1960 Films, Bing Crosby, Comedy, David Burns, Frankie Vaughan, Gene Kelly, George Cukor, Marilyn Monroe, Milton Berle, Musical, Musical Comedy, Richard Haydn, Tony Randall, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Yves Montand

Let’s Make Love-1960

February 22, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Let’s Make Love-1960

Director George Cukor

Starring Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand, Frankie Vaughn

Scott’s Review #1,520

Reviewed February 22, 2026

Grade: C+

Let’s Make Love (1960) is a mediocre musical comedy starring Marilyn Monroe in one of her last film roles. It would be her final musical film performance before she died in 1962.

Ironically, the iconic star plays a strong character, too frequently known for playing dimwits or money-hungry women. While refreshing, her role is almost a supporting turn for the star, playing a love interest to an uninteresting character portrayed by Yves Montand.

A very wealthy businessman, Jean-Marc Clement (Montand), has all the material possessions money can buy, but he has no love life. He seeks someone who loves him for who he is, not for his fortune.

One day, Clement learns that he is the subject of a satirical theater production and visits the set during a rehearsal. Unrecognized, the show’s unwitting producers offer him the part as himself, and he takes the gig to be close to the gorgeous yet down-to-earth actress Amanda Dell (Monroe).

This leads to a series of hijinks, misunderstandings, and, finally, an unfulfilling, predictable conclusion.

Monroe is terrific, of course, playing a character rich with honesty, integrity, and support for her theatre company. Amanda is not looking for a sugar daddy or a meal ticket and is content to while away the days doing what she loves on stage.

The film’s highlights occur when Monroe performs in showy outfits sparkling with glitter and color, oozing with sex appeal. Visually, she does not look as good as she did five years prior, appearing washed out and tired, but this can be attributed to knowing the personal turmoil she was in.

Numbers like the Cole Porter song “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” and the title track, “Let’s Make Love,” are moderately memorable and, because Monroe performs them, are worth hearing.

It’s also cool to see exterior shots of New York City in the early 1960s grace the screen, and the backdrop of a low-key theatre is appealing.

I couldn’t help but find Clement’s character harshly unlikable and incapable of sympathy. We are asked to root for a rich man who wants a loving woman but doesn’t treat others very well.

When female staff who take dictation are called into his office, he isn’t particularly warm to them. His assistant, Alexander Kaufman, played by Tony Randall in a tepid performance, caters to Clement’s every whim but isn’t treated kindly in return.

In fact, the irritation is increased because the character of Tony Danton, Amanda’s boozy co-star, is very likable and a perfect match for Amanda.

Why the writers decided Clement and Amanda were better suited for each other is a mystery we’ll probably never figure out.

The biggest mistake is the lack of chemistry between Clement and Amanda, who have none. On the other hand, in the few scenes they share, Tony and Amanda have a tremendous connection.

What a missed opportunity.

Besides the main storyline, there is a silly side story about financing the production and a pissing match over who controls the theatre and its show. This was terribly unnecessary and would have been better if Amanda had been given her own side story, or better yet, a triangle between Amanda/Clement/Tony.

Troubles surrounded the production with various starts and stops, restarts, and proposed reshoots. This affects the film’s look and feel, and it’s apparent that the pacing is terribly uneven.

Even the incorporation of big stars like Milton Berle and cameos by Gene Kelly and Bing Crosby does nothing for the film.

It’s hard to believe that, aside from the outfits and musical numbers, George Cukor directed the film, since he would direct the sensational My Fair Lady in 1964.

Since I adore Marilyn Monroe, I desperately wanted to like Let’s Make Love (1960), but didn’t. The misplaced characters, the lukewarm pacing, and missed opportunities for a better story led to boredom and disappointment.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Score

2025 Films, Abel Ferrara, Comedy, Drama, Emory Cohen, Fran Drescher, Gywneth Paltrow, Josh Safdie, Kevin O'Leary, Odessa A'zion, Sandra Bernhard, Sports, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Okonma

Marty Supreme-2025

February 19, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Marty Supreme-2025

Director Josh Safdie

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’Zion

Scott’s Review #1,519

Reviewed February 19, 2026

Grade: A

At a mere thirty years old, Timothée Chalamet has already amassed some terrific film roles in Call Me By Your Name (2017), Wonka (2023), and A Complete Unknown (2024).

Portraying unique and offbeat characters is his sweet spot.

Playing Marty Mauser in the film Marty Supreme (2025) is his best performance to date. He seamlessly turns a character the audience should dislike into an instant fan favorite who we laugh with, cry with, and root for to overcome life obstacles.

He is a nobody who desperately wants to be a somebody.

While Chalamet leads the charge, he is aided by strong supporting performances from Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, and Fran Drescher as characters who weave into Marty’s web of adventures.

Even actors appearing in only a few scenes are flawlessly cast, providing an authentic look at working-class and affluent white Jewish people in New York at the time. A racial harmony is also set by including a handful of black characters as dear friends of Marty’s.

Set in 1950s New York City, Marty is a young man with a dream of becoming the world’s best table tennis player, despite setbacks and a lack of respect for the sport.

With a needy mother (Drescher), two different on again off again girlfriends who are both married, one a childhood buddy and one twice his age (A’zion and Paltrow), a pathway to a dull career as a shoe salesman, and a tumultuous relationship with a successful businessman (played by Kevin O’Leary), the cards in life are stacked against him.

Yet, Marty consistently manipulates his way to a free trip to London and Tokyo, and several get-rich-quick schemes to get what he wants and to fulfill his lifelong dream.

Acting is only a part of the overall success of Marty Supreme. Thanks to Josh Safdie’s (Good Time, 2017; Uncut Gems, 2019) superior direction, all technical capabilities are flawlessly executed, and an unpredictable story is achieved.

The pacing is quick and organized, leaving never a dull moment in nonstop Marty adventures. Sequences like the search for a lost dog portray perilous moments of danger as the dog becomes a more prominent character than expected.

The editing is superior, making the fast-paced table tennis sequences both thrilling and exhausting. The quick dialogue, whether during phone conversations, in a dusty theater, or in an exquisite hotel room, all add up to a tight package of filmmaking.

Finally, the costumes and art direction more than adequately showcase a period when a few Americans were affluent. At the same time, the rest struggled to make ends meet while pursuing their own version of the American dream.

I’ve been a fan of Safdie since he was an up-and-comer making the independent film Good Time with his brother Benny, and he has since come into his own with the grizzled crime thriller Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler.

Seeming to enjoy the New York setting in his films, just like director Paul Thomas Anderson prefers sunny California, he is steadily making his films highly recognizable.

Continuing on the theme of good film balance, Safdie incorporates naughty scenes like Marty’s humiliating bare bottom spanking in front of snickering businessmen, and a daring scene where he goes down on an aging film actress (Paltrow) in Central Park.

This ensures some humor is present.

The haves and have-nots support Marty’s journey. Wanting more than the life his depressed mother or shady friends have, Marty aspires to be in the big leagues. He will lie, cheat, or steal from whomever he needs to to achieve this.

And yet, Marty is kindhearted and humorous in his pursuits. He giggles when he can lounge in a lavish hotel and order room service or shmooze among rich theater types at a grandiose party.

Class distinctions are an important part of the character’s motivation for a better life.

Deservedly recognized with many awards-season accolades, Marty Supreme (2025) is an example of a young director coming into his own, with ample resources to make a gem of a film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Josh Safdie, Best Actor-Timothée Chalamet, Best Original Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design

1976 Films, Comedy, Edward Schaaf, Janet Wood, Kitten Natividad, Monty Bane, Raven De La Croix, Robert McLane, Russ Meyer, Sexploitation

Up!-1976

February 15, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Up! -1976

Director Russ Meyer

Starring Raven De La Croix, Robert McLane, Janet Wood

Scott’s Review #1,518

Reviewed February 15, 2026

Grade: B+

A follow-up to the masterpiece Supervixens (1975), sexploitation guru Russ Meyer released Up! (1976), a film in a similar vein with enough bare skin and sexual acts to make even the sexually open-minded blush just a bit.

Ridiculous and titillating beyond belief, the film is meant to be enjoyed for what it is rather than analyzed. Still, despite the sexual escapades of large-breasted women and taut young men, the film achieves a measure of female empowerment through its characters.

As far as Meyer films go, Supervixens, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) are my favorites, but Up! deserves credit for its outrageous and wacky nature alone.

The plot is quite thin, but it kicks off with a man named Adolf Schwartz (Edward Schaaf), who lives in a Bavarian-style castle in Northern California. After an orgy in the dungeon with three women and a man, he is murdered when someone places a deadly piranha fish in his bathtub.

Some time later, Margo Winchester (Raven De La Croix) hitchhikes to the nearby town of Miranda, where she is raped. With assistance from a horny sheriff (Monty Bane), she finds work at a local diner owned by Alice (Janet Wood) and Paul (Robert McLane).

Subsequent hijinks ensue like another rape in a dive bar, countless nude chase scenes and sex in the woods, and a revenge tale involving the child of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.

Up! and most other Russ Meyer films are for a specific audience only and are not recommended for fans of mainstream cinema. Prudish, uptight, or individuals expecting a tight story or professional acting will not be satisfied.

However, for an eye-opening or eye-popping experience, sure to leave your mouth agape at some of the raunchy sequences, you will find Up! rather endearing.

Amid the sexuality and chesty scenes are some laugh-out-loud wooden performances, mostly from the lead, De La Croix, though she is also wonderful to watch in her debut film. And considering she had no acting experience when cast, she’s not all that bad.

The best scenes are when she charges through the forest, naked, of course, fleeing a character, Alice, out for revenge. The women trade barbs while playing cat and mouse and occasionally engaging in sex.

A separator from other Meyer films is the incorporation of bisexuality in nearly all circles.

Handsome lead actor, Robert McLane, gets it on with nearly everyone, including Adolf Hitler, who, in hilarious and satisfying form, desires some rear entry.

While hardly a message movie, the inclusion of Hitler and Nazi references reinforces the hypocrisy of the entire movement.

The Paul, Alice, Margo triangle is good fun, especially as the trio briefly lives an idyllic lifestyle serving up hash at their diner, led mostly by Margo and her low-cut uniform.

This harkens back to a similar theme in Supervixens, during a happy sequence involving the central characters.

A Meyer film wouldn’t be a Meyer film without an appropriate dose of gore. A sharp ax comes into play during the latter part of the film after a gang rape goes awry.

The full frontal nudity, both male and female, is rampant and includes The Greek Chorus (Kitten Natividad), who appears nude except for long black boots, and boldly opens the film and appears between scenes to provide narration, plot details, and updates.

Up! (1976) is a fine addition to the Russ Meyer viewing collection and showcases the Pacific Northwest of the United States in an atypical way. It’s fun, silly, and quite refreshing.

2025 Films, Documentary, Geeta Gandbhir

The Perfect Neighbor-2025

February 13, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Perfect Neighbor-2025

Director Geeta Gandbhir

Starring Various

Scott’s Review #1,517

Reviewed February 13, 2026

Grade: B+

The Perfect Neighbor (2025) is an enthralling documentary that will surely please fans of crime scene investigations. Those familiar with the case in question, as I was, will benefit greatly from engagement.

