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Films/Shows Previously Discussed

2020     2021     2022     2023     2024   2025

04/30/2026

THIS IS A GARDENING SHOW (Netflix; 2026)
Starring Zach Galifianakis.
Actor/Comedian Zach Galifianakis talks about one of his favorite hobbies: Gardening … and some other stuff. Six very short episodes (most are about 15 minutes) that combines history, education and a lot of humor to create a show that will make you laugh more than it will make you learn, but you’ll be glad for what you did learn. Especially funny are Zach’s interviews with school children and an ongoing joke regarding Ryan Reynolds. Highly recommended and doesn’t take a lot of your time.

NORMAL (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Bob Odenkirk, Lena Headey, Henry Winkler
Odenkirk stars as an interim sheriff who discovers that something nefarious is going on in the town of Normal. He finds himself going toe-to-toe with the town mayor (Winkler, who is perfect as the main bad guy) and a whole bunch of others. Fun throughout, with lots of cartoon violence, silly bloodshed, and enough comedy to balance the whole thing out.

APEX (Netflix; 2026)
Starring Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, and Eric Bana
Theron stars as a former rock climber who, after dealing with a horrible tragedy, travels to Australia to traverse the rivers on her own. Instead, she finds herself being followed and attacked by a serial killer (Egerton) who eats the livers of his victims in order to “be with them forever.” Not a terrible film, but strangely detached … you don’t feel much menace or care much for the characters. But amazing special effects and the vistas of beautiful Australia will keep you glued to the screen for the entire 97-minute runtime.

04/23/2026

VACATION!

04/16/2026

VACATION!

04/09/2026

MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE (Hulu/Disney; 2025)
Starring Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza Gonzalez, Keith David, Stephen Root, Dolph Lundgren
A hitman is convinced to do one final job before he retires: kidnap his best friend’s doppelgänger. When he discovers that his intended target is a man from the future trying to save all their lives, things get a little complicated. Fun movie with plenty of humor and action and a story that’s as strange as it seems.

FACKHAM HALL (HBO/Max; 2025)
Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis,  
A parody of films and TV shows like Bridgerton and especially Downton Abbey, this incredibly silly comedy has more jokes that don’t work than do, but is still entertaining enough to sit all the way through.

SOMETHING VERY BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN (A VERY JONAS CHRISTMAS MOVIE (Netflix)
Starring Camila Marrone, Adam DiMarco, Ted Levine, Jennifer Jason Leigh
An engaged woman comes home to meet her husband-to-be’s family and discovers that they’re strange, creepy … and seem to have something bad up their sleeves. Intense, horror series is especially well-made, acted and written (sometimes to its detriment) but it’s hard to take your eyes off. That being said, if it ends like I think it’s going to end, I will be very disappointed.

04/02/2026

THEY WILL KILL YOU (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, heather Graham, James Remar (voice)
A woman searching for her lost sister finds her at a mysterious mansion that a group of immortal devil worshippers call home. When they decide she’s to be chosen for the next human sacrifice, she finds her sister and has to fight her way out of there. A crazily fun mix of John Wick, Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino makes this movie funny and over-the-top as all get out. Not for the squeamish.

IMPERFECT WOMEN (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Elizabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, When one of them is murdered, a group of women find themselves enmeshed in mystery, betrayal and lots of stupid decisions. A terrific cast can’t save this one from being dull although, the most recent episode available, turned out to be a little better than the others.

SCARPETTA (Amazon Prime; 2026)
Based on the very popular books by Patricia Cornwell, Scarpetta tells the story of a troubled, but brilliant, forensic pathologist who uses her mind like a detective to solve crimes. Hard to beat a cast like this, with a script that is complex and multi-leveled. The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that it strays too far from the source material but, having not read them, I can’t be certain of that.

03/26/2026

PROJECT HAIL MARY (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Ryan Gosling, Sander Huller, James Ortiz, Rocky
Based on the book by Andy Weir
Gosling stars as Science teacher Ryland Grace who wakes up alone on a spaceship to find himself light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. Slowly, his memory returns and he realizes he’s on a mission to save Earth from a substance that is actually eating the sun. He finds help when an alien life force shows up and together they attempt to solve the puzzle. Warm, funny, scary and with a terrific performance by Gosling, this one’s a real crowd pleaser.

READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Cronenberg, Nestor Carbonell
When last we left Grace (Weaving) she had survived a night of her in-laws literally trying to kill her. Now, there’s another team after her and her sister and this time, it’s for control of it all. Ultra-violent horror film with tons of splashy fake blood, lots of laughs and a raging performance by Weaving, who might have the greatest cinematic primal scream of all time.

SUNNY NIGHTS (Hulu; 2026)
Starring Will Forte, D’Arcy Carden,  
Martin Marvin and his sister Vicki Marvin travel to Sydney, Australia to give their business—a unique spray tan—a running start. There, however, they find themselves engaged with a group of mostly bad people and suddenly, their business isn’t the only thing in danger. There have been a couple of Carl Hiaasen projects recently: Bad Monkey with Vince Vaughn and the new network series RJ Decker. Sunny Nights isn’t Hiaasen and is only barely Carl Hiaasen-adjacent. Think of it as the Temu Hiaasen: Not quite as bright and shiny as the original.

03/19/2026

VLADIMIR (Netflix; 2026)
Starring Rachel Weisz, Leo Woodall, Ellen Roberts, John Slattery, Matt Walsh
Weisz stars as an English professor who develops an unhealthy obsession with another, younger, professor. Her life is already a web of twists and turns, due to her cheating husband, and this dangerous route isn’t taking her in a better direction. Weisz is terrific as the obsessed woman, with many fourth wall comments making a direct connection with the audience, and “Vladimir” is sexy, funny and more than a little troubling.

TRAP HOUSE (Netflix; 2025)
Starring Dave Bautista, Bobby Cannavale,
Bautista stars as a DEA agent whose team, while tracking down a drug cartel, discovers that another group of bad guys are robbing the cartel. They wind up discovering that it’s actually their own teens who—unhappy with the way the DEA treated one of their fallen parents—decides to get justice for themselves using their parent’s equipment and intel. As silly as it sounds, with the saving grace being a strong, complicated performance from Bautista.

THE BRIDE (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Penelope Cruz, Peter Skarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Frankenstein’s monster has spent a hundred years without a companion and asks a Re-animator scientist to help him create one. The result is The Bride, a cross between the original horror picture and Bonnie & Clyde. It’s weird, it’s violent, it’s horrific but it will hold your attention. Rumors of it being so bad it’s unwatchable are (for the most part) untrue. There’s probably too many ideas crammed in here but the cast makes it definitely worth a watch.

03/12/26

WAR MACHINE (Netflix; 2026)
Starring Alan Ritchson, Stephan James, Dennis Quaid, Esai Morales
Ritchson stars as a specialized Army Ranger recruit who, in the midst of a brutal boot camp, finds himself and his team fighting a massive alien killing machine. A good old-fashioned action movie that Arnold Schwarzengger may have done in the 80s with the same theory behind it: “The best special effect in any Alan Ritchson movie is Alan Ritchson.”

ROOSTER (Theaters; 2026)
Created by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Spin City) and Matt Tarses (Scrubs)
Starring Steve Carrell, Danielle Deadwyler, John C. McGinley
Carrell stars as Greg Russo, a best-selling beach-read novelist who takes a job as a writer-in-residence at a New England college to be closer to his daughter, Katie, a history teacher there. It’s all about their relationship as he helps here through a difficult divorce and other situations. Carrell is excellent as the author, the show is edgy, funny and character-driven, and it all works because of this. A little smarter than a sit-com but with the running time about the same.

THE QUIET MAN (Streaming Many Places; 1952)
Starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald
Directed by John Ford (14 films with Wayne)
John Wayne plays boxer Sean Thornton who, after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, vows never to box again and returns to his native Ireland, hoping to buy his family home and live in peace. He does so, raising the ire of Will Danaher who wanted the property for himself. When Thornton falls in love with Danaher’s spirited sister, all bets are off. This movie is over 70 years old, and some of its story would be considered insensitive today, but Wayne and O’Hara are so good in this, and the story so over-the-top, that’s it’s still worth a watch today. Highly recommended via Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and other review sites.

