Dolby: Atmos

Writer Andy Weir has a bit of a predictable science fiction style that has already struck box office gold. His novel The Martian was directed by the iconic Ridley Scott and starred Matt Damon as a lone astronaut stranded on the planet Mars. Weir's stories have a common theme that mankind might find the answers that confound us on Earth out there among the planets and the stars. Fans of that kind of hopeful science fiction won't be disappointed when they encounter Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's adaptation of another one of Weir's hopeful space stories called Project Hail Mary. The duo have been noted for their work in the Sony Spider-verse films and have most experience with animated features. Their work on Project Hail Mary should elevate them deservedly in the world of live-action science fiction with this recent release.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” 

Wow, of all the things that I expected to see in a movie starring Hollywood powerhouses like Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, nothing could have prepared me for the subject of The Drama. I’m no stranger to a movie catching me off guard, but this one was in a whole other stratosphere when came to taking me by surprise. This is a movie that will be talked about for quite some time in my opinion, because it is not afraid to address a very serious issue, one that could have easily had this movie condemned. However, the handling of the subject is really thought-provoking and asks some really pertinent questions regarding relationships. Such as, can you forgive someone for the worst thing that has ever done, or in the case of this film, what they considered doing? Now had I been in Zendaya’s shoes, you couldn’t have waterboarded that information out of me, but that would have made for a pretty lame movie. In the case of this film,

"Take a deep breath in ... and exhale. Inhale. And exhale. Notice the beat of your heart. The rhythm of life. You hold the power to create all that you desire out of nothing. What do you see? What do you feel? Remember that there is great power within you. And that power will guide you in your journey. Today is a beautiful day of opportunity. I am exactly where I need to be. I open myself to the universe and trust in the unfolding of my life. This day will bring you peace and an opportunity for success. Feel this moment. Have a beautiful rest of your day."

Isn't that pretty? Isn't that just inspiring? Now do me a favor. Forget all of that, and let's talk about the Amazon/MGM home video release of Crime 101. It's really about three characters trying to navigate the craziness that is each of their lives, but none of that Tony Robbins crap is going to make it any better. Now, that's very fortunate for us, because this would have been a very short and very boring film if any of this had worked on any of our characters.

"10 years ago I made the biggest mistake of my life. I should have protected my sister, but I panicked and ran. It was the last time I saw her. That F**'er  survived. Maria got put back in his custody . I got caught, eventually. Now it's time to make things right."

Writer/director Krill Sokolov got his start in his native Russia with a film called Why Don't YouJjust Die.  I haven't seen any of his Russian films, but from what I can tell, They Will Kill You doesn't appear to far astray from his work there. They Will Kill You is his first American feature film, and it honestly shows some originality and has the power to hold your attention for the perfectly timed 94 minute horror film. Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has now released the bloody film on UHD Blu-ray giving us the advantage of seeing the film in 4K.

“Hello, Sidney. Did you miss me? Nice little town you found, you and your pretty daughter. Reminds me of where we grew up.” 

Honestly, after the last film, in which the creators broke the tradition that the three O.G. characters (Sidney, Gale, and Dewey) always made it to the final credits, I thought was going to be the end for the franchise after all. Because if there was one thing I knew, which had held true for five films, was that those three were not to be touched. So when the powers that be made the decision to kill off David Arquette’s character (I know I shouldn't be revealing spoilers; however, if you haven’t seen the previous film, you shouldn't be reading a review for its sequel, so sorry not sorry), I was of the opinion that there was nowhere else for the story to go.

“Stop filming me!” 

Interestingly enough, this 2025 remake/adaptation is a more faithful reproduction of its source material than the 1987 version. The 1987 adaptation, while popular, took liberties when it came to the main character’s backstory and motivations, such as him being a wrongfully accused and convicted policeman who gets his shot at freedom by participating in a TV game show where convicts called Runners must battle killers for their freedom. In the 2025 remake, Ben Richards, now played by Glen Powell, is a blacklisted blue-collar worker living in dystopian anarchistic police state with his wife and infant Cathy. Unable to afford medicine for Cathy's influenza, Ben attends tryouts for the network's game shows, where his anger, misanthropy, and physical fitness see him selected for "The Running Man", their most popular and dangerous show.

"In the year of our lord, Judea - for nearly a century - had lain under the mastery of Rome. In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, an imperial decree ordered every Judean each to return to his place of birth to be counted and taxed. The converging ways of many of them led to the gates of their capital city, Jerusalem, the troubled heart of their land. The old city was dominated by the fortress of Antonia, the seat of Roman power, and by the great golden temple, the outward sign of an inward and imperishable faith. Even while they obeyed the will of Caesar, the people clung proudly to their ancient heritage, always remembering the promise of their prophets that one day there would be born among them a redeemer to bring them salvation and perfect freedom." 

In the war going on between Paramount and Netflix over the purchase of Warner Brothers, I must admit I am on Paramount's side totally. If Netflix wins, you can kiss goodbye seeing films on physical media, and Warner's iconic cinematic past will just be eye candy for those 3-inch screens.

“On TV it looks so real.”

When I first walked out from the theater after watching Nightcrawler, the thing that stuck with me the most is how great Jake Gyllenhaal was in this film.  This isn’t the first performance he’s caught my attention in; he’s an actor who pretty much any time I see him in a film, he’s one of the most memorable aspects of the film.  Whether it’s his moody performance in Donnie Darko, his offbeat portrayal as a cop in Prisoners, or even him taking a risk as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, every role he does something more with the character where we can believe he is this person we see on the screen.  Nightcrawler is no exception, and in this role Gyllenhaal is simply terrifying as Lou Bloom.

"Sometimes I feel the past is a more comfortable place than the future."

I think for anything to have a grand finale, it has to have been grand to begin with. And I don't think one could argue that Downton Abbey hasn't been grand, at least at some points in its life. Downton Abbey spent six years on television and has amassed 52 episodes. In that relatively short run, the series has also managed to collect over 200 award nominations and several Golden Globes along with other prestigious awards. Let's not forget a rather loyal fan-base that has watched each episode with anticipation of the next sharp barb or character revelation and will insist on franchise authenticity.

“Now we’re playing some football.” 

Let’s just start with the high marks: Marlon does his thing, which I fully expected that he would. Right when you think that we have already seen the best that he has to offer, he finds a new gear, and let it be known that he will not be typecast as just a comedian or as a writer or as producer. He is, in fact, him. Pun intended. Tyriq Withers shows some promise as a leading man, and like his character is clearly hungry to make a name for himself, with this project being his second box office horror appearance this year (the other being I Know What You Did Last Summer). Also, you can see Jordan’s Peele’s influence on the film, as there are a handful of similarities to his previous projects