Horror films rarely resonate as award-worthy movies...not to mention how rare it is to see any Spring release at all turn up on a "Best of" list come year-end. That's what makes "Sinners" such a rarity. Not only is it one of the best mainstream horror films in years, it's already one of the year's best films. In fact, I can't think of a scenario where it wouldn't be on my personal "Best Movies of 2025" list.

It's well-made, well-acted and features one of the most kick-ass scores - and scenes - you'll ever witness. While the plot, characters and devices aren't wholly original, it's mashed together with such conviction that it feels wholly original. And it's not easy for a movie to work simultaneously on many different levels, but "Sinners" does. It can be enjoyed by horror enthusiasts, as popcorn entertainment or as a good date night out. But its complex themes can also be dissected by film critics and historians, made in a way where multiple viewings might be required to pick up on every nuance or metaphor.

Make no mistake, "Sinners" is bold and bloody, and bound to bring comparisons to Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn" as it seems to shift midway through from intriguing drama to gory vampire romp. But it's far from mindless...you'll be thinking about this one for a long time afterwards.

For "Magazine Dreams," it's been nothing less than a nightmare.

A once-rising star in Hollywood, the off-screen controversies involving lead actor Jonathan Majors derailed his career and this film. Jonathan Majors was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, in March 2023, leading to charges of misdemeanor assault, harassment, and aggravated harassment. Prosecutors alleged he twisted her arm, struck her head, and caused injuries. In December 2023, a jury found him guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment, but not guilty of intentional assault or aggravated harassment. The conviction was based on recklessness rather than intent. Following the verdict, Marvel Studios dropped him from his role as Kang the Conqueror, and his career faced significant setbacks.

"Magazine Dreams," in which Majors gives what might have been a career-defining performance, was the talk of the festival circuit back in 2023, just prior to these incidents. It was picked up by Searchlight Pictures, who outbid Neon, Sony Pictures and others, and it was expected to be one of their major pushes during awards season.

That all went away. "Magazine Dreams" was shelved, and the distribution rights were quietly returned to the filmmakers. The independent Briarcliff Entertainment - whose highest-grossing previous film to-date was the Liam Neeson thriller, "Blacklight," back in 2022, which grossed under 10 million domestically - has taken a chance on "Magazine Dreams." And I'm glad they did.

Controversies and all, this is a film worthy of being seen. And trying to put the personal stuff aside (if you are unable to, I don't blame you), Jonathan Majors not only gives the best performance of his career, he gives one of the best performances by ANYONE in recent years...an all-in, undeniable performance that crafts one of the most haunting on-screen characters of the past decade.

"Gladiator II," standing on its own, is a serviceable sword-and-sandal action movie. It's when compared to its 2000 predecessor, "Gladiator" - a film that was nominated for five Oscars, winning for Best Picture and Best Actor - where it seems falls short, unable to capture the depth or gravitas that made the original a modern epic.

A divisive movie if there ever was one, 2019's "Joker" was a movie that I was absolutely enthralled by. Not even considering Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning (and well-deserved) performance, it was a movie that took an inspired, serious deep-dive into the causes-and-effects of mental illness, using a well-established and iconic comic book villain as its lens. It was nuanced, gripping and did not offer any easy answers. Was Phoenix's Arthur Fleck born mad? Or was he the predictable end-product of a broken and corrupt societal system? By the film's end, he had inspired the poor and down-trodden citizens of Gotham City...but was Arthur truly the actual Joker that we all would come to know as the arch-nemesis to Gotham's eventual hero, Batman?

(Read my review of the original "Joker" here).

With it's incredible, record-breaking box office success - grossing over 1 Billion dollars and breaking the record for highest-grossing R-Rated film of all-time, until this year's "Deadpool & Wolverine" surpassed it - it was perhaps inevitable that a sequel was demanded, if not required.  Lady Gaga signed on to play Joker's comic book love interest, Harley Quinn, and it was announced that both Phoenix and director Todd Phillips would return. It made fan-boys salivate at the curious announcement that "Joker 2" would actually be...a musical? I guess it could make sense...we are dealing with a master anarchist, a man so crazy and unpredictable that in his world, anything can make sense.

Everything was teed up for "Joker: Folie a Deux" (translated from French as "madness shared by two") to be a massive success. It ends up being one of the most egregious misfires in recent movie memory.

***Spoilers are to follow, be warned.***

It's cute, innocent and means well, but "IF" - an acronym for "Imaginary Friends" - leaves a lot to the imagination.

Woody Allen's 50th film is one of his better ones, with "Coup de Chance" landing as an effective thriller that relies mostly on - what else? - the script's inherent wit.

There are rarely "misses" when it comes to movies that get nominated for Best International Feature Film by the Academy Awards. With thousands of movies being produced globally each year, every country submits what they consider their "best" film, and then only five countries have their films selected.

Germany's submission is "The Teacher's Lounge," a riveting drama about a seemingly small situation at an elementary school that unravels out of control. It's a worthy selection, and one that most viewers should find easily relatable.

If there was one overlying theme in "The Teacher's Lounge," it would be that even the best of intentions can sometimes end in dire consequence. Some teachers are looking to investigate a recent string of thefts (stealing money right out of wallets) and are convinced that it's some rule-breaking rapscallion student. Even after witnessing some other faculty members use some questionable methods to try to determine the culprit(s), the meek and caring school teacher, Carla Nowak (a fantastic Leonie Benesch), takes matters into her own hands. She unwillingly kicks over the hornet's nest.

But that's not all that the film is trying to tackle. The pressures of the teacher's "every matter is treated like a big deal" may sound like a good, hard-nosed policy, but the pressures it creates for those existing underneath it becomes untenable. The movie falters a bit down the stretch, but it's never uninteresting. Sometimes an extra conversation here or there might have alleviated some of the stresses experienced by characters in the movie, but the tension is always palpable. Not bad for a movie that rarely leaves the school, and relies on the performances of so many children.

Ms. Nowak seems to think that she finds the criminal - a fellow faculty member - which is complicated because this other teacher's son is a student in Ms. Nowak's class. Oh, and this other teacher vehemently denies the wrong-doing, despite what seems like pretty solid evidence against her.

Any one teacher can only do so much. "The Teacher's Lounge" hammers home the idea that so much of what happens in our lives are out of our control. Sometimes, sadly, the best way forward might be to try to keep yourself out of the drama in the first place.

Grade: B

Genre: Drama, Thriller.
​Rated PG-13.
Run Time: 1 hour 38 minutes.

Starring: Leonie Benesch, Leonard Stettnisch, Eva Lobau, Michael Klammer.

Directed by Ilker Catak.

"The Teacher's Lounge" is now playing in theaters and was nominated for one Academy Award.

Here are reviews of several new movies opening this weekend theatrically as well as on streaming:

I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" is a great one.

With focus, authenticity and a better-than-expected cast, this is a crowd-pleaser that will withstand the test of time, much like the book that it's based on.

Real life BFFs Matt Damon and Ben Affleck - counting their new film "Air" - have been in a total of nine films together. Mostly though, people bring up their Oscar-winning "Good Will Hunting" as the definitive Damon/Affleck film, a movie that landed in theaters in 1997, over 25 years ago.

I'm not sure if "Air" will still be lingering this coming Oscar season, but it's definitely another crowd-pleasing gem from Ben Affleck the director, who has shown to be a real force behind the camera even more so than in front of it.