Raised On Popcorn With Grant

Bugonia is another brilliantly bonkers nihilistic head trip from the great Yorgos Lanthimos. The film centers on Teddy (Jesse Plemons) a beekeeper and conspiracy theorist utterly convinced that corporate CEO Michelle (Emma Stone) is an alien who is trying to bring about a sort of colony collapse on a global scale, with his more level headed but mentally disabled cousin Donnie (Aidan Delbis in a star making performance) he proceeds to abduct Michelle and force her to help him broker peace with her so called alien emperor, is Teddy merely insane or is Michelle really from another planet? Nobody makes films quite like Lanthimos, some would say that’s a good thing, i am not one of those people. Lanthimos falls into a small group of film artists who the prospect of a new film inspires great excitement in me. Bugonia is a genuinely strange and often funny and horrifying film much like this director’s other work but there is a genuine core of melancholy and bleakness here that is a bit unusua...

Anniversary is a powerful and provocative film that is destined to rile people up. The film centers on a family reunion for the anniversary of the patriarch and matriarch when the son brings home his new girlfriend tensions arise due to the young woman’s ties to the mother’s past. From here things take a turn and this quiet but tense domestic drama transforms before our eyes into an Orwellian thriller about the domino effects of facism with this family as a sort of political microcosm. Anniversary is a bleak and unforgiving film that asks a very challenging question of its audience: what if the child you raised with strong values and intelligence still grew up to be the architect for the breakdown of democracy and mankind? It’s a provocative idea that director Jan Komasa is completely unafraid of taking to its darkest possible conclusion without catharsis, easy answers or forced hope and because of this it will be a tough sell for many, i was completely enthralled. Anniversary is one o...

Depeche Mode: M is a truly unique take on a concert film. This film follows Depeche Mode as they perform three sold out shows in Mexico City on their Memento Mori tour alongside experimental interludes featuring musings on death from philosophers in spanish with subtitles. Depeche Mode: M absolutely rocks, it’s both exhilarating in its performance footage and thought provoking in its themes of death and mexican culture. Perfect for both the art house and DM fans Depeche Mode: M deserves to be seen on the biggest loudest screen you can find.  I Give It 5 Stars!!!

Christy isn’t really a sports biopic but a much darker and bleaker affair. The film centers on real life female boxer Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney in an oscar worthy career best turn) and her battles both in the ring and in her domestic life dealing with her sexuality, bigoted puritanical mother and particularly her monstrous husband Jim (Ben Foster, also quite strong here) as she struggles to find happiness and boxing glory. Christy is a truly harrowing film with an extended third act sequence that is genuinely stomach-turningly sadistic, but ultimately it’s a very good film with a truly spectacular lead performance. Christy is worth getting in the ring with if you can stomach its harsh blows.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!!

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is a classic example of an unnecessary remake that still manages to (mostly) work. The film follows the rough premise of the 1992 original a struggling mother of two (including a newborn) hires a hard luck nanny who she soon discovers might be not who she seems, is it just paranoia or does this perfect stranger have more sinister plans? Okay let’s address the elephant in the room: this film doesn’t really need to exist, and yet in its uneven and formulaic way it does work as an enjoyable boilerplate thriller. It helps immensely when you have two leads as excellent as Maika Monroe and Mary Elizabeth Winstead who bring a lot to material that doesn’t always live up to them and the wrinkles to the narrative do feel at least somewhat interesting. Nothing groundbreaking but if we needed a remake of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, this is about as good as it needs to be.  I Give It 3 1/2 Stars!!! 

