Forgeries and artistic integrity clash in entertaining "Christophers"

Sir Ian McKellen must be old. I thought he was old in the LOTR franchise, and that was filmed nearly thirty years ago. In The Christophers, at the ripe old age of 86, he's a formerly celebrated painter, Julian Sklar, whose adult children resort to unethical activities in order to secure his inheritance. The problem? Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), the woman assigned to forge his titular painting collection, clashes with the eccentric old man. Their back-and-forth banter is the heart and soul of the movie.

Steven Soderbergh continues to be one of the most prolific American filmmakers, often releasing two movies in a single year. The Christopher may not be his ultimate masterpiece, but given the mediocrity of last year's Presence and the highly overrated Black Bag - and thanks in large part to McKellen's winning performance - it's the best work he's done in many years.

☆☆☆

Zazie Beetz is a badass like few other in blood soaked "They Will Kill You"

 

Imagine fusing Kill Bill and Ready or Not franchises in a lab. What will you get? Nothing less than They Will Kill You, a blood soaked action-horror in which Satanists get sliced in various ways. When Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) gets released from prison, she looks for her little sister in a gothic New York City high rise. What she finds there are a group of devoted Devil worshippers. All immortal, all batshit crazy, looking to kill or sacrifice her for their personal gain. Needless to say, arms, feet and heads get sliced - to say the least.

Russian filmmaker, Kirill Sokolov, has made a movie that is mostly all style, with very little substance. But it matters little, when all is said and done. Much like his 2018 dark comedy, Why Don't You Just Die?, They Will Kill You is not here to make us question the meaning of life. It's an ultra violent, entertainment where (mostly) good people triumph over great evil (still don't understand how a ten year prison sentence turns a woman into an ultimate warrior, but whatever). This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it delivers exactly what it promises. As long as you expect nothing else, you should meet the end credits with a smile on your face.

☆☆1/2

Gosling's charm & Weir's material elevate "Project" to cellestial heights

 

Andy Weir's 2021 novel, Project Hail Mary, was a whopping fun-ride. After I read it in 2024, I was charmed by Weir's ability to fuse hard sci-fi with a moving story about a solitary teacher who's thrust into an international plight to save our Solar System's sun before it's eaten away by an alien virus (known here as Astrophage). When I heard that a movie was in the works, with Ryan Gosling in the lead role, my smile stretched from ear to ear.

Having just seen the movie, I can proudly say it does Weir's novel true justice. It is, more or less, exactly as I'd imagined it. Even the alien Rocky, an Eridian extra-terrestrial, is a charming, lovable pile of connected rocks - as it was in my imagination. While this human/Eridian duo meet up in the deep cosmos, they learn to communicate, and use their scientific prowesses in order to save their respective planets from Astrophage's threat.

Project Hail Mary is a relatively early 2026 blockbuster release, and may not resonate in the public's memory by the time movie awards season kicks in. It is a moving drama nonetheless, a smart science fiction experience, and an exciting save-the-universe quest - all rolled into one. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon.

☆☆☆1/2

These "Fruits" too rotten to enjoy

 

Perhaps I would not be so peeved at how bad Meredith Alloway's Forbidden Fruits really is if the Rotten Tomatoes score didn't gift it with a whopping 76%. Imagine something similar to 1996's The Craft - which was no masterpiece, by the way - but worse. And not just a little. Much, much worse. 

But I digress.

The four heroines in Forbidden Fruits are flat as characters. They're egotistical, and - considering this is marketed as a dark comedy - grossly unfunny. They speak like poorly written archetypes of film school screenwriter hacks, and occupy a plot so thin and dull it's difficult to sit through it. When you add the flat visual element - movie's cinematography resembles an early 2000s direct-to-Cinemax far - the result is a toothache, sans novacaine. My one confession: I didn't even make it to the end. I dare you to.

1/2 ☆

Borgli's "The Drama" bites and scathes as a contemporary satire

 

Perhaps no current filmmaker has explored the sensitivity of modern society as the Norwegian director, Kristoffer Borgli. His previous movies, Dream Scenario and Sick of Myself, were biting satires that made us cringe and laugh. In his latest, The Drama, a young couple, Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) meet and fall in love. 

Shortly before their wedding, they are joined by friends (Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie) over numerous glasses of wine. Things are said, confessions made, until Emma admits to having had - once upon a time - bad thoughts (very bad thoughts) at one point in high school. Her friend is disgusted, and angry. Soon, Charlie is also torn, unsure of himself. Should he go through with the marriage, after knowing what he knows about his future Mrs?

The Drama tackles modern wokeness, examining humanity's tolerance about people's past sins. Emma never carried out the bad thoughts she possessed as a confused teenager, she merely had them. No one was hurt as a result: not a single person. Yet she's doomed to pay for them, even now. Should she have ever said anything to begin with? Whatever happened to 'silence is golden' rule? This movie is insightful, bold, funny, but above all else - honest. I strongly suggest you see it - and everything else Borgli has created.

☆☆☆1/2

True story of "Tow" is drowned by a weak plight of a disappointing heroine

 

As a homeless woman living in her car in Tow, Amanda Ogle's (Rose Byrne) life is turned upside down when her 'home' is - you guessed it - towed. She follows this unfair incident (the car was initially stolen, then allegedly towed, where it eventually accrued over $20k of fines due to storage and additional legal fees, etc) for over a year, sleeping in shelters and getting on the good side of Barb (Octavia Spencer), the woman in charge of (what I imagine) is the cleanest, poshest homeless shelter ever.

The irony in this fact-based tale is that, despite her social and financial shortcomings, Ogle's plight is half-sympathetic. The reason? Her car was barely worth a thousand dollars, yet she fought for it with a vigor of someone who was chasing a prized possession worthy of a million bucks. Now, I'm not downplaying the authenticity of Ogle's story; but I am questioning why this 'drama' expects us to care for a character who's such a disappointment as a person that - in America, of all places - she behaves as if she's living in war torn, sub Saharan Africa. If you want to truly appreciate Byrne's talents, check out If I had Legs, I'd Kick You instead.

