Steve Zahn gives the performance of his career in “She Dances”. It’s a funny, warm-hearted, and endearing father-daughter dramedy inspired by the actor’s own personal experience as a bonafide “dance dad” to his daughter Audrey, who makes a splash in her wonderful big screen debut. And the real-life relationship they share adds volumes to what we see on screen.

“She Dances” marks the directorial debut of Rick Gomez who works from a screenplay he co-wrote with Steve Zahn. Together they craft a story that is built upon a fairly recognizable framework. A hurting father and daughter take an unexpected trip together and end up rekindling their once close relationship along the way. That’s not what you might call a new premise. But it’s what Gomez and Zahn does with it that makes “She Dances” shine.

Steve Zahn plays Jason Phillips, a husband and father who lives separately from his wife Deb (Rosemarie DeWitt) and their daughter Claire (Audrey Zahn). The reason for the separation is a heartbreaking tragedy that comes more into focus as the story plays out. But in essence, they are three fragile people struggling to deal with things in their own ways. Jason has essentially shut himself off which has only made things worse.

Claire has grown up dancing. And now as a senior in high school, she’s all prepared for her final dance competition. But in order to make the trip, Claire needs to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Circumstances make it to where Deb can’t go. So she convinces a reluctant Claire to call her dad to step in and accompany her to the competition. Jason nervously agrees, hence setting up the scenario that will force the father and daughter to finally reckon with their pain.

“She Dances” finds some good comedy in Jason’s well-intended but fumbled attempts at being a good dance dad. At times it strains too hard to squeeze laughs out of certain circumstances. But asGomez mostly finds a solid balance of heart and humor. And it never gets too silly or too schmaltzy. Rather the film maintains a firm grip on its humanity in big part thanks to the honest and organic connection between Zahn and Zahn.

The movie is also helped by a several supporting characters who each add different layers to the story. Mackenzie Ziegler is a lot of fun playing Claire’s best friend Kat who ends up being more than just a comic tag-along. Sonequa Martin-Green gets several good scenes as Claire and Kat’s dance instructor and mentor, Jamie. And Ethan Hawke brings a his natural charisma to the small but richly empathetic role of Jason’s supportive best friend and business partner.

“She Dances” hits its marks as a routinely funny comedy and a bittersweet family drama. It’s a film that surprises on many levels, never more than when its deeper themes rise to the surface. The elder Zahn pulls inspiration from some personally meaningful places to deliver what is a career-best performance. And the younger Zahn impresses in her big screen debut, avoiding the many traps that can accompany this kind of material. She’s a revelation and I’m already excited to see what she does next.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

It was only a few days ago that Chuck Norris passed away in Kauaʻi, Hawaii. The legendary martial artist, action movie star, television actor, and author was 86 years ago. He was born March 10, 1940 in the tiny town of Ryan, Oklahoma. His eventual love for martial arts opened the door to an acting career which kicked off in the 1970s before flourishing in the 1980s.

Norris’ success in martial arts led to him meeting and befriending Bruce Lee. It was Lee who gave Norris his first significant role as a main antagonist in 1972’s “The Way of the Dragon”. Norris would work in several other movies during the decade as an actor and fight choreographer. But it was during the 1980s that his career as an action star took off with films like “The Octagon”, “Lone Wolf McQuade”, the “Missing in Action” trilogy, “Code of Silence”, “Invasion U.S.A.”, and (my personal favorite) “The Delta Force”.

Norris would continue making movies into the 1990s. But his biggest success of the decade came with the hit television show “Walker, Texas Ranger”. The show ran for nine seasons and a total of 196 episodes. Since then, Norris has appeared in several television and movie projects while participating is numerous charities aimed at children, military veterans, AIDS/HIV care, and more. RIP Mr. Norris.

At a time when the sputtering Marvel Cinematic Universe is in desperate need of a boost, along comes “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”. This is the fourth Spider-Man film in the MCU and the first since 2021’s wobbly but lucrative “No Way Home”. Even crazier, it is the 38th (!!!) film in the seemingly everlasting MCU. Director Destin Daniel Cretton takes the reins from departing Jon Watts, but Tom Holland returns to the Peter Parker role that made him a star.