A House Of Dynamite is the scariest film of this halloween season, and it’s not a horror film. The film follows an imminent nuclear attack from multiple vantage points as various people from the military to the situation room to the president weigh the various choices that must be made to prevent an apocalyptic disaster. All these elements and characters (played by an incredible ensemble cast) could have been too much to juggle but the great Kathryn Bigelow (in her first film as director since 2017’s excellent and criminally underrated Detroit) is an incredible master of tension and storytelling construction and dares us to relax for two hours. This is hollywood filmmaking of a high order that powerfully displays an important message if the wrong people are given the wrong privileges the world just may end with a bang and a whimper. This is one of the year’s best.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

Stitch Head is a shockingly enjoyable indie animation. The film centers on the titular character a junior frankenstein’s monster who is the first of many created by a mad professor in his castle, who catches the eye of a ringmaster who believes Stitch Head might be his new main attraction, the only problem the monsters stay behind the castle walls out of fear of humans. Stitch Head is a delightful bit of family halloween fun. Surprisingly funny with fantastic creature design (i especially liked Steve a shark with little human eyes and human biceps) and a sweet message about finding people who love you despite your differences. It won’t light the world on fire but if you want to take the kids to a lightly spooky but wholesome halloween flick Stitch Head fits the bill splendidly.  I Give It 4 Stars!!! 

Dream Eater is a clever and creepy found footage horror flick that overcomes its more derivative elements thanks to strong filmmaking and a unique Lovecraftian twist. The film centers on young couple Alex and Mallory (Alex Lee Williams & Molly Strumm, who also serve as co-writers/directors) who check into an air bnb for a couples getaway after Alex who is prone to parasomnia has a near fatal episode and Molly (a documentary filmmaker) is instructed by his doctor to record his waking and sleeping habits, is Alex just having normal night terrors or is something more sinister at play. So far so Paranormal Activity, but what separates Williams & Strumm’s film (which was additionally co-written/directed by Justin Hewitt-Drakulic) from the found footage pack is a unique Cosmic element and a sharp understanding of the fundamental principle that buckets of blood can deliver a thrill but true terror comes from what could pop out of the darkened corner. The second film from Eli Roth’s Th...

Last Days is a sanctimonious, obnoxious and misguided movie about a sanctimonious, obnoxious and misguided person. The film is based on the last few years in the life of 26 year old missionary John Allen Chau who foolishly tried to bring faith to the natives of Sentinel Island without proper preparation and was killed. If this plot sounds familiar, it is, the terrific 2023 documentary The Mission was also about Chau, but where as that film was an objective and thoughtful meditation on how religious zealotry and a jesus complex led this misguided kid astray and to his own demise and encouraged us to not be as reckless as Chau was, this film treats his recklessness as an aspirational virtue. That’s offensive but the greater sins of Last Days are the unlikable and poorly acted lead, dull and slow pace and terrible filmmaking by the otherwise quite capable Justin Lin. Last Days feels more like decades.  I Give It 0 Stars!!!

Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc is a prime example of a film that delivers what it says on the tin and does it well. Directly following the anime series the film centers on Denji/Chainsaw Man as he falls hard into a love affair with the mysterious Reze who it turns out is a demon with powers that match his own can he get the girl and save the day and if he can will there be anything left to love. Chainsaw Man was a bonkers breath of fresh, gory, horny air in the world of anime and this film adaptation is smart to deliver all of that bigger, louder and in 3D!!! This is a visual feast but with enough heart (dismembered and otherwise) to also be a fully rounded movie and the 3D is quite frankly great and used in a more atmospheric way than might be imagined. I loved Chainsaw Man and Chainsaw Man The Movie was worthy of its small screen counterpart.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

Regretting You is essentially two films fighting for control, one is legitimately good, the other is well not. The film centers on Clara Grant (McKenna Grace who is an absolute movie star) whose relationship with local popular boy Miller (Mason Thames ditto) is complicated by a simultaneous tragedy, an overprotective mom and revelations that threaten to tear everyone apart. First let’s start with the good, the teen romance, it’s believable and genuinely sweet and both Grace & Thames are appealing as individuals and as a couple. What doesn’t work: nearly everything involving the adults in particular Clara’s mother (Alison Williams, a good actor trying her best with frustrating material) who makes a decision early on that begins at misguided and by the end with developments later on makes her an unforgivable character. Despite this i will give Regretting You a modest recommendation as a YA love story even with those big reservations.  I Give It 3 1/2 Stars!!! 

