Tag Archives: movie review

REVIEW: “Regretting You” (2025)

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We’re not far from being able to christen Colleen Hoover and the new Nicholas Sparks. Like Sparks, the Texas-born Hoover has made it big as a novelist with a very passionate fanbase. And like Sparks, Hoover’s novels have become a favorite in Hollywood. She’s still a ways away from Sparks’ eleven film adaptations. But Hoover is making up ground quick with a movie last year, one this year, and two scheduled to release in 2026.

“Regretting You” is an adaptation of Hoover’s 2019 novel of the same name. It’s from director Josh Boone who previously helmed the solid romantic drama “The Fault in Our Stars” and the disastrous dead-on-arrival superhero movie “The New Mutants”. Here he works with screenwriter Susan McMartin to try and unpack Hoover’s soapy story. Admittedly I haven’t read the book. But it’s hard to imagine it’s as melodramatically messy as its big screen offspring.

It doesn’t help that the movie is built upon an eye-rolling premise that the mostly capable cast can’t save. They certainly put in the effort, each fully committing to the material no matter how schmaltzy or even strange it gets. But McMartin’s script doesn’t make it easy for them. The story often feels at odds with itself as it ushers its characters through scenes of devastating grief and cheesy teen romance. It’s a tsunami of clashing tones with streaming tears and out-of-tune humor often occupying the same space.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sisters Morgan (Allison Williams) and Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) are polar opposites. Since they were kids, Morgan was the stable and reliable one while Jenny was all about having a good time. Their lives took a turn in high school following Morgan’s unexpected pregnancy with her boyfriend Chris (Scott Eastwood). The two end up getting married while Jenny splits with her geeky boyfriend Jonah (Dave Franco) who actually had the hots for Morgan but left town once she and Chris got married. But now Jonah’s back, just long enough to have a baby with Jenny and get engaged. Did you get all that?

While Jonah and Jenny have their newborn, Morgan and Chris have 17-year-old Clara (Mckenna Grace), a bright and sweet senior in high school with big plans to attend drama school. Even more, Clara has a crush on “the coolest guy in school“, Miller Adams (Mason Thames). Miller is a good kid who loves movies while living with and taking care of his ailing grandfather (Clancy Brown). To no surprise the two start to connect in ways that utilize most teen romance tropes.

But movies like this feed on tragedy and it’s no different in “Regretting You”. Morgan and Jonah get the shocking news that Jenny and Chris were killed in a car accident while secretly together. Naturally this prompts some troubling questions while leading to some predictable fallout. As Morgan and Jonah learn some heartbreaking truths, they make a pact not to tell Claire the truth knowing it would devastate her. But that seems like an impossible secret to hide from a 17-year-old, especially for anyone not living off the grid. Nonetheless…

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

From there the story becomes a swirl of emotional breakdowns, heated arguments, and cutesy puppy love. The actors navigate the tonal chaos the best they can, but their characters are the biggest victims. They’re also hurt by some baffling creative choices. Take the decision to digitally de-age Morgan, Jenny, Chris, and Jonah in a brief prologue and a wonky flashback scene. Not only is the airbrushed effect noticeable, it’s comically distracting.

As for the characters themselves, they’re trapped in a movie where the adults often act like children and the kids like adults. But Clara (who is the centerpiece of the story) has her moments of petulance as well. She also makes some bizarrely rash decisions that don’t do her any favors. Yet Grace overcomes much of it with a mostly charming performance that earns our empathy. Williams finds some good beats in the slightly frustrating Morgan. Fitzgerald is the most in-sync with her character. Eastwood is stuck in a character type while a bespectacled Dave Franco seems miscast and struggles to find chemistry with Williams.

Somewhere inside of “Regretting You” is a thoughtful story about a mother and daughter trying to navigate their grief. The movie is filled with sincerity and good intentions. But the erratic script, uneven characters, and overall wobbly execution keep the story perpetually off-balance. Sadly it doesn’t work as weepy tearjerker or a cheesy YA romance. “Regretting You” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Eddington” (2025)

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Ari Aster’s short but attention-getting feature film career has been a fascinating rollercoaster. It began with a bang with his exceptional 2018 supernatural/psychological horror gem “Hereditary”. He followed it up with 2019’s “Midsommar” – a movie with a first half that is every bit as brilliant as his debut film and an unfortunate second half that goes completely off the rails. Things only got worse with 2023’s disastrous “Beau Is Afraid”.