On the other hand, those unfamiliar may be equally mesmerized, having no knowledge of the outcome.

The bottom line is that the project, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, is excellent work across many aspects, including camerawork, story, and raw video footage, most of which was captured on police body cams.

A seemingly minor neighborhood squabble between a white woman named Susan and a black neighbor named Ajike in rural Ocala, Florida, escalates into a fatal shooting, with Susan ultimately killing Ajike.

The film chronicles the lead-up period from 2022 to June 2023, when the shooting occurs. We see from repeated 911 calls and complaints that Susan regularly reported neighborhood kids being noisy or playing on or around her property.

Police bodycam footage and investigative interviews are largely used throughout the documentary to show the progression of the incident and questioning by the police detectives following the shooting.

Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law, which allows someone who is fearful for their life to defend themselves using a firearm, is showcased in the final segment since it was used as a defense.

The case was high-profile in the United States.

As a disclaimer, Gandbhir is the victim’s sister-in-law’s best friend, so the perspective is from Ajike and her family more than Susan’s.

Emotional sequences, such as when Ajike’s kids are told that their mother has died, are heartwrenching and tremendously effective. Later, anger erupts when Susan is allowed to return home amid shouts from Ajike’s family members.

Susan, who is heavily featured, is not meant to elicit sympathy, though once or twice I did feel sorry for her. Yes, she is the neighborhood nuisance and inexplicably calls the cops unnecessarily, but is she lonely, or does she feel left out?

Would Susan have accepted an invitation to a neighborhood barbecue?

Gandbhir might have delved a bit more into Susan’s personal life, but the intention feels more like making it clear she is a piranha.

At one point early on, Susan proclaims to be a doctor, but the claim is never confirmed or denied.

I would have liked to have known more about Susan. At one point, a female friend briefly appears. Was Susan married? Did she work? Was she actually a doctor? If so, what led her to a poor neighborhood?

Despite the filmmakers’ slanted viewpoint, whether justified or not, the end product is visually exceptional. The use of police cams and raw footage makes the viewer feel like an observer in the action, almost as if they are there in real time, standing alongside the cops and hearing witness accounts.

The production, direction, and editing are the documentary’s sweet spot and are technically excellent.

Beginning with a brief snippet of the fateful night, we then go back to the first complaint, and the documentary is henceforth chronological.

Most scenes are interviews with the participants, which makes it interesting to determine who is right or wrong and for the viewer to assess who is to blame. Or are multiple parties to blame? We merely see the aftereffects of the altercations, not the altercations themselves.

The message of The Perfect Neighbor (2025) is to question the systemic failures and uncertainties of the American legal system and to determine whether racism was a factor in a horrific small-town event or in the Florida stand-your-ground law itself.

Oscar Nominations: Best Documentary

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Documentary (won)

1970 Films, Donald Wolfe, Florence Lake, Gale Sondergaard, Horror, John David Garfield, Miriam Hopkins, Virginia Wing

Savage Intruder-1970

February 9, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Savage Intruder-1970

Director Donald Wolfe

Starring Miriam Hopkins, John David Garfield, Gale Sondergaard

Scott’s Review #1,516

Reviewed February 9, 2026

Grade: B+

A cult subgenre of horror, disparagingly called hag-horror, made a modest name for itself throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s.

Thanks in large part to the surprise success of the cult classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? starring Hollywood legends Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in 1962, this encouraged other stalwart actresses, well past their prime, to seek a sliver of career rejuvenation, or at least to keep themselves in the game.

Savage Intruder (also known as Hollywood Horror House) is a 1970 American psychological horror film that is clearly influenced by Baby Jane, borrowing its central plot point and a similar setting.

Unclear why the little-known film warrants two separate titles, my preference is for the latter, though the former seems to be the main title. Hollywood Horror has a more dramatic flair and is more true to the storyline than the more generic-sounding Savage Intruder.

The film also has similarities to the 1950s film Sunset Boulevard, which features an aging actress oblivious to Hollywood’s harsh realities and enamored with a younger man.

An injured, alcoholic movie queen who uses a wheelchair, Katharine Packard (Miriam Hopkins), lets a mutilator named Vic (John David Garfield) move into her Hollywood mansion as her personal assistant and nurse.

Vic intends to insinuate himself into Katharine’s good graces and take control of her estate. Katharine’s other staff, secretary Leslie (Gale Sondergaard), housekeeper Mildred (Florence Lake), and cook Greta (Virginia Wing), become suspicious of Vic and try to thwart his devious efforts.

But will any or all of them fall victim to his schemes?

The main attraction is Hopkins, who was a relatively big star in the 1930s and 1940s, even receiving an Oscar nomination for 1935’s Becky Sharp. She was also a rival of Bette Davis.

A similar role to Crawford’s disabled Blanche in Baby Jane, Hopkins is believable as a vulnerable woman who has battled alcoholism but is wise enough to know it is her undoing. After all, falling down the stairs while drunk is the reason she needs care at all.

In Katherine’s case, she also desires a man’s affections and hopes against hope that Vic likes her for who she is, not just her money. Hopkins channels this emotion well, as many older women can relate to her predicament.

She is also a good enough actress to portray fear and vulnerability convincingly, without making the character a nitwit or too melodramatic.

John David Garfield, while not a terrific actor, is convincing enough to make the audience half believe that, as a kid, watching his mother participate in an orgy was enough reason to chop her partners to bits.

The statuesque mansion high atop the Hollywood Hills is grandiose and a perfect setting for this type of film. Shots of characters peering from window to balcony or tiptoeing up or down a stairway ooze mystery and danger at every turn.

We know that Vic will try to off Leslie, Mildred, and Greta in no particular order, so the fun is in the whodunit vein. A fan of chopping off body parts, we wonder who will lose limbs.

Donald Wolfe, a director I am unfamiliar with, is careful not to make the film too campy and ridiculous, and he largely succeeds. With a good blend of suspense, mostly involving when Vic will jump out at Katherine or one of the supporting characters, there is a perilous feeling.

Of course, some hokey moments transpire, as when a mannequin is believed to be Katherine despite a waxy shape and a different hair color. Or, when Vic makes it appear that Katherine is in her room when she really isn’t, and nobody has the wherewithal to check on her.

There’s also an amateurish quality to the amputation scenes that reminds me of H.G. Lewis’s gore-horror films.

But enough fun is incorporated into the film to make it a success, and the ridiculously juvenile appendage-chopping sequences are humorous enough not to be taken too seriously.

Savage Intruder (1970) is a forgotten relic that has superior acting, a good pace, and nice Los Angeles elements, making it an enjoyable entry into the hag horror genre.

2025 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Clint Bentley, Drama, Felicity Jones, Joel Edgerton, Kerry Condon, Will Patton, William H. Macy

Train Dreams-2025

February 4, 2026 scottmet99

Train Dreams-2025

Director Clint Bentley

Starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy

Scott’s Review #1,515

Reviewed February 4, 2026

Grade: A-

Train Dreams (2025) offers a character-driven approach to filmmaking that is also wonderfully cinematic, thanks in part to Clint Bentley’s direction.

Bently also wrote and produced 2023’s Sing Sing, but I think Train Dreams is the superior effort in terms of visuals alone. Adolpho Veloso is the film’s lead cinematographer and deserves major praise for the gorgeous look the film achieves.

The tone is often serene and quiet, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the scenes’ tranquility without making the film drag. Landscapes, forests, and luminous sunsets are featured, providing an environmentally ubiquitous experience.

Will Patton narrates the film.

Train Dreams begins around 1917 and recounts the life of Robert Grainier, fantastically portrayed by Joel Edgerton, an example of an actor/director who continues to choose quality projects.

This may be his best role yet.

Robert begins life as an orphan, arriving in the desolate town of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where he works aimlessly as a logger until he meets Gladys Olding (Felicity Jones). They marry, build a log cabin along the Moyie River, and have a daughter, Kate.

When tragedy strikes, Robert must reassess his life and purpose as he grows older and the years pass aimlessly by. Through the elements, he recognizes both beauty and brutality during his life-altering events and the redundancy of everyday life.

The scenes featuring Edgerton and Jones are the warmest and most touching. The pair shares a strong chemistry made more palpable because Robert is forced to leave his family for a portion of the year for work. Their joy at each reconciliation is apparent, with golden sunsets enveloping the happy couples’ most memorable moments.

Years later, Robert meets another woman named Claire (Kerry Condon), a Forest Service worker who is nearly a doppelganger for Gladys. We tenderly see the progressive, fearless woman Gladys might have become decades later, had she not been in a terrible accident.

Edgerton, the standout performer, easily displays his emotions on his face. Though tortured, he is also a dreamer and a kindly man, as proven when he is disturbed by an immigrant who is shot and killed, and an older man who has dementia.

There is an overall intimacy to Train Dreams that the audience can grasp. Robert’s frequent visions of Gladys, Katie, and the immigrant both disturb and comfort him as he evaluates his usefulness over his decades on Earth.

For a viewer like me who lives in a city, Train Dreams was an important reminder to appreciate the small, silent things in life, such as birds, grass, and trees. So easily overlooked, these elements remain long after the self-important human beings pass through.

I asked myself when the last time I was in a forest was, and I couldn’t come up with an answer.

Intricate sequences of spinning trees, with shifting focus, further enhance the creativity of the cinematography and production design.

The message Bentley creates also appears to be a comparison of the peace America once had, now tarnished by political discord, corruption, and chaos, which has destroyed most of its serenity.

But that’s a different conversation.

Above all, Train Dreams (2025) taught me not to get so hung up on stress and the rat race, but to put the brakes on from time to time to appreciate what really matters.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, “Train Dreams”

Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 3 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director- Clint Bentley (won), Best Lead Performance- Joel Edgerton, Best Cinematography (won)

2025 Films, Andrew Scott, Biography, Bobby Cannavale, Comedy, Drama, Ethan Hawke, Jonah Lees, Margaret Qualley, Patrick Kennedy, Richard Linklater

Blue Moon-2025

January 26, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Blue Moon-2025

Director Richard Linklater

Starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley

Scott’s Review #1,514

Reviewed January 26, 2026

Grade: B+

Blue Moon (2025) is a character-driven look at a talented writer on the brink of breakdown. Over the course of one boozy night, the audience is introduced to the troubled man and comes to envelop him and his sometimes off-putting ideas.

The movie succeeds through a combination of crisp, sardonic, well-written dialogue and Ethan Hawke’s inspired performance as Lorenz Hart, an American lyricist living in the 1940s.

A film every Old Broadway New Yorker ought to love, the setting is the famous theatre district eatery, Sardi’s, where many a piano song has been sung, and drink has been drunk by both popular and struggling players in the Broadway game.

The plot centers on the night of March 31, 1943, as World War II rages.

Hart reflects on himself following the opening night of Oklahoma!, a new musical created by his former colleague Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), where a celebration is planned to gush over its overwhelming success. He despises the corny, overly wholesome lyrics and is dismayed by the production’s popularity.

