Heart of the Beast

My View: Heart of the Beast  (2026)  PG-13   Heart of the Beast follows James (Brad Pitt), a former Special Forces soldier who is suffering from residual trauma and has some personal demons. On a flight in his single-engine plane, James and his only companion, Odin, his loyal and retired combat German Shepherd, crash in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. Battling a brutal environment, James promises Odin he will get him home if it’s the last thing he does. This film is about perseverance, loyalty, and two kindred souls who have been through hell and back and are there for each other. This is a story of survival, but it’s also a story of two beings in tune and working together as a team. We all know that Brad Pitt is an excellent actor, but his screen partner, Uber (who plays Odin), overshadows him. One of my critic groups used to have an award for Best Dog. If we still had it, Uber would win hands down. In relationship-based films, critics talk a lot about on-screen chemistry. The scenes between Odin and James are amazing and incredibly touching. Heart of the Beast just gives us brief glimpses of the trauma the two share, and instead we see that both the man and dog suffer from PTSD. The action sequences are well done, and the plane crash is rather scary. So go on an adventure with James and Odin; don’t forget Odin's treats. My Rating: Full Price  Heart of the Beast Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Primetime  (2026)   R  In Primetime, reporter Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) is at the top of the TV world with a top-ten-rated show, Dateline’s To Catch a Predator. His producer, Andie (Merritt Wever), will do anything to keep the show’s ratings up. Everything is great until the line between reality and ratings brings it all crashing down. Anchored (no pun intended) by outstanding performances by Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, Merritt Wever as his producer, who ties her future to his rising star, and Skyler Gisondo as an actor who takes the job only to get his SAG card and has the job as one of the actors who lures the men to be caught, the film gives us a look at just how far a TV show would go to get ratings. Pattinson is perfect as a man so caught up in getting famous that he even answers a phone call from his wife with “Chris Hansen, Dateline.” The film shows a man who lures men into a setup where their lives are ruined, and America gets to watch it happen. I loved Merritt Wever’s producer,, who loves being in charge and making the calls, all while dealing with the diva that Hansen is. She can’t see the train wreck that is about to happen because she is convinced that this job will get her all the awards and recognition. Skyler Gisondo, as the actor hired and literally thrown into the production, gives us someone we can root for (for a while). Still, even Skyler falls under the spell of being on TV and, at one point, when Hansen has one of his meltdowns, takes over as the host of the show. My problem with the film is that I never felt an emotional pull from it. The ending feels shallow and a letdown, without the shock and horror that the situation should have brought. Having read a lot about this true story, including the 2007 Esquire article the film is loosely based on, I know many people who worked on To Catch a Predator were scared by the experience, especially the actors who lured the men into being caught. We never get that from the film, and that’s a shame. We see what causes the downfall, but not what happens afterward.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Primetime Website Now playing in theaters nationwide

