The Sheep Detectives (2026)

I love a good mystery. A kindly old shepherd is found murdered, and his flock, who he used to read detective novels to every night, take it upon themselves to solve the crime by nudging the unwitting humans in the right direction. It's a lot better than it sounds. Emotionally resonant and heavier than expected for a family film, it's surprisingly moving and likely to bring a tear to your ewe.

3½ clouds out of 5

Love Hurts (2025)

A friendly real estate agent with a dark secret is reluctantly pulled into a world of murder and intrigue when the past comes catching up with him. This was Ke Huy Quan's first leading man role after winning best supporting actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once, so expectations were sky high, but unfortunately this was a waste of all talents involved. It's a violent action-comedy that ends up feeling like Jackie Chan Lite. I just wasn't feeling it at all.

1½ candy hearts out of 5

That Christmas (2024)

An animated ensemble film about the residents of a small town experiencing their individual ups and downs. Most of the stories feel like vignettes that don't interconnect, so it lacks an altogether cohesive structure, while Santa (featured front and center in the advertising) merely narrates and hardly gets involved. This movie takes its damn time and meanders about, by which point I had already checked out. Normally, I'm able to give saccharinity a pass during Christmas, but this was just plain grating and corny. It had its opposite intended effect and put me in a bad mood.

1 turkey out of 5