Extended peril and violence, airplane peril, characters injured and killed, some grisly and disturbing images
Diversity Issues:
None
Date Released to Theaters:
January 24, 2025
Copyright 2025 Lionsgate
“Flight Risk” has all of the ingredients for a tight little thriller except one. There’s a good set-up — transport of a cooperating witness, accompanied by just one US Marshal in her first return to field work after a failure that left her feeling vulnerable, and a pilot sent by the bad guys to kill the witness. It has a good setting — a small plane flying through the snowy mountains of Alaska. And a good run-time — just over 90 minutes. But the direction by Mel Gibson is sloppy. Not the editing or special effects, which range from serviceable to tense, but some of the choices that interfere with the best the movie has to offer.
Topher Grace, who plays Winston, is, as always, immediately engaging, well cast as the talkative prisoner. He’s first seen in a low-end motel, sitting on the bed and staring into an aged microwave waiting for it to warm up a styrofoam cup of soup. US Marshals break in and he immediately offers to cooperate with them. Like Charles Grodin in the infinitely better “Midnight Run,” Winston was an accountant for a vicious mob boss. He agrees to tell law enforcement everything he knows if they will give him immunity and protection.
Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”) is Madolyn Harris. She has to bring Winston east to testify in the gangster’s trial. Without his testimony, there will not be enough evidence to convict him. She charters a plane, gets Winston settled with handcuffs, and takes the only other seat, next to the pilot (Mark Wahlberg), who says his name is Booth. His backwards baseball cap, chewing gum, and cornpone accent do not create a great deal of confidence, but he assures Madolyn that they’ll be in Anchorage and on their way to Seattle in 90 minutes.
Except he was never told their next stop was Seattle. Madolyn gets suspicious. “Booth” is there to kill Winston. He is also the only pilot on board. There is nothing around them but snowy mountains. The rest of the movie is the very bumpy ride.
The problem is that the fun of all the tension and action is interrupted by weird dialogue that is as off-balance as the plane. As Madolyn is using the limited access to her phone to update her colleagues (and try to figure out who has been leaking key information to the gangster), she is also on with Hassan (Maaz Ali), a pilot who is talking her through the instrumentation. He is creepily predatory, in the midst of the direst possible situation insisting that she go on a date with him. What is the idea behind this? Is there any world where someone might imagine this could be reassuring? It j’ust kept taking me out of the film.
And then there is “Booth.” Reportedly, Gibson let Wahlberg write some of his own dialogue, which gives his character a chance to free-associate a series of comments that he and Gibson may have considered evidence of recklessness and pleasure in hurting people, showing us why he is so dangerous. But they are crude and off-kilter (too many references to prison rape, for example) in a way that is at odds with the tempo and tone of the film. They’re also tedious. They do not add anything to the sense of menace or the stakes. It just comes across as self-indulgent, the last thing you want in a 90-minute thriller.
Parent should know that this is a very violent film with a knife, a flare gun, a very dangerous plane flight, criminal behavior and corruption, and extended strong language with very crude sexual references.
Family discussion: How did Madolyn decide who she could trust? How did her past experience help or hurt her ability to handle the challenges of this transport?
If you like this, try: “Plane,” “Fathom,” and “Con Air”
Rated PG-13 for domestic violence/bloody images, suicide, some strong language, teen drinking, drug material and smoking
Profanity:
Some strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:
Teen drinking and smoking, drugs
Violence/ Scariness:
Domestic violence, murder, suicide, abuse, guns
Diversity Issues:
None
Date Released to Theaters:
January 24, 2025
An angry teenager can seem like an immovable object. Most adults have a hard time finding the patience to be the irresistible force that reflects back unconditional support. “Brave the Dark” is based on the true story of a teacher who was that for many students over the years, especially for Nate, a boy who desperately needed a reason to believe that life had more to offer than abuse, trauma, and disappointment. It was made with love by the now-grown boy himself, with three brothers from the other side of the ocean who saw a story that needed to be shared.
