Thunderbolts*

My View: Thunderbolts*  (2025)  PG-13  In Thunderbolts*, a group of antiheroes are pulled together by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) after CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) forces the team into a dangerous mission. Only by working together and surviving can they achieve redemption.  Ever since the magnificent Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has been a little lackluster in their films. Who knew that a ragtag group of castoffs from other films would come together to make a film that is fun, funny, and a joy to watch? While Sebastian Stan’s (hot off his Oscar nomination for his role as Donald in The Apprentice) character, Bucky, is supposed to be the leader of this gang of wannabe (sort of) heroes, it’s really Florence Pugh, as Yelena, the assassin, The Black Widow’s younger sister, who steals this movie from almost the start. Pugh is brilliant as a person grieving over her sister’s loss while on the verge of quitting the business or maybe even quitting life when she gets one last job. On that job, she meets Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and a strange man in a hospital gown named Bob (Lewis Pullman). I won’t go into what happens, but along the way, Bucky pulls the gang together, along with Yelena’s father, Alexei Shostakov, also known as the Red Guardian (David Harbour). Pugh does the heavy lifting for the film, giving us a hurting, lonely character who wants to change her life but doesn’t know how. Pugh also has superb comedic timing, working incredibly well with David Harbour, who, as the Red Guardian, is hilarious as a man who wants the group to come together and succeed so he can be a superhero again. The film has some outstanding action sequences in the tradition of Marvel superhero films, but unlike some of its films in the past, this is a movie about a group of people who are used to being on their own, and having to learn to work together and trust each other (something everyone has a hard time with). Thunderbolts* is a starting point for a world without the Avengers that we knew from the past. This new group is ready to take on the challenge when the world needs them, even if the world doesn’t agree if they need this ragtag group. I, for one, am ready to follow Yelena and Bucky on all sorts of messy and screwy adventures. Even Bob can come along. And yes, stay for the two post credit scenes. They are worth seeing.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Thunderbolts* Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View: The Surfer  (2024) R  The Surfer starts when a man (Nicolas Cage) and his son (Finn Little) return to the beach of his childhood to go surfing, only to discover that locals have taken over the beach. The father soon is drawn into a conflict with the locals that keeps escalating, pushing him to his breaking point, something no one wants to see. If you are a fan of Nicolas Cage, then you will love this film, as it lets Cage go all-out weird for almost the whole movie. If you aren’t a fan, then avoid it, as a little bit of Cage can go a long way for some moviegoers. The film is about a man coming home and wanting to relive his past. This goes so far as Cage’s character is willing to sell just about everything to buy the home he grew up in. Unfortunately, for Cage, a local group of young men, led by an older man named Scally (Julian McMahon), tells Cage’s character that he and his son can’t surf here. Cage decides to plant his flag (actually, just park his car in the parking lot) and hold his ground. As the film goes on, Cage’s character becomes less and less grounded in reality and becomes obsessed with the group of men who continually terrorize him. Cage gives us a mesmerizing performance, but it’s not enough to elevate the screenplay with too many themes battling for a space in a plot that goes too far into abstract and almost parody. I became bored by the continuing descent of Cage's character into madness. We spend too much time watching Cage’s character spend too much time watching his tormentors for a far before a final confrontation that gets even weirder. Cage is as magnetic as ever. I wish the script for The Surfer had given him a little more to work with and a little less of letting Cage go ‘Cagey.’  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Surfer Website  I saw this film at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival.  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Another Simple Favor  (2025) R  Another Simple Favor takes place five years after the events that put Emily (Blake Lively) in prison. Now out, Emily and Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), who is now a successful author and part-time private detective. The two travel to Capri, Italy, for Emily’s wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. As usual, trouble finds the two, including murder and lots of intrigue. I loved the first film, A Simple Favor (2018), enjoying the sometimes dark storyline about a mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) who solves a huge mystery with Blake Lively’s performance as the beautiful and wicked Emily, so good I thought it could get her an Oscar nomination (it didn’t). So we have a return with Stephanie coming out with a book and, somehow, Emily coming out of prison and getting married. I enjoyed the first half of this film, especially the back-and-forth that Emily and Stephanie have when Emily shows up at Stephanie’s book signing to invite her to be her maid of honor at Emily’s wedding. So we go off to Capri, and then people start getting murdered. If you haven't seen the first film, you won't be able to enjoy this film because there are a lot of callbacks to the first film. I enjoyed the play between Kendrick and Lively, but this film’s plot feels more like something out of an 80s TV show and doesn’t have the darkness and humor that the first film had. Still, I had fun watching Lively play the strange and playful Emily, who scares the crap out of Stephanie every chance she can get. I just wish the tone of the first film had carried over to this one. A little less killing and a lot more darkness would have worked better.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Another Simple Favor Website Now playing on Amazon Prime.

