"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" doesn't exactly push boundaries, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do: Make a crap-ton of money and leave audiences entertained enough to show up for the next, inevitable chapter.

The gang's all back, in front of and behind the scenes. Directors Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic and Pierre Leduc maintain the slick, colorful aesthetic established in 2023's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which crossed 1.3 billion (yes billion with a "b") at the global box office. The returning voice cast, including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Charlie Day and Keegan-Michael Key, slip comfortably back into place, while newcomers Brie Larson, Benny Safdie, Donald Glover and Glen Powell expand the universe without disrupting it.

The story kicks off with Princess Rosalina (Larson) being captured by Bowser Jr. (Safdie), setting the stage for a galaxy-spanning rescue. Bowser (Black), now miniaturized and imprisoned by Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day), looms as an inevitable wildcard. Along the way, the brothers team up with Yoshi (Glover), adding another layer of nostalgia for longtime fans, while Peach (Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Key) remain steady supporting players.

As expected, the film is packed with rapid-fire Easter eggs and references pulled from decades of Mario history. Fans will eat it up. At the same time, the story stays simple enough to keep younger viewers and non-gamers engaged without confusion.

Where the film comes up short is in its lack of ambition. Nintendo continues to treat these characters as untouchable icons rather than evolving protagonists. No one really struggles. No one meaningfully changes. Bowser gets the closest thing to development, but even that feels surface-level. The result is a film that’s polished and entertaining, yet dramatically flat.

That said, there’s something oddly fitting about that approach. Like the games themselves, this is designed as pure escape. It’s colorful, fast-moving, and easy to consume. And while it may feel outdated compared to something like “The LEGO Movie” or the “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, it still delivers exactly what its audience expects.

If anything, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” improves slightly on its predecessor by expanding the Nintendo universe in ways that feel organic. With decades of source material still untapped, don’t expect this formula to change anytime soon. Nintendo isn’t chasing innovation here. They’re giving fans exactly what they want, and right now, that’s enough.

Grade: B

Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure.
Run Time: 1 hour 38 minutes.
Rated PG.

Starring (voices of): Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Brie Larson, Charlie Day, Donald Glover, Benny Safdie, Glen Powell.

Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc ("The Super Mario Bros. Movie," "Teen Titans GO! To the Movies").

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" is in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026.

"Project: Hail Mary" is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, but what makes it a rarity is that it embraces something modern science fiction too often lacks: hope and optimism. Those virtues not only help the film stand out, they make "Project: Hail Mary" feel like the right movie for this moment, when both are in short supply and more needed than ever.

Based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir (author of "The Martian" who gets a co-credit on this film with "The Cabin in the Woods" scribe Drew Goddard), the story follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), an astronaut who awakens aboard a spacecraft deep in interstellar space with no memory of how he got there. Gosling is in nearly every scene, carrying nearly every scene on his own (you could say that "Project: Hail Mary" is full of Grace! Ahem...). He soon discovers not only the importance of his mission, but that he is not alone.

Surprisingly, this alien being isn't hostile, not predatory, and not at all what we've come to expect out in cinematic space. Grace's relationship with "Rocky" becomes the emotional core of the film, and where its heart truly lies.

The movie uses flashbacks to gradually reveal how Grace ended up on this mission. A scientist with some unconventional theories, he catches the attention of a determined government agent, Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), who needs Grace to literally save the planet. Even this backstory takes some surprising turns, that deepen the film's central themes.

For a movie with a massive budget and that is mostly CG, I surprisingly wasn't a huge fan of the visuals. There is no up or down in space, and the cinematography constantly reminds us of this, as the camera spins and twists ad nauseum. Many of the action sequences I found to be clunky, claustrophobic, or just visually confusing. And the movie is not only too long, but it contains a few false endings that sort of grinds the movie to a halt.

I did not read the book, but I am told that the film stays quite true to it, for what it's worth.

