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DARK COMEDY. “Outcome.” / “Vengeance.” / “Psycho Therapy.”

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“Outcome” (2026, Apple TV+) black comedy, directed by Jonah Hill and stars Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz. An actor embarks on an apology tour after a blackmail threat. Those stars (add Matt Bomer) hint of a good show. Plus Martin Scorsese is here, too!         But I expected too much. Built as a satire, this jibe talked a lot of nonsense, especially Jonah as Ira (“crisis lawyer” for Keanu’s Hollywood star Reef). There are some jokes and sequences that should have been flushed off the toilet bowl (such as Mr Hill in uhh toilet bowl).         Meanwhile, Cameron and Matt appeared silly as Reef’s oblique friends Kyle and Xander. Well, at least Ivy Wolk as Sammy (Ira’s assistant), as is funny.         Keanu kind of talks here more than he does. Though I prefer that he doesn't talk much, like when he is John Wick. 🎥💻📽 “Vengeance” (2022, Netflix) black comedy mystery. T...
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PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA THRILLER. “Little Joe.” / “The Killing of a Sacred Deer.” / “The Jacket.”

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“Little Joe” (2019, Pluto TV) drama. A plant breeder and single mother creates "Little Joe,” a plant that gives its caretakers joy.          This little movie is certainly an unorthodox movie but I don't think it qualifies as horror at all. Nothing's creepy about it. More a fantasy drama. Emily Beecham's understated, charming stoicism also works as deadpan enchantment. Her restrained take on plant breeder mom Alice Woodard won her the Best Actress plum in 2019's Cannes.        All in all, Jessica Hausner's directorial thrift is a minimalist intrigue in a spaced-out set sans weirdness. 🎥💻📽 “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (2017, HBO Max) absurdist psychological horror thriller film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos . A cardiac surgeon introduces his family to a teenage boy with a connection to his past, after which they mysteriously begin to fall ill.         Mr Lanthimos is...
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COMEDY DRAMA. “Nonnas.” / “The Luckiest Man in America.” / “The Rooster.”

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“Nonnas” (2025, Netflix) biographical comedy - drama, based on the life of Joe Scaravella , the owner of Staten Island (New York City) restaurant Enoteca Maria, who risks everything to honor his recently deceased, beloved mother by opening an Italian restaurant with actual grandmothers as chefs.        I didn't recognize the grandmothers until after watching per Google: Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro and Talia Shire. All lookin’ fine and acting remarkably. Add the hottie grandma, Susan Sarandon.         The lead is Vince Vaughn as Joe Scaravella . You know, wherever Vince is, he can't stop talkin’ and talkin’ and talkin’. He didn't talk as much here though; the grannies did most of the talking and arguing and stuff.         Rotten Tomatoes : "Like a homey dish prepared for family, ‘Nonnas’ just wants to provide heaping helpings of comfort — and does so with enough charm that...
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CRIME THRILLER. “Honey Don't!” / "Stone Creek Killer.” / “Sew Torn.” / “Barron's Cove.” / “Rust Creek.”

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“Honey Don't!” (2025, Netflix) neo-noir black comedy directed by Ethan Coen . Small-town private investigator Honey O'Donahue probes a series of strange deaths that are tied to a mysterious church.        Director Ethan Coen requires no introduction, whatsoever. And Margaret Qualley has been scoring hits so far. Add Aubrey Plaza's engaging stoicism. But never mind a perennially one-dimensional Chris Evans and loud-mouth Charlie Day.         Anyhow, this movie has the pre-watch gravitas that'd get you intrigued and interested. Only, “Honey Don't” is a disappointment, and I am not necessarily talking about Margaret and Aubrey's lesbo sex scenes. 🎥💻📽 "Stone Creek Killer" (2025, Amazon Prime) psychological thriller about a Minnesota small-town police chief who pursues a serial killer. He is aided by a psychic, all while fighting to prove his own innocence and confronting his personal past and present demons....
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HISTORICAL or PERIOD DRAMA. “Nuremberg.” / “This Bloody Country.” / “Lapwing.” / “The Claim.”

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“Nuremberg” (2025, Netflix) psychological thriller historical drama. The film follows the U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley seeking to carry out an assignment to investigate the personalities and monitor the mental status of Hermann Göring and other high-ranking Nazis in preparation for and during the Nuremberg trials .  The movie's source material is the 2013 book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai , which follows U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (played by Rami Malek ) seeking to carry out an assignment to investigate the personalities and monitor the mental status of Hermann Göring , and other high-ranking Nazis in preparation for and during the Nuremberg trials .        This movie isn't epic in physical proportion but it is elegantly crafted, anchored on a tight screenplay, measured editing, and a fine performance from Russell Crowe as Hermann Goring. Mr Crowe's essay of Adolf Hitler's #2 aide is a piercing study of c...
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DRAMA. “Twinless.” / “Hoard.” / “The Infernal Machine.” / “American Woman.” / “Driftwood” / “The Sleepwalker.” / “Bellflower.”

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“Twinless” (2025, Hulu) psychological black comedy. T wo young men, Roman and Dennis, meet in a grief support group and form an unlikely friendship, which is complicated by lies, secrets, and an unexpected connection to the past.         First, I don't see or feel “psychological” or “black comedy” in this meandering indie.         I don't question James Sweeney cluelessly nonchalant Dennis or Dylan O'Brien's intensely sensitive Roman/Rocky but their characters offer no twists or new angling, anyhow. And as expected, critics praise this correctness lecture due to the obvious. That's it.         But still a promising attempt by James Sweeney, writer and director. 🎥💻📽 “Hoard” (2023, Amazon Prime) British coming-of-age drama about a teenager whose mother used to be an obsessive hoarder as she journeys through childhood trauma and emerging sexuality.   ...
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