Indiefest:  Bonjour Tristesse  (2024) R  Bonjour Tristesse is about Cécile (Lily McInerny) and her widowed father, Raymond (Claes Bang), and his new girlfriend, Elsa (Nailia Harzoune), are spending the summer in the south of France. However, the stay is disrupted by the arrival of Anne (Chloë Sevigny), Cécile’s mother’s best friend, who has shown up to bring up old passions from the past. This is a new adaptation of Françoise Sagan's 1954 coming-of-age novel, which unlike the 1958 film directed by Otto Preminger, is set in the present time. Bonjour Tristesse is a film that looks stunning and takes full advantage of the beautiful Mediterranean scenery. While I loved Chloë Sevigny as the icy, controlling Anne, I was left wanting more from Claes Bang, the widowed father who has a wandering eye, and Lily McInerny, who plays the father worshiping daughter who sets out to get revenge on Anne, who has ruined her summer with dad and his lover. The film's pace is so slow that it surprised me when characters suddenly changed their course in their feelings and actions. I hated the ending which doesn’t have the impact that the original film had. For a film with its characters constantly in the water or soaking up the sun, I found  Bonjour Tristesse to be rather cold.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Bonjour Tristesse Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Rust  (2024) Rust takes place in the 1880s Wyoming when the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Alex Baldwin) comes out of hiding to rescue his thirteen-year-old nephew, Lucas (Patrick Scott McDermott), who has been sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. The two go on the run from the vicious bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang (Travis Fimmel) and a group of committed lawmen. For an indie film with a notoriously low budget, this is a stylish-looking western with a relatively simple plot for a movie over two hours long. The film is too long, has too many characters who give too much about their background, and takes too long to get going. Alec Baldwin is fine as the hardened gunfighter who wants to do one last thing before riding off into the sunset. The film’s stunning Western scenery shots are a result of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died in a shooting accident while working on the set. Although it’s not a great film, Rust still a stable Western that could have been improved by tightening up the script and focusing less on each character’s past. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Rust Info  Now playing in select theaters and On Demand. 

Forgotten Film:  Metropolitan  (1989)  PG-13 Tom (Edward Clements) lives on the West Side and doesn’t have enough money to buy an overcoat, so he wears a raincoat in the dead of winter to cover his rented tux. He is persuaded to share a taxi with a group of young upper-class Manhattanites who have just attended a debutante ball. Soon, Tom becomes part of this group of well-off young people who spend their days sleeping and at night going to balls and then to each other’s apartments to talk about life, books, and how they see the world. Little does Tom know that Audrey (Carolyn Farina) has taken a liking to him. Tom is still obsessed with a prep school girl who he dated, unaware of her previous dating history. Tom fits in because he isn't afraid to speak his mind, especially about the gang's way of life. Metropolitan is one of my favorite ‘indie’ films, made in 1989 for about 50,000 dollars, and most of the cast are in their first film roles, including Carolyn Farina, who was discovered by the wife of the director of the film, Whit Stillman, at a cosmetics counter. The film is a week in the life of this group of young people, as they go from party to party, always gathering at an apartment to play bridge or just talk and drink. Edward Clements' portrayal of the fish out of water kid who manages to fit in with a very cliquey group makes the film sweet, funny, and a blast to watch. In 1991, Stillman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film. As the tagline for the film states, ‘Finally…A film about the downwardly mobile.”  My Rating: Full Price  Metropolitan Info  I just rewatched this film at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. The film is available on most streaming services. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Surfer:  Rat Puppets

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Clown in a Cornfield  (2025) R  In Clown in a Cornfield, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father have moved to the small town of Kettle Springs, the once home of Baypen Corn Syrup Factory. It’s a town where the high school kids are counting down the days when they can leave, spending their time making prank videos and causing trouble. Their hi-jinks have awakened Frendo, the old clown mascot of the Syrup factory, and he is out to see that the kids are taught a lesson. A lesson that will end up in a grisly death or two. The film is from Eli Craig, the director of the award-winning cult favorite Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010).  Clown in a Corfield Website  In theaters on Friday, May 9, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