But despite its flaws, "Project: Hail Mary" has heart. It's witty, engaging and never uninteresting. Grace is a hero of an unusual mold, a reluctant soul who doesn't know what he's capable of until he's done it. There is no traditional villain here (just a starlight-sucking black substance that threatens existence itself), and even in the face of a catastrophic future, the film suggests that our humanity remains the brightest and most unextinguishable light of all.

Saving the universe is not the most important mission in "Project: Hail Mary." Survival may be a real long-shot, but having compassion, empathy and courage is what ultimately makes life worth saving.

Grade: B

Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller.
Run Time: 2 hours 36 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Liz Kingsman.

Written by Drew Goddard  ("The Martian," "The Cabin in the Woods") & Andy Weir ("The Martian")

Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller ("The Lego Movie," "21 Jump Street," "22 Jump Street," "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs").

"Project: Hail Mary is in theaters everywhere on Friday, March 20th, 2026.

Overall Program Grade: A-

A solid and diverse line-up this year, the Animated Shorts hit on nearly every emotion. "The Three Sisters" is quite inventive and funny, about three sisters living by themselves on a remote island, who are forced to rent out one of their three houses. The funniest entry though is "Retirement Plan", which also is this year's shortest of the short films, at just seven minutes. Voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, a man fantasizes about all the wondrous things he will do once he hits retirement age. "Forevergreen" is a touching story about a bear cub that befriends a protective tree, and learns about sacrifice, love and family. "The Girl Who Cried Pearls" might have won the Oscar in a different year, as it's perhaps the most inventive story this year, with a phenomenal animation style involving handmade puppets.

But the clear front-runner for me in this category is "Butterfly." The hand-painted animation is breath-taking, as is the true story about  Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache and his amazing journey through life, where all of his memories - good, bad and traumatic - bubble up to the surface. It's a film that sticks with you.

Also of note, the theatrical Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Program also includes one animated short film, "Eiru," that was not nominated, but that brings this program in at about 90 minutes in total.

Overall Program Grade: A

The Live-Action Program this year is undoubtedly lighter than in previous years, the comedic stand-out being "Jane Austen's Period Drama." It's laugh-out-loud funny, a satire of the famous author's "Pride and Prejudice," except this time, the heroine has unfortunate timing when she gets her period just as her beau declares his love for her. The most serious in tone, "Butcher's Stain," is about a Palestinian butcher who gets accused of tearing down Israeli hostage posters in the break room. "A Friend of Dorothy" is about an unlikely friendship between a closeted young man and his next door neighbor, a lonely widow who connects with the young man in unexpected ways. With a title like "Two People Exchanging Saliva," you would think that this is another comedy, but it is far from it. It takes place in a dystopian future where kissing is forbidden, and features by the far the best acting performance in any short film this year, by French actress Luana Bajrami. It's also the most cinematic of this year's selections.

But my favorite of the bunch is "The Singers," an adaptation of a 19th-Century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, where local patrons in a dark and smoky pub end up in an impromptu sing-off. The cinematography has you feeling like you're bellied-up to the bar next to the rest of these characters, all who are comprised of real-life viral singing talents on the internet. I'm not sure why, but this one won me over quite easily.

Overall Program Grade: B+

The Documentary Short category is always the longest of the three Short Film categories, and almost always the most riveting and tragic. Some of this year's films are hard to watch, even if they should be essential viewing. "All the Empty Rooms" and "Children No More: 'Were and Gone'" are similar in tone and simply heart-wrenching. The first is a documentary about all of the empty rooms left behind from children killed in American school shootings, while the latter is about activists who gather in Tel Aviv in opposition to the several children who have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza. With the weight of these two films, it's hard to imagine that "Perfectly a Strangeness" exists in the same category; a sensory-driven, dialogue-free movie about three donkeys wandering around an abandoned observatory in the middle of an unnamed desert.

"Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud" may be the most difficult of all of this year's entries, even with the aforementioned subject matter of the other films. It is a love letter and farewell to American journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine. Directed by his younger brother, Craig Renaud, he approaches the story of Brent's in a way that honors his brother's legacy, with raw, unflinching emotional truth. Warning: He films the dead body of his brother up-close, showing the horrors and atrocities of the Russo-Ukranian War just as his brother would have wanted.

