a failed writer turned realtor, Patti (Selma Blair), and lawyer Michael (Ed Burns) and teacher Kate (Debra Messing). All are in relationships, but their attraction to each other is what makes this film work. Written and directed by Ed Burns, this is a fun and funny romance about lost love and having to decide if your life has turned out the way you wanted it. Blair and Wilson are the couple you root for from their ‘meet cute’ and make this little-seen film worth watching. My Rating: Full Price  Purple Violents Info  The film is available on most streaming platforms

Weird Credits: From the credits of Forbidden Fruits:  Movie Animals Protected Representative

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Fantasy Life   (2025) R  Fantasy Life follows Sam (Matthew Shear), a law school dropout who has just lost another job. His psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch) gives him a job babysitting the psychiatrist’s three granddaughters, and Sam soon falls for Dianne (Amanda Peet), the mother of the girls, who just happens to be in a bad marriage. This is Amanda Peet's first feature film since 2015's Sleeping with Other People.  Fantasy Life Website In theaters on Friday, April 3, 2026

Until Next Time!

The Bride!

My View:  The Bride!  (2026) R The Bride! is a retelling of the story of the Bride of Frankenstein. In the 1930s, Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) had traveled to Chicago to seek the aid of Dr. Eupronius (Annette Bening) in creating a companion. Together, they revive a murdered woman, creating The Bride (Jessie Buckley), who is far more than expected. This sparks a romance, police attention, and more. It’s very hard to describe what this film is. Is it a horror film? Sort of. A musical? Sort of. A comedy? Sometimes. A romance?Nearly. Hard to follow? Absolutely. It is a film with some outstanding performances by Christian Bale as the love-lorn monster and Jessie Buckley as his intended love interest, but to say this movie is off-the-wall bonkers and all over the place would be putting it mildly. I mean, this film even has an homage to Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Buckley gives an incredible performance of a young woman who is raised from the dead and has a second person in her brain. That person is Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, credited with creating a story that is the origin of both horror and science fiction. Few actors could master this role, but Buckley mesmerizes, switching smoothly between characters, even within a single line. Bale’s monster is mostly a sidekick to The Bride and is happy to go along for the ride. Writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal went for way over the top with a storyline that just gets weirder as it goes along, with musical numbers, murders, and lots of yelling. It’s a big swing by Gyllenhaal that just never connected for me and, frankly, by the end of the film, gave me a bit of a headache. A little of this film goes a long way, and I wasn’t willing to go that far with it. Still, Bale’s monster in tux and tails, doing a song-and-dance number, will stick with me for a long time. Ultimately, The Bride! left me more exhausted than entertained. There is a mid-credit scene if you can make that far.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Bride! Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Hoppers  (2026)  PG  Hoppers takes place after a group of scientists invent a way to “hop” a human mind into a lifelike robot-animal body. Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda), an animal-loving teen, ‘hops’ into a robotic beaver to thwart a construction company from destroying an animal habitat. Mabel discovers that the animal world is full of surprises, including her unwitting role in an animal uprising. Hoppers is a fun, funny, and delightful return to good filmmaking for Pixar. The storyline is inventive, and the humor works from start to finish. Hoppers message about taking care of the environment is effective without being preachy. The film is fast-moving, and young kids are going to love all the talking animals. The humor makes this film stand out, and while the kids will be laughing at the antics, adults will enjoy all the side quips the characters make. Hoppers keeps the storyline moving as we go on a riotous adventure into the animal world that you won’t soon forget. The film has two post-credits scenes you'll want to stick around for. My Rating: Full Price  Hoppers Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: Protector  (2025)  R  Protector is about Nikki (Milla Jovovich), a decorated ex-soldier who left that life to raise her daughter, Chloe (Isabel Myers). When Chloe is kidnapped, Nikki sets off in a race against time to find her daughter, combing through the seamy criminal underworld. Nikki will stop at nothing to find and destroy the people who threaten her daughter. I have a feeling that they either didn’t have a huge budget or Milla wanted to take a day off, because once the film gets to the kidnapping, we are just told about Nikki’s first attempt to rescue Chloe. Then, later in the big battle sequence, there are a couple of times when we hear gunshots but see nothing other than Nikki coming through the doors where the shots were fired. I think fans of Milla will be disappointed with the action sequences, which mostly feature her shooting people rather than hand-to-hand combat. And Protector has an ending that just feels like the writer wanted a twist at the end and then said screw it, here’s a twist that will mess with you. Instead, it just makes you mad. My Rating: Cable   Protector Website   Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Dolly  (2025)  R  Macy (Fabianne Therese) is out in the woods with her boyfriend when they encounter a monstrous, doll-masked figure, Dolly (Max the Impaler), who takes Macy back to a house of horrors, where Dolly intends to raise Macy as their own child. This gore-fest horror film starts out strong but runs a bit out of steam by the end. The film is shot on 16mm film, which gives it a great 70s horror vibe, with plenty of Texas Chainsaw Massacre homages thrown in, but it lacks the scares to keep our interest in the slender storyline throughout. Fabianne Therese does an admirable job as our heroine, but there’s not enough in this film to make it more than an interesting idea that just doesn’t have enough substance for a full-length film. My Rating: Cable  Dolly Website     Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Heel  (2025)  Heel follows 19-year-old Tommy (Anson Boon), whose life revolves around drugs, parties, and violence. After a night of debauchery, he is kidnapped by a married couple (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) who hold him in the basement and subject him to relentless mind games in an attempt to put him on the right path and make him a ‘good boy.’ This is an interesting concept for a film that spends too long developing the story and then ends up very predictable. However, the film is worth watching for the two leads, with Stephen Graham as the dad/kidnapper/jailer and Anson Boon as the punk imprisoned and subjected to constant brainwashing. Stephen Graham has just the right amount of creepiness, making his character seem sincerely nuts while also showing a bit of caring. Anson Boon is perfect as the young man who thinks he can live forever and get away with anything he wants to, including violence. Boon keeps the film moving, and we never know when he will erupt and unleash the retribution he promises. Still, the film feels stunted in its character background, and we never find out why the whole family accepts the kidnapping. We just know that Tommy will never change. Or will he?  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Heel Website  Now playing in select theaters and available to rent on some streaming platforms.

