Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Soulm8te - I think the first M3GAN movie was a lot of fun, but the second one sucked big time - so I wasn't fully sold on a spin-off. But this one is pretty fun too! The problem is that they've already done this concept very recently with Companion and the Megan Fox movie that I can't remember the name of. But they are all about murderous sex robots. And unfortunately I think this will continue to be a popular movie theme with the state of the world and AI chatbots becoming more and more popular. But it's still a fun movie if you want to enjoy a campy horror. There's a fun song and dance scene similar to M3GAN, that is amazing (featuring "Lovefool" by The Cardigans, an excellent song from the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack that I pretty much listened to every day for a year when I was a teenager). AND there is a scene in which she kills a man with her robot vagina (!!) - that earns it an extra star right there. Genius! I like Lily Sullivan a lot, but I wish they would stop making her struggle with an American accent. It works here because she's not human, so the weird pronunciations aren't out place. BUT, and this is going to sound mean, but I DON'T CARE (*sung like the Icona Pop song "I Love It")! I think she's way too ordinary for this role. If men were able to "design" their own girlfriend, she would have Ana de Armas' face and Sydney Sweeney's body and she would definitely not be almost as tall as him. Facts! On a sidenote, it's weird that the woman from The Boys is in this because she's married to Jack Quaid (sorry, I don't know her name), but Quaid was in Companion! Also about a sex robot! And a much better movie!

2. Animals - Ummmm what the actual fuck?! I was expecting this to be mediocre based on the reviews, but what the fuck happened here? I was not expecting it to be on my Worst of 2026 films and it absolutely will be there. Ben Affleck had an insane directing run with Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo, and it went downhill from there. But this is his worst one, by far. So the most glaring problem is that Spike Lee *just* made this movie last year (and it's a remake of a Kurosawa film), and I absolutely hated that movie too, but for different reasons. The moral dilemma behind this story is actually interesting - a child of a wealthy couple is kidnapped for ransom, but the kidnappers mistakenly kidnap the child of someone close to their family instead. Do they still pay the ransom? I mean, your gut says yes because a child is still in danger, but that would set a dangerous precedent for kidnappers (they could literally kidnap random children and demand wealthy people to pay ransom for them). Anyway, this starts off strong with the focus on this guy running for office - the falsity of it all rings true (I laughed at him taking a picture with the black family). I also didn't know that it was going to be "the wrong kid got kidnapped story" until they leave for trick-or-treating and then I got very angry. But up until then, I thought it had a lot of intrigue. The wife is having an affair (with a much hotter man....WAIT IS THAT RAY FISHER??!!), the campaign manager seems kind of sleazy and is pushing him to basically go bankrupt if he loses the election, the nanny is trying to get her undocumented boyfriend citizenship, etc. But once the kidnapping happens it spirals into ridiculousness on a whole level I can't even explain. Gillian Anderson (!!!) is this cutthroat loan shark who adds nothing to the story, they keep hinting to some kind of conspiracy or something, but nothing happens. But the worst part is that it is very poorly made - it feels like a television movie with no budget (there is a scene that was heavily criticized on the internet with Affleck catching a kid being rolled down a drainage canal in a shopping cart. Knowing already that Affleck admits to using AI in this - it's obviously for this scene. It's so incredibly bad it should be taught in film school). I also think Affleck should *quit* acting and just focus on directing. Maybe it would help him focus better or something? 

3. Matchbox the Movie - This is what you'd expect from a film starring John Cena loosely based on Matchbox cars. It's got some fun car chase sequences, is action-packed, and has some funny moments. But if it were shorter and *much* funnier it would be a solid 3 star movie, and instead it's a boring 2 hour snoozefest with a few interesting moments sprinkled in. When I saw the trailer for this, I was SO confused....do they actually mean Matchbox as in Matchbox cars?? How are they going to make a movie about that? There's no characters? There's no storyline? And I think they did a good job connecting the Matchbox cars to the story - they are basically kids who all join a club to play with their cars and then grow apart as adults, then get thrown into an international conspiracy because the one guy is CIA (or something like that). The cast is a bit uninspired  - I feel like Sam Richardson has done this role many times, obviously Cena has done this before, and Jessica Biel??? One of the worst actresses to ever exist! And Golshifteh Farahani is, like, an award-worthy actress. I get why actors take roles like this ($$$), but that's what the Extraction films are for. Why would she do another movie like this? I've also never seen Danai Gurira outside of The Walking Dead franchise and....um...she's not the greatest actress, is she? Now that I think about it, she might be in Black Panther too? I can't remember, but I don't think I've seen her as a "normal" person, and she is strikingly bad in this. Anyway, the Terminator bit at the end made me giggle. But I won't remember this movie exists in 6 months time. 

4. Evil Dead Burn - Well, I liked this slightly better than Evil Dead Rise (it had good ideas, but some of the acting was tough (from terrible accents to terrible child actors), and the ending was stupid. However, I will remember that opening title card for the rest of my life. Stunning!). There's good gore in this one, as expected, and I like the family/generational trauma aspect that is explored, as well as domestic abuse plotline, and the end is fucking brutal (so gruesome and heavy. The "you still can't leave" line hits like a punch to the gut). There's also some really stunning shots, like the upside down burning house at the end. Overall, it's fine. But again, it would have been better at 90 minutes. I just hate when you can feel the filler scenes that bloat a film. I also don't really have much else to say about this, and that's always a disappointing feeling. We are in a moment in time, in which horror has really excelled and has been exciting, and I think this falls a little short. 

5. The End of Oak Street - There's a lot I like about this movie - originality being the most important thing for me. After watching another sex robot movie (the 3rd in one year's time), a non-remake remake of a film that was already remade last year, a movie based on a toy, and the 6th entry into a horror franchise, this felt REFRESHING! It's a sci-fi drama about DINOSAURS IN THE SUBURBS! It STARS ANNE HATHAWAY AND EWAN McGREGOR! And it's only 100 minutes long?! YESSSSSSSS! Overall, it's a good time. Although, my husband does not think McGregor is hot enough or young enough for Anne Hathaway (lol - he was like, "ew is that supposed to be her husband?"). I think they actually fit nicely together because they are both solid actors. You can feel the tension between them, but that they care about each other. And I think McGregor is the MVP with his line delivery of "Is that a fucking dinosaur?". It moves very quickly and there are some *very* unexpected events that happen. There's also a solid ending (although I can't help but wonder what happens to their "other selves" - do the events repeat themselves? Or will things be different because they changed things a' la the butterfly effect). But some of the effects are wonky and the split diopter shots will drive any sane person absolutely insane (I think I read that there are like 20+ split diopter shots. LOL. Insane!). I think with a few tweaks this could have been among the best films of the year, but instead it's averagely good. However, if you want to watch an excellent 'monster in the suburbs movie starring Anne Hathaway', I HIGHLY recommend the film Colossal. 

3 Thoughts on Ink

1. Jack O'Connell & Company - I've been a fan of Jack O'Connell since his Skins days (although we didn't get Skins here until 2010ish, I think? I remember getting the discs from Netflix but it was years after it aired in the UK), but this year has really turned a corner for me. After watching 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, I decided to watch as much of his filmography as I could (some early stuff still isn't available here). This included rewatches of Godless (brilliant show), Jungleland (better than I remembered), Lady Chatterley's Lover (he's so fucking hot in it), some first-time viewings like Little Fish (which is now one of my all-time favorite movies), SAS: Rogue Heroes (another brilliant show. Bring on season 3!!), and some smaller UK films that I had never even heard of prior to this year like '71, Starred Up, United etc. Overall, he is stellar in everything - even films that are not good (like Seberg, Back to Black, Unbroken). It's kind of CRAZY that he's been on the brink of hitting it big and it took him this long to get here. Thanks to Sinners, people I know KNOW WHO HE IS! Because pre-Sinners, I don't think one person I know (in real life, in America) would have known his name. I wasn't really looking forward to Ink, if I'm honest - the story is not of interest to me, Jack clean-shaven is not my favorite look, and Danny Boyle has directed a few belters (28 Days Later, Trainspotting), but he also has a lot of 3 star films (Slumdog Millionaire, Steve Jobs, Trance). I planned on waiting for this to release on Netflix, but then I saw that it was actually going to play at a local film festival AND JACK WAS GOING TO BE THERE FOR A Q&A! So I dragged my husband along and we both overall enjoyed it. I enjoyed the q&a more than the film (for obvious reasons), but I still think the film is among the best of the year (so far). Jack is outstanding - he is one of the few actors that knows how to be charming and menacing at the same time (and he's excelled at this since his role as Cook - the ultimate charming menace!). I'm happy that he's being campaigned for this as Lead Actor, especially since he got screwed out of the Sinners nominations. I don't think it's the best performance he's given (he's actually given a better one this year that will be ignored with The Bone Temple), but it's definitely among the best of the year. However, I do think the actual best performance in this is from Claire Foy. I think her role is largely fictitious (compared to the rest - who are all real people), but she feels the most authentic somehow. Her character is clearly an attempt to soften Lamb into a likeable person (he supported a feminist! He can't be all bad, but it only works because Foy sells it). I don't think Guy Pierce does anything particularly interesting as Murdoch, but overall the performances are the highlight. 