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is not a music biopic, go in with that mentality and you won’t be on board. This film centers on Bruce Springsteen during the period working on his album Nebraska as he deals with a deep depression. This is a film that fully understands great art can only come from deep pain and director Scott Cooper explores this with raw, methodical precision. This is a very downbeat film but it earns it by the virtue of exploring Springsteen’s pain and on that basis this is one of the finest films exploring the psychology of an artist in crisis i have seen. The whole cast delivers awards caliber work. This film will not be for everyone but i absolutely loved it.  I Give It 5 Stars!!!

R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead is an entertaining gateway horror for kids. The film centers on two brothers who move to a small town and when the younger brother steals a local’s prized pumpkin the older brother is taken and the adults in the town forget he existed, can our hero save his brother and his town from a very dark harvest. This is a good Tubi film which is about as rare a statement as saying that was a really good Kid Rock concert, but somehow they have crafted a fun, creepy and shockingly dark and ballsy children’s horror film with that classic Stine vibe. Nothing groundbreaking but a solid family halloween pick.  I Give It 4 Stars!!!

Downey Wrote That is another great SNL doc in a year full of them. The film about the great comedy writer Jim Downey is a funny and insightful film that packs a lot of insights, interviews and skits into a brief 66 minute runtime. This doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is a great love letter to Downey and his brilliance. For comedy fans it’s an absolute must see.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!! 

Shelby Oaks is an impressive achievement in grassroots genre filmmaking, Chris Stuckmann’s feature debut is an imperfect but effectively chilling horror hybrid. The film centers on Mia Brennan (Camille Sullivan, in a star-making performance) whose sister Riley has been missing for 12 years after Riley, a YouTube amateur ghost hunter, investigated a small town called Shelby Oaks. A suicide and a mysterious VHS tape lead Mia to further investigate but she soon discovers something much more sinister than she could have imagined. This is a fascinating love letter to horror cinema, a hybrid of straightforward horror, Mockumentary and found footage with a bit of investigative mystery and urban legends thrown in. A clear labor of love for Stuckmann, Shelby Oaks has some rough edges and an ending that is maybe a bit wobbly but it works as a strong beginning to a potentially great filmmaking career. Spooky and engaging, Shelby Oaks is worth a visit.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!! 

Grow is a rare beast: a live action family comedy that the whole family can enjoy. The film centers on a young girl whose mother abandoned her a few years prior and she is sent to live with her aunt, who runs a struggling farm, struggling to pay the bills our young heroine decides to enter the pumpkin growing competition and she has a potentially winning strategy: you see she can empathically speak to plants. This film is a true delight, it’s warm, funny, whimsical, sometimes absurd and shockingly moving. If the family is looking for a wholesome but genuinely good film this halloween season Grow is your best bet.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!! 

Truth & Treason is a worthy story that is hampered by its obvious made for TV trappings. This film which is essentially a condensed version of a 4 part miniseries streaming now on the Angel Studios app is a film that rests on its hero’s achievements and important historical context without doing the necessary work of building character or an inner life for him or anyone else. The film centers on the final year in the life of Helmuth Hübener a 17 year old german boy who became the youngest detractor of Hitler and was ultimately executed for his noble stance. This story is important and this young man was a hero none of this is in doubt and right now especially any film that thumbs the eye of facism deserves to exist and be seen. But a worthy story does not a movie make, eventually we need to know who Helmuth was not just what he did and unfortunately Truth & Treason never quite fills us in. There is a great film to be made about this story, sadly Truth & Treason just isn’t t...

Dude is an interesting film, strange but interesting, this Indian romcom/social drama/soap opera/action-thriller is a sometimes overstuffed hybrid but i had a blast seeing what it would throw at me next. The film follows an internet prankster who doesn’t realize he truly loves his childhood friend until he rejects her and finds out she is in love with someone else, the only problem: he convinced her father to allow him to marry her. From there things take a slightly darker turn becoming a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on violent bigotry and the changing gender norms in modern India. But through it all this is generally an energetic comedy and sometimes the dramatic elements threaten to dynamite the tone, but thanks to the charming leads and a shockingly sinister antagonist Dude is a refreshingly unpredictable genre mashup.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!!