Familyfaire:  Forgotten Island (2026)   PG    Forgotten Island is set in the Philippines, where two childhood friends are at a crossroads after graduating high school. Raissa is about to move to the United States for college, while Jo is trying to persuade her to stay. The two best friends are suddenly transported through a portal to the fantastic island of Nakali. It’s a place where memories gradually fade the longer one remains. I had so much fun with this film. Forgotten Island definitely takes some pointers from Japanese animation, especially whenever the two friends show emotion or excitement; their faces almost explode. The monsters are creative and fun, and the back-and-forth banter between Raissa and Jo is funny and lively. The film is creative and daring, with some great characters that show how important memories are in relationships and life. The animation is colorful and at times explosive, creating a cavalcade of action sequences that bombard you with fun sequences. I loved how the filmmakers included the Filipino mythology, showing how the ‘monsters’ are rooted in their traditions and mores. This is a blast to watch, though I think it may be a little too complicated and scary for very young kids. And while you're watching, don’t let a certain monster steal a memory or two. My Rating: Full Price  Forgotten Island Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  You Had to Be There  (2025)   You Had to Be There is a documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of the stage musical Godspell, from which many cast members would soon make their mark on comedy through projects such as The Second City, Saturday Night Live, and SCTV. This is a funny, delightful look at a time in history when so many future comedy greats were on stage in Toronto at the same time. The cast included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, and Jayne Eastwood, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director. Everyone but, of course, the late Gilda Radner, was interviewed extensively and, as you would expect, they tell some amazing stories. Even Gilda shows up in audio recordings because Martin Short, barely in his twenties, had a tape recorder he took everywhere. Since there aren’t any video recordings of the production, the film uses animation to show what the interviewees are talking about. The stories are wild; the film keeps revealing more and more stories, and everyone interviewed has a great time. What a brilliant job of casting they did in 1972, and it launched a slew of comedy geniuses who continue to delight and entertain us to this day. What I loved most about this film is that the friendships that started in 1972 are still ongoing, and we see that when, near the end of the film, they throw a party, and the cast sings songs from the production to our delight. And, to top it off, there is a special surprise near the end of the film that brings everyone such joy.  My Rating: Full Price  You Had to Be There Website    Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!  (2026) R  In Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) loves competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dancing competitions with her Mexican husband Luis (Alejandro Edda). After Luis suddenly dies of a heart attack during a competition, Haru goes into a deep depression. Her sister coaxes Haru back into the dance studio, where she meets a new instructor named Fedir (Alberto Guerra). Life suddenly comes alive again for Haru. I am not a big fan of ballroom dancing or Dancing with the Stars, and this film has a lot of dancing. A lot. Ha-Chan: Shake Your Booty! is a story about grief first and  a dance movie second. Haru deals with grief in two ways: she flirts with the dance instructor, and she still interacts with the ghost of her dead husband, who first keeps starting up a record player in the home and then shows up dressed in a giant crow outfit. The film keeps shifting in tone, moving between dance movie, comedy, dark drama, and romance. Rinko Kikuchi is wonderful in the part, sexy, funny, and full of grief and loneliness. The film has some impressive moments, including a dance sequence that goes from a fight to a line dance, but Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! in the end doesn’t get anywhere close to a 10 on my card.  My Rating: Bargain  Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! Website Matinee  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film: Treasure Planet (2002) PG Teenager Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map promising “the loot of a thousand worlds.” He joins a space galleon, led by the valiant Captain Amelia, to find the treasure. However, someone on board has plans for the treasure and is willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way: the cyborg cook John Silver. This is a long-forgotten Disney film that, along with 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, cost Disney a lot of money. In this film, Disney blended hand-drawn 2-D animation with 3D computer-generated scenes that make it look amazing. Trying to catch on with the Steampunk style that was all the rage, the film mixes 19th-century nautical ships with sci-fi elements. The voice cast is outstanding, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jim, Emma Thompson as Captain Amelia, and Brian Murray as John Silver. The film is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island but adds new, exciting scenes and storylines to the classic story. I mean, who wouldn’t want a robot pal voiced by Martin Short?  My Rating: Full Price  Treasure Planet Info The film is available on most streaming services

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Primetime:  Suit FX Artists

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Digger  (2026) R   Digger follows Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), an eccentric oil tycoon who accidentally triggers a catastrophic global ecological disaster. He then embarks on a mission to save the planet and become Earth’s hero. Four-time Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu co-wrote and directs Digger, his first English-language feature since The Revenant (2015).   Digger Website The film opens nationwide on Friday, October 2 2026.

Until Next Time!

Practical Magic 2

My View: Practical Magic 2  (2026)  PG-13  In Practical Magic 2, the Owens sisters (Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman) face a new crisis when Sally’s daughter, Kylie (Joey King), uncovers hidden family secrets and develops her own abilities. The Owens women must unite to finally break the curse that has haunted their family line of witches for centuries. This might upset a fellow critic that I work with, but I saw Practical Magic in the theaters when it came out in 1998, mostly because of Sandra Bullock, who was at the height of her stardom, coming off of Speed, While You Were Sleeping, The Net, and A Time to Kill (we will forget, please, Speed 2). So I hated the film because it couldn’t decide if it was a film for kids or adults, with its weird mix of witches making jokes while dealing with abusive boyfriends and assault. But I also know that a lot of people have fond memories of it. So I went into this movie hopeful, but not expecting much. Practical Magic 2 is enjoyable, mostly because of Sandra Bullock, but the film has an incredible weak point: the middle of the film slows to a snail's pace, which is weird because we know what is going to happen at almost every turn and doesn’t need much setup. Bullock dominates the film, and she shines as the kooky Owen sister who has given up magic. Now, we are supposed to believe that her two daughters, played by Joey King and Maisie Williams, have been kept in the dark about their mother and her sister being witches. While Bullock dominates the plot, she even has a new love interest in Lee Pace as a warlock (I never knew exactly what he was), Kidman is there to interact with Bullock, add some humor to the plot, and be a little bit slutty. And yes, we get the whole Practical Magic gang back in Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, but they don’t come off as goofy and fun as they are in the first film. Fans of the first film and Sandra Bullock will enjoy this film, as it brings back some warm memories and a few tears. For the rest of us, it’s a light snack, kind of like the Cool Whip that the Wiest character, Jet, loves. It’s sweet, but it’s not exactly filling.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Practical Magic 2 Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: The Uprising  (2026)  R   The Uprising follows a ploughman (Andrew Garfield), who is sick and tired of the King’s tyranny and forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice and freedom. This is a strange film from writer/director Paul Greengrass, who gave us The Bourne Supremacy (2004), United 93 (2006), and Captain Phillips (2013). At the center of the story is the ploughman, played by Andrew Garfield, who is mourning his wife and children, all of whom died in the plague that wiped out half the population of England. The ploughman starts the rebellion when the tax man comes to his town to get money and goods for the war with France. He has had enough and fights back, igniting a crowd to kill the soldiers and send the tax man back to the King with the word that the common people are tired of paying for a war they didn’t ask for (sound familiar?). The Uprising is loosely based on a real peasant revolt that gathered people from across the country to march to London and demand that the King change the rules of taxation and serfdom. What should be a gripping tale gets lost in too much talk and walking. A cast that includes Katherine Waterston, Tom Hollander, Stephen Dillane, and Jamie Bell should create a captivating storyline, but instead the film feels confusing and dull. Garfield stands out only because he is in almost every scene, and we know he will be the center of the story. The ending feels too much like a fairy tale (i.e., Robin Hood), and while those closing scenes give us some of the action we needed throughout the film, they feel too classic Hollywood to have any dramatic effect. Overall, I felt like I was the cow pulling the plow at the beginning of the film, having to work a lot for every little return.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Uprising Website  Now playing in theaters

My View: Hope  (2026)  R   Hope is set in a remote South Korean village where the police chief (Hwang Jung-min) and an officer (Zo In-sung) investigate a sighting of a mysterious creature that has caused chaos. At the same time, a group of local hunters starts tracking the beast, only to realize that they are the ones being hunted. Hope is a thrill-a-minute roller coaster ride of a film about monsters that invade a small town and how a few brave citizens, along with a few really dumb ones, try to protect their town from a group of invaders that seem hell-bent on destroying everything in their wake. We first see the police chief investigating the mauling of a cow, and we see how he treats both his staff and other townspeople. The chief is one big blowhard bully. As his day goes along, he slowly realizes that it’s not a tiger that is killing the cows, especially when he is in town with buildings being destroyed, cars start flying through the air, and people being killed in gruesome ways. What is brilliant about Hope is that we don’t see what the monsters look like until nearly 50 minutes into the film, which builds tension and wonder about what kind of creature could be causing this mayhem. All the while, we have a group of hunters, led by the police chief’s cousin (Jung Ho-yeon), who leads the group to find the “tiger” but finds out that there is more than one monster. Beyond the thrills, the film has a lot of humor, including a young female officer (Zo In-sung) who drives like a seasoned NASCAR driver through the streets and is willing to take on the monsters because they pissed her off by destroying her town. Hope has a ton of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming. The cast of characters is fun to root for, as they take on monsters that can’t be stopped. The film is a little too long (I would love to cut a couple of meaningless scenes that slow the film down a bit), but it’s such a thrill ride that you’ll forget those scenes, especially in the last third of the film, which is one nonstop ride of mayhem and killing. This was the most expensive Korean film ever made, and it looks it, with a ton of special effects. So fasten your seatbelts, make sure your guns are loaded, and join in on trying to stop some monsters from killing everyone in sight. If you love monster movies and lots of action scenes, then Hope is for you! Make sure to stick around after the first portion of the credits for a bonus scene that will set up a sequel.  My Rating: Full Price  Hope Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  American Doctor  (2026)  American Doctor is a documentary that follows three American physicians as they volunteer in a hospital in war-torn Gaza and their return to the U.S. to lobby Congress. This documentary warns you early on that it is going to be a tough watch. One of the three doctors in the film, Mark Perlmutter, argues with the director of the film, Poh Si Teng, about showing a picture that he took of dead children in a hospital in Gaza. Teng wants to digitize the picture to give the dead some respect, but Mark insists and wins the argument that if you digitize the film, the picture will not have the impact that it needs to get people to see how horrible it is in Gaza. So that picture is the first of many upsetting scenes in the film that follows three American doctors who have practiced in hospitals in Gaza during the bombing and shooting conducted by the Israeli armed services. This film follows three men who volunteer for an incredibly dangerous situation to help however they can, trying to put the injured back together in difficult circumstances, with limited medical supplies but a staff that gives each patient the care and hope they need. This film is not only about what is happening in Palestine but also the politics in the US, including how the media covers the situation. One of the doctors, who was born in America but has Palestinian parents, continually tries to go back to Gaza and is constantly refused permission to cross the border from Jordan by the Israelis, always at the last minute. This is a brutal film to watch, and you keep waiting for the hospital that the doctors are working at to be hit, because one of the doctors lists all the other hospitals that the Israelis have bombed, and you know that it is coming. When it happens, it punches us in the gut, because we have come to care for and respect the doctors and nurses who work there. It’s a horrible sight, seeing a place that is meant for healing becoming another building that bombs have hit multiple times. The scene that shows the result of the bombing of the hospital is sickening and will stay with you for a long time after leaving the theatre. As heartbreaking and brutal as this film is, it is an important film to see as it puts a face to all the utter destruction that is going on in Gaza and how children are dying at an alarming rate. Like the American doctors who have to leave Gaza and go home, when you leave the theater, you will also feel some guilt that you have left those children behind to face this destruction. Like the 15-year-old boy whom one of the American doctors worked on for hours to repair, only to be killed by an Israeli rocket they sent to hit the hospital in an effort to kill a terrorist who was being treated on the same floor. My Rating: Full Price  American Doctor Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest: The Salt Path  (2024)   A couple, Raynor (Gillian Anderson) and Moth (Jason Isaacs) lose their family home and find out that Moth has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. They decide to follow a travel book’s path along the coast of England, traveling 630 miles to London.  You can’t fault Anderson and Isaacs; they both give heartfelt, powerful performances, but the film drags a bit, and there are too many scenes where total strangers give them inspirational quotes. The scenery is beautiful, but how many times are we going to see the couple go down to the edge of the ocean and stare at the horizon? The film is based on a true story (though apparently there are doubts about some aspects of the book written by Raynor), but I never could figure out why they took on the trek in the first place, especially since Moth could barely move more than a few miles at a time. That’s never explained, and we never learn much about their lives beyond the fact that they have a couple of kids and made some bad investment that cost them their home. The movie also has no idea how to end the film. There is a perfect place for the film to end, where Raynor and Moth have a heartfelt talk about the first time Moth told Raynor he loved her. It’s a beautiful scene, perfectly acted, and there is a line that Gillian Anderson delivers that would have been a great place to end the film, but we keep going for another ten minutes. That sums up the film right there.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Salt Path Movie Website  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest: Filipiñana  (2026)  Filipiñana follows 17-year-old Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), who works as a “tee-girl” at an exclusive country club outside Manila. Isabel spends her day at the driving range, where she places golf balls on the tees for wealthy businessmen and tourists. Soon, Isabel discovers that the club has a dark history of exploitation and violence. This film reminded me of the work of French director Jacques Tati and his eye for creating the absurd, with vast patches of silence while something goes on in the background that you can barely make out, or things choreographed with precise timing, all while giving us incredible scenes that play out. Finlipinana has that same quality, as Isabel tries to figure out her place in this strange world she's been dropped into. Her job becomes a quest as the President’s mistress gives her a golf club to give to the President. Still, Isabel can’t find the man anywhere as she goes from one end of the golf club to another, overhearing others talking and observing how the rich live their lives, while she and the other “tee girls” are barely getting paid. This is a film not everyone will enjoy, because not much happens. That is, unless you look closely at the absurdity of it all. I loved the orchestra of blind men and women who keep getting lost in the golf course’s vastness. As the film moves along, we see some of the dark underbelly of this club and how the rich do just about anything they want to do, and the tee-girls and the caddies are at the mercy of the rich. The cinematography is brilliant, and I loved how the camera just stays in one place as things just start happening in front of us. This is a masterful satire of class and society and is a joy to watch. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  The Sun Never Sets  (2026)  R   The Sun Never Sets follows Wendy (Dakota Fanning), a 31-year-old construction worker in Alaska, whose life is thrown into chaos when her boyfriend, Jack (Jake Johnson), wants to take a break. Just her luck, Wendy runs into her ex-boyfriend Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), and now she must make some smart decisions about where her life is headed. This is a non-rom-com about a love triangle where all three people are wrong for each other, though they just haven’t figured it out yet. Jack, deep down, knows that Wendy isn’t the girl for him. She enjoys the freedom of single life (even though they have been dating for 2 years), loves camping and the outdoors, and is thinking about buying a sailboat. Jack is divorced and has two kids, and he is done having kids and doesn’t want to get married. Chuck is the one that got away (sort of) for Wendy, but is too self-centered to let her into his life or hers. It takes the whole movie to figure this out, and that’s fine because Dakota Fanning gives a brilliant performance as Wendy, who is torn between the two men but also knows that maybe neither one is right. She creates a lovable character, and you want to slap some sense into her. That’s a tough line to walk, with her character showing lots of indecision and some selfishness too. The film has great dialogue, and there are some hilarious scenes, especially between Fanning and Johnson, who have some nice chemestry going between them. So grab a beer, sit down at the bar, and watch the fireworks. Who will Wendy pick? Who knows? Maybe herself. My Rating: Full Price  The Sun Never Sets Website  Now playing in select theaters

My View:  Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger  (2026) R  Don’t Look Back in Anger is a documentary about the 2025 reunion tour of the English rock band Oasis. The band's two lead brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher, had a stormy relationship that ended famously one night before a show, when they got into an argument and quit backstage before the concert even began. They then didn’t talk to each other for fifteen years. So when it was announced that they were going to do a reunion tour, people started making bets on when the tour would fall apart or even if it would start. The documentary by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern follows the tour from the first very strange rehearsal (Liam barely acknowledges anyone and leaves during a song out the door of the rehearsal hall) to (spoiler alert) the last concert of the tour in Brazil. While fans will not get too much information about the breakup or even what the two have been doing for the past 15 years, the film does a marvelous job of letting us slowly see how the two brothers work together to make music on stage. At its core, the film is about the fans. It’s about how the music of Oasis touched so many people and, to the surprise of the brothers, continues to touch people, even fans who weren’t alive when their music was one of the major cogs in the landscape of the 90s. Footage from concert after concert on the tour shows how excited and overcome the fans are to see the band that means the world to them perform again. The film lets you experience what it was like to be in those crowds, as people sang along, sometimes in tears, and had an incredibly moving experience. The film also shows how those crowds affected the band members, with both brothers loving that they could still touch people with their music. Most of their songs are played, though some are shortened, including their big hit Wonderwall, which I would have enjoyed if it had been on screen longer, maybe seeing the fans singing along with it. This is a film about the power of music, how it affects us at the core, and its power to heal. The brothers' forgiveness and joy of discovery make this film so touching at its core. Two things struck me during the screening. One was how the band had the crowds (and they were massive) in the palm of their hands. In fact, at one point during the concerts, Liam asks the audience to turn their backs to the band and put their arms around the people around them. The band then starts up one of their hits, and we see thousands and thousands of people jumping up and down, backs to the band, arm in arm. Second, when the two came on stage each night, they held hands. Right there, it told the concertgoers that this was going to be a great night. The power of music can heal, at least for a few magical hours. My Rating: Full Price  Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger Website  Now playing in theaters, including IMAX 

