ANDRE IS AN IDIOT – Review

Sundance award winning documentary ANDRE IS AN IDIOT is a hilarious, remarkably entertaining and ultimately touching documentary film about a smart, creative, funny person, Andre Ricciardi, with wild salt-and-pepper frizzy hair and 1000 watt smile, who is also an idiot. Andre says it himself. So, why is Andre an idiot? For not getting a colonoscopy when he turned fifty. A year later, when he did get one, he got shocking news: cancer, stage 4. A documentary about someone with terminal cancer is not something you expect to be described as “hilarious” but that was part of Andre Ricciardi’s goal with ANDRE IS AN IDIOT, which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered.

Andre Ricciardi wanted to make a film as a warning about the importance of getting a colonoscopy, but he didn’t want it to be something he wouldn’t want to watch himself – something sad, serious and emotional. Instead, director Tony Benna crafted a film that told Andre’s story Andre’s way, with crazy humor and creativity, and wonderful claymation animation, as well as with honesty and heart. Ultimately, ANDRE IS AN IDIOT is touching too but you won’t be sorry you took this journey.

The result is one of the most surprising and entertaining documentaries you will ever see, and one of the year’s best films so far, as well as something uniquely Andre. ANDRE IS AN IDIOT introduces us to this creative, funny, honest Andre, tells us his story and then lets Andre takes us along on his last journey. The story of this intriguing, charismatic fellow is told through photos and footage, interviews with Andre, his wife, their two daughters, his brother, his friends and others, and especially through wonderful claymation, stop-motion animation.

Although Andre approaches everything with humor, he is smart, clear-eyed and honest about his situation. His motto used to be “no cops, no doctors” but he amended it to “some doctors.” Treatment is about gaining more time, especially with his teen-aged daughters, rather than a cure, but he still is going to do everything on his own terms, including planning a final yell as he leaves this world, “So long, suckers.” The documentary also includes glimpses of his discussions with his therapist and moments when he drops the humor in favor of introspection, although humor is a big part of just how he interacts with the world.

We hear about Andre’s happy marriage, which actually began as a “green card” marriage but turned into a real one, about his life, his kids and his friends. Hearing versions of stories, or just about Andre, from his brother, his wife, his kids, his friends, sometimes has a “Rashomon” aspect to it, with Andre and other people each telling the story their own way. One thing is constant: Andre has plenty of charisma, a unique view, and a determination to do things his own way.

The animation sequences are a special delight, creative and appealing joy, something that really helps make this film as enjoyable as it is. Things more “medical” that might be uncomfortable to see are shown in animation and with a comic slant. In between those animated sequences, we hear from his friends and family, and get footage of quirky Andre just being himself as he goes about life.

“Unique” and “creative” are two words nearly everyone uses to describe Andre. The smart, multi-talented Andre was someone who could have done anything in life. What he did do was have a career as an advertising creative. “Advertising!” says Andre. “Who does that?” That quote from the film gives a taste of Andre’s playful personality. Making this documentary seems a very Andre thing to do, judging by what people say about him in this film and what we see on screen – make a movie about his final journey, as a cautionary tale to others not to be an idiot and get a colonoscopy but tell his story with humor, honesty, and his own style.

The result is one of the funniest movies you will see, and a documentary about a remarkably unique individual. ANDRE IS AN IDIOT is both a cautionary tale / public service announcement but also a fascinating, highly entertaining biographical documentary about one unique, creative, funny person who deserved more time on this planet. This impressively good film is not one you will regret seeing.

ANDRE IS AN IDIOT opens in theaters on Friday, Mar. 27, 2026.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

Milly Alcock Is SUPERGIRL In DC Studios’ And Warner Bros. Pictures’ New SUPERGIRL Trailer

The all-new trailer for SUPERGIRL has landed.

When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.

“Supergirl,” DC Studios’ newest feature film to hit the big screen, will be in theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Milly Alcock in the dual role of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. Craig Gillespie directs the film from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.

Alcock stars alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa.