03/05/26

SCRUBS (NBC/PEACOCK; 2026)
Starring Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes, Joel Kim Booster, Ava Bunn, Jacob Dudman
The beloved TV show returns with JD, Turk and most of the rest of the crew getting back together with them. It's been many years and medicine has changed, there are new interns, but the old cast and crew have kept their charm and their heart. Funny, touching, heartfelt and featuring an impressive performance from Braff—who balances the line between silly and mature—Sacred Heart Hospital and its vintage and new crew are back to delight a new audience.

BEST MEDICINE (FOX/HULU; 2026)
Starring Josh Charles, Annie Potts, Didi Conn, Josh Segarra, Abigail Spencer, Cree
After a tragic accident leaves him with blood phobia, a brilliant surgeon moves to his childhood town to take over as town doctor. However, his brusque big-town bedside manner doesn't pair well with the locals, who, in reality, are just as weird as the doctor. Often funny, often ridiculous and one of those shows you grow to love more as you grown to know the characters and their oddities.

RJ DECKER (Hulu; 2026)
Starring Scott Speedman, Kevin Rankin, Adelaide Clemens, Bevin Bru, Ryan Rhodes
Based on the books by Carl Hiaasen
Former photographer R.J. Decker works as a private investigator in South Florida, tackling unusual cases alongside his journalist ex-partner, her police officer wife, and a mysterious woman from his past who could either aid or ruin him.

02/26/26

CRIME 101 (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, Barry Koeghan
An elusive thief whose been robbing jewelry stores along the 101 freeway, finds the net surrounding him growing tighter as his boss thinks he’s lost his taste for crime and a relentless detective comes after him. Intriguing, drama-driven film with enough action to hold your attention (despite a few slow moments) and a cast that delivers near perfect performances. Plus, great stylish shots of Los Angeles.

GOOD LUCK. HAVE FUN. DON’T DIE (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Michael Pena, Zazie Beetz
Rockwell stars as a "Man From the Future" who arrives at a Norm’s diner in Los Angeles to recruit the precise combination of patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence. Rockwell, as always, is stunningly intense and funny here and the rest of the cast terrific as well. Storyline is, to put it mildly, wild and more than a little scary.

THE LINCOLN LAWYER – Season 5 (Netflix; 2022-2026)
Starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Becki Newton, Angus Sampson, Neve Campbell, Elliott Gould, Jazz Raycole
Based on the books by Michael Connelly
In its fifth season, Mickey Haller must prove his innocence when he is arrested and tried on a murder count. Five seasons in and this is still one of the best shows on television, with tense storylines and an amazing cast … plus pretty realistic depictions of courtroom actions.

02/19/26

SOLO MIO (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Kevin James (The King of Queens), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Alyson Hannigan, Andrea Bocelli
When a heartbroken groom is stranded in Rome, but decides to go on his honeymoon anyway, due to a recommendation from a local and another two couples, also on their honeymoon. Despite the tragic beginning, this film is a terrific rom-com, with James continuing to re-invent himself (as well as Kim Coates) and is filled with laughs and romance.

THE WRECKING CREW (Amazon Prime; 2026)
Starring Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Morena Baccarin, Stephen Root.
When their father is killed, estranged half-brothers Jonny and James (Bautista and Momoa) reunite to investigate his death. They uncover a conspiracy that could lead to the destruction of their village and fight together to prevent that from happening. An old-school action film with sparring brothers (who have terrific chemistry) and lots of ridiculous action set pieces. Lots of fun. Leaves you wanting a sequel.

THE ‘BURBS (NBC/Peacock; 2026)
Starring Keke Palmer, Julia Duffy, Paula Pell, Justin Kirk
A young couple moves back to the husband's childhood home and discover a bunch of weird neighbors, most of whom are strange but harmless, and another who may be harboring a dark secret.

02/12/26

Still in Costa Rica. Back 2/19

02/05/26

Off to Costa Rica. Back 2/19

01/29/26

MERCY (Theaters; 2026)
Starring Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson,
In the near future, a detective accused of murdering his wife has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge. Pratt and especially Ferguson are fine here, and the storyline is overly familiar but, if you leave your brain at home, this is serviceable sci-fi action adventure.

MEMORY OF A KILLER (Fox/Hulu; 2026)
Starring Patrick Dempsey, Michael Imperioli, Tracey Malone.
A hitman, near the end of his career, discovers that he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s, which couldn’t come at a worse time since his family is in danger from bad guys from his past. Only watched one episode so far and it seems overly complicated and messy, however, Dempsey is good enough to give it another episode or two at least.