The Accountant 2

My View:  The Accountant 2  (2025)  R   Our favorite math wizard is back in The Accountant 2. Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a math savant who gets along better with numbers than people. He works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. This time, Christian is using his unique mind and a few illegal methods to find out who killed an old acquaintance. It’s going to get messy, so Christian has called in someone he hasn’t worked with in a long time, his brother Brax (Jon Bernthal). That’s if Brax takes his phone call. I enjoyed the first film, The Accountant (2016), in which I said, “I thought this film was highly entertaining with its unique and unlikely hero, an accountant who probably has Asperger’s Syndrome and is a highly trained killer.” I liked this film even more than the first one because of the comedic aspects of the pairing of the two brothers. The chemistry between Affleck and Bernthal is exceptional, and their timing is impeccable, highlighting their quirkiness, as both brothers are unique in how they perceive the world. The Accountant 2 is a perfect example of the buddy action film, where we have two actors who understand what their characters would do and react. A perfect example in the film is a bar scene where the two go out together to ‘get drunk’ and end up in a western bar with a live band and line dancing. It’s such a fun scene, made even better by seeing the reactions of Bernthal’s Brax as he watches his brother go dancing, impressing a girl, and pissing off a guy who thinks she’s his girl. It’s a great and hilarious scene that makes this film work so well. Also, giving the brothers more to play off of is the reappearance of Federal Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), who enlists Christina to help her solve a killing and gets more than she bargains for having to work with the brothers, who tend to hit first and ask questions later (if that person is still alive). And for action fans, there is plenty of action packed scenes, with an incredible final battle scene to round out the film. It would help if you had seen the first film as we learned how Christian works and, better yet, how he sees the world. Still, you can have a great time watching this film if you haven’t seen the first one. You just won’t enjoy it as much as viewers who know the quirks of Christian. Just remember, don’t get him started explaining how to maximize your tax returns.  My Rating: Full Price  The Accountant 2 Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Until Dawn  (2025)   R    In Until Dawn, a group of friends visit an old visitor center, looking for clues as to why a relative vanished a year ago. Instead of discovering the mystery, they get trapped inside a time loop. They are chased and killed by mysterious foes, only to come back to life over and over. To escape their fates, the group must survive until dawn. Based on a popular video game, Until Dawn is all show and no story. Additionally, there are very few scares and I was bored halfway through. The characters are very two-dimensional, making them seem like they are part of the video game the film is based on, waiting for someone to move the joystick or push a jump button. We, the audience, figure out very early that these characters all have to survive in order for their deaths to stop. Unfortunately, they don’t figure this out until about halfway through all the dying. Other than a few jump-out-of-the-dark scares, this film isn’t scary at all, and I was disappointed that the film didn’t play with all the slasher killer icons that have shown up in this type of movie before. Instead, we get a few zombies, a clown killer, and other typical horror villains. Most deaths are not very original, and there is a repetitive style of death that I found more amusing than frightening. Apart from the lack of scares, my biggest problem was that I didn't care about any of the characters, who all seemed to only care about themselves. I pity the brave filmgoers who did the dusk-to-dawn marathon of Until Dawn. I can’t imagine seeing this film again, ever.   My Rating: Cable Until Dawn Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Legend of Ochi  (2025)   PG   The Legend of Ochi takes place on the island of Carpathia, where children are taught to not go outside after dark because of the dangerous and reclusive creatures known as the Ochi. When a girl named Yuri (Helena Zengel) finds a lost and injured baby Ochi, she sets off on a journey to return the baby to its family. Let me say, right off the bat, that the visual look of this film is magical, and the puppetry is jaw-droppingly amazing. The film used a mix of puppetry, animatronics, computer animation, and matte painting to bring the Ochi to life, and the baby Ochi looks and acts incredibly real. The film is, at times, breathtaking, with wide shots of the magical island where the film takes place. Even the smallest things, like the caterpillars Yuri keeps in a terrarium, are full of color and life in almost every shot. The Legend of Ochi is a film that I think kids will enjoy much more than adults. While I loved the film's visuals, the plot is scattershot and requires us to fill in many blanks in the storyline. I also had a tough time understanding Helena Zengel’s dialogue, as she always seemed to talk in such low tones it was difficult to follow along. Still, her interaction with the baby Ochi is fun and heartwarming. The ending seems a little rushed, but I think kids will be enamored by the baby Ochi and the adventures Yuri and the baby go on. Plus, this could be a gateway film for children to those classics like The NeverEnding Story or The Dark Crystal. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Legend of Ochi Website Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  On Swift Horses  (2024)   R   On Swift Horses begins when Muriel’s (Daisy Edgar-Jones) fiancé, Lee (Will Poulter) comes back from the Korean War, and are starting a new life in California. Their lives are uprooted when Lee’s brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), shows up and starts causing problems. Julius is always in trouble, which causes Muriel and Lee to have more problems than they can handle. On Swift Horse is a film that looks beautiful but doesn’t pay enough attention to the storyline or its character to make this film’s plot match its cinematography. The film wastes a brilliant performance by Daisy Edgar-Jones, a woman who gets married but isn’t happy or fulfilled in the marriage. At first, horse race betting was her source of happiness, but then she met someone else and her world was transformed. On Swift Horses is the story of two people, Muriel, who got married but isn’t happy having the husband make the decisions and the money, and Julius, who is a gay man in the world of the 1950s where he has to hide who he is, while he lives for the big score from gambling that may never come. Watching the film, you never feel you know these characters and who they are. We only see them, especially in Muriel and Julius, in relationships that seem only about attraction and infatuation rather than genuine feelings that are never explored. This film is like the opening credits, where we see photographs showing us only the surface of what the camera captures, but we don’t know what went on before or after that picture is taken, so we only get what is on the surface, with no depth.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  On Swift Horses Website   Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Havoc  (2025)  TV-MA  Havoc is about Walker (Tom Hardy), a hard-nosed detective who investigates a drug deal that went bad. Walker must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son. Walker may have to take on the entire city, as the busted drug deal is part of a dark web of conspiracy and corruption. Havoc has been on action film fans' radar for quite a while, as the director/writer of the film, Gareth Evans, was responsible for two of the most incredible action films of the past 15 years, The Raid: Redemption (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014). Those films were a precursor to the John Wick series, with almost non-stop action, including some amazing close combat fighting scenes and it's taken over 4 years to get this film on the screen. So, in walks Tom Hardy, an actor I greatly admire, who looks like he could take on a Chinese mob and some crooked cops all by himself. The film starts off with a bang, as cops are chasing an 18-wheeler. This isn’t an Eddie Murphy movie, and people are getting seriously hurt in this chase that I wish I had seen on the big screen. It’s a thrilling start and shows us how high the stakes are in this film. Unfortunately, the plot and the dialogue get in the way of some incredibly violent and brilliant action sequences. Jessie Mei Li is wasted as a beat cop who somehow gets partnered with homicide detective Walker. The plot is messy, and the ending comes off as one big battle royale, where everyone shows up for the big shootout. As an action hero, Hardy carries the film, and his fights, especially one scene in a club, are right up there with some of the action sequences in the Raid movies. However, the film has too many twists and turns, most of which you can see coming, and too many characters feel as if they have come right out of a bad comic from the 60s. Action fans will have fun with all the fights/shootouts, and it’s entertaining to watch Hardy beat the crap out of the bad guys. But Havoc sometimes feels like what one of the characters, Mia (played by a very convincing action star in Quelin Sepulveda), does when she shoots someone. She shoots twenty rounds almost point-blank into a bad guy when one or two rounds would have done the trick.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Havoc Website  Now playing on Netflix.