Of all of these, "The Devil is Busy" stood out. It's a chronicle of a day in the life of a female security guard at an abortion clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, and her minute-by-minute struggle to keep her arriving patients safe. Of all of the nominees this year, the message didn't feel forced. It just reflects back to us the realities of the world we live in, as all great documentary films do.

Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is a big fan of "Survivor." So much so that in "Send Help," we discover that she has submitted an audition tape to compete on the long-running Reality-TV series.

She definitely has what it takes to survive on an island, as we soon find out in this wildly fun and, at times, gory dark comedy thriller.

 Linda has succeeded at a boring desk job in corporate America, but her hard work has put her next-in-line for a major promotion. Her courageous self-image, however, is sharply contrasted by how she's viewed by her co-workers. Linda is socially awkward, disheveled, and very much the laughingstock of the office. When she eagerly jumps at the chance to meet her new boss, Bradley (Dylan O'Brien), face-to-face, he doesn't hear a word she says, becoming fixated instead on a piece of tuna fish clinging to the corner of her mouth.

Bradley is a self-centered egomaniac with few redeeming qualities, who brings Linda along on a work trip after being pressured into it largely to pacify her. In a shocking twist, the plane violently crashes into the ocean, and Linda and Bradley find themselves alone on a deserted island.

For many, this would be a nightmare scenario, but not for Linda. She's dreamed and prepared for this moment her entire life. On the island, Bradley is no longer her boss and Linda is finally in control. Things quickly go from bad to worse for Bradley, before spiraling even further into chaos.

Fans of director Sam Raimi rejoice: "Send Help" is very much in his wheelhouse, complete with several effective jump scares, cartoonish gore and the darkest of humor. This movie plays like Survivor meets "The Evil Dead," with a twist of Stephen King's "Misery" sewn in. Tonally, it is all over the place, and despite its horrors, it never feels confined to any one genre. McAdams and O'Brien are tremendous - probably much better than what this movie deserved - but their charisma and on-screen chemistry ensure there's never a dull moment.

Not everything works, but Raimi delivers a riveting, completely bat-shit thriller that is so unapologetically strange it avoids ever feeling predictable. You'll laugh at things you shouldn't, you won't be prepared for what you see, and most importantly, you'll leave feeling entertained.

Does Linda fulfill her dream of becoming the sole survivor? Strap in for "Send Help."

Grade: B

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Comedy.
Run Time: 1 hour 53 minutes.
Rated R.

Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien.

Directed by Sam Raimi ("The Evil Dead," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," "Oz the Great and Powerful," "Drag Me to Hell," "Spider-Man," "Spider-Man 2," "Spider-Man 3," "Army of Darkness," "Darkman").

"Send Help" is in theaters on Friday, January 30th, 2026.

What an impossibly high bar that has been set for director James Cameron, where each new film he makes is expected to reinvent cinema all over again or be casually dismissed as a disappointment.

The early criticism aimed at "Avatar: Fire and Ash," that it feels “too similar” to its predecessor, says far more about our warped expectations than it does about the film itself. Since when did consistency, coherence, and a director confidently expanding the world he created become a flaw? With "Fire and Ash," Cameron has once again built, refined and deepened his cinematic universe, delivering another immersive, meticulously crafted chapter that reminds us why Pandora remains one of the most fully realized worlds in modern blockbuster filmmaking.

Picking up after the events of 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Fire and Ash" finds Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) still reeling from personal loss while attempting to hold their fractured family together in a world that remains under constant threat from human expansion. As the conflict on Pandora evolves, the Sullys are drawn into new regions of the planet, encountering unfamiliar Na’vi clans and belief systems that challenge their understanding of unity, survival, and moral certainty. "Fire and Ash" explores how cycles of violence, grief, and retaliation threaten not only Pandora’s future, but the very soul of the people fighting to protect it.