DC Studios heads Peter Safran and James Gunn are producing the film, which is based on characters from DC, Supergirl based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is executive produced by Nigel Gostelow, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars P. Winther. Behind the camera, Gillespie is joined by director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer Neil Lamont, editor Tatiana S. Riegel, costume designers Anna B. Sheppard and Michael Mooney, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, music supervisor Susan Jacobs and composer Claudia Sarne.

DC Studios Presents a Troll Court Entertainment / The Safran Company Production, A Film by Craig Gillespie, “Supergirl,” which will be in theaters and IMAX ® across North America on June 26, 2026, and internationally beginning 24 June 2026, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Witness The Rise Of He-Man In New MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Trailer

PHOTO CREDIT: Amazon MGM Studios

In MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.

The live-action feature film Masters of the Universe from Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Studios, based on the iconic franchise, will be released theatrically in the U.S. on June 5, 2026 by Amazon MGM Studios and internationally this June, by Sony Pictures International Releasing.

Check out the brand new trailer!

This movie will deliver the nostalgia that fans remember. MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is based on the well-known Mattel franchise with a long legacy heritage that has been captivating fans for over forty years. Audiences are in for a thrill-ride of a time!

Even moviegoers who didn’t grow up with He-Man and the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE world will love the film for its action, spectacle, and epic visual effects.

Join the fight for Eternia!

Can’t wait until June 5th to enter the world of Eternia? Mattel’s “Become Eternian“ digital experience is now live! Simply snap a selfie, take a short quiz and reveal your Eternian destiny — are you a Hero safeguarding the secrets of Castle Grayskull, or a Villain plotting to steal them from the depths of Snake Mountain? Find out with your custom look, name and sharable character reveal! Fans can even bring their alter-ego to life with made-to-order merch including mugs, t-shirts and more — the perfect way to suit-up for the release of the movie on June 5th!

A MAGNIFICENT LIFE – Review

We’re still officially a couple of months away from the big Summer movie season, so it’s interesting that one of its staples, the animated feature film, is having quite a successful 2026 (at least the first quarter). After the sports-themed smash from Sony, GOAT, Pixar is scoring (another sports term) big with HOPPERS. It’s still in the top five, a win (again) after their last few original (non-sequel) projects have fizzled. So, now let’s turn to a subject more familiar to the “art house”. Those mentioned flicks are in the usual cartoon genre of slapstick “funny animal” comedy. This week’s wide (select theatres, for sure) is in the “biopic” genre, a nonfiction animated film. It’s not a first as FLEE garnered three Oscar noms five years ago, and 2007’s PERSEPOLIS was a critical hit. Ah, but here’s a twist: the focus here is on a moviemaker, a writer-turned-director. And though he had his struggles, you will probably agree that this man lived A MAGNIFICENT LIFE.

The man in question is French stage and screen icon Marcel Pagnol. We first meet him close to the end of his career, when he “fell out of fashion” in the early 1960s. His latest play isn’t “putting butts in the seats”. After a party, he goes to his opulent home to “tinker” with another of his “perpetual motion machines”. His work is interrupted by the maid, who informs him that a messenger has arrived to pick up his autobiographical piece for a publisher. Ah, he sees that the carrier’s bike needs fixing, so he sends down some tools to “stall” him. Luckily, Marcel’s “muse” finally appears, a “memory-ghost” of himself as a boy of nine or ten. The lad guides him through his life, growing up near Marseille, clashing with his papa over a career pursuit while adoring his mother, who is taken from him far too soon. Eventually, Marcel teaches Latin at the local grade school, but he yearns to be a writer for the stage. After marrying, he and his new bride are swept up by the delights of Paris, where Marcel tries to get his work into a theatre. After returning to teaching, he’s given a chance, though his marriage crumbles. Eventually, Marcel is tapped by the budding local film industry and soon becomes a director and a studio head, opening a facility near his hometown. Over the years, he bonds with the famed actor Raimu, deals with the Nazi invasion in WWII, and begins a new romance with a lovely young actress. The memories fuel his pen, but can Marcel finish his tome before the delivery boy rings the doorbell to collect this rushed memoir?

