Supergirl

Posted on June 25, 2026 at 6:08 pm

Lowest Recommended Age:	Middle School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking
Profanity:	Some strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and drunkenness, cigar smoking
Violence/ Scariness:	Extended comic book violence, graphic and disturbing images, parents killed, home destroyed
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	June 26, 2026

Last year, “Superman” gave us David Corenswet as an optimistic, trusting, honorable Boy Scout of a superhero, one who said that that was the real punk rock. And in a scene in the credits, we saw that his cousin Kara/Supergirl (Milly Alcock) is a complete mess and also very attached to superdog Krypto.

Now, in “Supergirl,” that is where we start, with Kara celebrating her 23rd birthday with an inter-planetary pub crawl. Every night is a different planet and a different bar and every morning is the same hangover. Throughout this film, Superman will try to get in touch with Kara and encourage her to come “home.” But she does not see Earth as home. We will learn more about her grief and the source of her trauma later. Unlike Superman, who was sent from the exploding Krypton as a baby and found a loving home on Earth, Kara was a teenager when she lost her home and parents and has severe PTSD.

Those who know the backstory of the refugees from Krypton will remember that one of the sources of their superpowers on earth is our yellow sun, instead of the red sun on Krypton. So when we see that she is getting drunk on a planet with a red sun we know that she does not have the super-strength, invulnerability, or laser vision she has on Earth or any other yellow sun planet. But, we will learn, she likes to drink on yellow sun planets because without superpowers she is more susceptible to the effects of alcohol.

I always say that superhero movies, and really most action movies, depend more on the bad guys than the good guys, and in this case our bad guy is the genuinely terrifying Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) an inter-planetary brigand with a face covered with studs who specializes in senseless violence, not so much because he enjoys it but because it is meaningless. We see him kill a modest man who is a legendary crafter of swords, along with his wife and son, even though they made no effort to keep him from stealing their cache of weapons. The young daughter, Ruthye (Eve Ridley) hides and sees it all. She is determined to kill Krem, so “True Grit”-style she goes to a bar full of rowdy, cut-throat outlaws to find someone to help her. This is not “Planet Hail Mary” so no one cares about details like whether the gravity and oxygen and language/communication and technology on other planets are all as easy to reach as the next stop on the subway and pretty much the same, aside from some “Star Wars” cantina-style creatures in the bar scenes.) Also, like Mattie in “True Grit,” she has an oddly formal, old-fashioned way of speaking, plus, for some reason, a British accent.

One of the bar creatures steals Ruthye’s sword, and Kara, drunk, without her powers, but perhaps identifying a little with the girl goes after the thief. It’s always good to see a fight scene that has a little extra zhuzh to it, and seeing Kara fight a gigantic, scary-looking guy without her powers and with impaired judgment adds interest. There’s nice zhuzh in some of the the other fights, another one with Kara impaired and especially when Kara fights three maurading women who have technology that enables them to disappear briefly and re-appear in another nearby location.

Even though Kara keeps telling Ruthye she will not help her, circumstances keep pushing them together. Krem takes Kara’s ship and shoots Krypto with a poison that takes three days to kill. This gives her a mission and a deadline. They also meet up with cigar-chompin’, motorcycle-ridin’, now it’s a party all-purpose ruffian Lobo (Jason Momoa) who shows up now and then, not to rescue Kara or Ruthye, just to join in.

It’s a little messy. But so is Kara, and her path to being a bit less messy by the end is worth watching.

NOTE: You do NOT need to stay to the end of the credits. No exta scenes.

Parents should know that this is a superhero film with constant comic-book-style action, peril and violence with many characters injured and killed and some graphic and disturbing images. Two young women lose their families. Young women are kidnapped with the intent to rape and impregnate them. Characters use strong language and Supergirl/Kara drinks to get drunk and numb her pain.

Family discussion: How did Ruthie change Kara’s ideas about herself? What is the difference between being nice and being good. What is the meaning of the moment when Kara decides to wear the uniform Superman gave her? Why is it SuperMAN and SuperGIRL?

If you like this try: “Superman” and the “Supergirl” television series.

Toy Story 5

Posted on June 18, 2026 at 11:16 am

A-

Lowest Recommended Age:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor
Profanity:	None
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Cartoon-style peril and action, no one badly hurt
Diversity Issues:	A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	June 19, 2026

The toys are back in town! Thankfully, we may grow older, but they stay the same. Well, almost. It’s been 36 years since “Toy Story,” the first feature-length computer animated film, dazzled us with its technical brilliance but was unforgettable because of its heart and wit and irresistible characters. Remember that the reason Pixar’s first feature was about plastic toys was that smooth, shiny surfaces was pretty much the only thing they could create in those early years of digital animation. Even then, right at the very beginning, Pixar addressed the complications of changes in technology, in the potential replacement of a beloved cloth-covered cowboy toy who had a pull-string with a plastic space adventurer who had wings and a light-up wrist weapon. And even then, in what would become one of Pixar’s most perceptive and meaningful themes, the bittersweet changes that come with growing up. Endearingly, it is also about the beauty of imagination, with the series itself a perfect exemplar. I love Pixar’s love for the weirdos because they are the ones who grow up and create magic.