The film’s most striking new presence comes in the form of Varang, the formidable leader of the Ash People, portrayed with commanding intensity by Oona Chaplin. Varang is not positioned as a conventional villain, but as a leader shaped by scarcity, fire, and survival at all costs, and Chaplin leans fully into that severity. Her performance is fierce, controlled, and quietly unsettling, conveying authority not through volume or theatrics, but through conviction. Cameron wisely allows Varang to exist in moral opposition rather than cartoonish evil, making her one of the franchise’s most complex and memorable antagonistic forces to date.

Speaking of memorable antagonists, Stephen Lang’s Miles Quaritch continues an unexpected evolution that now makes him perhaps the most fully developed and complicated character in the Avatar franchise. Once defined almost entirely by brute force and militaristic certainty, Quaritch has gradually become a figure shaped by contradiction, memory, and uneasy self-awareness. We see moments of doubt and internal conflict uncomfortably bubbling up alongside the character’s more familiar aggression. It's a layered performance that reframes Quaritch not just as an obstacle, but as a reflection of the franchise’s larger themes around identity, loyalty, and the cost of survival.

What ultimately defines "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is the way Cameron uses technology in service of storytelling, grounding the film in performance rather than digital excess. This is not a “giant cartoon,” nor are its actors buried beneath digital noise. Instead, the film is built from physical performances captured with extraordinary precision and translated into an environment that feels lived-in, tactile, and emotionally grounded. The advancements in motion capture, facial nuance, and environmental interaction are immediately apparent, resulting in imagery that rivals and in many moments surpasses "The Way of Water." Whether one views this chapter as stronger or weaker than its predecessor almost misses the point, because there is simply no other ongoing franchise operating at this scale, with this level of technical ambition, creative cohesion, and long-term vision.

Taken as a whole, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" stands as further proof that James Cameron is operating on a creative wavelength few filmmakers even attempt, let alone sustain over multiple chapters. Yes, the runtime is substantial (it's a whopping 197 minutes long), and yes, there will always be voices eager to label familiarity as failure. But those criticisms fade quickly once the film settles into its rhythm.

In other words, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is a stellar, emotionally rich experience that fully comes alive in a theatrical setting, with 3D functioning not as a gimmick, but as an essential part of the film’s language. This is big-cinema storytelling executed with precision and purpose, and audiences willing to meet it on its own terms will find themselves thoroughly entertained, moved, and reminded why the Avatar films remain a singular achievement in modern filmmaking.

Grade: A-

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy.
Run Time: 3 hours and 17 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, CCH Pounder, Jemaine Clement, Jack Champion, David Thewlis, Giovanni Ribisi, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss

Directed by James Cameron ("Avatar," "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Titanic," "True Lies," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "The Abyss," "Aliens," "The Terminator").

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is in theaters everywhere on Friday, December 19th, 2025.

It's been nearly a decade since the release of the Academy Award-winning Disney animated film, "Zootopia," a movie that defied all expectations and went on to gross over one billion dollars worldwide. It was praised not only for being a fun family film with many memorable scenes and characters (who can forget Flash the sloth?), but for its depth, exploring themes of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. (Read my review of the first "Zootopia" film here).

With "Zootopia 2," Disney has come a long way from its cash-grab, direct-to-video sequels from a few decades ago. This is a worthy, insightful, and still fully accessible follow-up that reunites all of our favorite characters from the first film while adding in some solid newcomers. It builds on the deeper themes of the original, exploring empathy, trust and how history is often written by the winners. Mix in an all-star voice cast and vibrant, colorful animation, and Disney has delivered one of its best animated features in years.

Bunny detective Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her partner the sly fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) have become celebrities in Zootopia after bringing down the corrupt mayor from the first film. But the duo is getting a bit cocky, and their insubordination relegates them to the sidelines as a new mystery hits the city. It involves a snake and a reptile community that has historically been shunned by the main population. This leads Hopps and Wilde to go undercover in some new areas of Zootopia that we've yet to explore, not just to save the city but to redeem themselves in the eyes of their boss, ZPD Chief Bogo (Idris Elba).