It’s truly appropriate that the story of this wonderful artist is told by another wonderful artist, master filmmaker Sylvain Chomet. He adapted Pangol’s memoirs for this engaging screenplay. It’s another aspect of his considerable talents, displayed in this, his third animated feature film after the Oscar-nominated gems, THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (so delightful) and THE ILLUSIONIST (almost a comedy from the silent era). Let’s hope this isn’t the final entry in a “trilogy”, as he is one of the best artisans continuing the glories of classical 2D “line-drawn” feature-length animation. Yes, there’s some stunning work in CGI out there, but it’s refreshing to see these detailed line renderings brought to swirling life. Chomet evokes the history of historical caricature in his interpretation of these giants of French cinema, in front of and behind the camera. There’s even a touch of puppetry, as the heads are slightly out of proportion to the bodies, much like marionettes. This captures the emotions, since there’s not the manic action of most animation (a criticism from some), but the superb physical acting, especially the gestures and body language, really immerses us in the Pangol legacy. And yes, there’s a bit of computer tweaking with props and backdrops, and a couple of funny animals (who look and behave like, well, animals), but this stretches and expands the medium. Chomet also evokes the era by bringing the Art Deco-style magazine imagery of the 1920’s. And, there’s also the clever use of the real live-action footage when we see Pangol’s work on a movie screen or an editing device. Kudos also to the excellent vocal performances, led by Laurent Laffite as the adult Marcel. In short, Chomet and his army of artisans create a magnificent and moving tapestry of A MAGNIFICENT LIFE. Or should I be brief and just say “Magnifique”?


4 Out of 4

A MAGNIFICENT LIFE is now playing in select theatres

THE END OF OAK STREET Has That Outer Limits Vibe – And With Dinosaurs!

Warner Bros. Pictures has dropped the first teaser for the upcoming thriller THE END OF OAK STREET.

After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.

Starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, THE END OF OAK STREET also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery. The film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. The executive producers are Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee and Leeann Stonebreaker.

Watch for the dinosaur!

For those of us who grew up with a healthy dose of THE OUTER LIMITS, this new film is very much like the iconic episode “Feasibility Study”. Watch the episode below.

Find out when the film opens in theaters and IMAX on August 14, 2026, and internationally beginning August 12, 2026.

Mitchell’s team behind the camera includes director of photography Michael Gioulakis, production designer Maya Shimoguchi, editor John Axelrad, composer Michael Giacchino and costume designer Erin Benach.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Bad Robot Production, A Jackson Pictures Production, A David Robert Mitchell Film: THE END OF OAK STREET.

Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures (L-r) EWAN McGREGOR as Greg Platt, CHRISTIAN CONVERY as Brian Platt, MAISY STELLA as Audrey Platt and ANNE HATAHAWAY as Denise Platt in in “The End of Oak Street,” a Warner Bros. Pictures Release.

Oscars Ceremony Moving To L.A. Live In 2029

Conan O’Brien hosts the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and AEG announce a landmark multi-year partnership that includes L.A. LIVE becoming the new home of the Oscars®, beginning with the 101st Oscars ceremony in 2029 and continuing through 2039. The Oscars ceremony will be held in the venue currently known as Peacock Theater.

AEG – the leader in sports and live entertainment and the developer and owner of some of the world’s most iconic venues – owns and operates L.A. LIVE, the internationally renowned 23-acre/4-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles adjacent to Crypto.com Arena.

As part of this partnership, AEG will undertake comprehensive enhancements to the theater, including upgrades to its stage, sound and lighting systems, lobbies, backstage facilities and additional production-critical areas. AEG will collaborate closely with the Academy to incorporate bespoke design elements needed to accommodate the Oscars ceremony. 

Additionally, L.A. LIVE’s recently expanded plaza will host red carpet arrivals and activities, and the theater will be the first venue to host the Oscars when it becomes available on YouTube through an exclusive global rights deal with the Academy, which also begins in 2029.

“We are thrilled to partner with a global powerhouse like AEG. Their track record for building and operating technologically sophisticated live performance venues is unrivaled,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “For the 101st Oscars and beyond, the Academy looks forward to closely collaborating with AEG to make L.A. LIVE the perfect backdrop for our global celebration of cinema, both for our live in-theater audience and for film fans around the world.”

