WAMG Attends Preview Of JAWS 50th Anniversary Exhibit At The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum

The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum in Los Angeles held a preview for their new exhibit, JAWS: The Exhibition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie that has long been considered the first cinematic “blockbuster.” The one that started it all.

Directed by Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg, JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry 50 years ago on June 20, 1975. When the seaside community of Amity Island finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss), and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring John Williams’s unforgettable, pulse-racing score, Jaws, now five decades later, remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.

Jaws: The Exhibition is the museum’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to a single film, and the largest exhibition ever mounted showcasing Universal Pictures’ landmark summer blockbuster, which earned three Academy Awards® and was nominated for Best Picture. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) and will remain on view through July 26, 2026. The Academy Museum has also announced that in 2028, it will honor the legacy of Steven Spielberg and mount the first-ever retrospective exhibition dedicated to Spielberg’s era-defining career, providing visitors with insight into his creative process and bringing them closer than ever to his filmography.

The press members were treated to a full orchestra performing the iconic John Williams score from the movie, accompanied by clips and images from the film on the big screen.  And I must say, it was rather glorious. And that wasn’t even the best part. The man responsible for literally ALL of this, Steven Spielberg, was there to welcome us and officially open the exhibit.

“This exhibition is awesome,” said Spielberg. “Every room has the minutiae of how this picture came together and it proves how this motion picture industry is really, truly a collaborative art form. This is an art form that only survives by getting the best people in all the right positions. I am so proud to be part of it . . . and people have a chance between now and July to come here to the Academy Museum and live it for the first time.”

His remarks included funny stories about the production, and where he feared his career would end up if this little film of his flopped. It was endearing to say the least and made it all the more exciting to get to the exhibit and check out all the cool stuff. And it was VERY cool!

Who can forget the menacing baritone piano keys that are forever burned into the lexicon of American pop culture – the 2 notes that strike fear into anyone that has ever swam in the ocean. This fantastic exhibit has something for everyone – from interactive experiences to original props and photos for even the most die-hard fans of the movie.

Featuring more than 200 original objects and behind-the-scenes stories, the exhibit is the largest ever organized about Steven Spielberg’s JAWS. Items that have never been on display before, including ones from the personal collections of Steven Spielberg and AMBLIN, are displayed in a multi-gallery experience for all ages.

Fans of the film who live in or are visiting LA should not miss this exciting exhibit, which again will be on display until July 2026. A must see!

The exhibition follows the film’s narrative, taking visitors from the opening credits to the film’s gripping conclusion. Expanding on the three-act structure of the film, the story is told in six sections: “The Unseen Danger,” “Amity Island Welcomes You,” “Sunday at the Beach,” “The Shark’s Rampage,” “Adventure Ahead,” and “Into the Deep.” A seventh, concluding gallery explores the enduring impact of the film. 

The exhibition includes:

 – Behind-the-scenes photos of Spielberg on set, the construction of the mechanical shark used in production, location scouting, and the cast and crew during filming, as well as Super 8 foot-age shot by Steven Spielberg during the making of Jaws

 – Handwritten and hand-sketched materials, including Steven Spielberg’s annotated script, storyboards and original concept illustrations of the shark by production designer Joe Alves, composer John Williams’s sheet music, and sketches of a shark rising from the depths by the artist behind the iconic Jaws poster image, Roger Kastel

 – Filming and editing equipment, including the Moviola machine used by the film’s editor Verna Fields, the original Jaws clapper board from the collection of Steven Spielberg, and the Panavision Underwater Camera used to shoot key scenes

 – Original props, including the prop head of Ben Gardner used for the film’s indelible “jump scare,” Quint’s fighting chair and the shark weathervane from his shack, Hooper’s shark cage, components of the Orca, and the “Beach Closed” sign

– Recreations of the “Amity Island Welcomes You” billboards, orange and white striped beach cabanas, and the shark chalkboard drawing featured during Quint’s introduction (remade for the Academy Museum by production designer Joe Alves)

Exhibition Photography for JAWS: The Exhibition, on Sunday, September 7, 2025 at the The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

 – Promotional items, from original theatrical release posters from around the world to innovative merchandise such as the Jaws “Feeding Time” cereal box, iron-on patches, toys, accessories and even products from Universal theme parks around the globe

 – Interactives, including opportunities to recreate the film’s dolly zoom effect, play John Williams’s two-note score that signals the shark’s approach, and operate a scale replica of the mechanical shark

The Academy Museum Store will launch an exclusive line of Jaws-inspired merchandise, including a commemorative 50th anniversary vinyl pressing of John Williams’s Oscar-winning film score in collaboration with Mondo, an exclusive 1975 variant screen printed poster, a Jaws Amity Island ringer tee, Jaws hoodie, “The Game of Jaws” 50th anniversary edition, and Jaws Amity Island billboard scaled prop replica.

