BLACK PHONE 2
2025 | Dir. Scott Derrickson | 114 Minutes
4 out of 5
A captivatingly creepy, super stylish, crowd-pleasing follow-up that satisfyingly continues and expands upon 2021's The Black Phone. While the exposition is often clunky in presentation and some major plot developments are a bit too convenient, the surreal bloodsoaked set pieces are visually striking and exceptionally well-crafted, and the narrative's central characters are all so likeable. Madeleine McGraw capably carries the entire film as the fiercely headstrong and conflicted young psychic combating truly nasty dark forces.
ROOFMAN
2025 | Dir. Derek Cianfrance | 126 Minutes
4 out of 5
Engaging, funny, and utterly heartbreaking, this dramatization of prison escapee Jeffrey Manchester's time secretly living in a Toys "R" Us is a complete showcase of Channing Tatum's dramatic range. There's an unshakable feeling of inevitable tragedy surrounding the picture's devious but big-hearted protagonist that lends so much tension to the narrative, and Tatum wears it so convincingly just underneath his natural charisma. Also, it's always a pleasure to see the sillier side of Ben Mendelsohn.
TRON: ARES
2025 | Dir. Joachim Rønning | 119 Minutes
4 out of 5
Rather enjoyable as a striking audio-visual experience, its plot only serving the purpose of tying together the picture's stunning set pieces that range in quality from somewhat derivative to genuinely thrilling. The production as a whole is curiously reverential to the original 1982 film while awkwardly side-stepping the events of its direct 2010 predecessor. The Jared Leto of it all is most definitely a major defect, almost anyone else in the title role would have been less jarring.
THE SMASHING MACHINE
2025 | Dir. Benny Safdie | 123 Minutes
3 out of 5
Dwayne Johnson gives his best performance yet as the soft-spoken muscle man torturously keeping his demons at bay at the center of this frequently challenging pro fighter biopic. It's a truly transformative turn, and it perfectly serves a narrative that's admirably entirely disinterested in pleasing its audience though it still painting its subject in a mostly flattering light, particularly considering how it depicts the nagging manipulative girlfriend as a counterpoint portrayed by an affectingly emotional increasingly unhinged Emily Blunt. It's an engaging picture all in all, a real thrill to see Johnson take his acting career in a truly enexpected direction, but it's not exactly the most rewarding experience.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
2025 | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 162 Minutes
5 out of 5
A harrowing journey through a deeply troubling vision of America (that might as well be tomorrow if the country stays its baffling course) in which the influence of organized bigotry reaches alarmingly far and revolution against oppression is undermined by division, and while there are some geuinely funny moments throughout, nearly all of the levity comes at the expense of its protagonist's failure to keep up with increasingly confusing circumstances due to years of constant self-medication. It's grim, but the picture offers hope by demonstrating how those who keep a level head will stick around long enough to see the next battle. The pacing is relentless, and while the plot seems to meander, the final act is impeccably satisfying. Sean Penn is at his most despicable as the racist colonel, Benicio del Toro is at his coolest as the wise sensei, Leonardo DiCaprio as the burnt-out retired revolutionary delivers yet another performance worthy of acclaim, and Chase Infiniti who plays the tough daughter of ex-rebels has a bright future ahead of her.