Pets On A Train is simultaneously the blandest and strangest children’s animation in some time. The film follows Falcon, a raccoon thief who boards a train containing only pets that is sabotaged by the evil badger Hans and on a collision course with a crash, can Mr. Falcon (eyeroll) save the pets at Christmas no less. In case you didn’t notice this is a Die Hard parody with countless other references to 80s/90s action flicks (kids love Cobra amirite) and to say that is an odd choice is an understatement. However the few jokes that do work (yes some jokes actually made me laugh) are built off of those references and in jokes along with some shockingly dark and off color humor. The rest is just rinse repeat kids stuff, the film is an english dub of a french animation called Falcon Express, maybe that version leans harder into the oddball stuff. At the end of the day Pets On A Train is just there to get whatever young eyes on it before Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 dominate the family m...

 Black Phone 2 is a unicorn, the rare sequel that is not only on par with its excellent predecessor but actually retroactively enriches it. Picking up 4 years after the original siblings Finn and Gwen Blake are still wrestling with the fallout of the original, when Gwen’s psychic visions lead her and Finn to a christian youth camp where 3 kids met their end they find themselves facing the traumas of the past including The Grabber who somehow even in death has found a way to return and haunt these intrepid siblings. Black Phone 2 understands what made the original work and expands upon it, the original used the supernatural to address how two abused kids learned to literally fight their demons, now those same kids are dealing with the aftermath and trying to find closure in the wake of trauma. Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw remain perfect anchors for these films showing genuine talent far beyond their years. Hawke is creepy as ever and director/co-writer Scott Derrickson has fun ...

 Good Fortune is a smile worthy comedy with one major laugh out loud element. The film follows Arj (Aziz Ansari, who also writes and directs) a victim of the gig economy who forms an unexpected bromance with billionaire Jeff (Seth Rogen) but soon finds that relationship short lived, that is until bumbling guardian angel Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) intervenes and switches Jeff’s have lifestyle with Arj’s have not one, queue the shenanigans and capra-esque life lessons. On a storytelling level this film is essentially Wings Of Desire meets Trading Places, so nothing radically new but charming enough. What elevates Good Fortune is an incredible comic performance from Reeves who has a puppy like lovability as Gabriel and Ansari is smart to step out of the way and let Reeves cook. The film as a whole is warmhearted but nothing special but Reeves elevates it to the divine.  I Give It 4 Stars!!! 

 After The Hunt is a Luca Guadagnino film, saying those words genuinely depresses me. This brilliant filmmaker lives to provoke and most times sticks the landing, this time he falls flat on his face. The film centers on Harvard professor Alma (Julia Roberts) who finds herself in a moral dilemma when her star pupil (Ayo Edebiri) accuses her friend and colleague (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault. This is one of the most misguided, tone deaf, hateful, artless and morally ugly films i have seen in some time and the fact that a filmmaker and cast of this level of talent is involved merely adds to the disappointment. No topic is off limits in film, but if you are even gonna attempt to engage with this subject matter at all you better have something nuanced and meaningful to say, After The Hunt says nothing and spends 2 hours and 20 minutes saying that nothing. What few insights that do breakthrough are so muddled that it borders on celebrating blaming the victim. After The Hunt is easi...

 The Family McMullen is like running into an old friend, they are a little older but haven’t lost a beat. Edward Burns’ three decades later sequel to his 1995 breakthrough The Brothers McMullen is a winning and worthy follow up that proves Burns’ still has a distinctive ear for dialogue and an understanding of human nature. The film follows the family as a new generation is living in the house on long island as both generations deal with life, love and belief and what that looks like 30 years on. This is clearly personal for Burns who brings these characters old and new into his world while not being afraid to acknowledge the changing times, getting older and finding love again juxtaposed to the new generation learning the lessons the McMullen clan had to learn back in 1995. The Family McMullen isn’t a perfect film, it lacks the rough DIY low budget grit of it’s predecessor and one storytelling choice i thought undercut the original a tad but overall it was lovely spending two more...