☆☆

All build up and no payoff mute this "Undertone"

 

A movie that's advertised as a new trope of horror should deliver uncommon scares. Unfortunately, writer/director Ian Tuason's Undertone fails to deliver in its final act. It is all the more disappointing because, for majority of its ninety plus minutes, the movie presents us with a likeable heroine, Evy (Nina Kiri), a nighttime podcaster who spends her days taking care of her aging, ill mother. Throughout, Evy and her off-screen podcaster co-host (voiced by Adam DiMarco) play audio clips on air, some of which have sinister vibes.

Part Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (where the protagonist attempts to make sense of sounds), part 2012's Sinister (a grossly underrated horror movie), Undertone never reaches the climax of either film. It is a good idea, in and of itself, but no more than that. Here's hoping that Tuason's next project is followed all the way through, instead of merely tickling our bones, for the sheer sake of it.

☆1/2

Weaving's charisma solidifies "Here I Come" as a sequel worth waiting for

 

As a splatter friendly, over-the-top horror comedy, Ready or Not franchise works best when its ill fated heroine, Grace (Samara Weaving), is wearing her blood-soaked wedding dress, and dodging death at every turn. In Ready or Not: Here I Come, she is rescued from the first film's scene of crime, only to be pulled back into another ordeal where she has to survive until the following dawn, while merciless assassins howl for her head on a stick. She's not just Uma Thurman nameless Bride: she's her, times six or seven.

This time around, Grace is handcuffed to her younger sister (Kathryn Newton) as she chases the sun's arrival. They are pursued by the Danforth siblings: Titus (Shawn Hatosy) and Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Stylish deaths are aplenty: people will explode like overfilled balloons, betrayals will take place, and the heroine will eventually... well, let's just hope she wears a different dress in any upcoming sequels.

☆☆☆

"The Bride" juggles several genres yet never finds its niche

 

Christian Bale's Frankenstein monster looks oddly appropriate in the bizarre The Bride. Finding himself in early 20th century Chicago, he appeals to Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) about reviving a female corpse for him, to deprive him of the eternal loneliness. When a body of a recently murdered woman (Jessie Buckley, fresh from her Hamnet success) turns up, the new un-dead couple roam the 1930s America as a Bonnie and Clyde/Natural Born Killers types; at first, murdering out of necessity, and later, turning into the hunted.

Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride is a bigger movie than its limited release would suggest. Having cost a reported $90 million, it's a wonder how anyone approved it, provided it still remains unclear as to whom its audience was supposed to be. Tonally, the film fluctuates (a crime drama? a monster movie? a zombie romance?), and despite having some entertaining moments, it still lasts too long, and ends with a whimper, instead of a bang. Ambitious Hollywood failures are a thing, and The Bride falls within that regrettable trope.

☆☆ 

Deeply human characters at front center in "Crime 101"

 

There are movie characters, and then there are real people. The latter are in the forefront of Crime 101, writer/director Bart Layton's ingenious crime drama. The trio of central characters are Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth), a clever thief who rips of dangerous people without succumbing to violence; Sharon (Halle Berry), an aging insurance broker who slowly realizes that the promotion she's been waiting for will be passed on to young talent; and Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), an honest policeman who insists on carrying out justice, even despite his superiors' insisting he "take it down a notch or two."

Crime 101 is reminiscent of Michael Mann's Heat (1995), another Los Angeles based crime drama whose characters are elevated to intelligent levels of Shakespearean complexity. There are really no bad people here: only men and women struggling to succeed in a world of unfair hierarchies. This is top notch filmmaking, a deeply engaging narrative that's been mostly missing in Hollywood's 21st century output. One of the best films of 2026.

☆☆☆☆

"Fire & Ash" elevate the conflict to include Pandora's own residents' strife

 

The Avatar franchise has always fascinated me with how much emphasis - and money - has been put into the special effects, while the narrative remained a poor man's Pocahontas, at best. In James Cameron's third installment of what will likely define his filmmaking legacy, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldana) Na'vi tribe faces an adversary very much like their own: a tall, skinny warrior-shaman female named Varang (Oona Chaplin). Varan's tribe joins forces with Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang, who seems destined to be this franchise's Darth Vader like re-occurring villain), and together, they put a cramp in Sully's - and the human colonizers' - style.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the most action packed of the series' movies yet, featuring a final battle on water (reminiscent of the previous installment's finale) and in air that is breathtakingly beautiful in all its clash-filled glory. These movies may go down as the most expensive ever, and it's no wonder: every frame has been rendered and processed countless times, until the final result is primo eye candy. I was less excited about this franchise after 2022's Way of Water, but am more hopeful to see a fourth part in three years' time. Fingers crossed that 20th Century Fox executives still deem its astronomical budget to be worthwhile.

☆☆☆

"Killing" hovers between satire and thriller, without truly being either

 

Glen Powell has been the next star in making for a few years, a sort of poor-man's Ryan Gosling. But, if I'm being honest, other than Richard Linklater's Hit Man (2024), the movies where he was the leading man (The Running Man, Twisters) have been largely underwhelming. In How to Make a Killing, a loose adaptation of 1949's superior dark comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets, he plays Becket Redfellow, a man raised by a single mother, who was banished out of her affluent family for getting pregnant as a teenager. He then decides to murder all members of his family who stand between him and the billions of inheritance he believes are rightfully his.

Writer/director John Patton Ford (whose Emily the Criminal was an excellent social commentary about contemporary unaffordability) struggles to balance the satire with the thriller-drama elements. If Becket could at least establish his cousins as horrible people, then his actions may come across as more acceptable. As is, he murders without remorse, coming across as a depraved sociopath, one whose charm isn't substantial enough to cover up his flaws. Not even the presence of the sexy Margaret Qualley, who pops in and out of the narrative periodically, can salvage Ford's muddled tone.

How to Make a Killing is a missed opportunity. I can only imagine that, perhaps, Sam Raimi or the Coen brothers, would've done the material more justice. I hope Powell soon selects a script worthy of his charm, for if he keeps striking out as he has been, will he even be relevant at the decade's conclusion?

☆☆

Pixar's "Hoppers" captures hearts of children and minds of adults, like in its golden age

 

Don't let the promotional materials (a bear's jaw holding a small beaver) and the cute furry animals fool you: Hoppers is very much adult entertainment as much as it is children's. An environmentalist tale about a young girl, Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) who takes on the powerful politicians in her quest to save a local animal sanctuary, the movie is cute, yet, but it is also hilarious. Characters are clever, oddly shaped, and come in all colors and sizes. Mabel's quest becomes equal parts Avatar and Wall-E; she communicates with animals and humans, and learns how to compromise with both along the way.

