Reminders of Him

My View:  Reminders of Him  (2026) PG-13  Reminders of Him is about Kenna (Maika Monroe), who, after a perfect date, makes an unbearable mistake that lands her in prison for 7 years. She has returned to her hometown, hoping to rebuild her life and reunite with her young daughter. It’s a reunion that may never happen because of her past. I am a fan of Maika Monroe (who has a bit of a resume as a ‘Scream Queen’ in It Follows and Longlegs), but she is let down by a script that tries to tug the heartstrings at every turn but fails each time. Throughout the film, we are led to believe that Kenna has done something horrible to cause the death of her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow). When it is revealed, I said to myself, “That’s it?” Kenna gets involved with a former pro football player, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), who owns a bar that she wanders into one night. We find out that Ledger was Scotty’s best friend forever, but Ledger never met Kenna. I guess being a football player means you don’t go to your friend’s funeral or her killer’s trial. That’s what the entire film feels like one setup after another, just there to create emotional pull. Reminders of Him is all about second chances, but I don’t think I’ll give the film that second chance look.  My Rating: Cable  Reminders of Him Website    Now playing in theaters

My View:  undertone  (2025) R   undertone follows the host of a popular paranormal podcast, Evy (Nina Kiri), who is sent a series of mysterious and terrifying audio recordings that somehow become real in Evy’s world. I thought the trailer for this film was amazing, making me want to see this film, ready for a frightful experience. Instead, I got a lot of buildup that never delivered any scares until the very end. This is a very frustrating film to watch, as the camera shot placement and often panning to open spaces imply that we are about to see something. Instead, all you get are empty spaces, except for one very predictable jump scare. The buildup at the start is well done, and we are all in for listening to scary recordings, but most aren’t all that scary, and to say the ending is incredibly disappointing would be an understatement. I won’t get into some of the very strange plot devices that stand out like a sore thumb. It’s fine to create tension in a film, but at some point, you have to reveal the creation of that tension, and this film never does. Instead, we get a mishmash of earlier scenes that are a complete letdown. If I were a listener of this podcast, I would have turned it off after just a few minutes. Instead, I was stuck in the theatre for an hour and a half.   My Rating: Cable undertone website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Slanted  (2025)  R    Slanted follows Joan (Shirley Chen), an insecure Chinese-American high school student, who, hoping to be voted prom queen, undergoes ‘ethnic modification surgery’ to appear white. Life will not become what Joan had hoped it would be. Slanted is born from a radical idea, but it never delivers the punch that it needs to be provocative, funny, or decisive. It needed to be bolder and delve more into satire to work as either a comedy or a drama. Instead, it seems to tiptoe around the topic of being white in America and never delivers the killer blow this film needs. Slanted’s heart is in the right place, but the storyline never delivers more than a tale about a teen being really selfish and turning her back on her friends and family. It's disappointing because the premise suggested that it could have been much more.  My Rating: Cable   Slanted Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Scared to Death  (2025)    In Scared to Death, a movie crew and its actors decide to enhance their upcoming horror film by experiencing a real seance. They chose a 70-year-old abandoned children’s shelter to conduct the seance, and they become trapped by the murdered orphans who were found ‘scared to death’ in 1942. This is a campy horror film with a few intentional laughs thrown in that is low on scares but is more a tribute to low budget horror films than anything else. I think fans of low budget horror will enjoy it, especially with legendary scream queen Lin Sheye playing it up as a ego maniac film director that gets processed early on in the film. The effects are pretty weak and some of the acting is a little too campy for my taste but it would do nicely at a midnight showing at a horror film festival.  My Rating: Cable   Scared to Death Website    Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Seeds  (2025)  Seeds is a documentary that explores the lives of Black generational farmers. This black-and-white film gives you the feeling of Black farmers at the end of their rope, trying to survive in a system that throws up roadblock after roadblock. This is a document about a vanishing way of life: a small farmer's ability to survive in a system that favors large, corporate-run farms. The film shows us the connection that these farmers and their families have to the land and to each other. Seeds give us insight into how the government has promised help but never delivered to these families and their farms. Seeds follows three families throughout their daily lives, offering insight into a way of life that may soon be forever gone.  My Rating: Full Price  Seeds Website   Now playing in select theaters 

Forgotten Film: The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe  (1972) PG  In this French farce, an orchestra musician (Pierre Richard) is picked out in an airport to be an unwitting pawn decoy by the French Secret Service, all because he has (because of a prank) one brown shoe and one black one. The man has no idea what is happening, just that things keep happening to him, like being seduced by a beautiful woman, and people being shot near him. Fans of Jacque Tati and Buster Keaton will love this film. And please, do not check out the 80s English language remake The Man With One Red Shoe, which is one of the worst movies Tom Hanks ever made.  The Blond Man with One Black Shoe Info  My Rating: Full Price  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits: From the credits of Reminders of Him: Miniature pigeons by

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Michael  (2026) PG-13  The story of Michael Jackson, from child star of the Jackson Five to the “King of Pop”. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, known for his films Training Day, The Replacement Killers, Brooklyn’s Finest, Olympus Has Fallen, and The Equalizer. I have high hopes for this film because Fuqua got his training in directing music videos for Usher, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, and Coolio.  The film will be released in theaters and IMAX on Friday, April 24, 2026

Until Next Time!