 The Mastermind is a film that gave me a bit of an epiphany, this is my third try at understanding the appeal of filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and i have come to the conclusion that it is my favorite of the three films i have seen from this director and her style is not for me. This film about a man who turns to art theft in the early 70s and finds his life slowly unravel is an exercise in basically building a whole film around the mundanity that occurs around a heist and at least here i felt like the laconic stylings of Ms. Reichardt served a relevant narrative purpose but despite this and a strong cast i simply could not separate my admiration of this film from how much this filmmaker’s admittedly singular style leaves me cold. Keep it up Kelly, maybe one day it will click and  i will be smart enough to be worthy of your art.  I Give It 3 1/2 Stars!!! 

 John Candy: I Like Me is a funny and moving balm for the soul. Colin Hanks documentary on the late great Canadian comedy icon is a beautiful film about a beautiful man who loved and pleased everyone but in the end couldn’t save himself from himself. Much like Won’t You Be My Neighbor? or Super/Man this is hagiography that actually earns its lack of skeletons in the closet because that really doesn’t matter, Candy was a genuinely decent human being so why not celebrate that. The insights are thoughtful, the footage and access is amazing and at the center of it all is Candy who is pure genuine warmth. Films like this (and people like Candy) make the world feel a little brighter.  I Give It 5 Stars!!!

 Vicious is a film that captures interest at first before the sinking realization sets in that just about every scene is going to be exactly the same as the one before it. This film about a troubled young woman forced into a deadly game after receiving a mysterious visitor is a film that after the inciting incident occurs falls into three scenes repeated for the next 90 minutes, loud sudden jump scare, loved one of protagonist is actually supernatural villain playing a trick and supernatural force manipulates heroine into thinking she is winning and repeat, oh and make sure neither the protagonist or the audience has any closure or sense of what reality is and make sure they never do. Dakota Fanning is trying and the filmmaking is solid enough but it can’t save Vicious from being an exercise in pointlessness so egregious it borders on sadistic.  I Give It 1 1/2 Stars!!!

 Soul On Fire is easily the best Sean McNamara film in that it’s merely harmless and mediocre and not soul suckingly awful. The film follows the true story of John O’Leary a motivational speaker who as a child miraculously survived burns over nearly one hundred percent of his body. This faith based film has its heart in the right place and as a St. Louis native it’s hard not to be proud of my town getting such a loving tribute, but McNamara has never seemed to understand what flies in a cheap TV movie doesn’t hold up well on the big screen. Still this could have been worse. It’s not Reagan.  I Give It 2 1/2 Stars!!! 

 Tron: Ares is a film that requires me to remove my critical brain and allow myself to give in to my childhood self’s absolute bliss. Tron: Ares is not a deep film on the human condition, it’s a Tron film and it delivers everything it says on the tin and then adds more neat o stuff into the tin. The film is set sometime after 2010’s Legacy, Sam Flynn has resigned from ENCOM and taking the reins are the Kim sisters and eventually only one Eve Kim (Greta Lee, delivering techno-exposition with the same conviction she brought to Past Lives) after her sister’s death, and she is in a race for a mysterious Permanence Code created by Kevin Flynn with tyrannical tech bro nepo baby Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters, chewing the scenery like a buffet) who has created a Master Control Program in human like form Ares (Jared Leto) who has one major bug: he questions his programming, teaming up with Eve the battle is on as the grid and real world collide. Tron: Ares is an absolute blast. It is a perf...

 Kiss Of The Spider Woman is a film that has lovely things in it, excellent performances, production design and musical numbers, but they feel like a smokescreen to hide a hollow and empty core. The film centers on two political prisoners in Argentina 1983 and how a classic film of the same name brings them together and provides an escape from their harsh reality. That plot description basically sets up the fundamental flaw with this film, this is two films an LGBTQ+ prison romance drama and a 1940s MGM style musical fantasy and Director Bill Condon never gives us enough of a sense of the dangers both in the prison and outside to make the fantasy and the love story have the weight they both need. I can’t quite recommend Kiss Of The Spider Woman, but i admire it a whole lot.  I Give It 2 1/2 Stars!!!