JAWS ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK 2LP DOUBLE BARRELS VARIANT

Jaws: The Exhibition will be the museum’s fifth large-scale exhibition in its Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, following Hayao Miyazaki (2021–22), Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (2022–23), John Waters: Pope of Trash (2023–24), and Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema . The exhibition’s advisory group comprises ocean conservationist and marine policy advocate Wendy Benchley; Associate Professor in the Division of Cinema and Media Studies at USC J.D. Connor; sound mixer Peter J. Devlin; and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire.

HIDDEN FACE – Review

A scene from the Korean steamy suspense drama HIDDEN FACE. Courtesy of Well Go USA

The subtitled Korean export HIDDEN FACE is marketed as a suspense tale, but it’s a just-shy-of-soft-core drama about a romantic triangle that takes a few bizarre turns among a very attractive cast. Song Seung-heon plays the new conductor of a prestigious symphony orchestra, who landed his plum gig largely because he married the rich-bitch daughter (Cho Yeo-jeong) of a strutting soap opera star (Park Ji-young, looking alarmingly like Eddie Izzard in drag mode) who fancies herself the star of every scenario, on or off-camera… and convinces others to bend to her will. She provides the elegant apartment in which the newlyweds reside, as well as being the orchestra’s main benefactor. Mega-clout all around, wielded shamelessly by a mega-Karen.

The wife’s bestie and fellow cellist (Park Ji-hyun) have a chat in which the former pouts that she’s not getting enough attention from her stony-faced hubby and decides to disappear, leaving an unlikely suicide note behind. That opens up two spots for the bestie – a chair in the orchestra, and a horizontal one in the marital bed. With that almost Hitchcockian setup, we initially wonder how she vanished – is she dead, or just testing how much people will miss the preening Princess? Then the plot veers sharply into DePalma territory once we learn where she went and how she got there. The steamy bits come from several trysts with surprisingly generous displays of nudity for an East Asian production. Those scenes are beautifully staged and scored, both artistically and erotically.

The reveals are rather over-the-top, but the female performances and gorgeous sets are so compelling that one may not care about the logic or logistics of it all; or the fact that the male lead is a virtually blank slate, readily manipulated by the latest woman to pull his chain (or other appendage). The script is adapted from a 2011 Spanish film, THE HIDDEN FACE, which I haven’t seen. But some descriptions indicate it’s even more lurid. Time to start looking for that guilty pleasure, too.

Regular readers know how many Korean action flicks I’ve praised in the past few years. This tossed salad of psychological issues and titillation makes me think I should expand my genre repertoire.

HIDDEN FACE, in Korean with English subtitles, debuts on digital formats from Well Go USA as of Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

LAST RONIN – Review

A scene from the Russian post-apocalyptic action adventure film LAST RONIN. Courtesy of Well Go USA

In old Japan, Ronin were Samurai without masters, roaming the land on their own, yet mostly still living by their code of honor. Their status and role in society varied through the centuries, but the lone wandering warrior image persists, and has been glorified in dozens of films from Japan and elsewhere. The anachronistically-title THE LAST RONIN is a bare-bones post-apocalyptic adventure from Russia. Yuri Kolokolnikov stars as the eponymous figure – a grizzled older fellow, looking somewhat like Ron Perlman, traveling alone through the desert hellscape. The katana (sword) on his back is the most important of his few possessions. We learn that his main reason for living is to find the guy what kilt his pappy and wreak vengeance upon him.

He’s approached by a tough young woman (Diana Enkaeva) who wants to hire him as a bodyguard. She offers to pay in bullets, which is the main form of currency in that dismal future. Her goal is reaching a wall that’s a long trek away from the enclave in which she was raised. We gradually learn why she left shortly before the end of their sojourn. Along the way, they run afoul of a marauding gang and a few other menaces scattered around this low-tech, scarce-resources, sparsely populated era.

Everything about their world and the production is minimalist. There’s a lot of bleakness in the environment and the lives being lived therein. But writer/director Max Shiskin sprinkles in a satisfying amount of violence – mostly blades, arrows and bullets, with bits of martial arts – to contrast with the stars’ dreary slog. The final act takes some surprising turns when an unexpected (by them and us) destination is reached.

The underplayed performances of the principals work well in defining the milieu and their resulting personalities. This matters, since most of the foes they encounter are faceless or anonymous, putting the dramatic load squarely on their shoulders. It’s something like a MAD MAX world, but far less noisy and flashy. No extant vehicles to be found, and the weapons du jour are simpler.

The closer our world leaders come to blundering and blustering us into this sort of future, the more tales in this genre seem like training films than fantasies. Alas.

