Jason Statham’s latest first quarter action thriller is “Shelter”, and it’s a nice escape from heavier awards season stock. You would be hard-pressed to say “Shelter” breaks new ground. But it does fit snugly within Statham’s wheelhouse. And for fans of the 58-year-old’s specific brand of action, it has all the ingredients while hitting the familiar marks they’ve come to expect.

Stunt performer turned director Ric Roman Waugh follows up several solid collaborations with Gerard Butler (minus 2019’s “Angel Has Fallen”) with a Statham vehicle that’s built upon an easy to recognize foundation. A man with a secret past lives a quiet, discreet life until he’s pushed back into the life he had tried to put behind him. That’s literally the basic premise of Statham’s last two movies. And we get it again in “Shelter”, but with a small yet meaningful twist.

Statham plays Michael Mason, a former government assassin within MI6’s top-secret Black Kite program. Years earlier, Mason went rogue during a critical mission which made him a target of his own agency. As a result, Mason went off the grid, quietly living in an old lighthouse on a tiny island in the Scottish Isles. Once a week he’s left a crate of supplies by a young girl named Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) who comes to the island on her uncle’s boat. Otherwise he keeps to himself, living in seclusion and out of MI6’s eye.

After dropping off supplies, Jessie and her uncle get caught in a storm. Mason manages to save the injured girl, but her uncle drowns when their boat sinks. Realizing he needs medicine to treat Jessie’s injury, Mason risks exposing himself by going into the closest town. There his image is captured and funneled through MI6’s fancy new surveillance system where his old handler and MI6 dark agent Manafort (Bill Nighy) dispatches a kill squad to track down and eliminate his old asset and any witnesses.

Mason wastes no time offing Manafort’s team before taking Jessie on the run, using back channels and old connections to keep her safe. But Manafort intensifies his pursuit, revealing his own devious motives in the process. Meanwhile a driven and upright young agent named Roberta (Naomi Ackie) begins filling in the blanks to Mason’s backstory while discovering the real reason behind Manafort’s efforts to kill the best of his former assassins.

Most of “Shelter” follows Mason’s attempt to stay one step ahead of Manafort’s killers, from his island lighthouse to the rural countryside to downtown London. It’s laced with a variety of solid action scenes that includes car chases, shoot-outs, and (of course) some bone-cracking fight sequences. But the difference maker is Mason’s emerging relationship with Jessie. The father-daughter dynamic that forms adds heart. And both Statham and Breathnach breathe a surprising amount of life into it.

Yet outside of that, there’s not a lot here that we haven’t seen before. It’s a nagging issue that stayed in the back of my mind throughout. But Statham fans (a group I consider myself to be a part of) will find themselves at home with the action star’s latest. The film has its share of thrills, and the evolving relationship at its core gives “Shelter” a welcomed emotional kick that serves the movie well.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Defining the Strangers movie franchise is no easy task. The original 2008 film, “The Strangers” was truly chilling, and over time it became a cult classic. Its clunker 2018 sequel, “Prey at Night” didn’t fare near as well. But the real confusion came in 2024 with the release of “The Strangers – Chapter 1”, the first film in a new trilogy from director Renny Harlin. “Chapter 2” followed in 2025, and now here we are in early 2026 with “Chapter 3”.

It takes some research to figure out what the trilogy is meant to be. It’s not a prequel trilogy as many of us first thought, but it’s not necessarily a reboot or a rematch either. Instead its creators consider it a “relaunch” and have said that it exists within the same universe as the original two films. That may explain it in words, but finding a concrete connection between the older movies and the newer ones is easier said than done.

Regardless, the trilogy has been quite the rollercoaster ride. “Chapter 1” played like 30 minutes worth of content stretched into a 90-minute movie. But “Chapter 2” was a surprising step up despite a few problems of its own. As with its predecessors, “Chapter 3″ has its own set of issues. Yet it manages to do a serviceable job tying the trilogy together and bringing it to decent conclusion.

“Chapter 3” begins exactly where the previous film left off. After spending the last movie fleeing from the three masked psychopathic strangers, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) managed to kill the one called Pin-Up Girl just before the credits rolled. Now the remaining two, Scarecrow and Dollface, mourn her in their own twisted way before continuing their pursuit of Maya in and around the rural timber town of Venus, Oregon.

Elsewhere the prowling Sheriff Rotter (played by the wonderfully unsettling Richard Brake) patrols the forest-lined country roads with motivations that could be called sketchy at best. Meanwhile Maya’s sister, Debbie (Rachel Shenton) and her husband Howard (George Young) arrive in Venus with a hired bodyguard (Miles Yekinni) after learning Maya was never picked up by the ambulance sent to bring her back home to Portland. Their investigation intersects with the good sheriff while Maya tries to get a leg up on her maniacal pursuers.