Like the best that Pixar as to offer (Up, Toy Story series, Wall-E, Finding Nemo), Hoppers exceeds all expectations, without ever falling into the overly sentimental or preachy territory. It combines new technology, where human consciousness is transported into a robotic animal, creating solutions (and a few obstacles along the way) that are as fascinating as they are inventive. This is top notch entertainment, destined to be a long lasting classic in the Pixar vault.

☆☆☆1/2

Rehabilitation and re-education are mercilessly tackled in bold "Heel"

 

A wild young man, Tommy (Ansoon Boon), drinks hard, takes hard drugs, gets with multiple women (during the same night), and parties like there's no tomorrow. When he mysteriously appears in the basement of a married couple, Chris and Kathryn (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough), chained by the neck, little does he know the rehabilitation program they have in mind for him. But why? And who are these people? Eventually we learn some things, and are equally left in the dark about the rest. Just like Tommy.

Jan Komasa's Heel (also known as Good Boy in some markets) is a mature, original drama, one that examines an isolated family dealing with grief (allegedly) and a young man who's been on the wrong side of the tracks for... well... likely all his life. The third act features a brief stint of violence that ends before it ever really begins, and the final scene is surprisingly uplifting in unforeseen ways. Heel deserves a wider audience; here's hoping it finds one on video/streaming platforms.

☆☆☆

A cliched sports formula drowns this "Goat" in mediocrity

 

In the 21st century, outside of Pixar/Disney, high budget animated movies have been rather mundane. There are exceptions, of course (How to Train Your Dragon series, most notably), but you know what I mean. Columbia Pictures' latest basketball themed animated feature GOAT, borrows every cliche from the sports movie narrative. A small, undersized goat (voiced by Will Harris) dreams of becoming a professional basketball player, in a world much like Zootopia's array of various animal species. Along the way, he'll stumble a few times, get his ass kicked, but when all's said and done, he'll hit the low percentage game winner that'll guarantee his team the coveted championship.

Goat is too loud, I'd say even too colorful (I know: I didn't think that could be an issue, but here we are), and features basketball plays ran at such frenetic pace that it's hard to tell what's going on. The one thing that was clear, however, was that the 'bad' guys dunk almost exclusively. Such lack of suspense is typical in movies this brainless: no one hardly ever misses a shot. Kids may like this, but I doubt they'll remember it for long; adults are bound to be bored, as was yours truly. 

So do yourselves a favor, and watch either of the two Zootopia movies, for this is only a poor knockoff of those superior universes.

☆1/2

Devastation in "Help" is well matched by its convincing two leads

 

Sami Raimi has made some of the most memorable horror/suspense-noir/superhero movies of our time (Evil Dead 1 & 2, A Simple Plan, Spider Man 2) that it's no wonder he's the man behind this year's (thus far) most exciting, blood soaked thriller. In Send Help, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien) play an employee and a boss of a big company who get stranded on an island in the South Pacific. In addition to facing the cruel nature and general hunger, each must also deal with the other's contrasting mission.

The movie is violent, to put it mildly. It is also extremely clever, tense, and engrossing enough to make us forgive a final act turn that might be just a bit too Deus Ex Machina-ish. McAdams does some of her best work here, and although the ending will make many wonder if there are protagonists worth empathizing with, the adrenaline rush it generates will more than make up for it. A taut, engaging film that is hard to look away from.

☆☆☆

Shudder Original farts out another dud with this "Reaper"

 

Shudder Original platform, for all their expertise in the field of macabre, is bound to put out a decent product once in a while. If for nothing else, than for the law of averages. Sadly, that movie is not Night of the Reaper, their latest retro slasher, where the skeleton faced murderer is obsessed with young babysitters. If there is one thing the movie gets right, it is certainly the poster; reminiscent of 1980s classics (most notably Fright Night), it will make a hard core movie afficionado nostalgic for the golden cinema of yesteryear. 

To speak much of the plot is pointless, for despite its mundane, uninspired 'scares', it hardly harbors an original thought throughout. Not even the twist it attempts to pull off late in the final act can save it from the ninety minutes of cheap cinematography and uninspired writing. The killer seems to be a poor man's ghostface: black robe, topped off with a mask representing death. When their identity is finally revealed, the result is laughable rather than shocking. Night of the Reaper is living proof that a low budget movie can indeed be just as bad as a low IQ high budget Hollywood action blockbuster.

☆

Charming "Arco" impresses early on, but struggles with weak narrative

 

It's taken me a long time to see Arco, a movie whose poster charmed me when I first laid eyes on it in late 2025. A sci-fi fantasy story about the titular boy, who accidentally travels to the wrong time period (he was trying to witness the rule of dinosaurs on Earth), the movie is a charming, colorful experience, reminiscent of Japanese anime. It comments not only on climate change, but the inevitable rise of AI/robotics, and what an essential part they'll play in the future of humankind.

But despite all of its good intentions, the movie's narrative, once we settle deep into the second act, stagnates and drags. By the time Arco's parents and sister arrive, aged and battered, the time travel paradox/fascination wears thin. I imagine kids will eat this up, but parents will wonder why in the world did the time travelling aspect have to be this mundane and uninteresting?

☆☆1/2

Fennell's adaptation of "Heights" modernizes the romances but ignores the social class disparity

 

Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights is not the best adaptation of Emily Bronte's literary masterpiece, but it may just be the most beautifully entertaining one. Featuring the handsome leads (Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi) as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the movie features some haunting looking set pieces, and a location (enchanting hills drenched in a perpetual hovering fog) that was born out of the Gothic dictionary itself. As the star crossed (but impoverished) lovers, Catherine and Heathcliff's fates are doomed, as both are poor, and only she is able to marry upwards into unimaginable wealth. When Heathcliff returns from a long sabbatical as a much more successful (and better groomed) man, Catherine throws herself at him - heart, body and soul. 

The soundtrack is a notable one, as well. It features contemporary music (most by Charli XCX) that modernizes the period piece from the early nineteenth century England into something the younger viewers unfamiliar with the novel will appreciate. This adaptation is by no means a masterpiece, but it is, nonetheless, a remarkable visual achievement, despite mostly ignoring the social class disparity that exists among its central characters. Fennell may not be a recognizable name among Hollywood's elite directors, but judging with what original flair she carries herself, it may not be long before she reaches that escheleon.