THE LAST RONIN, in Russian and some French with English subtitles, debuts in digital formats on various platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, from Well Go USA.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

“Vanina: Season One” – TV Series Review

A scene from Italian police drama “Vanina: Season One.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

The light Italian police procedural “Vanina: Season One” is designed for those who seek a higher ratio of character development to crime solving in their entertainment choices. Vanina (Giusy Buscemi, who looks nothing like Steve, thankfully) is an attractive (former Miss Italy – the actress, not the character) thirty-something who heads a homicide unit in Catania. Seven months before the series begins, she’d moved there from Palermo, where she’d been an anti-Mafia superstar and paramour of leading prosecutor Paolo (Giorgio Marchesi). That success unfortunately generated more heat from the Mafiosi in her professional and personal “kitchen” than she could stand. Vanina had witnessed her beloved dad being whacked by them when she was 15 and sensed her hot streak against them created too large of a reboot risk for her and Paolo. So, she moved away from love and career arc to find an emotionally manageable substitute.

The four nearly two-hour episodes of Season One are separate cases, with unfolding subplots and character arcs for most of the cast. The first case began with poisoned ice cream and the death of their equivalent of our Ben and/or Jerry. In the second, the remains from a 50-year-old murder are suddenly discovered, leading to serious present-day consequences. The third swirls around criminal activity by a criminal lawyer for other criminals, including the very-criminal Mafia. The fourth begins with the murder of an international businessman who had more dubious connections than any one person should have.

But the plots are relatively unimportant, compared to the stories of the players. Vanina is torn between her lingering love for Paolo, and a new potential romance with an almost unbelievably empathetic doctor, Manfredi (Corrado Fortuna). One of her detectives, Marta, (Paola Giannini) is interesting enough to warrant her own spin-off. Others have an assortment of personal issues and crises sufficient to stuff a telenovela.

All of these sub-stories would have been too soapy for my taste but for the excellent casting, performances and quality of the writing. The more time we spend with them, the more we like and care about them. And this is coming from a guy with little patience for melodrama. The scripts are by Leonardo Marini, based on books by Cristina Cassar Scalia. The mysteries are typically complicated, with solutions that are mostly elusive enough for satisfying suspense. There’s less comic relief than other Sicily-based series I’ve reviewed like “Makari” or “Detective Montalbano.” No nudity or prolonged sex scenes, but relatively generous on eye candy for TV fare – especially in the first episode. Although the cops brandish guns frequently, I don’t recall a single shot being fired. The murders occur off-camera, and views of the stiffs are minimal.

The Sicilian locations provide a diverse range of lovely enhancements to the action therein. No cliffhangers, but a few significant unresolved plot points beg for a Season Two. Since this just aired abroad in 2024, it seems quite likely that more is yet to come, which I will welcome if and when that happens.

“Vanina: Season One.” in Italian with English subtitles, debuts streaming on MHz Choice on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

HIM – Review

As I mentioned in another recent review, the studios are shifting with the change of seasons. With Fall a few days away, most would be releasing their big “awards-bait” prestige projects. Ah, but this week’s new big release doesn’t fit into that strategy as much as it meshes with two other staples of the cooler temps. First, it’s set in the world of high-stakes pro football (yes, the 2025-26 games have already begun). Oh, and Halloween is just a few weeks away (most stores have had the “spooky aisles” set up since late August). Really, a “horror sports flick”? I can recall a few thrillers like the original STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and THE FAN. Plus, the musical classic DAMN YANKEES has its supernatural Faustian main plot. And, of course, there’s the hockey mask-wearing J. Voorhees. So, it’s time that the “passers of pigskin” get their chance to terrify in HIM.

The title pronoun may just refer to Cameron Cade, who we first meet as an obsessive football fan who’s only seven or eight years old. He’s “glued to the tube” for all the games played by his fave USFF team, the San Antonio Saviors, who are led by their star quarterback (and Cam’s idol) Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). The story springs ahead via a montage of images of Cam grabbing headlines on the field in high school and college. Unfortunately, Cam’s papa passes away before the pro teams begin “sniffing around”. Luckily, his devoted mama, Yvette (Indira G. Wilson) is his “rock”. While tossing a few balls late at night on his old high school field, Cameron (Tyriq Withers) is gravely injured by a masked assailant (perhaps dressed in a mascot costume). After a major surgery and lots of rehab, Cam appears to be nearly healed of his massive brain injury. But can he resume his quest for “gridiron glory”? Thanks in part to his aggressive agent/manager (Tim Heidecker), the Saviors will give him a most unusual “try-out”. Cam will travel down to the home/training compound of his idol, Isaiah (who may be in his final season), who will see if he’s ready to be their new quarterback. The White “estate” covers several acres in the desert, cut off from the adoring throngs, although several scary fanatics hover near the fence. There Cam also meets the “doc” (Jim Jefferies) and the flamboyant “online influencer”, Isaiah’s wife, Elsie (Julia Fox). Cam is put through grueling physical torments during a series of exercises that take a dark, sinister turn. Cam soon realizes that Isaiah’s not just interested in prepping his body for life in the “pros”. The increasingly intense White may be trying to possess Cam’s soul.

