'Late Fame' A Review

Late Fame is a drama about NYC poet turned mailman Ed Saxberger(Willem Dafoe) who is "re-discovered" by a trust-fund would-be artist Meyers(Edmund Donovan) and his affluent group of friends that includes the mysterious actress Gloria(Greta Lee).

Dafoe is always watchable(as he is here) but the character is so kind of obvious, oblivious, and thin, the script so upper-class arts-school thesis-project there's nothing he can do. Donovan is both interesting and funny as is Lee but neither can really contend with how bludgeoningly undergraduate the whole affair is.

Shot on location in NYC the place at least feels authentic, unfortunately seemingly every other aspect does not. For a movie about a poet there's very little poetry, for a movie about artists there's very little art, the whole thing just feels very flat, uninspired, and predictable. It comes across as written by someone who's lead a privileged life trying to tell a story about a struggle they have only fantasized about.

An insult to poetry and poets.

Currently in theaters.

Don't See It.

'By Any Means' A Review

By Any Means is a period thriller, based on a true story, about an FBI agent Wayne Strider(Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is assigned an off-the-books mob enforcer Gregory Scarpa(Mark Wahlberg) to investigate the murder of civil activist Vernon Dahmer(Giancarlo Esposito) by the KKK in 1966 Mississippi.

Both Abdul-Mateen and Wahlberg are great, they just don't seem to be in the same movie tonally. Abdul-Mateen grounded, emotional, and real, it's his Just Mercy ie something that is in the ballpark of awards worthy. Wahlberg is big, operettic, violent and funny in his performance, Tarantino-esk. Separately, they're objectively good performances, together they don't really mesh not so much their fault as the script which can't decide if it wants to be grindhouse entertainment or an Oscar contender.

Visually the film is slick, profesh, but mostly takes no risks as far as how it looks. Production is solid, good period costumes, cars, locations. It all works really well especially on a smaller budget. It just fails to come together in it's tone, it asks us to really invest in the emotional and racial reality of the period but also asks us to delight in Wahlberg gleefully tuning up on some gangly klan members while wearing an absurd prosthetic nose and talking in a stereotypical NYC accent. Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly fun, but this is not Django Unchained, there's just no consistency in what it's trying to do, the story it's ultimately trying to tell, and you get whiplash as a result scene-to-scene.

Several compelling scenes fail to coalesce into a cogent feature.

Currently in theaters.

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'Coyote vs. Acme' A Review

Coyote vs. Acme is a live-action/animated comedy about Wile E. Coyote's legal action against the Acme company for faulty products which uncovers a dark and sordid secret.

Will Forte as Coyote's lawyer is a great co-lead and is uniquely positioned to execute the tricky tone, a weird mix of oddball comedy, heart, and commentary. He's able to play off the cartoons with a sincerity and commitment the movie absolutely requires in order to succeed. And it's so wonderful to see the Looney Toons characters again and within this context, the most successful combination since Space Jam and here the themes are much more complex. The supporting human cast is all solid, notably John Cena as the heavy, and although the only 'big' names are Forte and Cena the cast, human and cartoon, is rich and committed, it all comes together in a surprising emotional harmony.

Visually the film is surprisingly clean, the integration of and interaction with the characters is relatively seamless. Some sets, some on location, and some greenscreen shots all woven together cohesively. The soundtrack is simple and effective, but they triumph is really just the story(both within and about the film). Funny and goofy enough for kids, proving the Looney Toons still have juice for any generation, satisfying character arcs, and a pretty timely message about the dangers of unfettered corporations and monopolies. Not to mention the extra-textual of it all, the fact this film was originally slated to be shelved by WB in it's effort to make it's balance sheet more attractive for acquisition then sold after public outcry. It's amazing we get to see this movie, it's a really good movie, and one has to wonder part of the decision to shelve it is that one of it's minor themes is criticizing the kind of corporate merger WB is currently going through.

A delightful, family friendly comedy with heart and something worthwhile to say.

Currently in theaters.

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'Don't Say Good Luck' A Review

Don't Say Good Luck is a family drama about high schooler Sophie(Sunny Sandler) whose eventful but relatively normal sophomore year(auditioning for the school musical, kissing, learning to drive etc.) is upended by her mother Elizabeth's(Melanie Lynskey) battle with cancer.

Sandler is good here, you can tell she's getting better, more natural and comfortable onscreen. Her emotions and her inner life feel authentic. The script is relatively paint-by-numbers coming-of-age and the beats are somewhat predictable but she holds the center well. She's in company with the likes of Mia Hawk in that she's a relatively rare legacy that has talent and continues to improve. Lynskey is, as always, compelling but this is more a showcase for Sandler. Elizabeth's whole character arc sole purpose, basically, is to effect Sophie's. The mom dying of cancer basically has no interiority, at least as written, Lynskey's able to inject some juice into it but she can only do so much. The supporting cast- Max Greenfield as the dad(great to see him), Stephanie Beatriz as the drama teacher, Jon Lovitz in a delicious extended cameo- are all great.