Forgotten Film: The Mighty  (1998)  PG-13 Kevin (Kieran Culkin) is a kid who has Morquio’s syndrome, which means that his body isn’t growing, but his internal organs are, stunting his growth. Max (Elden Henson) has learning disabilities and is big for 7th grade, mostly because he's been held back a couple of times and is older than everyone else. The two meet up after Max is accused of throwing a dodgeball at Kevin, knocking his crutches out from under him. They hit it off and team up, with Kevin as the brains and Max as the muscle. Max and Kevin start reading the tales of King Arthur and begin to live by the rules of the Round Table. The film has a great supporting cast, with Sharon Stone as Kevin’s mother, who is determined to have him live as normal a life as possible for as long as he can. Max is being raised by his grandparents, played by Gena Rowlands and Harry Dean Stanton, after Max’s father, played by James Gandolfini, is sent to jail. Gillian Anderson even shows up in the film to set off the final scenes. Culkin and Henson are wonderful on screen together and make this film such a joy to watch. The Mighty reminds me of another "Forgotten Film" in My Bodyguard, which is also about two mismatched students who find friendship in their struggles to get along in school. This is a magnificent film about friendship, overcoming our weaknesses by finding our strengths, and how, working as a team, we can find success. And wait till you see the pair play basketball.  My Rating: Full Price  The Mighty Info  Available on most streaming services

Weird Credits: From the credits of Hope:  Driving Instructor

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: You Had to Be There  (2025)  You Had to Be There is a documentary about the 1972 Toronto production of the stage musical Godspell, from which many cast members would soon make their mark in comedy through projects such as The Second City, Saturday Night Live, and SCTV. The cast in the production included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, and Jayne Eastwood, with Paul Shaffer serving as musical director.   You Had to Be There Website  The film will be released in theaters starting Friday, September 18, 2026

Until Next Time!