The talkative, cynical, and newly sober Hart visits with bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), who tries unsuccessfully not to serve him liquor, and enlisted sergeant piano player Morty (Jonah Lees), who is on leave.

Hart also commiserates with writer E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy), soon to become famous for stories like Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, the former of which he gets from Hart.

While not the flashiest film, director Richard Linklater draws an excellent performance from Hawke and miraculously and flawlessly makes Hawke’s character appear physically very short in stature.

This is more difficult than it sounds from a cinematography perspective, and it also deserves props for creating a unique-looking restaurant-and-bar shape.

Hawke came into his own with 1989’s Dead Poets Society and has continued to deliver more sophisticated performances as he has aged.

Except for a brief opening sequence where Hart’s ultimate fate is revealed, the entire film takes place in the dark restaurant/bar.

Hart spends time chatting with Elizabeth Weiland, an unrequited love interest of his, who ruminates on her own unsuccessful love life.

Over the course of the film, it’s sad to see Hart’s life unravel. Fans will know that Rogers and Hammerstein were a tremendously successful musical duo and not Rogers and Hart. As Hart spends time pitching ideas to Rogers, we realize their partnership will go no further than it already has.

Hawke is superb at delivering a massive amount of lines, showcasing Hart’s sometimes rambling and fragmented ideas. The handsome actor adopts a more homely persona in Hart, suffering rejection after rejection throughout the evening.

The glitz of Broadway is enshrouded within the walls of Sardi’s, famous for showcasing caricatures of Broadway celebrities. In satisfying form, a close-up of a caricature of Hart clings to the wall as Blue Moon ends, presumably long after his death.

Briefly skated over is Hart’s sexuality, said to lean more toward homosexuality than is ever more than alluded to, which is a disappointment. The closest the film comes to any dissection of this nature is when Hart invites a delivery boy to an afterparty and has a a conversation with Morty in the men’s room.

Both story points go nowhere. Instead, Hart mostly pines over Elizabeth.

The winning formula is the dialogue, sometimes teetering off course when Hart goes off on tangents. Still, the central concept of a misunderstood and underappreciated creative genius is received loud and clear.

While good, Qualley and Cannavale are never given great moments to show off their acting chops. The best supporting player is Andrew Scott, who provides entertaining banter while playing opposite Hawke.

Linklater offers up a talkative, cerebral film about the celebrations and heartbreaks of life through art. Through enriching conversations, Blue Moon (2025) delivers a thought-provoking dialogue-heavy cinema that is an intelligent, confined experience.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Ethan Hawke, Best Original Screenplay

2025 Films, Brian Kirk, Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Laurel Marsden, Marc Menchaca, Thriller

Dead of Winter-2025

January 20, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Dead of Winter-2025

Director Brian Kirk

Starring Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca

Scott’s Review #1,513

Reviewed January 20, 2026

Grade: A-

The brilliant Emma Thompson, known for Howard’s End (1992) and a bevy of other quality films, stars in and executive produces Dead of Winter (2025), a perfect movie to watch in January. If one is fortunate enough to watch on a blustery, cold, or snowy night, all the better for an ideal atmosphere.

The thriller is unpredictable and downright touching, largely thanks to Thompson, who leads the charge emotionally. To see the actor shoot, stab, and catfight her way to a beautifully shot ending is icing on the cake.

Plus, trading her sophisticated British accent in for a folksy midwestern drawl is quite pleasing.

The elements are a huge win and the main attraction of the film, other than Thompson and the eerie timeliness of the United States’ Minnesota, the setting of the film, being in the top U.S. news in late 2025/early 2026.

The stark, empty vastness of the cold land is made even more potent by the endless whiteness of the snow-covered, curving roads, the tundra of the lake, and the lake house, where most of the action takes place.

While the story can be argued to be implausible and the ending fragile, bordering on silly, requiring suspension of disbelief, Thompson’s performance more than makes up for any weak fragments.

Hit by a blizzard, a grief-stricken loner named Barb (Thompson) gets lost among backroads near a Minnesota lake and stops for help at a remote cabin in the woods where she discovers drops of blood and a startled middle-aged man (Marc Menchaca) who can’t get rid of her fast enough.

She then discovers a young woman (Laurel Marsden) kidnapped by a desperate couple intent on murder. Isolated and without cell service, Barb realizes she is the woman’s only hope of survival.

Director Brian Kirk carefully places tender flashbacks of a young Barb and her husband Kirk from smitten youngsters to tragic seniors battling Kirk’s failing health and the in-between trials and tribulations of the couple over the years.

These scenes not only create an emotional investment in the audience, but also fill in the blanks about why Barb would be possessed to go ice fishing in the middle of nowhere, all alone.

Sprinkling bits of humor that make Barb appear a kindly woman rather than an incompetent bafoon, she is a salt-of-the-earth type who opposes violence. Thompson was undoubtedly influenced by Frances McDormand’s sheriff character Marge Gunderson in 1996’s Fargo.

In fact, there are multiple Fargo comparisons to explore for fans of the Coen Brothers’ film, covering plot, atmosphere, and characters.

Judy Greer and Menchaca provide solid support as the mismatched couple with deadly intentions, whose motives become clearer as the plot unfolds. Greer’s character is pretty unlikable despite softening towards the end, but her actions are peculiar from a logistical perspective, and her acting is of high quality.

Menchaca has the more sympathetic role, and not only because the actor performs his nude scene in freezing temperatures.

The finale is set underwater, and it is a teary yet satisfying sendoff for Barb and Kirk, who make the hardest-hearted viewer believe in true love and a testament to commitment.

Likely superceding any expectations set by filmmakers, Thompson gives a bravura performance through facial expressions alone, telling much of the sentimental part of the story through her bright blue, emotion-filled eyes, pulling the audience in.

I didn’t expect to enjoy Dead of Winter (2025), a film given little notice, nearly as much as I did.

1986 Films, Catherine De Prume, Horror, Horror Anthologies, Horror-Camp, Horror-Comedy, Jeffery Delman, Matt Mitler, Melissa Leo, Nicole Picard, Scott Valentine

Deadtime Stories-1986

January 19, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Deadtime Stories-1986

Director Jeffrey Delman

Starring Scott Valentine, Nicole Picard, Cathryn de Prume

Scott’s Review #1,512

Reviewed January 19, 2026

Grade: B-

My expectations for Deadtime Stories (1986), a horror anthology with a fairy-tale focus, were loftier than the final product, which had an overall amateurish quality. I anticipated a glossier, perhaps gorier, and certainly a more compelling experience.

As far as film anthologies go, there are far better ones, like Tales from the Crypt (1972) and Vault of Horror (1973), which are much, much better. These are suggested first and foremost.

By the end credits, Deadtime Stories is largely forgettable.

Nonetheless, it’s marginally recommended for those seeking a late-night offering of an 1980s genre film type, with one of the three chapters, a take on Little Red Riding Hood, as the standout.

We are introduced to a somewhat creepy uncle who attempts to calm his restless nephew by telling him three horror stories to help him fall asleep without worrying about monsters coming to get him.

The first story involves a boy slave (Scott Valentine) used by two witches, who are attempting to resurrect their sister.

The second story is based on “Little Red Riding Hood”, where a teenage girl (Nicole Picard) mistakenly picks up a werewolf’s medicine for her grandmother.

The third story, based on “Goldilocks”, tells about three escaped mental patients who share their hideaway with a murderess (Cathryn de Prume).

The sequences between the uncle and nephew lay the foundation for what’s to come. The quality, though quite 1980s, is well-lit and dark, so the audience believes the kid is terrified of falling asleep. And who doesn’t have memories of wondering what or who is lurking in their bedroom closet?

Though bratty, the uncle shows patience and returns to the room again and again to introduce yet another story. A clever, dark, comical twist in the last shot makes this vignette satisfying.

The first story is the weakest. Said to be from medieval times, the costumes and makeup worn by the witches are the only things that impress. One witch is more grotesque than the other, with jagged, rotting teeth and a resting sneer that is more comical than scary.

Actor Scott Valentine is likable, and the romance between the young damsel in distress is nice, though there is hardly any time for it to go anywhere.

The premise of a handsome young man being sold as a slave to resurrect another witch is impressive, but the follow-through is weak, and the tale never fully satisfies.

The second story is very well thought out.

Nicole Picard as Rachel is clad in a sexy Little Red Riding Hood outfit and debates having sex with her boyfriend, who finds a dingy shed for them to make love in. Before this, she accidentally picked up a prescription for her grandmother, which was switched for one for a werewolf.

The most suspenseful and entertaining portion is when the werewolf breaks into the grandmother’s house. The acting is wonderfully bad, which makes for a delightful experience and a cat-and-mouse quality.

When a character surprisingly turns into a werewolf at the end, it is exciting and unexpected, making the chapter the best of the bunch.

Making Goldilocks a female serial killer is a terrific idea, and the macabre humor in this story is clever. The final sequence in a pizza restaurant is deliciously evil.

The rest, though, is lackluster and difficult to follow. The mental patients who escape with the help of MaMa Bauer (Melissa Leo) seem to endlessly drive around town in their dated white Chevy, crashing into objects and people.

The tale has a John Waters campy vibe, which is inspired, but the story never reaches a satisfying conclusion, other than occasional bits and pieces.

The attempt by Jeffrey Delman to make fables into horror vignettes is impressive, but unfortunately, Deadtime Stories (1986) only hits the mark now and then.

1990 Films, Frances Sternhagen, Horror, James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Thriller

Misery-1990

January 18, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Misery-1990

Director Rob Reiner

Starring Kathy Bates, James Caan

Scott’s Review #1,511

Reviewed January 18, 2026

Grade: A-

Kathy Bates and James Caan deliver exceptional performances in Misery (1990), a thriller/horror hybrid set in the snowy hills of remote Colorado over the course of a couple of winter months.

Caan plays famed novelist Paul Sheldon, who is held captive by Annie Wilkes (Bates), an obsessive and unpredictable fan. Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role.

Thanks to Rob Reiner’s superior direction, the film never lags and continuously keeps the tension boiling at a heart-racing pace. From an early sequence involving a terrible car accident to a slasher horror-worthy finale, Misery contains something for everyone.

The film is based on the enthralling 1987 Stephen King novel and a screenplay by Academy Award-winning writer William Goldman (All the President’s Men, 1976).

After completing his latest novel involving a beloved series character named Misery, Paul’s car careens off a snowy mountain road, leaving him stranded and unconscious. He is rescued by former nurse Annie, who claims to be his biggest fan.

Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover, where her obsession takes a dark turn when she discovers that Sheldon is killing off Misery, her favorite character.

The success of Misery is due to the chemistry between Bates and Caan. While no romantic sparks exist, the taut scenes of captor and captee are enthralling as the audience nervously awaits what could happen next.

At first, thankfully rescued by Annie, Paul quickly realizes he may be better off dead. Seemingly shifting from kind to rage, Bates flawlessly reveals to the audience that something is not quite right with Annie.

As the actors play cat-and-mouse with their characters, each scene is potent as deeper levels of character texture are surfaced, especially with Annie. Why she is no longer a nurse is shocking.