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see in theatres but have seen recently):   Grand Theft Hamlet  (2024)  R   Grand Theft Hamlet is a documentary about two struggling actors, Sam and Mark, who, during the 2021 Covid lockdown, decided to try to put on Hamlet inside the Grand Theft Auto Online game. I enjoyed the first half of this film when the two actors explored the idea, scouted locations, and casually met people who might want to either watch the production or be in it. I started losing some interest in the film as we got closer to the actual performance, as it’s a lot of talking about trivial things while watching game characters move in that strange back-and-forth that they do while waiting for commands. You get to see what I would call a ‘highlight reel’ of performing the play, but by that time, the novelty had worn off, and I was ready for the curtain call. In this case, the curtain call was an after-party at one of the games clubs. The concept of Grand Theft Hamlet is amusing, but it could have been a better short movie.To paraphrase a line from the play: “Alas, poor Hamlet! I knew him well.”  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Grand Theft Hamlet Website   Now available for rental on MUBI. 

Forgotten Film:  Basquiat  (1996)  R  The story of Jean Michel Basquiat (Jeffery Wright), an artist who went from going graffiti on the streets of New York City and living in a cardboard box to the toast of the NYC art world, where his work was sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Jeffery Wright is brilliant as an artist who saw the world differently and expressed it through his art. Sadly, Basquiat was a troubled and self-destructive soul who spent his years doing drugs, dying at age 28. The cast is outstanding, including an incredible performance by David Bowie as a friend of the famous artist Andy Warhol, who sees that Basquiat is a person who has immense talent but may burn out very quickly. Basquiat is a look at a troubled man whose talent was great, but what was greater was the trouble inside that man. My Rating: Full Price  Basquiat Info  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon. It's just been announced that this film is going to be part of the Criterion Collection! Basquiat Criterion Info Here 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Legend of Ochi:  Primate Choreographer 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Life of Chuck  (2024)  R  I am going to quote IMDB, “A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.” This is a film from the mind of Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep) and is based on a Stephen King short story. The cast includes Tom Hiddleston, Mia Sara, Karen Gillan, Nick Offerman, Carla Gugino, Molly C. Quinn, Jacob Tremblay and Mark Hamill.  The Life of Chuck Website  The film opens in theaters on Friday, June 6, 2025. 

The 49th Annual Atlanta Film Festival and Creative Conference

It’s time for my favorite event in Atlanta, the Atlanta Film Festival! As one of the largest and longest-running festivals in the country, ATLFF welcomes an audience of over 28,000 annually to discover hundreds of new independent, international, animated, documentary, and short films selected from 8000+ submissions worldwide. As always, there is an emphasis on films celebrating the local area, with films at the festival tied to Georgia filmmakers. Attending the Atlanta Film Festival is a must for film lovers. ATLFF is presenting some of the best upcoming films that Hollywood has to offer, including movies from top studios and films, along with films from around the world.

The 49th annual Atlanta Film Festival and Creative Conference will take place Thursday, April 24 - Sunday, May 4, 2024, at the Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre in Atlanta, with some of its lineup available virtually.

The long-running festival has always been a distinguished event, recognized as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine. Atlanta Film Festival has been celebrated as the Best Film Festival by Creative Loafing, Sunday Paper, 10Best, and Atlanta Magazine.

The opening night presentation of Color Book is on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Plaza Theatre. Directed by David Fortune, the film follows a devoted father who is learning to raise his son with Down Syndrome as a single parent after his wife passes. Director David Fortune, executive producer Naturi Naughton, cast members Will Catlett, Brandee Evans, Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, and producers Kiah Clingman and Kristen Uno will be in attendance.

On Saturday night, April 26, at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, there will be a special presentation of the documentary The Games in Black & White. Centered on the inspirational friendship of icons Andrew Young and Billy Payne, the most successful Black and White partnership in the American South in the civil rights era. The Games in Black & White presents the first comprehensive look at Atlanta’s Olympics from bid to legacy and the city’s transformation that followed. Ambassador Andrew Young, Billy Payne, and Dallas Austin are expected to attend.

Sunday night, April 27, at the Plaza Theatre, there will be the marquee presentation of Shadow Force. In Shadow Force, Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy) were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They break the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes an all-out war. Lead Actress and Producer Kerry Washington will be in attendance.

On Friday night, May 2nd, at the Tara Theatre, A Cappella Books presents An Evening with Ed Helms with his book “SNAFU.” Actor, comedian, writer, and host of the hit podcast “SNAFU” Ed Helms comes to the historic Tara Theatre for a hilarious and history-packed evening in celebration of his new book, “SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups.”

The festival is also known for its short film categories and is one of the few festivals in the country that offer Academy Award-qualifying for all three short categories: Narrative, Documentary, and Animated.

