January 1, 2026 “Oh What Fun” (** out of four) was a misbegotten holiday comedy about a mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) who feels forgotten by her family (Denis Leary, Chloe Grace Mortez, Dominic Sessa) until they notice her absence and how special she is and she returns to give them all the unified Christmas celebration they all deserve. Funny at first, with some sharp dialogue and ironic and clever touches, then turns syrupy and mundane and never fully recovers. Winning cast helps to keep this watchable but can’t make this live up to it’s title. Continue reading →
January 1, 2026 “Die My Love” (*1/2 out of fou) was an oppressively unpleasant Midwestern gothic melodrama about a young mother (Jennifer Lawrenc) who finds herself drifting away into madness and her redneck partner (Robert Pattinson) and elderly parents (Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte) watch helplessly from the sidelines. Strikingly shot by Seamus McGarvey but film drowns in an excess of pretentious symbolism and winds up aimless and adrift. Lawrence once again proves she’s game at playing difficult characters but that doesn’t mean we like or care about her much- and the same goes for the film. Continue reading →
January 1, 2026 “Finding Nicole” (** out of four) was an earnest but superficial melodrama based on the true story of Nicole Beverly (Kaiti Wallen) who endured years of domestic violence and abuse from her husband (Mari G) before finally leaving and getting him arrested only to face even more abuse and frustration in dealing with the courts and the criminal justice system and fighting for her life. Inspirational story about one woman’s personal and emotional crusade and what women of domestic violence have to go through but result is overly pat and predictable and film’s climax is unconvincing. Try and see if you can recognize Richard Tyson here as a (very) liberal judge. Continue reading →
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