In which the Mister joins me in reviewing SEND HELP (2026), from writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the film is directed by Sam Raimi.  A mousy corporate strategist named Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her arrogant, nepo-baby boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) are the only survivors of a private jet crash on a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand.  The workplace hierarchy is instantly demolished when Linda reveals she is a "Survivor" super-fan with formidable wilderness skills, leaving the injured and helpless Bradley entirely dependent on the employee he previously humiliated and passed over for a promotion.  As their isolation stretches on, the survival mission descends into a darkly comedic and visceral battle of wills, where the shifting power dynamic becomes just as dangerous as the elements themselves.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 53 m, is rated R and is currently in theaters.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.

#SendHelp #DamianShannon #MarkSwift #SamRaimi #RachelMcAdams #Linda #DylanOBrien #Bradley #EdyllIsmail #Zuri #XavierSamuel #Donovan #DarkComedy #PsychologicalHorror #PsychologicalThriller #Thriller #Adventure #Horror #InTheatersNow #NewRelease #FridayFamilyFilmNight 

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing TRAIN DREAMS (2025), from writers Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar and based on Denis Johnson's novella, the film is directed by Clint Bentley.  Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is a soft-spoken laborer helping to carve the railroad through the rugged wilderness of the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest.  After building a modest life and starting a family with his wife Gladys (Felicity Jones) in a remote cabin, Robert’s world is shattered by a devastating, "once-in-a-century" wildfire that forces him into a life of profound isolation.  The film follows his subsequent decades of survival and reflection as he navigates a rapidly modernizing America, haunted by the memories of his past and the mystical, untamed spirit of the woods.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 42 m, is rated PG-13 and is currently streaming on Netflix.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
#TrainDreams #DenisJohnson #ClintBentley #GregKwedar #JoelEdgerton #robert #FelicityJones #Gladys #AlfredHsing #FuSheng #PaulSchneider #ApostleFrank #WillioamHMacy #ArnPeeples #NathanieklArcand #IgnatiusJack #JohnDiehl #Billy #KerryCondon #ClaireThompson #WillPatton #Narrator #PeriodDrama #PsychologicalDrama #Drama#Oscars2026  
#BestAchievementInCinematography
#BestAchievementInWrittenMusicForMotionPictureOriginalScore
#BestMotionPictureOfTheYear
#BestAdaptedScreenplay ⁠
@Netflix  #FridayFamilyFilmNight
 
Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister and Kid 1 join me in reviewing ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025), from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson and inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland".  A washed-up former radical named Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives a paranoid, weed-hazed life off the grid until his teenage daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), is targeted by a vengeful ghost from his past.  The obsessive and corrupt Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) relentlessly hunts the pair, forcing Bob to emerge from seclusion and navigate a surreal landscape of secret societies and underground resistance groups.  As the chase escalates into a high-octane struggle for survival, Bob must finally reconcile his history of failed revolution with the immediate, desperate need to protect his daughter's future.  The film clocks in at 2 h and 41 m, is rated R and is currently streaming on HBO Max but to rent/buy on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. 

#OneBattleAfterAnother #ThomasPynchon #PaulThomasAnderson #TeyanaTaylor #PerfidiaBeverlyHills #LeonardoDiCaprio #Bob #ChaseInfiniti #Willa #ReginaHall #Deandra #WoodHarris #Laredo #AlanaHaim #MaeWest #ShaynaMcHayle #Junglep*ssy #PaulGrimstad #Sommerville #DijonDuenas #Talleyrand #BrooklynDemme #SoberRick #SachiDiserafino #RARippey #MelissaDuenas #Sylvia #SeanPenn #ColStevenLockjaw #BenicioDelToro #Sensei #ActionEpic #DarkComedy #epic #PoliticalThriller #PsychologicalThriller #Action #Drama #Crime #Thriller  

#Oscars2026

#BestCasting

#BestAchievementInCinematography 
#BestAchievementInWrittenMusicForMotionPictureOriginalScore

#BestSound 

#BestMotionPictureOfTheYear

#BestAchievementInDirecting

#BestPerformanceByAnActressInASupportingRole
#BestPerformanceByAnActorInALeadingRole

#BestPerformanceByAnActorInASupportingRole x2
#BestAdaptedScreenplay 

⁠#BestAchievementInProductionDesign
#BestAchievementInFilmEditing

@HBOMax  @PrimeVideo  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister and Kid 1 join me in reviewing BUGONIA (2025), from writer Will  Tracy, the film is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.  Based on South Korea's cult classic, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET (2003), two conspiracy-obsessed cousins (Jesse Plemons as Teddy and Aidan Delbis as Don) kidnap a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO named Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), convinced she is a malevolent alien from the Andromeda galaxy plotting humanity's destruction.  While holding her captive in a rural basement, the duo attempts to force a confession and a meeting with her "Emperor" to stop an invasion, during an upcoming imminent lunar eclipse.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 58 m, is rated R and is currently streaming on Peacock but to rent/buy on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. 

