Michael Wykoff

This was one of the more anticipated thrillers in our viewing queue, though I didn’t love it quite as much as I hoped to. “Weapons” is weird, creepy, occasionally ridiculous, but not especially scary. Still, it’s well-acted across the board: Julia Garner continues to impress (ever since her breakout in “Ozark”); Josh Brolin anchors the chaos nicely; and Amy Madigan is a marvel as Aunt Gladys. The story unfolds through a series of shifting perspectives, each adding a new layer until the climactic puzzle starts to take shape, though not all the pieces fit cleanly. The tone veers between dark comedy and psychological unease, leaving a lingering sense of dread without ever fully landing. I ended up wanting more, especially of Gladys, and if the rumored prequel happens, we’ll be watching.

If you’re a fan of “Saturday Night Live” or its original iconic comedians, you should watch the film “Saturday Night”. I first saw it on a long flight back to Bangkok from the U.S., and rewatching it on Netflix with the hubby deepened my appreciation. The film unfolds in real time, capturing the frantic 90 minutes leading up to the first live broadcast. The cast delivers fantastic performances, reminding us why the original cast became comedy legends. After the movie, we watched the classic sketches from the original show on YouTube, which added to the film's authenticity. It’s a fun exploration of the creative chaos behind the scenes, showcasing the oft brilliance that has influenced humor worldwide. Whether you're revisiting the magic or discovering it for the first time, this movie will resonate with anyone who's ever laughed along with the show. I definitely recommend it!

This Netflix documentary, “Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan”, is really fantastic. “The Ed Sullivan Show” ended in June 1971, and I was barely off my momma’s teat by then, so my only memories are Saturday afternoon reruns and family lore. What I didn’t know was how deeply Ed championed soul music, Black music, and truly all American music, helping artists crash through unjust color barriers in the 1950s and 1960s. The film is a brisk, engaging, if a bit shallow, dive into a man whose career mirrored the cultural earthquake that was television. The archival footage is superb, the pacing sharp, and Sullivan himself, his own words revived through AI-enhanced narration, comes across as both awkward and visionary. At just 80 minutes, it’s a lively reminder of how one buttoned-up host helped shape modern pop culture and is well worth your time, especially if you love learning how America found its rhythm on Sunday nights.

A completely competent tribute to the Queen of Disco, “Love to Love You, Donna Summer” reminds us just how transcendent her music remains. Her songs have never really left my playlists, and a few still get me through weekday workouts. This documentary, however, might have benefited from a steadier hand than that of her daughter, who keeps the focus a bit too personal and not quite wide enough to capture Donna’s full cultural impact. Only after watching did I realize, thanks to a post-viewing deep dive, just how revolutionary Giorgio Moroder’s production on “I Feel Love” was. Still, it’s a warm, affectionate portrait of a singular talent and a reminder of how extraordinary her run of late-1970s hits were. The film may not dazzle, but the music still does, and that’s more than enough reason to press play and enjoy a bit of nostalgia.

A fairly serviceable thriller aboard a gleaming luxury yacht, “The Woman in Cabin 10” looks terrific but never fully finds its sea legs. Keira Knightley feels terribly miscast as the gaslit journalist at the center of the mystery, her performance too restrained to convey real fear or doubt. Still, the film's a fun, voyeuristic peek into the ultra-wealthy, with some sharp (and well-deserved) digs at their oblivious privilege. Hannah Waddingham is deliciously devilish, and there are a few clever feints along the way. The mystery, though, drifts, unfolding too slowly and then all at once. Imperfect casting and confined settings aside, it’s a satisfactory Sunday afternoon thriller, best enjoyed as we did with a big bowl of popcorn dusted with baker’s yeast and larb powder. Watching the movie led me to a video about yacht interiors and that’s now turned my YouTube algorithm into a nonstop yacht sales pitch.

