Now here’s a movie with a lot to live up to. “Ballerina” (marketed with the tag “From the World of John Wick”) is a spin-off to one of the most heralded action movie franchises in recent years. That makes for some big shoes to fill. But to director Len Wiseman’s credit, he doesn’t necessarily try to fill them. He and screenwriter Shay Hatten (who helped pen “John Wick: Chapter 3” and “Chapter 4”) put their attention on a new character, and star Ana de Armas does the rest.

Without question Wiseman leans into the visual, visceral, and violent world of John Wick. Even the near mythical ‘Baba Yaga’ himself (Keanu Reeves) makes an appearance. Yet while the film is in harmony with the franchise’s established sense of style, unique world-building, and ferocious fight choreography, “Ballerina” is more than some cheap knockoff. And much like its revenge-fueled protagonist, the movie has enough of its own flavor to stand out within this well-defined world.

De Armas plays Eve Macarro, a lethal assassin set on a path for vengeance. As a child she witnessed her father’s murder at the hands of a mysterious sect. As a result, Eve was taken to the Director (Anjelica Huston), a crime boss and head of the New York branch of the Ruska Roma. The Director raised Eve and over the years taught her how to channel her pain. Eve would eventually be trained as one of the Director’s ‘ballerinas’ who in reality are highly skilled assassins.

While fulfilling a contract, a memory is triggered after Eve encounters a group of killers bearing the same mark as the men who murdered her father. She approaches the Director for information and is sternly ordered to let it go. But Eve is determined and follows a body-littered trail that eventually leads to a mysterious off-the-grid leader known as the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). But their world is one of rules. And by breaking them Eve ends up as the hunter and the hunted.

Several new names enter the world including Norman Reedus as an assassin on the run and Byrne who makes for a worthy villain. But none are better than Ana de Armas who holds her own as an action star and John Wick protagonist. Then there are the welcomed familiar faces such as Ian McShane’s Winston, the enigmatic and charming owner of the New York Continental Hotel, Charon (the late Lance Reddick), the Continental’s concierge and a loyal friend to Winston, and of course John Wick himself.

If you’re a fan of the John Wick movies you’ll be thrilled to know “Ballerina” fully embraces the franchise’s rich mythology. We get it all including the dynamic locations, the underworld codes, and the array of colorful characters. And of course you have the kinetic, pulse-pounding action sequences which have become a staple of the franchise. We see de Armas firing bullets, throwing axes, swinging ice skates, spraying fire – essentially using whatever she can grab as a weapon.

Filled with killer characters, callbacks and carnage, “Ballerina” earns its spot amid the ever-growing John Wick canon. And all while highlighting the budding star power of a terrific Ana de Armas. She brings a fitting yet fresh energy to the franchise, committing herself completely and giving us a character who we hope to see again. And I can’t think of a better compliment to give the movie than this – I want more Eve Macarro. “Ballerina” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Garrett Hedlund gets a meaty character to unpack in “Barron’s Cove”, a gritty and grounded crime thriller from writer-director Evan Ari Kelman. The 40-year-old Hedlund has proven to be a captivating actor when given the right material and he certainly gets it here. Kelman’s script may stretch itself a little too far, but it builds good drama and its characters are well developed and fit nicely within their complicated world, none more than Hedlund’s.

The story is set in the small Massachusetts town of Monroe City. Hedlund plays Caleb Faulkner, an enforcer for a construction supply company owned by his uncle, Benji (Stephen Lang). Caleb’s job is to ensure contractors buy exclusively from his uncle, and he does so by any means necessary. It’s not work Caleb enjoys. But he owes Benji for taking him in, and the money he makes helps support his ex-wife Jackie (Brittany Snow) and their young son Barron (Dante Hale).

Caleb’s life comes crumbling down after Barron is tragically killed during a horrific incident on a train track. The details surrounding the boy’s shocking death are hazy. All the police tell Caleb is that Barron was out on the tracks with two other boys, one of them being Ethan Chambers (Christian Convery), the bratty and seemingly deranged son of a crooked candidate for state senate, Lyle Chambers (Hamish Linklater).