“L.A. LIVE was built to host the moments that define culture, and there is no greater global stage than the Oscars,” said Todd Goldstein, Chief Revenue Officer, AEG. “We’re proud to partner with the Academy to reimagine what the Oscars can look and feel like in the years ahead. Together, we will create an environment that celebrates creativity, honors excellence, and delivers an unforgettable experience for movie fans everywhere.”

Since the opening of Crypto.com Arena (formerly STAPLES Center) in 1999 and L.A. LIVE in 2007, the collection of venues, hotels (including The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott), restaurants, clubs and numerous hospitality spaces have hosted thousands of sports and entertainment events.

The Oscars will continue to be held at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide through the 100th Oscars in 2028.

The red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018.

FALLEN Season 2 – TV Series Review

Photo: Carolina Romare Produced by Filmlance International

Familiar and welcome face from several previously-reviewed imported Swedish dramas (“Ragnarok”, “The Bridge”, “Alex Rider”) Sofia Helin returns for six more hourlong episodes of police work in “Fallen: Season 2” (originally “Sanningen”.  It mainly covers a single crime, though she’s still plagued by her own unfinished business from seeing her husband murdered before the events of Season One began. (Review)

All the principal cast is still in place, with progressive story arcs among them. The major subplot is that Iris (Helin) learns that the man behind her husband’s execution – Van Voorst (Casper Crump), who radiates smug evil, or evil smugness without having to utter a line of dialog – has finally been spotted in Spain. That provides a B-story which runs through the season. Iris is quite an emotional trainwreck, buffeted by events that derail her usual smart, stoic command of situations. That also sets up more clashes with her squad and superiors.

The main plotline begins with the discovery of a buried skeleton who may be the area’s richest mucky-muck who disappeared 10 years earlier, leaving a wife, three kids and a massive estate with an elegant mansion. No one knows if he was abducted, killed or took a powder on his own initiative. The bones turn out to be those of a young man who vanished around the same time, prolonging the mystery of the community’s missing pillar and the lad.

There are a lot of people to dislike here. The domineering matriarch, Marianne (Marika Lindstrom) is the sort of cold, judgy mother that creates sagging from overuse in psychiatrists’ couches everywhere.  As adults, the daughter is a bitter, struggling druggie; one son is a failing restaurateur; and the eldest is a hopelessly submissive mama’s boy, greatly to the consternation of his wife.  The three siblings have little to do with each other. The more exposure we get to Marianne, the more likely it seems that ANY husband would walk away from oodles of wealth and stature to be free from her. The new case reopening the two old events unfolds slowly, and over resistance from police and political toadies who are also intimidated by the widowed (or abandoned, as yet to be determined) harridan. The result is a lot of soap opera subplots competing for airtime with the mysteries.

Though the old cases are solved, the season ends with developments that call for a third round. Since this one just aired last year, I don’t know if another will follow. I hope it does.

“Fallen: Season Two”, in Swedish with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice on March 24, 2026.

RATING: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars

https://watch.mhzchoice.com/fallen

PROJECT HAIL MARY – Review

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace in PROJECT HAIL MARY, from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo credit: Jonathan Olley. © 2026 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Can a middle school science teacher save the world? With Ryan Gosling as the teacher with more potential than it first appears, he just might. In the intelligent, highly-entertaining, often funny science fiction adventure epic PROJECT HAIL MARY, we set out to find out, with a perfectly-cast Ryan Gosling as the science teacher plucked out of his classroom to try to do something incredible to try to save the world. PROJECT HAIL MARY is a film that exceeds expectations of what it could be, with great performance by Ryan Gosling, in a top-notch, visually glorious adaptation of the best-selling novel by the author of “The Martian,” Andrew Weir.

Like the movie adaptation of “The Martian,” this tale is science-forward and a thrilling adventure tale with a good dose of humor, about an unlikely man who finds himself in space, tasked with saving the world by using his brain-power, creativity and scientific skills to figure out how to not only survive, but save the planet – and more. Humor is a bigger part of PROJECT HAIL MARY than in THE MARTIAN, with its quirky main character, but this is still a smart, science-filled adventure that also offers the same uplift as THE MARTIAN.