2. Tabloid culture - While we certainly have our own tabloid culture in the states, it's never been anywhere near what started in the UK. And I don't think the history of it or Rupert Murdoch & Larry Lamb is something most people here even know about (obvi we know Murdoch, but I had never heard of Lamb before reading the description for this film). I think this is why my husband actually enjoyed this movie (even more than I did!) - because it's something he didn't know about. He's very specific in what he'll watch when it comes to films (and it's mostly comedies, animation, sci-fi, and action - dramas are a hard no unless they are war dramas). So when I say I "dragged" him, I mean because I *thought* he would hate it and he also *thought* he would hate it, but I didn't actually have to "drag" him because if I say "hey, this is something I want to do", he goes "okay" because I don't ask for a lot so it must be important to me. Anyway, I'm on a sidetrack, but my point is that he actually really enjoyed this because it's actually a very interesting story and relevant story, and a part of history that he didn't know. And Danny Boyle definitely inserts his hyper-stylized, kinetic energy to kick a kind of boring story into a high energy thriller so it held our interest. I, myself, am guilty of participating in tabloid culture. Although, I used to read more actual magazines like People, US, and Star over, like, The National Enquirer, but that's only slightly better. It's interesting to see how it all slowly, but also quickly, changed into online clickbait and then "rage" bait. I think there is definitely a way to balance actual news stories, with more fun celebrity gossip, and lighter stories, but we're kind of past the point of no return. However, the ending of this film kind of ruins....everything? I think for some reason Boyle thought the audience wouldn't make the connection of "how it all started" to the present day disastrous influencer/content creator/political degradation of our culture. So, he put together this insane and completely unnecessary montage to end the film. I almost want to remove a whole star because of it! 

3. The AI of it all - So, a big story that developed as this was premiered at festivals, is that Danny Boyle decided that using AI in his films was A-OKAY! First of all, it's downright insane to use AI in a film that is trying to teach us a lesson about a societal downfall. Like, does he not see the connection? How AI is being used to sexually harass women, spread actual "fake news", and make humans actively dumber?? When questioned about it - he admits to two scenes (I'm pretty sure there is more...), one of which involves a scene featuring Margaret Thatcher - a scene that could have easily been cut because it's weird and no context is provided. And the other is to add animals (specifically mice) to the film, and he excused it as protecting animals from being harmed and described it as the next step in visual effects. And sure, I can actually understand that, but I would rather have a human design an effect of a mouse running across the screen than AI do it. Period. I get that films are under "tight" budgets, but those budgets often run in the millions, so I'm sorry, but you can afford to pay a human. It just sets such a dangerous precedent and I hope he listens to all of the negative feedback and refuses to use it on his next project. 

Film Retrospective Part IV: Thoughts on 10 Films (pre-2000)

1. Robin Hood: Men in Tights - [blind spot] I *might* have seen this as a kid, but I have no recollection of it at all, so I'm counting it as a blind spot. I definitely didn't watch it as an adult, because I assumed it was dumb, but I didn't realize it was a Mel Brooks movie until recently. And it is stupid, but it's also very funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times (the circumcision description, the line "I'm not supposed to lose! Let me see the script!"). A lot of jokes are specifically very 90s era jokes, so I don't think modern audiences will find it as funny (like the Arsenio Hall hooting, etc.). The rap in the beginning is quite something...and Dave Chappelle is in this?! WHAT?! That's hilarious in and of itself. HAHAHA! Overall, I enjoyed this! Probably not as good as other Mel Brooks movies, but it's very entertaining. 

2. Dog Day Afternoon - [rewatch] A very rare 5 star movie. It's perfect. I haven't seen it in a while though (probably a decade or so). I thought that maybe it wouldn't be as good as I remember, but then the opening shots happen with "Amoreena" playing in the background and I was like "nope, it's a masterpiece just like I remembered!". And I think this is the best that Al Pacino has ever been. He sort of became a caricature of himself, but he used to be a terrific actor. It's shocking that he didn't win the Oscar for this. I would argue that Cazale deserved a supporting nod too (what a career - did both The Godfather movies, The Deer Hunter, and this, before dying of Cancer. Imagine what could have been?). What I think makes this film so special though is that it is lightyears ahead of its time - not only with the trans stuff, but with the racism/police stuff. Or, maybe the fact is that none of the issues we are seeing shoved in our face every second of every day is *new*, we're just seeing it more? So, I take that back, the film was *of* it's time, but still very meaningful today. 

3. Clue - [rewatch] This is another one that I don't really have a strong recollection of, but I *know* I watched this as a kid. And multiple times. I used to love this and Once Upon a Crime (definitely more of a fan of the latter) as a kid and would watch them over and over again. But for some reason, this dropped from my memory. I watched this about a week before Tim Curry died too, so that was weird timing. This has an amazing cast, but Curry is obviously the stand-out. It's weird seeing Christopher Lloyd *not* look 100 years old. I was actually a little disappointed with this rewatch though - aside from a few funny moments, it's a little boring? And the ending....just never fucking ends! No wonder I couldn't remember who the actual killer was?! LOL. 

4. A Night to Remember - [blind spot] I don't care how cliched it is, Titanic is one of the best films ever made and it will always be in my Top 10 favorite films. I do think part of this is my age - I was 16/17 when it was released and it was the biggest movie EVER. I saw it in the theaters 12 times, bought a bootleg copy of the VHS on Canal St in NYC, "My Heart Will Go On" was our prom song, and everything was Titanic themed, Leo DiCaprio posters were plastered on my walls (to be fair, I was obsessed with him since Growing Pains (Jesus, I had really declared my type of guy at 11 year old didn't I??? He was the beta test for Ryan Atwood on The O.C. if you really think about it). Anyway, it's weird that I never watched this, considering how obsessed I was with Titanic. And guess what?! It's the SAME movie minus the love story (obvi the love story is what makes Titanic so great). I get that it's all based on true accounts of what happened, but I was not expecting the dialogue to be so similar! And there are little love stories sprinkled throughout, so it's an enjoyable watch. And the actress who plays Molly Brown has *perfect* line delivery. NO NOTES. Hahaha! They obviously get the sinking of the ship wrong (it does not show the ship splitting in half - even though several survivors witnessed it doing so). But otherwise, I loved this! 

5. The Talented Mr. Ripley - [rewatch] Another PERFECT MOVIE! I only have 19 films rated 5 stars on LB, and that's because I only rate films that I've watched since I started an LB account (about 6 years ago - I was that bored during Covid). So there are obviously more than 19 5 star films, but probably not many. I've always been a big fan of this film and would list it among my favorites, but this rewatch definitely confirmed its 5 star status. I think reading the book a few years back definitely helps give a new perspective on Ripley, and some added depth, but it's all there in the film as well in a lot of subtle but brilliant ways. Matt Damon should have won an Oscar for this, and I don't even think he was nominated??? HOW RUDE. Jude Law was nominated though, and he probably should have won too. And when those social media prompts go around about "the hottest someone has looked in a film", I always instantly think of Jude in this film (and Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn. And Isabella Rossellini in Death Becomes Her. I could go on forever. I love hot people in films!). Even Gwyneth is great in this! And I don't really rate her as a good actress (although she's in some of my favorite movies). Just a great cast overall, it's gorgeous, and I love the build-up of suspense. I also think you root for Ripley because of how well it's written and Damon's natural charisma, and that is hard to pull off considering he's...a murderer. 

6. Cape Fear (1991) - [rewatch] Ok, so I finally realized that I've been confusing this movie with Dead Calm. Because when I think about Cape Fear (1991), I think about Nicole Kidman on a boat trying to get away from Robert DeNiro. But obviously I am mixing the two together. I have no idea why my brain combined the movies, but brains are weird! Anyway, this is great! Just as good as the original, and actually a bit more suspenseful due to DeNiro's unhinged performance. He's genuinely terrifying. And Scorsese really pulled out all the stops with the technical shots for this film (the triple mirror shot, the fade to negative shot, the angles of the car scene??? It's all brilliant!). It feels far more Hitchcockian than any of his previous films. Jessica Lange gives an award worthy performance, so it's weird that Juliette Lewis was nominated for an Oscar (she's actually kind of terrible in this??? Something is off). They also add a whole mistress aspect and a brutal rape scene, which feels very 90s (the brutality of it isn't seen as often in modern American films, but I think the 90s were ripe for these scenes with all those serial killer psychological thrillers). 