Wuthering Heights

My View: Wuthering Heights  (2026)  R Wuthering Heights is the legendary love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors that follows the intense, sometimes destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine (Margot Robbie). Writer/director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) clarified that she was making a personal version of Wuthering Heights and not a direct adaptation of Emily Brontë’s much-loved novel. Your first clue is a soundtrack mostly composed of songs written and performed by Charli XCX, which gives the film a bit of a modern touch, though not as much as I anticipated. I have a feeling that fans of the book will be disappointed with this rather disjointed telling. The first half, which covers Catherine and Heathcliff’s childhood, is the most interesting part of the film. The dynamic between the two characters as children is interesting and at times riveting. I can’t say the same thing for when Heathcliff and Catherine are adults, especially when Heathcliff leaves for a spell because of Catherine getting married to rich suitor Edgar (Shazad Latif). I didn’t like the chemistry between Robbie and Elordi, as it never gave off the sparks that the film needed. Here’s a clue to this film: anytime it rains, you know Catherine and Heathcliff are going to have sex. And it rains a lot. I also had a hard time understanding Elordi’s dialogue, as he tended to swallow his words, trying to be the illiterate, brooding tough guy. I didn’t like any character in this film, including our two lovers, who seem like spoiled brats, selfish, and unable to keep their hands off each other (especially in the rain). I am surprised the film didn’t end with a rousing remake of “Blame it on the Rain”.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Wuthering Heights Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Crime 101  (2026)  R  Crime 101 follows a jewel thief named Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) whose heists along the 101 freeway have made him a legend and have left the police baffled. Mike has set his sights on the ultimate score and finds out that Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), an insurance broker, wants in on the deal. Can Mike trust Sharon, or is she setting him up for a fall? I am a big fan of the Michael Connelly Harry Bosch book series, and one thing Connelly does is always talk about the traffic in L.A. Writer/director Bart Layton and Cinematographer Erik Wilson do a great job is capturing the look and feel of L.A. with its long line of cars on the freeway and the homes and hotels of the rich, along with the scenes of the homeless on the street, as our hero Mike figures out his next heist. I had fun with this film and its multiple storylines, which keep intersecting throughout. The film has some nice twists, and I had expected that there would be a romance between Hemsworth and Berry, but that’s not the case. Instead, both characters see each other as a tool to be used to get what they want. In fact, there is more attraction between Berry’s character, a woman who keeps bumping up against the glass ceiling and can’t break through, and Mark Ruffalo’s world-weary but by-the-rules cop, as they both are getting screwed by their bosses. Instead, there is a fun romance between Hemsworth’s character, who has a troubled past, and Monica Barbaro’s character, a woman he meets in a strange ‘meet-cute’ moment. I was amazed by how that relationship turned out. The big heist kept me guessing, and I thoroughly enjoyed Barry Keoghan’s motorcycle heist man, who is way in over his head on everything he does. It must be fun to be Keoghan these days, taking parts where he can go nuts. Crime 101 isn’t a brilliant film (comparing it to LA centric movies like Heat or Beverly Hills Cop), but it’s a fun time with a great cast and a city that is always interesting to be in.  My Rating: Full Price  Crime 101 website  Now playing in theaters 

