Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (2026)

An informal sitdown with the director/writer/actor/producer extraordinaire, recounting his storied career through new interviews and a wealth of archival materials culled from his 75+ year career. Literally 99 at the time of release, Brooks remains a natural showman and a gifted storyteller, demonstrating a brilliant mind of quick wit and even quicker retorts, while exploring the many contradictory sides to the man; comedy icon, serious introspective, political provocateur. Yet he proves himself to be a real mensch. This extensive deep dive interweaves his body of work with his private life; his longtime marriage to Anne Bancroft and his lifelong friendship with Carl Reiner. And death. A lifetime of death and tragedy follow you when you're the 2000 Year Old Man.

All of this rare footage is so entertaining and engrossing that it's hard not to develop a ton of respect for someone who claims to be so tasteless and ribald, yet has contributed such a lasting legacy to film. I'm glad I saw it while he's still alive because I expect it would hit a lot differently after the fact.

4 more hits than flops out of 5

Note: Features the final on-screen interviews of David Lynch and Rob Reiner.

Dead Man's Wire (2025)

Based on a true story, a man falling behind on his payments decides to take his mortgage broker hostage until his demands are met, placing him in a makeshift "dead man's line" by attaching the trigger of a shotgun to the hostage's neck by a wire to prevent means of escape. It's designed to feel much like a 1970s throwback thriller (where the events are set), similar to Dog Day Afternoon, complete with Al Pacino. While the premise is very straightforward, and Bill Skarsgård inhabits the role, the half-baked plot is unfocused, meandering and less than exciting. Feels like they're running out of true events to adapt.

2½ cubes of ice in milk out of 5

BlackBerry (2023)

1996: Waterloo, Ontario. Mike and Doug are two tech geniuses with an idea who hire the shrewd, aggressive Jim as salesman to whip their business into shape and start churning out results, in what would eventually become the prototype for the smartphone. Normally I find movies about start-ups boring, and I'm not sure how many liberties were taken, but it's a lot more interesting than it has any right to be, mostly due to the charisma of its two main leads. Innovation is the name of the game, and the BlackBerry was advanced for its time, but the world moves quickly and nothing ever stays the same for long.

3½ satisfying clicks out of 5

Liar Liar (1997)

A lawyer who can't lie. Hilarity ensues. This might have been a forgettable comedy if not for the brilliant physical comedic performance of Jim Carrey, and it is gleefully profane for a "family" film. I'm always surprised they never tried milking this idea for all it's worth, because it's such a great concept to suppress one's natural instincts. Jim is at the top of his game here and it shows.

4 reeeee blue pens out of 5

Hot Shots! (1991)

Director Jim Abrahams launches a full-scale barrage on Top Gun and other popular films of the era in another high benchmark of the spoof comedy genre. Firing on all cylinders, this is in some ways even funnier and more relentless than Airplane! and The Naked Gun. Charlie Sheen and Lloyd Bridges understood the assignment and completely lean into the buffoonery. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think there may be TOO many jokes; but when the hit rate is this high, you can't really complain. At a breezy 82 minutes, you can watch this movie over and over again, and notice new gags each time. You can't take any part of this film seriously, and that's perfectly fine with me.

4½ Bogies out of 5

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)

This entire series is the very definition of ephemeral entertainment. It's fun and exciting in the moment, but it just doesn't stay with you after it's over. At the best of times, it's a mindless popcorn flick; at the worst of times, it's smug and insufferable. How much longer can we keep pretending nothing is going to happen to this Gary Stu character? How many times can they make the impossible possible? These movies are filled with such clichés that only exist to feed Cruise's massive ego as a billionaire movie star adrenaline junkie.

This time, Tommy Boy goes up against the very concept of AI itself; a rogue system known as The Entity that spells the end of all mankind (if we're lucky). The biggest misstep of this installment is that it's long and occasionally boring. There are three memorable set pieces featured, and these are what make the movie worthwhile, especially the "big stunt" in the final hour of the picture. 

Fact: Every M:I movie is longer than the one that came before. Now we're up to 2 hours and 45 minutes to tell an incomplete story without an ending, as this was merely devised as "Part One"—to be concluded in The Final Reckoning.

2½ half-keys out of 5

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

Adding explosions and panache to the real life story of Operation Postmaster, a group of special forces soldiers are secretly recruited by the British government to carry out a black ops sabotage mission to hijack and infiltrate a Nazi stronghold in 1940s German-occupied Europe. Guy Ritchie is usually more hit than miss, but this was a misfire on all counts, from its lackluster action sequences to its dull, hollow execution. If you like shallow action flicks that go boom, this one is for you. The heavily fictionalized events portrayed here were also apparently the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond character. 