“Brand New Day” takes place four years after the events of ”No Way Home”. If you recall, Dr. Strange saved the world by casting a powerful spell. But as a side effect, the world has forgotten that Peter Parker exists. So now he spins his web across New York City, fighting crime as Spider-Man. But as Peter Parker, he’s alone and forgotten by all those he loved. But things take a turn as his past rears its dangerous head.

The new trailer doesn’t tell us much, but it should do its job of exciting fans of the franchise. It mostly just character drops those who will play a part in Peter’s next chapter. Characters such as MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon), Frank Castle aka The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and more. To be honest, it wasn’t enough to hype me for the movie. But I’m sure we will see a lot more before it hits theaters.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” swings into theaters on July 31st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Easily among my most anticipated movies of 2026 is Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three”. After two stellar entries into his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal science-fiction classic, Villeneuve wraps up his trilogy with what promises to be one of the biggest films of the year. “Dune: Part Three” brings together a star-studded cast of returning characters and new additions, many of whom get their moment in the exciting first trailer that just dropped.

Written by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, “Dune: Part Three” adapts Herbert’s novel “Dune: Messiah”. In the new trailer we’re treated to much of what has made this film series great: terrific characters, stunning visual effects, an immersive world, and what looks to be an absorbing story. Not only will the dark tale of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) continue on the changing desert planet of Arrakis, but Villeneuve is taking us to the stars. Overall it’s a journey I can’t wait to continue.

“Dune: Part Three” releases in theaters on December 18th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Warner Bros. Pictures has officially started its promotion of Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated “Dune: Chapter Three”. Based on Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel “Dune: Messiah”, the sci-fi epic is the final installment in Villeneuve’s brilliant film trilogy. The movie features several returning stars and some exciting new faces. The amazing ensemble includes Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, and Isaach de Bankolé. Jon Spaihts returns to co-write the script, but the movie will be without DP Greig Fraser.

With the first trailer set to be released tomorrow, Warner Bros. is gearing us up by releasing ten awesome new character posters. You can check them out below. What do you think of the Dune film series? Are you excited for “Dune: Part Three”? Let me know in the comments below.

The 2025 awards season mercifully comes to an end (in mid-March 2026!!!) with the 98th Academy Awards. The entire season has been almost robotic in its doting over the same tiny select handful of films. From small critics groups to major awards shows, it’s been the same few winners over and over again. That mostly remained the case with this year’s Oscars although the show did provide a few nice moments and a couple of welcomed semi-surprises.

But enough of the rambling/ranting. As I do every year, here are a few random thoughts on this year’s Academy Awards.

• The awards season darling “One Battle After Another” was the big winner and it was no surprise. While some outlets tried hard to manufacture some drama, the voter’s pet’s big night had been preordained. It’s not a good movie, but it checks the right boxes. And it has been the season’s Chosen One since it first screened. Sadly nothing else had a chance.
• Of course “One Battle After Another” wins Best Picture which was never in any serious doubt. It had won everything leading up to Oscar night which only shows how programmed these things have become. Even funnier, it’s the third subpar movie to win Best Picture in four years. Yikes.
• Staying with the obvious, Paul Thomas Anderson won Best Director for “One Battle After Another”. It feels more like a lifetime achievement award rather a deserving directing win, but whatever.
• One thing the Academy got right was Michael B. Jordan winning Best Actor for “Sinners”. It’s an utter travesty that Daniel Day-Lewis and Joel Edgerton weren’t even nominated. But Jordan’s performance was right there with them. He was the best choice and the right choice.