The 15th annual Creative Conference, ATLFF’s popular educational programming extension, returns on Thursday, April 24th - Friday, May 3rd. The Creative Conference provides educational programs for aspiring filmmakers, festivalgoers, newcomers, and community members to gain insight from industry experts. The Creative Conference features workshops, panels, talks, and demos that will delve into the world of filmmaking, focusing on topics such as screenwriting, pitching, acting, producing, casting, funding, and distribution and how they all come together to make a film or television episode.

The full schedule of films and events is available at www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com and through the ATLFF 2025 app. Festival passes are on sale now on the site. Tickets for individual events will be available online.

Sinners

My View:  Sinners  (2025)  R  In Sinners, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) are trying to leave their troubled past behind and return to their hometown to open a dance hall. They soon discover that their hometown has changed, and a great evil is waiting to welcome them back. Back in 2013, filmmaker Ryan Coogler hit us right between the eyes with the outstanding Fruitvale Station, starring an up-and-coming young actor named Michael B. Jordan. Since then, Coogler has given us Creed and the two Black Panther films. In what is his most original and best film to date, we now get a vampire thriller that has roots in everything from legendary blues singers, prohibition, and Jim Crow to even Irish folk music. With a huge nod to Robert Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino’s 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn, the film follows twins Smoke and Stack, played by the brilliant Michael B. Jordan, as they come back from spending time in Chicago, where they may have stolen a whole lot of money and booze from the mob.They are back to open a blues joint with some locals’ help. Along the way, they gather a cast of characters to make their endeavor a success, including a local blue legend in Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton in his feature film debut), a budding blues singer/guitarist, and a couple of former flames of the twins in Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a love of Stacks that ended badly, and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke’s one true love. Both relationships with the twins have history and baggage that hangs over the two couples like a huge dark cloud. Coogler spends the first hour giving us a clear understanding of the history that follows each of the characters, giving us insight into how they function in this world of gambling, song, stolen whiskey, and even religion. The film’s second half is the opening of the juke joint, which is a rousing success, until a trio of white musicians want to join the party, and the twins tell them to find somewhere else to party. However, we already know that these musicians aren’t there to make music but are to turn everyone they can into vampires, and it’s up to the twins and a few of their friends to stop them. Coogler uses this backdrop to tackle everything from lost love to race in America while making an entertaining and bloody horror film where the odds of the twins and their friends surviving the night look pretty grim. Sinners is a film that explores the strength of family, religion, and music and how the monsters that show up in the middle of the night might be worse than you ever thought. The action sequences are fast, bloody, and sometimes humorous, as the body count keeps rising.  Something has to be said about the performance of Miles Caton as Sammie. His singing and blues guitar playing is joyful, brilliant and moving. When he plays and sings, he commands the screen and you can't take your eyes off of him. Don’t be afraid of the two-hour and seventeen-minute run length, as the film moves at such a fast pace and instantly puts you in the middle of the Twins world that you will be sorry that the film has ended as soon as it does. So grab a beer, sit down to listen to some great blues music, and maybe get up to dance a bit. But here’s a bit of advice: if anyone asks if they can come in to join you, maybe see if they like garlic or have trouble with holy water. Just a suggestion that might come in handy. Catch it on the biggest screen you can, and stay through all the credits, as there are a couple of bonus scenes worth staying for, including a tremendous cameo. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sinners Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  The Wedding Banquet  (2025)  R The Wedding Banquet is the story of two couples: Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan), Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), and Lee (Lily Gladstone). Min needs a green card and strikes a deal with Lee, who is trying to get pregnant via the costly IVF procedure. Min will be responsible for paying for the IVF procedure if Lee marries Min. Things are going great until Min’s grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) unexpectedly comes to the U.S. to throw a lavish wedding for her grandson. What seemed so simple is now one big lie that could fall apart at any minute. The Wedding Banquet is a remake of the 1993 Ang Lee Oscar-nominated film of the same name, and I think I enjoyed this film more than the original. What makes this film work so well is the relationship between Angela and Lee. Angela is trying to get pregnant via IVF, and they are running out of time and money to make it happen. The chemistry between Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran is off the charts as a couple that is totally in love, but Angela has trouble expressing it, along with a lot of other feelings. Angela’s best friend, Chris, is also in a relationship that has a few problems of its own. Chris and Min are in love but are also running out of time, as Min’s visa is about to expire. To make matters worse, Min’s family wants him back in Korea to take over the family business. All this sets up the wedding between two people who love other people. Can they pull the wedding off when Min’s grandmother comes to oversee the wedding of her only grandson? The movie was warm, funny, and unexpected, with a predictable ending that still surprised me.  My Rating: Full Price  The Wedding Banquet Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Ugly Stepsister  (2025)  The Ugly Stepsister is about Elvira (Lea Myren), who has enrolled in a finishing school to get her ready for the ball, where she is her family’s hope to meet a young prince and marry into wealth. The problem is that Elvira is competing with her beautiful stepsister (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) in a society where beauty is to be achieved, even if it means extreme measures to attain it. The film's focus is not on Cinderella, but on the ugly stepsister who will do anything to get the Prince of her dreams. Unfortunately for her, it’s one long nightmare as her mother puts her down right and left while financing a nose job (done with a chisel and hammer). Elvira does go through a metamorphosis, but it’s all done with surgical tricks and other nasty procedures to make the ugly duckling look good (even if it seems it will be temporary). This Norwegian film alternates between grossness and a sense of pity for Elvira. The Ugly Stepsister is a very graphic and sometimes very uncomfortable look at what a price beauty plays in both the physical and psyche of a woman’s well-being. I have a feeling that the original tellers of this tale would be thrilled with this version and not the Disney sugar and spice version we know better. This tale, which is sometimes amusing but always disturbing, belongs in the body horror hall of fame. Although I enjoyed the film, it requires a strong stomach to handle it, and I won't likely watch it again. The clock has stuck twelve, the coach has turned back into a pumpkin, and Elvira is not doing well. And Cinderalla, once again, gets her prince.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Ugly Stepsister Info Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Eephus  (2024)  An adult men’s recreational baseball game is played for the last time on a field that is about to be bulldozed and turned into an Elementary school. Having played many rec softball games in my adulthood, I could relate to this film, which perfectly pictures what it’s like to play a game where the stakes are if you can make it through a whole game without anyone getting hurt or too drunk. Eephus is a film in which not a lot happens as the game keeps going, even when it gets dark, but we get to know the cast of characters and are there for all the talk and sometimes dramatics that can go on in a game between adult men who want to spend a couple of hours playing a game. And that’s all this film is: a loving look at a game between two groups of men who spend some time playing baseball and complaining about their lives or celebrating them. Hey, any film that has legendary weirdo baseball pitcher Bill 'Spaceman' Lee in its cast is all right with me.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Eephus Website  Now playing in select theaters and is available On-Demand. 