Reportedly, PROJECT HAIL MARY is largely faithful to the best-selling novel. The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the Oscar-winning team behind SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, and THE LEGO MOVIE. Besides the frequent use of humor, PROJECT HAIL MARY is an optimistic film, offering hope and inspiration, which is a refreshing change from the dystopian science fiction dramas more common now, and making it a call-back to some earlier classic science fiction. Ryan Gosling carries the film as almost a one-man show for most of the film, and does so brilliantly, with charm, humor and heart.

Humor is a bigger part of PROJECT HAIL MARY than THE MARTIAN, often laugh-out-loud funny, but Ryan Gosling’s biology teacher in space, like the stranding astronaut in that previous film, has to uses his knowledge to figure it out on his own. But it is not just his survival at stake but the whole planet – and more – as something is destroying – eating – the sun. An international team has come together to solve the problem before the sun dims too much to sustain life on Earth. They recruit teacher Dr. Rylance Grace (Ryan Gosling), a molecular biologist who was ostracized from the scientific community after publishing a paper with a shocking premise, to help figure out what is destroying the sun, as part of a “try everything” plan to save the Earth.

But we first meet Dr. Grace as he is waking up from an induced coma aboard a spaceship, light-years from Earth. Grace remembers who he is but little else – not where he is, how he got there, or why he’s there, due to the prolonged time spent in an unconscious state for the trip. As Grace comically stumbles around the ship, he starts to figure things and discovers he is the only crew member to survive the journey.

Ryan Gosling is perfect in this role as this smart but quirky, funny and self-deprecating reluctant astronaut. The memories start to come back as this lone scientist starts to figure things out, which allows the film to tell us the backstory in long flashback sequences, of what brought him to space and why, while Grace’s space adventure story in the film’s present moves forward. Like in THE MARTIAN, Gosling records himself in little messages to himself about what he is experiencing, videos that are both funny and helpful narrative.

While it is only Gosling on screen much of the time, he does get some help from a few co-stars. Sandra Huller plays the stone-faced leader of one of the international teams working on the threat to Earth, who recruits the reluctant Dr. Grace to help with the project.

When Huller’s Eva Stratt shows up at Grace’s school, Grace argues that he’s just a teacher, but she counters by pointing to his biology paper with a startling hypothesis about life on other planets. Grace has a PhD in molecular biology, not astrobiology (yes, that’s a real field) but Stratt wants him to give it a shot anyway. Huller plays this character with a deadpan style that is the perfect comic foil for Gosling’s more emotional, oddball, non-conformist Dr. Grace.

Of course, Eva Stratt’s team isn’t the only one working on this problem, as many other teams are trying to solve it from different angles, and presumably, another team is working on this with astrobiologists. After all, it’s called Project Hail Mary because finding the solution is such a long shot – but the alternative is to do nothing and just wait to die.

Throughout the Earth-based part of the film, before he finds himself in space, Gosling’s Dr. Grace is reluctant, due to lack of self-confidence or maybe just aversion to risk, although when backed into the proverbial corner, he shows remarkable resourcefulness. His ability to “figure things out” keeps him on the team as they move towards finding a solution. But once he wakes up in space alone, he has to overcome this innate reluctance because he only has himself.

Gosling’s other major co-star is a space alien he meets when he encounters another spaceship. also with a sole occupant, sent from a different planet with a similar mission. This is no spoiler, as the alien is in the movie’s trailer, and the character is a major par of the story. The alien, which Grace dubs Rocky, is played by a puppet that looks like a rock with legs, winningly operated and voiced by puppeteer James Ortiz. Rocky is enthusiastic and energetic, and his comic bits have Gosling playing the foil, as the two, scientist and engineer, “figure things out” (a repeated phrase in this film).

Yes, the film has a little fun with the title, with Gosling’s Grace aboard a spaceship he calls Mary, but this is a smart if playful film. PROJECT HAIL MARY gets most of the science right and also delivers it in an accessible, engaging way. The most hard-to-believe part is that the world would come together to solve this problem, something that hasn’t happened since nations and businesses worked together to fix and ozone hole, and with current anti-science attitudes and lack of international cooperation generally, seems exceedingly unlikely now.

