The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

What is it about Nintendo and Mario that continues to capture the imagination? Is it the colors, the character models, the music, or the simplistic but polished game design that keeps reinventing itself across every new generation?

Having recently revisited the first movie, I realized it didn't hold up as well as my initial viewing. It's a lot of bright colors and nostalgic music that feeds on memories of childhood. Similarly, this sequel crams in as much fan service as possible to the point where it feels like ADHD personified. It's the movie equivalent of a theme park ride that is as good as whatever happy memory you bring to it. Nothing compares to your own personal video game journeys.

2½ Star Fox crossovers out of 5

How to Make a Killing (2026)

Born out of wedlock and cheated out of a multibillion dollar inheritance, a man schemes to reclaim his birthright by currying favor and systematically getting rid of those ahead of him in the family line, while also avoiding some meddling FBI agents and an ex who is onto him. It's a fun, dark crime comedy that is easy to see where it's going for the most part, but pleasant enough in its execution.

3 funerals out of 5

The Running Man (2025)

A totalitarian, dystopian game show seemed oddly prescient back in 1982 when King's novel was first published. In 2025, it's depressingly accurate. 

This new adaptation by Edgar Wright attempts to be more faithful to the source material about an everyman who competes on a reality show for a large cash prize by surviving for 30 days in a city full of hunters. This is an extraordinarily stupid movie full of bad decisions that somehow succeeds in making the 1987 film seem more competent by comparison. It's quite a feat.

1½ lucky socks out of 5

Anyone But You (2023)

A very traditional type of R-rated romantic comedy that isn't made very much these days. It's a cute story, but so so predictable. One of those movies where if people would just talk to each other and explain themselves, they could avoid so much of the misunderstanding and complication that occurs. But I suppose that's the very definition of a rom-com. It survives on the chemistry of the leads alone, but it's so stupid because you already know how it's going to end. They're the two hottest people in the film. I'll just leave it at that.

I liked it, despite myself. I'll never know this kind of happiness in my life.

3 "they've gone full Titanic" out of 5

Hit Man (2023)

Sometimes you go into a film with a set of preconceived notions, but then you're delighted by how all the parts manage to subvert themselves. Such is the case with Richard Linklater's anti-romcom Hit Man. Based on a "true" story, we're told that hit men don't really exist; they are actually undercover cops who intercept murder-for-hire schemes and convict the would-be criminals. Gary finds himself in the employ of a battered wife who puts a hit out on her husband, but decides to keep this information to himself. As the master of disguise, Glen Powell proves he's not just another handsome face; he actually has the acting chops to back it up. And Adria Arjona may just be the most insanely seductive woman on the planet. Not sure if that accounts for a bump in the rating or not.

3½ good pies out of 5

Twisters (2024)

30 years later, nostalgia is everything, but I definitely wasn't counting on this particular chestnut coming back again. Basically accomplishing the exact same task as its predecessor, two storm chasers are out...y'know...chasing storms and stuff. One happens to be a gritty, determined female and the other a brash, cocky male, so you know how that works out. This ain't rocket science, folks! If you've seen the original, there's nothing new for you here, but it's entertaining enough in that brain-dead popcorn way that audiences seem to eat up.

2½ foreboding cumulus clouds out of 5