Author Archives: Keith Garlington

REVIEW: “The Beast” (2026)

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In “The Beast”, Samuel L. Jackson plays the President of the United States if he were Samuel L. Jackson. He has a different name and certainly a different job title. But otherwise this is Samuel L. Jackson playing the screen version of himself that we’ve all come to know over his fifty-plus-year career. There’s even a joke thrown in about the star’s very loud and very specific was of enunciating a certain profanity.

That may make “The Beast” sound like a comedy but it’s far from it. instead it’s the latest action film from director Renny Harlin. Amazingly, this is Harlin’s third film this year and his seventh in the last four years. There are both good and bad ways of viewing those numbers. On one hand, it shows he’s an incredibly hard worker who is able to get his movies over the finish line. On the other hand, it makes you wonder what he could do if he put a little more time into each project.

Image Courtesy of Aura Entertainment

Either way, “The Beast” is as straightforward as action movies get. It’s a propulsive and pulpy genre movie mostly built around a single conceit. It checks a ton of boxes, makes absolutely no sense at times, and has plot holes galore. At the same time, it possesses a certain B-movie energy and charm that fuels the action and keeps things entertaining, no matter how absurd it gets.

As mentioned, Jackson plays the President of the United States who the film only addresses as Mr. President or by his first name, Oscar. Harlin wastes no time, kicking things off with the President attending a summit in an unnamed foreign city with other heads of state. Chaos erupts when terrorists attack in what turns out to be a series of coordinated hits around the globe.

Oscar manages to get himself and a seriously wounded Secret Service agent named Taft (Joel Kinnaman) into his presidential limousine – a state-of-the-art, heavily armored, and heavily armed rolling fortress dubbed “The Beast”. With his driver dead, the commander-in-chief takes the wheel and speeds towards a rendezvous point. As he frantically drives, he is guided by the generic central command (voiced by Eoin Macken) who is just as confused as he is.

The majority of the movie takes place in and around the Beast as the President endures furious attacks along routes that have been compromised by the thinly sketched enemy coalition. Meanwhile Taft is bleeding out in the backseat, adding to the already established sense of urgency. It’s a simple premise with a clear and concise trajectory. It occasionally veers from that trajectory with scenes meant to add more humanity. But it’s never long before we’re thrown right back into the action.

Image Courtesy of Aura Entertainment

Harlin doesn’t let the confinement of the story’s single-setting slow things down. He creatively utilizes the Beast in a number of thrilling ways, artfully using the camera inside the car and out. And the further we go, the more bloody the violence gets. At the same time, screenwriter Umair Aleem works hard to ensure the movie has a heartbeat. We see it in Oscar’s deep concern for his wife Rosa and in his PTSD from the Vietnam War. These are good touches that give a human pulse to an otherwise silly movie.

But even with its strengths, “The Beast” can’t quite overcome its shortcomings. On the action side, some of the attacks get noticeably repetitive, and several of the scenarios are just too goofy to get past. Even worse, they open up some gaping holes in the story to go along with the ambiguous setting and the ambiguous enemy. Ultimately Jackson carries the load in a movie that’s tailored to the seasoned 77-year-old’s strengths and weaknesses. But he can only carry it so far.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

First Glance: “The Exorcist: Martyrs” First Trailer

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While the original “The Exorcist” is widely considered to be a horror movie classic, the six movies that followed it haven’t developed into a franchise I’ve been all that interested in. But that changed with the first trailer for “The Exorcist: Martyrs”. While it still proudly sports the Exorcist name, “Martyrs” offers a radically fresh spin on the series. It has a strong cast which the trailer smartly shows off. But perhaps most exciting is Mike Flanagan serving as director, writer, and producer.

Our first dip into the world Flanagan creates is truly chilling. “Martyrs” looks like a mix of David Fincher’s dark and brutal serial killer classic “Se7en” and the established possession genre. Scarlett Johansson plays Julie Miller, an NYPD homicide detective who is drawn into a diabolical case involving a copycat serial killer. She’s joined by a former prison chaplain, Father William (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and her rookie partner, Gina Restrepo (Sasha Calle). But the investigation takes a wicked turn once the supernatural elements kick in. Simply put, I love the looks of this.

“The Exorcist: Martyrs” hits theaters March 12, 2027. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

First Glance: “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” First Trailer and New Poster

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Its release may still be four months away, but the upcoming film “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” has certainly sparked a lot of conversation. Writer-director Greta Gerwig follows up her massively popular “Barbie” by adapting the sixth book is C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia series. But from all indications, Gerwig isn’t using her artistic prowess to bring Lewis’ original story to the screen. Instead she’s moving away from the Christian inspiration in favor of what’s being called a David Bowie-inspired “rock opera”.

The first trailer for “The Magician’s Nephew” starts grounded before turning into a CGI-soaked fever dream. Gerwig throws together some eye-catching images and it certainly has a rock-n-roll energy. But that doesn’t mean it will be a good Narnia movie. In fact, much of the trailer looks like something vastly different – part cosmic adventure and part 1980s music video. And while Gerwig sidesteps her controversial casting of Meryl Streep as Aslan, there’s still plenty in the new trailer to spark all kinds of debates.

“Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” opens in theaters on February 12, 2027. Check out the trailer and poster below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Verity” (2026)

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Has anyone had a busier 2026 than Anne Hathaway? She starred in David Lowery’s “Mother Mary” which released back in April. Hot on its heels was “The Devil Wears Prada 2”. Her third film of the year was Christopher Nolan’s critical and box office juggernaut, “The Odyssey”. She followed it up with “The End of Oak Street” in August. And that brings us to her fifth and final film of 2026, “Verity”. Oh, and did I mention she’s also pregnant with her third child?

“Verity” is vastly different than Hathaway’s other 2026 films. It’s the latest adaptation of a popular Colleen Hoover novel, this time by screenwriter Nick Antosca. But while it hearkens back to the twisty erotic thrillers of decades past, “Verity” never shows enough confidence in itself regarding what it wants to be. It’s a nagging issue that really rears its head in the final act. And there’s nothing its committed and capable three stars can do to overcome it.

Image Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

“Verity” plays best as a straight psychological thriller. But rather than really going for it, director Michael Showalter holds back, at least until his big finish, which may not work as attended, but at least it takes a swing. I wish the same was true for the buildup. Instead it spends much of its time stuck in neutral rather than propelling the story forward. Nowhere does it struggle more than in its steamless attempts at being an erotic thriller. And wedging in a handful of provocative scenes doesn’t spice things up at all.

Dakota Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling New York City novelist who’s still grieving the recent loss of her mother to cancer. With the help of her agent Corey (Ismael Cruz Córdova), Lowen lands an exciting opportunity. Verity Crawford (Hathaway) is a best-selling author whose wildly popular Noble Virtues book series has earned her fans across the globe. But a serious car accident has left her in a catatonic state, unable to move or speak on her own.

You may be wondering, what does this have to do with Lowen? Verity’s husband Jeremy (Hartnett) offers her a job as a ghostwriter. He and Verity’s publisher wants Lowen to finish the much anticipated Noble Virtues series – three books, $75,000 per book. Lowen accepts, and after signing her NDA, is invited to stay at the Crawford’s lavish lakeside House in Vermont where Verity has amassed years of notes and outlines. It’s there that the majority of the story unfolds.

Lowen moves in and begins her research. Along the way she learns that Verity’s accident isn’t the only tragedy the family has endured. She finds herself unnerved by Verity who spends her days in a vegetative state. She also finds herself attracted to Jeremy which adds a predictable wrinkle to the story. But things really take a turn after Lowen discovers a hidden flash drive containing Verity’s secretly written autobiography. In it are several dark and twisted revelations that reshape how we and Lowen look at everything going forward.

Image Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

As the movie progresses it’s barely able to work itself into a mild simmer. It isn’t until the final 20 minutes or so that things finally ramp up. Unfortunately the story doesn’t end on the most satisfying note. Several obvious questions arise and go unanswered. Meanwhile we are asked to believe some pretty outlandish stuff. And that’s before the ridiculous final twist turns the story on its head, and not in a good way.

All of that said, I expect there will still be an audience for “Verity“. And even though there isn’t a spark of romance, no memorable thrills, and nothing remotely erotic, I can see it serviceably satisfying many within its target audience. For me, the film’s saving grace is its cast, namely Hathaway and Hartnett who find ways to pull more from the material than is actually there. Sadly they can’t pull enough to make up for the film’s lukewarm vision and absurd finish.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Other Mommy” (2026)

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Jessica Chastain playing semi-dual roles in a twisted supernatural horror film was more than enough to spark my interest. If only “Other Mommy” offered her better material to work with. Instead, the Academy Award-winning Chastain finds herself held captive by a movie that lacks the intrigue, suspense, and scares found in its very own trailer. It’s an astonishing misfire and easily one of the more disappointing horror films of the year.

“Other Mommy” is based on the 2024 novel “Incidents Around the House” by Josh Malerman. It’s adapted for the screen by Nathan Elston who attempts to combine supernatural horror with a domestic drama. Unfortunately neither works, either together or on their own. That’s because we never get more than a surface-level connection with the family. And while director Rob Savage devises some delightfully gory jolts, the horror elements fall short simply because there is so much that doesn’t make sense.

As for the story, Ursula (Chastain) is a successful businesswoman who seems to have a perfect life. She’s married to Russ (a miscast Jay Duplass) who takes care of the house while she advances her career. Together they have a darling 7-year-old daughter named Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) who is trying her best to adjust to her new school. But we quickly begin to notice cracks in Ursula and Russ’ marriage. Bela notices it too, which leaves her vulnerable to the wooing of an evil entity.

Bela begins having encounters with a supernatural presence that takes the form of Ursula. Bela names her Other Mommy and is slowing lured in by the entity’s twisted charms. Other Mommy repeatedly asks “Let me into your heart”, which Bela is reluctant to allow. As the entity grows impatient, its aggression intensifies. And before long it’s not just preying on Bela, but their entire family as well. That forces Ursula and Russ to patch up their differences in order to protect their daughter.

Now there’s nothing wrong with that setup, and it sets the table for what could have been a tense and terrifying story. But after its promising start, the movie trudges from one semi-spooky encounter to the next with nothing remotely interesting connecting them together. Several other players are thrown in including a family friend named Frank (Arian Moayed), Ursula’s estranged mother (Karen Allen), and a team of paranormal investigators. But most exist solely as fodder for Other Mommy.

As mentioned, the entity does get a few creepy moments and there is at least one memorably gruesome kill. But Savage’s overreliance on tired clichés and mediocre CGI holds other scenes back. Plus it’s hard to invest when the ‘rules’ of the entity are never defined. Chastain certainly does her part, putting maximum effort into both of the characters she plays. She truly keeps the movie afloat with the subtle volatility she hides inside of Ursula and the dark menacing edge she brings out of Other Mommy. Chastain is quickly established as the film’s biggest strength.

Yet despite its star’s admirable commitment, “Other Mommy” can’t overcome its drab storytelling and glaring lack of originality. There are some rich themes caught in the film’s narrative gears, and there are several times when we’re reminded of what the movie could have been. But even the most faithful horror fans are liable to find themselves baffled by the tedium. And like the rest of us, they’ll find the only thing harder than staying engaged will be staying awake.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “The Social Reckoning” (2026)

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With 2010’s “The Social Network”, director David Fincher blew audiences away with his searing retelling of the founding of the social networking website Facebook. The movie was a critical and cultural smash hit, earning big money at the box office and winning numerous end-of-the-year accolades including three Academy Awards. One of those three Oscars went to Aaron Sorkin for his fast-paced, razor-sharp, semi-biographical screenplay.

Now sixteen years later we get “The Social Reckoning”, a standalone sequel that dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblowers Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz. Fincher passed on directing a sequel. And despite being offered a sizable check from the studio, Jesse Eisenberg also declined to return as billionaire Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. That left Sorkin, who both writes and directs a film that desperately tries to capture the style and substance of “The Social Network”. It fails.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

“The Social Reckoning” is a pale imitation of its vastly superior spiritual predecessor. Sorkin attempts to cover a lot of ground. But his blandly mechanical writing and direction dulls the story’s impact while leaving little room for emotional investment. Much of his script is fueled by a selective outrage and is too absorbed in its own sense of self-importance. At other times it is procedural to a fault, leaving it often feeling coldly systematic as it moves us from one point to the next. This even impacts the performances, but more on them in a second.

Frances Haugen is played by Mikey Madison who gives a dramatically different performance than her blaring Oscar-winning turn in “Anora”. Her Frances is a bit awkward and slightly neurotic. She’s also principled and driven, which are big reasons she went to work for Facebook as a data engineer. Frances was hired to the company’s Civic Integrity team where she hoped to address the alarming increase of harmful content and misinformation across the platform. But after she witnesses Facebook’s negligence firsthand, her mission shifts to exposing the company’s sins to the world.

Meanwhile investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) is secretly working on a story for the Wall Street Journal that could blow the lid off of Facebook’s transgressions. But he needs evidence which the company does a good job hiding. Jeff’s investigation gets a boost after he is contacted by a frightened yet determined Frances. After several rinse-and-repeat scenes showing Frances’ hesitation, the two finally team up to bring the Facebook story to light.

As that’s going on, Sorkin repeatedly jumps forward one year to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) preparing for his upcoming appearance before Congress. The scenes are a series of back-and-forths between Zuckerberg and his legal counsel and crisis management team. Though staged as the film’s most intense scenes, they’re arguably the most superfluous. They’re not helped by Strong’s hilariously stiff and robotic performance. I realize he and Sorkin are making a point. But Strong more closely resembles a Martian than a functioning CEO.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

By the second half, the movie’s problems really start to mount. More and more moments feel like filler rather than something consequential. The awkward swings at humor feel wildly out of place. Underdeveloped characters pop in and out with little to no impact. Even Frances and Jeff struggle under Sorkin’s script. Both exist in their own bubbles and never come off as a cohesive pair. Then you have the eye-rolling all-caps ending that is a clunky mix of overwrought heavy-handedness and cheesy fist-pumping.

With “The Social Reckoning”, Sorkin tries to create something incisive and important. Instead he delivers a head-scratching misfire that doesn’t pack near the punch that it should. It’s a movie full of weird inventions, needless exaggerations, and a scattershot focus that undermines its weighty subject matter. Considering how well “The Social Network” has held up over the years, it’s a shame that its follow-up is neither timely or timeless.

VERDICT – 2 STARSHIP