"The Drama"

“What’s the worst thing have you ever done?”

How well do we really know our loved ones?  Don’t ask that question if you’re not prepared for an answer that you may not be ready to hear.  

This is the basic premise of “The Drama.”  If you’re expecting a light romantic comedy, it’s the opposite of that.  One might argue that “Materialists” is along the same construct, with a heavy subject material inserted in the middle, but this movie strays farther.  A significant portion is spent on flashbacks and images imagined based on those flashbacks.  

Emma (Zendaya, “Spider-Man” series) is to wed her first love, Charlie (Robert Pattinson) in days.  There are typical wedding drama, such as choices on food and beverage menu, flower arrangements, first dance choreography, practice photoshoots.  But that’s not “the drama.”  

The drama comes one night when the couple spends one of their last pre-wedding times with their maid of honor, Rachel (Alana Haim), and best man, Mike (Mamoudou Athie).  When that question pops up, Rachel, Mike, and Charlie awkwardly give their answers.  Everyone nervously laughs and squirms.  To each their own, their past actions were bad, with varying degrees.   

Emma’s answer, however, makes everyone really squirm and it’s no laughing matter.  The dark secret from the past is out and there’s no way to take it back.  Once the shocking knowledge is in everyone’s head, they react and question everything they knew about Emma, her character then and now, and how to move forward or not move forward with the wedding.  

The entire movie is built around this early revealed secret and how it creates a chain of fixations and overreactions and spiraling out. Relationships are permanently changed.  

It’s also one of those movies that poses the question, “What would you do?” if you were in the same situation.  How would you react?  What can you overlook about a loved one?  What about unconditional love?  Is there a limit?  Do you believe that people can change?  And if so, to what extent?  How can you move past your fixation?  Can you forgive and move on?  

People will evaluate this story based on their own life filters; belief system, past experiences, moral compass.  

Drama-filled, you’ll experience second-hand embarrassment and uncomfortable cringe watching the characters tripping all over themselves.  Tense and anxious, expect the unexpected with “The Drama.”  

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"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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