Indiefest:  The President’s Wife  (2023) The President’s Wife is about Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve), who has always stayed out of the spotlight as her husband’s political career always took precedence. Now that her husband is President of France, Bernadette decides it’s time to change her image, and she is about to take the country by storm. Based loosely on a true story, Catherine Deneuve shines in a role that fits perfectly, much like the outfits she wears in the 2nd half of this film (Bernadette has a makeover, courtesy of Karl Lagerfeld). The film showcases Deveuve’s ability to create a character that has both charisma and a sense of humor that comes out every time Bernadette is allowed to speak her mind. The film plays on the notion that being popular with the press and trendy can make a difference in politics. Deveuve makes Bernadett a woman who knew more than she let on, someone who became tired of staying out of the spotlight and decided to make a difference, even if her husband didn’t know she could. Deveuve's performance makes the film feel like a fine French wine, with a bold flavor that grows stronger as it is savored.  My Rating: Full Price  The President's Wife Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see in theatres but have seen recently):  Bad Shabbos  (2024)  Bad Shabbos is about an engaged interfaith couple who are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner. The only problem is that there is a dead body in their apartment, and the parents are due any minute. Bad Shabbos is a fun movie that needs a few more laughs to push it over the top. The film starts out with a bang and ends with a whimper with a conclusion that seems a little too easy and pat for all the trouble the film puts its characters through. There are some funny setups, one with a piece of bread that needs to be seen. The cast works hard at making the film funny, with some outstanding scenes with David Paymer as the Dad who thinks he can solve any problem with a self-help book and Method Man as an ever-helpful doorman who really wants to be part of the family, maybe too much so. I wish Bad Shabbos had a few more laughs and didn't have an ending that falls flat (that’s a pun you will get if you see the film). Even so, it's an enjoyable time with a family that is more than a little eccentric.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bad Shabbos Website The film will soon be available to rent/buy. 

Forgotten Film:  Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)  Chu (Sihung Lung) is a master chef and widower with three adult daughters who all still live at home. The eldest daughter, Jia-Jen (Kuei-Mei-Yang), is a chemistry teacher who hasn’t dated for 9 years after a horrible breakup. Middle daughter, Jia-Chien (Chien-lien Wu), is an airline company executive who is driven and hard-working. The youngest Jia-Ning (Yu-Wen Wang), is twenty and works at a Wendy’s who has her sights on a young man who is dating a friend. The film uses the elaborate dinners that the family has together to explore the dynamics of the three daughters and their relationships with each other and the men in their lives. It’s a fascinating film that is, at times, a love letter to food while also a funny and warm film that explores how people see the world in different ways.   My Rating: Full Price  Eat Drink Man Woman Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Sinners:  Twins Consultant

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Another Simple Favor  (2025) R  Another Simple Favor takes place five years after the events that put Emily (Blake Lively) in prison. Now out, Emily and Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), who is now a successful author and part-time private detective. The two travel to Capri, Italy, for Emily’s wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. As usual, trouble finds the two, including murder and lots of intrigue. This is a sequel to the 2018 film A Simple Favor, which was also directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids (2011), Spy (2015)).  Another Simple Favor Website    Premiering on Amazon Prime on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Until Next Time!