☆☆☆

A (somewhat) unpopular opinion: it's time to end "Scream" franchise

 

Scream 7 is the first movie of the popular horror franchise to be directed by the man whose screenplay spawned the franchise to begin with: Kevin Williamson. To speak of the plot is rather pointless, for the same thing that always happens takes place here. The ghostface killer is back, murdering people close to Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her daughter (Mckenna Grace) for reasons unknown - other than Hollywood trying to extend a cash cow. Back is also Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), the TV newswoman/journalist/reporter who's also had some very close encounters with the masked murderer in the past.

The movie takes the violence up a few notches, displaying spilled guts in ways uncommon for the franchise. In addition, the reveal of the killer(s) is a major disappointment, for the people behind the murders felt so irrelevant and inconsequential that I was left scratching my head, and wondering why such a lazy storyline was ever approved. Let's hope this franchise doesn't reach the Saw series' double digit number; it's this close to being something we laugh at, instead of with. 

☆1/2

Schlock and splatter never quite reach camp levels in this "Storage"

 

Reminiscent of Street Trash, Slither and Planet Terror, Cold Storage is a cute throwback to the splatter movies of gore, where otherworldly monsters/aliens/diseases wreak havoc in a small city/town/community to the point of calling in the national guard/army/military. Joe Keery plays Travis, a young man working at a 24-hour storage facility. Along with Naomi (Georgina Campbell), he discovers a strange, green fungus within his work place. The fungus converts those it encounters into monsters, eventually causing them to explode. Good times.

Despite its decent premise, Cold Storage never quite reaches the campy fun levels of the aforementioned classics. When the so-called 'horror' finally unfolds (in the movie's final third), it occurs way too late in the narrative, and produces very little action of note. The actors do their best (including Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville), but unless this produces a more daring sequel (it's suggested in the closing credits), it will remain a mildly entertaining creature-feature that few will happily re-watch years from now.

☆☆

Seyfried's fearlessness is the most notable aspect in "Anne Lee"

 

As an 'epic' (so to speak), The Testament of Ann Lee checks most of the boxes. It is beautifully photographed, shows off exquisite set pieces, and features scenes of numerous actors dancing and singing to choreography complex and - at times - beautiful. To top it off, Amanda Seyfried's performance in the titular lead role is brave and admirably engrossing. The story centers on Ann Lee, a woman in rural england in late 18th century who, disillusioned with sexism and inequality, begins the religious Shaker movement. The first thirty minutes are equal parts compelling and disturbing (all of Ann's four children die before reaching the age of one), instilling within the viewer a conflicted sense of euphoric disconcertment.

Yet for all its bravado, the movie, at well over two hours, delves far too often into the devout religious dogma, focusing on the Shaker faith rather than any rational, internal conflicts of its characters. The dialogue is heavy handed, and often distances the viewer further from the protagonists they're supposed to identify with. One can only watch dozens of cultish faithful swaying and singing, praying to the imaginary heavens for something that never manifests into a palpable reality, before saying, Wtf is this?? 

The Testament of Ann Lee is that rare misfire, a near perfect production, technically superb, and marred only by an insignificant script. The real shame is that Seyfried's performance is wasted on such drivel; she deserves a better story than this irrelevant fluff. 

☆1/2

Narcissism of the rich and powerful is on full display in laughable "Melania"

 

There's never been a movie quite like Melania. A product of a shameless bribe ($40 million, allegedly) from billionaire Jeff Bezos to Donald Trump's wife, it is less a documentary than a series of scenes that illuminate everything the First Lady is - and does. From the opening shot, where the camera focuses on Melania Trump's feet as she exits Mar A Lago and enters a black SUV, we never get closer to understanding who this woman really is. For all we know, she's a fembot, an AI creation and robotic entity who only nods and smiles and spews the most mundane nonsense. 

Her famous mantra, "Be Best", is equivalent to a soulless individual saying "breathe to live," and still  believing they've uttered something profound. The disgraced director, Brett Ratner, does nothing complex with his subject matter (it's understandable that he was just a hired tool, with little to no creative control), and the result is a propaganda piece whose objective was to gloss and glorify an empty human being. Melania insisists that she's "against bullying (her husband's favorite pastime), believes in children's welfare (MAGA has done nothing to supply underprivileged children with free school lunches), favors education (as her husband's administration guts the Department of Education), and favors personal liberty (as MAGA advocates to illegalize abortion). Every single of her principles is a lie, and shamelessly so.

Melania Trump is undeniably a joke of a first lady, just as Melania is a disgrace to the medium of film. Let's hope nothing this shallow and empty ever graces the big screens again.

ZERO STARS

"Have Fun" may be the most self aware AI threat movie of the century

 

Gore Verbinski's latest, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, is as good of a movie as he's ever made. Written by Matthew Robinson, this sci-fi action comedy focuses on an unkempt, belligerent man (Sam Rockwell), who appears (out of nowhere) at an American small town diner. There, he declares to all the customers that he's from the future, and has come to save the world - only if some of them would help him in the endeavor. The movie unfolds quickly and brazenly, dazzling with its clever writing and seamless direction, until it concludes in a big bang of special/visual effects, pulling the rug from underneath us for who knows how many times.

The characters we meet along the way are equally fascinating. There's Mark (Michael Pena), a substitute teacher disillusioned by the modern day students constantly staring at their phones during class. We also meet Susan (Juno Temple), whose son is killed in a school shooting, a tragedy that makes her resort to making an odd, difficult choice. And last but not least, there's Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman who dresses as a Disney princess and works at children's parties, while intermittently bleeding from her nose anytime a cell phone intrudes her vicinity. All are three dimensional, complex characters, whose plight is as relevant and timely as ever. 

The movie evokes the hyperkinetic sci-fi elements of 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once, a masterpiece of interdimensional travel that is equally complex and original. I realize that 2026 is barely underway, but Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is already on my "Best of" list, and I doubt that it'll be bumped off by December's end - regardless of the year's cinematic output.