Visually the film is competent but nothing more, it's effective but there's no moment or shot that shows any real artistry. Which is fine, this is clearly relatively low budget, produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison, good on him for making this kind of movie which is exceedingly rare. The soundtrack is nice if not evocative with a couple engaging needle drops even if quite a bit of the diegetic singing is autotuned. It's simple, it's entertaining, it has a message. Is it amazing? No. But it works.

A less stirring version of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'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.

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'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.

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'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.

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'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+.

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'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.

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'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' A Review

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a superhero movie, the latest in the MCU, the 4th Spider-Man with Tom Holland as the titular hero. Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home the world has forgotten Peter Parker and he grapples with the loss of his Aunt May while also not having his friends around to console him until a new threat emerges that shakes things loose.

Holland continues to be great as the titular hero, emotionally compelling, physically sharp, it's a great performance and the script continues to give the character both internal and external problems to grapple with. Zendaya also is wonderful and the chemistry between them crackles. Nice to see both of them really explode after both of their unsuccessful performances in The Odyssey(the fault being Nolan's not theirs). Jon Bernthal as The Punisher brings some broad comic relief but also heart and a good use of the character and kudos to Bernthal for bringing an equally true but tonally different vibe to the character than he has in other appearances. The new comer to the MCU Sadie Sink, also pitch perfect casting, provides a complex and engaging heavy and hopefully sets up a bigger role in future MCU flicks.

Visually the film is rich, colorful, and thrilling with some great fight choreography and striking imagery. The soundtrack is effective, the runtime is over 2 hours but the pacing is relatively tight. All-in-all a good entrant in the MCU, more a return to form, focused on entertaining action and a story that has actual human stakes. There is some wonton destruction in the finale which is unnecessary, even so it's not the focus.

A solid piece of summer entertainment with enough heart to tear you up a time or two.

Currently in theaters.

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'Mortal Kombat II' A Review

Mortal Kombat II is a fantasy/action movie a direct sequel to the 2021 reboot. The tournament comes again, Earth's heroes must defend it from the machinations from the villians out Outworld, this introduces two new characters Johnny Cage(Karl Urban) and Kitana(Adeline Rudolph).

Urban is really fun and Rudolph brings some soul but there's way more lore and plot in this installment and basically all of the supporting cast aren't given much to do other than reiterate exposition and, overall, there's just not that much action.

The action there is is compelling with some really deliciously gruesome kills but everything is weighed down but convoluted plotting and a baffling McGuffin. A Mortal Kombat movie should, above all, be fun and this one takes itself a bit too seriously to hit that benchmark consistently, sacrificing entertainment for attempts at 'worldbuilding' and setting up a broader franchise.

Classic, fold-laundry-to quality.

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

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'Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass' A Review

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is a comedy about the titular Gail(Zoey Deutch) a hairdresser and Kansas who embarks on a trip to LA to sleep with her celebrity crush Jon Hamm after her fiancé hooks up with his.

Deutch is an energetic, committed, effervescent lead but doesn't have a particular facility for comedy or at least the kind of broad bordering-on-surrealist style deployed here. The supporting cast is chock full of talent, notably Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang, and John Slattery(playing himself) along with other mainstays of writer/director David Wain. But the cast isn't given anything to do beyond the surface level, it all just feels like empty calories.

The production is decent, for a comedy it looks pretty good, there are some decent effects and one or two fun and funny fight scenes, but overall you get the feeling that money and time were tight. Everything feels truncated, abridged. Any emotional development or depth seems to have ended up on the cutting room floor, all that's left is a streamlined plot and jokes. It's diverting enough and nice to see Wain come out with a new picture but you can actually feel how difficult it was to get the movie made and get it in theaters. It's nice to see a straight-up comedy in theaters but this, unfortunately, fails in justifying a full fledged release. It feels like it was made for streaming.

Noble effort but lacking much impact.

Currently in theaters.

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'The Odyssey' A Review

The Odyssey is a period action/adventure movie an adaptation of the epic poem by Homer. Odysseus(Matt Damon) helps to sack Troy via the Trojan Horse and then sets of to return home with his men but loses his way. His wife Penelope(Anne Hathaway) waits in Ithaca for his return, surrounded by mustache twirling suitors insisting he is dead.