One of the most brilliant aspects of "Zootopia" and "Zootopia 2," is that the filmmakers have created such a rich world that I could see this becoming one of Disney's strongest franchises. This doesn't play as "the continuing adventures" of Hopps and Wilde, but as a film with purpose, much like the first chapter. Favorite characters (yes, Flash returns) appear but are not milked dry. New characters and species add surprising layers as the animals of Zootopia continue to show humans that harmony is possible despite our differences.

What impressed me most is how the film works on multiple levels without ever talking down to its audience. Younger kids will lock into the bright visuals, the quick jokes, and the momentum of the mystery, but adults will immediately notice the sharper commentary tucked just beneath the surface. There are jokes aimed squarely at grown-ups, and the themes about who gets heard, who gets overlooked, and how communities rewrite their own stories land with surprising weight. Too many animated films simplify themselves to stay “safe,” but this one trusts viewers of every age to pick up what they’re ready for. It plays fun for kids and smart for adults, often in the same scene.​

"Zootopia 2" might have been inevitable after the success of the first film, but it feels necessary here in 2025. Animation may be the best way to deliver such difficult messages in today's climate, and it's encouraging to see that Disney isn't resting on its laurels.

Grade: A-

Genre: Animation, Family.
Run Time: 1 hour 48 minutes.
Rated PG.

Starring (voices of): Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Fortune Feimster, Ke Huy Quan, David Strathairn, Andy Samberg, Shakira, Quinta Brunson, Patrick Warburton, Idris Elba, Danny Trejo, Roman Reigns, CM Punk.

Directed by Jared Bush & Byron Howard ("Zootopia," "Encanto").

"Zootopia 2" is in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, November 26th, 2025.

The sequel and final chapter to one of the best films of 2024, "Wicked For Good" sticks the landing in a truly wondrous way. Anyone who cannot get swept up in this magical, fast-paced adventure may be missing the brains and heart...or worse, the courage...to admit that this is one of the most impressive musical-to-film adaptations - across two movies - that has ever been put on screen.

In truth, most of the criticism aimed at "Wicked For Good" is really criticism of the source material. If you walked out of the stage production feeling Act II was the weaker half, you will likely leave this movie with the same thought.

But most moviegoers don’t speak in those terms. Nobody is stepping into the lobby asking, "So what did you think of the Second Act?" They leave with a feeling, an instinctive reaction to whether the film moved them or not. And for the vast majority, "Wicked For Good" will deliver that feeling in full, giving fans everything they hope for while also offering newcomers who only know the first film and have never seen the musical a truly wonderful time.

"Wicked For Good" is the heart-pounding, emotional payoff to the impressive but overlong first film. It picks up years after the events of "Wicked," where outcast Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) - now labeled "The Wicked Witch of the West" by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) - is on the run. Glinda (Ariana Grande) has become a polished spokesperson for all that is good, and the figurehead of The Wizard's propaganda machine. Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is preparing to marry Glinda, although his new role as head of the Ozian Army has him hunting his true love, Elphaba. Elphaba's sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode) now holds political power, with Munchkin Boq (Ethan Slater) still loyal by her side, despite his lingering devotion to Glinda.

A wicked scheme by Madame Morrible to capture Elphaba once and for all sets a chain of events in motion that will eventually lead us to "The Wizard of Oz." To spoil anything further would be to drain the fun from all that "Wicked For Good" has in store.

With the characters already established, this chapter whizzes by, slowing down only when an emotional beat demands it. Erivo and Grande have superb chemistry and deliver award-worthy performances, just as they did last year. The climactic duet of "For Good" is a highlight of the entire two-film saga, and had me nearly in tears as it brings these two characters face-to-face, crystalizing the story's themes of friendship and choice.

There is simply nothing more than can be asked of director Jon M. Chu or the outstanding ensemble he's assembled. A film adaptation of "Wicked" had been discussed for years, and now that it is here, it is difficult to imagine a version that could be more genuine, more ambitious, or more in tune with what fans hoped for.

