The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

It's been 7 years since the last theatrical Star Wars release. Since then, there have been 7 different live-action Star Wars TV shows released on Disney+, including The Mandalorian. Set several years after Return of the Jedi, the series follows bounty hunter Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu (colloquially known as "Baby Yoda") in their adventures across the galaxy. The first two seasons were great, and felt like a return to the raw and gritty side of Star Wars seen in the original 1977 release. Their further adventures were stitched between The Book of Boba Fett (technically season 2.5) and season 3, at which point it burned through its goodwill and felt like there was no real direction for the future. After taking a few years off, creator Jon Favreau brings us this self-contained standalone story, which could easily be dubbed season 4.

Grogu (50 years of age) still hasn't grown up and suffers from a distinct lack of character development, which mostly hinges on being cute. And cute he is. The puppetry and practical effects are to be commended because it feels like it could have been crafted in the '80s. Meanwhile, Mando is a man of few words and even fewer facetime. The duo are sent on a mission to retrieve Jabba the Hutt's son and feature in largely generic set pieces. Grogu is by far the more interesting character and he shines whenever he's on screen. The best part is easily a wordless sequence that takes place late in the film. In the end, we still know nothing about these characters and we are no better for it. Still, I enjoy this stuff more than the self-seriousness of Andor. This is the way.

3 plot armors out of 5

Freaky Tales (2024)

A loose anthology of four interconnected morality tales that take place in Oakland, California in 1987. The first has to do with neo-Nazis, the second with misogyny, et cetera. The third story features Pedro Pascal (with a fun cameo from Tom Hanks) that should have been expanded into its own feature film because it was by far the most interesting and ended just as it was getting good. The fourth one that links it all together was just eye-rollingly obtuse.

It tries really hard to be Pulp Fiction, but ends up being straight up poop.

1½ green glows out of 5

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Fourth time's the charm. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off Phase Six of the Multiverse Saga with its inaugural introduction of Marvel's First Family. Taking place in an alternate timeline (Earth-828), it's a retro-futuristic, sci-fi take that works to great effect here. A shiny herald from outer space warns of a planet devourer, just as Reed Richards and Sue Storm announce their own bombshell to the world. This feels like a scaled down, intimate story, even as it encompasses the likes of Silver Surfer and Galactus while the fate of billions hangs in the balance. It manages to inject humanity and gravitas to the characters, making them feel like a real family. After numerous attempts in 1994, 2005, 2007 and 2015, they finally do justice to these characters. Best of all, you don't need to know anything else about the MCU in order to follow along. Similar to Superman (2025), it's not an origin story; it throws you straight into this world while remaining completely standalone from the rest (for now). So if you've been holding out on these movies, this is a good jumping off point. It's all part of the new direction of the MCU which will focus on the "hits" only. This will be followed by a new Spider-Man and Avengers movie in 2026, eventually culminating in Secret Wars.

3 clobberin' times out of 5

Note: Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to be released exactly one year from now; the longest time between theatrical dates in a good while.

Eddington (2025)

Ari Aster takes a page out of the Coen Brothers' book in this darkly satirical, gritty crime thriller taking place in May 2020 during the early days of COVID, charged racial protests and civic unrest across the country. In the sleepy town of Eddington, New Mexico, a small-time sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to stand up to local mask mandates and run for mayor against the incumbent (Pedro Pascal) whom he holds a grudge against. And that's about all I can say without veering off into spoiler territory. It's sprawling and depressing as hell in the way that only Aster excels at, and it goes much further than you'd ever expect it to go. I can't say if the payoff was worth the price of admission, but it's the type of film that'll get stuck in your head for all the wrong reasons.

3½ coughs out of 5

Materialists (2025)

Celine Song's latest romantic drama is completely insufferable, but probably the most interesting movie I've ever loathed with every cell of my being.

A no-nonsense matchmaker, who is every bit as shallow as her clients, finds herself torn between two men vying for her affections—one rich, one poor.

The bottom line is: If you're a man, all your value can be measured in your bank account and your height, and if you're a woman, all that matters is your youth and waistline. Same as it ever was.

Whether Dakota Johnson ends up with Pedro Pascal or Chris Evans doesn't matter; they've already won in the game of life.

2 checked boxes out of 5

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Nic Cage plays Nick Cage in a film that tries hard to be deep and offer meta commentary like Adaptation, but ends up settling into a standard action-comedy formula that feels trite and uninspired. It's a shame they downplay all the esoterism and obscure film references, and instead provide some kind of conventional middle-ground to appease general moviegoers. As a lifelong fan, I was rather disappointed by the waste of potential that was suggested in the title. I appreciate all the in-jokes and references to earlier films, but once you're in on the joke, no amount of nouveau shamanic acting can save it. It's worth it for the Cage factor alone (he plays two versions of himself, including his younger, idealized Wild at Heart self), but don't expect to be wowed by it.

2½ golden prop guns out of 5

Gladiator II (2024)

Ridley Scott returns to the director's chair 24 years later to bring us the sequel no one asked for. Taking place 16 years after the conclusion of the first story, Maximus is a distant memory and Rome has reverted back to its old ways. We are introduced to Hanno (Paul Mescal), who is taken into slavery, and you can just guess his connection to this plot. Rounding out the cast is Denzel and Pedro Pascal, whose allegiances flip-flop depending on the finicky demands of the script. This is another one of those films which audiences seem to lap up, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. It's technically competent but very dull, and never manages to rise out from underneath the shadow of the original Gladiator, which was superior in every respect. The plot feels completely derivative of what's come before, except this time we've got CGI baboons, rhinos and sharks added to the mix, along with even more senseless acts of violence in the arena. And, if you can believe it, Gladiator III is apparently already underway.

IIS flooded Colosseums out of V

Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

Two lesbians on a road trip end up on the run from the mob. I'll admit, I didn't know what I was getting into with this one, but I was in a Coen-y mood. I can now very much delineate the two halves of the brothers: Joel is responsible for the artsy stuff, like his solo Shakespeare effort (The Tragedy of MacBeth), while Ethan provides the off-the-wall comedy shenanigans (à la Raising Arizona). What we get here is very much a distilled version of this madness; quirky characters, psychedelic sequences, and a fun, offbeat soundtrack. All the pieces fit together like some sort of a fever dream. However, it didn't completely work for me. I recall this movie being described as "unabashedly horny," but I didn't find it titillating at all. The sex stuff is so over-the-top and ridiculous. Aside from the hilarious central conceit of the plot (which I won't dare spoil here), I don't think I'll remember a whole lot about it in the morning.

2½ mysterious briefcases out of 5

The Wild Robot (2024)

Instantly bringing to mind the likes of The Iron Giant, WALL·E and Big Hero 6, a helpful protocol droid named Roz (Lupita Nyong'o) washes up on the shores of an uninhabited island. Without any humans to fulfill its design, Roz uses its advanced AI processes to translate the language of the woodland animals, as a newly hatched gosling "imprints" upon it and gives Roz newfound purpose. This uplifting family film looks gorgeous (it's CG, but almost has a traditional hand-painted quality), and its intention is in the right place, despite the familiarity of the plot.

3 broken transponders out of 5