The three brothers are the sons of actor Richard Harris (“Camelot” and the original Dumbledore). Damien Harris directed and co-wrote the screenplay. Jared Harris (“Chernobyl” and “Mad Men”) plays teacher Stan Deen. And Jamie Harris plays Barney, the tough probation officer assigned to Nate when he gets in trouble. While the heart of the film is the relationship between Nate and Stan, the scenes with Stan and Barney are among the highlights. The two characters have a history that left them respecting one another but they are very different. Stan is almost preposterously optimistic and Barney is as tough and cynical as you might expect a parole officer whose job is riding herd on acting-out teenagers to be. Jamie and Jared have great chemistry and really spark off each other so well we could imagine a whole other movie about them.
But this is Nate’s story. When we first see him, he’s running track at his high school. We won’t find out why until later, when we learn he has been living in a car after eight years in an orphanage starting at age 6 and failed placements with four foster families. And he has friends who invite him to go along on a break-in. For them it’s fun. For him it’s a way to get some money for food. But he is caught. He gets sent to prison.
Stan Deen cannot let Nate stay there. He is just that guy, as we see when the prison guard explains that only family is allowed to see Nate, and Stan glances at the portrait on the wall and asks to see the warden. This is not some “I need to see the manager” thing. As we will learn, Stan has made the lives of everyone in Lancaster County better, teaching them or their kids, helping them through tough times. Of course the warden is a former student. And many of the movie’s best moments are like this one, when Stan always just seems to know and be loved by everyone.
Stan is a bit of an oddball. He’s a bit awkward but he is incapable of being anything but completely authentic. That, more than anything else, is what gets Nate started on thinking of himself and his life’s possibilities differently. But in order to move forward, he has to be willing to be honest about the past, about the unthinkable tragedy he witnessed as a child. It is something his grandparents insisted he lie about, even to himself. Witnessing Stan’s natural honesty shows Nate that he can be honest, too.
Stan, who once dreamed of being an actor, is directing a school production — tellingly — of “Flowers for Algernon.” That story is the basis for the movie “Charly,” which won an Oscar for Cliff Robertson as a man with low cognitive skills who has an experimental surgery that — temporarily — gives him superior intelligence. The brief moments we see in the play parallel the movie’s themes about increased understanding as Nate’s interactions with one of the play’s leads, the girl who broke up with him after he was arrested. Viewers should know those scenes were shot in the school auditorium where the real Stan Deen staged plays with his students, and that it is now named in his honor.
Stan was feeling stuck after the death of his mother. He is able to move forward by allowing Nate to move into his home, even into what was his mother’s bedroom. There are setbacks and struggles, but that makes the conclusion and the images of the real Stan and Nate at the end especially moving.
Parents should know that this film has strong language, drinking, smoking, and drugs, and a mostly off-screen depiction of murder and suicide witnessed by a small child. The story includes abuse, abandonment, homelessness, and teen crime.
Family discussion: Why was Stan different from the other teachers? What teachers have made the biggest difference in your life? Can you be more like Stan?
If you like this, try: “Stand and Deliver” and “Coach Carter”
Rated R for brief drug use, sexual material, and language throughout
Profanity:
Constant strong language including the n-word
Alcohol/ Drugs:
Brief drug use
Violence/ Scariness:
Comic peril and violence, one very bloody scene, gangster violence, fire
Diversity Issues:
A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:
January 17, 2025
If winter seems unending and the headlines have you down, “One of Them Days” will cheer you up. Keke Palmer (Dreux) and SZA (Alyssa) play best friends and roommates having a day that gets even more wildly and more hilariously wrong, It is crazy, silly, over-the-top, and a ton of fun.
Copyright 2025 Sony
We first see Dreux near the end of her overnight shift at Norm’s, part of a chain of diners. We can see that she is good at her job, friendly, capable, caring with her regular customers. Dreux is organized and focused. Alyssa is more of a free spirit, an artist who says she is in touch with her ancestors and trusts to the universe to take care of her.
Dreux leaves Norm’s at 7 am. At 4, she will have an interview for a job as a manager that she very much wants. She is nervous because she does not have some of the academic credentials of her competition, but hopes that her experience will be enough to persuade them to take a chance on her. All she needs to do is get home, get some sleep, and get ready.
But her landlord (Rizi Timane as Uche) tells her that her rent has not been paid and if he does not get the money by 6 pm she and Alyssa will be evicted, with everything in their apartment moved to the curb. It turns out Alyssa gave the rent money to her feckless boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) and he never gave it to Uche. A clock appears on screen to tell us how much time the women have before they’re evicted.