Harlin breaks up the current day mayhem with several flashbacks that not only reveal the identities of the deranged serial-killing trio, but how they came together and how they’ve managed to continue murdering for years. These scenes add some disturbing context to the strangers, as well as the townsfolk of Venus. We end up learning more through them than any other part of the movie.

As for our protagonist, much of “Chapter 3” emphasizes the evolution of Maya whose trauma makes her increasingly cold and calloused. It’s a tricky task for the committed Petsch whose performances throughout the trilogy have come in three phases. Each film asks her to do something different, yet all three performances are distinctly connected. So it’s impossible to fairly judge what she’s doing in “Chapter 3” without factoring in the previous movies. When you do, it’s easy to appreciate what she accomplishes.

The Strangers trilogy has become a cheap critical punching bag for many, but it’s far from the cataclysmic disaster it’s made out to be. It’s hard to justify spreading the story out into three feature length films and their strict dependency on seeing the other movies are somewhat of a handicap. As for “Chapter 3”, it may succeed in wrapping things up, but it’s not without its lapses in logic. Still, it manages to do what it needs to do as a final chapter. And judging by its box office performance, it could very well be the FINAL chapter.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

Horror fans can rejoice! For the first time in seventeen years Sam Raimi returns to the genre he cut his teeth on. Well, sort of. His latest film, “Send Help” could easily be categorized as a survival thriller. But it’s Sam Raimi, the director of the original three Evil Dead movies. So to no surprise, “Send Help” has its share of grisly horror and pitch-black comedy. And I kinda loved every moment.

“Send Help” goes down like a cocktail of ”Horrible Bosses”, “Castaway”, and “Misery” but seasoned with Raimi’s own special sauce. Written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the story gives a deliciously meaty role to Rachel McAdams who relishes every twisted second she’s given. Dylan O’Brien is wonderfully detestable as a smarmy privileged slimeball. Together they breathe fire into this bonkers mashup that goes in some delirious directions.

McAdams plays Linda Liddle, a homely and awkward accountant working for a prominent consulting firm. Linda is a numbers guru who is hardworking and a valuable behind-the-scenes asset to the company. So much so that the CEO had promised to promote her to the vice president position. But after he unexpectedly dies, his entitled son Bradley (O’Brien) takes the reins and immediately promotes his college buddy Donovan (Xavier Samuel) to VP.

As for Linda (who Bradley is repulsed by), he secretly plans to have her transferred to an obscure go-nowhere position. But before he does, Bradley agrees to take Linda along on an overseas business trip to finalize a major merger. But as their private jet passes through a severe storm, its engines fail which sends the plane crashing into the ocean. Linda miraculously survives, washing ashore on a remote island somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand.

As Linda gets her bearings, she discovers an injured and unconscious Bradley on the beach. Lucky for him, Linda is a survival enthusiast with a load of skills she learned as an avid watcher of the television show “Survivor” (one of my favorite early gags). When Bradley finally comes to, he wastes no time belittling Linda’s efforts and asserting himself as her boss. But he quickly learns this isn’t the same “Linda from accounting” and they aren’t in the office any more. Madcap blood-soaked hijinks ensue.

Raimi has a blast playing around with the multi-faceted dynamic between Linda and Bradley. He uses aspects from their professional and personal lives to define our hero and our villain. But one of the great joys of “Send Help” is its unpredictability. And we get good taste of it once Raimi starts blurring the lines between who’s good and who’s bad. We can’t help but root for Linda as she turns the tables on her douche of a boss. But “Send Help” has more up its sleeve than just that. And the moral ambiguity that arises from the primal chaos adds to the entertainment.

As some biting social commentary percolates amid the psychological mind games and physical savagery, Raimi never loses sight of the premise’s B-movie appeal. He giddily unloads some crazy action, gobs of gore, and warped humor with a nasty edge. Its biggest weakness is an ending that’s a tad too tidy. But the overall film is so insanely fun that it’s hard getting hung up on minor quibbles. Instead you’ll be amped to see it again. And you’ll once again be wondering why Rachel McAdams isn’t a bigger star.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

The romantic comedy has had its ups and downs like any other genre. But more than most, its films often find themselves so beholden to formula that they come across as uninspired retreads. Perhaps that’s why “Solo Mio” is such a breath of fresh air. Set around Rome and Tuscany, “Solo Mio” has a big heart, likable characters, plenty of well-delivered laughs, and more maturity than the standard-issue, run-of-the-mill romcoms of today.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s “Roman Holiday”. But much liked that beloved William Wyler classic, “Solo Mio” features a similar charm and effervescence while being set to the same vibrant Italian backdrop. Of course the scenery is gorgeous and transporting without becoming a crutch. More surprising is the script which is brimming with humor, warmth, and pathos. But its biggest strengths are its two top performances from Kevin James and Nicole Grimaudo.