The audience score (currently at 97%) throws water on the idea that "Wicked For Good" is anything less than a triumph, even as critics on RottenTomatoes currently have the film just above 70% Fresh. This is especially surprising considering the overwhelmingly positive critical response to last year's "Wicked." Regardless, "Wicked For Good" is a lovely film with spectacular visuals and fantastic performances. It's a movie meant for the big-screen, and one of the few recent releases that truly adds color to an otherwise black & white theatrical landscape.

More than anything, "Wicked For Good" carries the cinematic spirit of "The Wizard of Oz," proving more than 85 years later that the magic of Oz still works. It's a reminder that movies are meant to be felt, believed in, and embraced with wonder...even if some will always be tempted to peek behind the curtain.​

Grade: A

Genre: Musical, Fantasy, Family.
Run Time: 2 hours 18 minutes.
Rated PG.

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James.

Directed by Jon M. Chu ("Wicked," "In the Heights," "Crazy Rich Asians," "Now You See Me 2," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "Step Up 3D").

"Wicked: For Good" is in theaters everywhere on Friday, November 21st, 2025.

Full disclosure: I don't have vast knowledge of the Predator Cinematic Universe, nor am I a dedicated fan of this series. What I can tell you is that the Predator franchise has now spanned six live-action stand-alone movies, an animated film (2025's "Predator: Killer of Killers") and two crossover films. They've collectively grossed over 550 million, and on the heels of "Predator: Killer of Killers" and Hulu's surprisingly great 2022 entry, "Prey," the series seems to be headed in a positive direction.

The new life breathed into the franchise can perhaps be credited to Dan Trachtenberg, the writer/director of "Prey" and "Predator: Killer of Killers," who now brings us "Predator: Badlands." Unfortunately, this latest effort feels like a blatant, soulless attempt to try to broaden the series' appeal.

The more we get to know about these Predators and their warrior-like alien race, the less interesting they've become. The creatures we've come to know as "Predators" are actually called Yautja. We've learned that these beings live to hunt, but instead of being mysterious, powerful and relentless killers as in the earlier films, "Badlands" reveals that they actually belong to clans, and that defeating prey earns them a place in their tribal hierarchy.

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is one such Yautja, who we find battling (playfully?) with his brother. But Dek is the runt of the family and is cast out by the tribal chief, Dek's Father. He sets out on an impossible mission to "the death planet," to kill a monster known as a Kalisk, hoping that claiming its skull as a trophy will prove to his father that he belongs.

That's right: Predators have feelings, abusive fathers and complicated family dynamics, just like so many of us.

As Dek tries to survive the many trials and tribulations he finds in the Badlands, he comes across a synthetic robot known as Thia (Elle Fanning)...actually just her top half, as her bottom half was torn apart by the Kalisk and has gone missing. She has an identical "sister" known as Tessa, who serves as the film's antagonist, and was sent to the planet as part of an expeditionary unit led by the Weyland-Yutani Coorporation (the same ruthless conglomerate featured in the Alien film franchise, a sly nod to the other series that has crossed over with Predator in the past.)

I did like the death planet and its many treacherous alien inhabitants. Dek showcases the Predator's ability to adapt to his environment, a staple of these characters from the beginning. If only the movie weren't so misguided, this might have been an exciting setting for a high-stakes adventure.

For the first time in the franchise, we are meant to cheer for and sympathize with a Yautja. Thia - along with a cute yet violent creature they meet along the way - supplies enough laughs and quirky one-liners that it's clear Trachtenberg is trying to appeal to the Marvel Cinematic Universe crowd. But in doing so, he neuters the very essence of what has made this franchise popular in the first place. We don't need to know that these killers have family issues, or that they're capable of making friends. The whole thing feels like a feeble attempt to humanize these deadly beings, when their entire appeal has always been centered on the threat that they pose to humanity.

What's next, Dek gets a dog? He lines up a target in his sights, but a close-up of a single tear rolling down his face shows that he can't pull the trigger? This film - for the first time in the franchise - is also rated PG-13. Why are the Predator movies going soft and mainstream? That's not Predator to me, bros and gals.