STUMBLE (NBC/Peacock; 2025)
Starring Jenn Lyon, Kristin Chenoweth
A mockumentary exploring the world of junior college cheerleading. A cast of mostly hilarious characters make this worth watching, although it does go off the rails here and there … and maybe that’s a good thing.

01/22/26

THE RIP (Netflix; 2026)
Starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Steven Yeun, Tayana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, Nestor Carbonell
Damon and Affleck play part of a team of Miami cops who come across twenty million dollars of crime money and suddenly begin to question their lives, their futures and their loyalty. Tight and intense, with plenty of taut drama, some surprising twists and brutal action, "The Rip" is worth checking out, if you're into that sort of thing.

SONG SUNG BLUE
Starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Elia Anderson, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi
The true story (air quotes) about a Neil Diamond interpretation band (not a tribute act) and its big ups and even bigger downs. It's not quite the feel good movie you might be expecting but the cast is utterly amazing here with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in great form and featuring performances by actors we don't see enough of: Jim Belushi, Fisher Stevens, and Michael Impeiroli of the Sopranos, who actually sings and plays guitar in the film (most often as a Buddy Holly impersonator). This is based on a documentary about the act, Thunder & Lightning, which I haven't seen so I don't know how much is true but this film is interesting enough to make you want to get the real story behind it.

01/15/26

HIS & HERS (Netflix; 2026)
Starring Jon Bernthal, Tessa Thompson, Pablo Schreiber  
When a murder is committed in her home town, a fallen journalist uses the killing as a way to get her old job back, despite the fact that the crime involves those she knows well. Tense but sometimes silly thriller features some terrific performances and it watchable although it inevitably falls apart in the later episodes.

PRIMATE (Theaters; 2025)
Starring Troy Kotsur, Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander
A group of teens just wants to spend a nice vacation at their father’s fancy Hawaiian home. When their pet chimpanzee becomes infected with rabies and goes homicidally insane, however, the vacation proves to be difficult to enjoy. Old-school type horror movie with lots of jump scares and truly gory effects especially when you realize the horrors on screen have also happened in real life.

STONE COLD FOX (Netflix; 2025)
Starring Kiernan Shipka, Jamie Chung, Krysten Ritter, Kiefer Sutherland
Kiernan stars as the title character, a woman who will go to any length to protect her sister and, in doing so, uncover a series of crimes. Great showcase for Kiernan, who proves she can play this type of rough-edged role (after being Sabrina the Teenage Witch) but this film seems to think it's a Quentin Tarantino knock-off when it’s more along the lines of a bad, 70s action film.

01/08/2026

MARTY SUPREME (Theaters; 2025)
Starring Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Fran Drescher, Odessa A’zion, Penn Jillette, Sandra Bernhard
Marty Mauser, a young man tennis table player— This isn’t a ping pong movie, it’s a table tennis movie—will do anything to accomplish his dream: To be the greatest table tennis player of all time. With hurdles thrown in his way every step of the way, Marty and the other characters here make nothing but bad decisions throughout the entire film, in search of their individual greatness … or support of Marty’s. Extremely well-made, -written directed and acted with Chalamet being yet again the stand-out, but often very frustrating and grim.

THE COPENHAGEN TEST (Peacock; 2025)
Starring Simi Liu, Melissa Barrera, Saul Rubinek
An intelligence analyst discovers that his brain has been hacked and is sending everything he sees and hears to a mysterious enemy. Should he de-activate? Or should he keep it on to find out who the bad guys are? Interesting spy thriller that falls halfway through a straightforward John Le Carre novel and a minor James Bond film. Certainly entertaining enough, even though there are few real surprises to be found here.

THE PICKLEBALL EXORCIST (Various Streamers; 2025)
Starring Mike Hartsfield, Chris Lohman, Paul Bradford
A pickleball player finds a paddle that contains a demon and goes on a violent killing spree. Lots of walking from murder scene to murder scene, lots of smart phone special effects blood and not a heck of a lot more. One of the worst movies I’ve seen in years. I’m only watching it so you don’t have to.

01/01/2026

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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