This movie was much better than I expected. The film “The Lost Bus” on Apple TV is gripping, human, and unexpectedly moving, based on a true story from the deadly and destructive 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California. I should’ve known better than to doubt director Paul Greengrass (“Captain Phillips”, the Bourne films), a master at making chaos feel immediate and real. Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera shine as a bus driver and schoolteacher trying to shepherd a group of children through a wall of fire and devastation. The tension is unrelenting and you can almost taste the ash and feel the heat of the encroaching fires. A few emotional beats miss, but it’s still a powerful look at ordinary people rising to extraordinary circumstances. The film is visceral, urgent, and well made, disaster filmmaking done right.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” nearly bowled me over with its brilliance. Watching it abroad, I’m all too aware of the privilege and guilt of not being on the ground as America slides deeper into authoritarianism and fascism. A friend recently accused me of preaching from afar, but I still pay taxes, still hold a passport, still have a vested financial interest in America’s success, and still feel every tremor of dread as they dismantle what once made the country great. Movies like this remind me there are other ways to fight, including by amplifying stories that matter. Anderson has delivered a propulsive, desert-scorched epic for our times. Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall are superb, and Sean Penn embodies the villainous rot with chilling precision (acting as though he has a rod right through his backside). My blood boiled, then I cheered, as just deserts were finally served. It’s an urgent, furious, exhilarating film, and one that feels achingly necessary right now with the daily drumbeat of dreadful news. Go see this movie; it's one of the best of the year.

I still remember a group of friends (excellently) covering a Led Zeppelin song at our high school talent show, and so many of their songs remain stitched into my personal soundtrack of the 1970s. When “Becoming Led Zeppelin” first premiered, friends in Columbus sent me a photo of themselves in front of the movie poster, raving about it and they were correct. This is a terrific documentary: gorgeously produced, thoughtful, and, fittingly, very loud. Watching the band’s rise, you can feel how these four extraordinary musicians captured lightning in a bottle, creating a sound that’s echoed through decades of imitators but never truly matched. My only quibble is that the film only takes us through 1969, before “Stairway to Heaven” and the big albums of the ’70s so here’s hoping for part two. If you love music docs, or just believe there can be only one greatest band of all time, don’t miss this one.

It’s been 36 years (!) since “The War of the Roses” hit theaters in 1989; I still remember watching Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner spar their way through that deliciously dark comedy. Now comes “The Roses”, a British-infused remake that isn’t strictly necessary but proves itself a worthy successor. Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are pitch-perfect as the warring spouses, slinging acidly funny barbs with a uniquely British blend of sarcasm and bite. The director’s touches of cultural contrast between the US and UK are fun and I loved little lingo nods like “on the moors” and “read him some sonnets”. The Northern California locations are gorgeously shot, and seeing the redwoods onscreen made me nostalgic for past road trips up the coast. A good supporting cast adds some sizzle, especially a brief but glorious turn from Allison Janney. Overall, the film is stylish, sharp, and satisfyingly dark and I laughed under the bitter end, when I gasped as the screen went white.

Fresh off seeing Pamela Anderson in “Naked Gun” and her revealing Netflix doc “Pamela, a love story”, we were curious to see her in “The Last Showgirl” and I’m happy we did. Directed by Gia Coppola (granddaughter of Francis Ford), it’s a dreamlike portrait of the Vegas underclass behind all the neon shimmer. Pamela Anderson plays Shelly, a showgirl facing the inevitable transition that comes with age, and the film quietly asks what happens when society expects women past a certain point to simply disappear? It’s a powerful question wrapped in a gentle, thoughtful character study. Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography (she also shot the magnificent “Sinners”, which I raved about months ago) gives the whole thing a gorgeous, wistful sheen. Strong supporting turns from Jamie Lee Curtis, Billie Lourd, Brenda Song, and Kiernan Shipka deepen this lovely, melancholy reminder of how culture discards women, and how they refuse to go quietly.