Keshawn lies about more than the money. He’s cheating on Alyssa with fiery red-head Berniece (Aziza Scott). When she blames Alyssa and Dreux for humiliating her, she decided to go after them to beat them up.
Thus, there’s a set-up with three ticking clocks, to be on time and presentable for the interview, to have the money for the landlord, and to hide from Berniece. More tension piles up as their car gets towed, their efforts to get money go haywire, and they manage to get in trouble with the local kingpin, who demands $5000 by midnight, adding another ticking clock.
But in the midst of all this the tension is just enough to create a frame around the Lucy-and-Ethel level of crazy shenanigans I do not want to spoil. I’ll just say there’s a lot of mayhem and ups and downs plus some harsh words and a reconciliation.
This movie is a lot smarter and, yes, even in the midst of the wild and crazy stuff, it has a lot more heart than you might expect. There are echoes of films like “Friday” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” but this is kinder to the characters (most of them) and to us. They are not clowns. They are just a couple of young women trying to make it in a world stacked against them, with resilience and ingenuity.
Early in the film, Dreux and Alyssa learn that their building (which they call “the jungle”) is getting its first white tenant. It turns out to be a friendly young woman named Bethany (Maude Apatow). Thankfully, she is neither presented as someone who is there to teach Dreux and Alyssa or to learn from them. She may have a different experience and vocabulary. Her apartment, unlike theirs, looks like the pictures on the building’s website, with crown molding and a working air conditioner. But she is genuine and would like to make friends.
Palmer and SZA are outstanding, but so is the supporting cast. Every encounter Druex and Alyssa have is buoyed by the actors in even the smallest roles. It is difficult to pick just a few to mention, but the most memorable include Katt Williams as a man who tries to warn the young women to stay away from a predatory lender (“If you don’t have the money this month, you won’t have it next month”), Keyla Monterroso Mejia as the intake officer at the lender who cannot hide her laughter at Dreux’s credit score (and listen for the voice of producer Issa Rae in the audio recording in the lender waiting room). There is some cartoonish slapstick at the blood bank and a power line, but there are also moments of kindness and support, with Vanessa Bell Calloway as a neighbor who runs a mini-bodega out of her apartment and Gabrielle Dennis as one of the executives interviewing Dreux. And there’s an almost Capra-esque moment of the community coming together as the young women learn that they had what they needed all along.
Parents should know that this movie has constant very strong language and slapstick violence, including a visit to the blood bank gone very wrong. There are humorous sexual references including a man’s revealing underwear and brief drug use. A gangster’s henchmen drop someone out of a window.
Family discussion: What would you do if you were in Dreux’s and Alyssa’s situation? How do they feel about Bethany and why? What did you think Maniac’s story was going to be?
If you like this, try: “Friday” and its sequels and “Up in Smoke”
Happy 2025! Here’s What’s Coming to Our Screens This Year
Posted on January 1, 2025 at 2:31 pm
Happy New Year! Here are some of the films I’m looking forward to in 2025. As usual, we’re getting a lot of remakes, reboots, sequels, and superheroes. We have movies coming out about Frankenstein and about the bride of Frankenstein. And as usual, the best part of looking ahead is knowing that this time next year some filmmakers I’ve never heard of who will surprise and delight us. {Release dates and other information may change.)
JANUARY
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl(Netflix, Jan. 3) Aardman films are always a delight and the dim, cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his devoted (though sometimes exasperated) Gromit are my favorites. This one features warring robot garden gnomes and the return of Feathers McGraw.
Back in Action (Netflix, January 17) The primary interest in this action comedy is the return of two beloved stars, Jamie Foxx, back after the health crisis he describes in his new comedy special, and Cameron Diaz, back after taking a break to be home with her family.
One of Them Days (Theaters, January 17) A wild action comedy starring Keke Palmer and Sza? About roommates whose friendship is tested on a day where the landlord needs the rent, a job interview has to go perfectly, and everything seems to get in the way? And Issa Rae producing? Can’t wait!
Wish You Were Here (Theatrical, January 17) Julia Stiles makes her directorial debut in a film based on the bestselling novel by Renée Carlino, Wish You Were Here. Isabelle Fuhrman, Mena Massoud, Jennifer Grey and Kelsey Grammer star, When the perfect night with a perfect stranger ends suddenly the next morning, Charlotte searches for answers and meaning in her disappointing life until she uncovers a secret that changes everything.
