"Project Hail Mary"

“Believe in the Hail Mary.”

By nature, space explorations are intriguing.  We’ve got epic ones in the last decade or so, “Gravity,” “Interstellar,” “The Martian,” “Arrival,” ones that tests the human mind, “Passengers” and “Slingshot.”

In “Project Hail Mary,” Ryan Gosling (“The Fall Guy,” “Barbie,” “First Man,” “The Ides of March,” “Drive”) is Ryland Grace, an everyman science teacher.  He has a doctorate in molecular biology and controversial theory in his former life as a scientist, which caused him to be cast out from the scientific community.  It's precisely why he’s approached by a space agency official, Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller) for a mankind-saving mission.  

Told through flashbacks, Eva plays a bigger role than expected.  Ruthlessly efficient and operating with the-end-justifies-the-means approach, she does what needs to be done at all costs.

There is something out there that is rapidly destroying the sun and infecting the stars.  The sun is dimming an alarming rate, it will cool down the Earth’s temperature and lead to the death of a quarter of the world’s population in the next 30 years, and eventually, human extinction. 

There is one star, however, that is not infected, and they need to figure out why and get whatever substance that is sustaining its survival.  That star is 11.9 light years away and only one-way voyage is possible because there will not be ample power to bring a manned spaceship home.  In other words, a Hail Mary, technically a suicide mission.  

Ryland wakes up from a hypersleep coma, years away from Earth and finds that he’s totally alone.  His crewmates, the pilot and an engineer, are deceased.  In the vast vacuum of space, Ryland encounters a common ally, a blocky, mechanical alien whom he soon calls Rocky.

Rocky is the sole survivor of his species and is onboard his very cool spaceship for a similar mission.  The two strangers learn to connect and bond over their shared purpose, try to understand and solve issues, figure out solutions together, and find solace and companionship in each other.  

Gosling owns the movie, fluctuating among a range of emotions at any given moment.  From floating in the air and accidental spacewalk to interacting and communicating with Rocky, mirroring gestures, talking about boundaries and privacy, and heartstopping celestial expedition. 

There’s a stunning space sequence, blending in a kaleidoscope of lights and colors with a whirl of motion and sound, which may leave you holding your breath.  At this point of their friendship, Ryland and Rocky are willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure the other survives.  The ending allows us to see what is becoming of Earth and Rocky’s planet.  

With a joyous, comical undertone, heartrending poignancy, beautiful visual and masterful score, “Project Hail Mary” is a marvel of a project.  

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"Crime 101"

"One heist connects them all."

Cleverly titled “Crime 101,” the 101 refers to Highway 101 that runs through Los Angeles, not how to commit a crime.  

Mike (Chris Hemsworth; “The Avengers” series, “Thor” series, “Rush”) is an elusive jewel thief.  Neatly groomed with a pressed shirt, expensive watch and black getaway car, he’s a loner, driven and disciplined.  He plans with precision, gets his target, and knows how to get in and out quickly and cleanly without hurting anybody.  Little did he know that his luck might be running out.  With so many jobs, there’s bound to be a chance for one slip that may unravel everything.  

Maya (Monica Barbaro, “Top Gun: Maverick”), whose car accidentally collided with Mike, doesn’t add much to the story, although it makes you wonder how she could have a relationship with a man with no known past, photographs, family or friends.  

Sharon (Halle Berry, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”) is a single and successful insurance executive working for a firm underwrites and insures valuable or frivolously luxurious assets for the rich.  

Astute and perceptive, Sharon has been waiting patiently for years to make partner in her firm, only to find out that the firm continues to keep her at arm's length.  The men in suits treat her like she’s only useful because they could rely on her to close deals by using her considerable chic charm to capture potential pampered clients.  She might be standing on a high moral ground at first, but little did she know that that’s about to change when Mike crosses her disillusioned path.    

Detective Lou, (Mark Ruffalo; “The Avengers” series, “Now You See Me” series) is a dogged detective with marital mess and career quandary, working in an integrity-deficit workplace and office politics, and trying to catch a big break to maintain his position.  

One interaction with Sharon gives Lou the clue that he needs.  Catching on that a series of human actions create a pattern; he’s now able to narrow down the robbery circumstances and perpetrator of those high-end heists along the Highway 101 corridor.  Little did he know that he and Sharon would run into each other again and again.  

Omon (Barry Keoghan (“Eternals”) is a wild card robber, volatile and violent, and never hesitates to shoot.  In other words, Mike’s exact opposite.  The two will soon track down each other, culminating in a chase sequence and eventually life or death confrontation – following Lou’s sting operation, reaching an unpredictable crescendo in one single room.  

From aerial and upside-down shots of glassily lit nights to sun-draped days to arteries of freeways and streams of headlights and grittiness of the streets and city underbelly, the cinematography glossily gazes at the City of Angels.  The film runs on a slow burn pace, especially in the beginning, and it does feel long.  

Each character in the intertwining storylines receives a closure, both satisfying and slippery in morality.  “Crime 101” is a character-driven and solid throwback contemporary crime thriller.  

