Theatrical Review: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Date: Saturday, April 4 2026
Time: 11am
Party: 2 (my sister & I)

Feels like just yesterday the first movie came out. I don’t think anyone expected it to be the big success it was. And when it became the success story it did, there was no doubt there’d be a sequel.
Now there are endless possibilities for potential sequels. I’m just hoping Nintendo movies don’t become the next MCU and we end up drowning in sequels a decade from now.

So far, though, they’re two for two with Mario movies. My sister thought this was better than the original. I’d say they’re both really good in different ways.


I just had one minor nitpick- Rosalina needed more screen time.
Back when one of our favorite YouTube gamers played the game this movie took inspiration from, it was maybe my favorite Mario game from the play throughs we’d watched. The worlds were really imaginative, varied and graphics looked AMAZING. I liked Rosalina right away as Mario’s guide on his journey to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. But part of it was because her whole look and demeanor reminded me so much of Elsa from Frozen (which came out a few years before that playthrough was uploaded).

In the movie, Rosalina got some good setup and got to show off what a badass she can be. Unfortunately it’s not enough to prevent her from being kidnapped. I’m sure someone online will calculate this but I’m pretty sure Luigi got more screen time in the previous movie during the time he was kidnapped.


For maybe the first half hour of the movie, I was enjoying it but it oddly felt too predictable. The way Rosalina is kidnapped, how the Bros. meet Yoshi… plus we get a fun but silly montage of Mario and Luigi looking after the Mushroom Kingdom while Princess Peach and Toad go off to save Rosalina.
Then we get to Gateway Galaxy and things finally start getting good. Although I’m sure some people will say they borrowed a little too much from Star Wars in terms of plot points… I made this connection right away but I didn’t mind. These moments included Peach’s fight scene in the casino (a den of villains much like Mos Eisley) and the scene before that reminded me of a scene from one of the prequels where there’s a chase scene in flying vehicles in a city at night.
But most notably- casting Fox McCloud as the lovable rouge Han Solo character. (I wasn’t a big fan of Glen Powell’s Top Gun character but this role suited him perfectly!!) It was a stroke of genius and his scenes had many callbacks to Star Fox 64, including barrel rolls galore. If he gets his own movie, we can only hope it includes his comrade Falco quipping “hey Einstein I’m on your side”- which he says when you accidentally shoot him too many times in the game.
The major plot point of the movie and why Rosalina is kidnapped… Bowser Jr. wants to power his own Death Star, which he calls his “boomsday device”, and plans to blow up all the galaxies so he and Bowser can regain their reputation.

At the end of the previous movie, Bowser is essentially removed as a threat. No worries, though, he does get restored to his former glory and Jack Black does his thing if not better than the first movie. No musical numbers, sadly, although “Peaches” would be hard to top.

Just like with the first movie, there are tons of Easter eggs and references. Characters from different Mario games and Nintendo franchises. One character fills a similar role to the sloths in Zootopia and somehow makes it even funnier. Another winds up participating in the final battle against the Bowser duo. I don’t know what franchises they’re from but both are playable in Super Smash Bros.
Which makes me wonder if a movie based on that game is on the horizon. The look Fox and Mario give each other before teaming up gave the impression they were remembering a previous life they weren’t on such friendly terms.

By far my favorite parts were whenever the art style changed and was just as impressive to watch. One included actual 8-bit game play while the characters went through obstacles.

As a foe, Bowser Jr. is very formidable and it’s almost more terrifying than dealing with Bowser himself. Then of course Kamek is back as a doting minion.

The trailer showed a scene where the Bros. are babies and I wondered if time travel was involved, which would be a reference to the Partners in Time game, or they simply got transformed. Either way, it leads to a crucial moment where Toad finally gets over whatever jealousy he felt toward Yoshi when he joined the group.

Overall, it was another enjoyable theater trip. The room was maybe half full and people were into it. One moment that stood out was right before the heroes win and a girl shouted “yes!” a second or two before they dealt the finishing blow.

Grade: B+


Then with the trailers… it’s almost like the theater realized “wait a bunch of people are going to see this movie, let’s preview EVERYTHING that’s coming out this year.” It had to have been 20 minutes of trailers and maybe one or two movies will be any good.


Supergirl

• this takes place before the recent Superman movie and it looks like John Wick except in this case, the dog doesn’t die but Kara still goes on the war path to save Krypto
• There’s also a story about a girl whose family is killed by villains or something and Kara tries to talk her out of seeking revenge
• This looks like it might be better than the Superman movie last year but I’m not holding my breath

Paw Patrol: the Dino Movie 

• my sister is still tuned into shows like this so she knew the title before it came up

Sonic 4

• coming next year and this was more of a teaser

The upcoming Mandolarian movie 

• my mom and I are big Star Wars fans but we don’t have Disney+ and only saw this series the one time ABC showed it. So, we may or may not see this

Minions and Monsters 

• I think I’d rather wait for this to come to cable

The live-action Moana remake 

• all that mattered was that Dwayne Johnson was still playing Maui. Now that that’s been confirmed, we’re definitely going to see this one. 
• Also, didn’t Moana just come out? That was 10 years ago?!

The Breadwinner

• again, hard pass

Animal Farm- a cautionary tale 

• so I just read the book a year ago for the first time… I liked it to a point and then it just kept getting worse and I hated the ending. So while an animated version looks promising and entertaining, I’m going to look up spoilers when this comes out. Unless they change the ending, I have zero interest.

Forgotten World

• I sat through a two minute YouTube trailer for this, possibly the one time I didn’t hit the Skip Ad button ever. It opened with the song from the Breakfast Club- how I could say no? Long story short, I’m definitely interested in seeing this one later in the year when it hits theaters

Plur1bus (season 1 on Apple+)

I think I read somewhere that this was last year’s best new series… it’s so long ago I don’t remember exactly how that superlative read. When I added it to my queue, I think the trailer said it was about one person trying to, quote “save the world from happiness” and she happens to be the most miserable person in the world.
I swear with some of these series, I add them to my “to watch” list and completely forget what they’re about by the time I get around to actually watch them.

I started watching this series a month ago. I was in a very strange headspace at the time- it’d been a rough winter with one significant snowstorm and power outage (two different events) so I was paranoid about something else going wrong.
Luckily we had the Winter Olympics to help take my mind off things. I also had this series. While I didn’t binge it all in that first weekend, it gave me enough to think about to take me out of that vicious cycle. And if this series is good for one thing, it’s making you think.

There’ll most likely be tons of spoilers so be mindful of that going forward..,

The series begins in a laboratory, which receives a message from outer space they determine to be some sort of biological sequence. Then after lots of testing and experimenting, they spread it outside the lab to all of humanity.
The end result- humanity adopts a hive mind mentality and becomes a collective. Everyone suddenly has the same degree of knowledge of all things and share in each other’s experiences in real time. They also are peaceful and nonjudgmental and happy. Individuality has all but been extinguished but they don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.

Then we have our heroine, Carol Struka. She’s a best selling author who’s become somewhat jaded about her success but continues to show up for her fans- including the Barnes and Noble signing where we first meet her and her agent/friend/wife Helen.
Yeah, sometimes I’m still so slow. I figured out soon enough that Carol is a lesbian but I didn’t pick up that Helen was her wife until the behind-the-scenes stuff I watched afterwards.

So this new virus spreads via chemtrails and infects everyone… except Carol and, she later finds out, a dozen or so people who are somehow immune and maintain their individuality.
The first episode has so much chaos and leaves you on the edge of your seat. But I spent a lot of time with one question I was dying to have answered and it was never made clear. Helen inexplicably dies at the same time the process is infecting everyone. I kept waiting for some sort of explanation, like her body rejected the change or something. While some fan theories haven’t ruled that out for future seasons, the most accepted theory was she fell backwards and cracked her head open. It just really bugged me a cause of death wasn’t flat out explained.

So Carol gets home and “The Others” reach out to explain things. They want to look after her and while reassuring her that her life is her own, they still want to fix things so she’ll join them.
In the midst of her grieving and burying Helen in her yard, The Others send a representative to check in on her. Zosia is a dead ringer for Carol’s character as she was originally conceived before she changed her pirate character to a man. Carol spends a lot of time early on refusing help and wanting to maintain her independence. Nothing exemplifies this more than her wanting to have the normal experience of shopping at Sprouts, her favorite grocery store. The shelves are completely barren because they no longer want to waste resources, but just for her, they completely restock the shelves in perfect unison. It’s super impressive but a little eerie.

Episode 2, she meets the English speaking people who’re immune to the change like her. Of course, she wants to rally them to fix things and they’re less than arguable. This is made worse when everyone learns that when Carol lashes out at The Others, they freeze and break into seizures. All 7 or so billion of them at the same time. The first time she does this, it kills millions of people.
Throughout the series, she butts heads with Lakshmi, whose son- probably 8 years old- had changed with everyone else so it puts his life at risk. Thanks to the hive mind, she’s always a phone call away from tearing her a new one. One of the other immune folks is kinda fascinating. He’s living the high life, hanging out in Vegas and mingling with all the women. When he and the immune folks meet Carol, they all hang out on Air Force One (which is brilliantly recreated by the set designers). But he’s very easygoing and makes some compelling points for why this is a good thing. Why he doesn’t jump at the chance to join them, I’m not sure. It never comes up but maybe he just enjoys maintaining his individuality. He cites how there’s no crime and more importantly, no prejudice. I don’t remember where he’s from originally, some African country. But that’s a very good point.

The series does hit a major speed bump though and things actually screech to a halt. It lasted a little too long for my liking.
Basically Carol oversteps in her search for answers. She figures out that they know how to reverse this whole thing but they refuse to give her answers. So much so it almost kills Zosia.
As a result, The Others evacuate New Mexico and Carol gets a voicemail whenever she tries to reach out of them. We hear it so many times that it’s just exhausting to hear the whole message repeated. They send her the items she requests via drone. She figures out during this time with more investigating that their diet is a Soylent Green situation except the people being consumed died of natural causes. The Others don’t kill or harm anything… even vegetation. So basically they are on track to die of starvation in a decade or so.
Carol finds some interesting ways to entertain herself in her isolation. While it’s on par with the comedic edge this series has, there’s just way too much screen time with zero dialogue.

The one thing that helps make it more digestible, if a little, is the series shifted to another of the immune individuals. One that Carol curses out from Air Force One and lives down in Paraguay. When the series still had dialogue, Carol made videos of her findings and sent them to the other immune people. He also gets one and is inspired to make a long perilous journey to meet her. Made more perilous by his absolute refusal to accept help from any of them.
It’s hard not to give the guy props. He’s very determined and self sufficient. Plus, each time he takes anything, he insists on paying for it, including his bills when his journey lands him in the hospital.

The final episode- so much happens when these two characters finally meet. By this time, Zosia comes back and she and Carol have been doing a lot hanging out. Thanks to technology, they overcome their language barrier. But Carol decides she’d rather get the girl than save the world.
For a while, things are peaceful and happy and life is good.
Unfortunately because this is Carol and it’s almost like it’s in her DNA to refuse to just be happy, she finds a significant flaw in this new relationship. The narrative of “your life is your own” shifts to “we’re going to convince you to join us”.
She returns and joins forces with her new friend to save the world. But we’re left with one unsolved mystery- what’s in the massive box that gets dropped off with her arrival? Considering she was given a live grenade because she asked for one, it could be something else along those lines… or it could be something completely different. We’ll have to wait at least a year to find out.

Speed bumps aside and Carol sometimes being hard to digest early on- her default setting is unpleasant and cynical- this was an interesting series to watch because it makes you think and it leaves a lot open to interpretation. Plus the man behind it also did Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, so anyone who enjoyed those series will get into this. I saw neither and I liked it. It just might be a better realized version of The Host where earth is taken over by peaceful aliens but there’s a resistance force who lobbies against them. I didn’t enjoy that Stephenie Meyer book as much as Twilight and it reads slooow at times but the whole concept is fascinating. 

The idea of peaceful aliens taking over and possibly being the key to solving the flaws of humanity... it makes you think how great it would be. At the same time, it forces you to consider what things you're willing to sacrifice for it to happen. As of this point, no sacrifice seems to be worth any of it. 

Theatrical Review: GOAT

Date: Saturday, February 14 2026
Time: 12:20 (start time was 12:36)
Party: 2 (my sister and I)

Setting the Scene

It was Winterfest in East Stroudsburg where they place unique ice sculptures in front of the various small businesses around town. It was also the warmest weekend we'd had in months. It finally peaked into the 40's after several weeks of 20's and lows as low as -6.
Needless to say, it was CROWDED in town. We took the back roads up to a point and by the time we got to the theater, it was movie time.

I'm not sure if this is going to be a common thing now, but they had a sign saying to buy tickets at concession. They have a kiosk to pay by credit card or gift card. I don't know if it's laziness or they're short staffed or it's an elaborate trap to get people to spend money on refreshments when buying tickets. But I'm not really a fan of this approach. It's also kinda hard to choose your seats on the screen when the screen is upside down.
We got in when they were already into previews. There was nothing special. They had "Hoppers" for the zillionth time. Not sure if constantly doing ads during the Olympics is convincing more people to see it or it'll have the opposite effect.
"The Breadwinner" looks like a modern remake of "Mr. Mom" but they kicked the absurdity scale up to 11. I think it could've been a halfway decent movie if they didn't make the missteps look so ridiculous or overblown.
"Minions & Monsters"- I don't know if this is a sequel or a mid-quel or what. But my sister and I had seen nearly all of the Descipable movies so we'll see this one at some point, if only on cable. 
Then they had a trailer for a non-Miyazaki animé film with a really long title that I didn't have time to write it down.

The Movie

The two of us grew up with "Space Jam" and that was part of the reason my sister wanted to see this movie. Plus we like Steph Curry, more for him being behind "Holey Moley" than his skills on the basketball court.
Actually, we're not really big basketball fans. I've been filling out March Madness brackets since 2009 but that's basically it.
That is to say- you don't need to be a basketball fan or have any idea of the rules to be able to enjoy this movie. The game is technically called roarball and each of the teams in the conference plays on fields with different climates, including volcanos and glaciers. That in itself is a pretty cool twist on the game. 

Will Harris is a small medium goat with big dreams. He loves his hometown team, the Vineland Thorns and their top player Jett Fillmore, despite them not having won a championship in 50 years. That on its own is something a lot of sports fans can relate to, being devoted fans to a home team that isn't always playing their best.

Will is experiencing some other setbacks of his own- including falling back on his rent and ultimately getting booted out of his apartment by his landlord. A gerbil (played by Wayne Knight, making this his first basketball movie since Space Jam) with LOTS of mouths to feed.
At the local court, he gets into a match with the movie's antagonist, Mane. Although he comes up short, his friends had the foresight to film the game. The resulting edited video goes viral and it catches the attention of the owner of the Thorns. Ergo, Will gets drafted to become the 6th player of the team, much to the chargin of Jett and confusion of her teammates. 

As cool as Jett is- played to perfection by Gabrielle Union- it was a bit frustrating how long it took her to give Will a chance to even play. But much of her reluctance comes down to her own struggles and not wanting to be that player who's put out to pasture before their time.

The rest of the team has their individual quirks too and they're really fun characters. Archie the rhino is a single dad and his twin girls have some hilarious dialogue. Lenny the giraffe (played by Steph Curry) has a side hustle as a rapper. Olivia the ostrich is a little high-strung from too much scrolling on social media. And Modo the komodo dragon... he's easily the most memorable of the characters in the whole movie. He's so weird and out there with plenty of moments where you're either laughing or uncomfortable or a bizarre mix of both.

There'd been a number of animated movies in recent years featuring animals with human characteristics- Zootopia and Sing come to mind.
But while characters in those franchises mostly walk on two legs, the animals in this movie stand out. They still have that anthropomorphism thing going on but when they're angry, scared or even excited, they'll get down on all fours and act as you'd expect them to act if you'd seen them in nature. Jett does some cat things, including recoiling when someone hits her with a spray bottle. And Will has those goat clichés people either love or hate, depending on whether you think they're overdone. He also has this weird superpower where his eyes turn from circles to ovals and it helps him have better peripheral vision on the court. 

I'd commented how I'm not a big fan of Gen Z lingo being slowly incorporated into movies and things like cancel culture and social media. This movie takes these things and handles them really well. Except Will getting feedback at a press conference about outrage from the cockroach community after complaining his roomate's house is full of roaches... that joke just felt like cheap and throwaway. 

For the animation, it's very colorful and lively. At times, it almost feels overwhelming how much is happening on screen at once but I suppose kids who are already hyped up on sugar and whatnot will be into it. 
Our theater had a fair amount of kids in it and there was some laughing. But easily the best moment was at the end where one kid just starts cheering and a few moments later, the movie caught up to that amount of excitement. Plus there was a short round of applause at the end. 

Steph Curry had said how this movie is partially inspired by his own story. While I wouldn't call 6' 2" short, that is considerably short compared to most basketball players. There's a few little references to him. I'm sure I'd seen his "night night" victory pose on some commercial so I recognized it when Will did it during the scene the Thorns win their first game with him playing.

Overall, yeah, it was a fun movie. I'm glad we went out to see it. It did have its setbacks and its slow points, but the action is really good and there's a lot of heart with these characters. What's not to love about that small town underdog mentality?

Grade: B+

My 2025 in Movies and In Memorium

This year began with the one-two punch of "Mean Girls" (had to rewatch cuz the year began on a Wednesday and we wear pink on Wednesdays) and "Tommy" (a rock opera by The Who that was 99.9% singing) and ended where 7 of my last 11 new movies were Hallmark movies. The last two were definitely better than a lot of the previous ones.

My total this year was only 66 movies. It feels like nowadays it's an achievement if I get to the 2nd column of my Word document where I'm listing all the movies I'd seen in my life.
(The culmative total, in case you're curious, is 1770. And my idea of a movie is anything over 60 minutes).

Of those 66,

4 were in theaters (gotta do better next year...)

7 were Hallmark movies

5 were on Apple+

14 were on TCM

For the theater movies, Freakier Friday was definitely my favorite.
But for theatrical experiences, the one with the Minecraft Movie will be one of my all-time most memorable. It was just a blast being in a full theater where everyone seemed to be on the ball except the three of us and the enthusiasm was positively infectious.

I don't watch anything Hallmark before December, just as a personal rule. I did make one teeny exception and watch the reality series "Finding Mr. Christmas." It was so fun and wholesome and all of the guys that were auditioning to be the next actor on the channel were good looking. 
Gabe was a dark horse, for sure. My mom and I definitely didn't pick him to win, but clearly he had something about him that they liked. And to his credit, he was the one of the few bright spots in a pretty dismal movie. The parents in "A Make or Break Christmas" were just way too over the top with their passive-aggressive drama. It's no wonder our female lead was so uptight about her decorations being perfect for their arrival. 
Angel was my favorite (mainly cuz he had an accent and I'd probably cast him myself if one of my stories became a movie/series...) and Rustin was definitely the typical rugged handsome you'd expect from Hallmark. Although in the reunion show, he came back clean-shaven and we almost didn't recognize him.

But for the rest of Hallmark, I enjoyed the Bills love story more than the Chiefs. I saw it first but I just preferred the story. Plus, we had a nice cameo from Damar Hamlin who got to shine along with some of the other players not named Josh Allen.

"Oy to the World" and "Christmas by Starlight" gave me all the feelings I expect from a Hallmark movie. Fun and wholesome with all kinds of Christmas decor. I knew the two actors in "Oy" from different show (Brooke was in Royal Pains and Jake, I first saw in The Zack Files in the early 2000's) and they were cute together.
And while "Christmas by Starlight" wasn't the most realistic plot (what Hallmark movie, though?), it gave me the warm & fuzzy escapism I needed yesterday when some things hadn't gone perfect. I'm not sure how much of its production was done during 2020 with all the guidelines in place but I guess it was similar to Ted Lasso in the sense that it was a nice movie/series where everything magically works out and the drama is kept mostly to a minimum.

For Apple+, all but one I checked out for the actors starring in them.
We'd just recently watched Ocean's 11 so the first featured actors from that movie.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunite for "Wolfs," where they're fixers hired to clean up a crime scene in the hotel room of a VIP and hilarity ensues as the plot thickens. They're competitors but the same banter and chemistry was still there.

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were in "The Instigators". I don't remember as much about the plot now. They were part of a heist and the money was connected to a politician running for re-election. Matt Damon says multiple times how he owes a very specific amount of money and that's his motivation for taking part. And Casey Affleck... oh boy... he has a thing for gas leaks and explosions and it's done to hilarious effect. 

"Fountain of Youth," I had saved up since seeing the trailer. It had Jim from The Office with Natalie Portman and they're siblings who are hired by an eccentric billionaire to find the titular place. It kinda felt like a lesser National Treasure movie. The plot twist once they actually find the plot is a good one but otherwise, I was disappointed.

I was also a bit disappointed with "All of You" with Roy Kent himself, Brett Goldstein as the romantic lead. He was good in it but the plot was just ok. It's a will they/won't they love story with him and his best friend. The plot ran chronologically, but it was hard to know how much time had passed from one scene to the next. The plot also led with a new brand of technology where people actually find their soulmate and that's how she found the guy she's married to... but then the technology is never explained. There's just a comment or two about how their friends found their soulmates and they stopped hanging out. Then when they did hook up, she claims he took advantage of her because she was feeling vulnerable. She seemed like a willing participant at the time.

By far, the best of the movies was Oscar-winner "CODA."
That might've been from a year we were boycotting the Oscars. I know it won best picture and one of the supporting actors won.
Ruby is the only person in her family who can hear and she works as part of their fishing business as a boatman and interpreter. Through the movie, she starts to pursue music, including auditioning for the Berklee School of Music in Boston. (One of the bands I followed in the 2000's graduated from there). 
I can see this movie being a really good representation of the deaf community and shining a spotlight on some of their struggles. Plus a lot of the humor that comes from being hearing impaired is hilarious. But I can understand the criticisms. Particularly how they fall into some difficulties because Ruby isn't there to intepret or how they're portrayed as outsiders within their fishing community.
Man, though... her audition singing "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell while signing so her family can follow along... I was balling my eyes out. It was so moving.
The actor playing her dad won an Oscar for supporting, but I also think her teacher (who encouraged her to sing the lead duet in choir and helped her get the audition spot) should've won something. He's rough around the edges at times but another great movie teacher.

For TCM, it was a mixed bag.

"Tommy" and "Election," I already wrote posts on. Definitely an oddball way to start the year.

"Bandwagon" was so-so. The musical numbers weren't exactly cohesive. The standout is easily the murder mystery scene, which inspired Michael Jackson to do "Smooth Criminal." Thriller is Thriller, but "Smooth Criminal" is my favorite. The Lean... forget about it. So cool!

"Top Hat," I saw a few days ago. I liked it a lot more than my last Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie. It didn't have a "Continental" number that meandered for 10 minutes, thankfully. The misunderstanding where she thinks he's married to her best friend and won't give him the time of day is a bit ridiculous and takes up nearly all of the plot. But when the two of them dance together, I can see why they're so beloved.

"Come September"-- the whole movie, Rock Hudson just wants to be alone with his girlfriend in his villa. But because his butler runs it as a hotel when he's out of town, they never get to be alone. I get that it's the plot of the movie and there's meant to be obstacles for the protagonist, but OMG! I was so frustrated for him. 
Also, it has Sandra Dee (who I didn't know was an actual person...) and Bobby Darin.

"The Coal Miner's Daughter"- Sissy Spacek definitely deserved all her accolades for this role. I was a little put-off at first, though. Getting married as a teenager is one thing, but it being to a much older guy and he forces her into consummating their marriage on the first night. 
It's a little bizarre reading about it after and how Loretta Lynn may have taken creative liberties with the age she was married by shaving off a year or two. But it was cool that she was involved in the casting process. Very few musicians get that priviledge because they're usually long gone when these movies are made. 

After all these years, my sister and I finally got to see "The Sound of Music" because they finally put it on TCM where there are no commercials.
I think I recognized all but one of the songs from pop culture references so that was kinda cool. Julie Andrews is great as always. That moment where Christopher Plummer hears his children sing for the first time and you can see his cold heart begin to thaw in real time... wow.
But as one would expect, it's all fun and games until the Nazis show up. I knew this about the plot already, but the juxtaposition... whoa... the last half hour or so felt like a completely different movie. It was bizarre. 

A couple other movies I'd wanted to see for years and finally did this year:

We're a couple years away from the year of "Terminator II" so it's a little unsettling. Especially with AI being so prominent in the news and stock market this year.
I couldn't help but think of when this movie originally came out and how shocked people would be when they find out Arnold Schwartzenager is the good guy in this movie. The moment that's revealed, that thought just occured to me, all the minds it blew because of how unexpected it was.

"RoboCop"- I don't remember whether or not I saw it ages ago or just one or two scenes. But I enjoyed this one. The plot twist in the last 10 minutes where a loophole is found to take out the bad guy- I was floored. So good.

But "Sunset Boulevard" might be one of my favorites this year, if not all time. The 3rd act had some moments that didn't really make a lot of sense. But the lead actress playing Norma Desmond, it's no wonder this role has been done and re-done so many times.
Coming into it as someone who'd seen "Chaplin" and knows how difficult it was for some people to make the transition to talkies, it was another interesting piece of that puzzle. And the fact she not only lives in her own fantasies, but they're reinforced by those around her... it's hard not to find it fascinating. 

Remaining highlights:

Maybe it's just because she was in "Twilight," but I can't help but tune in when Anna Kendrick is in some random movie. 
I saw her in two this year. "Happy Christmas" is ok. She was a bit of a hot mess, which is a bit different from her typical roles.
But "Table 19"... it was so fun and quirky I had to see it again with my folks. Basically, it takes place at wedding where she's a former maid of honor who'd been banished to the table of losers. The nanny of the bride played by June Squibb. Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson play a couple who own a diner and connected to his family through it. There's Zero from The Grand Budapest Hotel and his mother makes him attend because he's more likely to get laid there than at prom. (Okay... weird...) And there's Stephen Merchant who plays a cousin of the family who did jail time for stealing money... the kicker is what the money wound up going to.
Plus it had a good soundtrack played live by the wedding band.
As far as indie movies go, I absolutely recommend this one.

"Nebraska" was also a bit of an oddball but Bruce Dern and June Squibb were both really good in it. 

"Sleeping with Other People" I saw around the time I was binging Ted Lasso and Jason Sudekis was great in this as well. I don't remember much of the plot other than him meeting his love interest at a sex addicts' meeting. I wrote that it was predictable but I really enjoyed the two of them together.

"Set it Off"- the movie itself was so-so. A group of black women who'd been undermined in their lives pull off a series of heists. 
My absolute favorite part is that Queen Latifah would be the getaway driver, but without fail, she'd steal someone's car, toss out all of their CDs out the window and put on her own soundtrack. So fun!

"Frost/Nixon"- I like watching these types of movies with my dad. Based on true story political thrillers that he knows enough about where he does commentary while we watch. 

"The Substance"- I think I can speak for my folks when I say that it's worth seeing but not more than once. 
Demi Moore definitely deservd her accolades for this movie. It was a really fascinating concept- creating a younger body so she can maintain relevence. But when that younger body develops a mind of her own, watch out. It takes a really CRAZY twist in the 3rd act where dozens of commenters online have said "ok, the director just decided to borrow from 'Carrie'."

I'd seen Scary Movie dozens of times, but I never saw "Scream".
I'm not the biggest horror fan, but I actually enjoyed this one. Firstly because I kinda knew the plot and secondly because the killer isn't a ghost or immortal killer like Michael Meyers, Freddie or Jason. I knew most of the plot from Scary Movie, but there were still plenty of surprises. Good surprises.
Neve Campbell, I knew as the voice of Kiara in the Lion King sequel, so it was nice getting to see her in a live action role. Never had the opportunity before.

In Memorium

Early on, we lost sports broadcasting legend Bob Uecker. Ted Lasso made me want to revisit Major League because the premise felt very similar and Bob played himself in the movie. I missed out on his heyday and my folks were definitely fans. I mean, who wouldn't be, right?
Also in sports, George Foreman the boxer/grillmaster and Dick Button, the first man to repeat as Olympic figure skating champion, a feat not repeated until Yuzuru Hanyu in the 2014 and 2018 Olympics. (I only experienced him as a commentator in an old Olympic clip where he described my favorite Russian figure skater's "Godfather" program as "jumps and arm movements"

We have the tragic bookends of Gene Hackman and his wife being found dead in their home and Carl Reiner and his wife found murdered (by their son :shudder: )

Michelle Tratchenberg, I'm still reeling a bit from... I think I revisited Harriet the Spy sometime this year, but not sure if it was before or after her passing. I still haven't revisited Ice Princess but that'll be a slight tearjerker once I do. Probably some time around next year's winter Olympics.

The other passing that hit hardest was Val Kilmer. Whether he's Ice-Man or Bruce Wayne, he will be sorely missed.

A couple I didn't hear about until doing the research for this: Watson of Watson & Crick DNA fame and Bill Moyers (RDJ mentioned Campbell and Moyers in a 2003 Charlie Rose interview where they talked a lot of deep topics).

Jane Goodall, the famed chimpanzee researcher

Armani the fashion icon

Diane Keaton- I missed out on seeing The Family Stone this year but the next time I do, it'll definitely hit different

Anne Burrell- we watch a lot of Food Network in this house. Her death particularly devestating for my sister who saw many seasons of her show "Worst Cooks in America"

Robert Redford- I need to see a few more of his movies, including "The Natural"

Sophia Kinsella, who wrote the "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series, died of brain cancer a week or two ago when I currently reading one of her books. I still need to read the original after seeing the movie.

Then in music, there were three major losses.
Sly Stone (of The Family Stone) fame... without him, there wouldn't be Prince. Plain and simple.
Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys
And Ozzy Osbourne

White Christmas (1954)

There are so many classic Christmas movies out there- both old school and modern- we tend to watch every year.
It’s a Wonderful Life, the first two Home Alone movies, Love Actually, and of course Die Hard.

For me, White Christmas will always be a top tier Christmas movie. It doesn’t matter how many versions you hear every December on the airwaves on the radio and all the stores. It’ll always be something extra special because it’s very much a product of its time. (And when I say this, it’s meant as a positive). Classic Hollywood with the big production musical numbers and one of a kind costumes. And how it’s a love letter to those who served in World War II.

It reminds me of my grandma on my dad’s side and all the production that led to spending Christmas at her house. The hour-long car ride, having to dress up, etc. I know she had a Barbie doll that was dressed as Eliza Doolittle at the Ascot race and I want to say she also had one Barbie dressed in one of the Haynes sisters’ Mrs. Claus outfits but I’m not positive.

I didn’t see the movie until years after she’d passed away, but I feel oddly nostalgic about it. For it showing a simpler time in Hollywood but also the time period it’s set. My grandma on my mom’s side served in World War II. He passed away before I was born so I never met him. But I’ve heard stories of how he wanted a big family (got the 12 kids but not the 50/50 boy-girl ratio) and had an affinity for peanut butter on EVERYTHING, including sardines.

So, I guess this movie resonates with something in my DNA.

As good as the actual song is and how it feels like a distant memory of Christmases past, it’s another experience to see how the movie used it to its full potential.
It serves as the perfect bookend. Bing Crosby sings it to his fellow troops overseas to give them a taste of home during a lull in the action. Then it’s done to greater effect to conclude the movie. Trust me, seeing the snow come down in the background while the whole cast sings the song- if you don’t feel something by the end of it, you’re not human.

The movie revolves around two army buddies Wallace and Davis, how they meet up with the sisters of another buddy from their regiment and spend the holiday at an inn run by their former general, General Waverly. The inn is having an off season due to lack of “snow, snow, snow…”

In his older age, he’s content but they believe he feels a bit forgotten and underappreciated, particularly when his petition to reenlist is denied. So, they move their stage show to his inn and plan a massive surprise for him.

Meanwhile Bob Wallace and Betty, the oldest of the sisters, tiptoe their way towards a relationship and his friend Phil and younger sister Judy try all they can to play Cupid for them. Unfortunately, the road towards this conclusion is a rocky one through misunderstanding and being unable to get out of their own way. A little too much “one step forward, two steps back”. Almost like a romcom but the laughs aren’t as frequent. Phil bringing up his “injury” from when he saved Bob’s life on the battlefield to twist his arm into going along with his schemes is only funny the first couple times.

The musical numbers are admittedly a mixed bag. The rehearsal numbers range from spectacular choreography to bizarre themes. If we learn anything about the Wallace and Davis production, it’s eclectic. None of the numbers have anything to do with each other except for the fact it’s Hollywood in its heyday of musicals.

The “Sisters” number(s) and Phil’s first dance with Judy are the better highlights and the payoff that is the 151st regiment reunion on stage and the finale… the whole movie is worth watching for that alone.

This year the Sundance channel had a movie marathon, but I made sure to put it on for the last half hour where everything comes together.

Theatrical Review: Zootopia 2

Date: Sunday November 30, 2025
Time: 10:15am
Party: 2 (my sister & I)

Introductions

As promised, I saw the new Wicked movie with my mom and the new Zootopia with my sister. We'd been kinda slacking with the movie watching this year, but there also hasn't been much that generate that excitement. 
Perhaps next year will be better.

We arrived just in time for the previews, thanks to not accounting for the kind of traffic we'd see the weekend after Thanksgiving. We got off an earlier exit and she was my navigator as we cut through some local streets to get back to the route that leads to the mall. 
It was night and day, how slow the highway was and how [almost] deserted this road was.
Then when we made our way back, naturally the East side of the highway was slower than it had been earlier. But at least we got to see a rare Hawaii license that made the slow trek worth the extra effort.
To quote Ryan Stiles from Whose Life is it Anyway? 
"Welcome to Hawaii: how do you get here in a car?"

The trailers were nothing really special. We caught part of "GOAT," which is a basketball movie featuring animals and Steph Curry has the starring role.
Actually, he's not the starring role, but he does have a role as one of the players on the basketball team the goat character aspires to join. He's also one of the movie's producers.

Then they had the trailer for the SpongeBob movie and "Hopper," where there's technology to download human minds into really realistic robots of furry forest animals. I'm sure I'd mentioned it in another review but it still doesn't wow me. 

Movie Talk

I LOVED the original Zootopia so I was looking forward to this as well, while secretly hoping that this sequel was worth the wait and all the effort. Sequels are tricky business in general. "Frozen 2" I still consider a big disappointment with how good the original movie was.

Thankfully, Zootopia was the rare exception of a good quality sequel.
Was it as good as the original? Maybe not... both were super fun and exciting, but also had their dramatic moments. That moment where you find out who the real villain is and can't help wondering how things are going to resolve so the good guys are able to win. 
This plot twist and all the drama and peril following it ran a little long... but the good thing about these movies is the way they lighten the mood. 
In this case, Judy and Nick are having a really nice heart-to-heart where they apologize and say how much they care about each other and another character comments just as they finish "oh, by the way, the bad guy is getting away." 
Disney (and their many affiliates) have gone a little far with meta/self-aware humor but in this case, I couldn't help but laugh because I thought the same thing maybe five minutes before this was said on screen. 

The movie had a lot of moments where I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Some of those highlights were in Marsh Market where the Judy and Nick are being escorted by their new ally, a conspiracy theorist played by Fortune Feimster (a role absolutely written for her brand of humor) through the Marsh Market and Nick keeps making faux pas with the locals. 
Despite how dire things feel at times, with our main duo being wanted fugitives, there's still the occasional moments humor shines through and you're having such a good time that you forget just how much is at stake.

In both movies, the heart of it is obviously the camaraderie between Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Here, they're officially partners on the police force, but this comes with some unexpected complications that lands them in couples therapy. They take their first case and it falls into chaos because Judy is too gung ho about tracking down the bad guys that she ignores any attempts from Nick to think things through before acting. 
The lead they follow that gets them into trouble, not only with the powerful Lynx family but their brothers in blue-- the first snake had gotten into Zootopia for the first times in 100 years and they're branded fugitives for helping it escape.

Much like in the original, the plot revolves around debunking misconceptions. Instead of it being about "predators acting out because of their instincts" (spoiler alert- they were being set-up), it's about reptiles being outcast from Zootopia because one had been implicated in a murder, so therefore none of them can be trusted.
In truth, the real bad guys are the Lynx family and their hidden agenda is about expanding their territory, even if it means resorting to revisionist history. Judy uncovers this century-long cover-up and like it or not, Nick is by her side to help her see it through.

In addition to the new characters, NIbbles Maplestick the beaver, Gary the pit viper (Ke Huy Quan, who's still experiencing an incredible resurgence since being in The Goonies and The Temple of Doom back in the 80's), action movie-star-turned-mayor Brian Winddancer (whoa, Patrick Warburton has come a long way since he played Kronk in the Emperor's New Groove), we have the return of some old favorites.

"Try Everything" is one of the big reasons why I loved the original Zootopia. (The second biggest being Jason Bateman as Nick... I wasn't even a fan of this guy before this movie. Now, it's sort of like what happened with Ryan Reynolds. I didn't think much of him until he was Deadpool. Now, he's just awesome. Same goes with Jason Bateman)
But yeah, "Try Everything" is such a fun bop and it really set the scene for when Judy makes her first trip into the fabled Zootopia to make her dream of being the first bunny cop a reality. 
Shakira is back as Gazelle with a new song, which features at a Burning Mammal festival in the desert (gee, I wonder what that's a reference too...) and the end credits. 
"Zoo" isn't quite at the same level, but I still enjoyed it. 
Also, she gets to have a cool moment where she helps the good guys by distracting some of the animals pursuing them.

There's a few duos on the police force. The pigs (which I'm just now realizing is a really on-the-nose reference) show up the most and are the most cutthroat of the bunch. 
On the other hand, we have a couple of zebras who serve as occasional comic relief. As soon as they did their first head-butt chanting "Zebros!," I was immediately a fan. Sometimes I just can't resist a good pun, especially when it's this perfect. 

Also returning is Flash, everyone's favorite sloth from the DMV. As limited as his screen time is, he leaves an undeniable impression. 

Probably the most fun thing is all the little references scattered throughout the movie.
A lot of Disney references, like Judy wearing Belle's ballgown when she and Nick sneak into a gala. And when a frying pan gets used as a weapon (a little nod to Rapunzel from "Tangled").
My favorite might be a polar bear being seen holding a Coca-Cola bottle right before his snow mobile gets stolen. It's not labeled, but there's no mistaking the shape. A very fitting reference for a movie being released just before the start of Christmas time.

There isn't much left to say without giving any major spoilers away so I'll leave it here.
I'll just end with saying that this is a Disney sequel, or a sequel in general, that's definitely worth your time. Especially if you or someone you know is in the target demographic, although this is a movie that would be fun for both kids and adults.

Grade: A/A-

Theatrical Review: Wicked For Good

Date: Sunday, November 23 2025
Time: 10:15 am
Party: 2 (my mom & I)

Review

A year later, part two of this story is finally here.

My main concern had been avoiding spoilers and while I didn’t completely succeed (particularly in regards to members of the “Wizard of Oz” quartet), I went into this with the same anticipation I had at the end of part one.

This is going to be hard to review spoiler-free but I’ll do my best.

Part one was so fun and colorful and enthralling from start to finish. Definitely the kind of experience that demands to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated.

Part two was a decidedly different cinematic experience and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much. But while the songs weren’t as memorable and it wasn’t as fun or colorful, it succeeded in other ways. Most of which lay below the surface and may take a little extra thought to fully appreciate.

One obvious highlight visually was the tornado scene. Cinema has come a long way since “the wizard of Oz” and while that tornado was impressive for its time, the one in this movie… as incredible as it was to watch, the combined sense of wonder and dread I felt in the midst of it left the bigger impression.

Easily, the biggest draw of this movie for me was its characters. All of the main cast disappear into these roles so it’s not even a question about how good the acting is. My one little nitpick might just be Glinda’s two friends from Shiz University. Other than the one scene they share together, being her yes-people like always, they pop up in background periodically and are just sort of… there. They contribute nothing to the plot other than maybe being the colorful people in the background so they stand out in that respect.

As much as the wizard is a con man, the true villain really is Madame Morrible. Michelle Yeoh at peak level like always. But I can’t help but wonder why she doesn’t take charge and rule herself. Aside from Elphaba, nobody would be able to stand up to her powers. I suppose it’s probably just easier to hang in the background and maintain power through illusion and propaganda…

It does help to have Jeff Goldblum playing the wizard. Because despite his faults, it’s easy to buy into his con when you think about it. The people in Oz are used to living life a certain way so why rock the boat and ruin that sense of security for them? He makes a self aware jab at history being an illusion that can be manipulated. There’s always a good side and bad side but there’s more gray area than people want to admit. His only real fault is his treatment of animals. I can’t see any reason for doing that, keeping them enslaved and silent. If a reason was ever given, it escaped my notice.

Despite the lines being drawn between good and evil, the main cast are all tested as to whether they’ll settle for their current reality or risk it for those they love.

Prince Fiyero was my big question mark at the end of part one. He may have his royal title but he’d always danced through life to the beat of his own drum. Now he must choose between what is right and what is easy. While most of his character arc met my expectations, there were still some nice surprises along the way.

As for Glinda, her predicament reminded me of a scene from “Charlie Bartlett” where the vice principal (played by Robert Downey Jr. in one of his more underrated roles) informs him that popularity isn’t nearly as important as what you do with it. She’s thrust into the spotlight as a force for good to give Oz hope in these dark times and while it’s the kind of attention she’d always aspired to, her friendship with Elphaba makes her question whether it’s worth it.

Elphaba continues to advocate for the animals of Oz and tries her best to convince the citizens of Oz not to trust the Wizard. No matter what she tries, resistance meets her at every turn. Probably the best part of her story are those rare instances she does receive help and it’s from an unexpected source. “No Good Deed” is also a great number, one of the few standouts for me other than the big duet at the end.

The way this whole conflict affects her sister Nessa, who recently took her late father’s mantle of governor… there’s so much to unpack. As afraid as she is for people to think she’s like her sister, what she struggles with most is her absence. Feeling left behind. Admittedly their relationship had already been pretty complicated and no matter what she did, Elphaba was never able to do right by her.

This has some sad implications on her relationship with Boq. I forgot in the past year that he’d been in love with Glinda this whole time and she doesn’t take it well when he broadcasts it. This sort of thing happens in movies all the time but as much as we want to get revenge on the men we love because he want to leave you for someone else, especially someone you can’t compete with, how far would you be willing to go to change their minds? Or if it’s worth the effort and heartache when you’re better off waiting for someone who puts you first?

Like I said, I like how this movie makes you think about the characters and their actions and whether they’re right or wrong for doing so. Knowing what you know from what these actions lead to, would you do things differently if you were in their place?

One criticism this movie has is the way the Wizard of Oz storyline was wedged in… or forced, depending on who you ask.

I feel like it was handled well enough where you could splice in footage of the 1939 film into this one and it wouldn’t ruin the illusion too much. Although some of Glinda’s comments to Dorothy is clearly self parody (“it’s that one road the entire time”) and a tad insulting to the original’s legacy. We never see Dorothy’s face and get silhouette shots or those from a distance. Which is fair because this isn’t her story this time.

The true heart of the story really is between Glinda and Elphaba. The chemistry between the two actresses cannot be overstated. Despite them being on opposing sides, you can’t help but want both of them to find happiness and it’s equally devastating to be with them during their lowest moments.

Their big duet “For Good” is featured in all the marketing for this movie and while it’s not at the level of “Defying Gravity”, it gives you all the feels. My mom and I were both waterlogged by the end of it.

I’d commented previously on how I often cry at the end of musicals, even when it’s a happy ending. I held out until the very end before I let my emotions get the better of me and I’m glad I did. Yeah, it was still a tear jerker but I was just so happy to see how all the good characters got what they wanted and the bad guys got what they deserved.

We also get a nice bookend where one of the final scenes echoes the opening scene of part one… but wait, there’s a little bit more.

Grade- a solid B

Trailers

Also a quick comment about the audience… it was maybe a dozen people in there and it was a quiet reserved crowd. I’m sure it’s better than an audience singing so loud you can’t hear the movie but still…

Only a few trailers but the movie started almost 20 minutes after its start time.

SpongeBob: Search for the Square Pants

I mean, yeah, we grew up with SpongeBob. This looks stupid and ridiculous but I couldn’t help but laugh out loud of few times. I don’t think I’d seen the show in years, certainly not any of the post Stephen Hillenberg seasons.

David

This time of year, we tend to have one Christian or biblical movie in the trailers. This is David’s story, before he defeated Goliath and his life afterwards. Whether he tired of his crown in the actual story, I don’t know. I haven’t read it. But it’s an interesting thing to consider.

I also was excited for half a second hearing the song playing with the trailer because I thought it might be Colton Dixon. Someone I followed from American Idol and is a very successful Christian artist.

It wasn’t him… it would’ve been cool, though. Someone like him being featured in a movie a fair amount of people will see.

Reminders of Him

Considering the controversy surrounding “it ends with you” because of the Blake Lively lawsuits, it’s surprising this author got another film adaptation of their work.

This one is also a little unsettling with its plot. Apparently the woman lost the love of her life in a car accident but she was driving and had to serve jail time for his death. And because of that, she’s an outcast in society and no one will hire her. I suppose I’d have to see the movie to see why she was implicated. She didn’t seem drunk or high when she was driving so how was it her fault?

Super Mario Galaxy

We already saw the trailer online so this was nothing new. But my sister and I will definitely be seeing it next April.

My one hope is that Brie Larson nails her portrayal of Rosalina because she’s a major character in that game and some big shoes to fill.