1½ U-boats out of 5

Twister (1996)

I wasn't particularly a fan of this disaster flick when it was released 30 years ago, but it's only increased in '90s kitsch value for me. A meteorologist takes her soon-to-be ex-husband out on an inadvertent tornado hunt, as she attempts to deploy a new-fangled device within its vortex to further her scientific research. If you're a fan of seeing wind blowing shit, this'll be right up your alley. It's charming specifically because of the chemistry between Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton (R.I.P.), who bicker and argue all the way up to its very predictable conclusion. Don't think about it too hard and you'll find something to enjoy in it.

3 displaced flying cows out of 5

Race Against Time (2000)

James Gabriel needs money if he's to pay his son's medical bills. If he doesn't find the cash promptly then the boy will die. It's the future, so there are ways, but there are also consequences – the big business type!
Without changing a single thing in the screenplay, if RAT had been made by someone like Cameron or Scott and starred whoever flavour of the month is at Hollywood Towers then it would've made millions at the summer box office; not because those guys are considered better directors than Geoff Murphy, but because it would've received more hype and more distribution. The script has everything in it that a typical, cleverer than usual, summer science fiction blockbuster has – even an amped-up action movie ending that sullies most of what came before it. As it exists, by TV standards, which is where it found a home, it's a better than average flick.

3 resource bracelets out of 5

THE PRINCESS BRIDE [1987]

Rob Reiner delivers a heavily quotable comedic fantasy/romance with The Princess Bride, based upon William Goldman's novel of the same name.
Framed around the story of a grandfather reading his grandson the novel about a dashing mysterious farmhand who must rescue the love of his life from a dastardly smug king, while running into all sorts of interesting folks & creatures along the way.
Reiner & co. do a fantastic job of balancing sweetness, silliness and adventure without ever tipping to far into any tone to become a unbalanced parody of itself.  Blessed with a wicked yet silly sense of humor, a passionate love for fantasy material and a wonderful cast that is safe for all ages.

4½ rodents of unusual size out of 5

A CHRISTMAS CAROL [2009]

Robert Zemeckis continues his fascination with motion-capture animation in yet another adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. 

This time around it's Jim Carrey assuming the role of Ebenezer Scrooge and he does a pretty damned fine job at it.  Unfortunately, the film never really finds itself a heart and we're left with an entertaining performance, some interesting set-pieces and absolutely gorgeous animation.  When it all comes down to it you're left wondering if perhaps Zemeckis should have used live-action instead of animation to capture the soul of the story.  

3 multiples roles out of 5

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

F. W. Murnau’s famous vampire film Nosferatu (1922) experiences a few problems during filming, and the crew begin to suspect that the guy with the teeth, Max Schreck, may in fact be the real deal. There are some wonderful parallels with the original film, and using modern film techniques to play around on a 1920’s film set is great fun for a while, but the script flounders once the initial novelty wears off. The ending saves the day and may well leave you thinking the rest of it was better than it actually was. Willem Dafoe gives a first-class performance, despite being almost unrecognisable under all the make-up.

2½ English speaking Germans out of 5

SAW 3D aka SAW VII [2010]

What's the best way to end a series? Usually you go right back to the beginning and finish it off with an unbelievable ending. Saw 3D sort of does that.
Cary Elwes makes a welcome return, in a bit part, reprising his role from the first film. Besides that, it's business as usual and we're forced to watch people we don't know or care about get their eyes gouged out or get roasted like pigs.
This film has flashes of brilliance and floodlights of shittiness. It almost works but sadly doesn't quite click until the final 20 minutes. For the most part we follow a group of characters introduced for this film and are left not really caring. If this was the last film, it should of focused only on the established characters we all ready know.
Oh well. It is watchable and caps things off really well for the most part but it's just a little boring for a grand finale.
Good riddance.

A very weak 3 Linkin Parks? out of 5

SAW [2004]

The first time I saw this film my jaw dropped to the ground and my pants filled with the good stuff at the end of the movie. It was simply quite insane.
As for the rest of the film?
The idea, the scene set-ups and the narrative were actually quite good, enthralling and filled with the necessary tension.
The acting, dialogue and direction were mind-numbingly terrible and for that I have to knock it down a star. Which is a shame because the idea itself is quite brilliant and deserves to be standing next to other classic twisted thrillers like Se7en.
An effective little thriller that could have been so much better with a couple tweaks here and there. Worth watching if you're looking for a sick, fun night in.

3½ reverse bear traps out of 5

No Strings Attached (2011)

Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman get together in the end. Oh, you say? Did I just give away the whole movie? The beautiful male and female leads get together in the end? What a novel fucking concept. Despite its attempts to be "charming" and "hip" and "raunchy," I just found the whole thing annoying and repugnant. Kevin Kline's performance is probably the stand-out of it all, and that's not saying much. The only thing that makes it watchable at all is Natalie Portman's ass, but I hate her for even being in this type of movie.

1 FML out of 5