They even share a tender scene dining over a lovely meal of meatloaf and red wine, though one character’s intentions are spoiled before too long.

Bits of dark humor surface mainly as Annie uses the words ‘cockadoodie’ and ‘poop’ and greedily munches on chips while watching her favorite game shows.

Keeping with the suspense, Reiner’s direction employs several jumps and starts as Annie suddenly appears out of the blue, fiendishly hovering over the injured Paul in his bed, with a look of rage or, in some cases, of unrequited love.

Comparisons to the television series Twin Peaks (1990-1991) and the films Fargo (1996) and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) can be recognized.

Supporting characters, the capable Sheriff Buster (Richard Farnsworth) and the horny Deputy Virginia (Frances Sternhagen), are also a married couple, and the cold, snowy small town with peculiar characters like the folksy general store clerk comes to mind when thinking of the aforementioned 1990s efforts.

The claustrophobic bedroom setting where one bedridden sane character relies on an insane character for food and medicine recalls the 1960s cult classic well. When another character uncovers the charade and tries to save the victim, the audience lets out a brief sigh of relief before the rug is pulled out from under them.

Finally, with little to do as Paul’s book agent, it’s nonetheless a treat to see legendary screen actress Lauren Bacall appear in the film.

While many of Stephen King’s adaptations are mediocre or less, it’s nice to see Misery (1990) achieve its due. Alongside Stand By Me (1986), this makes two successful King adaptations by director Reiner.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Kathy Bates-Best Actress (won)

2025 Films, Christoph Waltz, David Bradley, Drama, Felix Kammerer, Guillermo del Toro, Horror, Lars Mikkelsen, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac, Science Fiction

Frankenstein-2025

January 15, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Frankenstein-2025

Director Guillermo del Toro

Starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth

Scott’s Review #1,510

Reviewed January 15, 2026

Grade: A

Guillermo del Toro, known for his astounding production and art design in his films, hits a home run with a remake of Frankenstein (2025) based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, unmasking a beautifully crafted film.

He pulls out all the stops to achieve an exquisite gothic look that is hard not to be mesmerized by. It reminds me of the HBO series Penny Dreadful (2014-2016) in both its subject matter and its visual style.

I worried that the sets and designs would usurp the story, but especially in the final act, the film becomes very character-driven, especially the Creature, played by Jacob Elordi. It is easy to garner sympathy for his character as the story progresses and he goes from bald and alien-like to disheveled and wild-looking.

The film is divided into three chapters: Prelude, Victor’s Tale, and The Creature’s Tale, so the pace is structured with shifting perspectives. This is a wise move.

Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

The inclusion of Victor’s brother, William (Felix Kammerer), Elizabeth (Mia Goth), and the Blind Man (David Bradley) adds interesting and potent supporting characters who help reveal the intentions of the more prominent characters.

Mesmerizing are the sequences in the dark, evening settings, and especially within the grandiose walls of the estate where William and Elizabeth are to be married.

The cool blueish hues amongst the glowing burning candlelight provide a warm yet gruesome tone. As Elizabeth, clad in her pale white wedding dress, is carried down the bold staircase by the creature, her abdomen is caked in scarlet red blood, amid falling flower petals, another example of the powerful visuals.

In contrast, the daytime sequences usually take place amid a blustery snowstorm or in frigid, barren wastelands, with a very white color palette. Del Toro doesn’t even need to use wind sounds to portray the frigid landscape perfectly.

Lastly, the costumes are award-worthy. From the seventeenth-century wedding outfits the attendees wear to the filthy rags the Creature dons, all are well defined by societal class. The kindly Blind Man wears modest attire and lives in a barren forest area.

While both are superior in excellence and storytelling, 2025’s Frankenstein is vastly different from the 1931 version directed by James Whale and starring legendary horror actor Boris Karloff. Made nearly one hundred (gasp!) years apart, they are dissimilar in ways, and the former is more faithful to Shelley’s novel.

Elordi deserves kudos for infusing the Creature with humanity and sympathy, a character that many perceive as nothing more than a monster. His kindness and compassion mask the torture and pain he feels, wishing for death at nearly every turn.

The hulking actor is a perfect fit from a physical perspective, lumbering along the terrain and brooding with pain. His tentative relationship with Elizabeth is touching to see, and the future possibilities are endless if not for tragedy.

Isaac and Goth are also impressive. As the true film villain, Isaac’s Frankenstein is also tortured but turns to lies and deception to mask his pain. Goth, parlaying from indie horror into mainstream cinema, is one to watch as she chooses her next roles.

The lovely male relationship between the creature and the blind man is a true testament to kindness and what friendship is all about.

With his legendary visual touch, Guillermo Del Toro resurrects Frankenstein (2025) with a magnificent, nearly operatic offering that’s gloriously gothic and heartbreaking, with exceptional performances and visual mastery.

In this case, his story matches his visuals.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor-Jacob Elordi, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound

2023 Films, Carter Smith, Johnny Berchtold, Kyle Gallner, Liza Weil, Thriller

The Passenger-2023

January 10, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Passenger-2023

Director Carter Smith

Starring Johnny Berchtold, Kyle Gallner

Scott’s Review #1,509

Reviewed January 10, 2026

Grade: A-

The Passenger (2023) is a powerfully disturbing film that examines one’s purpose in life, specifically through the three main characters and a deadly chain of events set over the course of one day in a small town in Louisiana.

But if looked at more closely, lesser characters are also worth noting, making the message relatable to any viewer who feels suffocated or unmotivated.

The story is thought-provoking and intelligently written, offering a sometimes bleak perspective of existence and why we are here. The choices we make often leave scars and a life filled with regret, or, in some cases, blossom into new beginnings.

While a bit depressing as a whole, the film is rich with terrific performances and spot-on detail to small-town life. An independent-style budget is a winning formula with many exterior scenes enhancing the film’s tone.

The climactic diner scene is compelling, and the film ultimately ends on a hopeful note with a significant character having a bright future while another does not.

Randy Bradley (Johnny Berchtold) is a mysterious young man with little to say, harboring a secret from his childhood. He works at a fast-food restaurant in a dismal town, where two irritating coworkers bully him.

Randy’s boss takes a shine to him and sees a potential promotion in his future, but also doesn’t even know his first name and assumes that his last name is his first.

During a particularly dull morning shift, Randy’s coworker, Benson (Kyle Gallner), goes on a berserk and violent rampage when he sticks up for Randy. The two young men spend the rest of the day cruising the streets of their small town, pondering life and Randy’s past mistakes.

Benson is intrigued by Randy and determined to help him face his past while wrestling with his own demons and fits of aggression, which only deepen the chaos.

The Passenger could have easily been a by-the-numbers thriller and a shoot ’em up good time, but it’s more cerebral than that. The character-driven writing doesn’t always satisfy, but it raises the film way above the ranks of a genre film.

The bloody killing spree at the burger joint is exceptionally tense and the film’s best scene. As Randy is humiliated, with a seething Benson silently mopping the floor in the background, it is nail-biting to know what will happen next.

The culminating bloodsplattering will impress auteur director Quentin Tarantino and is clearly patterned after his work. It’s always satisfying when villains get their due in a bloody and gory fashion. As the dead bodies are callously dragged off to the walk-in freezer, the audience will undoubtedly give a quick smirk.

The intrigue of Randy’s backstory slowly unfolds, so the audience comes to understand the character. A terrible event that occurred in second grade involving a teacher, Miss Beard (Liza Weil), resurfaces as the teacher is introduced to the canvas in the final chapter.

How Miss Beard has fared since the event is enjoyable.

What puzzles me about The Passenger is the motivations and inner demons of Benson, though I find the character fascinating, and Gallner deserves recognition for his performance.

Suffering from rage issues, his mother appears to be bedridden at their home during a mysterious David Lynch/Twin Peaks-inspired scene when she meets Randy and asks him for the telephone.

Is Benson her caretaker? What are her issues?

Later, Benson brutally attacks a principal who was once his third-grade teacher. The beating is so savage that the man later dies. Why?

Still, the film’s minimalist nature adds oodles of realism. Despite modern times, 1970s and 1980s automobiles are seen, including Benson’s large yellow Chrysler, which has seen better days. The car is seen so often that it becomes a character.

A local greasy spoon diner where the servers have worked for years is paired with tired-looking homes and grey skies. These elements create an atmosphere that offers a rawness far superior to that of a movie set.

Director Carter Smith brings the intensity with boiling emotions and simmering secrets that examine characters residing in a small town, probably repressed. His offering, The Passenger (2023), is a pleasant surprise with flawless performances by its leads, Gallner and Berchtold.

1962 Films, Comedy, Deborah Walley, Disney, Fred MacMurray, James Neilson, Jane Wyman, Jessie Royce Landis, Kevin Corcoran, Michael Callan, Tommy Kirk

Bon Voyage!-1962

January 8, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Bon Voyage! -1962

Director James Neilsen

Starring Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman

Scott’s Film Review #1,508

Reviewed January 8, 2026

Grade: B

James Neilson, known for directing both film and television and well-versed in the Walt Disney vibe, having worked throughout the 1960s on the television series Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, provides fans of European travel with a feast of locale riches.

He offers Bon Voyage! (1962), an entertaining family adventure that multi-generations can enjoy.

Paris is the primary setting with the Eeifel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and Notre Dame prominently featured. Still, London, the French Riviera, and snippets of New York City are also featured.

Watching the film decades after 1962 is a pure delight, seeing how outfits, people, and landmarks have changed over the years.

This is the obvious highlight for me, though the dynamic between the Willards is fun in a lighthearted way, seesawing between comedy and sentimentality.

At times, the comedy is more bafoonish than laugh-out-loud, and the sequences more plot-driven than believable.

Nonetheless, the chemistry between the actors is prominent, and the story is wholesome and predictable, culminating in a feel-good experience.

After twenty years of marriage, Terre Haute, Indiana, plumber Harry Willard (Fred MacMurray) finally makes good on his promise to take his wife, Katie, played by Jane Wyman (ex-wife of United States President Ronald Reagan), on a luxurious cruise to Europe.

Hardly a honeymoon; they are accompanied by their brood: nineteen-year-old son, Elliott (Tommy Kirk), eighteen-year-old daughter, Amy (Deborah Walley), and eleven-year-old son, Skipper (Kevin Corcoran).

From the moment the group arrives at the dock by taxi cab, the bumbling Harry nearly loses the passports, and an unending series of mishaps ensues, including Amy’s romantic entanglement with handsome, wealthy Nick (Michael Callan), a sewer adventure, and a passionate Hungarian man pursuing Katie.

The film experiences highs and lows throughout.

Is Nick meant to be a disliked character? He’s actually my favorite character, except maybe for Harry, and is written quite daringly for the early 1960s, with him fervently questioning marriage and other institutions.

He ultimately disregards his wealth and decides to relocate to New York to forge a career without his family’s wealth or expectations, much to his mother, the contessa’s (Jessie Royce Landis), chagrin.

However, I could have done with more than one scene from the fabulous Landis, best known for Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959), in which she also plays interesting mothers.

Though she steals her lone scene as she drips with jewels, a gorgeous dress, and struts around her lavish party, exclaiming ‘dahling’ whenever she can, we never get enough of her fabulous antics.