Withers is truly put through all manner of dramatic and physical “paces” as the often confused, but still “laser-focused” young Cameron. He’s a compelling presence as he looms over most of his castmates, searing into them with his questioning, expressive eyes. Most importantly, he draws us in to see Cam’s pain and torment. The cause of much (almost all) of it is Isaiah, played with pitbull-like ferocity by Wayans. He’s eager to break out of the comedy genre, so this screen vet nearly devours anyone vying to share the screen with him. Certainly, he gets our rapt attention even as his methods are murky and muddy. Luckily, many of the supporting players bring some much-needed humor to relieve the tension. Fox is a zany, quirky online “gadfly” as she hawks her new-age trinkets and attempts to be a nurturing matriarch to Cam, while still leading an unending line of grinding strippers. Heidecker puts a hyperbolic spin on the JERRY MAGUIRE-super sports broker trope, careening like a mad dervish after downing a massive mocha. The best laughs are generated by stand-up superstar Jefferies, who delivers doses of surly snark along with whatever’s really in his ever-present hypo (probably not vitamins).

Justin Tipping, in his sophomore directing effort, really seems to be “going for it” as he throws every flashy effect and editing flourish “at the wall” to see if the visuals can “stick” onto the script he co-wrote with Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie. And it is exhausting, making us more weary than any film under 100 minutes should. The MTV-inspired cuts and razzle dazzle create a heady fever dream while keeping us as perplexed as Cam. The heavy, clunky religious riffs seem to be pointing to White as Satan’s recruiter, though Isaiah would appear to be equally content with eliminating this new “GOAT”. As for the horror aspects, there are a few effective “jump scares” along with lots of gooey gore and even several X-ray enhanced set pieces (tackling skeletons). But all the sound and fury (and N-bombs, pounding music beats, and gyrating groupies) don’t tell us anything new about the “quest for success”. The revelation about the wealthy owners (wow, they’re actually evil monsters) feels like the retread of familiar cliches. It all leads to an off-the-rails finale that results in a big fumble and eventual defeat for the ultra-hyper HIM.

1 Out of 4

HIM is now playing in theatres everywhere

WALTZING WITH BRANDO – Review

Sure, the sun is still making temperatures rise, but it’s the big late-in-the-year awards season for the studios (with just a few days before the official start of Fall). So what’s a favorite subject for the somber, serious flicks vying for the gold? Of course, they turn to the “biopics’, with actors portraying real people (OPPENHEIMER being a most recent example). This weekend’s new “limited” release “straddles” two “sub-sets” of that genre. First, it’s a story of a well-known show-biz personality, some might say the greatest, most influental actor of his generation. But, it doesn’t cover his entire life, “cradle to the grave”. Rather, this film is set during a five or six year segment of his storied career. Oh, and it’s told from a “non-celeb” (often called a “civilian”). Most recently this was done with ME AND ORSON WELLES and MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. Now, don’t be fooled by the title, WALTZING WITH BRANDO is not a ” toe-tapping” musical (though Marlon plays a “mean” bongo).

After a brief bit of archival footage “wizardry” of the “real” Dick Cavett chatting with Marlon Brando (Billy Zane), we’re whisked into the world of a hard-working young family man, Bernard Judge (Jon Heder), toiling as an “up and coming” architect for a Los Angeles design firm in 1969. His boss introduces him to hotel magnate Jack Bellin (Rob Cordry), who plans to build a state-of-the-art resort in Tahiti. They want Bernard to travel there and scope out the proposed locale. Oh, and he’ll need to make an offer to the owner of this spot, a twelve-island atoll called Tetiaroa. After a long plane ride, Bernard arrives and charters a boat to said spot. The captain won’t go ashore due to the jagged coral reef surrounding it. No problem, Bernard will swim in since he’s a great water athlete. Naturally, he’s battered by the rocks and is washed ashore. Luckily, a local family brings him in and tends to his wounds. At their compound/home, Bernard meets the “big papa” and owner of the islands, none other than the Oscar-winning Mr. Brando. Though he’s reluctant at first, the superstar warms to Bernard and tells him of his plans to turn one of the islands into his permanent home, far away from Hollywood, a village (including that resort) that will not harm the local environment. Over the next few years, Bernard devotes all his energy (and time away from his own family in LA) to making Marlon’s dream happen, while he keeps the “river of cash” needed for the project by taking several high-profile and high-paying roles in several iconic 1970s films, including that (his words) “gangster movie”.


Even though his name isn’t in the title, the film’s focus is indeed the hapless “audience surrogate” everyman Bernard played with an uptight, bewildered demeanor by Heder (forever NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE, though being a comic icon is “sweet”). Much like the comedy heroes of the silent era (Harold Lloyd comes to mind), he enthusiastically plunges headfirst into the unknown, AKA island life. Mainly, Heder plays a sincere “straight man” to the many exotic eccentrics, so he comes off rather bland and not especially compelling. On the other hand, the “leader of the loonies” is played with considerable energy and offbeat charm by Zane, who really seems to be channeling (even becoming an eerie doppleganger) for the world-famous thespian. It’s very entertaining to see him recreate those flicks (yes, even Don Vito), but his greatest role may be “the merry prankster” who delights in shocking and confusing all in his path. Zane has charisma to spare, though his take makes the star an affable, enigmatic mystery. An actual Oscar-winner joins in this action, none other than Richard Dreyfuss pops in for a couple of scenes late in the story, as Marlon’s long-suffering “money manager” Seymour Kraft, who serves primarily as a roadblock to Bernard’s island obsession. Ditto for Tia Carrera’s loopy, leering Madame Leroy in a goofy seduction sequence. She’s a temptation for Bernard, much like the breezy German bombshell Michelle, a stewardess with lots of free time played by Camille Razat. And the always reliable Cordry puts his comic timing to good use as the bombastic lodging tycoon, an unlikely partner for Marlon in his “planned paradise”.


Director Bill Fishman helms his own screenplay adaptation of Bernard’s memoir, and makes a gorgeous “travelogue” of the exotic Tahiti (quite “vacation fodder”). It’s an interesting chapter in the actor’s life (perhaps a “second act’ after his breakthrough in the previous decade), but the plot just seems to lurch and stumble from one big “event” to another, bouncing around through those five or so years with an off-kilter momentum (long after the opening Cavett sequence we reverse to see Brando with Johnny Carson, to illustrate his stance on the civil rights movement). And way too much time is spent on wacky hijinks involving the locals and their slapstick building efforts (submerged tractors and possible angry ghosts). Zane’s superb impersonation is the main selling point in the marketing, even though the forced melodrama involving Bernard and his family simply doesn’t pay off. Neither does the odd decision for Heder to break the fourth wall in order to provide the “back story” for Brando and the future of the islands. Plus, there’s a rather dull final act that’s not livened up by another bit of whimsy from the title subject before the inevitable pre-credit update captions. And that’s a stumble that doesn’t make WALTZING WITH BRAND) a graceful gaze at old Hollywood.

2 Out of 4

WALTZING WITH BRANDO is now playing in select theatres

SWIPED (2025) – Review

Feels like it’s been a while since moviegoers have gotten a feature about a real-life invention that had a pretty big impact on the world, or society in general. Sure, they briefly touched on the origins of the kids’ toy superstar BARBIE in that recent blockbuster. Plus, we’ve gotten films about shoes (AIR), tech devices (BLACKBERRY), other toys (THE BEANIE BUBBLE), and a computer game (TETRIS). Predating all of them (can it be 15 years old?) is the Oscar-winning story of a website, THE SOCIAL NETWORK. So, when do we get another movie about an online “game changer”? And that leads into this new flick about another website that’s perhaps best known as a phone “app”. I’d tell you its name, but you can probably guess it from this movie’s title, SWIPED.


Now, the story’s real focus is actually a fast-talking (and fast-thinking) tech innovator with the “superhero alias” sounding moniker, Whitney Wolfe (Lily James). We first encountered her about a dozen years ago as she crashed a big “tech bro” bash on the Santa Monica pier. She’s trying to raise interest (and funds) for her website that matches volunteers with charities. After several “strike outs”, she makes a connection with Sean (another cartoony-but-real name) Rad (Ben Schnetzer), who tells her to drop by his development firm, Hatch Labs IAC Incubator. Naturally, she’s there a few hours later before Sean arrives. But he’s got a big meeting with a potential client for his restaurant rewards app Cardify. Sean figures she can pose as his “gal Friday”, but Whitney surprises him by helping “seal the deal”. She becomes part of his team, proving invaluable once again when Cardify “flatlines”. At a big pitch meeting, several staffers bounce around ideas for a dating site/app, but it’s Whitney who comes up with the perfect name for it: Tinder. But they need to spread the word, so she travels to her old college sorority at SMU with work pal Tisha (Myha’la) and due to her people skills, hustle, and quick thinking, the app sweeps the school. Back in LA, the company’s celebrations get a boost from Sean’s new hire, his old pal Justin (Jackson White). Despite her better judgement, Whitney begins seeing him socially. But her rising profile threatens Justin, as he and Sean squeeze her out of the publicity swirl around the company and the increasingly popular app. Things take a dark turn when the board ignores complaints about graphic photos posted, and when Justin becomes possessive after Whitney breaks off their relationship. Soon, she must make a stand and a decision: stay and fight for what she’s due, or leave and start over.

Ms. James is establishing herself as one of the busiest actresses working today. It was only a few weeks ago that I was enjoying her work in the little-seen gem of a thriller RELAY (really, catch it when it starts streaming). Here she gets a chance to really flex her skills in comedy, romance, and some heavy drama (with a few thriller elements this time, too). James has us rooting for Whitney from beginning to end, making us invested in very tough choices. She gets great support from Myha’la who encourages, but speaks up when “her girl” fumbles the ball in not helping her “sisters’ climb the corporate “ladder”. As for the fellas’, Schetzner is a cool, affable partner/boss until fame makes him “flip a switch”, surprisng us with his cool, aloof ‘tude. Ditto for his “bro” Justin, played with easy-going “puppy dog” charm by White until he’s threatened by Whitney and goes right into the “ex from Hell” mode. But Wolfe does encounter a nice “dude” outisde the office in Andrey Andreev played by Lily’s former “Downton Abbey” TV series co-star Dan Stevens. He’s a somewhat daffy ultra-rich tech mogul out of Eastern Europe who tries to “poach” Whitney for his dating site Badoo. not for her looks but for her keen creative input and expertise. A few other familiar faces pop up in brief supporting roles, including Joely Fisher, Clea DuVall, and that “silver fox” Dermot Mulroney.

Director/co-screenwriter Rachel Lee Goldenberg has crafted a mostly inspiring true tale for young women trying to break into the male-dominated tech industry. But it’s also a cautionary tale, which shifts so abruptly in tone in its second act, that some viewers may get a touch of cinematic “whiplash”. The lead-up and launch of Tinder plays much like a light-hearted romp, as Wolfe works the college kids and charms her open-minded boss in a frothy modern workplace comedy. This even extends to the sweet at first) flirtation with Justin. Then the d#*k pics flood the servers, and the darkness begins. Almost all the fellas seem to have drunk from a water cooler filled with Dr.Jekyll’s old “Mr. Hyde mix”. This leads to the big nosedive as we wait for Wolfe to “pull up” and stick the landing. Really, the soured office romance often plays like a made-for-cable-TV Lifetime flick. Of course, we do get a token “good guy” to not paint every male as a leering, abusive goon (and yes, I know that women in past office-set films were either bubble-headed bimbos or shrews, but this still stings a bit). These tonal shifts and pacing problems ultimately take the needed zip and good intentions away from the true life story of SWIPED.

2 Out of 4

SWIPED streams exclusively on Hulu beginning on Friday, September 19, 2025

BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY – Review

Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie in BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY. Courtesy of Sony

BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY, from AFTER YANG director Kogonada, has two beautiful people, played by Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, who meet at a wedding and then find themselves on an inexplicable, fantasy journey that leads through childhood memories and might lead to love. Big certainly describes the budget and high-quality production values for this romantic fantasy, and beautiful certainly describes the lush photography, scenery and colorful costumes but bold is another matter when it comes to the story itself. While there will be audiences who fall for this romance, for this reviewer, and many others, the title should have been more like “Big Boring Beautiful Hallmark Movie.” This contrived, leaden romance is one of those cases where the film feels longer, much longer, than it’s actual about two-hour running time.

It certainly is a beautiful film to look at, and it is stylishly and artistically shot. One cannot fault the cast, which includes Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge along with Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell in this fantasy tale. But the tale is very tall, and not entertaining or profound as it hopes to be, and admiring its beauty fades as the couple roll down the seemingly endless road.

The main characters are drawn to each other at the wedding but both have rocky romantic histories that make they hesitate. However, the film begins a bit earlier, when Colin Farrell’s character leaves his house in the big city to drive hundreds of miles to attend this wedding. Getting a late start, Colin Farrell’s character rushes down the street to his car, planning to drive there, only to find himself staring a “boot” attached to his tire. Luckily, he turns around to see a poster on a brick wall advertising a car rental, and decides to call. The car rental tucked away is in nondescript warehouse, which he has to be buzzed into. Inside, he sees two people at a table and exactly two cars at the far end of the space. The two people, played by Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, ask him a series of questions as if he is auditioning for an acting part instead of renting a car, and then offer him only one car, a 1984 Saturn, take it or leave it. With little choice, he takes it.

If you find that intro enchanting, and have a particularly romantic bent, you may like this movie but my reaction was that it all felt very contrived and a bit stage-y, rather than magical. After this strange start, things are a big more rational of a bit but it eventually returns to this fantasy world with one foot in the realm of stage, as the two strangers embark on a journey conducted by the car’s GPS voice. Writing this now, it seems that all this could have easily been played for Monty Python-style laughs had the director chosen that, but instead, everything has a ponderous seriousness to it, with many more sentimental tears than laughs.

The car’s magical GPS directs them to stop at various points along the road, where they go through a series of doorways that lead to youthful memories. At each stop, they encounter a door, sometimes just a door in a frame, in the middle of nowhere. But when they go through it, both are transported back to one or the other’s childhood, with lessons to be learned and insights to be gathered.

However, the film does have a few rare moments of fun, such as Colin Farrell, transported back to high school in his adult form, singing and dancing in the school production of the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” He’s surprisingly good, and enough so, that one might wish the movie would linger there a bit longer, instead of returning to its deadening slog. Alas, it doesn’t happen.

Yet despite the premise of a fantasy journey through memory to explore the chance of romance, there is a surprising lack of any believable romantic chemistry between these two leads. The film focuses more on hesitancy and fear, based on past experiences, than a longing for love. One gets the sense the characters are only trying to convince themselves that they can put up with the other. Hardly a “bold” romantic story of two people falling in love.

A big ambitious romance needs at least give audiences the feeling of passionate attraction between the two leads but that never develops here, for whatever reason. In fact, in the end, the film philosophizes that just being content with a partner is good enough. Not much big or bold in that, not matter how beautiful the film or the leads look.

BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY opens Friday, Sept. 19, in theaters.

RATING: 1.5 out of 4 stars

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE – Review

(L to R) Laura Carmichael stars as Lady Edith, Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Hexham, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Grantham, Hugh Bonneville stars as Robert Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in DOWNTON ABBEY: The Grand Finale, a Focus Features release. Credit: Rory Mulvey / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

It has been a good, long run but DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE is the final bow for the British world of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, which fans have followed through several seasons on British TV (and PBS here) and then three movies, which have continued the saga.

Series creator/writer Julian Fellowes followed up his successful film GOSFORD PARK and followed the lead of earlier British series “Upstairs, Downstairs” in crafting this tale of a likable noble family in Yorkshire and their equally appealing servants, but made it so much more, by following the changes in Britain in the early 20th century. Starting in 1912 and ending in 1930, the tale of the Crawley family is set in a period of great change in Britain for both the aristocratic class and, with expanding democracy and opportunities, for the people who worked for them.

So many things came together just right in this series to make it both entertaining and engrossing. Julian Fellowes’ great writing and historical research, and a great cast, made this combination of historic storytelling, family drama, and character-driver stories (spiked with plenty of humor) into a surprisingly enjoyable ride, even if costume drama is not your cup of tea. Add to that the incomparable late Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, whose smart, snappy comebacks and biting, sharply observed comments, became the highlight of many an episode. The mostly British cast was outstanding, included American ex-pat Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville, and launching the careers of Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens, and others. Plus there were all those fabulous British manor house locations and wonderful early 20th century fashions (especially in the 1920s), and it made for great escapist fun. The popular TV show was such a hit that the actual manor house where it was filmed, Highclere Castle, became a tourist destination.

But the time finally comes to say goodbye, and DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE is a good an exit as one could hope for. In this final chapter, the Crawley family is in a kind of holding pattern, as Lady Mary is poised to take over the estate from her father, Lord Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), but with dad a bit reluctant to let go. But there is something else to deal with: visitors from America. Lady Grantham, Cora Crawley’s (Elizabeth McGovern) brother Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti) has arrived from the States, with a friend Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola), a financial advisor of sorts, and some bad financial news. While the British Crawleys’ fortune survived the Crash, the brother has not done as well. The brother’s American companion is charming if bold, and is also in Britain to see his horse race at Ascot, while helping the brother with his financial mess after the stock market crash.

While the Crawley’s try to sort out Harold’s financial mess, there are subplots aplenty, with is a little scandal with Lady Mary, a truce of sorts from oft- battling sisters, and updates on all the characters’ lives. The story lets us check in with the family, daughters Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) and Edith, Lady Hexham, and son-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech), as well as beloved servants, Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle), and butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), and more. There are also returns of earlier characters who have gone on to other things, like Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), now a theatrical director, and movie star Guy Dexter (Dominic West), who have arrived with playwright Noel Coward (Arty Froushan).

Fellowes weaves the story elements together well, and director Simon Curtis gives us plenty of eye candy with elegant fashions, particularly on Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, and shots of gorgeous locations and period decor, as the aristocratic Crawley family makes the rounds of upper crust London, back home at Downton Abbey, and capped with a trip to Ascot. Meanwhile, the servants’ lives are working out well, with many set to retire to comfortable cottages and with their newfound spouses, and a country fair sequence near the end lets everyone mingle.

This final chapter captures all the charm of the series, TV and film, and even gives a grand outing at the Ascot races as a last big splashy fling, and ties up all the stories nicely. In fact, this third film is better than the last one as storytelling. The show’s creator Julian Fellowes cleverly sets this final chapter in 1930, not long after the stock market crash of October 1929 that began the Great Depression but before its effects are yet widely felt. That choice puts the characters in a comfortable bubble, where they are unaware of the economic hardships ahead, although viewers are aware that the old high life is coming to an end. The early 1930 time period allows the audience to enjoy a bit more of the fashions and fun of the Downton Abbey world before the darkness of the 1930s Great Depression really descends on their world.