The Amateur

My View: The Amateur  (2025)  PG-13  The Amateur is about Charles (Rami Malek), a cryptographer who works for the CIA. When terrorists brutally kill his wife, Charles asks to be trained for field work so he can hunt down the people who killed her. When turned down, Charles goes rogue and begins a quest to find everyone responsible and exact vengeance and revenge. This film attempts to combine a Jason Bourne thriller with everyman elements and a quest for revenge, but it ultimately fails in every aspect. Rami Malek tries hard to overcome a sloppy script with a plot that has so many holes in it that I was worried that our hero would fall to his death in one of them. Malek plays a super-smart CIA cryptographer who apparently has skills that are so amazing that it reminded me of that scene in The Net where Sandra Bullock’s character does stuff on a computer that would be impossible even today. Add into the plot that the bad guys chasing after Charles are CIA officials who are being blackmailed by Charles so that they will train him in three days to become a killer. The Amateur is one of those films where you keep asking 'how did he do that?' without any answers. Add in a finale that is such a letdown, bad guys that are right out of a bad ‘70s drama, and you get a film that doesn’t know what to do with an actor as good as Malek. Maybe Charles can find a Tandy computer to find a plot that works better than the one the writers came up with.  My Rating: Cable  The Amateur Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Drop  (2025)  PG-13   In Drop, Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a widowed mother who has finally found the courage to go on her first date in years. The date takes a terrifying turn when she receives messages on her phone, “drops,” threatening the death of her child if she doesn’t kill her date (Brandon Sklenar). Drop is a fun and, at times, thrilling mystery that gives Meghann Fahy a showcase to show us she can carry a film. Fahy does a superb job portraying Violet, who is on her first date after recovering from a domestic abuse relationship that ended badly. Drop has so many twists and turns that makes it feel you are on a roller coaster as the person doing the drops keeps upping the stakes, and Violet has to pull it together long enough to figure out how to survive the night. The fun of this film is trying to figure out who is doing the drops and whether Violet will find a way to stop the madman. The ending pushes the boundaries of logic a little, but that's okay because watching Violet go all out to save her child is worth it. Don’t mess with a single mom out on a date; you won’t like the result.  My Rating: Full Price  Drop Website  Now playing in theaters.  

My View:  Warfare  (2025)  R  Warfare is a film that takes place in real-time as a Navy SEAL team goes on a mission through insurgent territory during the 2006 Iraq War. The team becomes under attack while occupying a house, and it looks like they have only a slight chance of escaping. Warfare is a film that, for an hour and thirty-five minutes, gives you a ringside seat of what it was like to be in Iraq with a company of Navy Seals, from the boredom of watching for possible enemy combatants to the building up of the tension of a buildup of a confrontation, to the firefight that happens, where there looks to be no way out, Warfare is a punch to the gut that will stay with you for a long time after you leave the theater. Warfare is a film about a real firefight, told by a co-director, Ray Mendoza, who was there for the battle. The film was made by Mendoza and co-director Alex Garland (Civil War, Ex Machina) to tell the story of one of the Navy Seals who was in the fight and was so badly injured that he has no memory of what happened that day. The film is told in real time and uses actors in the age range of the soldiers they are portraying. We hear and see the actors portraying exactly what the soldiers communicated, what they did when the battle started, and how each one dealt with the fight and carnage that came. What you see is happening in real-time, so when someone yells three, there are three minutes before something will happen. You feel like you're right there with the Navy Seals as they fight their way out due to the film's use of camera work, cinematography, and sound. I will warn you, this is not a film for the timid. You are going to see and hear horrible things that happen to these courageous individuals who work as a team to ensure that everyone that can get out, will get out. What makes this film seem different from past war films like Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down is the realism of the film. While there are up-and-coming actors like Michael Gandolfini, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, and Will Poulter in the cast, there isn’t a Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks to center on. Each soldier in the movie is equally important as the one they are fighting next to. Warfare is a true film about brotherhood and the horrors of war. Battles nowadays are fought by teenagers who are trying to survive from day to day to do the job they have been given. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Warfare Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Sacramento  (2024) R  Sacramento is about Glenn (Michael Cera), who is married to Rosie (Kristen Stewart) and about to have their first child. Who shows up in their backyard one day, hanging from a tree? Glenn’s long-time free-spirited friend, Rickey (Michael Angarano), has shown up to spend time with Glenn. That hang turns into a road trip to Sacramento that will change their lives. We just don’t know if that change will be for the best. Glen, played by the always interesting Michael Cera, is starting to freak out about becoming a father for the first time. Adding to the mix is that he has just learned that he has lost his job. Glen is married to the coolest mom-to-be in the history of cinema, Rosie, played by Kristen Stewart, who takes everything that Glenn does and says with a smirk and a knowing acceptance that this will pass. Rickey shows up, with the excuse that his father has died and he needs Glenn to go on a road trip to Sacramento to scatter his father's ashes. Sacramento is a charming and enjoyable road trip story that explores friendship, fatherhood, and how we handle life's problems in different ways. It is obvious that Cera and Angarano (who directed the film) have great chemistry together, working so well on camera you feel as if they have known each other, like Glenn and Ricky, all their lives. So, hop in the back seat of their convertible and take a road trip to self-discovery. Just be aware that you may sometimes have to share the back seat with Glenn because he may need to lie down for a while.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Sacramento Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest:  Secret Mall Apartment  (2024)  Secret Mall Apartment is a documentary about eight friends who, in 2003, created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for almost four years. It’s funny that when you first hear about this, you think it must be just a couple of high school or college kids doing something stupid. However, almost from the start in watching this documentary, you discover that the 8 friends are doing this as an art project, something to create that they know won’t last but will be fun and make a statement for a little while. The friends are all artists, and what is really cool about this group is they have done, on their own time and money, art projects all over the US, including projects for the Oklahoma City bombing, a Children’s hospital, and a project that honored all the first responders that died on 9/11. It is amazing what they did to make the area (a long-forgotten storage space that was incredibly hard to get to) into a functioning living space mainly used to hang out or meet about upcoming projects. What I loved was that they had plans to make the living space permanent, with a mailing address, a wooden floor, and a kitchen. All that ends suddenly, but they knew that it would. The group didn’t know it would be four years before they were discovered. My Rating: Full Price  Secret Mall Apartment Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  One to One: John & Yoko  (2025)   One to One: John & Yoko is a documentary set in 1972 New York as John Lennon gets ready for his last full-length concert, a special-needs children fundraiser called the One to One Charity Concert. This is a fascinating inside look at the life of John and Yoko during a time in America when the Peace and Love generation realized that they weren’t going to change the world. President Nixon was on the road to a massive reelection win, the Vietnam War was still going on, and John was being asked to perform at fundraising concerts on an almost daily basis. We hear phone calls between John and/or Yoko with friends, family, and reporters. John recorded the calls because he was convinced (rightly so) that his phone was bugged. As the documentary goes on, we see John perform in concert at the One to One event, the last full-length concert that John gave. I loved this film because we saw how committed John and Yoko were to trying to make things better in the world. All the while, John and Yoko are trying to get custody of a daughter of Yoko and are battling their possible deportation back to England by the US government. There is a hilarious running conversation between an assistant for Yoko and others, trying to find somewhere they can get 1,000 live flies for an art installation that Yoko is doing. The One to One concert came about because of a documentary on TV about a home for intellectually and developmentally disabled children (horribly called “a home for retarded children”), where children were left alone without supervision for most of the day in horrible conditions. John and Yoko organized a concert that raised 1.3 million dollars to help make the children’s lives better. Sean, John and Yoko's son, has remixed the concert footage to showcase John's dynamic performance. Fans of The Beatles and of John will love this film, as will anyone who loves great songwriting. I just wish John had performed live more before he was murdered on the streets of New York, a city that he loved. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   One to One: John & Yoko website   Now playing in IMAX theaters and soon will be in other theaters nationwide. 