In expanding this world larger than it has ever has been, "Predator: Badlands" makes everything in it duller. Trachtenberg - who until now seemed to have a strong grasp of what makes this franchise work - has perhaps faced corporate pressure to make this IP more accessible to the masses. In doing so, he endangers the very series he's worked so hard to revive these past few years.

Grade: C

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Run Time: 1 hour 47 minutes.
Rated PG-13.

Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.

Co-Written & Directed by Dan Trachtenberg ("Predator: Killer of Killers," "Prey," "10 Cloverfield Lane").

"Predator: Badlands" is in theaters on Friday, November 7th, 2025.

When Disney released the original "Tron" back in 1982, it wasn't considered a financial success when all things were considered. It was groundbreaking for its special effects, even landing a pair of Oscar nominations for Best Costume and Best Sound, and over time has undeniably become a cult classic.

Disney was so committed to keeping the Tron IP alive, it released a 2010 sequel, "Tron: Legacy," which was a modest box office success, despite a lack of critical enthusiasm (it currently holds a 51% Rotten rating on RottenTomatoes.com). It even opened a Tron roller coaster at its theme parks, further proving that Disney has no intention of moving on from this seemingly promising franchise.

"Tron: Ares" carries on the unfortunate Tron tradition of being visually dazzling without containing even a modicum of soul beneath the hood. With a loud, pulsating, high-octane score by Nine Inch Nails (apparently not just composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, but the whole band), it is a nonstop onslaught on the senses...a merciless, relentless attack that may have been worth the punishment, had it been attached to anything remotely resembling human emotion.

In an opening credit sequence full of cobbled-together news flashes, we are caught up on where the Tron Universe has ended up since the events of the last film. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has been lost to The Grid, the world that exists inside a vast computer network and that was the setting of the previous two movies. His company, ENCOM, is now run by Eve (Greta Lee), still grieving the loss of her sister and co-CEO. Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), is the CEO of competing company, Dillinger Systems, and the grandson of the first film's villain. Dillinger Systems has its own, higher-tech Grid, that blows away the old one. In a throwaway role, Gillian Anderson plays Julian's mother, Elisabeth Dillinger, included here simply to remind us of Julian's questionable morality, as if we wouldn't be able to figure it out ourselves.

Dillinger Systems has created a way to materialize AI - think of it like a giant 3D Printer that can create anything that exists within a computer. The problem is, they can't get it to molecularly stabilize for more than 30 minutes at a time. Inside the Dillinger Grid, Julian has created a super-intelligent, super-powerful program called Ares (Jared Leto), and he seeks to find the "Permanence Code," a tool that will finally allow his AI creations - and Ares - to exist permanently in the real world.

Leto is perfectly cast as a stiff robot (and I am unabashedly not a big fan of his work to this point). Ares is a cross between Star Trek's Data and Robocop, with a dash of Spock thrown in. It's an odd (and fatal) choice to make the film's central character a being that doesn't understand humanity or human emotion, making his adventure very hard to connect with. 

At least Ares can use the excuse that he's artificial. But he's no more authentic than any of the human characters we meet. Greta Lee - a fine actress - is given nothing to sink her teeth into, and is teamed with Arturo Castro, who plays her comic relief side-kick but isn't particularly funny. The dialogue is hollow, the story thin, and it really makes you wonder what the Tron franchise might have been had someone actually envisioned it as something more than just a CG showcase of lights, lasers and whirrs.

Of course none of this matters. "Tron: Ares" exists as sensory distraction - think of Baby Einstein but for adults. The trailer begs you to "see it on the biggest screen possible" because that's the only thing it has going for it: nonstop visuals mixed with one of the oddest scores you will ever encounter. Tapping into a very 80s, Giorgio Moroder vibe, the music is simultaneously interesting and annoying. If you were to hear a snippet of any one sequence, you may think it's pretty awesome. But taken in a 120-minute blast, it's what I imagine is used on hostages to get them to talk.