#Bugonia #JangJoonHwan #WillTracy #YorgosLanthimos #JessePlemons #Teddy #AidanDelbis #Don #EmmaStone #Michelle #AliciaSilverstone #Sandy #StavrosHalkias #Casey #Alien #DarkComedy #PsychologicalThriller #Satire #SciFi #Crime #Thriller  

#Oscars2026
#BestAchievementInWrittenMusicForMotionPictureOriginalScore #BestMotionPictureOfTheYear
#BestPerformanceByAnActressInA LeadingRole
#BestAdaptedScreenplay ⁠#FridayFamilyFilmNight

 @Peacock  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister and Kid 2 join me in reviewing KPOP DEMON HUNTERS (2025), from writers Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan and Maggie Kang, the film is directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang.  Three members of the global sensation girl group HUNTR/X lead a secret double life as mystical warriors who use the power of their music to maintain a magical barrier protecting humanity from soul-hungry demons. Their world is upended when a rival demon boy band called the Saja Boys is sent to Earth to steal their fans' devotion and weaken the shield, forcing the girls to balance a high-stakes professional rivalry with a supernatural war. As the battle intensifies, the group's leader, Rumi, must grapple with a hidden secret regarding her own heritage that threatens both her place in the band and the ultimate safety of the human realm.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 35 m, is rated PG and is currently streaming on Netflix.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. 

#KPopDemonHunters #MagieKang #ChrisAppelhans #DanyaJimenez #HannahMcMechan #BoYeonKim #ErikaLippoldt #ArdenCho #Rumi #MayHong #Mira #JiYoungYoo #Zoey # AhnHyoSeop #Jinu #YunjinKim #Celine #KenJeong #Bobby #LeeByiungHun #GwiMa #DanielDaeKim #HealerHan #Animation #PopMusical #Superhero #Supernatural #Fantasy #Family #Action #Adventure  

#Oscars2026
#BestAchievementInWrittenMusicForMotionPicture
#BestAnimatedFeature
 ⁠#FridayFamilyFilmNight