One of my favorite details from the first film was the difference in the way Andy wrote his name on the boots of the two toys. He got Woody (Tom Hanks) when he was younger, so the N was backwards. But he had learned more when he received Buzz, and wrote his name correctly. And one of my favorite details from the series overall is that the first film begins with a painted sky on Andy’s ceiling. Then, when he leaves for college, having given his toys to Bonnie, we see him leaving, with the real, endless sky above him. These show the care that goes into every detail and the vision that extends beyond each film.

Every move toward independence and adulthood means leaving something behind. The “Toy Story” series has served as something of a meta-measuring stick to help us consider our own changes, with the children who saw the first one in theaters now bringing their own children to part 5. And through the magic of animation, they are able to appreciate that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen may get older, but they are still our Woody and Buzz.

Now in the fifth episode, it is all about new technology, this time as a central theme, explored with insight, adventure, and hilarious jokes. At 8, Bonnie still loves playing with her toys, and the movie begins with a hilarious “wedding” between Forky (Tony Hale) and Karen Beverly (Knifey, voiced by Melissa Villaseñor) that is disrupted when the maid of honor, Rex the T-Rex (Wallace Shawn) is poisoned.

Two new children have moved in across the street, but Bonnie is more comfortable with imaginary friends than real ones and is too shy to ask them to play with her. Her classmates have given up toys to play with LilyPad (Greta Lee), and Bonnie’s parents think she might be able to connect with them virtually, so they get one for her.

At first, it seems to work well. Bonnie is accepted into the virtual friend group and loves playing games so much she all but forgets her analog toys. She is delighted when she is asked to a slumber party, but the girls make fun of her for bringing her Jessie (Joan Cusack) doll. Bonnie wants to be a part of the group so she pretends to be too grown-up for toys, leading to one of the best movie lines of the year. Rex says, “Extinction! Not again!”

The toys are devastated, and the story allows Woody and Duke Kaboom (Keanu Reeves) who in the last epsiode were off on their own, to come back for support. Jessie is the heart of this epsiode, though, and with her trusty horse Bullseye, she is the one who figures out how to get Bonnie a friend and leads the rest through their adventures. She also learns some important lessons that help her understand her value and heal some past hurts.

There are some new characters, including discarded toys with once state-of-the-art tech that is now charmingly nostalgic. They include a potty-training aid called Smarty Pants providing some poop humor (Conan O’Brien), a hippo-shaped map toy named Atlas (Craig Robinson), and a camera toy with pixels almost as big as a postage stamp called Snappy (Shelby Rabara). Even though we see him only briefly, I have to mention the plastic slice of pizza with sunglasses because he is voiced by Super Bowl superstar Bad Bunny.

Even Buzz gets an tech upgrade as we meet crates-full of new and improved Buzzes that have some cool new functions but just as much existential confusion as Buzz in the first movie.

As often happens in “Toy Story,” the characters get separated from their child and each other, so there is a lot of adventure along the way. And there are new human characters, including a horse-loving girl named Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris) who could also use a friend who shares her love of imagination. Past “Toy Story” villains have included Sid, who loved to take the toys apart and blow them up, and Al, who saw the value of toys only in what he could get from selling mint, never-played-with versions. The threat here, from LilyPad, who begins by feeling threatened herself by the analog toys and committed to helping Bonnie “reach all of her developmental goals,” is tempered by a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of what it means to be useful, and recognition that it is difficult to lose a child to aging out of the toy stage, but what you give them helps them forever.

NOTE: Stay through the credits for extra scenes.

Parents should know that this movie includes peril and action, with no serious injuries, as well as a sensitive exploration of issues of agency, identity, and loss. And some poop humor.

Family discussion: What is or was your favorite toy and why? Which is your favorite of Bonnie’s toys? When do you use your imagination?

If you like this try: The “Toy Story” series and all of the Pixar films

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Posted on May 21, 2026 at 5:22 pm

B +

Lowest Recommended Age:	Middle School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action
Profanity:	None
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Extended sci-fi action, peril, and violence, sci-fi weapons, blasters, swords, explosions, very scary monsters
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	May 22, 2026

If the words “Mandalorian” and “Grogu” are unfamiliar to you, but you like sci-fi/action movies with a warm heart and visual imagination plus exciting fight scenes and crazy monsters are more important than “Project Hail Mary”-style scientific authenticity, you will enjoy “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe and have watched every episode of the “Mandalorian” television series, you wil really enjoy “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” I’m somewhere in the middle and I thought it was a lot of fun.