Damon, Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattinson are miscast, the inconsistent and emotionally thin script don't help them out, they're not bad but it's clear they're are all taking different approaches, feel like they are in different movies, the performances overall just don't really mesh, aren't cohesive. The supporting cast is full of big names, all are fun to see, but not all are successful. Samantha Morton gives the most successful performance in the most interesting scene of the movie. Lupita Nyong'o is wonderful but her appearance is brief. Himesh Patel brings some much needed emotional reality. Benny Safdie's appearance is bizarre and jarring, Charlize Theron isn't given enough to do. It's just odd, with all this talent, with all these names, the acting in aggregate is mostly forgettable and bland.

To be fair it seems clear the acting nor the story is really the focus here, it's the production and in that respect the movie is revelatory. The costuming, the Göransson score, the set design- all are incredible. Rich expansive visuals explode in every shot. The non-linear structure and the frequent cutting seem to be a necessity of shooting on IMAX rather than motivated in any way by the narrative. The ending involves some incredibly shoehorned moralizing but the commentary is such a stretch it doesn't even come across as totally cogent.

A spectacular spectacle with nothing much under the hood.

Currently in theaters.

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'Remake' A Review

Remake is a documentary from Ross McElwee about grief and memory. Similar to McElwee's breakout 1986's Sherman's March the film is framed around a conceit(in this case a fiction adaptation of Sherman's March in development) but is really an exploration of McElwee's personal struggles, in this case the untimely overdose of his son.

Through footage shot over the course of his son's lifetime, clips from Sherman's March, footage McElwee's son Adrian shot himself, all accompanied by narration from McElwee- his son's life, their relationship, the act of filmmaking, addiction and death are explored.

Visually the film is intimate and evocative, shot and cut in McElwee's typical analogue fluid style. As a documentarian McElwee is a singular talent. As a father though it is difficult for the viewer not to judge him. The effect feels incredibly honest, immensely human. But it is clear McElwee is culpable, to what degree who knows. But his obsessive need to document, his inability to identify his sons struggles, and his ignorance around addiction are very much apparent. McElwee himself has no insight to provide, he simply bares his soul and grief and pain and confusion to the viewer. Is this powerful? Yes. Is it cathartic? No.

Many artists have made art inspired by the failings of their parents or the failing of themselves as parents. It's a deep well, this joins a large catalogue. But other than sharing his grief with us and some musings on the nature of memory and film McElwee does not go beyond that. In any therapy session, in any 12-step meeting, in any bitch session between friends around the world the foibles of parents and children are discussed. This looks great, it is very effective, but it does not offer anything beyond which anyone with a child or a parent has some insight on. Every parent instills in their child some level of dysfunction or neurosis(however well-meaning), any substance abuse problem is potentially fatal. This is reality and unfortunately this only serves to reflect back to us that reality and does not go beyond that.

Incredibly crafted, brave, made by a flawed man who may not be an entirely worthy subject.

Currently in theaters.

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'Maddie's Secret' A Review

Maddie's Secret is a melodramedy inspired by a 1986 Lifetime movie, that follows the titular Maddie(writer/director John Early) as she has success as a food influencer while concurrently dealing with the resurgence of her bulimia.

Early gives a very stylized and committed performance as the titular lead and the cast is chock full of talent.  Kate Berlant as Deena Maddie's obsessive best friend, Eric Rahill as Jake Maddie's soulful husband, Kristen Johnston(great to see her) as Beverlee Maddie's wayward mother. On and on everyone in the cast is great and for the most part extremely talented but lesser known character actors. The casting is impeccable. Where Early falls short is in the director's chair, tonally there's confusion as to what the film actually is or wants to be, so the performances run the gambit from extremely presentational to deeply grounded and emotional- different groups of actors all seem to be in different movies.

The visuals are relatively simple but stylized and effective, the score equally so. It's an incredibly ambitious and specific freshman feature from Early and shows significant promise. Much like the first feature of many filmmakers there's simply too much going on, it's trying to do too much, and in doing so in aggregate fails to deliver something cohesive. There are some really compelling moments, some really funny ones, it all feels very topical but also bizarrely esoteric. It's intriguing no question. But the line it walks in regards to eating disorders and the ultimate message(or lack there of) the movie attempts to make with that subject matter could certainly be activating or even offensive to some.

A blend of sincerity and satire that doesn't quite harmonize.

Currently in theaters.

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Best Movies Of The Year So Far

Backrooms

By Design

Exit 8

The Furious

I Love Boosters

Pillion

Project Hail Mary
Rose of Nevada

Send Help

The Sheep Detectives

Worst of the Year Contenders:

The Mandalorian And Grogu

Wuthering Heights

'Rose Of Nevada' A Review

Rose of Nevada is a sci-fi drama about two men in a Cornish fishing village in economic decline, Liam(Callum Turner) a itinerant worker and Nick(George MacKay) a struggling husband and father, take work on the titular fishing boat which has mysteriously reappeared after 30 years lost at sea.