Overcome with the guilt of not being there for Barron, a frustrated Caleb desperately tries to get answers. But with each dead-end he turns a little more volatile. Caleb is eventually pushed to the brink after Barron’s death is unexpectedly ruled a suicide. With no real explanation (and nothing left to lose), Caleb goes on a self-destructive quest for the truth. And that quest starts with Ethan Chambers.

I won’t give away where the story goes, but it takes some unexpectedly dark turns. Throughout it Kelman does a good job exploring small town corruption, with dirty cops and dirtier politicians playing key roles in how things play out. Interestingly, nothing is as cut and dry as it first seems. Kelman throws us several curveballs, especially in the second half. And while the back end isn’t as tightly wound as the first half, it keeps us engaged and guessing.

“Barron’s Cove” is a rural crime thriller in every sense. Yet underneath its rugged exterior is a surprisingly thoughtful examination of revenge versus forgiveness. It mostly comes through Hedlund who shrewdly channels his character’s torment and pain. The script leaves much of Caleb’s struggle on the surface, but Hedlund finds ways to take us deeper. It’s a rich and textured performance that fuels many of the film’s strengths and elevates the movie beyond its few weaknesses. “Barron’s Cove” opens June 6th in theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Two Steven Soderbergh movies on the big screen in less than two months – we cinema lovers are eating good. And while it’s true that I didn’t fully go for his January release, “Presence”, Soderbergh always has something compelling to offer. And when he hits his mark the results can be pretty magical. Such is the case with “Black Bag”, a tight and taut spy thriller that has the flavor of an old school genre film yet a freshness all its own.

“Black Bag” could sell itself on its two brilliant leads alone – Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Both are supremely talented and endlessly versatile while oozing charisma out of every pore. But then you add in Soderbergh whose signature style and precision energizes every facet of the storytelling, from his deft handling of the narrative to his striking visual approach. It all clicks into place with “Black Bag”.

Written for the screen by David Koepp, “Black Bag” follows Kathryn St. Jean (Blanchett) and George Woodhouse (Fassbender), a happily married and deeply devoted couple who both happen to be high-level intelligence agents. Soderbergh wastes no time getting the story underway, sucking us in with a killer opening tracking shot of George entering a night club to meet with a contact. We learn there is a traitor in their agency and George is given a list of five potential suspects, one of which is Kathryn.

From there the movie follows George’s investigation of the five suspects with most of his attention aimed at Kathryn, especially as clues implicating her begin to mount. As the mystery unfolds, two key questions emerge. Is Kathryn guilty of treason and where do George’s loyalties ultimately lie – to his marriage or to his country? Soderbergh and Koepp have us studying the screen, hanging on every word and measuring every reaction in hopes of finding answers.

One of the biggest treats in “Black Bag” is its heavy reliance on character over action. And it all starts with George and Kathryn. He is intensely focused, detail obsessed, and has a very specific disdain for lying. She is disarmingly suave, both captivating and beguiling, and impossible to read, even for an agent as seasoned as her husband. To no surprise Fassbender and Blanchett have an electric chemistry and Soderbergh smartly utilizes it to the nth degree.

The four other suspects within the agency all get their due as well. They’re introduced to us during a superbly executed dinner party scene at George and Kathryn’s home. James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), and Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) all think they have been invited over for a casual get-together. Instead they’re unknowingly a part of George’s investigation which turns the evening into something completely unexpected.

From there, all of the characters impact the story in interesting ways. Koepp’s sizzling dialogue and Soderbergh’s crisp pacing keep things gripping for the duration of the film’s compact 94 minutes. And while once again serving as his own cinematographer, Soderbergh surrounds this tightly plotted thriller with the kind of visual craftsmanship that has become a hallmark of his movies. Toss in the delectable Fassbender and Blanchett, and you have one of the best films of this young movie year.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

Set during what the late, great Andy Williams christened as “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, writer-director H. Nelson Tracey’s “Breakup Season” is a hard movie to categorize (which is actually a strength). At times you’ll swear you’re watching a romantic comedy. Other times it plays like a sensitive domestic drama. And it’s all festively wrapped as a holiday movie. It just screened at the 2025 El Dorado Film Festival and earned quite a reaction from an enthusiastic audience who were all onboard with what Tracey was going for.