☆☆☆☆

Foster's bilingual juggling is impressive, but this "Life" is duller than water

 

In Rebecca Zlotowski's A Private Life, Jodie Foster plays Dr. Lilian Steiner, a bilingual American psychologist who lives in Paris. When one of her patients (Virginie Efira) commits suicide, the Doctor is convinced the woman was murdered. The most likely suspect? The husband, played by Mathieu Amalric, a philandering man who answers a stranger's appearance on his front door completely naked - among other things.

Despite the movie's desire to incorporate elements of Hitchcock and Bergman, it never amounts to a less than stellar climax, which, when it arrives, falls flatter than an opened can of week old beer. The most remarkable aspect, if I must choose one, is Foster's performance. Her character does not only drink a lot of wine, shed several fistfuls of tears, and start an affair with her ex-husband. She also speaks French with the expertise of a virtuoso linguist, an achievement rather rare for an American these days (or any days, really). A Private Life is (somewhat of) a missfire, all things being equal, but at least it's an ambitious one.

☆☆

If only "The Moment" lasted that long, instead of dragging on to no avail

 

As a pop star, Charli XCX is entertaining and provocative, a kind of a British Lady Gaga. Of her released albums, I've enjoyed the first one, hated the second, and found the third mildly entertaining. But that's where my praise for her star appeal ends. In The Moment, a so-called mockumentary semi based on one of her concert shows, she plays a fictional version of herself (I think). The only issue? The director/writer, Aidan Zamiri (and co-writer Bertie Brandes) provide her with a script so mundane and banal that it's hard to believe she ever agreed to it.

Labeled as a "Comedy" on Rotten Tomatoes, The Moment is equivalent to watching paint dry on a urinal. It's neither funny, nor moving, nor insightful, nor straight up provocative (if only it was). Of the so-called-plot-and-story, I've said nothing, and for good reason. There really isn't one. Its title is also grossly misleading: this abomination lasts more than one hundred minutes, making the viewer (yours truly, in any case) ever believe it was anywhere as exciting as Charli's average music video.

☆

Statham's action hero shtick is elevated by a surprisingly moving father-daughter dynamic in "Shelter"

 

Jason Statham is a world class overachiever. Debuting in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (way back when in1998), he has since found international stardom as a Stallone-Schwarzenegger-Seagal clone, of sorts. In the new action thriller Shelter, he plays (for who knows how many times) a bad-ass former government special agent, Michael Mason. Mason kicks ass first and asks questions later, while living in isolation on an island off the coast of Scotland. 

When his hideout is compromised, he is forced to go on the run, as numerous assassins and government agents chase him. But he's no longer alone. In tow is the young Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), a girl whose only family member has been killed, and whom Mason feels he needs to protect, at all costs. Along the way, they form an unusual bond. Their dynamic is the best part of Shelter.

Unfortunately, despite its few genuine thrills, the movie succumbs to way too many cliches. The mysterious assassin sent to eliminate Mason and Jessie, for some reason, is a gifted sharpshooter from afar; except when he's firing at the two main characters from up close (often from waaaaay up close). In such cases, he can't hit water if he fell out of a boat. Shelter is a mixed pleasure, and will be enjoyed only by the most devout Statham fans. There are worse movies out there, I suppose, but that's not saying much.

☆☆

Palestinian suffering is on real time display in authentic "Hind Rajab"

 

Not so much a narrative movie as a documentation of Palestinian suffering in Gaza, The Voice of Hind Rajab is an emotionally gut wrenching experience for anyone possessing a ticking heart. Taking place on January 29, 2024, the movie it focuses on a team of Red Crescent volunteers who receive a phone call from a girl whose family has been murdered, and who is now stuck in a car, under siege by IDF. We do not witness or see any conflict or gunfire; we only hear the desperation in the little girl's voice, as her world closes in all around her.

Director Kaouther Ben Hania has deservedly received the Grand Jury prize at the Venice International Film Festival. At this divisive time in our history, when Israel is shamelessly getting away with murder on the world stage, movies like this are revolutionary. I hope the it wins the Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards, for although it may not be the best of the five nominees, it is indeed the most indispensable, as I've heard someone say.

☆☆☆

Skarsgard turn as the wronged man only notable aspect of this "Wire"

 

Trying to ride the hostage movie coattails of Dog Day Afternoon and Inside Man, Gus Van Sant's Dead Man's Wire is nearly as flat as the electric coil in its title. Based on true events from 1977, when a disgruntled land developer (Bill Skarsgard) kidnapped the son of a mortgage broker tycoon and kept him hostage, the movie (allegedly) reports, without entertaining. The media frenzy that followed the real thing became frontline news, involving even the smooth talking radio jockey (Colman Domingo).

Despite its cool retro look (it honestly looks and feels like late 1970s Indianapolis), Dead Man's Wire manages to elevate Skarsgard's acting range into another stratosphere, without ever taking much of a risk narratively. The protagonist is both annoying and worthy of empathy, and the ending is merely sub standard - nearly anti-climactic. This movie is proof that just because a controversial incident was ultra-news worthy, it doesn't necessarily translate into an entertaining Hollywood adaptation.

☆☆

Poots shines, but the narrative shocks all the viewers' senses in this "Water"

 

Kristen Stewart's adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir, The Chronology of Water, begins with a bang and never lets up. Sometimes this hyperkinetic approach can be a good thing; but alas, in this case, it is not. The movie introduces (well, sort of) Lidia, played by Imogen Poots, as a physically bruised and bloodied heroine whose life is 90% pain and suffering, and the rest masturbation and shaving of her pubes. Scenes unfold way too quickly, and before we can make sense of what we've just seen, we're already onto to the next one, where more physical and mental anguish are front and center.

Lidia is abused by her father, impregnated too early by a musician boyfriend, and eventually dedicates her life to writing, becoming a teacher in the Pacific Northwest. Despite the actress' courageous turn, the movie never slows down enough to lets us identify with her plight. Stewart directs with the frantic pace of someone who only has an hour to tell Lidia's entire story, when, in fact, she has more than two hours of screen time to work with. The style becomes exhausting quickly, feeling as if the whole thing is moving with someone's thumb on the fast-forward button.

The Chronology of Water is one of the most ambitious failures of 2025. Poots' performance deserves a more patient directorial approach, instead of the breakneck pace that Stewart provided for her.