While there are twists and surprises, some tight spots and difficult moments, enough to give the film some tension, things are generally tied up nicely by the story’s end, leaving the audience satisfied that the characters’ lives, while profoundly changed, will go on, with no need for a sequel.

DOWNTON ABBEY THE GRAND FINALE opens in theaters on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

NAKED AMBITION (2025) – Review

Here’s a terrific new release that dispels that old, certainly now outdated, thought that watching a documntary was “homework”. This one’s a brisk, breezy romp through the fringes of pop culture that makes a sharp turn into an exploration of the changing attitudes towards the societal roles of women. So, yes, sex does play a big part. Mainly, it’s a portrait of an artist (that label may have irked and offended the intellectual elite then, but few would question it now). That artist in question is a photographer named Bunny (born Linnea) Yeagar who actually went from being a model in front of the camera to staging and snapping pics of, sometimes referred to as, “pin-up queens”. These ladies were usually clad in bikinis (which Bunny popularized), exotic attire, and sometimes in the “all together,” which gives a multiple meaning to this doc’s title, NAKED AMBITION.

The locale for Bunny’s life story quickly shifts from her birth in a chilly Pittsburgh suburb to sun-kissed Miami in the late 1940s. After winning several beauty pageants, she became a very busy photo model for several magazines and newspapers originating from Florida. That “ambition” started early as she embraced the big swimsuit sensation, the bikini, and enhanced them with her own design (one was comprised of plastic daisies). A new career opened up when she took a night class in photography at a vocational school. Bunny began taking pics of herself (perhaps these are the earliest “selfies”), then directed her BFF Maria Stinger (now there’s a great model moniker) in some very popular “men’s Magazine” spreads before expanding her “roster”. Seems that women were more comfortable with her behind the lens, rather than the leering men who formed “camera clubs”. Then, in 1954, through her photo mentor Irving Claw (another great name), Bunny met her muse, the bubbly brunette with the “bangs”, Bettie Page. These pics of Ms. Page, especially those taken at a wild animal “safari” park, became staples of pop culture when she was “rediscovered” through the Dave Stevens art of the Rocketeer graphic novels. Those shots attracted Hugh Hefner, and soon Bunny was a staple of his fledgling Playboy magazine. In the doc, we’re introduced to Bunny’s first husband, Arthur, a former cop, who becomes her business partner and the father of their two daughters, Cherilu and Lisa. We learn how Bunny took side “gigs” in the movies (with Sinatra) and later crooned as a lounge singer. But with the huge cultural shift in the late 60s, the public passed up the camp “cheesecake” for pornography (even parting ways with Playboy) and Bunny was adrift until a new appreciation in the late 1990s that led to new hardcover book collections and several gallery shows (at the Warhol). In the film’s epilogue, we’re told that Bunny shot on film right up until her passing at age 85 in 2014.

Director Dennis Scholl and Kareem Tabsch are two talented cinema “tour guides” for this chronicling of a remarkable life. Yes, there are the usual “talking heads”, but those interviewed offer some great insight into Bunny’s technique, including several working photogs, historians, and the modern “glamour gal” icon Dita Von Teese. And there’s some archival interview, though Larry King’s “chestnut” tale of a fan encounter doesn’t add much, ditto for the recollections of Hef. However, the audio-only stories from the real Page are quite engaging, as are the contrasting views of Bunny’s daughters (Lisa embraces her mom’s legacy while the more conservative Cherilu is somewhat embarrassed). The best parts of the docs are the incredible collages of the campy cheesecake pics that somehow still resonate a sweet innocence since most of the models are smiling, some even in “mid-laff”, conveying the high spirits of those optimistic days nearly 70 years ago. The filmmakers also address the big societal changes, first with Bunny’s friendship with a famous photo “buff”, Sammy Davis, Jr, who had to hide in the back seat when the two cruised around Miami before a “model shoot”. And later Bunny tries to get more “provocative” with the free-spirited “hippie chicks” in the late 60s. Plus, we get to view some grainy, faded home movie footage (I imagined the film disintegrating right after the digital transfer) and some adorably stiff and awkward films of an “actual photo session”. Scholl and Tabsch don’t shy away from the “tough times” as we learn of the demise of Bunny’s depressed hubby and their trumped-up obscenity bust. Luckily, the story ends on a triumphant note, despite the clash between the daughters and some estate problems, as Bunny gets her well-earned praise and appreciation from her peers. Her story, as told in the engaging NAKED AMBITION, is pretty close to “picture perfect”.

3 out of 4

NAKED AMBITION is now playing in select theatres