• The Academy also nailed it by giving Jessie Buckley the Best Actress award. She had been winning big all season, but it was still great to hear her name called. She has been such a delight all season.
• To its shame, the Academy sent “Train Dreams” home NO Oscar wins. It was the very best film of the year and the idea of it going home empty-handed (especially considering some of the big winners) is beyond ridiculous yet not surprising.
• Not as shameful, Josh Safdie’s “Marty Surpreme” went home with nothing. While it never had much of a chance, its star Timothée Chalamet was once touted as the early Best Actor frontrunner. But that changed quick and now its off to promote the upcoming “Dune: Part Three”.
• Host Conan O’Brien kicked off the show with great “Weapons” themed opening sketch that was well produced and absolutely hilarious. It was the kind of opening that really kicked the show off with the bang. I’ve already watched it two more times on YouTube.
• Overall Conan’s monologue had some funny bits but it went on for way too long. Twenty minutes was too much, especially when they started cutting acceptance speeches short. C’mon Academy.
• So there was actually a tie at last night’s show. It came in the Live-Action Short Film category with the terrific “Singers” sharing the award with “Two People Exchanging Saliva”. It’s only the seventh time in Oscars history that a tie has happened.
• “One Battle After Another” also wins the first ever Oscar for Best Casting. I will give it credit for having a lights-out cast. It’s just too bad they didn’t have better material to work with. Most people thought this would go to “Sinners” and frankly it should have.
• One of the best wins of the night was in the Supporting Actress category. Amy Madigan takes home the trophy for her bonkers, terrifying, and hilarious performance in “Weapons”. It was unlike anything else we saw all year and deserving of all the awards.
• The exact opposite happened in the Supporting Actor category. Sean Penn gave one of the most absurd performances of the year in “One Battle After Another” and was given an Oscar for it – his third. Penn winning over Stellan Skarsgård is insanity and it blows the category’s credibility out of the water.
• Just to vent a bit more, Stellan Skarsgård gave one of very best performances of the year in any category. His stunning turn in “Sentimental Value” was another great addition to a career full of stellar work. Yet he has still never won an Oscar. That should have changed last night. Unfortunately Penn’s ludicrous over-the-top theatrics registered more with voters than the raw, authentic humanity that Skarsgård delivered. Go figure.
• Predictably “One Battle After Another” won for Best Adapted Screenplay despite being the messiest adapted screenplay out of the nominees. “Train Dreams” should have won, but (once again) nothing else stood a chance.
• Equally predictable, Best Original Screenplay went to “Sinners”. It’s a decent win although “Sentimental Value” was by far the best of the group. That said, Ryan Coogler’s acceptance speech was one of the best of the evening. Humble, grateful, and wonderfully grounded. I’m glad he won just for that!
• It was great to see “Sentimental Value” win Best International Feature. It was basically pushed aside in every other category, some of which it deserved to win. Thankfully it didn’t go home with nothing.
• Cheers to Ludwig Göransson who won his third Academy Award for Best Original Score. This year it was for his incredible work on “Sinners” and (once again) it was well deserved. He is a genius composer who never disappoints. He also gave a terrific acceptance. It won’t be his last.
• The In Memoriam segment offered a fitting tribute to the many great talents lost over the last year. I was a tough watch, especially when clips of Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Val Kilmer, and Robert Redford popped up. But couldn’t they have found room for James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, Brigittte Bardot, and Robert Carradine? Seriously?
• Speaking of the In Memoriam segment. It was a really nice moment when various stars from Rob Reiner’s films appeared together on stage to honor the late filmmaker. Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Wil Wheaton, Cary Elwes, Carol Kane, Kevin Pollack, Kathy Bates, and more were included.

• “Frankenstein” didn’t have a shot when it came to the “big” awards even though it deserved it. But it did well in other important categories, winning for Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup and Hairstyling. It’s a great film and it deserved every win.
• “Avatar: Fire and Ash” deservedly won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. It’s a visually jaw-dropping film that should have been recognized in even more categories.
• Sadly the Best Cinematography winner was far from the best cinematography of the year. It went to “Sinners” which is a good looking movie. But no film was as brilliantly shot or used its cinematography as powerfully as “Train Dreams”.
• The Oscar for sound went to “F1” which was unquestionably the correct choice. “F1” was an extraordinary cinematic experience and the stunning in-theater sound was a big reason why.
• Best Editing went to “One Battle After Another” which was pretty comical considering the film could have desperately used several more trips to the editing room. But it’s hard to go against the trendy pick.

That’s enough rambling about the 2026 Academy Awards. What did you think of the show and this year’s winners? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, “Train Dreams” is streaming on Netflix. Go watch it and see how bad the Academy missed its mark. Till next year!