☆

Foy's grief is embedded on her battered face in emotional "Hawk"

 

Claire Foy made her international 'debut' (for all intents and purposes) in the acclaimed Netflix series, The Crown. I can't say I've seen her in many features or series since. In H is for Hawk, her Helen Macdonald grieves the recent passing of her father (Brendan Gleeson) by buying and training a hawk, which she names Mabel. Helen finds comfort and healing in the majestic bird, and together, the two form an unusual bond. The human-bird dynamic on display here has not been seen on the big screen since 1969's Kes.

H is for Hawk is a sometimes moving, sometimes overlong, but thoroughly observant drama about anguish that a single, grown adults experience after losing a parent they were closer to than any other person in their lives. Foy's mental burden is palpable, evident in a scene where she delivers a lecture in front of an audience where her integrity of 'hunting and killing' with her bird is brought into question. The emotional turmoil within her leaps off the screen and latches onto us. That Foy carries her character with little to no make-up is another testament to the actress' commitment to her role, both admirable and courageous.

☆☆☆

"Dreams" breaks the golden rule: it merely tells, without showing a whole lot

 

Jessica Chastain is too talented for a mediocre effort such as Dreams, Michel Franco's lightweight film about mismatched lovers. Playing a wealthy socialite who is driven in fancy cars and flies on expensive private jets all over the place between San Francisco and Latin America, Chastain's Jennifer McCarthy certainly looks the part. However, we discover early on that she's infatuated with a younger man, Fernando (Isaac Hernandez). Fernando is a ballet dancer, and an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Their relationship, steamy in the opening minutes, quickly dissolves into mundane.

Dreams, for all its Film Festival Circuit fame, is a missed opportunity. It's an 'erotic' drama that forces its eroticism down our throats, instead of letting it come naturally. The central relationship falls apart completely in the final act, encapsulating the narrative with an act of violence, followed by a facial close up that left me scratching my head. If at least there was one character that we could've liked and understood, but alas, when the final credits rolled, I was left with more questions and answers (seldom a good thing). I imagine you will, too.

☆☆

Poorly imagined "Bunch" is an overlong, unwatchable mess

 

It seems that every month, Rotten Tomatoes over-rates several movies for ... reasons I can not exactly understand. Their latest decoy is Honey Bunch, a movie (with a whopping 94%!) that wants to be horror and surreal and funny and ... who the fuck knows what else. The result? A poor man's Kafka-esque 'nightmare' vision of a couple who venture to a mental health facility after the wife (Grace Glowicki) experiences a head injury. Once there, she experiences flashes of memories (real or otherwise) of strange, unexplainable things.

Directors Madeline Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli are all over the cinematic map. Their characters, their plot, the staging - but especially the screenplay, in addition to the poor casting choices - are unimaginably amateurish. The movie feels like an over-long student film. Judged as a feature, it's - at least - thirty minutes too long. At. LEAST.

Honey Bunch is an oxymoron, in a way; an independently financed film by Shutter (lately, they've produced more garbage than quality) that is just as bad - if not more so - than an expensive Hollywood 'blockbuster' that fails on every level - most of all the human one. Therefore, be warned: just because I wasted (nearly) two hours on this trash doesn't mean that you should.

1/2 ☆

Carnage and bloodshed are escalated in poignant "Bone Temple"

 

Continuing where last year's 28 Years Later left off, Nia DaCosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple elevates the gruesome cruelty several notches - and this in the opening few minutes. The little protagonist, Spike (Alfie Williams), is now travelling with the Satanic cult known as the Jimmies. Led by the charismatic Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell, who is on his way to portray as many despicable characters on the big screen as anyone who's ever lived), they roam the wasteland, and murder anyone not sharing their depraved world view.

Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) befriends an infected alpha known as Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), and soon begins to turn the monster into his own submissive pet. Could it be that the rage virus indeed has a cure?  And if so, how can it be distributed to the world beyond?

The Bone Temple is a worthy sequel - albeit, at times, gory as fuck - and it wisely sets up a potential fifth film. The movie's real heart and soul is Fiennes, whose gentle wisdom and profound goodness guides the story to its satisfactory conclusion. His virtuosity as an actor is so in command of our attention that it's hard to imagine the narrative without him.

☆☆☆

Down to Earth "Thing" is a mature portrayal of adults learning endless life lessons

 

An argument can be made that Bradley Cooper the director is just as good as Bradley Cooper the actor - if not more so. 2018's A Star is Born is an arguable masterpiece, and the best version of that story yet (out of four existing films). 2023's Maestro was less effective, but Cooper's effort - and heart - were in the right place.

Is this thing on? is definitely the least Hollywood-ish of Cooper's three directorial efforts. Focusing on a middle aged couple (Will Arnett and Laura Dern) whose dwindling marriage leads to their separation, the movie follows the husband as he (accidentally) falls into the New York city comedy scene as a performer. The experience leads to new revelations about his own life, about his ex, and about what caused their marriage to disintegrate. 

I had low expectations coming into this movie, but left it feeling better about not only the characters, but myself as well. There are no bad - or even stupid - people here: only struggling individuals who, like children, never cease learning the most basic life lessons.

☆☆☆

Chalamet's eccentric Marty is all over the characterial specturm in "Supreme"

 

It is rumored that Timothy Chalamet will (most likely) win his first Oscar next month for playing the quirky, polarizing lead, Marty Mausewr, in Marty Supreme. Given the complexity (or should I say, the impossibility of rationality?) of the protagonist, Chalamet does as much as he can given the material. And it is precisely this, the material, that is as perplexing as the film's ridiculously high RT rating.

Marty sells shoes by day, and plays table tennis in his free time. He engages in an affair with Rachel (Odessa A'zion), a married woman living in his mother's building. He also sleeps with a has-been Hollywood actress, Ray (Gwyneth Paltrow), while staying in a fancy hotel in London. What any of these people see in the conniving, duplicitous Marty is beyond comprehension. The man lies with every breath he takes, and exudes wiliness at every turn. He is not a human being; he is a disconnected film strip run at hyperkinetic speed, a human cartoon who isn't really anything of substance.

The final scene in which this bastard finally breaks down is supposedly his repentance. It comes across as too little too late, a disingenuine ode to a schemer who, instead of representing a being of flesh and blood, plays an actor playing a person who fails to connect, at every single turn.

☆☆

"Redux" is a half-baked, amateurish portrayal of vengeance done clumsily

 

The blurb for Redux Redux had me going instantly: A distraught woman (Michaela McManus) travels through parallel universes to kill her daughter's murderer over and over again. Along the way, she meets another teenager whom she fears will suffer the same fate - unless she interferes. There are shoot-outs and action scene wanna-bes, and some gruesome murder scenes. 

Yet despite all its effort to come across as genuinely compelling, Redux Redux manages to get worse as it trods along. Its central flaw? By keeping the daughter off screen (whose murder propels the protagonist's goal), the filmmakers (Kevin and Matthew McManus) keep us at an arm's length, feeling not a thing when (I can only imagine) they wanted the audience to cheer with emphatic jubilation upon her murder's repeated demise.

Despite its hight RT rating (currently at 98%), Redux Redux is primarly an amateurish effort, through and through. Writing, acting, the cheap sci-fi concept: they're a short student film idea/execution stretched to feature length. I can't speak for most of the critics who're praising it, but if this was a made for TV (sci-fi channel, perhaps?) feature film, it'd be laughable. RT, you've just lost a shitload of credibility.

☆/1/2

Blood soaked "Primate" is parts thrilling, parts disgusting - but all quite watchable

 

In an isolated, affluent hose in rural Hawaii, a domesticated primate (Ben) goes apeshit (pun intended) and terrorizes the humans that have taken care of him (and their friends and guests). It's suspected that Ben's sudden rage is due to a rabies virus he incidentally caught from an intruding mongoose. What follows is an hour of pure horror movie thrilling adrenaline, one that is equal parts compelling and breathtaking, and equal parts disgusting (was it really necessary to be that gratuitously shocking in the opening two minutes, before the audience has had the chance to properly adjust their asses in the seats??).

The trapped group within the house where the ape goes nuts, slowly but surely, meet gruesome demises. Additionally, two boys/young men arrive, and are... well, it's best I say no more. Of the main human cast, there is little to say, for all the female leads look the same (not an exaggeration). Primate contains more than several genuine thrills, but by succumbing too often for the cheap macabre, it overplays its hand in assuming that more is actually more (it is not). 

☆☆1/2

"Road to Revenge" takes blood soaked action to a new creative level

 

This may sound crazy, but Sisu: Road to Revenge is even a bigger, bloodier spectacle than its 2022 predecessor. Whereas the central character, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila), the indestructible Finnish commando, was assaulted by Nazis shortly after the end of WW2, this time around his aggressors are the Soviets, circa 1946. Who knew how difficult it is to be a sixty-plus year old former super soldier, trying to retire in peace.

On Korpi's trail is Yeagor Draganov (Stephen Lang), a Russian officer who murdered the protagonist's family. He sends vehicles after Korpi, which results in a fantastic chase where a large truck nearly flies through the air. Warplanes drop bombs, creating blasts resembling a nuclear bomb. And the final sequence aboard a train is as perfect a juxtaposition of gruesome, cartoonish action and over-the-top comedy. 

Writer/director Jalmari Helander has created a pair of action films that will challenge the best this genre has to offer. My fingers are crossed that he concludes Korpi's saga with a third installment; if he does, Sisu trilogy will have few to challenge its bold creativity.

☆☆☆☆

Jessie Buckley's grieving mother is the heart of melancholic "Hamnet"

 

Majority of Chloe Zhao's Hamnet feels long, slow paced, and at times plain old cumbersome. A story of a man (Paul Mescal) and woman, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), who meet in the opening minutes and proceed to share a kiss felt strange for a story set in late sixteenth century. I kept thinking, does Zhao care at all about building up this romance?

Long, slow moving scenes follow, during which the man and woman fornicate (also way too early in their courtship), and eventually - despite the man's family's objections - marry. They have two children, Judith and Hamnet. When Judith contracts the Black Plague, the brave Hamnet somehow extracts his sister's sickness onto himself, dying as a result. Agnes is devastated, as is the father, who's spends most of his time in London, writing plays for the stage.

Jessie Buckley is a sensation in this movie. If she doesn't win the Best Actress Oscar, then the award should be retired, and the ceremony never broadcast again. Yet despite my overall dissatisfaction with the movie's story (it is rather weak; I also tried reading Maggie O'Farrell's novel that it was based on, and found it equally exhausting), the final scene, involving the presentation of William Shakespeare's play  (only late in the movie do we learn the husband's true identity) in front of a fascinated audience, saves and ultimately makes the movie. Buckley's quiet reaction of imagining her son finally finding peace is moving to the max, encapsulating a mediocre screenplay to a heartfelt conclusion.

☆☆☆

Teenage angst and tween bullying tread water in unfulfilling "Plague"

 

There are moments in The Plague, director Charlie Polinger's debut feature, where the early teen angst boils upwards and nearly bubbles over the edge. Ben's (Everett Blunck) anxiety peaks and dives as he swerves the social climate of a water polo camp with a dozen other horny and profane boys, all on the verge of proclaiming bullying and mocking others as their primary religion. The object of ridicule is Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), a kid whose body has been covered by a mysterious rash. The boys nickname him The Plague, and avoid him when he comes near them. It's not long before Ben's kindness to the outcast makes him a target for ridicule.

The Plague is a well meaning examination of puberty run amok. It is well shot, and especially well performed, as most of the young cast is convincing more often than not. But the singular faux pas it makes is leaving is with a (somewhat) anti-climacting ending. I expected more than a few droplets of blood and a rushed ride to a hospital during a rainstorm, and the protagonist dancing madly by himself (how very Beau Travail of him) as the cuckling bystanders watch along. It is an ok final scene, but perhaps one unworthy of the ninety-plus bold minutes that preceded it.

☆☆1/2

"Dead" injects complications of marital grief into familiar zombie trope

 

As a wife searching for her missing/infected/possibly dead husband in Tasmania, Ava (Daisy Ridley) evokes emotions of anger and sadness at once. She volunteers to remove the bodies of the dead, and to notify the army to kill any remaining dead who 'wake up' (a side effect of the experimental weapons explosion that created the catastrophe to begin with). Ultimately, she'll team up with Clay (Brenton Thwaites), a laid back dude who enjoys a drink and riding fast motorcycles, before being thrown into the thick of things. Grieving husbands, the undead lurking behind every corner, and a sense of dread and impending doom like none other.