 Roofman is proof of the old statement “the truth is stranger than fiction” and that makes it undeniably compelling what makes the film more so is a delightful sense of character and place. The film about a veteran turned robber imprisoned after robbing 45 McDonalds’ who then escapes and proceeds to hideout in a Toys R Us in Charlotte, NC and then forms a romantic bond with one of the stores employees is a story that is so unlikely you keep having to remind yourself it really happened. Director Derek Cianfrance is brilliant at capturing complex characters who are fighting for happiness but can’t get out of there own way and while Roofman is definitely a less gloomy and gritty effort from this filmmaker it carries over that common theme. It helps immensely that the romantic leads are Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst two movie stars with charisma and chemistry to spare. Roofman is a real winner.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

 Are We Good? is a film that tackles a very interesting idea, how does a comedian continue to bring the funny while dealing with unimaginable loss. The film follows comedian/actor/podcaster Marc Maron as he takes the stage once more after the tragic death of his partner indie filmmaker Lynn Shelton and his struggles to find humor in his grief and also explores Maron’s early life and career prior with insights from funny friends like Michaela Watkins, Caroline Rhea and John Mulaney among others. Are We Good? is a film we all need right now, not just a funny and moving documentary about funny people but a powerful look at the true dangers and struggles to laugh at one’s own pain. Maron is an incredibly open and unfiltered screen presence who quite literally tells the director in real time to keep the camera on him even at his worst. This is raw stuff but like a good comedy bit it also is so funny it can be a light in the darkness.  I Give It 5 Stars!!!

 Steve is a small gem buried in the Netflix algorithm, this drama about a particularly eventful and intense day in the life of the students and staff of an english private school for troubled boys is a film that could have felt increasingly stagey and performative and never does. The key to this is two particular lead performances Cillian Murphy as the titular teacher and newcomer Jay Lycurgo as Shy a pupil of Steve’s that is heading to a downward spiral. They both singlehandedly make this film go from good to great. Some minor quibbles here and there, the tone can sometimes be inconsistent and the one day conceit begins to strain believability by simply how much happens. But overall Steve is a powerful raw drama that i highly recommend.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!!

 Scared Shitless is a most unfortunate case, cute title, cute premise, lame movie. This low budget canadian monster movie throwback is clearly made with a lot of affection for 50s sci-fi and the golden age of Troma but it shows the extent of that affection in the first 10 or so minutes and then proceeds to spin its wheels for a little over an hour. The film follows a plumber and his germaphobic son as they have to deal with a plumbing emergency of otherworldly proportions, you see a sort of mad scientist created a squid like monster in this apartment building and it likes to feast on the tenants including there uhh downstairs equipment and it’s up to this pair and the young building manager to save the day. This is the kind of film that as a 10 minute funny or die skit or fake trailer would be genius but even at a scant 74 minutes there just isn’t a feature film here, if you want a recent exploitation homage that actually sustains its madness rent The Toxic Avenger Unrated  an...

 V/H/S/Halloween is the eighth installment in what is now a yearly franchise and it is one of the best offerings yet. In classic V/H/S fashion this is a collection of 6 found footage shorts built around a halloween theme where among other things, a beverage taste test, trick or treating, a kid safety id, a family haunted house and a halloween party detour all go horrifically wrong. The V/H/S franchise since its inception in 2012 is built on using a nostalgic format to push boundaries of mayhem, gore and good taste and by that metric, this film is a triumph. There is not a weak segment in the bunch but the clear standouts are Too Many Cooks mastermind Casper Kelly’s segment Fun Size and Alex Ross Perry’s segment Kidprint which may just be the darkest and most nightmarish segment in the franchise. Not for the faint of heart or the non-horror faithful but for fans of this franchise V/H/S/Halloween delivers some delightfully nasty tricks and treats.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

 Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl is nearly impossible to review as a movie. Essentially a compilation film mixing behind the scenes, a listening party, special insights from Swift and an early screening of the first music video from the album and its a ton of fun for fans. Now let’s talk about why you guys are really here: The Album itself and my thoughts, i loved this album. A delightfully risqué and romantic celebration of true love with just enough bittersweet gravitas and sharp wit to naturally fit the theme of Showgirls and vegas culture. The album is great and the film is a ton of fun in a packed theater.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

 The Smashing Machine is a very good film that has genuinely great things in it. This film a biopic on unsung UFC OG fighter Mark Kerr and his struggles in the ring, in his relationship and with opioid addiction is a film that puts in a lot of solid blows but just misses a knockout. Benny Safdie in his first solo outing as director after professionally separating from brother Josh Safdie has made a sports film with an unconventional approach being more like a series of rises and falls than a more formulaic structure and that is a massive plus. Another is the excellent performances from Dwayne Johnson as Kerr and Emily Blunt as his long suffering partner Dawn there performances are so great they make you forget the major flaws here at least for awhile, unfortunately it’s how Safdie develops these characters on the page that somewhat hinders the experience especially Dawn a partner who flits between victim, enabler and aggressor almost in the same scene but seems to have no inner lif...

 Anemone is a film about nothing for no one. I cannot even begin to describe how much of an ordeal it was being trapped in that cottage watching these two drunk manchildren scowl at each other occasionally broken up by baffling monologues about defecating in the face of a predatory priest. The film i guess is about the hard fought reconciliation of two brothers but the movie is so opaque that it’s hard to even get that far. This is the great Daniel Day-Lewis’ first onscreen appearance since 2017’s excellent Phantom Thread and his main motive for his role is to write a film with his son that his son can direct. It is a blatant vanity project that never once lets you forget how much of a pretentious exercise it is. Films rarely get more unwatchable than this.  I Give It 0 Stars!!! 

 Good Boy is something truly special, a film built on a fresh idea that doesn’t allow itself to fall into gimmickry. The film centers on Indy (who plays himself) a very good dog who absolutely loves his owner, upon moving into his owner’s late grandfather’s secluded home Indy begins to notice strange figures and bumps in the night, are these supernatural or a way for our canine hero to process a deeper tragedy that beckons on the horizon. Good Boy is a triumph, not just in its experimental approach but in its thoughtful examination of love, companionship and grief told from a 4 legged POV. It helps immensely that first time director/co-writer Ben Leonberg has found the perfect leading man (i mean dog) in his own furry pal Indy who gives one of the best performances of 2025 (human or canine), this dog isn’t just a good boy, he’s a damn movie star, deserving of not only milkbones but golden statues. Good Boy is one of the best films of the year and proof positive that sometimes a man...

 Kantara - A Legend: Chapter 1 starts as extremely dull and self indulgent before finally collapsing in a sea of self flagellated silliness. This prequel to the 2022 film Kantara about a half crazed ancient indian folk hero is so over the top and loud and long and incomprehensible that eventually you just can’t help but giggle at the sheer madness of it. So this film is bad but i can’t say i was super angry about it.  I Give It 1 1/2 Stars!!!

 Satisfied is proof positive that a compelling subject can elevate a documentary over pedestrian filmmaking. This film on the actress Renee Elise Goldsberry (best known for her role as Angelica in Hamilton) and her struggles with overnight success and making time for her family does an excellent job of showing Goldsberry’s talent and charisma and the likability of her family as well which makes it easy to be invested in her journey (plus the behind the scenes footage of Hamilton is also a nice cherry on the sundae) and yet i wish the film was a bit longer and a bit more polished and had a bit more insights from other subjects surrounding Goldsberry but overall if you are a fan of either Goldsberry or her most well known role, this is a must watch.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!! 

 The Lost Bus feels like a disaster movie and then you remind yourself it actually happened. Greengrass’ latest true life thriller is an incredible exercise in complete audience immersion, this film about the 2018 California Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in the states history and the efforts of a bus driver and teacher who bravely shepherded a bus full of elementary school kids to a safe zone where there parents are waiting with open arms, is a film that performs a tricky balancing act being a special effects thriller and a searing emotional drama about the tragedy and handles it with aplomb. It helps immensely that our heroic leads are played by Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera who show with their incredible work here that they need to be in way more films. The Lost Bus is an incredible experience but it’s the emotional punch much like the fire that lingers.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