A quick refresher for those who are unfamiliar with this part of the Star Wars universe: Mandalorians are kind of like Jedis (with whom they were once at war), but with a wider range of fighting skills and an honor code rather than The Force. They are a clan-based warrior culture from the planet Mandalore. They share some qualities with ninjas, some with knights, some with Western heroes like the Lone Ranger. They wear armor from an impenetrable metal, including helmets that cover their faces at all times. Having their faces exposed is a very deep dishonor.

The three seasons of the television series take place five years after the Empire has been defeated and the democratic regime called the New Republic is in its early stages. The title character is a Mandalorian bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) who was sent to capture someone who turned out to be an infant of the same species as Yoda. Instead of completing his mission, Din rescues the baby, named Grogu and they have various adventures together. By the time of this movie, Grogu is still quite young, not talking but learning and mastering his powers, including levitation, and they are closely attached.

This film begins with a fight scene as Din takes on and takes out a cell of pro-Empire conspirators and a series of Storm Troopers, filmed like a first person shooter game, introducing newcomers and reminding fans of his extraordinay skills with every possible kind of weapon, plus being able to dodge every one of a barrage of bullets, along with cool gadgets many of which are a part of his armor. Including a jet pack.

“It got messy,” he explains to his boss (Signourney Weaver, fabulous as always). She sighs and gives him a new assignment: the twin siblings of the late giant evil slug, Jabba the Hutt, need Din to rescue their nephew, Jabba’s son, Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) has been kidnapped, and they’ve agreed that if Rotta is returned to them, they will reveal the location of one of the New Republic’s most wanted criminals.

The ensuing adventures include a variety of different settings, from a “Blade Runner”-style decadent city with a four-armed food truck cook amusingly voiced by Martin Scorsese to some cute, gremlin-like tiny mechanics. Grogu is adorable. The contrast between his solomn expression, extraordinary powers, and childlike perspective — wait until you see him try to hit all the buttons on the navigation console of the spaceship — is charming. And when he tries to hide Din from the bad guys, he does something very smart and also very funny. Note the villians here, more like drug kingpins and petulent but cruel bureaucrats than the powerful and scary Darth Vadar and Darth Maul.

Director and co-screenwriter Jon Favreau gives Din a bit of an Iron Man set-up, with his built-in jet pack and cool built-in gadgets. He balances the heart, humor, and excitement effectively and the action scenes are well staged (please, see it in IMAX) and paced. Pascal somehow makes a character in full-body armor and a face-covering helmet feel human, or humanoid, whatever they are on that planet. It’s not especially memorable, but it is fun.

Parents should know that this is a sci-fi action movie with many fight scenes and scary monsters. There are guns, knives, swords, hand-to-hand fights, robots, and explosions.

Family discussion: Din has to choose whether to save another character knowing he is putting himself at great risk. What would you do and why? Colonel Ward decides to help one enemy to defeat a more dangerous enemy. Do you agree?

If you like this, try: the television series, “Andor” and all of the Star Wars ouvre, especially the first three films

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Posted on April 30, 2026 at 5:06 pm

B +

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for strong language and some suggestive references
Profanity:	Strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Alcohol
Violence/ Scariness:	None
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	May 1, 2026

Witty barbs, fabulous fashion, a touch of romance, some big name cameos and a sensational surprise appearance by a superstar singer — this sequel to the film that was foundational for a generation of millennials is worth the wait. There is a lot to love for those who are most familiar with the original (look for Andy’s cerulean blue sweater and a pair of near-identical belts) but returning screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna knows that the world has changed and her characters have, too.

In the original, based on the novel by former Vogue intern Lauren Weisberger, the fashion magazine plays an enormously influential role in a multibillion dollar industry. It’s not that Runway editor in Chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) can just get away with being legendarily imperious and laser-focused; she needs to be to do that job. Well, possibly she does not need to be quite so demanding, but as we saw when she acknowledged the reality of a second divorce in one of the first film’s key scenes, she has feelings and even moments of vulnerability.

Times have changed. When we last saw Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), she was the second assistant to Miranda, essentially getting coffee, dropping off the draft versions of the magazine at Miranda’s home, and hanging up her coat. She was also being terrorized by the first assistant, Emily (Emily Blunt) and getting some support from the magazine’s loyal photo editor, Nigel (Stanley Tucci).

In the opening scene of the new film, Andy and the newspaper she works for receive prestigious journalism awards just as the entire staff is fired and the publication shut down by its new owners, some sort of investor group that sees them only as a balance sheet liability. Where the first film was based on the then-reasonable assumption that journalism produced credible information that was widely respected, even a speciality publication like a fashion magazine, this one recognizes that people are as likely to get their information from social media as a newspaper and that as a result of the cacophony of information and re-alignment of advertising and other revenue sources, the providers have become siloed and shrill.