Ben (Chandler Riggs) has big holiday plans with his girlfriend Cassie (Samantha Insler). He has made the decision to take her to his hometown of La Grande, Oregon to meet his family for the first time. Their plans are to stay seven days with his colorful crew which consists of his parents, Mia (Brook Hogan) and Kirby (James Urbaniak), and his two siblings, his older brother Gordon (Jacob Wysocki) who recently moved back in with his folks after his own messy breakup, and his younger sister Liz (Carly Stewart) who is a rabid social media maven.

The initial greetings go well despite Cassie seeming a bit detached. But things sour at the dinner table as blowhard Gordon relentlessly hounds Cassie over being a vegetarian. But the big turn comes later than night when Cassie informs Ben that she wants to break up. Her plans are to stay the night and then book a flight to Portland first thing in the morning. But those plans are squashed after a snowstorm forces road closures and shuts down all flights.

And that sets up the bulk of the story as Cassie is snowed in with the guy she just broke up with and his family who she hardly knows. While she begins to bond in unexpected ways with Ben’s folks, she grows more irritated with him. On one hand, Cassie is opaque to a fault and not really able to explain to Ben why she wants to split up. “It just feels like clockwork,” is the best she can come up with. Meanwhile a well-meaning Ben is oblivious to the point of smothering Cassie. His constant badgering only pushes her further away.

Ben’s family adds energy and personality to the story while playing their own specific roles. For example, Gordon and Liz are mostly there to add some welcomed comic relief. As for Mia and Kirby, they’re always around to speak truth whenever things get heavy. Yet while they play the parts the story needs them to, these aren’t one-dimensional characters. Tracey gives each of them their own distinct identities which helps create an entertaining and organic family dynamic.

As for Ben and Cassie, Tracey strikes a good balance of sympathy and frustration. At times I found myself put out with Cassie and sympathetic towards Ben. Later I might be annoyed at Ben while having sympathy for Cassie. Neither are villainized and by the end we recognize them both as ordinary people navigating a tough situation the best way they know how. That said, I did find myself slightly siding with one more than the other. But it could be different for someone else which speaks to the genius of how they’re written.

“Breakup Season” boasts a superb cast, a smart and assured script, and a savvy director who avoids the many traps that can come with this kind of material. Tracey sticks with his convictions rather than go a more conventional route. His film takes breakups seriously, showing them as messy, painful, and often hard to sort out. Add in a healthy helping of humor and you have a movie that tells a poignant relationship story while making us laugh along the way.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

It’s a family affair in “Brave the Dark”, an inspirational new drama featuring the impressive talents of three British brothers – the sons of screen legend Richard Harris. The movie is directed and co-written by Damian Harris. It stars Jared Harris who’s well known from film, television, and theater. And it co-stars Jamie Harris who has worked with the likes of Terrence Malick, Christopher Nolan, and Steven Spielberg.

“Brave the Dark” originally screened in 2023 at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. But it’s just now making its way to theaters courtesy of Angel Studios. The film’s true story is based on the real-life relationship between a troubled student and a teacher who refused to let him slip through the cracks. Along the way Harris delves into weighty themes such as childhood trauma, mentorship, and second chances among others.

Set in 1986, Nicholas Hamilton plays Nate Williams, a senior at Garden Spot High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Nate is a bright student who runs track, has an affection for photography, and is crazy about his girlfriend Tina (Sasha Bhasin). But Nate also has several secrets. Most of them stem from his traumatic childhood which the film slowly unwraps as it moves forward. He keeps hidden that he spent eight years in an orphanage and that he’s been living out of his car for two years.

But his already fragile life takes another hit after his ill-advised decision to rob an appliance shop. He is arrested while on campus which gets the attention of the school’s beloved English and drama teacher, Mr. Stan Deen (Jared Harris). While most of the faculty are quick to write off Nate, the goodhearted Mr. Deen is determined to help. The well-respected teacher uses his many connections around town to get Nate out of prison and back in school.