We Bury the Dead borrows elements from previous zombie movies (28 Days/Weeks/Years Later), while injecting the story with an uncommon marital despair twist in the final act that I didn't see coming. Director/writer Zack Hilditch has managed to construct something original out of numerous pieces of recycled material, and for that he must be given proper credit. I, for one, will be looking out for his next cinematic output.

☆☆☆

Hopps & Wilde challenge each other's friendship on another wild case in "Zootopia 2"

 

As a pair of mismatched partners at Zootopia's Police Department, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are as irresistible as animated animal characters get. In this sequel to 2016's Zootopia, they're struggling not only with tolerating the nuanced characteristics and mannerisms of each other (they even attend partner focused group therapy sessions), but are soon working with Gary the snake, an uncommon reptile in a city where such animals have been forbidden. At the center of the plot is an original city plan of Zootopia, an object to which two different parties have a claim to. Needless to say, Hopps and Wilde have their hands full.

Just as the first time around, the filmmakers (directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard) fill every shot and frame with gorgeous visuals, clever gags, and inject the screenplay with a film noir-ish mystery brimming with excitement and suspense. They even bring back Gazelle, the famous pop star (voiced by Shakira), whose closing credits song resembles the first movie's hit. Zootopia 2 is some of the best material that Disney Animation has to offer, and knowing how vast their collection of classics is, that's saying something.

☆☆☆1/2

Devious "Housemaid" places sexy, worthy adversaries against each other

 

Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy) would hardly have been my first choice to direct The Housemaid, an adaption of the novel of the same name by Freida McFadden. Yet as craftfilly as it's been constructed, evoking elements of Hitchcock and even shades of classic conflicts of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, the movie utilizes the charm and skill of its two starlets (Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried) to great effect. I'll avoid spoiling the plot in order to not ruin the fun for the rest of you. But take my word for it: The Housemaid is delicious fun, evoking thrillers of yore, in which two vixens in their prime command every second of its two-plus-hour running time.

One last point: this movie resembles the South Korean film, The Handmaiden (2016), in both plot, characters and the revelations of the final act. I'm told that McFadden did not use it as influence when writing the novel. Now, I'm not accusing her of plagiarism, but I do wish she'd point out the similarities, some of which are 'coincidentally' uncanny.

☆☆☆

"Pillion" focuses on man-on-man submission as a step toward self realization

 

Henry Lighton's Pillion starts off well enough. A mysterious motorcycle biker (Alexander Skarsgard) zips on the highway, curiously watched by a fascinated man (Henry Melling) from the backseat of a car. Soon thereafter, a quartet performs Christmas songs at a British pub, a place where both men from the earlier scene happen to be. For no reason at all, the smaller one is passed a note from the large, muscular biker. Numbers are exchanged, and curiosities aroused, to say the least. 

The movie includes a few semi-graphic sex scenes, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. Far from being classified as 'sexy,' I found them redundant and unnecessarily long. Most of the reviews claim Pillion to be "hilarious." How I wish it was so; I found it dreary at times, and fascinating to a far lesser effect. I'm not saying it's a failure; it merely presents the protagonist's arc in ways that I could not entirely understand. As of the writing of this review, this movie holds a 100% RT score (from 82 reviews). Overrated? I'd say yes; but it's not the first film to be overhyped, and (sadly) not the last.

☆☆1/2

Haunting "Sirat" presents a dry open landscape as portal to hell

 

While searching for his daughter, whom he's not seen in months, Luis (Sergi Lopez), ventures into the deserts of Morocco. With his young son Esteban (Bruno Nunez Arjona) in tow, he meets a group of ravers/hippies who travel in their large vans, dancing to techno beats while tripping on heavy hallucinogens. When the local army forces them to leave the area, Luis and the hippies venture into the wildness of the desert, encountering accidents and catastrophes of epic proportions.

Sirat is directed by Oliver Laxo, a French born Galician filmmaker whose credits include Mimosas and Fire Will Come. His latest is a surreal tale of grief, aimless partying bordering on nihilism, and a minefield that may as well have been constructed by the anti-Christ. This is not a film that mainstream audiences will find enjoyable, but judged on its audacity alone, Sirat is a major accomplishment, and a worthy nominee for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

☆☆☆1/2

Goofy "Anaconda" makes a drastic tonal shift from the '97 original

 

Four lifelong friends, inspired by a cheap short film they made as children, decide to travel to Brazil and remake the creature feature Anaconda. Once they arrive in the jungles of Amazon, everything that could go wrong, does. The trained snake they hoped to film is accidentally killed; they encounter evil gold miners who place their lives in danger; and worst of all, an enormous anaconda snake begins to terrorize them in unimaginable ways.

Despite the likeable cast (Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Thandie Newton, Steve Zahn), Anaconda is, tonally, all over the place. Often times funny, sometimes too serious, at other times just plain weird, it's never truly believable (one of the characters is swallowed by the giant snake, and not only does he survive such ghastliness, he's also unphased by the experience and physically able to run and exert himself like the fittest Olympian athlete). 

All of that would, of course, be forgiven if the movie left a lasting impression. But alas, aside from cashing in on a handful of short-term thrills, the movie's screenplay fails to tug at the audience's hearts. Not even the cameos by Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez (both stars of the original) can salvage the laziness of its inept story. 

☆☆

"Ella" weakness is in not doing too little - but in doing way too much

 

James Brooks has, undoubtedly, made some of the best adult dramas. Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and As Good as it Gets are enduring American classics, and will stand the tests of time. With his latest, Ella McCay, Brooks has tried to recapture the magic of yesteryear - but with minimal success. And minimal is an understatement. 

As played by Emma Mackey, Ella is an overachiever. In her early thirties, she's already a governor of her state, a mentor to her isolated brother (Spike Fearn), and a critical daughter to her philandering father (Woody Harrelson). But her biggest judgment faux pas is her husband Ryan (Jack Newell), a most duplicitous man who turns into a conniving snake once Ella reaches even basic levels of political influence. How could a smart, well rounded woman have made such a colossal mistake when selecting her life partner?

Most of the movie feels like it was on fast forward. Scenes move too fast, characters are never fully developed, and ending arrives before anything of relevance had preceded it. Based on its poor critical and box office reception, it seems unlikely that Brooks will get to make another movie. At 85 years of age, an argument can be made he never should've been given a budget for this muddled mess.

☆1/2