Now Aster is back with his fourth film and with it we see his career pendulum swinging back mightily the other way. Aster takes a bold and provocative swing with “Eddington”, shrewdly straddling the line between satirical black comedy and a Neo-Western thriller. His story is set in 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. He takes an unvarnished look at the heightened paranoia and anxieties that swept through communities while spotlighting the political opportunism and obstinance that only made things more complicated.

Adding to the already tumultuous landscape were the growing tensions following the killing of George Floyd. Impassioned protests swept across the country. But several were overthrown by aggressive rioters, sometimes prompted by well-funded outside agitators eager to plunge the country into violence. Aster’s willingness to take on such fresh wounds speaks to his audacity. But what’s amazing is how well he pulls this crazy thing off.

Image Courtesy of A24

While some may try hard to put “Eddington” in their political corner, the film openly fillets the political left, right, and most everyone in between. It should be stated that Aster isn’t fence-straddling. He offers frank and truthful observations through a fable that is as thematically chaotic as the times it represents (and fittingly so). Most will remember the events with alarming clarity which may make this a difficult watch. Yet Aster mines so many darkly funny moments out of the pointed, pathetic, and preposterous scenes that unfold before us.

The story plays out in Eddington, a small dried-up New Mexico town with a population of 2,435. It’s where we meet Sheriff Joe Cross (an exceptionally pitiful Joaquin Phoenix), a by-the-books rural conservative who keeps the law in his quiet town with the help of his two deputies, Guy (Luke Grimes) and Michael (Michael Ward). The only thing more frustrating to Joe than mask mandates and government imposed lockdowns is his live-in mother-in-law, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell) who rarely misses a chance to scrutinize how he handles his dissociative wife Louise (an underused Emma Stone).

Joe doesn’t see the coronavirus or the growing unrest as Eddington problems. This puts him at odds with Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), Eddington’s incumbent mayor who is up for reelection. Ted stands for nearly everything Joe is against. He’s a good-looking and good-talking politician who is intent on protecting his political career by staying on his liberal governor’s good side. That means imposing and enforcing mandates and policies that don’t always apply to him. Far shadier is his involvement in a massive AI data center set to be constructed on Native American land outside of Eddington.

Image Courtesy of A24

As the tensions fester between Joe and Ted, a small but growing BLM-inspired protest breaks out on Main Street. They’re spearheaded by the impressionable Sarah (Amélie Hoeferle) whose verbiage and sloganizing sounds plucked from TikTok videos rather than out of organic conviction. She’s supported by Brian (Cameron Mann) who is more smitten with her than their cause. Joe is ill-equipped to either control the crowd or empathize with their cause which only makes things worse.

Aster throws in so many other things, all ripe for critique. Conspiracy theories, misinformation, social media dependency, cult leaders (a shaggy but captivating Austin Butler is a brief delight), white middle-class radicalism, etc. With so much laid out, the budding question became how would Aster wrangle it all together? The answer – with an insanely violent Tarantino flavored exclamation point at the end. It’s a wildly entertaining finish that speaks to where our intensifying divisions could eventually lead us.

“Eddington” feels like a movie some will need to wrestle with, not just for days but perhaps years. It’s a feature that demands a level of honesty and introspection. Those unwilling will likely contort the movie to fit their political dogmas or simply dismiss it altogether. But those willing to look deeper will find a well-conceived and well-crafted satire that is both ruthlessly funny and daringly insightful. Top it off with a terrific cast (none better than Phoenix), and you have Aster’s best film since his stellar debut. “Eddington” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “A Knight’s War” (2025)

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Matthew Ninaber directs, writes, produces, and stars in “A Knight’s War”, a gritty and imaginative creation that embraces medieval action, dark fantasy, and horror. It even adds a few dashes of black comedy to lighten up what is a mostly grim and dread-driven story. Ancient prophecies, jealous gods, soulless demons, bloodthirsty witches – they all play into this twisted and forbidding world.