Visually, the film is marvelous. It shifts between close-in personal sequences, often laced with humor, as the scientists work, and gripping, exciting adventure sequences, moments of danger and tension, often in space. The film is visually astounding, shot for IMAX and with some 70mm versions out there too, so it is well worth seeing on an IMAX screen for sheer enjoyment.

Despite it’s two and a half hour running time, PROJECT HAIL MARY does not feel long, due to its level of excitement and engaging storytelling, but this is clearly an epic story.

All in all, PROJECT HAIL MARY is a smart, entertaining, not-to-miss science fiction adventure film, with a fabulous performance by Ryan Gosling, a wonderful story, and terrific big-screen visual effects. It is something to see on the biggest possible screen, and it is a film that holds up as entertainment through multiple viewings, while inspiring with a hopeful message that we can use our brains to figure it out.

PROJECT HAIL MARY opens nationally in theaters on Friday, Mar. 20, 2026.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

1000 WOMEN IN HORROR – Review

As a lifelong male horror fan, I’ve seen a whole bunch of them, ranging from those made before I was born (not only silents; a couple of decades of talkies preceded my arrival) to the current crop. This documentary put the genre into a different perspective – the points of view a couple of dozen “talking heads”, who were mostly writers and directors of such films, plus a few actresses in the mix. It’s based on a book of the same title by Alexandra Heller-Jones, who wrote and appears frequently on camera in this adaptation. Director Donna Davies does well at balancing the length of each talk bit with clips to keep things moving at a pace that avoids college-lecture tedium.

The horror umbrella is broken down into subgenres, progressing by ages of the principal figures. Scary or victimized girls are the opening group, followed by teens, adults, revenge, women at work, home invasion, and older stars on both sides of good and evil. The coverage is quite comprehensive, with generous amounts of clips to illustrate what the women on camera are saying. This is strictly for those not easily offended or grossed out, since they don’t pull any punches on scenes of nudity and gore (especially the latter). That structure works well. It also includes quite a few non-American films that fit the various categories.

The focus is more on the roles of women and how they might reflect or relate to viewers. Whether the source of menace is a psycho, supernatural, sci-fi or extraterrestrial takes a back seat to the psychology of the stories. It presents women’s points of view and how they were influenced, including how their prevalence behind the camera has mushroomed recently. But don’t assume this is a feminist screed, or overly academic. It’s more of an homage to those behind and in the cited films including nods to early novelists like Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson, offering encouragement to newcomers and aspirants from hearing about the paths of these presenters.

Perhaps the greatest value of this doc, at least for me, is its spur to watch or re-watch numerous titles proffered. Good thing it’s on home-market release rather than in theaters. I found myself hitting the pause or rewind buttons frequently to note the films I’m adding to my watch lists. I suspect most of you who appreciate this documentary will do the same.

100 WOMEN IN HORROR streams on Shudder starting Friday, Mar. 20, 2026.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME – Review

Yes, it’s a week past Friday the 13th, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be part of a fledgling fright franchise. Particularly a horror franchise, a concept that probably goes back to the Universal horror classics of the Golden age, starting strong with 19341’s FRANKENSTEIN (DRACULA was not as prolific, really). Hammer picked up the mantle in the late 1950s and into the early 70s with Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein, though you can argue that American International Pictures had a series with the Poe adaptations from Roger Corman starring Vincent Price. He also did two films as THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, around the same time as those blood-suckers BLACULA and Count Yorga. At the end of that decade, extremely long-running franchises sprang from HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH. In the last few decades, we’ve gotten our current scary series, SCREAM, along with the FINAL DESTINATION. And then there’s the sub-genre of horror/ SF with ALIEN and PREDATOR. This new one is a bit of a hybrid, as it’s an action-oriented fright fest. So, are you all prepared for READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME? Ya’ better be ’cause…” ollie, ollie, oxen-free”!

So, this new flick picks up right where READY OR NOT ended (almost seven years ago, c’mon). Bloody and battered Grace MacCaulley (Samara Weaving) is enjoying a smoke as the mansion of her new in-laws, the esteemed Le Domas family, goes up in flames. We hear the arrival of the paramedics and other disaster teams. As they question Grace, she faints from traumatic shock. While she’s “out”, word of the demise of the Le Domas dynasty spreads like wildfire to several other wealthy, influential families, who want to replace them as “Lucifer’s favorites” and rule the globe. It all starts at the Danforth casino/country club, as their trusted Lawyer (Elijah Wood), explains the demands of “Mr. Le Bail” to twin siblings Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy). They, in turn, contact the other powerful families across the world. Meanwhile, Grace awakens in a hospital bed…handcuffed. Seems the police have lots of questions for her about that horrific honeymoon. But before the inquiries begin, Grace is reunited with her estranged younger sister Faith (Kathryn Newton), who is still the “emergency contact”, though they haven’t spoken for many years. As Grace is about to leave the hospital, all Hell breaks loose, and the MacCaulley sisters are knocked out by a gas canister. They awaken bound and gagged in the Danforth estate’s conference room, surrounded by members of the four families. The lawyer lays out the rules for a new “game”. Grace refuses to be “it” until Faith is threatened. The new “contest” involves the killing of the sisters before dawn in order for one of the families to become the new reps for the Devil. Can the still-recovering Grace protect Faith from these packs of wealthy predators and live to see a new day?

I suppose we need to begin with our only returning “survivor”, the fierce Ms. Weaving. Here she gets to add a few new “layers” to Grace, as the experiences of her “wedding celebration” have left lots of scars, physical and psychological. And she’s had little time to heal either (the hospital did do a pretty decent bandaging job). Weaving’s eyes project the fatigue of battle. But now she’s got a big reason to “soldier on”: the rekindled love for her sibling and a hope for reconnection. This introduces a terrific new character into the mix, sister Faith, played with spunky snark by the engaging Ms. Newton (one of the bright spots of the last dismal Ant-Man flick). At the first reunion of the two, she’s full of anger that masks the despair of rejection. However, when the s#*t goes down, Faith proves that the fighter’s spirit is in her, too. Newton sells both the stunts and the emotions. It helps that the ladies have a formidable “murderers’ row to play and literally bounce off. At the forefront is the eternal “slayer” herself, Gellar, who gives Ursula a ruthless, calculating edge and a razor-sharp wit and intelligence that helps her muzzle and restrain Hatosy as the deadly, demented Titus, the wildest of “wild cards.” Hatosy unleashes a white-hot demon who seemly “springs to life” as he delights in the torture of his prey. Here’s another nuanced role for Wood as the unwavering and enigmatic barrister, who is also a referee and executioner. Most of the other “hunters” are played for laughs by a talented ensemble. Standouts are Dan Bierne as the robe-clad, martini-swigging Danforth cousin, Kip, and Maia Jae as the spurned fiancée with a personal score to settle.

I referred to this as an action/horror entry, but it’s also a very dark, almost pitch-black comedic romp. It’s a satiric spoof of all the “evil rich” tropes, while being unafraid to go for big slapstick set-ups with gore-splattered (Jackson Pollock-inspired) gag pay-offs. This seems to be a “calling card” with the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. They directed two SCREAM installments and the equally bloody-fun ABIGAIL since the last tale of Grace. And Matt co-wrote this with returning scribes Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. They supplied the MacCaulleys with lots of verbal burns and zingers that often land with more force than their combat skills. Plus, they concoct a multitude of clever ways for the baddies to commit their carnage with lots of dated devices (part of the family fortune’s past). The filmmakers keep the often convoluted plot from collapsing, while knowing when to slow things down a touch for a bit of sibling angst. Sure, the surprises from the first flick (the offerings to Mr. Le Bail) are absent, but the addition of Faith and expansion of the enemies help to make this a frenetic and still fun follow-up. So if you’re not too squeamish (I wince at the actors trying to get the sticky red goo from their skin and hair… yuck), then you’ll enjoy this “sudden-death” round of the “game” in READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME. But, is it now “game over”?


3 Out of 4

READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME is now playing exclusively in theatres