Kiss the Ground (2020)

 

Kiss the Ground is a fascinating documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson. It gives a look into one of the simplest things we can do to combat climate change: regenerative agriculture. 

The way farming currently works, farmers till the soil in order to be able to plant crops. Tilling the soil year after year leads to desertification. Regenerative agriculture allows for crops to grow year round without ruining the soil which in turn causes carbon dioxide to be absorbed. If enough farmers around the world switch to this, not only will it benefit them more in the long run, it can actually reverse the effects of climate change.

We are shown different farmers who have made this change and scientists who show us the benefits of regenerative agriculture. It requires farmers to make changes to how farming has been done for centuries, but the benefits outweigh anything else.

This is a fascinating film and one filled with hope. The solution is so simple and attainable.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

 

Seven years later, the sequel to "Ready or Not" has arrived.

"Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" picks up exactly where the original left off. Grace McCauley sits on the steps on her in laws home smoking a cigarette after surviving her new husband and his family's intent on sacrificing her.

To quickly recap: Grace marries into a family where it is tradition to play a game on a wedding night. Grace drew hide and seek which means she must hide from the family until dawn or she will be killed.

As the family are Satanists, failure to sacrifice her means they must die as punishment.

Grace coming out of the game alive should mean that she can move on with her life. Unfortunately, her former in laws were one of six families in this particular cult and now the other families get to hunt her down in an effort to win the power to rule over everything.

Premise wise it is exactly like the prequel. So, if you're looking for a fun repeat of the first one then this is the sequel for you.

What the sequel does have is two stand out characters. Elijah Wood plays a lawyer who is there to ensure that the remaining families follow all the rules and Kathryn Newton plays Grace's younger sister Faith who is dragged into this round of the hunt.

Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton play off of each other very well. The rest of the cast bring great elements, but Sarah Michelle Geller and Shawn Hatosy as the Danforth twins bring a fun dynamic as the ones who want to ensure their family stays in power.

There is blood. There is gore. There is a whole lot of fun. To see how it all plays out, check it out for yourself.

Wake Up Dead Man (2025)

 I'm a sucker for Rian Johnson's Knives Out series. I have enjoyed every single installment. The latest one is no exception. This one takes place in the sleepy town of Chimney Rock, a fictional town in upstate New York.

The film begins at a seminary. Father Jud Duplencity (Josh O'Conner) punches another priest and as a former boxer, knocks him out. An incident that happened during his boxing career has left Father Jud feeling guilty. This guilt has led him to God and is determined to bring Christ's love to his flock.

After this incident, he is assigned to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude where he will assist Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). He represents everything a priest should not be. Despite this, Monsignor Wicks has a devoted following. He is unhappy that Father Jud has been assigned to his church. He tries to make Father Jud as uncomfortable possible in any way he can including during his weekly confessions.

Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close) is the church's - and therefore Monsignor's - most devoted follower. She is involved in everything the church does and does everything for the church. Monsignor Wicks' grandfather was like father to Martha and she has been devoted ever since she was a child.

The other devoted members of the church are groundskeeper Samson (Thomas Hayden Church), author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), attorney Vera Draven (Kerry Washington) and her son Cy (Daryl McCormack). It should be noted that Cy is not actually her son. Vera's father previously worked as Monsignor Wick's attorney and showed up one day with a 10-year-old boy and told Vera she was now in charge of raising him. 

This cast of characters are all going to be suspects in the murder. The mystery begins when the victim is murdered in the storage closet found next to the pulpit with no seemingly possible way for the murder to have occurred. The town's sheriff (Mila Kunis) brings in detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to help solve the murder.

As usual this is a fun mystery and the resolution is as satisfying as it was in Knives Out.

The film is witty. Josh O'Conner is fantastic as the guilt ridden priest looking to turn his life around and make a positive impact on his community. Daniel Craig continues to impress with his deep southern dialect. My only complaint is that so many great actors are underused. I was happy to see Jeffrey Wright make an appearance, but was disappointed to see he only appears in the beginning and the end. Kerry Washington and Cailee Spaeny are also underused. While they are official suspects and an audience member, you never really suspect them. Still I had fun watching this one and as long as they continue to be this engaging, I will continue to enjoy them.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

 

It's easy to get bogged down by all the negativity going on in the world. It's easy to see all the ugly in the world and ignore all the beauty. Project Hail Mary is based on the novel by Andy Weir and it's full of unexpectedly tender moments. Ryan Gosling stars as a reluctant astronaut who wakes up all alone in space, but meets someone unexpected who reminds him of all there is to fight for.

Gosling is Ryland Grace and we first meet him as he wakes up from an induced coma in a spaceship far from Earth. He's disoriented and has no memory of what he's doing there. The ship provides him with technical support, but no information beyond that. He also discovers that he's the sole survivor of the crew of three. He looks through belongings and ship logs, but nothing immediately jogs his memory.

We piece his story little by little through a series of flashbacks. Grace is a science teacher who lets his students know that the sun is slowly dying. Space organisms are eating it and it only has about 30 years before it's gone and the Earth is sent into a catastrophic extinction. One day he is approached by scientist Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller). He assists Stratt with the investigation into the "astrophage" and eventually ends up on the mission. 