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"Mercy"

From 1/21/2026 press screening:

What happens when artificial intelligence acts as a judge, jury and executioner?  How far is too far?  

Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt, “The Avengers” series, "Passangers") wakes up tied to a chair facing off with Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson; “Mission Impossible” series, “The Greatest Showman”) in the Mercy court.  

The justice-by-AI program was established a couple of years ago and it’s been proven to be an effective solution in the judicial system.  For one, it’s highly efficient.  It’s also perfectly accurate. Or is it?  

People are required to connect their electronic devices to the cloud so that everything can be captured, tracked and replayed back.  Anyone who is caught for a crime where the probability of guilt is 80% or over will be turned in to the Mercy court, and while restrained, will have exactly 90 minutes to review their case and prove their innocence.  Judge Maddox will converse with the individual and simultaneously rate their guilt score.  

Chris’ guilt score begins at 97.5%, considering the overwhelming evidence of killing his wife, Nicole (Anabelle Wallis), stacked against him.  The surveillance shows everything in living color – history, videos, calls, records of where he was and what he was doing.  If Chris’ guilt score does not fall below 92%, at the end of 90 minutes, he will be automatically executed right in the chair.  

All by AI.  What follows are fast displays of digital, pop-out screens surrounding Chris, detailing his relationships with his wife and teenage daughter, Britt (Kylie Rogers), and tracking his movements leading up to the heinous crime.  

The frantic and fast-flipping of digital scenes display the discovery of his wife’s bloody body at the crime scene, live investigation led by his own partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), zooming in on conversations and heated arguments, telephone records, social media accounts, live camera feeds on and inside the house, neighborhood, and places Chris and his family have been.  

It doesn’t help Chris’ case that he was found drinking and his relationship with Nicole was already frayed prior to the murder.  Pratt fluctuates between emotional distress and calm determination, not only believing and knowing that he has been framed for murder, which makes it ironic, since he was an early supporter of the Mercy court program.  Then the stake gets even higher for deeply personal reasons.  

Under duress and severe time constraint, Chris must piece together clues, connect the dots, figure out motive and purpose, and save lives.  The webs of connections to get to the discovery and reveal are overly muddled, but the if you see it from an overarching conclusion, the overall story makes sense, even when it doesn’t seem plausible.  Ferguson is a great actress, but here as the all-knowing AI judge, her varying facial expressions are at times odd to see.  

I typically enjoy high-concept sci-fi stories (“Hypnotic,” “Transcendence”), even if they fail in execution or illogically go off the rail.  The same applies to the Timur Bekmambetov-directed (“Wanted”) sci-fi thriller. 

The transparent screens in the sterile room and the flying police motorcycles are sleek.  The stakes couldn’t be higher, with tense and rapid-fire scenes, speeding toward a stretch of SWAT-type of action toward the end.  This is the cool aspect of the movie, especially seen in IMAX 3-D.  

There’s no mercy in the Mercy court system.  It’s a final judgement by timeclock. For all the talk that AI might replace humans, advanced technology isn’t a substitute for gut feeling, human judgment, and reasoning that go beyond surface-level facts (flawed as they may be).  

“Mercy” is a merciless exploration of justice, artificial intelligence and humanity.  

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Press screening "Mercy" hat and personalized poster photo-taking machine (for custom photo): 

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"The Housemaid"

Perfection is an illusion.  

If you enjoyed “A Simple Favor,” “Another Simple Favor,” “Drop,” “Blink Twice,”  “Strange Darling,” “Oldboy” or “The Gift,” you’ll dig “The Housemaid.”  It’s a pressure-cooker psychological thriller with a surefire degree of shock and awe and powerhouse performances by the three leads.  

Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) is released on parole and desperately looking for a job.  Millie applies for a live-in housemaid role with the Winchester family.  

A well-heeled family consisting of a successful business owner and handsome husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar, “Drop”), impossibly chic and coiffed housewife Nina (Amanda Seyfried, “Letters to Juliet"), along with their little girl, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).  Their stately home is enviably immaculate and stylishly decorated.  

Millie was sure that she wouldn’t get hired due to her checkered past, but surprisingly, she’s hired.  Nina really needs someone to maintain her home and help around the house, as she and her husband are trying to have a second child.  

The attic is transformed into a cozy little nest for Millie.  She’s allowed to use the amenities in the house and is provided with a credit card to pay for household expenses.  

Shortly after Millie started, it’s clear that the picture-perfect illusion is shattered. The switch is startling and it makes you wonder how appearance can really be that deceiving.  

As Millie is performing her day-to-day routines of cleaning, cooking, dusting, tidying up, organizing, grocery shopping and transporting Cecilia, she notices the veneer of perfection suddenly begins to chip away and it reveals something far darker.  

There have been gossips about Nina among the ladies within the elite social circle, but they all appear nice to her face.  And people are certainly very complimentary of Andrew, as he’s a very devoted, caring husband and pillar of the community.  Cecilia, well, she has quite a personality and knows a bit more than she looks.  Then there’s the suspicious-looking groundskeeper, Enzo (Michele Morone, "Another Simple Favor"), who’s always lurking around.  

Unhinged incidents reveal sinister secrets and minacious lies.  Gaslighting, manipulation, deception, power trip, control and entrapment are just a start.  The air is thick with suspicion and tension, and you don't know if another destructive shoe is going to drop.  

When patterns emerge and you think you know what’s going on and try to predict what’s going to happen, you will either end up wrong or the end result will still be unbelievable.  

The key events transpire will shock you to the core.  Diabolical directions thwart life plans. The closed-door twists continue to flip the narrative right up till the very end. 

This is one of those films where the less you know, the better.  When you watch the trailer, whatever you think is happening is not what you think it is.  

If you think that “A Simple Favor” and “Another Simple Favor” (directed by the same director here, Paul Feig) are wild and twisted, wait until you see “The Housemaid.”  Harrowingly mind-blowing, “The Housemaid” will leave you wholly gobsmacked.  

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"Eternity"

"Eternity is a long time to have regrets."

What if you could choose where and who to spend your eternity with?

An elderly couple, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen, “The Avengers” series) and Larry Cutler (Miles Teller, “Top Gun: Maverick”) are seen bickering in the car on their way to a family gender-reveal party.  At the party, Larry chokes on a pretzel and suddenly dies.  Soon after, Joan follows, as she’s already dying from cancer.  They’ve lived a full life, 65 years of marriage.  

To Larry’s surprise, he ends up in the afterlife junction, a transitory place where all humans that have passed away gather.  Each soul takes their former life form at the age when they’re happiest.  They have to decide how they would like to spend their eternity, and once they’ve chosen, that’s where they will remain forever.  They will not be able to change their mind and reverse their decision, so it’s very important that they choose wisely. 

The concept certainly looks appealing.  The afterlife is an aesthetically pleasing hotel with a train station where trains transport souls to the worlds they have picked.  Imagine perpetual paradises, like the beach world, mountain world, museum world, and so on.  The station is also packed with vendor exhibits, promoting the worlds.  

Each soul is assigned an afterlife coordinator (AD) and the AD guides the soul to make a choice that is  right for them.  If they’re not able to decide which world they want to go to permanently within seven days, they will have to find work in the afterlife junction.  

Larry decides on the warm beach world and almost misses Joan’s arrival when she shows up.  Both appear in their strong and healthy 30s bodies, in which they marvel in, leading to age-related jokes.  

Guess who’s also there?  Joan’s dearly departed, incredibly tall and handsome young husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died in the Korean War, only two years after he and Joan were married.  Luke has been working as a bartender in the afterlife junction and patiently waiting for Joan for 67 years.  

Naturally, this unexpected encounter creates a confusing friction and Joan is torn.  On one hand, as a  young widow, Joan already grieved for Luke’s death, but now she has a chance to spend the rest of her existence with a husband whose life was abruptly cut short.  In the two years of their nascent marriage,  their love was passionate and life was blissful.  

On the other hand, here’s Larry.  A devoted man whom she’s spend the last 65 years with, the majority of her life with, filled with ups and downs, events and milestones.  Not just filled with happiness, but also the weight of obligations of an ordinary life - work, kids, bills, frustrations, arguments, irritations, fights, sickness; anything and everything under the earth’s sun.  She and Larry already had a lifetime together. 

What else is there to explore with Larry?  Does Joan still want to spend her eternity with him or start a fresh afterlife with Luke?  With Luke, they can finally have their long-lost chance and live happily ever after in a heavenly mountain haven.  You’ll drink in the idyllic scenery.  Eternity is dreamily painted like a watercolor picture and cool as a perpetual picnic.  

Joan, Luke and Larry are given opportunities to visit the library archives, where they can silently walk through a dimly lit tunnel to view living moments of their past lives and reflect.  Joan finds herself spending more and more time there and looking back.  As the three souls spend a little bit more time together and separately in the afterlife junction, they have moments of realizations and clarity that affect their choices and decisions.  

I wish the movie could spend more time exploring and depicting the worlds of afterlife.  Imagine seeing a land of milk and honey, a mystical planet of gold, or some Avatar-like universe.  But the brief depictions of the after-worlds serve the story.  Olsen’s and Teller’s acting are comfortably on point, bickering like a loving elderly couple, even as they appear bright-eyed, in the bodies of their prime onscreen.  

The full-circle ending feels simply homey.  No regrets.  Just like in life, in order to arrive at a destination that feels right and true to the heart, souls can’t skip the journey of human emotions and have to experience those stages themselves. 

Who knew ascending to heaven would be this complicated?  “Eternity” has an imaginative concept about the afterlife, and the scenes play out with contrasting vibrancy, comical beats and melancholic tenderness, mixed with meaningful twists for a touch of suspense and sweetness.  

Like the film “Here” last year, “Eternity” will make you think about life journeys, everlasting memories, and those that matter most may just be eternal.  

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"Wicked for Good"

“Whoever’s in control gets to say what the quote-unquote truth is, what’s real.”

What is the truth?  It may not be based on facts or reason; it’s what people agree on.  This is the main theme that “Wicked for Good” continues to explore.  Another theme is that you can’t force or trap someone to stay with you, let alone love you.  People have free will, and all you do is postponing the inevitable.  Although the heart of the movie is the complex, unlikely friendship between polar opposites, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Arianna Grande).

The story picks up where the “Wicked” left off.  Elphaba has been branded as the “Wicked Witch of the West,” exiled and feared, whereas Galinda is paraded as “Glinda the Good,” the good witch and paragon of virtue.

Glinda is now an integral part of the propaganda machine of grand manipulator Wizard (Jeff Goldblum, “Jurassic World Dominion”) and corrupt magic teacher Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh, “A Haunting in Venice”).  Living in a luxurious pink penthouse and perpetually wearing gorgeous gowns, Glinda is gifted with a pink bubble device that let her float inside, where she can greet the fawning flock and raise their spirit.  The crown tiara and crystal wand Glinda wears sell the good witch look, even as a  human with no special powers.  

Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey, “Jurassic World Rebirth") is promoted to captain with a major task to capture or defeat Elphaba.  Fiyero is caught off guard that he and Glinda become engaged in a very public announcement during a meet-and-greet event.  It’s all about image; Glinda and Fiyero look good together and people expect them to marry.  

While Glinda and Elphaba secretly remain friends, their relationship is complicated.  It seems that Glinda can’t resist the trappings of the good life and popularity as a public figure.  Glinda tries to broker peace between Elphaba and the Wizard, pleading with Elphaba to join those in power, it would be unlimited what they could do together.  

Elphaba almost believes that the Wizard is following through with his word that he’d release the  animals.  Well, he does, only for show, and only the winged monkeys.  There’s a far sinister prison where all the other animals, who have been losing their voice to speak, remain cruelly trapped in cages in a hidden basement.  

The dual scenes between this dark discovery and Glinda’s lavish wedding, filled with cascading flowers and paved with golden butterflies, are brilliantly juxtaposed.  Chaos crashes the wedding, and Fiyero makes his feelings known that he’s with Elphaba, to the shock and tears of Glinda. With a crushed heart, Glinda’s choices lead to some life-altering fates. At the same time, outcast Elphaba gets to experience  the newly safe feeling while being truly vulnerable, as she's with the right person who truly sees her as who she is.  

In Munchkinland, Elphaba’s wheelchaired younger sister, Nessarose Thropp (Marissa Bode), has been elevated to governor, following Elphaba’s and her father’s death. Nessarose continues to pine for Bog (Ethan Slater), a Munchkin who made her heart sing in “Wicked.”  Rejected by Bog, who’s going to travel to Emerald City to follow his heart and express his feelings for Glinda, Nessarose’s broken heart leads her to doing the unthinkable, which causes irreparable damages. 

Animals and the Munchkins are losing their rights and banned from traveling.  Some are leaving Oz through an underground tunnel below the yellow brick road as they are being treated as second-class citizens, despite of Elpabha’s pleas for them to fight.  

The scenes with Dorothy (Bethany Weaver) and her companions felt rushed and are not fully fleshed.  While the Wizard’s true colors don’t get exposed and that the people of Oz don’t know the real truth, Elpabha, Glinda and Fiyero concoct a tricky plan that will at least leave the Wizard and Madame Morrible out of power.  The tender scene where Elphaba asks Glinda to see her not from her eyes as her best friend, but from how other people see her speaks volume.  No good deed goes unpunished here; it’s not exactly a happily ever.  Lives are changed for good. 

“Wicked for Good” is not just pure fantasy.  While the vibrant colors, sparkling production designs and extravagant costumes are a feast for the eyes, and the powerful voices and musical numbers are music to the ears, the layers shown in the deep and ever-evolving friendship and poignant acting covering the depth of emotions among the leads are especially moving.  

And it’s not a coincidence if the film reminds you of the current political climate.  Even when Elphaba’s pushes the Wizard to admit the lies that he's no sorcerer, he insists that people will believe what they want to believe and that they will continue to believe the continual lies even further. Political powers control the narrative; what kind of information to disseminate and what they want people to know and believe.

Power can and should be used for good. “Wicked for Good” may not be defying gravity, but it’s an earnest conclusion to the epic musical saga.  

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FREE Movie Screening: "David" (San Diego, CA)

Last-minute (today), FREE movie screening of "David," courtesy of Gofobo, if you're in the greater San Diego area:

November 13, 2025 - 7 p.m.

Regal Edwards Mira Mesa, 10733 Westview Parkway, San Diego, CA 92126

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Get your *FREE movie passes here: (LIMITED availability - first-come, first-served)

https://gofobo.com/screenings/movie_landing/VE1NRGF2aWQ%3D//

In a kingdom torn by fear and corruption, a shepherd boy is called to stand against a giant and the darkness behind him. With nothing but faith, courage, and a sling, he defies an empire and awakens the heart of a nation. From the quiet hills of Bethlehem to the roar of the battlefield, his journey will shape kings, test hearts, and reveal that the greatest strength is found in trust, not power.

*when downloading passes, no credit card needed

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"Now You See Me: Now You Don't"

From 10/25/2025 press screening:

"In the world of magic, everything that disappears... reappears."

The "Now You See Me" series is one of the most fun franchises of all time.  In a way, the first two installments are also "Now You Don't," since you can't always trust your eyes that what you see is reality, and when it’s fantasy, you wonder how it's done.  Sure, some scenes are too CGI-magical than plausible, practical tricks, but who cares?

To refresh, the Four Horsemen are card-reader Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg; “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” "The Social Network"), hypnotist Meritt McKenney (Woody Harrelson, "The Hunger Games" series) and lock-picker Jack Wilder (Dave Franco).  Escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) left the team after the first film (2013), replaced by Lula May (Lizzy Caplan) in the sequel (2016).

It's been 10 years since the Four Horsemen were seen together.  Apparently, they're now reunited for one magical night of performance. The live show is packed and the crowd cheers, especially when it rains money and a crooked rich guy is cooked.  Things are not as they seem, of course.  

There's a next generation of amateurs, albeit impressive illusionists impersonating the real stars.  They met and bonded over broken homes and dropping out of schools, and have become like a family.  Although the leader of the Four Horsemen, Daniel, did finally show up, to the amazement of the trio magician-friends - Bosco (Dominic Sessa), June (Ariana Greenblatt), Charlie (Justice Smith).  

Daniel says that the Eye secret society sent him a secret message that he has a job to do.  Not just any job, but bigger and better than ever, which is to pull off a heist of the heart jewel at the diamond exhibit in Italy hosted by Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"), the sleek heir of the Vanderberg's family fortune.  

The Vanderberg family has been mining diamonds for two generations, selling them to highest bidders, which are typically warlords, arm dealers and traffickers.  It's a front for money laundering operations at the largest scale, keeping everyone's hands shiningly clean from the blood-soaked, dirty money.  Since the Four Horsemen disbanded a decade ago, Daniel needs the trio's help to master the trickery of the century.  

The elaborate setup to pull wool over Veronika's and her security team's watching eyes is a rollicking treat.  Stolen identity, secret switching, sleight of hand, and escaping from the premise.  Most importantly, the heist reunites the Four Horsemen for real.  Henley is back too.  As it turns out, Henley, Meritt and Jack also received an individual message from the mythical Eye.  The backstory of why they disappeared is delivered slightly comically.  

The clue cards that the Four Horsemen received leads the magical misfits to a historic chateau in France.  The chateau is filled with artifacts and antiques, secret hideaway and pathway, upside down hallway, big/small room and hall of mirrors.  As a side note, if you have the chance to visit the World/Museum of Illusions in select cities, I highly recommend it.  The group is greeted by Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman; "RED," Wanted"), magician debunker and now old friend of the Four Horsemen.  

The police are closing in fast on the mansion.  Not everyone is able to run, hide or escape.  Some end up in handcuffs.  Time for jailbreak!  Since the magnificent seven are now wanted fugitives, they need to call in the calvary.  Thankfully Lula is available and she helps make the jailbreak and reunion a riot.  Almost everyone is able to escape, except one. 

An exchange is eventually arranged; the heart jewel for one of their own.  The heart jewel also needs to be returned to its rightful owner.  Veronika plans to host a motorsports gala in Abu Dhabi, so the group jets off to meet her there. The hand-off is a case of one upping the other, with Veronika gaining the upper hand, sealing most of the magicians inside a death-trapped box underground with no way out.  The collective escape and final act will blow your mind away.  

The first two instalments are amazing, but 'Now You Don't' takes it to the next level.  The overarching story is one that you will not see coming!  Beyond the illusions, the story cleverly comes full circle in such an unpredictable way.

Forget logic.  Sometimes all we need is a little magic.  Brilliantly illusioned and written, "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" is escapist entertainment at its glamorous and grandest.

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"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery"

From 10/19/2025 SDIFF screening:

When "Knives Out" premiered in 2019, little did we know we'd be in for the best years of murder mystery  genre for years to come.  At the time, there was only "Murder at the Orient Express" prior.  The Agatha Christie adaptation continued with "Death on the Nile" and "A Haunting in Venice." 

With the breakout hit of "Knives Out," director Rian Johnson followed with "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," and now with "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery." Interestingly, the second versions are delightfully bright travelogues.  And both third installments are dark gothic style with a religious theme.  

Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is an earnest young priest with a violent past.  He was transferred to Chimney Rock in upstate New York, where the small parish is led by a cult-like leader Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin; "The Avengers" series, "Hail, Caesar!").  

The congregation has been dwindling severely to a small group of devouts for good reason.  Known for his theatrical flair, Monsignor Wicks leads his sermons with fear and anger, against the world at large.  If his leading style and boisterous, quick-to-rage personality reminds you of a certain political leader, you're not wrong.  It's pretty on-the-nose depiction, including a base of followers who view their leader as can-do-no-wrong despite his outbursts and hostility.    

The regular parishioners are loyal aide Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), reticent groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), despondent doctor Ned (Jeremy Renner, "The Avengers" series, "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,"  "American Hustle"), bitter lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), politician wannabe and YouTuber Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), loner sci-fi writer Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), and wheelchair-bound cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny).

Somehow the flock remain devoted to Monsignor Wicks, despite Father Jud's efforts to show a different way to lead, with love and compassion. Monsignor Wicks and Father Jud mix like oil and water.  It's no surprise that when a recorded confrontation and encounter, murder weapon and inopportune timing collide, Father Jud is accused of murder.

It appears to be a perfectly impossible murder though.  When Monsignor Wicks took a quick break inside a sealed side closet during his sermon and fell dead to the ground, nobody was inside the closet.  The space itself is fully enclosed with no other entry point.  Father Jud was sitting across the podium in plain view of the mass attendees and everyone was sitting inside the church.  

So how was the murder committed then?  Potential scenarios and theories are thrown around.  Clues only add to riddles.  Gradually, concealed identities and motivations are revealed.  After another incident, everyone becomes a suspect, although outcast Father Jud remains the primary suspect.  

Compounding the mystery, it appears that the clearly dead Monsignor Wicks is later seen on video camera rising from his crypt.  Now we have a dead man walking into the woods on a stormy night.  Soon after, more victim(s) are discovered. Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, "James Bond" series) has his observing eyes and hands full.  

Even the famed detective gets flustered and admits that not only does this appear to be a perfectly impossible murder, the entire situation is unsolvable, as it goes against logic and reality.  After all, who does not want to believe in the possibility of a miracle?

The story is a bit more complicated than the previous installments since the present crime has ties to the church's mythical past, but you'll be fully awake for the theatrics.  Exploring myth, miracle and misdeed misdirections, decades-old secrets are unearthed, layers of cover-ups break open, and hidden holy grail and artifices come to light.  

"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" is atmospherically engrossing, shrewdly humorous, and inventively clever whodunnit mystery with an entombed closure.  

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2025 San Diego International Film Festival (Red Carpet)

The 2025 San Diego International Film Festival Night of the Stars was filled with stars, speeches, glamor and camera on the red carpet.  Somehow I got to do a quick interview with Hamill and fist-bump Manganiello.  This year's honorees are Mark Hamill, Marlee Matlin, Joe Manganiello and John Magaro.  It's definitely a celebratory night to remember!

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"Tron: Ares"

When I first caught a glowing glimpse of "Tron: Ares" at Comic-Con this summer, I was enthralled.  More than a standard presentation, the panel was a whole nine yards of light-and-music show, starting with a surprising entrance of the security program guards.  And the lightcycle model on display was memorably super cool to see (I even got to hop on and pretend-ride!).  I went to a press screening in IMAX 3-D; see it in this format if you can.

A standalone version in the same universe of “Tron” (1982) and “Tron: Legacy” (2010), the story in “Tron Ares” powered by the rivalry of two major corporations, Encom and Dillinger.  

Ares (Jared Leto), serves as “Master Control,” defender of the Dillinger security system.  He and his second-in-command, Athena (Jody Turner-Smith) and the rest of the programs, live in the grid.  Their existence is to obey all commands of the user, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), including removing any and all impediments and achieve the user’s objective at all costs.  

They are the ultimate soldiers.  Ever-powerful and totally expendable.  If destroyed, can be identically rebuild over and over again.  In a showcase to the board of directors, that’s Julian’s pitch and everyone is very impressed.  One small problem Julian chooses not to disclose is that the programs can only exist in the human world for 29 minutes, and afterwards they evaporate and will have to be rebuilt.  

The key to keep them ‘alive’ is “permanence,” an obscured code that the CEO of Encom, Eve Kim (Greta Lee), has been searching for and working on.  The computer genius has also been carrying a personal burden of continuing the work of her dearly departed sister in the field.  With Eve finally getting a hold of the permanence, Julian is in a relentless pursuit to get that code, dispatching Ares, Athena and the robotic crew.  

When Ares starts developing empathy after accessing Eve’s stored human history and has a different purpose for the permanence, and Julian’s mother (Gillian Anderson) sees what her nefariously ambitious son is truly capable of, conflicts and chases ensue.  

The stylish fights use assorted weaponry, such as discs, batons, staffs and swords. The chase on the streets is one of the coolest sequences.  The lightcycles, weaving in and out of traffic, build jetwalls and leave trails of laser ribbons, obstructing and cutting through whatever objects in their way.  Watch for a particularly precise takedown scene.  The ending leaves the grid open for a sequel.  

The grid chase scene along a neon-lit landscape is even cooler.  The lustrous lightcycles blaze walls of  particles, light, water and fire in their wake. Escaping the grid doesn’t mean freedom.  Athena takes it to the next level by commandeering a cosmic aircraft into the real world.  And all along, the pulse-pounding Nine Inch Nails electronic score incomparably rocks the movie.  

Nothing deep here.  The complexity of co-existence between humanoid AIs and humans could be explored further (and speaking of which, “Ex-Machina” needs to have a sequel).  But if you’re looking for style, the visually and sonically thrilling “Tron: Ares” shines in glowing spades.  

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2025 Comic-Con

Panel presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTdr9_PLiEU

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Malibu Barbie Cafe (San Diego, CA)

If you’re in the greater San Diego area and loved the “Barbie” movie or Barbie in general, don’t miss out on visiting the Malibu Barbie Café.  

Now you have the chance to step into the world of Barbie!  While the cafe can’t possibly replicate director Greta Gerwig's magical creation onscreen, you'll get a taste of it.  Barbie lovers can find a fantasy oasis inside of this pink-powered, chic cafe.  

Soak up the 1970s, laid-back Malibu California ambiance with beachy motifs and retro glam.  You'll find an iconic Barbie box, Beach Barbie’s history illustration, decors in popping colors, a wooden swing and towering lifeguard chair, and a mini ice-skating ring for plenty of Instagrammable photo ops.  You'll also find something in the Barbie-inspired sweet and savory menu to match your taste buds.

The Malibu Barbie Cafe is a cute, interactive experience for all ages; gathering with girlfriends, girl squads, special dates, or families with kids with signature moments for the memories and exclusive merchandise available for purchase.  

Ticket starts at $25 for 90 minutes, with $10 food credit and $5 merchandise credit.  Parking is $15 or take the trolley to Little Italy (less than a half mile from the café).  

Hurry up before it’s gone!  The Malibu Barbie Café pop-up event will last until October 12, 2025.  

Get your tickets here: https://bucketlisters.com/experience/malibu-barbie-cafe-san-diego

"Barbie" movie review: https://sdmoviemaven.blogspot.com/2023/07/barbie.html

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FREE Movie Screening: "Eleanor the Great" (San Diego, CA)

In partnership between Allied Global and The MovieMaven -  FREE movie screening of "Eleanor the Great," if you're in the greater San Diego area:

September 24, 2025 - 7 p.m.

AMC Fashion Valley, 7037 Friars Road, San Diego, CA 92108

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Get your FREE movie passes here: (LIMITED availability - first-come, first-served)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoModqz1MQINVL7-4O1_kW7D-oKmT69Apj8dEgMKyWxVMiAg/viewform

Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut - after seventy years with best friend, Eleanor moves to New York City for a fresh start. Making new friends at ninety proves difficult. Longing for connection, she befriends a 19-year-old student. 

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"The Long Walk"

Form 9/8/2025 press screening:

Walk or die.  Such a simple concept, yet so scary.

Stephen King wrote this first novel when he was just 19 years old, gaining inspiration from the death march of young men to the Vietnam War.  The film enlists director Francis Lawrence, who helms the now-famous "The Hunger Games" series.  While "The Hunger Games" is much fancier and stylized, "The Long Walk" is bare-bones raw and real, even when the story is purely a work of fiction.  

In a dystopian version of America, the country has fallen into a severe economic depression post-war.  It's bleak and there's no way out.  Every year, 50 teenage boys from 50 states, one representing each state, volunteer to submit their names in a lottery to be chosen for the long walk across the heartland of America.  The walk is followed by armed soldiers in military vehicles, ready to shoot and kill. It's televised in order to somehow get people out of laziness and inspire them to get the country back to former glory prior to the war.  

The Major (Mark Hamill) gives a twisted speech about how production has gone up after the end of each walk.  Because anyone can win, and the winner would be provided untold riches and granted a wish, anything he wants.  Notwithstanding the unspeakable fact that most of the boys would die, since there could only be one winner.  Nobody, including local spectators across towns, questions why the 49 boys would have to die instead of simply losing and going home.  

The rule is deadly straightforward.  Walk three miles per hour until there's only one boy standing.  If you fall below the limit, you will get a warning.  After three warnings, you will be shot.  If you go outside of the route or the sidewalk, you will be shot.  If you have to slow down for whatever reason and cannot pick up your pace within 10 seconds, you will be shot after the third warning.  There is no mercy.  When the first shot rang out, the stake became unmistakably real.  

Rain and wind, heat and cold, hunger and thirst, bodily function needs, leg cramp, nose bleed, broken shoes, deformed feet, injuries, illnesses, sheer exhaustion, losing of mind, provocation, infighting, attack and even suicide... none of these matters.  They cannot stop walking.  Days and nights blend in together.  Hundreds of miles with no end in sight.

What started as a large group of boys in an inexplicably optimistic spirit with supportive camaraderie and humor turns into inevitable hopelessness and gut-wrenching horror, as one person after another gets shot or dies by other means.  The cruel irony here is while some of them try to save their friends or those whom they've bonded with across the endless miles, in order to stop walking and win, every single one of them - except one - has to die.  

While most of the boys remain unknown, there are some standouts and we get to know several of them based on their backstories or interactions with one another (Cooper Hoffman as Raymond Garraty, David Johnson as Peter McVries, Ben Wang as Hank Olson, Garrett Wareing as Stebbins).

The human elements keep the rinse-and-repeat story, along with some variations in actions, moving and engrossing.  Although as engrossing as it is, it's hard not to look away during certain moments, as they are viscerally brutal and hard to watch.  It's also hard to root for one boy over another, because it means you'd also be rooting for the rest to die.  

There is no victory.  While there's a winner from the race, the turn of events is not what you might expected and it's no cause for celebration.  

"The Long Walk" is grueling and gripping, harrowing and terrorizing, mixed with humanity and spirit, familial bond and friendship, care and sacrifice.  

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"The Fantastic Four: First Steps"

Welcome to the family.  No Marvel homework required; a refreshingly standalone movie in an alternate Earth.  

Following the mid-story trend of the recently released “Superman." “Fantastic Four: First Steps” forgoes the origin story.  

An origin flashback and good-natured montage quickly provide a glimpse into the backstory of four astronauts – married astronauts Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal; “Materialists,” “Wonder Woman 1984”  and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby, “Mission Impossible” series), her brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and their friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bacharach) – went into space and came back to Earth with their genes altered after having been exposed to cosmic radiation, and how they perform their superhero-saving duties.   

Reed/Mister Fantastic has the power of elasticity, with the ability to stretch all his limbs into an extreme range, just like his brilliant mind.  Sue/Invisible Woman can make herself invisible, create and manipulate force fields.  Johnny/Human Torch can burst into flame and fly, control and absorb fire.  Ben/The Thing is rock solid and super strong.  

Going into space as dreamers, they return as the Earth's protectors, celebrated for their superpowers, diplomatic capabilities, advanced technology research and scientific explorations.  

The quartet faces their biggest challenge when the Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) surfs the Manhattan skies and ominously announces that the Earth will soon be consumed by Galactus (Ralph Inneson), a planet-eating space god and there's absolutely nothing anyone could do about it.  

This follows a previously tense action sequence in space where the Fantastic Four tries to meet up with Galactus for the first time and ends up being chased relentlessly by the Silver Surfer.  And something happens aboard that spaceship that makes the stake much higher.  

Well, it turns out, there is a way.  The gigantic Galactus would leave the Earth alone if Sue and Reed would give their newly born baby son, Franklin, to him.  While there has been no indication that Franklin may possess any special powers, Galactus seems to believe otherwise.  

As one might imagine, this unfair barter is an impossible choice and one that is turning admiring humans against their superheroes.  Franklin may be available for a barter, but this is a beloved family member, a living, breathing human baby.  

It's not a simple mathematical equation or even a moral obligation to save the world, no matter how much Reed tries to analyze the situation from a scientific perspective.  Sue takes a human approach and makes an impassioned plea about family ties and fighting as one, as part of a larger family.  

Now they all just need to figure out a plan on how to either keep the Earth safe from Galactus or defeat him.  The answer lies in teleportation power-building and highly risky bait and switch.  It's an extremely ambitious plan that may or may not work.  

It sounds plausible, however, from a storyline point of view and that makes the stakes real and emotional.  Everyone does their part in the battle against Galactus, but Sue is heartbreakingly fierce in her fight.  

The 60s era reminds me of “X-Men: First Class” (remains first-class and one of the most complex superhero movies to date).  The space-age, retro-futuristic cinematography is visually rich and distinctively different.  It looks surreal and feels lived in at the same time.  

The glass-domes, flying cars zipping through buildings, giant television screens plastered among  billboard commercials, cool circular-oval and pointy star-fin designs, a mix of warm wood paneling and bright-muted hues are aesthetically evocative and avant-garde.  The elegantly filmed Excelsior rocket launch and liftoff, along with a soaring score, is reminiscent of “Fly Me to the Moon.” 

The fourth time is fantastic.  One might wonder why we'd need the fourth attempt at “Fantastic Four,” but it turns out to be the right decision by Marvel to move on from the doomed Kang Dynasty debacle and jump start the world-building toward “Avengers: Doomsday."

Stay for the end-credit.  For the first time in years, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” feels like the first steps in the right direction for Marvel's next chapter.

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2025 Comic-Con: Pac-Man Cafe (Open through August 3, 2025)

Comic-Con might be over, but the fun continues through August 3, 2025 with Pac-Man Cafe still open to the public.  Located at 323 Seventh Avenue, San Diego, 92101 (across from Petco Park), it's an immersive retro pop-up cafe with themed bites and beverage, arcade play, merch and decor.  Grab a ramen bowl, quesadillas, cake pop or slushie.  If you played the Pac -Man game or enjoyed the Pac-Man movie, check out the cafe.  You may get to meet the Pac-Man yourself!

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