 Bone Lake is one of those rare films that i love that i find very difficult to recommend to a wide audience. This erotic horror comedy thriller is an utterly thrilling, sexy, hilarious and royally messed up film that starts as an intriguing slow burn before erupting into insane mayhem and a disturbing twist that will either elevate the film for you or completely turn you off. The 4 leads are all awesome (especially Alex Roe who digs into this role with crazed charisma) and the filmmaking by director Mercedes Bryce Morgan is excellent!!! If you want a good time and can stomach the darker waters book a trip to Bone Lake.  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

 Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie was something unexpected, as a nearly 32 year old man who knows nothing about this franchise i was fully expecting to sleep or cringe through this G rated movie. So color me surprised when i say i highly recommend this film. It was delightful with sugary sweet lessons for little ones with just enough surrealist humor to appeal to adults and make the wholesome spirit feel genuine. Our lead is charming, Estefan and Wiig have fun without ever condescending the material and the animation is colorful and inventive. Shockingly i kind of loved Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie. Surprised me too.  I Give It 4 1/2 Stars!!! 

 Dude Perfect: The Hero Tour is not much of a movie, but quite frankly neither are the Jackass films and ultimately for DP fans this won’t matter much. As a dude novice i must admit for a junior league christian variation on Knoxville and the gang, this had no business being as fun as it was. I totally get the appeal of these guys delivering inventive skits, stunts and games that are chaotic and yet entirely wholesome while still often being quite likable and funny. This film of there live tour is a nice intro for newcomers while delivering all the fun DP’s young fanbase love on the big screen. In a world of terrible children’s entertainment kiddos could do a lot worse than these dudes.  I Give It 4 Stars!!!

 The Strangers: Chapter 2 is a film that i believe even its makers think is pointless, by the time our heroine is nearly killed by a CGI wild boar (yes folks she was literally almost boar’d to death) i threw up my hands and said forget it, if you aren’t gonna try why the hell should i. This film which picks up immediately following last year’s Chapter 1 finds lone survivor Maya (Madelaine Petsch who deserves so much better than this slapdash reboot trilogy) recovering in the hospital and mourning the death of her beloved fiancé only to find those pesky strangers aren’t done with there little murder game. What follows is the most blatant example of middle installment wheel spinning i have maybe ever seen. This is 7 minutes longer than its predecessor and yet somehow accomplishes absolutely nothing with one big exception: a backstory for the titular killers. One of the most effective elements of the original 2008 The Strangers is that this was a random inexplicable attack with no exp...

 One Battle After Another is that rare gift of a film. A studio film with an epic budget that takes risks and is hard to categorize. As a thriller and a comedy it works while also remaining relevant and trenchant in its themes of freedom, racism, justice and how little things have progressed in this country. Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest follows a former vigilante revolutionary who 16 years later is trying to live a normal life with his teenage daughter only for the past to come back to haunt him and also he’s high as a kite. Anderson has always been a filmmaker that can basically make films about everything genre be damned and pull it off with this film he has delivered one of his best yet and one of the best films so far this decade. Run don’t walk to this one.  I Give It 5 Stars!!!

 Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe has an incredible central subject with immense likability and talent and the film knows it. This documentary about the famous Italian tenor does a good job of showing why the world loves Mr. Bocelli which makes it all the more frustrating that the film feels so shallow and surface level. People sometimes ask if one element alone can make a film worth recommending, rarely but yes and this is one of those times. Mr. Bocelli is a figure that deserves a great doc and this is not quite that film but it fundamentally works by putting its subject front and center.  I Give It 4 Stars!!! 

 They Call Him OG Is a masterclass in Indian action cinema. This film about a gangster who goes into hiding for 10 years only to resurface to seek vengeance is a wild action epic with a badass lead, strong story and incredible set pieces. After all the delays OG has arrived and it’s glorious. Bring on the sequel!!!  I Give It 5 Stars!!! 

 Dead Of Winter Is a film built on familiar thriller ground but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This film about a woman trying to rescue a girl from a pair of kidnappers while attempting to fulfill her late husband’s last wishes is a film that while thrilling is nothing you haven’t seen before, however it is elevated by assured filmmaking and a pair of incredible lead performances from the always great Emma Thompson and Judy Greer. Won’t light the world on fire but an overall solid slab of entertainment.  I Give It 4 Out Of 5 Stars.