Both Turner and MacKay do some of their best work here, both giving subtle but deep performances. Inhabiting the lives of the characters and the bizarre situation at it's heart with a commitment and authenticity that harmonizes perfectly with the story as well as the expressionistic design elements. The supporting cast is limited but are equally well-cast and locked-in particularly Rosalind Eleazar and Francis Magee.

Shot in a truncated aspect ratio and on grainy film stock(or with a digital effect to evoke such) the film has an eerie, timeless quality from the jump, enhanced by a simple, repeating, monotonous score and protracted seemingly innocuous shots of rusted equipment, robes, chains, feet etc. It's all very avant garde and experimental but grounded by MacKay and Turner and evokes a dream-like journey. 

Avant-garde indie cinema at its best. Artistic and rich without being pretentious or losing sight of the humanity at the core.

Currently in theaters.

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'Enola Holmes 3' A Review

Enola Holmes 3 is a YA mystery, an adaption of the book series, the third installment in the Netflix burgeoning franchise. Enola(Millie Bobbie Brown) is set to marry her paramour Tewkesbury(Louis Partridge) but is distracted by the kidnapping of her brother Sherlock(Henry Cavill) connected to an incredibly convoluted plot.

Brown continues to stumble in the way many child actors do attempting to transition to adult roles, she overacts, mugs, and generally cannot find a baseline of reality in which to inhabit. Her last several features have been bad and she has been bad in them(Electric State, Damsel), which begs the question perhaps Stranger Things, for her and others in the cast, should be it. The supporting cast has talent but the script is so tired, unnecessarily complicated, and lacking in emotional or narrative stakes it plays like a C-list CW pilot the talent of the actors is mostly irrelevant.

There was a low impact charm with Enola Holmes, that was diluted and more confused in Enola Holmes 2, and here it's virtually non-existent, a textbook case of diminishing returns. Brown doesn't have the umph to carry the movie and everyone else involved seems to be just getting paid.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'Supergirl' A Review

Supergirl is a superhero movie about the titular hero Kara Zor-El(Milly Alcock) as she deals with the grief of losing her family and planet(shown through flashbacks) as well as facing off with a cyborg gang of slavers who have poisoned her dog.

Alcock is perfectly cast- she's funny, charming, handles the action with élan, and conveys her emotional arch with a realism and poignancy this genre typically doesn't bother with. The supporting cast is uneven- Eve Ridley as Ruthye really struggles mostly a fault of the script which pretty much reduces her to a plot device, Matthias Schoenaerts as the heavy is two-dimensionally evil but doesn't seem to have any actual personality or motivation, Jason Momoa as Lobo as wonderful and under used, David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham are really excellent and effecting as Kara's parents but the flashbacks are truncated.

Visually the movie has a lot of cool planets and backdrops and embellishments but there's not enough action and the fight sequences that there are it's hard to see what Kara is actually doing. The script is derivative it starts off John Wick(bafflingly sidelining Krypto one of the breakout stars of last year's Superman) then makes it's way to Mad Max: Fury Road as Kara faces off against the gang enslaving women as their 'brides'. The influence is so transparent it comes across as derivative. Ultimately it's just overly plotted and doesn't seem to realize the potential star at it's center Alcock, she doesn't need the multiple McGuffins in order to shoulder the movie, in fact all the add-on's and convulsions detract from what she's doing.

An incredible lead weighted down by the classic studio exec misconception: more plot = better movie. Still, worth it for Alcock alone.

Currently in theaters.

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'Jackass: Best and Last' A Review

Jackass: Best and Last is a reality comedy, the fifth feature arising from the stunt/prank MTV show.

Jackass Forever came out in 2022, in the latter days of the pandemic with a fervor and necessity, revisiting the gang at that time(with all new stunts and gags) felt if not revelatory by any means but vital in some odd way- if Knoxville and the gang can continue so can we- it also elicited, bizarrely, a nostalgia for a simpler better time. Here, it's great to see everyone, a lot of the new gags are poop and butt centric which is pretty gross(no shade on them as they all probably have CTE) but there is no captivating stunt set piece and most of the bits aren't particularly physical in nature. The footage is also probably about half or more archival footage. This is more a greatest hits, a victory lap(not undeserved), rather than a new creative endeavor.

Which is all well and good. It's a relatively fun watch particularly in a theater with a decent sized audience. However it doesn't have the same urgency as it's predecessor or the experimentation of Bad Grandpa. It's a coda.

Currently in theaters.

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