My View: G20  (2025)  R  In G20, 20 of the most powerful leaders gather in Cape Town, South Africa, for the G20 summit. U.S. When terrorists attack and take over the summit, President Danielle Sutton (Viola Davis) has no choice but to defend her family and rescue her fellow leaders. G20 is as you would expect it to be. It’s a plot that wobbles from time to time but is buoyed by a star in Viola Davis, who can make any role better just by charisma and acting chops alone. With The Woman King and this role under her belt, Davis makes a convincing action hero who gives it to the men right between the legs. Yes, the plot gets a little silly, especially with the rebellious daughter suddenly a computer wizard who can connect via a…never mind, just know Davis is kicking butt right and left as a President who practices judo and is a former army hero. So let the President kill about 30 bad guys and save her family and the world. It's all in a day's work for this President.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  G20 Website  Now playing on Amazon Prime.

Indiefest:  The Ballad of Wallis Island  (2025)  PG-13  In The Ballad of Wallis Island, Charles (Tim Key) is an eccentric millionaire who won the lottery twice and bought an island where he lives alone. He has invited his favorite performer, folk musician Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden), to play a gig for a few hundred fans on his island. What Herb doesn’t know is that the concert is just for Charles, and he has also invited Herb’s old singing partner and former girlfriend, Nell (Carey Mulligan), to perform. It was a partnership that did not end well. The Ballad of Wallis Island is a lovely film about lost loves, hurt feelings from long ago, and the healing power of music and friends. Tim Key is hilarious as the host of the concert, which turns out to be a concert just for him. Alone, on a beach. As Herb McGwyer, Tom Basden plays a continually pissed-off musician who has lost his mojo and is only there for the money to try to resurrect his career, which has been flailing since their breakup. Carey Mulligan, Herb's former muse and singing partner, is there with her husband, much to Herb's surprise. Mulligan is lovely as Nell in her role as a woman who has put the past behind her and is looking forward to a different future. What I love about this film is that the characters seem real, and the emotions that they have are felt by the audience, especially when the two sing together. Charles may be a bit of a fool, but the film never treats him that way. Instead, we get a man with a great heart who wants to hear the music from a time when he was happy. Wouldn't that be something everyone would love?  My Rating: Full Price  The Ballad of Wallis Island Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film: Frequency  (2000) PG-13 John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) is a police officer who has broken three generations of family tradition of being a firefighter. His father, Frank (Dennis Quaid), died in 1969 trying to save someone in a fire. John finds an old trunk containing his dad’s ham radio and decides to plug it in. Wandering around the dial, he discovers he can talk to his father from 30 years ago with the radio. John soon realizes that maybe, somehow, he can prevent his father’s death while Frank is helping John solve a serial killer that is terrorizing the city. Frequency is a well-done thriller where it asks: If you could go back to the past, would you change something that could also affect your future? The chemistry between Caviezel and Quaid is outstanding, and while the storyline asks a lot for you to go along with the plot, it’s still a fun ride between two fine actors.  My Rating: Full Price  Frequency Info  The film is available on most online platforms. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Amateur:  Webbings Dresser

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning  (2025)  Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), an IMF agent and leader of a team of operatives, is on the hunt for Gabriel (Esai Morales), a rogue operative who’s after control of a powerful AI entity that can destabilize the globe. Ethan’s strength has always been his loyalty to his team. This time, it may be his downfall. Rumored to be the most expensive film ever made, will this be the last mission for Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt?  Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Website  In theaters nationwide on Friday, May 23, 2025.

Until Next Time!