Runway, perhaps from the pressure to publish constantly, made an embarrassing mistake in an article about a fast fashion brand and is widely derided for it. (The memes online are very funny). The wealthy owner of Runway and other publications, Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) wants to respond by bringing in someone with excellent credentials as a journalist. So he hires Andy as Runway’s features editor without asking or even notifying Miranda. Her first assignment is to accompany Miranda and Nigel to grovel before one of their biggest advertisers, Dior, now led by Emily. And Miranda says to her, “All I need to do is bide my time until you fail.”

Miranda’s diva behavior may be diminished in light of the altered status of the magazine and a complaint to HR that now has her hanging up her own coats. But she is still a Dowager Duchess-level purveyor of acid commentary and Streep, as always is never short of magnificent, clearly relishing the opportunity to make Miranda more complex and real. Blunt, whose appearance in the first film was a major breakthrough for her, also gets to do more with Emily. All three are spectacular.

The men in the lives of these women are Kenneth Branagh as Miranda’s violinist husband (supportive), Justin Theroux as Emily’s billionaire boyfriend (comically arrogant), and Pete (Patrick Brammall), a dashing new love interest for Andy. They are very much secondary characters and do very well with it. Also worth spotting: Pauline Chalamet as a Runway staffer, Lucy Liu as a sought-after cover story subject, and many real-world celebrities, especially at Miranda’s Hamptons party, including Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad,, Jenna Bush Hager, Naomi Campbell, Winnie Harlow, Donatella Versace, Molly Jong-Fast.

And the fashion! Wild and stunning. The glamor includes a fabulous fashion show in Milan in addition to the eye-popping ensembles of the stars. Watch for Streep’s amazing tassel jacket, which should inspire a lot of ransacking of thrift stores from DIY fashionistas.

The balance of fashion, fun, and character development keeps things moving and it’s thoughtful enough to have some meaning but light enough to be entertaining. A lot has changed in the worlds of fashion and journalism in two decades, but director David Frankel, screenwriter McKenna, and the powerhouse cast know what it takes to make a movie as irresistibly appealing as a classic little black dress.

Parents should know that this film has some strong language and some suggestive references. Characters drink alcohol.

Family discussion: What news sources do you like and why? What outfit in the movie was your favorite? Should Andy write the book?

If you like this, try: “The Devil Wears Prada” and a great documentary about Vogue, “The September Issue“

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Posted on April 2, 2026 at 3:06 pm

Lowest Recommended Age:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for action, mild violence and rude humor
Profanity:	Mild schoolyard language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Fantasy/videogame peril and violence. kidnapping, imprisonment, fire
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	April 3, 2026

Fair warning. I have never played Super Mario and have only the slightest acquaintance with his world and characters. For me, the best part of the film was hearing the appreciative laughs and gasps of the fans in the theater who were very happy to recognize their favorite elements and anticipate how they would fit into the story.

The story, of course is the issue when a game becomes a film. Instead of the interaction a player has with a game, we need a narrative that puts the story where the game-y parts go. And on that basis, at least to a newbie, like the first one, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” does pretty well.

Rosalina (Brie Larson) is the devoted adoptive mother of the sweet, star-like Lumas, and watcher of the cosmos. They love her bedtime stories about the plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), who rescue Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy).

And then a giant robot attacks and it is Rosalina who has to be rescued. She fights back fiercely until one of her star babies is in peril, and they are both captured by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), son of Bowser (Jack Black), who was defeated and shrunk down to dollhouse size in the last episode. Bowser Jr. is determines to avenge his father: “From the ashes of his defeat rises a new emperor.”

Princess Peach is having a birthday celebration, but she is sitting alone. Mario arrives to give her a gift, a pretty pink parasol, and she tells him it is not her birthday but the anniversary of the day the mushroom people found her. She wishes she could find her family of origin.

All of this will come together, along with many other Super Mario characters and settings (and in-jokes) all very colorful and more silly than scary. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach are joined by Yoshi (Donald Glover) and by Bowser Sr., who gets his size back, improves his anger management, and joins the good guys, at least until he is reunited with his son.

Is it essentially an informercial for the games and merch? Of course it is. But is is good-hearted and colorful, and has genuine affection for the fans.

Parents should know that this film includes extended cartoon fantasy-style peril and violence. The issues of adoption and family separation are gently handled but may be upsetting for some children.

Family discussion: Should Mario and Luigi have believed Bowser when he promised to help them? Which version of Super Mario is your favorite?

If you like this, try: the games and the first film

NOTE: Stay ALL the way to the end for an extra scene