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HORROR. “The Dreadful.” / “Cobweb.” / “Monstrous.” / “Things Heard & Seen.” / “Without Name.”

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“The Dreadful” (2026, Amazon Prime) Gothic horror . Set in the 15th century during the Wars of the Roses , Anne and her mother-in-law Morwen exist on the outskirts of society when someone from their past re-enters their life. The film is based on the same Shin Buddhist parable on which the 1964 film “ Onibaba ” was based.        Mired in gothic obligatories and subtle religious ridicule, this movie, written and directed by Natasha Kermani, is rich in production esthetics (by Errol Jarc) yet still restrained–but overall, it is a derivative bore and the thematic message is predictably corny.         High credits though should go to the performance of Sophie Turner, Marcia Gay Harden, and Kit Harington. 🎥💻📽 “Cobweb” (2023, Pluto TV) horror film . A young boy, raised by overprotective parents, suddenly hears noises coming from behind his bedroom wall.         An eerie atmos...
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COMEDY and Stuff. “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.” / “Maggie Moore(s).” / “Get Duked!” / “Burn.” / “Lemon.”

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“Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” (2026, Hulu) science fiction action comedy crime film . A mobster named Nick who, after discovering a time machine, attempts to fix the most fateful night of his life by bringing his future self back to the present.           Rotten Tomatoes offered a positive consensus, saying the “daffy crime comedy uses its sci-fi elements in the service of character.” Well, the two Vince Vaughns are fine with me but the disjointed narrative and gungho sequences are simply scattered to keep a grip on. Some scenes are funny but there's only a few. Plus these two annoying, not funny dudes–Ben Schwartz and Arturo Castro (yes, the TV commercial guy)--are here. But it's good to see Dolph Lundgren again! 🎥💻📽 “Maggie Moore(s)” (2023, Amazon Prime) black comedy mystery. A beleaguered sandwich shop manager hires a hitman to intimidate his wife or stop her from exposing his illegal operations. After the hitman accidentally...
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DRAMA. “The Winter House.” / “Black Bear.” / “Jellyfish.” / “Tyrannosaur.” / “Expired.” / “The Book of Eve.”

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“The Winter House” (2021, Tubi) independent romantic drama. Stars Lili Taylor as a grieving novelist and François Arnaud as a troubled drifter who meet at a remote New Hampshire lake house, focusing on their intense, confined relationship and secrets.         I don't have any problem with the performance of Lili Taylor as Eileen, the novelist, and François as Jesse, the drifter, but the entire proceedings seem incredibly implausible to me.            Sappy isn't the apt adjective but the romantic premise is too contrived and the resolution, expectedly soapy. 🎥💻📽 “Black Bear” (2020, Tubi) psychological drama . A young woman sits on a dock at the edge of a foggy lake. She then retreats to a cabin and sits in a room where she looks at a notepad. And so on and so forth.        Some critics call this hysterical yarn (?) “provocative, mind-bending experience” ...
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ACTION: “Crime 101.” / “Apex.” / “Play Dirty.” / “King Ivory.” / “One Day as a Lion.” / “211.”

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“Crime 101” (2026, Amazon Prime) crime thriller. An elite, disciplined thief adheres to a strict personal code. When he eyes a final "walk away" score, his path intersects with a disillusioned insurance broker passed over for a partner, and a relentless detective obsessed with catching the thief.         Winning cast: Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Barry Keoghan , and Halle Berry . Add Nick Nolte, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Corey Hawkins, and Monica Barbaro.         This movie underperformed in the box-office, grossing only $72.8 million worldwide on a budget of $90 million. But this is not a bad or awful movie at all..        Director Bart Layton, who wrote the screenplay (based on Don Winslow's 2020 novella) gave us an entertaining, cerebral action ride.         The L.A. noir vibe is cool, the action sequences aren't exaggerated but st...
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CRIME DRAMA based on true stories. “The Quiet Ones.” / “24 Days.” / “Karla.”

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“The Quiet Ones” (2024, Hulu) Danish heist film. Based on true events, the film follows a diverse team executing a major 2008 bank heist in Denmark.         Background: The 2008 heist in Glostrup is known as the largest and most spectacular robbery in Danish history. On August 10, 2008, an international gang targeted the cash-handling facility of Dansk Værdihåndtering (Danish Value Handling) in a suburb of Copenhagen. The gang made off with approximately 62 million Danish kroner (approx. $10.5 million). Most of the money was never recovered; only about 3-4 million kroner was eventually found buried in a garden in Odense.        Director Frederik Louis Hviid did away with Hollywood-styled high octane action by focusing on the suspects’ pre-robbery planning, anchored on a boxer named Kasper.         So if you are expecting a heist thriller, sorry to disappoint you. Given the ...
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DRAMA. “Urchin.” / “One of These Days.” / “Daphne.” / “Jacknife.”

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“Urchin” (2025, Hulu) British drama. Mike is a homeless young man in London, struggling with addiction and poverty. A remarkable directorial debut by Harris Dickinson. (He also wrote the story.) Mr Dickinson crafted a movie that incisively navigates the vain life of a fragile man facing a dead-end. No moralizing or sermonizing. Credit as well is directed at star Frank Dillane's wickedly involved performance.        The film received six nominations at the British Independent Film Awards 2025 , including for best British independent film, and lead performance for Frank Dillane, and best directorial debut for Harris Dickinson. 🎥💻📽 “One of These Days” (2020, Plex) German-American psychological drama. A fatal endurance contest in a small Texas town. The story focuses on participants in a "Hands On" truck competition, exploring themes of desperation, poverty, and capitalism.          Interesting story but too...
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