It all sounds like a fairly conventional setup. But Nate’s story has its fair share of obstacles including his damaged relationship with his estranged grandparents and his inability to trust anyone including Mr. Deen who goes as far as letting Nate move in with him while he finishes high school. But his biggest hurdle is dealing with the pent-up trauma that has haunted him since he was a child. And it may take the help of his fellow lost soul Mr. Deen to finally move forward.

There are several personal touches that help ground the movie in real life including Nathaniel Williams Deen himself serving as a co-writer. Adding to it, Harris chose to shoot at several true-to-life locations such as the actual Garden Spot High School in Lancaster County as well as Stan Deen’s house where he and Nate lived together. They may be insignificant on the surface, but they’re choices that testify to the movie’s sincerity and heart.

“Brave the Dark” doesn’t break the inspirational movie mold. More specifically, it sticks pretty close to the by-the-book storytelling we usually get with these kinds of movies. And while it may hit a few dramatic speed bumps, this poignant and powerful drama remains authentic, driven by a heartfelt true account that’s honest but never heavy-handed and patient enough to let the relationships grow organically. Even when exploring the darker elements of the story, nothing ever feels overstated or sensationalized. It’s that kind of control, both from Harris and his cast, that makes “Brave the Dark” resonate.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Writer-director Halina Reijn attempts to make a bold statement but quickly loses her voice in “Babygirl”, an erotic thriller that’s neither erotic or thrilling. This baffling misfire seeks to say something about sexual freedom and power dynamics. But rather than speak anything profound, it loses itself in what plays like a carnal romp that only occasionally considers such things as ramifications and consequences. And it squanders three really good performances in the process.

Nicole Kidman bares all and does everything she’s asked playing Romy Mathis, the successful CEO of a robotics company named Tensile. Romy has the same comfortable life as most one-percenters. She lives in a lavish home with her loyal and loving husband Jacob (Antonio Banderes) and their two daughters. But Romy is hiding something. She has a kinky side that manifests itself in ways that go from uncomfortable to downright bizarre as the story pushes forward.

That’s clearly not the interpretation Reijn is looking for, and a more insightful movie might be able to challenge conventional thinking on such things. But “Babygirl” offers such a shallow examination that it’s hard to see beyond its clunky messaging and unintentional contradictions. It tries to avoid any sleazy tags by pointing accusatory fingers in a number of directions. And those efforts lead to an ending that couldn’t feel more undeserved.

Romy’s sordid fantasies begin blending with reality after she meets Samuel (Harris Dickinson), an aggressively flirty new intern at her company. It doesn’t take long for the Yale educated, business savvy executive to begin making a series of boneheaded decisions to satiate her lust. From there Reijn chronicles Romy and Samuel’s illicit affair which starts as a psychosexual cat-and-mouse game of seduction before abruptly giving way to a number of prurient trysts.

As they attempt (sometimes rather loosely) to keep their affair under wraps, Romy shows passing concerns over consequences, mostly regarding her job and occasionally her family. But Reijn works hard to exonerate Romy of any wrongdoing. Instead, her movie’s sentiment is best encapsulated in what Samuel smugly deems to be “an outdated idea about sexuality”. In “Babygirl”, the fault lies with society. It’s the stigmas; the moral codes; even Jacob subtly gets some of the blame.

With such talent as Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and Antonio Banderes, “Babygirl” had the ingredients to be an incisive and thought-provoking erotic thriller. Instead, it takes an unoriginal premise and offers up a one-dimensional examination of sexual liberation. There is some undeniable simmer between Kidman and Dickinson. But their chemistry fizzles once the steaminess turns to schlock. Again, it’s a shame considering the quality of talent on screen.

Yet the movie’s biggest problem lies in how woefully underdeveloped everything is. The characters, the relationships, the motivations, even the themes – it all feels so flimsy. And from a movie that borderlines on haughty in its convictions and its indictments. A more shrewd and well-rounded treatment could have made us think. “Babygirl” wants to be that movie. But it’s more like those $.99 rentals that once sat on the back shelf at your local video store.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS