Now and Then (1995)

In 1970, four friends pledge a pact to always be there for each other. 25 years later, they meet up and reminisce on the summer that brought them together. Everyone is terribly cast as the adults, although the biggest injustice to me is that they predicted that Christina Ricci would grow up to be Rosie O'Donnell. Thankfully, we spend the bulk of the story back in the past, centering around the friendship between 12-year-old girls who are obsessed with looks, boys and boob size, which isn't particularly deep. It's basically Stand By Me aimed towards girls, which is perfectly fine with me, although it lacks the gravitas associated with the former. The stakes are lower, but the sentiment is real.

3 friendship bracelets out of 5

The Mastermind (2025)

The world's dumbest criminal concocts a half-baked plan to rob an art museum and must deal with the aftermath when things don't go quite as planned. For those familiar with Kelly Reichardt's methodically slow, minimalist style, this ironically serves as an anti-heist movie, focusing more on the banality than the crime itself. I have to admit, this was a very frustrating watch, witnessing its incompetence unfolding at a languishing pace. It gave me a tummy ache.

2½ stolen paintings out of 5

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)

Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) takes on the Boss in this unconventional biopic that takes place during the conception of his 1982 album, Nebraska. Bruce is a difficult perfectionist who does things his own way, in all its imperfections, while coming to terms with his past, but the tortured artist angle gets tiring. J.A.W. does a good enough job, but it's the material that is lacking. There are so many great stories they could have told here, but instead decided to do one that feels trite and uninspired, which skips over the most interesting parts.

2½ demo tapes out of 5

WILD [2014]

Director Jean-Marc Vallée does the near impossible by turning Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail into a gracefully crafted contemplative film.
Reese Witherspoon does a wonderful job as Strayed who's walking the 2,633 miles long PCR as a way to gather her thoughts from the troubled life she hopes to leave behind.  It's a thoroughly captivating told story of a heart that opens up into the vast wilderness around it that's both dangerous and elegant.  Thankfully we're never quite sure what's around each bend and that's a rarity in such films.  Wild stumbles along here and there but Witherspoon and Laura Dern's underplayed performances make the journey well worth your time.

3½ female hobos out of 5