My Rating: Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man  (2026) R Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is set in 1940 Birmingham, amidst the chaos of World War II. Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), against his better judgment, has returned to face his own demons and choose between confronting his legacy or destroying it. This is a must-see for fans of the TV series, but if you haven’t seen the TV program, you can still get the gist of the plot pretty easily. This is a wonderful and interesting character study of two men: Tommy, who has lost everyone he cares about, and Tommy’s son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), who has taken over the Peaky Blinders gang. Duke is trying to make his own way in the world, but he's making some risky decisions that will have major consequences. Tommy has escaped into the countryside and is writing his memoirs. Two people show up to convince Tommy to save his son from a major mistake. His sister, Ada (Sophie Rundle), pleads for him to come back with little result, and Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson), the twin sister of Duke’s mom, who was the love of Tommy’s life. Kaulo, though some seducing and Romani Gypsy logic, convinces Tommy to come back. Now the question is, can he reach Duke in time, and will Duke betray him? The film is a blast to watch, as Cillian Murphy does what he does best: brood and be imposing. Adding to the mix is Keoghan, who plays the wild-card kid perfectly, whose choice we don’t know what it will be or when he will erupt. This is a perfect companion to the series, and even if you don’t know the story, the film’s storyline and performances will keep you on the edge of your seat.  My Rating: Full Price  Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Website   Now in select theaters and on Netflix on Friday, March 20, 2026

Forgotten Film:  Best in Show (2000) PG-13  A behind-the-scenes mockumentary about what goes on in the cut-throat world of competitive dog shows. We follow a group of dog owners who are willing to do anything to ensure that their pampered canines have every chance of winning. Directed by Christopher Guest and co-written by Guest and Eugene Levy (though much of the film features improvised dialogue), the film is a hilarious look at a special group of people who believe their dogs are better than even they are. I picked this film out because, even though it has an all-star cast, the late Catherine O’Hara stands out as Cookie Fleck, the co-owner with her husband, Gerry (Eugene Levy), of their dog, Winky. Cookie, it seems, has slept with everyone at the show with the possible exception of her husband. O’Hara’s performance is a masterclass in how to deliver comedy with such ease and is a delight to watch. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Best in Show Info The film is available on most streaming platforms.

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Bride!: Special wigmaker to The Bride

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: They Will Kill You (2026)  R  A young woman (Zazie Beetz) takes a job as a housekeeper at a NYC high-rise that has a history of mysterious disappearances. She soon realizes that the high-rise is a deathtrap, and she is its latest victim. They have no idea who they hired, but the high-rise is about to find out. Zazie has been on a hot streak with her Supporting Actress Emmy nod in the TV series Atlanta, and films like Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, and Joker: Folie a Deux.  They Will Kill You Website The film will be in theaters on Friday, March 17, 2026

Until Next Time!