Still, Nick seems to be the only character with a solid set of balls who stands against societal expectations. His tense scenes with Harry about life and love are the only times the film’s writing is daring.

The rest of the writing is relatively safe and tepid.

Amy comes across as a bit wishy-washy about sex and marriage, and after prancing along the beach in a tacky outfit, she seems more of a nitwit than a serious character.

Maybe she and Nick don’t belong together after all?

Elliott, while cute in his pursuit of young women and attempts to impress them with unfounded wealth, his act grows tiresome by the film’s conclusion.

The most palpable couple is Harry and Katie, whose tender love shines through as an inspiration to other characters. The chemistry between MacMurray and Wyman is strong, showcasing them as reliable and stalwarts of true love.

Bon Voyage! (1962) is a kindhearted film, marginally recommended mainly for the locales. It’s mostly a safe affair, save for one character, and pales in comparison to more weighty films to come during the 1960s.

Oscar Nominations: Best Costume Design (Color), Best Sound

2025 Films, Biography, Craig Brewer, Drama, Ella Anderson, Erika Slezak, Fisher Stevens, Hugh Jackman, Jim Belushi, Kate Hudson, King Princess, Michael Imperioli, Mustafa Shakir

Song Sung Blue-2025

January 5, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Song Sung Blue-2025

Director Craig Brewer

Starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson

Scott’s Review #1,507

Reviewed January 5, 2026

Grade: A

Knowing nothing about the film Song Sung Blue (2025) other than brief snippets of a trailer, it wasn’t on my radar to see. A sole Golden Globe Awards nomination by star Kate Hudson felt like a sentimental effort rather than merit.

Appearing to be little more than a feel-good holiday time release with a sprinkling of schmaltz and a money grab to nostalgic fans of entertainer Neil Diamond, I hesitated to go to the theater to see it.

To my immediate surprise and delight, the theater was nearly full, an anomaly in today’s quick-to-streaming world, but the importance of movie theaters is a topic for another day.

While Song Sung Blue is a delightful crowd pleaser and the songs are catchy and infectious, there is a darkness to the story, based on real-life events, that I didn’t see coming.

By combining a local singing duo’s triumph with tragedy, the film creates a perfect counterbalance that had me and the audience I was with in both tears and chuckles.

The project appears to be based on a 2008 documentary about the real-life couple.

The film stars Hugh Jackman and Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina, who perform as the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder in their local area of Wisconsin, circa the 1990s.

They are struggling blue-collar folks eeking out a living as an impersonator and a part-time hairdresser, respectively. While both are middle-aged, each with an ex-spouse and a teenage daughter, and tons of bills to pay, they nonetheless adore performing in any capacity and love the thrill of life.

Mike is a recovering alcoholic, and Claire suffers from bouts of depression. Still, they meet early in the film, fall in love, and marry almost immediately.

The actors Jackman and Hudson have enormous chemistry, which makes the film work so well. The audience instantly buys their connection, love of performing, and passion for music. Why couldn’t Mike and Claire have met years ago? It’s thanks to the actors that we wish they had.

While Jackman is terrific as the Diamond performer, dazzling and charismatic in each performance, he never usurps Hudson, nor is there a perception that she is merely a backup performer.

Truth be told, I was more enamored with Hudson’s performance by a hair. Immediately drawing me in with her spot-on Midwestern accent, which never wavered, her depiction of a single middle-aged mom living in the suburbs is perfection.

Trying to be calm but occasionally exploding with rage or bursts of gleeful excitement, Hudson never overacts or makes Claire seem ridiculous. Her late-1980s crappy car, discount-rack clothes, and heart-of-gold characterization work so well.

To cement the dysfunctional yet strong family’s bond, Mike’s daughter, Angelina (King Princess), and Claire’s daughter, Rachel (Ella Anderson), instantly bond. Joined by Claire’s son, Dayna, the family structure is set.

As essential add-ons, diversity is incorporated through family friends who represent ethnic, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ communities.

These strong bonds are crucial because, before Mike and Claire can even savor the success of becoming the opening band for a Pearl Jam concert and performing with singer Eddie Vedder, tragedy strikes when a terrible accident changes their lives forever.

The first of the family tragedies hits like a ton of bricks and is so brilliantly filmed. My audience gasped in pure shock at the turn of events. A mini sigh of relief at the hint that it’s all a dream is quickly extinguished by reality, making the sequence all the more powerful.

Craig Brewer, who both directs excellently and also writes the screenplay, must love music. He delves deep into Diamond’s catalog, mentioning more obscure songs like ‘Soolaimon’ besides the obvious mainstays, ‘Sweet Caroline’ and the title track.

Thanks to pitch-perfect performances by Jackman and Hudson, Song Sung Blue (2025) is paced perfectly and hits every emotional chord. With humor, heart, and drama, it delivers a fitting tribute to one of the most beloved singer-songwriters in modern music history.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Kate Hudson

2025 Films, Art, Drama, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, International, International Drama, Joachim Trier, Norwegian, Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård

Sentimental Value-2025

December 22, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Sentimental Value-2025

Director Joachim Trier

Starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning

Scott’s Review #1,506

Reviewed December 22, 2025

Grade: A

Sentimental Value (2025) is a Norwegian art film with powerful themes of love and loss, suicide, intergenerational connections, family relationships, and cinema. The intertwining of the components makes the film both dark and hopeful, thanks to beautiful, layered performances.

It is brooding, thought-provoking, and relatable in many ways, mostly showcasing quality writing and excellent acting. Not as much of Norway’s majestic countryside is shown, especially in Oslo, where the film is set, as I had hoped.

Right off the bat, the audience receives narration about a house and the generations of events, some happy and some tragic, that have occurred over the years. The house, while changed, has persevered and has become a character in the film.

One could correlate the struggles of the house with those of life; in the film, the characters are deeply flawed and troubled, suffering from alcoholism and paranoia.

After their mother dies, two sisters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film.

The film is personal about Gustav’s frailty following his mother’s death by suicide.

When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers Gustav has given her part to an eager, yet cerebral, young Hollywood star played by Elle Fanning, who is a new fan of Gustav’s older work.

The past and deeply harbored secrets come to the surface as the characters struggle to maintain balance between their emotions and their interpretations of various life events.

An early sequence set in a theater sets the tone. Nora, a fabulous stage actor, suffers from severe stage fright, nearly rendering her unable to take the stage. The crew backstage scurries to calm her nerves and convince her to perform seconds before her cue. They’ve been through this before.

Nora is neurotic and, in fact, attempted suicide, which worries Agnes whenever there is a lapse in communication with her sister.

Other complexities, such as Gustav’s return, an unsuccessful relationship, and insecurities, affect Nora, especially when Rachel, the starlet, enters the picture.

But the winning formula is that Sentimental Value is not ‘the Nora show’. Agnes, Gustav, and Rachel are equally showcased and explored, making the film an ensemble piece.

Agnes, who starred in one of Gustav’s films as a young girl, is now married with a child and has left the industry far behind. Does she harbor regrets?

An aging Gustav has seen the cinematic world change from grand, theater-style film work to television-style streaming platforms like Netflix, taking over. Has the world left him behind?

And young Rachel is frustrated by her limited acting roles, which have made her a star but don’t showcase her true talent or love of her craft. Does she even have talent, she wonders?

As a cinemaphile, Sentimental Value left me pondering the state of cinema in a time of limited theatergoers and the popularity of watching films at home on a television, or worse, on a mobile phone.

But the success and emotion of Sentimental Value come through its characters, Nora, Agnes, Gustav, and Rachel.

The importance of the house also amazed me. As in life, things constantly evolve and change, setbacks are experienced, life and death come and go, and the cycle of life continues.

Sentimental Value (2025) is a fantastic film with main themes about life and forgiveness. It is also a stark reminder, without being preachy, about the monumental importance of mental wellness and the crippling effects mental illness can have on people.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Joachim Trier, Best Actress-Renate Reinsve, Best Supporting Actor-Stellan Skarsgård, Best Supporting Actress-Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature, Best Film Editing

2025 Films, Chloé Zhao, Drama, Emily Watson, Historical Drama, Jacobi Jupe, Jessie Buckley, Joe Alwyn, Noah Jupe, Paul Mescal, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg

Hamnet-2025

December 8, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Hamnet-2025

Director Chloé Zhao

Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal

Scott’s Review #1,505

Reviewed December 8, 2025

Grade: A

For lovers of William Shakespeare, the famous sixteenth-century playwright, poet, and actor, Hamnet (2025) is highly recommended for its recognition of his renowned tragedy, Hamlet, written in 1599 or 1600.

Any literature nut will ooze with pleasure since the tragic play is the basis for the entire film, and its creation is based on the events in the movie. This allows viewers to understand the reason for it, despite some fictionalization.

A bonus is a portion of it being performed on stage late in the movie.

And for cinemaphiles, Hamnet contains gorgeous cinematography, raw, emotionally charged acting, and a believable love story mired in heartbreak and ultimately hopefulness.

The film’s story dramatizes the marriage between Anne Hathaway (Agnes in the movie), played by Jessie Buckley, and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), and the impact of the tragic death of their eleven-year-old son, Hamnet, on their relationship, which inspired Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg produced the film, which ensured it was made, and Chloé Zhao directed it. The financial help undoubtedly made sure (hopefully) that Zhao could make the film she wanted, and the final product looks like her vision.

Zhao is well known for directing Nomadland (2021), a movie with powerful landscapes, and Hamnet is no different in its exterior riches, though it is set in the late 1500s rather than the present.

She includes peaceful green forests, lush with quiet, thoughtful sequences, leading the viewer to enjoy the tranquility and mystique rather than to incorporate a storyline purpose.

It’s an overall vibe.

As characters wander along a path or a garden, the audio enhancement of birds chirping pairs well with greenery or flowers lit with golden sunshine.

A colder, grey vibe enshrouds the interior scenes of humble cottages, where characters peel boiled eggs, perform tedious household tasks, or share a modest meal.

I totally bought the authenticity of the 16th and 17th-century locales, costumes, sets, and characters. This buy-in did wonders to reflect the believability of everything else.

The leading actors get an A+ for chemistry and connection, with powerfully acted, sometimes guttural scenes, scene after scene.

From the first garden scene, when Buckley and Mescal, strangers, meet amid instant attraction and infatuation, the scene smolders with fiery romance. How the actors conjured that amount of intensity is remarkable.

They are forever linked when they give in to their attraction, shortly after which results in a pregnancy, much to the chagrin of his family.

Separately, Agnes is intriguing and spiritual, rumored to be the daughter of a forest witch. Before her death, Agnes’ mother taught her herbal lore, which Agnes later uses to heal a cut on William’s forehead.

William is thoughtful, bookish, and very introspective. His intensity towards his writing and art is inspiring.

The characters get along, and Agnes even insists he go to London, where he can work in a proper environment and better understand his creative mindset.

Buckley especially delivers the goods with ferocious acting and startling realism.

Equally noteworthy are Jacobi and Noah Jupe, who play the real Hamlet and the stage Hamlet. Brothers in real life, both look similar and possess top-notch acting skills.