Grace is utterly alone. He has no idea why he's there and he has no one to ask. Eventually though he forms a friendship with an unlikely creature while in space. He comes across another spaceship and while he tries to escape from it, it is relentless in its pursuit and eventually makes contact with him. The other creature is the sole survivor of his mission. The creature is an extra terrestrial who looks like a pile of rocks and communicates initially with models. As the ETs spaceship is much more advanced, it manages to connect the two ships so that the two can meet face to face. Grace is able to connect his computer to a microphone and he starts making a dictionary of the ET's sounds so they can communicate via speech. Eventually he names the creature Rocky.

One of the things I was excited to find out was that this entire film was made using practical effects so Rocky is brought to life by an actual puppet instead of CGI. To me, this just makes the little creature all the more special. Grace and Rocky form a bond as they work together to save their respective planets. Grace knows that he will die on this mission. Rocky's planet is also in danger of being destroyed by the astrophage. The two are soon inseparable. They learn about each other and their lives. Rocky is able to make models of just about anything so they can get a visual of anything they are working on. Together they set out to save their planets and Rocky is determined to also help Grace get back home. After all, Rocky is no longer alone and is able to fix Grace's problem. 

This is one of those films with a fake out ending. When you think the film is going to end, it doesn't and it is at this moment that film starts too feel a little too long. This project is different from directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord's previous works, but their previous works speak for themselves. They make good films and work well together. Ryan Gosling captures the loneliness of a man in space and the excitement of making a connection. He is the heart and soul of the film. Without his strong performance the film would suffer. He is smart, but charming. Once he teams up with Rocky, the film truly begins to soar. I'm sure having a tactile puppet to play off of rather than a green screen ball helped. Gosling is fantastic in the role. The unexpected team up is a wonderful way to remember that beauty can be found all around. It's also a good reminder that sometimes what we think we want, is not what we end up needing. 

Hamnet (2025)

 

This is an absolute beautiful film about love, loss, family and grief. 

If you decide to watch this film, you must also be prepared to cry. 

What is most beautiful about this film is Jessie Buckley's performance led by Chloe Zhao's direction in which she encouraged her actors to follow all their instincts and led to one of the most poignant displays of grief ever put on film.

Zhao also trusts the silences of life and allowed quiet moments to speak as powerfully as the louder moments.

The film is based on the novel by Maggie O'Farrell which is a fictional story that focuses more on Shakespeare's wife Agnes "Anne" Hathaway rather than the famous bard himself.

Not much is known about Hathaway other than the fact she was married to Shakespeare which leaves a lot of room to play with her and flesh out her story.

We do also know that Shakespeare and Hathaway's son Hamnet died at the age of 11 and this is more than likely the catalyst that led Shakespeare to write Hamlet.

Hamnet is Agnes's story.

She was a real person who we know little about.

Zhao and Buckley brough Agnes to life and allowed us to know her beyond being Shakespeare's wife.

We are introduced to Agnes in the forest where she is known by the local villagers as a witch. William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) meets her and is immediately besotted with her and their romance begins after some initial hesitation on her part. 

They marry and eventually Shakespeare moves to London to pursue his career while Agnes stays in Stratford-upon-Avon to raise their three children: Susannah, and twins Hamnet and Judith.

Jessie Buckley instantly captures the audience with her performance. She's wild, free, restrained, understated, and powerful in her portrayal.

The supporting cast are all incredible as well, but I have to give a big shoutout to Jacobi Jupe who played Hamnet and truly captured the painful death.

The shots are absolutely beautiful filled with saturated colors when surrounded by Agnes's beloved forest, but dull and muted to reflect how being indoors makes her feel.

Even knowing the concept the story, it still hits you like a gut punch and you feel everything so viscerally.

This is a slow film in the sense that it allows moments to build to the point where you find yourself completely immersed in the story without trying too hard to draw you in.

This is a beautiful look at grief, motherhood and life as a whole.

4 stars.

Hoppers (2026)

 

This was so wacky. Hoppers follows Mabel (Piper Curda) an environmental activist who is determined to save the glade she grew up visiting. The mayor is planning on building a highway through it and as long as no animals live there, he has permission to build. Mabel discovers that one of her professors has created a machine that allows them to inhabit a robot animal and communicate with the wildlife.

It's cute and completely unexpected in execution. The film takes several unexpected turns. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it makes for a fun ride, but it's missing some of Pixar's signature cohesion and charm. That being said there are beautiful moments that tug at the heartstrings and the animals are cute. The animals look more beady eyed and natural when the humans are humans and more expressive and cartoonish when humans are inhabiting the robot bodies and able to communicate with them. Even when they do not have their cartoonish expressions, the animators are able to communicate effectively even in the animals' more natural states.

 This definitely caters more to the children in the audience. As someone who is not a child, I still had a good time, though some moments were a little too outrageous for me. I don't think this film will go down in Pixar history as one of the greats, but is it a viewing experience I would do again? Definitely.

4 stars 

Heathers (1988)

 

3.5 Stars

I had never seen this film before although I had heard of it.

Winona Ryder and Christian Slater star as two high school students who set out to fix the class and bullying issues at their school by murdering their fellow classmates, but framing them as suicides.

I can completely understand why it is a cult classic. Dark and funny it adds a different perspective to the usual teen focused films.