The movie comes from the Rhode Island filmmaking collective known as the Kinnane Brothers. Charles and Daniel serve as co-directors and work from a screenplay written by their siblings, Patrick and John. Kevin James pitched in with the script in addition to playing the lead role. Here he moves away from the slapstick silliness that has defined much of his career and gives us something endearing and heartfelt. It’s some career-best work.

James plays Matt Taylor, a 4th grade art teacher engaged to the sprightly love of his life, Heather (Julie Ann Emery). The two plan a storybook wedding in Rome with a lavish Italian honeymoon to follow. But on their wedding day everything falls apart when Heather leaves Matt at the alter. Heartbroken, Matt tries to cancel their big honeymoon plans only to find their “package” is nonrefundable. So he decides to stay in Rome, taking their honeymoon alone with hopes that Heather comes back.

As Matt tries coping with his sadness, he meets two nosy and intrusive newlywed couples at his hotel who take it upon themselves to get Matt back on his feet (much to his chagrin). There’s the well-meaning but overly assertive Julian (Kim Coates) who is celebrating his third marriage to Meghan (Allyson Hannigan). And there’s the henpecked Neil (Jonathan Roumie) who just married his therapist Donna (Julee Cerda). Yep, his therapist.

The oddball couples have good intentions. But it’s a fateful visit to a local coffee shop that turns things around for Matt. It’s there that he meets an outgoing barista named Gia (a fabulous Nicole Grimaudo) who notices he is a bit out of sorts. Gia has an infectious personality and an irresistible charm which doesn’t go unnoticed by Matt. But he doesn’t give it much thought. After all, Heather may come to her senses. And how can a man in his 50s start a new relationship from scratch?

But as Matt and Gia keep bumping into each other, a romance blossoms. Sure it’s a predictable turn, but the Kinnanes manage it unexpectedly well. It’s sweet without being schmaltzy and it’s playful without being silly. It’s a grownup relationship with authentic characters we genuinely care about. The lively Gia is a wonderful balance to the listless Matt. And when together, they come to life thanks to the natural, easy-flowing chemistry between James and Grimaudo.

As with any romantic comedy, there is a tension that threatens to uproot the central romance. Here it happens to be secrets that both are holding onto. Yet to the film’s credit, it’s handled in a refreshingly unique and mature way. It’s another welcomed surprise from a movie that speaks about relationships with such honesty – about how old ones can end and new ones can begin, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

“Solo Mio” may not cause a seismic shift in the romantic comedy landscape. But it does show that the genre isn’t out of gas just yet. It doesn’t veer too far away from the popular romcom blueprint. It simply livens things up by telling its own story rather than mimicking other films that came before it. James has never been better and Grimaudo should immediately be put on everyone’s radar. In the end, nearly all the pieces fall into place, making this a delightful, refreshing, and life-affirming crowd-pleaser.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

The original “Silent Night, Deadly Night” released in 1984 to significant controversy. Groups criticized the film for its graphic violence at the hands of a killer decked out in a Santa Claus suit. But over time it would gain a cult following which led to four mostly straight-to-video sequels and a loose 2012 remake. Now the psychological slasher is getting a fresh reboot just in time for the holiday season.

Writer-director Mike P. Nelson puts a new spin on the 1984 original film. He takes several of the same characters and completely reinvents their stories starting with his main character, Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell). When Billy was eight-years-old he witnessed the brutal murder of his parents by a deranged man in a Santa Claus suit named Charlie (Mark Acheson). Billy’s mother manages to mortally wound Charlie. As the killer is dying, Billy comes in contact with him which has some alarming consequences.

Now years later, Billy is a drifter who moves from town to town at the behest of the voice of Charlie living in his head. Even more disturbing, the voice leads him to kill one person a day during the 24 days of Christmas as part of some grisly ritual connected to a macabre advent calendar. To make it even more twisted, Billy kills his targets while wearing a blood-stained Santa Claus suit. “Naughty boys get punished”, the creepy voice tells him.

The movie takes a surprise turn when Billy arrives in the small town of Hackett. While in a diner, an attractive local named Pamela Sims (a very good Ruby Modine) catches his attention. He follows her to a Christmas trinket shop owned by her father (David Lawrence Brown). By this point, Nelson has tuned our minds to expect a blood bath. Instead, Billy gets a job at the shop and quickly falls for Pamela. But as their romance blooms, the voice of Charlie reminds Billy of his serial-killing duties.

It would be criminal to spoil where the story goes. Let’s just say Nelson takes some mammoth swings in his efforts to weave romance and horror into something cohesive and entertaining. Believe it or not he pulls it off, not perfectly, but to a degree you may not be expecting. We get several meaningful reveals and a couple of crazy turns that completely reshape everything we thought we knew. The romance works because Nelson invests time in his two characters. The horror works because he doesn’t shortchange slasher fans when it comes to gory kills.

While “Silent Night, Deadly Night” is unexpectedly entertaining, I don’t want to oversell it. It’s not likely to become a perennial holiday favorite. The story takes a few shortcuts and some characters are underdeveloped. But it’s not throwaway rubbish either. Nelson isn’t just rehashing some tired formula. He offers his own unique take on the story, tossing in plenty of gruesome kills, a warm romance, some pitch-black humor, and a strong sense of self-awareness.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

I remember the first time I heard the catchy hook of a Neil Diamond song. It was through the 8-track tape player in my parents’s 1974 Chevrolet Malibu Classic. I was just a kid, but even I was drawn to Diamond’s distinctive baritone. While Craig Brewer’s new film “Song Sung Blue” isn’t specifically about Neil Diamond, his music and its impact can be felt from the opening frames to the closing credits.

With a title taken from Diamond’s #1 pop hit from 1972, “Song Sung Blue” is based on the Greg Kohs documentary of the same name. It tells the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a singing duo who performed under the names Lightning & Thunder. They called their act a “Neil Diamond Experience”. And while Mike had the look and the voice, Lightning & Thunder didn’t set out to imitate Neil Diamond. Instead, they celebrated his songs by bringing their own unique energy and emotion to their performances.

Mike (played with effervescent charm by Hugh Jackman) is a recovering alcoholic who we first meet as he’s celebrating twenty years of sobriety with his fellow AA members. Mike was a tunnel rat in Vietnam, and after returning to the States he started drinking to battle the trauma that followed him home. But he got help and found refuge in entertaining. He began singing at birthday parties, restaurants, and county fairs. And it was at a fair in Milwaukee where he met Claire Stingl (an awards-worthy Kate Hudson).

Claire is a single mother raising two kids, her angsty teen daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson) and her spirited younger son Dayna (Hudson Hensley). She’s a part-time hairdresser who also sings Patsy Cline tributes on the side. And that’s what initially draws Mike. The two immediately hit it off romantically and creatively, and the movie gives equal time to both. Brewer pays just as much attention to Mike and Kate as he does to Lightning & Thunder. It turns out to be a great balance of humanity and showmanship.

The movie’s first half focuses on Mike and Claire bringing together their two families while sorting out what would become their Neil Diamond act. As the two fall in love and eventually marry, Dayna latches onto Mike while Rachel finds an unexpected friend and Mike’s daughter, Angelina (King Princess). At the same time, Lightning & Thunder starts to take form. The couple get their band together, and with the help of Mike’s dentist / manager Dr. Watson (Fisher Stevens) and wannabe booker Tom D’Amato (Jim Belushi), they begin performing at small venues across Milwaukee.

But in the film’s second half, Brewer takes a sharp turn after tragedy strikes. The tone gets darker and the story is more serious after a freak accident leaves Claire indefinitely sidelined, leading to bouts with severe depression. Mike tries to keep their act going while she recovers, performing three nights a week at a local Thai restaurant while hiding his own health issues. But without Claire by his side, entertaining no longer has its allure. And keeping his family together quickly takes precedent over chasing the dream they were so close to catching.

For those like me who are unfamiliar with this remarkable true story, the sudden shift hits like a ton of bricks. Brewer keeps things anchored and doesn’t take any emotional shortcuts. Jackman is perfectly cast, effortlessly gushing charm and creative energy while turning it down when the movie needs him to. Equally great (if not better) is Hudson who is thoroughly convincing whether she’s glowing on stage or retreating into Claire’s despondency.

As for the music, Brewer hits us with one soaring song after another, all delivered through impassioned, full-bodied performances from Jackman and Hudson. Of course we get Neil Diamond’s eternal “Sweet Caroline”, along with other sing-along hits like “Cracklin’ Rose” and “Forever in Blue Jeans”. And there’s the energizing “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”. But Brewer also highlights the diversity of Diamond’s catalogue by including such tunes as “Play Me”, “Soolaimon”, and “Holly Holy”.

“Song Sung Blue” tells a stranger-than-fiction true story that’s sure to resonate with audiences of all kinds. Craig Brewer has crafted a rousing crowd-pleaser built on the timeless music of Neil Diamond and the spectacular chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Together they’ve made a film about the indomitable human spirit, expressed not only in making music, but through love, faithfulness, and resilience in the face of adversity. You’ll leave with your heart full and a song on your lips.

VERDICT – 4 STARS