Alarum (Theatrical and VOD, January 17) Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, and Mike Colter star in a story about a couple, both spies, who go off the grid but are followed by some very dangerous people who feel strongly about getting a missing hard drive.
You’re Cordially Invited (Amazon, January 30) Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell head warring families who’ve mistakenly double-booked the same wedding venue. Written and directed by Nicholas Stoller (“The Five-Year Engagement), and co-starring two of my favorite up-and-coming comedy all-stars, Geraldine Viswanathan and Meredith Hagner.
Love Me (Theaters, January 31) “A postapocalyptic romance in which a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love after the end of human civilization.” They had me at buoy and satellite. The cast includes Kristen Stewart and Stephen Yeun.
FEBRUARY
Love Hurts (Theaters, February 7) Oscar-winners Ke Huy Quan and Ariana Debose team up in an action comedy about an apparently mild-mannered suburban realtor whose past as part of a ruthless crime syndicate. Former football player Marshawn Lynch, who was hilarious in “Bottoms,” co-stars.
Captain America: Brave New World (Theaters February 14) It’s a brave new Cap as Anthony Mackie takes over the role of the guy with the vibranium shield. IMDB lists Harrison Ford as “Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross / Red Hulk,” who is also the US President. Sounds great.
Paddington in Peru (Theaters, February 14) “Paddington 2” is still Rotten Tomatoes’ highest rated film. Will this one, with Paddington finally going to visit Aunt Lucy, do even better?
Cleaner (Theatrical, February 21) Activists take 300 hostages at a corporate gala to make a political point, but one of their group betrays them and plans to kill everyone. It happens that the window clear suspended 50 stories outside the building is ex-military and her younger brother is one of the hostages.
Old Guy (Theatrical and VOD, February 21) Christoph Waltz is the title character, a hitman who is forced to train his young replacement (Cooper Hoffman). When they learn they are being betrayed, the unlikely pair turns into a lethal team – with their double-crossing bosses in their sights. Lucy Liu co-stars in this action comedy from the director of “Con Air.”
The Unbreakable Boy (Theatrical, February 21) Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy play the parents of a boy with autism and brittle bone disease but an unquenchable spirit.
Uppercut (Theatrical and on demand, February 28) Ving Rhames plays a boxing coach, with Luise Großmann as the woman he trains, who becomes the manager of an up-and-coming fighter (Jordan E. Cooper).
MARCH
The Electric State (Netflix, March 14) “Stranger Things'” and “Enola Holmes” Millie Bobby Brown plays the sister of a missing man who gets help from a robot. The stacked cast includes Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, and Stanley Tucci.
MARCH
Snow White (Theaters, March 21) No one can convince me that Disney needs to make live-action versions of its classic animated films, but “West Side Story’s” Rachel Ziegler and Gal Gadot as the evil step-mother plus, I predict, a less passive heroine, will probably make this worth a look.
Mickey 17 (Theaters, March 17) Robert Pattinson plays an “expendable” who is rebooted every time he is no longer useful, from “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho.
APRIL
The Accountant 2 (Theaters, April 25) I’m a fan of the 2016 original, with Ben Affleck as an accountant on the autism spectrum who has some very special skills. I’m not sure anyone was waiting for a sequel, but the original writer and director are returning so I’m sure they have something special in mind.
MAY
Thunderbolts (Theatrical, May 2) It’s tempting to call this Temu Avengers or the B-team of second-tier Marvel characters. many we’ve seen as villains, with Florence Pugh is back as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and David Harbour as Red Guardian. This film adds Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster and Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost.
Lilo & Stitch (Theatrical, May 23) Another live-action remake from Disney, this time about the impish alien befriended by a spirited Hawaiian girl. The cast includes Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis and Courtney B. Vance.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Theatrical, May 23) We’ve been waiting for this one since 2022 and I’m guessing Tom Cruise is going to deliver the best stunts of the year. “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddington joins returning Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Vanessa Kirby.
JUNE
Ballerina (Theatrical, June 6) From the JWCU (John Wick Cinematic Universe) comes Ana de Armas as a ballet dancer turned assassin. I predict some very graceful and deadly pirouettes and tour jetes.
Elio (Theatrical. June 13) Pixar’s latest is about a boy who is mistaken by aliens for Earth’s leader. Voice talent includes Zoe Saldaña, Jameela Jamil, and Brad Garrett.
How to Train Your Dragon (Theatrical, June 13) ANOTHER live-action remake of a beloved animated film, this one from Universal. The writer and co-director of the original, Dean DeBlois is the writer/director and Gerard Butler returns as Stoick.
F1 (Theatrical, June 27) Brad Pitt and “Banshees of Inisherin” star Kerry Condon star in a film about Formula One racing.
JULY
(Theatrical, July 4) We don’t have a title or a teaser trailer, but what we do know is intriguing! Kendrick Lamar is producing and writers/directorsTrey Parker and Matt Stone (“South Park”) say this film is about a young Black man interning as a slave re-enactor at a living history museum who discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once enslaved his ancestors.
Superman (Theatrical, July 11) The man from Krypton is back, this time played by David Corenswet, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, the always-great Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and Krypto the super-dog, and, maybe, the Fortress of Solitude. James Gunn writes and directs.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Theatrical, July 25)
I hope they’ve finally given the F4 the movie they deserve. It does have a great cast: Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Ralph Ineson as Galactus and Julia Garner as Silver Surfer.
AUGUST
The Bad Guys 2 (Theatrical, August 1)
Can the bad guys make it as good guys? That becomes especially challenging when they run into the Bad Girls, voiced by Maria Baklava, Natasha Lyonne, and Danielle Brooks.
The Naked Gun (Theatrical, August 1) This reboot of the Leslie Nielsen comedies, from “The Lonely Island’s” Akiva Schaffer, stars Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and Paul Walter Hauser, with an appearance by Busta Rhymes.
The Naked Gun copyright 2025 Paramout
The Battle of Baktan Cross (Theatrical, August 8) The details are kept secret, but we do know this film is coming from P.T. Anderson and stars three Oscar winners; Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Benecio del Toro, along with Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall.
Freakier Friday (Theatrical, August 8) Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are back and swapping bodies again. Mark Harmon and Chad Michael Murray return with newcomers Julia Butters and “The Good Place’s” Manny Jacinto.
Copyright Disney 2024
SEPTEMBER
Downton Abbey 3 (Theatrical, September 12) Come on, you didn’t think we’d miss the wedding of Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton)!
The Bride (Theatrical, September 26) Maggie Gyllenhaal, who made a spectacular directing debut with “The Lost Daughter,” gives us a Frankenstein story set in 1930s Chicago. Her brother Jake is in the cast along with Christian Bale as the monster and Jessie Buckley as the murdered woman re-animated to be his bride. {No release information yet for the new Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac, with Jacob Elordi starring as the Monster, plus Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz and Felix Kammerer]
OCTOBER
Michael (Theatrical, October 3) Michael Jackson is portrayed by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in a film from Antoine Fuqua. Co-stars include Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo.
Regretting You (Theatrical, October 24) Based on another novel by “It Ends With Us” author Colleen Hoover, this has Allison Williams and McKenna Grace as a mother and daughter with a strained relationship. Dave Franco co-stars in a story of love, loss, secrets, and regret.
NOVEMBER
Begonia (Theatrical, November 7) Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone (“Kinds of Kindness,” “Poor Things”) reunite for a story about the kidnapping of a CEO.
Now You See Me 3 (Theatrical, November 14) Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan are back as the endlessly clever magicians who also pull heists.
Wicked: For Good (Theatrical, November 21) I’m guessing people are already booking tickets for the sequel to one of 2024’s most beloved films. I predict the box office returns will defy gravity.
Zootopia 2 (Theatrical, November 26) The Oscar-winning original was a fresh, funny, and heartwarming surprise, so this one is high on my list. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are joined by the very busy Ke Huy Quan.
The Running Man (Theatrical, November 27) Did I think we needed a remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film about the wrongly accused cop who has to compete in a deadly game? Not really, until I heard who’s involved: Director Edgar Wright and star Glenn Powell.
DECEMBER
Avatar: Fire and Ash (Theatrical, December 19) We don’t know much about it, but we know it will look beautiful and sell a lot of tickets.
The Spongebob Movie: Search for SquarePants (Theatrical, December 19) More from the denizens of Bikini Bottom.