 @Netflix  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE UGLY STEPSISTER (2025), from writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt.  In this macabre and dark reimagining of the Cinderella story, a young woman named Elvira (Lea Myren) becomes obsessed with winning the affection of a shallow prince to save her family from sudden poverty but more so because of her naivety in believing she loves him.  Encouraged by her ruthless, social-climbing mother, Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), Elvira undergoes a series of gruesome 18th-century cosmetic procedures and extreme physical transformations to compete with her naturally beautiful stepsister, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss).  As the royal ball approaches, Elvira’s desperate quest for physical perfection descends into a nightmarish struggle, forcing her to confront the agonizing costs of societal beauty standards and her own sense of self.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 49 m, is unrated (but definitely an R) and is currently streaming on Hulu, AMC+ and to buy/rent on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
#TheUglyStepsister #EmilieBlichfeldt #LeaMyren #Elvira #AneDahlTorp #Rebekka #TheaSofieLochNæss #Agnes #FloFagerli #Alma #IsacCalmroth #PrinceJulian #AdamLundgren #DrEsthétique #CeciliaForss #SophieVonKronenberg #KatarzynaHerman #MadameVanja #Drama #Horror #DarkFantasy #Satire  @Hulu  @AMC+  @PrimeVideo #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU (2025), from writer/director Mary Bronstein.  Linda, a New York psychotherapist played by Rose Byrne, spirals toward a total breakdown as she struggles to manage her young daughter's mysterious illness while her husband remains emotionally and physically distant.  After her apartment ceiling collapses, Linda is forced into a bleak motel existence where the lines between her professional responsibilities and her own unraveling psyche begin to blur into a surreal nightmare.  Amidst a hostile relationship with her own therapist and the sudden disappearance of one of her patients, she must navigate an increasingly tense "fever-dream" of parental anxiety and profound isolation.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 53 m, is unrated (but definitely an R) and is currently available to buy/rent on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
#IfIHadLegsIdKickYou #MaryBronstein #RoseByrne #Linda #ConanOBrien #Therapist #DanielleMacdonald #Caroline #MaryBronstein #DrSpring #DelaneyQuinn #Child #A$APRocky #James #ChristianSlater #Charles #Drama #PsychologicalDrama #Thriller #98AcademyAwards #Oscars #BestActressNominee  @PrimeVideo #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE WHEEL (2021), from writer Trent Atkinson and director Steve Pink.  In this intimate drama, Albee (Amber Midthunder) and Walker (Taylor Gray), a young couple married since their teens, retreat to a remote mountain cabin for a weekend to work through a self-help book in a final attempt to save their failing marriage.  Their arrival creates a volatile dynamic with their newly engaged Airbnb hosts, Carly (Bethany Anne Lind) and Ben (Nelson Lee), whose own relationship begins to fracture as they become entangled in the younger couple’s raw emotional turmoil.  Throughout the stay, Albee’s abrasive skepticism and Walker’s desperate optimism clash, forcing the pair to confront the painful reality of whether they have truly grown together or simply grown apart.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 23 m, is unrated and is currently streaming on Prime Video, Fawesome, Plex, Roku Channel, Tubi and to buy/rent on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
#TheWheel #TrentAtkinson #StevePink #AmberMidthunder #TaylorGray #Walker #BethanyAnneLind #Carly #NelsonLee #Ben #CarlyNykanen #Joan #KevinPasdon #Aaron #MollyGilula #Clerk #SeanCrampton #FerrisWheelAttendant #Drama  @PrimeVideo  @Fawesome  @Plex  #RokuChannel  @Tubi  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which Kid 1 joins me in reviewing MATERIALISTS (2025), from writer/director Celine Song.  Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a successful New York City matchmaker who treats romance as a transactional game of status and finances, finds her pragmatic worldview challenged when she becomes entangled in a complex love triangle.  She is forced to choose between Harry (Pedro Pascal), a wealthy and seemingly "perfect" financier who fits all her professional criteria, and John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor and former flame who represents the emotional depth she has long tried to ignore.  As she navigates the pressures of high-society expectations and a burgeoning professional crisis, Lucy must decide if true connection can ever truly be measured by a bank account.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 56 m, is rated R and is currently streaming on Netflix.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
#Materialists #CelineSong #DakotaJohnson #Lucy #ChrisEvans #John #PedroPascal #Harry #ZoëWinters#Sophie #JohnMagaro #MarkP #Romance #Drama  @HBOMax  @PrimeVideo  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988), with a screenplay by Chris Gerolmo, the film is directed by Alan Parker.  In 1964, two FBI agents with clashing philosophies—a by-the-book idealist and a cynical former Southern sheriff—are sent to a small Mississippi town to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.  They find themselves stonewalled by a "conspiracy of silence" and violent hostility from the local authorities and the Ku Klux Klan, who go to extreme lengths to protect their secrets.  As racial tensions reach a breaking point, the agents are forced to reconcile their different methods to break the case and expose the deep-seated corruption within the community.  The film clocks in at 2 h 8 m, is rated R - we caught it on Prime Video but it's also playing on Fawesome, Plex, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Tubi but it's also to buy/rent on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.

#MississippiBurning #ChrisGerolmo #AlanParker #GeneHackman #Anderson #WillemDafoe #Ward #FrancesMcDormand #MrsPell #BradDourif #DeputyPell RLeeErmey #MayorTilman #GailardSartain #SheriffStuckey #StephenTobolowsky #Townley #MichaelRooker #FrankBailey #PruittTaylorVince ##Lester #KevinDunn #AgentBird #GeoffreyNauffts #Goatee #BasedOnMichaelSchwerner #RickZieff #Passenger #BasedOnAndrewGoodman #ChristopherWhite #BlackPassenger #BasedOnJamesChaney #DariusMcCrary #Aaron #LouWalker #Vertis #StanleyWCollins #Hollis #DanielWinford #Fennis #PeriodDrama #PoliticalThriller #PsychologicalThriller #SuspenseMystery #Thriller #Drama #Crime #Mystery #Tragedy  @PrimeVideo  @Fawesome @Plex  #PlutoTV  #RokuChannel  @Tubi  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library