'Remarkably Bright Creatures' A Review

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a drama based on the 2022 novel of the same name about Tova(Sally Field) a an introverted widow who is the night janitor at an aquarium in small town Washington. She befriends a drifter Cameron(Lewis Pullman) and the two grow closer as they care for Marcellus the octopus who's thoughts serve as narration(voiced by Alfred Molina).

Field is as good as she's ever been but she doesn't reach the heights that she did in her last lead performance Hello, My Name Is Doris not through any fault of hers but of the script and the direction. She does what she can with the melodrama in the script and almost single-handedly corrects the tonal confusion but even with all her powers deployed she can only do so much. Pullman, who showed quite a bit of promise and range in Thunderbolts, puts up a bit of a dud here. He's not overtly bad but he just doesn't have the experience or juice to do anything with such a nothing script.

The visuals are mostly glossy and bright reminiscent of a Lifetime or Hallmark movie. The fisheye shots from Marcellus's POV are jarring and ineffective. Director Oliva Newman fails utterly in her job of tone management. What we get is this bizarre treacly downer which is 95% conflict and the characters inability to communicate all while piling on overwrought plot devices.

A maudlin, confused, emotionally regressive feature masquerading as a feel-good. Grating to watch.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

America's Pastime

All I can think to write about
is baseball
the stadium, the togetherness
the grass, the open air
the singularness of purpose
the blessed fleeting moment

'The End Of Oak Street' A Review

The End Of Oak Street is a scifi flick about a neighborhood in the 80's that gets transported back to the pre-historic era. A family- Denise(Anne Hathaway), Greg(Ewan McGregor), Audrey(Maisy Stella), and Brian(Christian Convery) deal with emotional baggage as they attempt to survive.

I like Anne Hathaway but this is the fourth feature she's appeared in in 2026, with one more still to go. This is too much Hathaway. She could give an incredible performance and I don't know if it'd register simply because she has been to ever present in the release schedule this year. McGregor fairs slightly better but they as well as Stella and Convery are burdened with a confused script and clashing tones. The movie doesn't know what it wants to be- is it a family drama wrapped in a scifi conceit, is it a nostalgic family adventure a la Spielberg, is it commentary wrapped in a blockbuster? It's unclear and signals at all those achieving none.

Visually the film is uneven, the production design is pretty flawless(although there seems no reason to set it in 1982 other than as nostalgia bait) but the CGI is surprisingly uneven. A scene involving an injury to McGregor's character is particularly cartoonish and looks cheap. It's a diverting enough summer flick if you've already seen The Odyssey and Spider-Man but it's kind of a stunningly benign third feature from writer/director David Robert Mitchell.

Overwrought familial melodrama hamstrings what this should be(and sometimes is)- fun.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

'Teenage Sex & Death At Camp Miasma' A Review

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma is a meta slasher romance about director/writer Kris(Hannah Einbinder) who goes to meet the original final girl of the Camp Miasma slasher series Billy(Gillian Anderson) as she attempts to write a reboot/legacy sequel. Themes of identity, cinema, sex, coming-of-age, and horror are explored.

Anderson gives a titanic performance, awards worthy although she will most likely be overlooked as this is a genre indie. She's totally present, totally evocative, in full control of her powers. Alluring and vulnerable, melancholic yet hopeful. It is stunning and even if some of the film's eccentricities may not be for a wide audience(it's pretty out there) she alone makes this a must watch. Einbinder's character is a bit more straight-forward but she too is compelling and emotional. The two fluidly glide between the myraid of ideas and tones with a grace the film absolutely requires.

Visually the film is rich and evocative, packed to the gills with love of the cinema, horror, and particularly slashers. Reminiscent of Stephen Graham Jones's Indian Lake Trilogy in that it celebrates the slasher, pays homage, and takes it further, providing more depth, for our modern times. The sets, the paintings, everything is lovingly and meticulously constructed. It is so full of ideas, so ambitious in what it's doing, it can be overwhelming but it is, without question, worth the investment.

A love letter to cinema, horror, and identity with a performance-of-the-year from Anderson.

Currently in theaters.

Don't Miss It.

Cross Town Classic

The Cubs
may be more popular

more historic
on average

the better team
But
The White Sox
will always be

more scrappy
more Chicago

'The Dink' A Review

The Dink is a sports comedy about Dustin(Jake Johnson) a once promising tennis player who flamed out early and now works as an instructor for his overbearing father(Ed Harris) at his athletic club. After an injury he gets into pickleball and makes a friend Candace(Mary Steenburgen).

Jake Johnson does what he does here, which is fine, but incredibly limited. Aside from a sub-90-minute mumblecore flick this guy has no business leading a movie. His performance is more geared towards a sitcom or a sketch rather than a feature. It doesn't really feel like the character is an actual human, just Jack Johnson trying to be funny within this certain context. Disappointing. Much more compelling is Steenburgen, makes you wish she'd get bigger and better roles at her age, she's just gotten better. Ed Harris is having fun and it's nice to see him in something more broadly comic. The supporting cast is mostly good but the overall tone doesn't really work and the script is thin to emaciation.

The production one presumes was on a budget, it looks like generic made-for-streaming mass-assembly cinema. At least it was filmed on location in LA and gave some local actors jobs.

Honestly, it's not offensive as far as content but its sheer laziness(aside from Steenburgen) and lack of ambition was.

Currently streaming on Apple+.

Don't See It.

'Cookie Queens' A Review

Cookie Queens is a documentary about four Girl Scouts as they strive to hit their goals during cookie season. The film follows Ara, Nikki, Olive and Shannon Elizabeth all with different motivations for selling via fly-on-the-wall footage, there are no interviews(although some discussions seem to be a bit staged to provide some necessary info).

Through rich visuals the compelling character of these four young women are explored, their humor, determination, charm, intelligence, and complexity are all on display. Themes of race, class, and gender are addressed but mostly indirectly. It's not an indictment of the Girl Scouts or the cookie biz nor is it some triumphant celebration. What it shows is the need for these young women to have a place they can find community and purpose, to learn soft and hard skills, regardless of income or background and the avenue by which the Scouts provides that. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than nothing? Yes. But ultimately, like all things in the U.S. of A. it's still(at least in part) a hustle. There's still money to be made, ultimately the cookie business is big business.

A dimensional look at four driven young women through the lens of the annual Girl Scout cookie push. 

Currently in theaters.

See It.