Familyfaire:  GOAT  (2026)  PG  GOAT is about Will, a small goat with dreams of going pro and playing roar ball, the high-intensity, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Will is determined to prove he belongs and that “smalls can ball!” I don’t know, maybe kids who love basketball or goats will like this movie, but I was bored almost from the start. I didn’t like the animation style, which at times felt soft and at other times too harsh. The plot was too simple, the storyline wasn’t well thought out, and I didn’t care if the team of misfits ever won a game, much less make it to the championship. The film kept throwing ideas at us, as if it had decided to play dodgeball rather than basketball. Steph Curry, who produced the film and voices one of the characters, needs to stick to winning championships and stay out of the animation chair.  My Rating: Cable   GOAT Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Jimpa  (2025)  Jimpa is about Hannah (Olivia Colman), who, along with her nonbinary teenager, Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde), travels to Amsterdam to visit her gay father Jim (John Lithgow), who goes by the term Jimpa, instead of grandpa. When Frances expresses an interest in staying with her ‘Jimpa’, Hannah is forced to re-examine her parenting and her past. Jimpa is a film with its heart in the right place, but it doesn’t know how to convey that message without hitting us over the head. The film features impressive performances by John Lithgow and Olivia Colman, but it feels like it is filled with meaningless subplots, mostly involving Frances and their quest to find a place in the world. The film never hits the mark with its overabundance of sentimentality. It’s funny that Jimpa is about a filmmaker, Hannah, who is told that her next film project doesn’t have enough conflict to make a good drama. I can say the same thing for Jimpa.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Jimpa Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die  (2025)   R   In Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, a “Man From the Future” (Sam Rockwell) shows up at a Los Angeles diner and takes the patrons hostage. He claims he is a time traveler and needs their help in stopping AI from eventually destroying humanity. Sam Rockwell has so much fun in this role as the madman who bullies people into joining him in what he knows is likely a suicide mission. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is a wild ride with outstanding performances from Juno Temple as a mom grieving the son she thought she knew and Haley Lu Richardson as an angry, depressed young woman who seems set on joining the group because she wants to die. The film is incredibly wacky and doesn’t follow any rules, but its message is timely. How many times have you seen people walking into traffic or running into people because they can’t look up from their phones? That’s the core of this film, how the internet and our technology doesn’t care about us, it just wants our full-out attention. So put down your phone, get ready to see some really weird stuff, and join in on the revolution to stop AI from taking over the world and our lives. The “Man from the Future” will show you the way, though you might want not to go first.  My Rating: Full Price  Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Cold Storage  (2026)  R  Cold Storage is about two employees, Travis (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell), who work at a self-storage facility built atop a former military base. Their night becomes a nightmare when a rapidly mutating, parasitic fungus escapes from the base. Their only hope is a grizzled bio-terror operative named Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson). Who would have thought that Academy Award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, Oscar-nominated actress Lesley Manville, and Liam Neeson would be in a zombie/fungus taking over the world movie and would have some sizable parts to boot. Keery and Campbell are fun as two security guards tasked with saving the world. The plot is pretty simple, and the zombies are really gross, with lots of splatter going on, including a zombie throwing up on a bunch of bikers to infect them. Neeson looks like he is having a blast in the part, along with a chain-smoking Manville. I assume Vanessa Redgrave is a friend of someone involved in the film, because she is there for comic relief and isn’t really important to the plot. This is one of those films that's perfect for a Saturday night, with lots of popcorn and a few drinks. Just don’t get anything green to drink. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Cold Storage Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie  (2025) R  Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie takes place when Matt (Matt Johnson) and Jay (Jay McCarroll) try to book a show at the Rivoli, and it goes horribly wrong. So the guys try to create a time machine, like in Back to the Future, and guess what? It works! Only they are now in the year 2008 and can’t get back home. I didn’t know much about the guys or their show, but judging by the enthusiastic and boisterous audience, fans of their work are going to love this film. The duo takes a bit of getting used to, and their harebrained schemes are outlandish, but that’s the charm of these very Canadian guys, who say hello to almost everyone on the street and often ask where people are from, just to be nice. There is a running joke about copyrights that is hilarious, including stealing a whole lot from the earlier-mentioned Back to the Future films. And beware of anyone afraid of heights; a good deal of the plot revolves around the CN Tower, one of the world's tallest free-standing structures. You might need a parachute, or two.  My Rating: Full Price  Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie    Now playing in select theaters 

Forgotten Film: The Strawberry Statement  (1970) R A college student (Bruce Davison) joins a group of campus organizers, not because he is caught up in the politics of the day but because he hears it’s a great way to meet girls. And he does meet a girl (Kim Darby), but he also realizes the issues that they are protesting are meaningful and worthy. He soon learns that the protests can become scary and violent. This is a film that, while dated by being made during the Vietnam protests of the late 60s, still packs a punch and explores  ideals that are still relevant today. The film is enhanced by a great soundtrack featuring songs by Neil Young, John Lennon, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. This is one of the late Bud Cort's first feature films.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Strawberry Statement Info  The film is available to rent on Apple TV+

Weird Credits: From the credits of Wuthering Heights: Candle Wrangler

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Undertone  (2025)  R  A host of a popular paranormal podcast, Evy (Nina Kiri), is sent some mysterious and terrifying audio recordings that somehow become real in Evy’s world. Film critics who have seen the movie are giving it great reviews, and the trailer looks really scary. Plus its from the A24 studio, so you know its going to be a little bit weird.  Undertone Website  In theaters on Friday, March 13, 2026  

Until Next Time!