The Devil Wears Prada 2 (movie, 2026)

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Watched August, 2026.

Painfully boring with no humor. A little bit of high fashion, but not enough to make it worth the lack of drama. This was simply a story that did not need to be told and characters that did not need to be redeemed.

Obsession (movie, 2025)

Obsession

Watched July, 2026.

I understand how men would be nervous while watching this psychological thriller, but media reports suggest that women relate to the obsessed woman. Those women (who relate) must be deranged. No realistic romantic relationship involves any consideration of this level of physical violence. To the extent it's just a movie, it's OK, but the dialog is painfully slow.

Project Hail Mary (movie, 2026)

Project Hail Mary

Watched July, 2026.

Very cute and moving. Hard sci-fi can be fun. The technical and political aspects fall apart as the movie continues. Everyone is sure to die--until they don't. All of a sudden, it takes only four years to return from a star 11 light years away, with no need to calculate trajectories. At least in The Martian, someone had to steal supercomputer time.

The Sheep Detectives (movie, 2026)

The Sheep Detectives

Watched July, 2026.

Adolescent, humorous in a cutesy way, with a Christian flavor. The murder mystery is reasonably well presented. The movie is so goofy in an adolescent way that I didn't foresee the (funny) resolution of the chase scene near the end.

The Mouse on the Moon (movie, 1963)

The Mouse on the Moon

Watched May, 2026.

For a B-grade flick, this is surprisingly funny, in a British, 1960s, cold war, space race kind of way. The comic twists and eccentric characters are ingenious. Margaret Rutherford rules! "What are the Russians doing? I think they're building a wall." "Don't forget to feed the bobolinks!"

Wicked for Good (movie, 2025)

Wicked for Good

Watched March, 2026.

The music seemed good in the moment, but afterwards I could not hum a single tune, in contrast to the original WoOz. The choreography was not memorable. The twists on the traditional Oz characters were cute, but the problem with "magic" is the choices; when a spell is cast for one thing, because magic is real, then we can always imagine a dozen other spells that would solve the problems better. The final scene was feel-good, but it added nothing to the plot. I liked the development of the Galinda/Glinda character through the two movies, and the portrayal by Grande.

One Battle After Another (movie, 2025)

One Battle After Another

Watched February, 2026.

Two groups of bad guys who think they are each right battle it out. The problem is that one group beats the other group. The moviemakers picked a side, which is politically commendable whether I agree or not, but real life is not so black and white.

Bugonia (movie, 2025)

Bugonia

Watched February, 2026.

I liked the first 90% of the movie. The twist at the end and its explanations were so extreme that they were not satisfying.

F1: The Movie (movie, 2025)

F1: The Movie

Watched December, 2025.

The technical aspects of racing were great. The plot was predictable. Of course Pitt had to have sex with the first female tech lead in F1. At least Stallone lost his first "Rocky" match, but I'm guessing we're not going to see a string of F1 sequels.

Emma (movie, 1996)

Emma

Watched December, 2025.

The story is classic, though the first half is tough to endure due to Emma's heartless insults which, I suppose, are necessary to inspire the ultimately soaring romance. However, that's probably what it takes to set this apart from uninspired 21st-century romance stories. The settings and music are constantly magnificent, in contrast to the social ugliness.

Fatman (movie, 2020)

Fatman

Watched November, 2025.

There are no redeeming qualities to this movie. I would have turned it off, but my wife insisted we watch to the end, assuming a movie about Santa had to have a pleasant ending. Mel Gibson should be ashamed of himself.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (movie, 2025)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Watched November, 2025.

The story just seemed slow, and the acting was boring. Ben Grimm should not be boring. I didn't like the use of the baby and it was ultimately unclear why the baby is more important other than any other baby. I liked Silver Surfer. The twist at the end made sense because no other character in the movie was going to pull it off. The movie looks like the comics of the 1960s, but it's now 2025, and 60 year old sci-fi doesn't work for me. This is a rare movie of the last few years that doesn't replace traditionally Caucasian characters with other races. Hamilton this ain't.

The Substance (movie, 2024)

The Substance

Watched October, 2025.

People get old. Boo hoo.

Superman (movie, 2025)

Superman

Watched September, 2025.

I have seen reviews that faulted the dog for this movie's mediocrity. The dog was fine. The plot was simply a sequence of plot complications with fantasy tech solutions that no one on earth for a hundred years could possibly understand. The Krypton message thing was nonsensical. The final outtake was meaningless. The studio must have known long before the release that this movie was lousy. Why release it?

The Whale (movie, 2022)

The Whale

Watched August, 2025.

Very impressive how this movie was not about obesity, really. Obesity is a factor, but the character was a person, not just fat. The missionary kid was just annoying and cost this movie a couple stars.

Lions for Lambs (movie, 2007)

Lions for Lambs

Watched July, 2025.

A bit preachy, as Redford tends to be, but prescient with respect to the outcomes in Afghanistan. At least Cruise didn't hop on a plane and save the world.

Nosferatu (movie, 2024)

Nosferatu

Watched June, 2025.

There were a couple of plot issues, like, when the young husband goes downstairs to Orlok's crypt, why does he push the cover off the casket? Really? I am not a big fan of movie vampires because they are always invulnerable, but if so, they would quickly wipe out every human in the world. However, for the pieces of this movie with some actual drama, they're well done.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (movie, 2025)

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Watched June, 2025.

The special effects and stunts are certainly stunning, and in some cases groundbreaking. But the technical aspects of the plot are repeatedly, ridiculously mindless. The whole idea of the entity is illogical - an artificial intelligence has infiltrated the whole of global cyberspace, but people can hope to remove it, instantaneously. Never mind Cruise getting stuck 500 feet below the arctic ocean surface with no protective gear. It's fun to watch, but the plot is a series of illogical battles against illogical people, performing impossible stunts, with tech that has no basis in reality.

Snow White (movie, 2025)

Snow White

Watched June, 2025.

The IMDB rating of this is a "2", and I while I didn't enjoy this movie, it wasn't that unredeemable. The music was mediocre, but the performers milked the score for all they could. There are a lot of references to death for a kids' movie. This movie was supposed to start production in 2020, but was delayed until 2022, in either case while Donald Trump was at the top of USA politics. THAT was inexplicably when Disney decided to make a movie about commoners fighting to restore a hereditary ruler to her throne. This movie was included in Disney+ around the time of the "no kings" protests. And as much as this movie tries to make Snow White out to be brave and just and intelligent, the only reason she is important is because she is the most beautiful. (And when the mirror says "fairest", it's not talking about justice.) But of course, in real life, Gadot (the evil queen) is way hotter than Zegler (Snow).

Where the Boys Are (movie, 1960)

Where the Boys Are

Watched a bunch of times, possibly as early as the '60s.

This is a well done precursor to the Avalon & Funicello formula. Characters are developed, dramatic stuff happens. Gorshin, Hutton, Prentiss, Francis all do fine jobs, and no one is bad. Go see the Elbo Room, it's a real place!