And can Emily Watson (playing Mary Shakespeare) not be great in anything?

A minor gripe is why Buckley is positioned as the lead actress while Mescal is deemed the supporting actor. As equals, it’s not her story versus his; together, they share the depth of the storyline as a pair. And Shakespeare as a supporting character doesn’t sound right.

Destined to be rewarded for its artistic merit, humanistic integrity, and truthful approach, Hamnet (2025) is a beautifully slow-building film. It elicits heartwarming cinematic perfection.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Chloé Zhao, Best Actress-Jessie Buckley, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Production Design

2025 Films, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Chloë Sevigny, Julia Roberts, Luca Guadagnino, Michael Stuhlbarg, Thriller

After the Hunt-2025

November 29, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

After the Hunt-2025

Director Luca Guadagnino

Starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield

Scott’s Review #1,504

Reviewed November 29, 2025

Grade: B+

After the Hunt (2025) is a thriller mired in questions and secrets, which, from the outset, director Luca Guadagnino successfully creates. An atmosphere of the Yale University elitist intelligentsia, enshrouded in internal chaos, just reeking to be let go.

Julia Roberts reemerges into the awards conversation with a startlingly raw and introspective performance as Alma, a professor harboring a secret past that is invaded by present circumstances.

Guadagnino, known for the brilliant LGBTQ+-themed Call Me by Your Name (2017), usually incorporates emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals into his work. This one is highly character-driven, embellishing the thoughts and desires of the leads.

For the viewer, After the Hunt remains compelling because we don’t know whom to believe, with allegiances teetering from character to character, including Alma herself.

Alma drinks too much, pops pills, and has a secret apartment away from her eccentric husband, Frederick, wonderfully played by Michael Stuhlbarg. Despite being a psychiatrist, he coddles Alma and serves as her househusband rather than an equal, causing him peculiar bouts of weird behavior.

Meanwhile, Alma is desperately seeking tenure at Yale.

At a boozy party at Alma’s house one night, amid societal and philosophical conversations, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), one of her students, uncovers a secret about Alma while snooping in her bathroom.

Later, Maggie, who is black and gay, leaves the party with Hank, one of Alma’s handsome colleagues (Andrew Garfield).

The next morning, Alma finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when Maggie, a star student, levels an accusation against Hank, claiming she was sexually assaulted.

As the onion is peeled back, it is discovered that Maggie plagiarized a paper and has wealthy parents who help the University maintain its financial status. She is also obsessed with Alma, even wearing the same shade of fingernail polish.

At the same time, Hank is a volatile hothead with a vicious temper. Does he have a romantic past with Alma?

Who should Alma believe, and what should the audience think? Are we supposed to side with Maggie because it’s politically correct to believe a young black female over a white male?

Maggie immediately put me off. Was that the intention? I wanted to like her, but just didn’t. This was even before it was known that she was privileged.

By contrast, I immediately did like Hank. His passion for philosophy and his yearning for debate about the younger generation being coddled resonated with me.

Guadagnino offers more than solely a compelling story in After the Hunt.

As a Connecticut resident, the exterior locales are powerful. Rich camera shots of the massive Yale campus, especially on snowy days, provide wonderful texture to the film. A small, cruddy yet cozy Indian diner, strangely empty, serves as a meeting point for two poignant scenes.

Besides the campus, New Haven, Connecticut, is not the ritzy Greenwich, Connecticut, by any means, and Guadagnino must have realized this by incorporating ugly waterside views and glimpses of factories.

A quiet, introspective director, many scenes of Alma staring into the distance, in thought or pondering life, play well with philosophical debate scenes between faculty and students.

While the film’s pacing is slow, it works for me. And throughout the question remains of what Alma’s secret is and whether Hank sexually assaulted Maggie, or is it all lies?

The film is also reminiscent of Fatal Attraction (1987) or Single White Female (1992). The key to the film may lie in Maggie’s obsession with Alma, which slowly unfolds.

In what may be Julia Roberts’ best film role to date, After the Hunt (2025) doesn’t hit a home run with a slightly ambiguous, unsatisfying ending, but with stellar performances from Roberts, Edebiri, Garfield, and Stuhlbarg, it’s enough to warrant a watch.

1976 Films, Brian De Palma, Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Bujold, John Lithgow, Thriller

Obsession-1976

November 25, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Obsession-1976

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Bujold, John Lithgow

Scott’s Review #1,503

Reviewed November 25, 2025

Grade: B+

Brian De Palma’s Obsession was made in 1976, the same year as his iconic horror film Carrie, which made him a household name. This kicked off a period of other great De Palma films, like Dressed to Kill (1980) and Blow Out (1981).

The marginally successful film gained respectability because the director acknowledged that Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece Vertigo heavily influenced Obsession, which undoubtedly drew many to sit up and take notice.

Since Vertigo is a film I am ‘obsessed’ with, I can easily see the blueprint that it is on many levels.

Film composer and Hitchcock stalwart Bernard Herrmann beautifully scores both movies, so the similarities are undeniable on both a musical and a plot level. I immediately recognized the orchestral and mysterious notes that fill Vertigo with intrigue and sophistication.

A case of doppelgangers and an obsession with a presumed-dead character or the ghost of someone from the past are common elements in both, as a tangled web is spun.

The heroic male character struggles with this obsession while spiraling out of control and making rash or poor decisions.

The story begins in 1959 and centers on a prominent New Orleans businessman, Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson), who is riddled with guilt following the death of his wife, Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold), and daughter during a kidnapping-rescue attempt gone wrong.

Fast forward to 1975, and Brian, while traveling to Florence, Italy, meets and falls in love with a young woman who is the exact look-alike of his long-dead wife. He must do anything to have her and imagines she actually is his wife.

While Obsession is a compelling film with an appropriate, suspenseful buildup and a startling twist during the final act, Vertigo’s influence also makes it a weakness for Obsession on its own merits.

Since I knew it was patterned after such greatness, I also found myself constantly comparing it. While Obsession is good, it’s also more of an opening act to Vertigo’s headliner status.

Some standard De Palma particulars are incorporated, which is what I waited for throughout, and some are not.

The slow-motion sequence appears at the conclusion of the film, in a long shot of an airport terminal, as one character runs to another. The fact that one character weilds a hidden gun makes the perilous situation even more daring.

The dreamlike quality is apparent, including a puzzling romance scene in which Michael imagines a marriage and a steamy bedroom sequence with Elizabeth. He also imagines the kidnapping events happening again.

Is this real or imagined?

The split screen, so potent in Sisters and Dressed to Kill, is abandoned altogether.

De Palma also treads lightly on the subject matter of incest that could have made Obsession daring and cutting edge, but instead is softened considerably. This irritated me slightly, since I assumed there would be pushback from studio executives.

Robertson and Bujold have adequate chemistry, and it’s a treat to see John Lithgow in what would be the first of several De Palma films.

Obsession (1976) is worth a watch for De Palma fans because, like Sisters (1973), it offers a glimpse of the greatness he was about to achieve with grander, more fleshed-out efforts.

Some early tools from the director’s arsenal are featured, making the watch enjoyable and a treat for anyone with a fondness for what air travel was like in the mid-1970s, well before terrorism and 9/11 changed the world forever.

1993 Films, Angela Bassett, Biography, Brian Gibson, Jenifer Lewis, Khandi Alexander, Laurence Fishburne, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Shavar Ross, Vanessa Bell Calloway

What’s Love Got to Do with It-1993

November 22, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

What’s Love Got to Do with It-1993

Director Brian Gibson

Starring Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne

Scott’s Review #1,502

Reviewed November 22, 2025

Grade: A-

Many biographies have been made in cinema over the years, but What’s Love Got to Do with It? (1993) is the only one, to my knowledge, about the legendary and leggy singer Tina Turner.

The blues and rock diva, known for her lioness wigs and powerful voice, had a rough road to achieving her greatest success in her 40s.

Made over thirty years ago, more modern biographies have both succeeded (Bohemian Rhapsody-2018 and Rocketman-2019 come to mind) and failed (Respect-2021), but impressively, What’s Love Got to Do with It? holds up well and provides emotional power throughout.

Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are exceptionally well cast. As Tina and her abusive husband, Ike, the actors give a lot of investment and believability into the performer’s tumultuous relationship.

The film, based on Turner’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina, is not quite a solid A because Bassett, while terrific as Turner, lip-syncs to Turner’s vocals. It’s left unclear why Ike is such a controlling tyrant and why she stayed with him for close to 20 years, and some aspects are embellished from the autobiography.

But the acting and other aspects usurp these nitpicky particulars.

The production numbers when Turner performs are electric, and the film’s best parts. Especially ‘River Deep-Mountain High’ and the title track allow Bassett to embellish the superstar in raw fury and guttural range.

It is clear how the actor channels Tina through gestures, stage confidence, and passion for her art. It’s beautiful to observe and be inspired by.

The story is based on the life of the legendary soul singer, who was born Anna Mae Bullock to an absentee mother and father and a meager upbringing in the rural South. When her grandmother, who raised her, dies, she reconnects with her birth mother and sister (Jenifer Lewis and Phyllis Yvonne Stickney) in 1960s St. Louis, where she meets the charismatic Ike, already an established star.

As a musical team, Ike and Tina take the charts by storm. But as his physical abuse worsens, Tina has to make the tough decision to leave Ike and set out on her own.

This eventually leads to her climactic return to the pop charts in 1984, achieving massive success.

The abuse scenes are startling and challenging to watch. At first, Ike appears smitten with Tina (whom he renamed), but he beds her while married to another woman. The luster quickly wears off as he becomes militant about her performances and berates her when she dares to question his authority.

A brutal rape scene in a music studio left me shocked and sickened.

Again, I wondered what made Ike the way he was, and it’s a minor misfire by director Brian Gibson and screenwriter Kate Lanier. I asked if his own father beat him and subsequently taught him that fame and success are the be-all and end-all, but it gnawed at me that I had no proof.

A brief flashback of Ike’s father being stabbed in front of him told me little.

Also mysterious is why it takes Tina so long to finally leave him, even though she is willing to be penniless as long as she can keep her stage name. Her kind friend, Darlene (Khandi Alexander), urges her to leave him for years.

Delightful is watching Bassett and Fishburne play off each other, proving that amazing chemistry is so important in film. I never bought that Ike really loved Tina; instead, saw her as a talent to solidify his career.

The finale, a live performance by the real Tina, propels Bassett’s already divine performance. The audience can confirm that her portrayal is spot on by identifying similarities.

With a miscast, the differences would have been glaring.

Thanks to superb acting, impressive production design that encapsulates the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and a hefty dose of the star’s greatest hits, What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993) is one of the better biopics.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Laurence Fishburne, Best Actress-Angela Bassett

"Weird Al" Yankovic, 2025 Films, Akiva Schaffer, Busta Rhymes, CCH Pounder, Comedy, Danny Huston, Dave Bautista, Kevin Durand, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Priscilla Presley

The Naked Gun-2025

November 20, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Naked Gun-2025

Director Akiva Schaffer

Starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson

Scott’s Review #1,501

Reviewed November 20, 2025

Grade: B-

With different levels of cinema for audiences to choose from, The Naked Gun (2025), a reboot of a long-dormant franchise, is meant for a particular spoof comedy fan who expects goofiness over a heavy subject matter.