7. The Faculty - [rewatch] I was all about the 90s teen horror films that came out around this time. I loved them all (Scream was obviously the best one, but I loved I Know What You Did Last Summer, Disturbing Behavior, Final Destination, Urban Legend, etc.). I definitely get this and Disturbing Behavior mixed up, while I know which cast is which, the plot details are mixed for me and the music! Because I definitely thought that the Harvey Danger song was from this one, but it's not! I definitely listened to both soundtracks regularly. Anyway, I'm under the impression that this is the better one (it's directed by Robert Rodriguez and has a better cast!). It's basically Invasion of the Body Snatchers set in high school (genius!). And has Josh Hartnett with his bed head, Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy (who is finally getting acclaim for The Pitt, but he was better in SouthLAnd), Salma Hayek, Clea DuVall...should I keep going?? Ok...Famke Janssen, Robert Patrick, Jon Stewart, Bebe Neuwirth and the adorably innocent (lol) Laura Harris. Oh and Usher (who I used to be a big fan of, but is currently touring with Chris Brown, so FUCK USHER). Just an insane cast for a teen horror film. And it has some really, really strong scenes too - like the scene in which Hatosy pours the drugs out while staring down Clea (perfect!). It's surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be (while I think a rewatch of other 90s films like I Know What You Did Last Summer might have the opposite response?). 

8. Contempt - [rewatch] I remember watching this in a film history class (during the French New Wave portion of film history - we watched this and Breathless), and I didn't really think much of it (I KNOW!). But I was interested in how I would respond to it now - 20 years later! I love a lot about it - Fritz Lang playing himself as a director trying to adapt The Odyssey. And opening a film with one of the most beautiful women in the world (Bridget Bardot), asking if her body parts are pretty, is certainly a way to capture an audience's attention. The primary color scheme in certain scenes and the blocking are *chef's kiss*. But it's a film I *should* LOVE (as a film fan, as a Greek literature fan, as a Bridget Bardot naked fan, etc.), and I just *don't*. It's dull and hard to connect to. And the score is so annoying - the same notes over and over again made me want to blow my brains out. Don't worry, I still rated it 3.5 stars. It's obviously an above average film. I just don't enjoy it and has an important place in film history. 

9. Tremors - [blind spot] Not sure how I haven't seen this??? It's one of those films that I assumed I watched as a kid, but then I read the cast and the description and...nope?! It's really good! The monster design is great, the suspense is perfect, and I love that they are smart and actually come up with really good ways to survive. Kevin Bacon is a perfect leading man in this - has that rebellious working man vibe. Plus, REBA! I'm not even a country music fan and I love Reba! And one of her songs plays at the end! Oh and also the girl from Jurassic Park!! I don't know if I've ever seen her in anything else before? But it's a shame because she was an incredible young actress (and I don't say that about child/teen actors very often). Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this, but then I looked up the sequels and there is just no way in Hell I'm watching any of those - haha! They all look like made-for-tv garbage. Total shame because I would definitely watch a legit sequel! 

10. Mermaids - [rewatch] One of my favorite films as a kid. I think I connected to it a little bit, with being raised by a single mom who was a bit unconventional ("sometimes I feel like you're the child and I'm the grown-up" was a common feeling. And it still is! I constantly feel like I'm my mom's mother instead of her daughter). And I thought Winona Ryder in this movie was the COOLEST. Just the epitome of teen angst and horniness. I remembered way more about this than I expected to - I vividly remember the dancing scene at the end (although I thought *for sure* that the song used was "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" but it's "If You Want to Be Happy"???? That's WILD! Memories are so weird because I would have BET MONEY on being correct). But there's a lot that I didn't remember, that I still connected with - like how they learn about JFK's assassination during school (I know a lot of people my age learned about 9/11 during class. I was in college and actually heard on the radio that a plane crashed into the WTC, because I was late for class. But I thought it was, like, a private plane that clipped the top of it or something. It was weird that they stopped the broadcast to make the announcement, but I just didn't naturally think that it was an actual plane and that it was a terrorist attack. So I went to class like normal. We were watching a movie - just like Winona in this movie- and then I started to see people around me checking their phones and another professor came into our room and started whispering stuff to our professor and I felt my whole body sink into my chair). There is something inherently comforting when people come together after a national tragedy (I don't think "comforting" is the right word, but I can't think of the word I'm looking for and I'm already on my next thought). I also didn't remember all of the religious stuff, but it's done really well. And it's funny - Cher's line delivery is perfect ("Charlotte, we're Jewish" lol). The burn at the end is unforgettable though - "what's your major? Town tramp?", "no mom, the town already has one" BURN! It's so good. Honestly, this is close to a perfect movie for me. Just such a good coming-of-age story that has something to say, feels genuine, has great actors and dialogue, and has heartwarming moments that don't feel forced or cliched. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Toy Story 5 - This post is going to be short & sweet because, honestly, none of these 5 films are very interesting - even though some of them are 3 stars. As with all the other Toy Story movies, this is fine. A solid 3 star movie. I don't have anything necessarily bad to say about it. But also, once again, I just don't see why everyone loves these movies SO much. I think this one was the worst reviewed one, but it still has a very high RT score (92%) and 3.6 stars on Letterboxd. And the only reason this even got any negative reviews is because the story focuses on Jessie, and the movie bros who live in their mom's basement didn't like that very much. BUT GUESS WHAT?! I didn't either! Because Jessie is incredibly annoying and whiny, and she has been from her introduction in the second film. But I do like that they make this one very relevant to today's children with the introduction of iPads, tablets, phones, etc. It's obviously been a thing for a while now, but I think it's really getting out of hand now with how addicted kids are to these devices and how parents aren't doing anything to control it. And I totally understand how difficult it is for parents because if all the other kids have access to these devices and are on social media it seems cruel to not let your own child have these things. So I like that they incorporate this into the movie - I like that it shows it's okay for kids to want to play with toys and use their imagination instead of doomscrolling. And some of it is funny (when Lily calls Jessie "Jessica" and they all gasp...LOL). But it's mostly...fine. And I'm sorry, I'm not a Taylor Swift hater (I enjoy *one* of her songs and I think she seems like a sweet woman), but she definitely made a song for this movie *just* to get an Oscar nomination and I find that embarrassing (and I find a lot of stuff I see about her embarrassing - like those concert videos of her dancing?! Please God make it stop). She will likely get the nomination and maybe even the win. Good for her, I guess. 

2. The Death of Robin Hood - This is fine. I love a lot about it - the score is very haunting and beautiful, some of the violence is brutal and unexpected, the cast is excellent (Jodie Comer is always THE BEST, Noah Jupe is an amazing young actor, and there is an unrecognizable Skarsgard in it - I think it's Bill?). But it's...so boring. I just kept waiting for him to die (it's in the title) and he just kept on living. I stopped paying attention for chunks at a time, and then I'd look up and be like, did this old guy die yet? NOPE. Still Going. I like the idea of taking a well-known character and continuing a story, while also making it darker. It kind of feels Logan-esque, and maybe that's why I just didn't connect with it. I feel like Hugh Jackman has already done this grizzled old man thing before, and better. The fact that I can barely fill a paragraph with my thoughts on this, tells you all you need to know! 

3. Unabomber - Ughhh...this movie flat out sucks. First of all, it's also soooo fucking boring (whhyyyy is everything so boring nowadays?? Is it me?). And, I'm sorry but it's WEIRD to add a female FBI agent who nobody listens to, into this story. It's fully believable that this happens, but it didn't happen in this story or with this case, so some writer thought "hey, what else does this story need?", and decided to add in extra misogyny...for fun? It's so disrespectful to the investigators who actually worked hard to catch Ted Kaczynski - who were men (and maybe not misogynists??). I also think the cast is very lacking - and I like all of these actors. I can't believe Jacob Tremblay is, like, an adult now! But he still looks like a child. And Shailene has done this role before (the one where she's trying to hunt the mass shooter guy? I can't remember the name of it, but it's literally the same character). She pretty much just pouts and whines about how nobody is listening to her. Annabelle Wallis is severely underutilized (I would have liked her in Shailene's role). I also just think they don't do anything very interesting with this story - so he became a murderer because he has a fragile ego and was made fun of, and possibly used for psychological experiments??? Also, I can't think of anyone more annoying than people who find debating people "fun". You have to be a psychopath if you find arguing with people a fun activity. I don't get it. Anyway, there's just nothing to this movie at all. I think it might actually make it into my Worst of 2026 list because it's boring, but more because of the made up sexism aspect. It's just stupid. 

4. The Conjuring: Last Rites - I'm not a big fan of these movies, but I watched them all so I figured I might as well watch this one too (I have not watched the Annabelle movies, though. I have to draw a line somewhere). As I probably mentioned in my reviews of the previous ones, I think the Warrens are grifters and I think it's weird that they portray them as basically heroes and a happily married couple, when there are multiple reports of domestic abuse. But anyway, I do like Ben Hardy (waiting for him to hit it big). And the beginning is actually really good and absolutely heartbreaking, and then shocking (I was not expecting the baby to start crying. The build-up to that is done really well). There's some creepy stuff (the wedding/mirror scene), but overall, I just don't find these films interesting. I rated the first one 3 stars, but the rest are 2.5 (including this one). It benefits from having terrific actors (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson), but it's so repetitive and dull. I do hope that this is the last one? I'm sure there will still be spin-offs, because they are popular movies for some reason, but I would like for Vera to do actual good movies again. 

5. The Christophers - Again, I liked this movie. It's a 3 star movie. But is it something I enjoyed watching? No. Is it something I'll remember? Again, no. I'm shocked that this is directed by Steven Soderbergh??? Didn't he retire? He usually has more flare and style in his films, but I feel like this film could have been made by literally *anyone*. I do like Michaela Coel a LOT. She has such an interesting face and presence, and her voice is so soothing. She just has instant screen presence. And Ian McKellan is a legend, obviously. I was also happy to see Jessica Gunner (she was so good in Baby Reindeer, and was showered with awards, but I wasn't sure if that was going to translate to more roles), but then fucking James Corden appears. LOL. I don't know one single person who likes James Corden (there's a Letterboxd review that says "I would be angry too if James Corden was my son". Haha!). There's an interesting story here, and the dialogue is really good (heavy, but good), it just never really goes anywhere, unfortunately. It's really crazy how entitled people are about their inheritance, though. I know a few real life instances where families are torn apart by money after their parents die, and it blows my mind. My mom has a decent amount of money, but I don't expect anything from her when she dies. I hope she spends it all on herself and enjoys her life - she worked hard for it! On a side note: I really love this poster design! And the logline "Art can be copied. Artists cannot". Very relevant to the whole AI being used in art dialogue that is happening now. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Whisper Man - There's nothing technically wrong with this movie - it's fine. It feels like those 90s/early 2000s psychological thriller about profiling serial killers (Along Came a Spider, The Bone Collector, etc.), and that's fine, but it just feels dated. Nothing about it is new or fresh - it's like it was written by AI and I think we are going to see a lot of that actually happening and the only way to stop it is by getting more interesting, innovative, and creative narratives made, instead of screenplays that follow all the rules so much so that they seem generic. Basically I'm saying writers need to STEP IT UP if they don't want to be replaced. There's a great cast, but they all seem to be phoning it in a little bit - especially De Niro. I had no idea Michael Keaton also had a small role in this - and I feel like he's in a different film compared to the rest of the cast because he actually acts during his scenes. I will always love Michelle Monaghan though. I was hoping The White Lotus would give her career that little push that it needs for her to break into A-list territory. It seems like she's always *just* on the brink of it, and then ends up in movies like this. I still don't like Owen Teague though so I took a deep sigh when he appeared. UGH. There's not much else to say about this - there is literally someone yelling "that's the Whisper Man!!!", just to give you an idea of how dumb this is. LOL. 

2. The Chronology of Water - As someone's first feature film, this is incredible. I'm definitely interested in Kristen Stewart as a director, and I'm excited by what she might do next. However, there's a lot of it that I don't like, and most of it is very personal. I wrote a TON of notes while watching it, and in the end, I always think that's a positive (even if I don't like a film - a response that leaves an effect is more important than generic garbage). So, where to start?? I guess, I'll give a little insight into the things that I connected to and have in common with this woman. The story is based on a memoir, so I assume that most of it is true (or her truth, at least). First, I had an abusive father. I'm luckier than this woman because my mom left him when I was very young, so I didn't have him in my life for very long. Second, swimming is the ultimate cathartic activity for me. I sometimes wonder how much different my life would be if I actually pursued it. I was asked to join the swim team when I was in middle school, but couldn't because there were no after-school buses to take me home (and my mom was a single working mom), and then in high school I felt like I wasn't good enough because I didn't have the experience that others had so I never tried out for the team. But, I was taught to swim at a very young age by professional swimmers (it ran in my family). And I LOVE it so much. If you ask me where I want to be at any give time of day, I would say either "sleeping" or "swimming in the middle of the ocean". Third, I too, was offered a "partial" scholarship that was laughed at by my parent (my mom). It was to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. My mom would not pay for the rest of the tuition because she thought going to school for art was stupid. Fourth, I also turned to writing once I did go to college, and I think just writing down my thoughts has really helped clear my head, gather what is real vs. what I've misremembered, etc. And I also have these weird memory blips of my childhood that feel like a dream, and happen at the most random times. So, what does this all mean? It means that yes, I think this film felt very personal and real. It's very smartly written, because it's written by someone who has experienced all of these things firsthand. It is unapologetically FEMALE - the way it shows the effects of PTSD, the cycle of violence, the emotions and the sexual pleasures, and it is all really impactful. I also like that the nude scenes feel sensual instead of sexual (making it even more clear that it is directed by a woman...). I think every single shot is very purposeful and just overall very stunning. I wish that I could just stop here, but there's just also so much that doesn't work for me - first, the cast??? Imogen Poots is hit-or-miss for me, and I don't really have a problem with her performance here. But for a lot of the movie, she is supposed to be high school/college aged and she is very clearly a woman in her mid-30s. There are so many talented actresses in their 20s that could have easily done this role, so I think this was a big miss. The part that features her boyfriend in college is so weird because he looks so young compared to her (HE IS! He's 10 years younger than her!).  I also think that Jim Belushi showing up in a red beret completely took me out of the movie (lol). And HOLY SHIT! THAT'S THORA BIRCH?! That's crazy because she's MY AGE! And I don't feel like I'm that old! (I know, I know, I am. BUT STILL). Second, I hate when stories show abuse survivors, victims of trauma, women who have "daddy issues" falling victim to toxic relationships and having a predilection for BDSM. It's clearly "true" because SO MANY of these stories are the same, and this is someone's story, it just feels like such a cliche. And I just find myself in such an opposite direction - I have no time or care for drama/toxicity/mind-games in relationships. And not to get too personal - I might not *always* connect sex with love, but I will never get off by letting a man (or woman) hurt me physically - my brain just doesn't work that way at all. And I kind of hate how all of these stories about abuse end up the same way. Third, this film is FAR too long. I was starting to zone out a little bit, but thought "it should be over soon" only for there to be an entire hour left. NOPE. Edit it down. Period. Your movie will be better, I promise. Overall though, I think this is very good and I highly recommend it. 

3. Supergirl (2026) - Nope. Can't defend it. The nicest thing I'll say is that it's not among the worst films of the year - it pretty much sits right at the middle. But it's another disappointing entry into a recent line of female led superhero projects that basically suck. And that sucks. For the record, I've liked a few of them (Black Widow, She-Hulk). But when these films fail at the box office or get review bombed on IMDB, it just gives studios even more of a reason to not make female led projects so we have to figure out what works and why it works, and I do feel like this whole "angry" feminist slant is alienating for a lot of people (90% of men and 50% of women - statistics I just made up in my head, but I stand firm on it). The reason Wonder Woman works is because she's NICE and she CARES ABOUT PEOPLE. I just think there is a way to show emotional complexity/survivor's guilt/family trauma/etc. without also having Supergirl be an asshole (she literally gives the advice "you don't have to be nice"). I deeply believe that a lot of women who have "been through some shit" are the nicest women you know - because they KNOW the world is awful and being nasty just makes things worse. I also don't think normal every day men have an understanding that human trafficking is an actual threat (like my husband for example - I remember someone talking about human trafficking and he made a comment that it's "not something to worry about where we live" and I had to tell him that there are literally phone numbers and websites listed in women's bathrooms for women who are being trafficked IN NEW JERSEY. He was shocked. And now he's always like "be careful walking to your car - I don't want you to be trafficked" and I go "I'M FOURTY-FIVE. Nobody is looking to traffic a 45 year old woman".). ANYWAY, I think the threat or "villain" in the movie doesn't feel like a tangible thing. And it doesn't necessarily have to feel real, but I *think* that's the vibe that this movie is going for and it just doesn't work. I also think that the whole "you'll regret it if you kill him" thing is SO FUCKING STUPID. No, you won't regret it. He's not someone who can be rehabilitated. He killed your whole family! It might not make you feel better, but it's certainly not going to make you feel worse???!! Fucking kill him. The end. Also why does the bad guy look like Hellraiser?? And then he says "this one dies before the end of the day!", but...uhhh...just kill her now? It's such an awful bad guy trope in movies that never makes sense. The whole thing is just kind of stupid to be perfectly honest. 

4. Office Romance - Obviously I assumed this was going to be bad, but it also might be a cute romcom?? Those DO exist, and sometimes I'm in the mood for them! I also think it's hilarious that Brett Goldstein wrote himself into a romance with Jennifer Lopez (arguably one of the most beautiful women alive). I'm a big fan - I enjoyed his success with Ted Lasso, but I think Shrinking is one of the best written shows we've had in a long time. I did laugh a few times in the beginning of this (the date getting too drunk, anything that came out of Betty Gilpin's mouth), and they actually have very good chemistry together, but overall it's just very uninteresting. And very predictable - obviously the room service lady was going to be an important part of the story because it's a recognizable actor in the role (Amy Sedaris). If they wanted that to be a surprise then don't cast a name. DUH! On a side note, I would LOVE to learn how to fly a plane. My husband and I actually looked into lessons, but it's very expensive. Maybe one day, but we are focused on travelling now. Oh and the cover of "Fade into You" is very pretty. That's about all I have to say about this. It's the very definition of "Meh". 

5. Scary Movie (2026) - I'm not even sure how many of these movies have been made, but I know I definitely saw the first one. Not so sure about any after that. I love Anna Faris SO MUCH. She's HILARIOUS, and I hope she gets another sitcom soon (she was so good in Mom). I was nervous that I wasn't going to get most of the references in this because I'm old, but then I realized that this is made for millennials, so I'll be fine (lol). This starts off really strong with the Teyana Taylor scene (the "I'm black" and the woman taking off her pearls made me giggle). She's FUNNY! I hope she gets to show that more in films. There are a few other bits that made me smile - the Sinners gag, the "Ghostface from Wu-Tang?" line made me actually laugh out loud, the kids running Weapons-style and the one getting hit by a car, them singing the song from The Jeffersons. I also was not expecting the K-Pop scene. But obviously the best part is the "what are you waiting for" scene (iconic!). However, the film definitely wears out its welcome. I watched the extended cut on Paramount+, and it was still only 100 minutes, but it felt like 2 hours. It's a one star movie, but it's SUPPOSED to be a one star movie, so I rated it TWO STARS. Does that make sense? Like, it does what it sets out to do. Also, I screamed at the Carmen Electra cameo! Love her. 

Thoughts on 5 New Tv Shows

1. Cape Fear - I watched the 90s version in preparation for this series (I watched the original one last year) because I have a bad memory. It's a GREAT story for a film, but I don't see how they are going to stretch this out into a TEN (!) episode series. I love Amy Adams, Javier Bardem and Patrick Wilson, so obviously I am going to watch this, but I was very skeptical. I'm 1/2 way through the series, and Goddammit I was right! There's definitely a more layered story and character development and added characters, but it ALL feels unnecessary. And Amy Adams southern accent is WILD. Ditto for whatever Anna Baryshnikov is doing (I'll always love her for her role as Lavinia in Dickinson though!!). I think the biggest problem is that it's been 5 episodes and I haven't really found Bardem, as Max Cady - one of the most psychopathic characters ever put on film, that terrifying yet. It's just not working at all. They change the story to him being a murderer instead of a violent rapist and I think that's the first mistake. Not that rape is worse than murder, but the act is more of a terrifying threat because it's a form of torture. There are definitely things I like - the flipping of the defense lawyer to be the wife and the prosecutor is her husband (and they met and fell in love during the trial) adds a layer of complicated legal shenanigans. Showing the insane online world that teenagers have to navigate is really powerful too. But it's also a little stupid - the "you're stalking a little girl!" scene is ridiculous. She's like 25 at least (the internet says 21/22, but that means she's really 25 and lying about her age. I hate that actors/actresses can have their birthday removed from IMDB now. Really enforces the "women can't age" narrative). Anyway, it's just not very interesting or suspenseful. I had higher hopes for the talent involved (it's even produced by Scorsese and Spielberg!! OH WAIT that reminds me that Scorsese's daughter is in a small scene as a TikTok personality and it took me out! LOL). 

2. Widow's Bay - I watched the first 3 episodes of this about a week before The Emmys, and I was completely mystified by all of the awards. The show is...fine? I love Matthew Rhys (and have since Brothers and Sisters!!). The rest of the cast consists of some really great character actors. And I'm not exactly bored by it. I just don't think it's, like, the best! show! ever! And I think The Emmys just need to add a "Dramedy" category at this point, or keep the Comedy category to strict sitcom style comedy. Because to have this up against Abbott Elementary just isn't fair (I agree with Sheryl Lee Ralph, and it's so stupid that she had to apologize for saying that her series was the only "real comedy in the category", although I think Hacks also belongs there). Anyway, I assumed that it would get better. Like, A LOT better. But then I watched another 3 episodes and it's still...fine? There are things I like about it (the cast, the mystery), but overall it's just not going anywhere. I'm definitely more than a little bored now. And I haven't laughed once! It's amusing, sure. But FUNNY? A COMEDY? Get the fuck out of here. A series that has an episode like episode 6 is NOT a comedy. Period. Although I did enjoy the guest appearances by Betty Gilpin and Hamish Linklater (and both are excellent in this episode). Anyway, I just don't see what the fuss is about, but I do have 4 more episodes....?? 

3. The Westies - I think this series definitely wants to be like Peaky Blinders, but set in Hell's Kitchen NY in the 1980s. Some of it is very good, but a lot of it is very Obvious. Like, really in-your-face Obvious. The opening credits SCREAM this is about an IRISH GANG! Every episode I scream "we GET IT! They are IRISH!". And I would also argue that this show has already been done before - it was called The Black Donnellys and it was REALLY good (never made it past the first season, unfortunately). But I like the cast a lot - J.K. Simmons and Sarah Bolger, specifically. I think the subplot featuring Bolger about the IRA is actually more interesting than the main plot. There are a few other slightly interesting plot points and character reveals, but nothing seems to stick - they move on very quickly so nothing feels dramatic enough or high stakes enough. The main guy looks identical to Richard Madden (if you put a bad wig on him) and has about the same amount of talent and screen presence (i.e not a smidge. But he's hot!). I just think the whole thing is a little predictable and repetitive, but I'll also still watch a second season and hope for the best! 

4. Lucky - I actually hated this. I don't think I would have continued to watch it if my husband wasn't watching it with me - and he didn't hate it as much as I did. I just think that Lucky is *such* an unlikeable character that I wanted her to be caught immediately. Go straight to prison! You're a terrible person! And not because she's a grifter. Because she's a terrible human being. She lies *multiple* times about being a domestic abuse victim, and she puts a single mom and her child/children (I can't remember if there was more than one child? I feel like the woman had 2 daughters, but I might be wrong about that) WILLINGLY in danger. I don't know, maybe it's because I am a witness to domestic abuse, it's just hard to fathom that someone would lie about it (and "he pushed me out of the car" is really triggering for me because my dad actually pushed my mom out of a moving truck in the middle of the desert. I cried and asked if she was going to be ok and he told me "she's dead" and then I didn't see her for days. Then she just showed up! I still don't know what happened in those days and I'll never ask her). ANYWAY, I also think Anya is the weak link of the cast - I just don't really buy her as this tough bad-ass criminal. Overall, I also think the plot is really dumb and it only works if every single character is also dumb (the criminals, the dumb-as-fuck FBI lady, literally everyone is stupid). I finally know who Drew Starky is, though! I feel like I hear his name a lot as an up-and-comer, but I could not pick him out of a lineup. He doesn't have much to do in this for me to form an opinion. But Annette Benning and Timothy Olyphant act their asses off, so it's not all bad. The best part is definitely the opening credit song - sung by none other than the incomparable FIONA APPLE!!! I had no idea and as soon as I heard the first note, I was like OMG FIONA!!! I'm surprised she would agree to do an opening song for such a bland mediocre show because the last time she agreed to do an opening song for a tv show it was for The Affair, which definitely has more in common with Fiona's lyrics than this show does. 

5. Alley Cats - I usually like Ricky Gervais shows - I think he always has a really good balance of being funny and having really thoughtful commentary on simple human normalcies (whether it's something like the mundane office life, or grieving the loss of a loved one). I know a lot of people hate him now and some of his comedic schtick has gotten a little lame, but I don't think that effects his talent for writing tv shows. But this is straight up barely watchable. It's everything that the Ricky Haters have been saying for the past few years - that his whole thing is based around "offending" everyone that it's become unfunny. It's like he fell right into their trap. But, not only is it not funny (or offensive?), it's also much sadder than I was expecting. And not in the good way like After Life. Because After Life was about finding joy after tragedy - finding something or someone to live for, etc., which I think a lot of people can relate to. But this is just like "cats die", HAHAHA! My husband actually screamed at the cat getting hit by a car and was *very* upset by it, which kind of negates all of the jokes (and there haven't really been any good jokes, either. I think I laughed once at the cucumber scene and that's it). I think I watched 4 episodes in a row, waiting for it to find it's footing, and it just doesn't. I don't even want to watch any more, but I eventually will. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. I Swear - I really liked this! It's currently in my Top 10 of 2026, but I don't think it will still be there by the end of the year. I *DO* think Richard Aramayo should be in the Oscar conversation though! He won the BAFTA (because it was released over there last year) and he was listed as an Oscar snub last year by many outlets, but he wasn't qualified! I really wish people would do their research! Anyway, he should be a frontrunner this year (*spoiler* he won't be)! Although, I will likely be rooting for Jack O'Connell (I haven't seen Ink yet - I might get the chance in a few weeks at a festival in NJ, but I've seen a lot of people predict him getting a nomination and YES PLEASE! He deserves it for being screwed out of the Sinners nominations. I would also argue he should be getting a Supporting nomination for The Bone Temple, but I don't think that's likely). But Aramayo gives a stunning performance in a very difficult role to get right. It can easily sway to cliched, borderline offensive, and overdone, but he keeps this feeling very authentic and grounded. I also think that the film is very funny, which is necessary because it is funny to hear someone cursing and saying inappropriate things at inappropriate times!! It's a natural human reaction to laugh at awkward moments like this, so I appreciate that the film is open to that discussion while also showing how much this condition effects someone's life. I think it allows for empathy instead of judgement. It's kind of insane that life became film became life with the whole BAFTA controversary - the film is literally explaining this condition and how he can't control the things he says, and then the real-life person it is based on shouted racist slurs while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. I think the only person in the wrong were the BBC for not editing the slurs out the aired version (they were somehow able to edit out a "free Palestine" shout, though?). Anyway, this has a terrific supporting cast - Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, and Peter Mullan (legend!). Like I said, I liked this! But it also is in the same category as the film Coda in which the story is good, the writing is good, the acting is good but I don't think it should be in awards conversations like Coda was, because like Coda, there is nothing significant about the actual film in terms of filmmaking. It doesn't challenge the viewer or do anything new. I still can't believe Coda is a Best Picture winner. WILD. 

2. Disclosure Day - Okay...this is bad. It's not, like, the worst movie ever or even in my worst films of this year, but for the talent involved...it's bad. I think the biggest problem is that it feels extremely dated. And while I love all of these actors separately, together they all feel very bland. Admittedly, I haven't really loved a Steven Spielberg film in a LONG time (I did *like* Ready Player One, but before that....it's been a solid 20 years since I've loved one of his films). But I was excited by some of the reviews that described this film as a return to what Spielberg does well - and that is alien invasion/sci-fi films. I saw a lot of reviews calling it "bold" too, so I went in with the highest of expectations and those certainly were not met. It's all been done before and in way better films. The whole religious part feels shoe-horned in, and I just really don't think anyone in 2026 would give a fuck about seeing alien footage??? The world wouldn't stop - it would just be trending for a few hours and then we'd move on because that's today's world. I just don't think Spielberg has a pulse on that, unfortunately. And, the ending kept building and building to this point that had me thinking something really *interesting* was going to happen. I even thought for a minute of a REALLY CRAZY ending because I imagined the ending was going to be "bold" like some critics suggested (I definitely thought it was going to be a low-key E.T sequel reveal at the end, but then I realized that the internet definitely would have ruined that spoiler). But the end...is just...the end? Nothing about the world has really changed, right? Anyway, I usually praise Emily Blunt in everything, but she's gone way too far on the face fillers. She's SO beautiful, but films like this rely on facial expressions and her face does not move for the entire movie. It's really jarring and depressing. One of my favorite actresses can no longer *act* because of dumb societal standards for aging women in the media. 

3. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu - Wow this is so fucking boring! It's like a really, really, really long stretched out episode of the series and it's....rough. I like the show! It's cute! I'm also a fan of Solo and Rogue One, so I'm not a spin-off hater. But over 2 hours of this is insane and so unnecessary. Baby Yoda aka Grogu is adorable, as expected. Pedro is fine in a largely voice role. But stunt casting Martin Scorsese is dumb, and JEREMY ALLEN WHITE as a RIPPED HUTT??? LOL. What the fuck is even happening anymore? I have no words. The whole Gladiator scene is so dumb, as is the entire the entire Rotta the Hutt storyline. I completely stopped paying attention after about an hour and would look up anytime my husband pointed out Baby Yoda being cute. He's a big Star Wars nerd, and even he said this was boring so it must be true! I think we're just stuck in this big franchise world of trying to keep the industry alive, and I just don't think it's the answer. People don't necessarily want to see continuations of these franchises - they just want GOOD stories and QUALITY productions. This was clearly a cash grab, and not a good one. 

4. Deep Water - Oh my God, I watched this 3 weeks ago and I don't remember a *single* thing about it??? I keep thinking of the Ben Affleck/Ana de Armas movie with the same title from a few years ago (which was bad but at least I remember a few things about it!). So, in checking my notes I realize this is the shark movie! I rated it 2.5 stars, but I'm tempted to lower it since I don't even remember it. I do sort of remember it now, and I do think I actually liked the start of the film. There's an excellent plane crash sequence that is terrifying (that is caused by a power bank catching on fire LOL). I think Renny Harlin got a bad rap after Cutthroat Island (one of the biggest flops in history), but he's made some great action movies (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2 - which isn't my favorite Die Hard, but it's got its moments!). On a side note: (especially since I don't remember the movie) I'm fully convinced that this is how I'm going to die: In a plane crash that hits the ocean. The impact of the plane hitting the water kills me instantly. I had a premonition about it. And yet, I'm not really scared of planes. They're a necessity for someone who wants to travel the world, unfortunately, so I will still go on them until *IT* happens. What's even weirder is that my premonition happened a long time ago - I think I was a teenager/early 20s when I was broke, and I thought that maybe it wasn't a premonition because I was in Business Class in my premonition. I was definitely towards the front of the plane. And that's just not how I traveled for most of my life. But now I'm married and my husband refuses to travel unless it's in First or Business. He's very frugal and smart with this money, but when it comes to travelling he goes all out and splurges. So now I sit up in Business Class and go..."huh...maybe it will happen this time?" and then I put a movie on and hope for the best. ANYWAY!! The film really falls apart with the whole shark part, though. I love a good shark movie, but this just really isn't it. I actually didn't write anything about the shark part in my notes, so that tells you everything. I did write down that it moves very quickly, so that's something, I guess! 

5. Mayday - I was hoping this was going to be a fun action/comedy (sometimes Reynolds is good at those!), but it's far too serious to be fun. It's...fine. Another 2.5 star movie (actually aside from I Swear, the other four of these films are 2.5 stars! What a rough run...I think the next post is full of the same 2.5 or UNDER! I need to cleanse my film watching with some 4 to 5 star bangers! Good thing we're going into awards season). I think the roughest part of this is Kenneth Branagh's thick Russian accent - just hilariously bad. And Ryan Reynolds just does the same thing he always does, this just has less jokes. I will say that some of the action sequences are cool - I looked up to see who the DP was because it felt very Kingsman-like, but it's actually the same DP who did Game Night (same directors too), and that makes sense because that's a very funny movie, but also a SURPRISINGLY well-made film. And in my IMDB rabbit-hole I also learned that one of the directors is THE KID FROM FREAKS AND GEEKS?!! Holy shit! There's also a GREAT soundtrack (filled with Bruce songs including "I'm on Fire", which is my second favorite* Bruce song ever. *Ask me in a year and it will probably be a different song). I just wish there were more fun moments, a little bit of funnier dialogue & banter, just *something* to make it stand out from every other film just like this. 

4 Thoughts on The Emmys

1. The Host - I honestly think it was a huge mistake to have Mariska Hargitay host this. I have nothing against her. I also don't really know much about her, other than she's Jayne Mansfield's daughter and she's been on CSI or SVU or whatever the fuck it's called for like 40 years (I've never seen an episode!). But I think that getting a relevant comedian to host awards shows is a *key* to them being successful (although it doesn't always work even then, but at least it's a start!). You know you've failed if the most used word to describe your opening number is "cringe". It's the first word I wrote down, but then literally every person I follow on social media said the same thing. It's sooooo awful, and I can see a lot of "non" awards watchers being like "hey maybe, I'll check this out" and then instantly shutting it off. It never gets better, either. Just bad sketch after bad sketch, with some terrible musical numbers in between. I will give her a slight thumbs up for getting Taylor Swift to do a pre-recorded sketch, but I think most Taylor fans had already checked out. 

2. The Show - I feel like I say "this is the worst Emmys/Oscars/GGs ever" and then every year it somehow...gets worse. The whole thing was a disaster - the host, the sketches, the presenters, the speeches...all of it, with one minor highlight: John Mulaney presenting for Best Actor in a Drama. First, it proves my point that a comedian should be up there hosting, and second, GOD DAMN he KILLED IT. And the thing is - he even dates himself with a Fonzie and DJ Khaled reference, but it's FUNNY. I also think Amy Poehler does a funny bit about bullying the winners. Otherwise, this whole thing was a bit hard to watch. I was disappointed that Rachel Sennott and Odessa A'zion completely bombed because I think it's actually these *it girls* that have a chance at saving awards shows. Like, if they killed it everyone would be talking about it today and younger audiences would be watching clips and consider watching the next awards show!!! But this whole show felt like it was geared towards a female audience of 60+ in age. It certainly wasn't geared towards television fans either - they cut important awards to make way for "fun" stuff, but I didn't feel like this had any more "fun" stuff than previous ceremonies. What was fun? The cast of the new Baywatch having no personality whatsoever (and what the fuck is up with the three lead actresses looking identical?? I literally can not tell them apart). I actually think the Emmys from a few years ago that recreated classic tv sets had more of a "this is for television fans" than any other show in recent history (and I don't think they cut awards to do it? I'm guessing it was very expensive, though). This year they did a few "reunions", but all mixed with tragedy???! Like Buffy and Angel!! YES! I was so excited! And then they did this weird "tribute" to the cast members they lost without even saying their names? How weird. Then the In Memoriam does a tribute to Catherine O'Hara featuring her co-star children (Macauley Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy), which was nice but I would have loved a video montage of O'Hara's start in television. Then we cut to another tribute to Rob Reiner with Jamie Lee Curtis (who is sooooo *cringe*. I can't help but roll my eyes with every word she says. It all feels so fake and performative), and they don't even really talk about Reiner's relationship with television at all other than calling him "meathead" and mentioning his very minor role in The Bear. It's all so weird. Why aren't we talking about TELEVISION?? 

3. The Winners - Just like last year, I don't really have a problem with who won the awards - they are all deserving. The Pitt, Jean Smart, Matthew Rhys, Sally Field (!!), Rhea Seehorn, and Allison Janney???? I'm never going to be upset about those wins. I like that there were a few surprises too with Tom Pelphrey winning for Task (I knew The Pitt was going to split the votes, but I was rooting for Lowden) and Kate O' Flynn. I watched the first 3 episodes of Widow's Bay and...uh...I don't get it? I've heard that it gets better, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. And it's is MOST CERTAINLY not a comedy. I do think it's funny that the creator of it is the woman that tweeted about being at a Halloween party dressed as The Babadook when nobody else is dressed in a costume (classic all-timer of a tweet). I also don't think everyone expected Rhys to win for The Beast in Me (he was a lock for Widow's Bay though). So he won TWO performance Emmys in one night and is now the only actor to win an Emmy for lead actor in a drama, comedy, and limited series!! I've loved him since Brothers & Sisters. He deserves the praise! And Jean Smart also broke a record for being the only actress to ever win an Emmy for every season of a show! That's cool. She's a legend. I do think it's *wild* that one of the best comedies in years went away empty-handed (Shrinking - it's also *wild* that I'm upset about Harrison Ford losing an award! But also how on Earth did Michael J. Fox also lose???). BUT, I'm happy that Love Story and Beef walked away with nothing also because those shows fucking suck. 

4. The Fashion - Hands down my favorite look is Chase Infinity. I do think the dress looks a little heavy on her, but it's cool, interesting to look at, and she's styled to perfection - the loose waves, the simple fresh makeup. She looks chic but also young and cool. There's a few other dresses I liked: Zendaya - just never misses - although she looked eerily like Halle Berry with this dress and that pixie cut (complimentary, obvi). Linda Cardellini's strapless shell/pearl dress is very pretty. I like Rachel Sennott's dress a lot, but her styling is awful (the high pony tail makes the look dated instead of modern). It was clear that red was the color of the night (other than the sea of neutrals and black dresses) - Rhea Seehorn, Mariska, Cailee Spaeny, Jackie Tohn, Fiona Dourif, but Neicy Nash-Betts is the standout red dress this year (love the Jessica Rabbit vibe). There were also some very bad looks too: Let's start with the obvious - Shailene Woodley. I actually appreciate what was being attempted here, but the fit is terrible and her hair back like that makes the look dowdy. Florence Pugh is SO GORGEOUS but the dress is very Disney princess (derogatory, obvi). Dakota Fanning's dress is fine, but I've seen it A MILLION times, which makes it offensive. Ayo Edebiri looked gorgeous from the front, and then there's this giant clashing red bow in the back that made the dress look like a superhero costume. Quinta Brunson's dress literally looked like it was falling apart as she walked (which is A CHOICE!). You know what's weird, though? When I google Emmy fashion, it's all "best Emmy looks" or "all Emmy looks" instead of "best AND WORST"?! Are we not allowed to talk about bad fashion anymore? I miss Joan Rivers so fucking much. 

Movie Marathon: Die Hard

1. Die Hard - It's been quite a long time since I've seen this. I've said it before, but I'm a fan of the Die Hard movies, but I'm not a "die hard" Die Hard fan. Like, as far as late 80s/early 90s action films go, this is not among my favorites (I much prefer Speed, Demolition Man, Bad Boys, Terminator 1 & 2). To be perfectly honest, I don't think Bruce Willis is a good actor at all, but he's a great action hero. It's kind of like Keanu Reeves - terrible actor, but great in big franchise films like The Matrix, John Wick, etc. But I do think that this is a classic for a reason - and a BIG reason is because Hans Gruber is one of the best villains of all time. I love that all of the villains have incredible hair, including Gruber. Alan Rickman just really reveled in this role. It's also a very simple good guy vs. bad guy scenario, has some great action & fight scenes, and a spectacular ending. It's great! It's just not something that want to watch over and over again like other action films from this time. 

2. Die Hard 2 - Surprisingly, I was very bored by this. Especially compared to the rest of the Die Hard movies. The plot is overly complicated and kind of stupid. And it doesn't really make sense that they wouldn't just instantly reroute the plane to another airport in the area (Annapolis, Philly, JFK, Newark...the list goes on and they are all very close to each other). This also feels even more dated than the first one (I mean, air phones were the height of technology), maybe because plane travel/safety has changed so drastically. I also think that even thought the villain is even more ruthless - he is also somehow unmemorable. I rewatched these movies over a month ago (I'm behind on my posts again. Surprise, surprise!), and I couldn't even remember who the villain was and what his main evil mission was. I do love Bonnie Bedelia, so I'm happy that she gets a little more screen time in this one (at least it feels this way). I don't know...I just wasn't captured by this at all. It's in no way a bad movie (I rated it 3 stars, which means good!), but it's among my least favorite of these films (except the final one, obvi).

3. Die Hard with a Vengeance - Now this one I really enjoyed! I don't know, there's always going to be something more personal with an action film set in NYC. I LOVE the gritty 90s NYC vibe. I actually had very little memory of this going in, so I was shocked by the explosion in NYC right in the beginning! The danger is immediate and it just keeps the pace and intensity for the entire thing. And I COMPLETELY forgot that Sam L. Jackson is in this - and the chemistry between him and Bruce is incredible. I love that they don't shy away from the racial tension of it all. I do think this kind of copies off of Speed though - with the whole villain distracting the police with riddles (I mean, it's not a new concept, but Speed was released only a year before). I love Jeremy Irons, with his little slutty glasses and tight tank top, as the villain. I would say the only annoying part is that John McClane HAS A HANGOVER AND A BAD HEADACHE and he repeats this over and over again (he does the same thing in the 5th one, "I'm on vacation!"). I feel like the writers ran out of dialogue ideas, so they just make him even more cranky. Otherwise, this is a fun action film! 

4. Live Free or Die Hard - I think in my head I mixed this and the next one into one movie. And I think originally I was really hard on this movie mostly because I'm not the biggest fan of Justin Long. But he doesn't really bother me that much in this, and I actually thought that this is a fun action movie! I love the rest of the cast too - Maggie Q (I'll always argue that she should have been a megastar!), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (and I'll always argue that she should have been an Oscar nominee for 10 Cloverfield Lane because that's such an incredible performance!), and JAKE McDORMAN??? LOL. And Timothy Olyphant! Obviously in a villain role. Overall, I actually liked this - and I think they give a reasonable plotline for *how* John McClane gets himself into *another* crazy terrorist plot. And I appreciate seeing the advancement in technology within this franchise. I also like that part of the film's location is revolved around Rutgers because that's right by my house! I do wish that they gave MEW a little bit more to do, but otherwise this is far better than I remember. 

5. A Good Day to Die Hard - My original review on this blog for this is CRAZY! There is NO WAY that this one is *better* than Live Free or Die Hard??? What was I smoking??? This one is just as bad at the reviews suggest (it has a shockingly low Letterboxd score of a 1.9, which is almost unheard of!). I didn't have fun with it at all, and it doesn't even feel like a Die Hard movie. It's soooo boring. I hate Jai Courtney in this and I really think they were setting it up for him to take over the franchise, and I'm glad that idea seems to be scrapped. I hope they actually never remake or continue this franchise out of respect for Bruce. And I would love for Jai to step away from the American action hero roles and stick to what he's actually good at (Aussie villain roles - he's SO GOOD in Dangerous Animals!!!). Anyway, I don't have anything else to say about this. But I did love that they establish that he's the "007 of Plainfield New Jersey" because I know they talk about him being from NJ from the beginning, but I don't think they specify Plainfield until this one? That's literally 2 towns over from me! My sister-in-law lives there! 

Ranking: 

Die Hard 

Die Hard with a Vengeance 

Live Free or Die Hard 

Die Hard 2 

A Good Day to Die Hard 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Mother Mary - I liked this, but I think I was expecting to get a little more out of it. There's some really gorgeous, downright breathtaking shots (like the shot with the red fabric floating over them at the end. STUNNING!), the acting is terrific, and the costume design is great. The story, itself, is very lacking. I think I was also expecting more of a horror vibe and this is definitely a psychological drama. I have a *little* bit of a hard time believing Anne Hathaway as a 40-something pop star in 2026 because I can only name one 40-something pop star who is still relevant in 2026 and that's Lady Gaga. I just don't buy it, unless they made more of a focus on the fact that she's aging out of the genre. But I think the scenes with her and Michaela Coel are great because they are both strong actors and not necessarily because it's interesting. There's also a great supporting cast with very little to do - Hunter Schafer, in particular, but also Kaia Gerber (I'm on board with this nepobaby, but I will never watch The Shards. Because it's called The Shards.). I like David Lowery as a director - so far I've liked all of his films that I've watched (Ain't Them Bodies Saints, The Green Knight, A Ghost Story), and I liked this too, I just wanted to like it more. I like that he takes risks, though, and it feels like I'm watching something personal and intimate. Oh and I always forget that Anne Hathaway can SING! She should really do more musicals. Or Broadway. I would definitely pay to see her on Broadway. 

2. Michael (2026) - Well, my mom said that this is the "best movie" she's "ever seen", so that's how I knew it was going to be atrocious. I just don't understand how the biopics with the least amount of imagination (this, Bohemian Rhapsody, Judy, Elvis, etc) seem to be the ones that get praised by critics and showered with awards. Like, I get why it's popular (the vast majority of people are dumb and lack imagination), but why do people who enjoy art and storytelling also praise films that literally just re-enact something that's been done before? And it's not like this whole reenactment thing can't be included at all (Rocketman, my favorite biopic, still includes a reenactment of the music video for "I'm Still Standing", but it's not the whole movie!!!). It just doesn't really impress me that someone can impersonate another person by copying them word for word, dance move for dance move, etc. It's like tracing over a Monet painting and then praising the traced copy for looking *just like a Monet painting*. I do, unfortunately, think that this will be heavily talked about come awards season, and will likely garner a few Oscar nominations (I think Coleman Domingo is a lock for Supporting Actor, and I will not complain, but only because he's Coleman Domingo, not because this performance deserves an Oscar nomination). Jaafar obviously has the moves down, and he does sound like him, but there are a MILLION documentaries about the making of "Thriller". It just doesn't need to be rehashed again, unless it's going to tell me something new! I just think the whole thing is so basic. And so purposefully non-offensive. It's WILD that they decided to make this movie and just *pretend* like Janet Jackson doesn't exist (because she didn't want to be included). Janet Jackson was and is an elite pop star! I also think it's really dumb to save the whole "controversial" part for a sequel. And, there is just NO WAY they are going to show this controversy in a just or fair way. And, they can get away with that because technically Michael was never found guilty of anything. There's just too many allegations to ignore, though. I think Michael definitely suffered from some deep mental health issues - and he suffered from Peter Pan syndrome stemming from childhood abuse. I think there is something to be said about celebrities who get TOO big to get cancelled - and Michael was definitely too big of a star (and he's not the only one! Brad Pitt still gets work every day. So does Tom Cruise. So does Sean Penn. I could keep going but it's depressing). I'm not going to act innocent either. I will still listen to Michael Jackson songs until the day I die. And on a related note, I actually have two Michael stories: (1) When I was in Vegas with my aunt, uncle and grandmother, we were in a car pulling out of a parking garage at the New York-New York casino hotel and suddenly a huge swarm of very large men stopped our car and we could barely tell what was happening, but then I saw THEE MICHAEL JACKSON walk among them to cross into the hotel. I screamed "OH MY GOD THAT'S MICHAEL JACKSON" and my uncle laughed at me and said "no we're in Vegas, that was an impersonator", and then a 12 year old me questioned "why would an impersonator have that many bodyguards? And some of them HAVE GUNS" and then my whole family started screaming "OH MY GOD THAT WAS MICHAEL JACKSON!!!". (2) I went to the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Not just for Michael. There were a TON of pop stars performing to celebrate him (Britney, *NSYNC, Whitney Houston, Mya etc.). The date for the concert? September 10th, 2001. I think it's the most life whiplash I've ever experienced. One of the best, most exhilarating nights of my young life (20 years old), to just the absolute worst day I've ever experienced, within mere hours of each other. Anyway, I think people confuse their love of Michael's music with this being a good movie. I danced and sang through the whole thing! It's BANGER after BANGER. But it's not a good movie. Period.  

3. Hamlet (2025) - I will watch anything with Riz Ahmed!! AND I will watch anything Shakespeare related!! So this is a win-win for me. I didn't really hear much about it, so I was really curious to see if they used Shakespearean language or if they modernize it. I LOVE when films modernize Shakespeare, but keep the original text (ala Romeo + Juliet). And this does, in fact, do that. The film is set in contemporary London based around a British South Asian family but they keep the original language, which is about the only interesting thing about it, unfortunately. It just doesn't really do anything new. And if you're going to do Shakespeare either stick to the original, or make it fresh - there's no in between. There is an emotion and a realness to it that I appreciate, but I think that's only because the acting is incredible. Riz is fantastic. And so is the woman that plays his mother (she was also incredible in Bait). There's just nothing really memorable, nothing noteworthy, nothing making it stand-out from the millions of other Shakespeare adaptations (especially Hamlet adaptations). 

4. Backrooms - Uhhhhhh???? This is fine, I guess? It held my interest, mostly. Has an interesting concept. Great cast. But....that's it? It's certainly not scary, and I have no qualms about liminal spaces, but then again, I've never really worked in a office environment (other than some internships at record companies in NYC, but that was EXCITING for a 20-something-year-old. I didn't even notice how sad the cubicles were!). I do think there is a little bit of the whole backrooms bit working in a mall (and this is actually set in a retail environment, but definitely gives off more of an office Severance vibe, especially with the florescent lighting). Sometimes stores in malls will have offsite stockrooms that you have to walk down these long halls that are parallel to the mall pathways, and it can get kind of creepy if it's before/after hours. There's definitely a story to tell there, but this basically feels like Severance, Stranger Things, and Barbarian all rolled into one movie. And I understand that this idea was realized around the same time as these things - because it's based on a YouTube horror series from 2022, so I don't think it's intentionally copying these things, but that does mean that it certainly doesn't feel original. And honestly? I was kind of slightly bored for most of it. I mean, nothing significant happens for most of it. But also, I never knew what was going to happen next? Unfortunately, I didn't really care about what happens next! Renate and Chiwetel are great, though! And I love the girl from Shrinking! I'm glad to see her in something else! 

5. Tuner - This is my second favorite film of the year so far. It's a tough call between this and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but I *think* my love of Jack O'Connell might be clouding my judgement on that one. Although my love of Leo Woodall *might* also be clouding my judgement, but I don't even care - I loved this! I will also admit that it's basically Baby Driver, and I'm okay with that because I fucking LOVE Baby Driver. It's not as sleek, and there's very little action, but the plot is pretty much the same. But it's way more character driven, so it balances out. But back to Leo because he is SO HOT in this (especially in the white tshirt *chef's kiss*), but he's also SO GOOD in this. Just the perfect amount of charm, depth, and mystery. It's the kind of performance that I want to see nominated for big awards, but it just will never happen, unfortunately. And Dustin Hoffman will make you cry (and at 89 I don't know how many more movies we're going to see from him. He does have 3 more listed on IMDB though!!!). My husband didn't even recognize him - I made him watch the trailer to see if it's something he would want to watch and as he watched it he exclaimed "THAT'S DUSTIN HOFFMAN?!!! NOOOOO why is he so old?!". Anyway, I also love Havana Rose Liu!!! I feel vindicated after praising her performance in No Exit and Bottoms. She's excellent and the chemistry between her and Leo is OFF THE CHARTS. They are SO HOT together. I think the weakest part is definitely the end - it's very anti-climactic and just a little rough around the edges. The script just needed a little tightening, but otherwise this is just a fantastic adult thriller.