For an 80s kid like me, “A Knight’s War” calls back to a number of fun fantasy adventure films I grew up watching. Throughout its entertaining 104 minutes, it brought to mind such movies as “Krull”, “Conan the Barbarian”, “Beastmaster”, and “Dragonslayer” just to name a few. But what impresses most is the way Ninaber and company do so much with so little. “A Knight’s War” didn’t have the benefits of a big studio budget but it often looks like it does. The production design, costumes, makeup, visual effects – it’s all a striking testament to the vision, vehemence, and virtuosity that drives the filmmaking.

Image Courtesy of Epic Pictures

Co-written by Ninaber and his brother Jeremy, the story is soaked in original mythology that’s relayed through a healthy balance of visual and expository world-building. It begins with two brothers, Bhodie (Jeremy Ninaber) and William (Matthew Ninaber), both knights on a mission to rescue a young woman being sacrificed in a demonic ritual. The woman’s name is Avalon (Kristen Kaster) and the brothers believe her to be the key to a dark mystical prophecy.

But their rescue efforts are thwarted and Avalon is transported to a hellish realm populated by all manner of evil. Desperately clinging to the prophecy, Bhodie follows Avalon through a forbidden gate while William attempts to fend off a horde of demons. Once in the realm, Bhodie is greeted by a mysterious gatekeeper (Shane Nicely) who informs him that three evil lords possess three magical stones. If he wants to return home with Avalon he will need to defeat the lords and retrieve the stones.

To help Bhodie on his journey, the gatekeeper offers him a magical talisman that gives him one hundred lives. All he asks in return is that Bhodie brings him along when he returns to our realm. Bhodie accepts and then sets out to find Avalon. It doesn’t take him long, but convincing her to come back with him proves difficult. That’s because she’s on a mission of her own – one fueled by her own lust for revenge.

Image Courtesy of Epic Pictures

From there, the action picks up as Bhodie and Avalon, each with their own levels of distrust, face-off against forces of evil and sometimes each other. Along the way, Ninaber treats us to a strikingly creative array of sinister enemies and a series of encounters infused with deliciously gory combat. And it all plays out against a fittingly fantastical backdrop. Things can get a little too exposition-heavy in spots and the mythology doesn’t always make sense. But the film steadily moves forward, delivering one skillfully crafted sequence after another.

Admittedly there are occasions where the budget limitations can be hard to miss. You see it in a handful of stagy backgrounds and in moments where the story confusingly lurches forward to get to its next point. But those things can’t minimize what the filmmakers are able to accomplish in this well-made, incredibly efficient, and wildly entertaining fantasy adventure. “A Knight’s War” opens in select theaters on February 7th and is available on VOD February 11th.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Heart Eyes” (2025)

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For those moviegoers worried that we’re running short of psychopathic masked serial killers, fear not. “Heart Eyes” is here, a wild genre hybrid that mixes ingredients from sappy romantic comedies and blood-saturated slasher movies. It’s a gleefully self-aware date night cocktail that derives much of its enjoyment through its giddy embrace of numerous genre tropes. To put it simply, director Josh Ruben knows and delivers on his assignment.

Ruben, along with screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, fashion a movie so in tune with its own silliness that you can’t help but get onboard. You’ll laugh at the goofy gags and abject absurdity as much as you’ll recoil at the jolting violence and gruesome gore. But most surprising is how a movie that is both a romcom parody and a shameless splatterfest can be this shrewdly scripted and devilishly charming.

Olivia Holt is sturdy and committed playing Ally, a twenty-something former med student who now works as a Seattle marketing executive. Things aren’t going well at work following a bad ad pitch and now her tyrannical boss (Michaela Watkins) is threatening to fire her. Meanwhile her love life isn’t much better. Ally recently broke up with her boyfriend, but she can’t quite stalking his social media accounts.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

Elsewhere, news reports tell of a bloodthirsting maniac on the loose in Seattle. The media has dubbed him the “Heart Eyes Killer” and for obvious reasons – he wears a crude leather mask with two hearts for eyeholes. He targets random cities for his annual Valentine’s Day killing sprees, hunting and slaughtering romantic couples for reasons that (of course) will eventually come to light in the final act. First it was Boston, then Philly, and now it’s Seattle.