It’s not The Godfather (1972), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), or Vertigo (1958), and pondering a more profound meaning or luxuriating in great visual art will not happen.

Instead, for some tepid chuckles and escapist fare from a rough day at work or a family matter one is hoping to run away from, director Akiva Schaffer crafts a smirky one-liner riddled experience in lunacy.

The fourth in The Naked Gun franchise, and the first in over 30 years, the plot follows the son (Liam Neeson) of Lt. Frank Drebin, also named Frank Drebin, as he steps into his father’s footsteps to prevent the closure of Police Squad.

Fans know that Leslie Nielsen played bumbling Frank senior in the first three installments, while George Kennedy played his sidekick, Captain Ed Hocken. Priscilla Presley played love interest Jane Spencer.

Essentially, Nielsen is replaced by Neeson, Kennedy by Paul Walter Heiser, and Jane by Pamela Anderson.

Preseley does quickly appear in a cameo (if you could even call it that), sitting on a sofa watching television.

While it is familiar territory to someone like me, who has seen only one other in the series and barely remembers it, the pattern is very one-note and more of a retro greatest hits compilation than anything new and noteworthy.

If we’re talking the 1980s, think Police Academy for a similar reference, and there is little reason I see to dust the franchise off the shelf.

We meet the new Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. of the LAPD Police Squad, who single-handedly dispatches a gang of bank robbers while disguised as a schoolgirl.

The fact that he morphs from a 3-foot-tall girl into a 6-foot-tall grown man is expected to be plausible.

Unbeknownst to Drebin, the bank heist is a distraction to steal a gadget called the “P.L.O.T. (“Primordial Law Of Toughness”) Device” from a safe deposit box by the film’s villain Richard Cane (Danny Huston), who is intent on reverting the human race to primal animals who kill each other.

This is to make sure that the world’s billionaires are safe to rule the planet.

The audience is not expected to wonder who will be left to serve the billionaires, or otherwise do the world’s grunt work.

The fewer plot points asked, the better.

Predictably, hard-edged Police Chief Davis (CCH Pounder) reassigns Frank when his over-the-top law enforcement becomes a legal liability.

From there, we watch Drebin eat bad food, have diarrhea, and suffer further embarrassments while working alongside Beth Davenport (Anderson), a crime novelist, to figure out why her brother died in a car accident deemed a suicide.

It’s hard to believe Neeson is the same actor who received an Oscar nomination for playing Oskar Schindler in the 1993 masterpiece Schindler’s List.

Still, shifting to an action star in 2008 proves that some actors accept projects to stay relevant.

While the plot is inane and easy to dissect with over-the-top plot points, overacting, and silly potty jokes, it can almost be overlooked for simple moments that bring a sliver of joy.

The chemistry between Neeson and Anderson is not bad, mainly because the actors know how to create it. As they banter and deliver monotone dialogue, the woodenness actually becomes an asset.

The scenes that made me smile were solely between the duo as they embraced the lines served to them to the best of their ability. Creating enough comic wit to remain entertaining, I clamored for more between the two and less of the ridiculousness of everything else.

Neeson and Anderson are the saving grace in an otherwise shit show.

The Naked Gun (2025) knows what kind of film it is, which helps level-set expectations. There is something refreshingly silly about anticipating a bad movie and having fun with it nonetheless.

1980 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Dinah Manoff, Donald Sutherland, Drama, Elizabeth McGovern, Judd Hirsch, M. Emmet Walsh, Mary Tyler Moore, Robert Redford, Timothy Hutton

Ordinary People-1980

November 15, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Ordinary People-1980

Director Robert Redford

Starring Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland, Timothy Hutton

Scott’s Review #1,500

Reviewed November 15, 2025

Grade: A

Ordinary People (1980) demonstrates that a quiet film with excellent writing and superb acting can pack an emotional punch, surpassing the gimmicks or action sequences that other films often employ to draw attention.

It’s character-driven and tells a story of a family tragedy and the ramifications and complications that affect the surviving members. The emotional intelligence that director Robert Redford embeds in the film is astonishing.

Deservedly winning the 1980 Best Picture Academy Award, it proves how crucial good writing and good characters are to a quality film.

Significantly, it propelled 1970s television sitcom star Mary Tyler Moore, known until then as the iconic girl-next-door type, into cinematic respectability. Her narcissistic, uptight character was uncharted territory and a career risk for the actor who ended up exceeding expectations.

Tortured by guilt following the death of his older brother, Buck, in a sailing accident, we meet the alienated teenager Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) right off the bat, following a failed suicide attempt.

Returning home to his affluent Chicago suburban life following an extended stay in a psychiatric hospital, Conrad tries to deal with his mental anguish and also reconnect with his mother, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore), who has grown bitter after the accident.

His emotionally wounded father, Calvin (Donald Sutherland), tries to gently repair the family damage with the help of a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), who begins to treat Conrad.

The screenplay, written by Alvin Sargent, is based on the 1976 novel by Judith Guest.

Combined with Redford’s masterful direction, the story never shifts to a soap opera direction with Calvin or Beth having affairs, turning to booze, or other showy plot devices, intent on stirring up drama.

Instead, it’s about how they and Conrad handle their trauma. Each has an individual view of the events, who they blame, and how they cope with such trauma.

The audience can easily empathize and relate to the incidents if anyone has faced a death, loss of a job, an accident, a divorce, or any such upheaval in their lives.

The posh autumnal suburban landscape is enveloped by Redford, which enhances the experience. The Jarretts’ affluence is put to good use as they attend local theater, play golf, take European vacations, and can afford to send Conrad to a psychiatrist.

Exterior shots of large suburban homes, accompanied by luxury cars, housekeepers, well-manicured lawns, and sleek golf courses, all convey the comforts of life.

It makes their pain a bit more understandable as they, especially Beth, soak in luxury as a way of comforting herself from the loss of her son.

Can’t their money help alleviate some of the suffering?

I had mixed emotions about Beth’s character. Appearing to be a cold bitch with Conrad and the assumption that she favored the dead son, she never visits Conrad in the hospital after his suicide attempt, instead fleeing to Europe on vacation. She engages in small talk with him rather than caring for him.

What kind of mother could do that?

But I realize that she is hurting too, and when she becomes teary-eyed or crumbles in her husband’s arms, I feel genuine sympathy for her, a testament to Tyler Moore’s talents.

My favorite character, though, is Conrad (Hutton).

Via flashbacks, we see the closeness of the brothers’ relationship and the action that occurred during the drowning.

Hutton delivers on many levels. Whether staring into the distance, pondering events, exploding with rage, tenderly sharing a date with a blossoming love interest, Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern), or struggling with a friend, Karen, his performance is always inspiring.

Ordinary People (1980) marks his directorial debut; Redford crafts a family drama rich in layers and a beautifully moving pace that draws the viewer into the lives of the primary characters.

The still taboo of mental illness and therapy is also embraced, showing that expressing feelings is better than repressing emotions.

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Robert Redford (won), Best Actress-Mary Tyler Moore, Best Supporting Actor-Timothy Hutton (won), Judd Hirsch, Best Adapted Screenplay (won)

2025 Films, Aidan Delbis, Alicia Silverstone, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Stavros Halkias, Thriller, Yorgos Lanthimos

Bugonia-2025

November 8, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Bugonia-2025

Director Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons

Scott’s Review #1,499

Reviewed November 8, 2025

Grade: A

Going into the movie theater to see Bugonia (2025), I had the apt knowledge that off-center iconoclast Yorgos Lanthimos directed the film once again using his muse, superstar Emma Stone, in his latest project.

Responsible for the weird efforts like The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023), and a bizarre early effort, Dogtooth (2009), I knew I was in store for something off-kilter if not altogether unhinged.

My mouth salivated for something deranged, and I was not disappointed.

I hoped that no one in the theater was expecting something like La La Land (2016), also starring Stone. No disrespect intended, since I adore that film, but a story about a chirpy aspiring actress conquering Hollywood is hardly a Lanthimos storyline.

The creative Greek director hits a home run with Bugonia while subsequently convincing Stone to shave her head and take on a bald role.

Like several other recently released films, Lanthimos critiques modern society and the decisions made by this generation of human beings. He challenges the audience to ask if people have simply fucked up the Earth.

Should we start over from the dinosaur era and try to get things right?

By the time the credits rolled and a few nervous chuckles had enveloped the audience, I knew that not everyone had grasped this Lanthimos film.

Sigh.

Without spoiling the film, a late-inning surprise catapulted Bugonia from very good to exceptional, leaving me pondering the conclusion and its ramifications for days.

The idea is based on the 2003 South Korean film ‘Save the Green Planet!’ by Jang Joon-hwan. Bugonia follows two young men, led by a spectacular performance by Jesse Plemons, who kidnap a powerful CEO (Stone), suspecting that she is secretly an alien intent on destroying Earth.

Ludicrous as it sounds, the plot begins to unravel as Plemons and Stone play kidnapper and kidnappee against the backdrop of a dilapidated suburban house, each trying to outsmart the other using reasoning and conspiracy theories to argue their case.

It becomes a game of chess.

Stone’s Michelle Fuller, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, who has a secret connection to Plemons’s Teddy Gatz, now a beekeeper, initially assumes Teddy is dimwitted and an easy target to outmaneuver.

Along with Teddy’s cousin, Don (Aidan Delbis), an intellectually disabled young man, they accost and keep Michelle bound and tied in their basement, encouraging her to confess to being an alien and taking them back to her planet at the upcoming lunar eclipse.

The audience goes along for the ride, wondering if the characters are who they seem to be and exactly how the wacky plot will play out.

Will Michelle ultimately escape? Will the more sympathetic Don come to Michelle’s rescue?

The plot thickens when flashbacks reveal a connection between Teddy’s mother, Sandy (Alicia Silverstone), and Michelle.

Is Teddy seeking revenge, or does he believe Michelle is an alien? Or both?

Stone can’t do enough with her large green eyes, only enhanced by her bald head, which Teddy and Don shave. Her shock at both being shaved bald and accused of being an alien elicits comical moments from the actor.

Her timing is perfect as she emits corporate jargon meant to placate and manipulate Teddy. She assumes she can talk her way out of her crisis by putting on her CEO hat, which is intended to intimidate him.

The fun part is that we don’t know whether to root for Michelle or root for Teddy.

Stone and Plemons play off each other so well, keeping the dialogue juicy and crisp, and entirely engaging the audience.

Bugonia (2025) offers up twisted twists and turns set against delicious cinematography and a couple of blood-spurting dark comedy moments.

A cringy torture scene and a suggested childhood molestation only add to the bizarre puzzle that Lanthimos creates.