Ironically, this movie did not remind me at all of the 1980s, when Tron originated. It was more reminiscent of the mid-90s, when big-budget CG movies were becoming a thing and filmmakers became so enamored in the technology that they often created giant, eye-popping yet soulless spectacles.

The industry is so scared of AI taking over, but "Tron: Ares" couldn't have fared much worse if it had been entirely written and directed by one. It's perhaps a wondrous visual achievement, but what good is that if there isn't anything to anchor it to humanity?

​Grade: D

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Run Time: 1 hour 59 minutes.
Rated: PG-13.

Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Arturo Castro, Hasan Minhaj, Jeff Bridges.

Directed by Joachim Ronning ("Young Woman and the Sea," "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," "Kon-Tiki").

"Tron: Ares" is in theaters everywhere on Friday, October 10th, 2025.

Director Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker," "Detroit," "Zero Dark Thirty") is a true master of immersive, high-tension realism. The stakes have never been higher in her newest film, the harrowing "A House of Dynamite," a control room thriller that examines what it may look like if the United States was on the brink of an actual nuclear holocaust.

Much of the film is made ambiguous, by design. A rogue nuclear missile is launched directly at the center of the United States, and we have under 20 minutes to determine who launched it, from where, and what to do next. The story unfolds in real-time, then resets twice to retell the buildup to the looming catastrophe from three separate levels of government response.

On the ground at an outpost in Alaska, Major Daniel Gonzalez (Anthony Ramos) and his small team detect the incoming threat, but are unsure of its origins or its trajectory. They've trained for this, but this time it's for real. Major Gonzalez must also deploy and hopefully intercept the threat before it's too late.

In the White House Situation Room, Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson) oversees coordination with field units like Gonzalez's team, interprets conflicting intelligence, and serves as liaison to the President. If the intercepts fail, should the U.S. ready-up for a counter-strike? If so, against whom? She doesn't have all the facts, but must process the impossible question of what is in the best interest not just of the country, but of all humanity.

Higher up the chain, we meet General Brady (Tracy Letts), a senior military officer who pushes for a decisive military response. Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) is not only bracing for the potential immense loss of life, but with the realization that the missile may hit Chicago, the exact location of his adult daughter. We then get a glimpse at our Commander-in-Chief, an unnamed President (Idris Elba), who literally and figuratively has the weight of the world on his shoulders. We don't know who or why this missile was launched, and experts say that there is also a percentage chance that the missile might be a dud. The terrifying possibility of a mistaken counter-attack underscores every decision he faces.

The film does a tremendous job of building tension, and also showing the mundaneness of the job that sets in when 99.9% percent of the time, nothing is happening. General Brady is still thinking about last night's baseball game, Captain Walker is dealing with her family life, and even the POTUS is enjoying a short break on the phone with his wife, who is on an African safari. Bigelow masterfully contrasts the ordinary with the unthinkable, reminding us that we live in a house of dynamite, where one stray spark could end everything.

However, "A House of Dynamite" is undercut by the very plot structure that it relies on. By "resetting" the story every so often, it interrupts the intensity of the moment. Emotionally, the new perspectives don't offer us much more than what we were already dealing with. It ends up feeling like this might have made for a great 20-minute short film, but that we are needlessly manipulated by having things stretched out over two hours. When it finally reaches its ambiguous conclusion, the restraint feels less thought-provoking than unsatisfying. With such monumental stakes, audiences may crave clarity rather than conjecture about what might truly happen in such a scenario.

"A House of Dynamite" is explosive, well-acted and definitely worth the watch. It just may leave viewers a bit more frustrated than fulfilled. 

Grade: B

Genre: Drama, Thriller.
Run Time: 1 hour 52 minutes.
Rated R.

Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos, Idris Elba, Tracy Letts, Jason Clarke, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Kaitlyn Devers.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow ("Detroit," "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Hurt Locker").

"A House of Dynamite" is in limited theatrical release on October 10th, 2025 and available for streaming on Netflix on October 24th, 2025.