Ally’s boss demands she redo her ad campaign and pairs her with a hunky hotshot named Jay (Mason Gooding). Following a rather unpleasant working dinner, Ally spots her former beau outside of the restaurant with his new girlfriend. In an impulsive move, she plants a kiss on Jay in hopes of making her ex jealous. But she inadvertently gets the attention of Heart Eyes who’s watching from the bushes.

The killer mistakes Ally and Jay for a couple and makes them the focus of his Valentine’s evening festivities, chasing the two around the city and butchering anyone who happens to get in his way. One of my favorite running gags involve the two repeatedly trying to convince Heart Eyes that they are not together. Yet in classic romcom fashion, that changes over the course of the night as Ally and Jay get a little closer with every near-death encounter.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

As you watch “Heart Eyes”, romcom and slasher tropes are scattered like Easter eggs and spotting them is a big part of the fun. The swell of sappy love songs, the aggressively awkward meet-cute, the jabbering best friend (Gigi Zumbado). On the other side you get the slow walking but always present killer, an array of hapless victims, bumbling police officers (played by Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa) who are no help at all. This just scratches the surface of what you’ll find.

“Heart Eyes” is a mashup in its truest form. It artfully combines the well established frameworks of romantic comedies and slasher movies into one wildly entertaining confection. To no surprise its story is a little shallow, and the end reveal isn’t all that satisfying. But Holt and Gooding make for a likable and root-worthy duo while Heart Eyes is an especially brutal killer, using a variety of weaponry to deliver some truly creative carnage.

Again, the filmmakers know what kind of movie they’re making. Ruben and company have clearly watched a number of romcoms and they possess an obvious love the slasher genre. Now sprinkle in an assortment of well-timed and genuinely funny jokes and you have “Heart Eyes”, a movie that knows its target audience and is happy to feed them exactly what they’re hungry for. “Heart Eyes” opens in theaters today.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Companion” (2025)

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The new horror film “Companion” is the latest entry into the ever-growing artificial intelligence genre. Much of what has come down the assembly line has been throwaway entertainment (“M3GAN”, “Subservience”, etc.). But occasionally we get something interesting and unexpected. “Companion” falls somewhere in between. It has just enough creative juice to stand out from the crowd. Yet it’s not as original or insightful as it clearly wants to be.

“Companion” is the feature film debut for writer-director Drew Hancock. His movie falls in line with several others from this current phase of modern horror that simply aren’t that interested in actual scares. “Companion” isn’t the slightest bit creepy, chilling, or unsettling. In fairness, Hancock doesn’t hide his intentions. He’s just as much interested in delivering a black comedy and a twisted revenge fantasy. So don’t go into it expecting to be on the edge of your seat.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Unfortunately as Hancock admirably attempts to corral all of his ambition, his film stumbles in areas that are hard to miss. For starters, “Companion” begins with what would have been quality table-setting if its first major reveal hadn’t been routinely spoiled during its promotion. Yet to the movie’s credit, it still manages to entertain while we wait for its story to catch up with what we already know.

But as the story progresses you begin to see its seemingly tight story slowly begin to unravel. By the end the movie struggles to stay on the rails, hampered by glaring plot holes and leaving us with obvious questions that never get unanswered. Meanwhile its overall message is a familiar one that hinges on a few popular well-worn themes without really expressing anything about them that we haven’t seen before.

The story centers around a group of friends who gather at a secluded lake house for a weekend getaway. They’re possibly some of the dumbest characters you’ll encounter on a screen this year. The lone exception is the sweet yet timid Iris (Sophie Thatcher) who arrives with her boobish boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid). Waiting for them at the house are Josh’s friends Kat (Megan Suri) and her Russian sugar daddy Sergey, and Eli (Harvey Guillén) who brought along his significant other, Patrick (Lukas Gage).