Fans of the director will celebrate and champion the film for its uniqueness and dizzying thrill rides. Hopefully, he will continue to inspire young filmmakers to create unconventional and thought-provoking offerings.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress-Emma Stone, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score

2025 Films, Hailee Steinfeld, Horror, Jack O'Connell, Li Jun Li, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Omar Benson Miller, Ryan Coogler, Wunmi Mosaku

Sinners-2025

October 31, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Sinners-2025

Director Ryan Coogler

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton

Scott’s Review #1,498

Reviewed October 31, 2025

Grade: B+

After hearing so much positivity about Sinners (2025), director Ryan Coogler’s latest film, which shifts from independent (Fruitvale Station, 2013) and Marvel (Black Panther, 2018) films to the horror genre, I excitedly waited months to see it.

Coogler shifts into a vein more like Jordan Peele, a contemporary director known for daring horror message offerings like Get Out (2017) and Us (2019).

While very good, it’s not the A+ daring, horrific, extravaganza I was expecting. The tone is dark, mysterious, and compelling, but it takes an awfully long time to actually get going despite a looming expectation of bloody events to come.

Or maybe that’s because my expectations told me to await thrills and gore mixed with a powerful storyline.

Nonetheless, had I not listened to the buzz, I might have been more satisfied. Instead, I was impressed but not blown away.

Sinners reminded me very much of the HBO series True Blood (2008-2014), with its southern vampire fantasy/horror mix, but featuring an almost entirely black cast and a lot of music.

Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, the film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers, ‘Smoke’ and ‘Stack’ Moore, one of whom is a criminal, who return to their hometown, where they confront a supernatural evil.

The brothers return from Chicago, where they have made an illegal fortune, and purchase a sawmill from a racist landowner to start a juke joint for the local Black community.

They reconnect with local friends and musicians, offering substantial amounts of money to help make opening night a grand experience.

Coogler wisely begins the film, which takes place over the course of a twenty-four-hour period, the morning after the thrilling Saturday night events, so we somewhat know something bad will happen.

Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), the brother’s cousin, staggers into his preacher father’s church during services, clutching his coveted guitar. He is an aspiring blues musician and is wounded.

Michael B. Jordan, clearly the star of the film and frequently in Coogler films, is an Oscar hopeful by portraying dual roles. With a good versus evil vibe, he may make the cut, given the differing personalities fleshed out in the parts.

While offering decent cinematography and a southern flavor that adds dimensions, it takes so long for much action to arrive that the payoff isn’t as satisfying as I’d like.

Sure, the last forty-five minutes work well as the dusk-to-dawn fight scenes, a workable whodunit of who’s a vampire and who isn’t a vampire, and hold your breath moments of which characters will unwittingly invite a vampire inside.

The last sequence is excellent when 1932 suddenly turns into the 1990s, and one character is still left alive. The film ends happily as the character realizes a pact made in the ghastly night years ago has allowed him to live.

A question repeatedly dangled before the audience’s noses like a carrot before a horse is whether we would give in to temptation and live forever as a vampire.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful never to age? I’ll admit to realizing the appeal.

The supporting characters, including Stack’s girlfriend, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), the bouncer, Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller), and Smoke’s estranged wife, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), deliver strong performances.

However, the southern accents occasionally feel overdone, but the lovely costumes never do.

Neither good nor bad, the characters don’t look genuine from the 1930s, and there is more inclusion (a Korean family in the deep south?) than in real life.

Still, the film works as a fantasy, right?

Coogler gets points for creativity and for showcasing the racism of the 1930s that still exists today, but treads lightly on going full throttle with any message.

Instead, he shows that strong black characters can forge their own success in a racist world, accompanied by a toe-tapping melody and bluesy guitars.

Sinners (2025) crosses genres like horror, supernatural, fantasy, and musical, with some sexy scenes of blood and sex amid music. The creativity is there, but it’s a slow build.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Ryan Coogler, Best Actor-Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actor-Delroy Lindo, Best Supporting Actress-Wunmi Mosaku, Best Original Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Original Song-“I Lied to You”, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects

2025 Films, Action, Alana Haim, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Crime Thriller, Favorite Film of the Year, Kevin Tighe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Thomas Anderson, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Thriller, Tony Goldwyn

One Battle After Another-2025

October 20, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

One Battle After Another-2025

Director Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti

Scott’s Review #1,497

Reviewed October 20, 2025

Grade: A

In my opinion, one of the modern great directors, Paul Thomas Anderson, has released One Battle After Another (2025), a film rich in thrills and relevance. Sought to be made for years, the film is inspired by the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, with some of Anderson’s narratives peppered in.

Undoubtedly, Anderson was influenced by the current state of the United States regarding immigration issues and the tyranny withinICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

While immigration is not a new hot-button issue, the inhumanity heaped onto ‘illegal immigrants’ and some US citizens is current as well as powerful.

Additionally, a frightening tone of racism and ‘white power’ is an underlying theme of the film, contrasting covert hatred by a group of white supremacists with the humanity of revolutionaries who attack the political system.

Therefore, the film has an overwhelming modern feel.

Otherwise, the breakneck twists, turns, and action make One Battle After Another the crown jewel of storytelling fun and an Anderson offering that could easily be added to his top 5 of all time.

Events follow an ex-revolutionary explosive device expert, “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun / “Rocketman” / Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is forced back into his former combative lifestyle when a corrupt military officer pursues him and his daughter.

With new identities, they had assumed they could live a peaceful life of tranquility, but they were in for a rude awakening.

Set in recent times, the film begins 15 years before events later in the story, yet maintains a clear link. This ensures the audience is invested in the characters, especially in the latter half, as we get to know them better.

While DiCaprio can never deliver a bad performance and firmly grips the lead role as the intelligent yet comically clumsy Bob, other actors shine, making One Battle After Another an ensemble piece dripping with award-worthy performances and hefty accolades.

DiCaprio improvises his way through the script, with stutters and stammering enveloping his character, endowing him with endearing qualities like forgetting a vital password or falling off a roof. Nonetheless, he has sentimental and introspective moments about his life and his teenage daughter, Willa Ferguson/Charlene Calhoun, played by Chase Infiniti.

Infiniti is tremendous in her breakout role as a mixed-race girl trying to lead an everyday life while paying for the crimes and mistakes of her parents.

Playing confident, yet scared and vulnerable, Infiniti is quite the find. Is she destined to follow in her parents’ footsteps?

Teyana Taylor is brutally talented as she plays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a tough as nails, take no prisoners, kick ass young woman known to tease and humiliate her prey strictly for laughs.

Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro bring their kind-hearted, supportive characters to life with emotional flair and some needed humor, especially from del Toro.

The standout, however, is Sean Penn. Giving a bravura performance as the hated and racist Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, a military officer who pursues the French 75, he sneers and pouts, never playing the character over the top or for laughs.

He truly believes he comes from a superior race while bedding the women he despises.

A three-way highway car chase scene nearly rivals classic sequences in The French Connection (1971) and The Getaway (1972). As three separate drivers’ points of view are featured along a hilly highway with deadly results, the audience is treated to rear-view mirror and reaction shots.

I honestly did not know what would happen next and was delighted at the outcome.

Hopefully, as the years go by, One Battle After Another (2025) will be remembered for embracing different genres and delivering a powerhouse final product. With great acting, editing, storytelling, and action, the film has it all.

Add in a timely message, and you’ve got yourself a gem.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director-Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Actor-Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor-Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Best Supporting Actress-Teyana Taylor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound

2025 Films, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, Cillian Murphy, Danny Boyle, Edvin Ryding, Horror, Jack O'Connell, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes

28 Years Later-2025

October 13, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

28 Years Later-2025

Director Danny Boyle

Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams

Scott’s Review #1,496

Reviewed October 13, 2025

Grade: B

For loyal fans of the 28 Days Later film franchise, launched in 2002, 28 Years Later (2025) may be a disappointment.

Not what I expected, the film has less raw horror than its two predecessors, but it adds a deeper emotional connection, linking various characters together.

A family is introduced, which helps provide character depth. Apparently, 28 Years Later is the first of a new trilogy, which may leave the first two installments by the wayside.

Still, the film is uneven and meanders quite a bit until the final thirty minutes or so, when I felt more invested in the events.

This is surprising, given the participation of Academy Award-winning participants, including director Danny Boyle, writer Alex Garland, and actor Cillian Murphy, as Executive Producer. It also features the original cinematographer (Anthony Dod Mantle), so I’m surprised how little connection it has to the original.

A weak sub-plot featuring Sir Jimmy Crystal, the leader of the Jimmy Savile–inspired “Jimmy” cult, and a survivor of the original outbreak is the only connection.

It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a heavily enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected.

One group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway.

When Spike (Alfie Williams), the twelve-year-old son of Jamie and Isla (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer), leaves the island on a mission to find help for his ailing mum, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but also other survivors.

He encounters characters like “Samson”, a physically imposing Alpha leader of the infected, the odd Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a former doctor and survivor of the outbreak, and a pregnant infected woman.

Isla, who teeters in and out of sanity, is along for the ride.

Comer, known for the television series Killing Eve (2018-2022), has begun to forge her way into feature films and is the standout performer.

Isla suffers from a mentally debilitating disease, but it’s unclear what the issue is. She mostly lies in bed, sleeping or suffering from excruciating headaches. It’s not until the final act that Comer’s work is stellar.

When she becomes attached to a healthy newborn baby, her emotional connection to Spike and her memories of time spent with her father are linked.

These are the best scenes, and when Comer shines brightly. She is aided by the inclusion of Fiennes as the sympathetic doctor.

This proves that superior actors can make any film better as long as they infuse their talents into the script, which Comer and Fiennes do. They have tremendous chemistry during their limited scenes, offering humane and tender moments. Young Williams also does good work.

The cinematography is impressive. Lavish outdoorsy sequences in meadows or amidst a raging fire are lucid and colorful. An abandoned train set is dressed perfectly with dingy seats overgrown with plants and weeds. When the characters race through the aisles, there’s a realism to the scene.

The rest of the film has issues, especially weak subplots.

There’s a bit too much going on, so the result feels messy. Visions, memories, Jamie cheats on Isla while Spike watches, Spike pulls a knife on dad, the alpha is on the loose, a mysterious doctor, a fire, and other such additions are included.

Some work better than others.

A hunting expedition where Jamie teaches Spike to hunt is superfluous and clichéd. Doesn’t almost every post-apocalyptic film or television show feature someone showing someone else how to hunt?

The film also feels remarkably similar to television’s The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, suggesting that the filmmakers may have been riding a trend rather than creating their own original work.

Why make the father sympathetic, then non-sympathetic? Is it a way to enhance Isla’s and Spike’s bond?

The same occurs later when a kind Swedish soldier (Edvin Ryding) debuts, only to become unlikable minutes later. Is this to justify his head being torn from his body? An incredible scene by the way.

28 Years Later (2025) has some impressive story and technical tidbits, marginally giving it a recommendation for fans of the franchise. Otherwise, there isn’t enough quality content to entice new viewers.

Welcome to my blog!1,520 reviews posted so far! I'm Scott Segrell and I reside in Stamford, CT. My site features hundreds of film reviews I have written since I launched the site in 2014. I hope you enjoy reading my latest reviews or searching for your own favorites to see if we agree. Please see my featured films of the month, and don't forget to utilize the tags and category links.