It’s best that you know as little as possible going in. But since it was such a big part of the promotion I’ll go ahead and say it – we learn pretty early on that Iris is actually an AI-driven robot that Josh purchased from a tech company. He’s able to control her through an app on his phone that allows him to adjust everything from her intelligence to her affection to her aggression. Here’s the catch – she doesn’t know she’s a robot which means she doesn’t realize the emotions she feels is little more than programming.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

But everything comes to light when an act of violence leaves one person dead. Soon after, a shocked Iris learns the truth about her existence. She also learns that Josh and his friends aren’t who she thought they were. Wacky plot turns and lukewarm reveals follow, sometimes making sense but not always. And as more twists are thrown at us, things only get sillier and bloodier. Of course that’s not always a bad thing. But here, none of it feels rooted in anything worthwhile.

There’s enough bonkers material in “Companion” to make for some breezy entertainment and Hancock smartly (and thankfully) moves us along at a fairly swift pace. But it’s hard to turn a blind eye to its shortcomings which only seem to mount the farther we go. And there’s not enough meat to its message or satirical bite to give the story the punch that it desperately needs. “Companion” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Shutter Island” (2010)

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“Shutter Island” is a film that usually gets tossed aside when discussing the greater movies of filmmaker Martin Scorsese. But since first seeing it in the theater during its original 2010 release (three times actually), I’ve stood firmly by my assertion that it’s absolutely top-tier Scorsese. I loved everything about it then, and I’ve found that it still holds up to repeat viewings. The cast, the script, the costumes, the production design, and (of course) the direction are all top-notch.

Adapted from the novel by Dennis Lehane, “Shutter Island” (at the time) marked the fourth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio (they would re-team in 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” and their latest, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is due out next year). Here Scorsese delves into the psychological thriller genre while also brilliantly injecting elements of horror and even classic noir. It all fits great with the cool period setting and the overall captivating premise.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

DiCaprio plays Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels, who is summoned to Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island in Boston Harbor. It’s a mental hospital for the criminally insane where a patient has recently gone missing. Teddy is accompanied by his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) to investigate the disappearance, but they’re immediately met with a lack of cooperation. Teddy grows increasingly impatient, particularly with the facility’s head psychiatrist, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley). To complicate matters, Teddy is being haunted by recurring dreams of his wife (Michelle Williams) who we learn died two years earlier.

Scorsese is meticulous and deliberate in unfolding the many layers of the story (written by Laeta Kalogridis), often focusing on misdirection more than a straightforward narrative. He sends us in several different directions but never gives us any firm footing until the end. And as usual for Scorsese, he never does anything without a purpose or reason. Whether it’s metaphorical, revelatory, or a simple homage, his scenes are filmed with specificity and intent. If you fail to soak in the details there’s a good chance you may miss much of what he’s going for.

In a movie like this, the less you say about the story the better. But as the mystery uncoils, Scorsese reveals as much through his camera as through the script. The riveting cinematography (from Quentin Tarantino regular Robert Richardson) helps make the island one of the most effective supporting characters. Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor was used for the haunting, panoramic shots of Shutter Island and was particularly effective in setting the tone in the chilling opening sequence. From there, the camera steadily works to immerse us deeper and deeper into the story’s dark and unsettling setting.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

As for the performances, DiCaprio delivers what is one of my favorite performances of his to date. He’s handed some challenging and emotionally heavy material, and he nails it. Ruffalo, Williams, and Kingsley along with Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earl Haley, and John Carroll Lynch make for a stellar supporting cast. We even get the late great Max von Sydow is small yet terrific role playing a creepy German doctor with a mysterious presence. Scorsese is known for surrounded himself with quality performers, and it’s certainly no different here.

“Shutter Island” was one of the best films of 2010, and it remains among my favorites from Martin Scorsese. It’s impossible to restrict it to any one genre, it maintains a wonderfully eerie tone, and the direction and visual energy is sublime. Scorsese takes us on an emotional ride that can be hard to watch especially as truths are slowly unearthed. The movie does require patience, but the payoff, both narratively and cinematically, makes every second of this extraordinary film worthwhile.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS