Ranking The Films I Watched In The Theaters This January!!!!!!!

 Well January and August in the cinema world are usually dump months. This is the time where production companies will throw a film into the cinemas, that during screen testing did not do very well. They hope to recoup some cash then throw it out to a screening service. January and August are historically slow months in the cinemas, and this is why they choose to throw these films out because there is really no competition. 

Now January is also the month where small films that are Oscar contenders get a wider showing.

Sooooo long story short...this is what January brought to my local cinema...7 Films.

7

THE DUTCHMAN

Directed by Andre Gaines

I had hope. It sounded intriguing. Clay (played by Andre Holland) is bored in his marriage. Runs into the batshit crazy Lula (Kate Mara) and well..you can see. I was hoping for suspense. I got a boring deep melodrama and could not stand everyone in this film.  My first 2026 film is a top contender for film of the year already.

6

THE SECRET AGENT

From 2025. Oscar nominee for Best picture. This film shows you the sad state of the Academy Awards, and how voters are such sheep. This film is a cluttered mess at almost 3 hours...and I will never get my 3 hours back. This takes place in Brazil 1971. Too many stories. Too many loose ends. Poorly edited. Jumps in time leaving the viewer confused. A beginning that starts wonderful but has nothing to do with the film.

It's not good. Well acted however. So sad.

5

A PRIVATE LIFE

From 2025. Jodie Foster in a French Film. She plays a therapist who believes her patient did not kill herself, but was murdered. So she investigates using the help from her ex-husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil).

Its an odd film, its not as much of a mystery then comedy drama about personal growth. Lilian is a therapist who kinda does not listen to everything around her including her patients. I liked it, did not love it but liked it. Maybe worth a look on streaming.

4

MERCY

Starring Chris Pratt as Chris Raven, a detective on trial for murdering his wife. He had only hours to prove his innocence. Rebecca Ferguson cashes in here playing an AI Judge Maddox. It is not as bad as what critics are saying; at the same time it is kinda silly and it goes off the deep end near the finish.

3

SHELTER

I don't have to give you the plot! Its freaking Jason Statham dammit! I am a sucker for a Jason Statham movie. This one, like last year in January The Beekeeper delivers exactly what you want action and suspense and humor. Good story. Great bad guy played by Bill Nighy. Plus a really good performance by Bodhi Rae Breathnach as the young Jessie. At one point I was so into this I was saying out loud ...crush him..crush him.  See it ..Its Statham!!

2 

SEND HELP

Well unless you are living under a rock, you know the plot. 

Rachel McAdams is a national treasure...that's all.

Throw in it is Sam Raimi...

The movie is suspenseful and exciting , and sometimes you switch who you cheer for. I just wish it closed better...that's all.

1

IS THIS THING ON?

What happens here. What happened to the marketing of this film. This movie is really good.

Directed by Bradley Cooper. Follows a relationship that is broken between Alex played by Will Arnett and Tess played by Laura Dern. It's honest. Sometimes it's hard to watch. Sometimes hilarious.Sometimes awkward. There are also moments that Cooper does well as a director, he lets the camera just sit on moments and no words needed. LOOOOVE!

Is it perfect. No...Peyton Manning?...The ending? Still I really like this film, I was all in. How did this not get recognition from the Academy but The Secret Agent did?

Well there is January. There is a lot coming now. My Top Ten of the year. My five worst of the year. Shadow Awards. Oscar Picks.  

So stay tuned.....From the shadows as always thanks for your time!!!

Second Of 52 Films You Should Watch, Or Need To Take A Second Look At This Year

 

Here is Number 2, of 52 films I feel you must see this year. 

There is a trend online to post pictures of yourself from 2016 (10 years ago); so I decided ....let me go back to 2016.

The one thing I noticed as I looked back 10 years ago, 2016 films seemed to be so much more fun, or interesting as a whole compared with 2026. No messages to try to gain approval from a group, they just put it out there for the viewer to decipher and enjoy. 20126 was a very good year for small films.

Well here is my number 2 of 52 you must see....

Set in Ireland, Cosmo's (Walsh-Peelo) family is having money trouble. So now he has to go to a "rougher" school. Along the way he meets a beautiful girl (Boynton) and he tries to impress her by starting a band with some of his new classmates.

First this film would make a great Broadway Musical, and it almost was, it was ready to go and then COVID hit and it just died.

From Director and writer John Carney, It is a musical. It is a comedy. It is a love story.

What makes it work? The three leads perfectly cast. Three actors I have never seen before in film!!
Walsh-Peelo as Cosmo. He is smart and funny and brave. Yes, he does not have the perfect voice, however that even works. He is a teenager with dreams. His voice is not going to be perfect but that makes the film real. Walsh-Peelo owns this character.
Lucy Boynton as Raphina is a find!! She is beautiful. Smart and funny. She also adds a sensitivity to her role. Just wonderful. Boynton understands that sometimes a look says a lot more than a word. Sometimes young actors try to push and explode in their parts. She lets her character almost smolder.
Jack Reynor as Brendan, Cosmo's brother. I think I love his character the most. He is like a Yoda to his brother. He also has a little remorse or longing for things he did not do, or that he was not brave enough to do. I thought Reynor. was really good.

Screenplay:
It is almost a teenage version of another Irish film, The Commitments.
A sweet love story with humor.
Some pretty good 80's music, and some bad 80's music. Strangely, even the bad music is enjoyable.
There is a story line about being bullied and how to handle it. Also, there is something here about  finding your niche in an atmosphere where you feel like you are on the outskirts.
Still all these story lines are under one big umbrella about following your dreams.

You can rent Sing Street for a mere $3.99 on Amazon, you can thank me later.

First Of 52 Films You Should See or Need To Take A Second Look

 In 2026 I am going to give you 52 films that I really enjoyed that you should take a look at, or take a second look at. If you disagree with a film that I like, that is okay, but remember I am very wise...and that is all.

My first of 52 you can rent on Amazon for a mere $3.99:

THE WAY WAY BACK

2013

Shy 14-year-old Duncan (James) goes on summer vacation with his mother (Collett), her overbearing boyfriend (Carell), and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen (Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park.

Just well acted. It is a interesting film as we watch awkward Duncan played wonderfully...well...awkward by Liam James. Sam Rockwell playing against type where he is usually the crazy bad guy here he is kind and sort of Bill Murrayish (In fact the film may bring you back to Meatballs). Steve Carell playing ...pretty much a bully. Toni Collette as Duncan's mom wants love sooo much she ignores what is obviously going on in front of her.

The film sounds heavy...but it has many funny scenes and lines by Rockwell and also Writer/Director Jim Rash who plays one of the water park workers.

Throw in many fantastic costarring roles, highlighted by Maya Rudolph (as always); Annasophia Robb who gives a sweet performance as Duncans slow building love interest; and Allison Janney as the inappropriate mom next door who love a good drink.

The Way Way Back, named after where Duncan sits in the station wagon, does a wonderful job of capturing place and time. Faults? an abrupt ending and a corny ending at the park...but still it 4 out of 5 stars from me. Move it to the top of the queue!!!

There it is my first of 52

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.

Ranking Films I Watched In December; Worst To First

Coming off November where the theme was death. The December theme seems to be can I have an editor please??!!!

Well I found ranking these films in December really tough, especially the top three. So this month I watched 7 films in the theaters....so here I go...

7

FACKHAM HALL

Directed by Jim O'Hanlon, this is more of a slapstick farce. A Downton Abbey farce. The film has a really good cast with Thomasin McKenzie; Damien Lewis; Tom Felton; and Katherine Waterston. The film has many funny moments, it sadly does not have a good story to keep you interested. In fact it was kinda boring. Oh...by the way..Say Fackham Hall very fast a couple of times..you will get it.

6

ELLA MCKAY

This is not good. I had high hopes, I mean it is a James L Brooks film! The only reason this is not number 7 for the month is the performances. Emma Mackey as Ella is very likable in this role. She has help from Albert Brooks; Woody Harrelson; Rebecca Hall; and Kumail Nanjiani. However , with all the star power they could not help this ridiculous script that often makes no sense. Then the ending is such a messy eye roll.

5

ANACONDA

Anaconda is funny. Jack Black and Paul Rudd want to make a remake of Anaconda, and it is a funny idea. It sadly, is not as funny as you hoped. It is like director and writer Tom Gormican had a funny idea, but the idea could only go so far. So there are a lot of action fillers here. A couple extra storylines that get in the way. Gormican had an idea, but the idea could not fill a feature length film.

4

AVATAR FIRE AND ASH

Needed editing, but no one is going to tell James Cameron this, and there lies the problem. It looked good. However had a bunch of characters I did not care about. There are many storylines going on here and...many were silly and I did not care. This is not an awful film, it's just so unfocused. At one point I could feel the big ending was coming, a big rescue, I looked at my watch and realized....THERE IS STILL AN HOUR TO GO!!! There is the problem. I want to throw this out before I finish...Oona Chaplin is so good here as the evil Varang. Again not an awful film , but could have been better if it was shorter and tighter.

3

SONG SUNG BLUE

Again a film that needed an editor. Still, I enjoyed this film. I was surprised, I mean, I thought the trailer was awful. Directed by Craig Brewer, this is a true story of a Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning And Thunder starring Hugh Jackman and an Oscar nomination worthy performance by Kate Hudson. The music is really good. The story is wonderful. However at 2 hours and 20 minutes..ugh. editing again. You look at  your watch often especially after hearing the same song more than once. I feel bad bringing up it needed an editor because I really feel this film should be seen...so...go see it. Or watch it at home. I don't care.. just see it.

2

THE HOUSEMAID

Directed by Paul Feig and he understood the assignment. Stay close to the popular Freida McFadden novel and let you stars shine. Sydney Sweeney is wonderfully monotone as our Housemaid Milly. Amanda Seyfried in the juicer role as the unhinged Nina. Lets not forget in the middle of it all is Brandon Sklenar as Andrew.

The writing is comparable to the Shades films. However I don't care, this film delivers exactly what the viewers expect. It is bat shit crazy and its wonderful. I did not read the book and I am glad I didn't. I am glad I was not tipped off by the book. It is so much fun in a theater full of people, with gasps and laughter. 

Okay this film will be in my top ten, where I don't know. I love a movie that delivers on its promise, There is a reason this film is gaining in popularity in theaters...good word of mouth. See it.

1

MARTY SUPREME

I kept waffling between this and The Housemaid, today Marty won out.

Directed by Josh Safdie, who gave us Uncut Gems, and this has almost threw same feel. Like Gems you feel like the film is in constant motion, from one event to another., The film follows Marty in his pursuit of greatness as he leaves a trail of lies and deceit and pain behind him.

It is not an easy watch, Marty is a narcissist, and is not really a good guy and he is in every scene making the film not ...well...an easy watch. The performances by Chalamet (He will Win the Oscar): Paltrow as the actress has been Kay Stone; Mr Wonderful pretty much playing himself: and a fantastic performance by Odessa A'Zion as Rachel Mizer; they all make this film work.

This film has so many levels, and it works even though often you think...I don't want to watch this.

Marty Supreme.

Well there is December. I still have some 2025 releases to see in January with my first 2026 films. So keep following as awards season is upon us.

From the shadows as always  thanks for your time.    rtyw

November Films Ranked Worst To First

Well if the scene shown above did not wreck you, nothing will...

13 November films I have sat through in the theaters, and I am here to rank them for you. November brings us a couple Oscar contenders!! These November films bring us...Death...it hangs over many of these films. Which I struggled with personally lately...which made these films feel heavy on my heart...

So off I go......

13

.

IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU

Written and directed by Mary Bronstein. This film follows Linda, wonderfully played by Rose Byrne, as she navigates her child's illness; her missing husband; a missing person, and an awful therapist.

Yes Byrne is really fantastic as Linda. However I had trouble caring for her. I just found her to be frustrating and unlikable.Then Bronstein threw in some strange mystical storyline , it was all just a lot. The film did not resonate with me at all.

12

DIE MY LOVE

Death

Directed by Lynne Ramsay, the film follows the struggle within the relationship between Grace, Jennifer Lawrence; and Jackson , Robert Pattinson. The film focuses on Grace as she spirals with postpartum depression. The story needed to be tighter. It was all over the place and often, me, the viewer, gets lost on what is real and what is hallucinations without anything connecting, or relevance to the plot. It is messy. Great Oscar worthy performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Sissy Spacek (as Graces mom). That was the only bright spot.

11

RENTAL FAMILY

DEATH

I reaaaallly looked forward to this film. Then..it was disappointing. So sad.

Directed by Hikari, the film follows an American actor in Japan, Phillip played by Brendan Fraser, who takes jobs pretending to play stand-in roles for strangers. Pretending to be a husband, or a father, and so on. This film was so flat. Emotionless while wanting us to be emotional watching it. Poorly acted, poorly written, and boring.

10

ETERNITY

DEATH

Directed by David Freyne. Often funny, with quick visual jokes, about a couple who land at a sort of weigh station, where after you die you decide from this point what land you want to spend eternity in. The problem is Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) has two husbands at this station. She must decide on spending eternity with husband 1, Luke ( Callum Turner) a war hero; or husband 2 , Larry (Miles Teller) the man she spent over 50 years with. It's just a pretty good movie. that falls apart with some stiff acting and poor chemistry between the leads...which makes me think Olsen was miscast, I mean she has no chemistry with either husband. Worth a look when it's available for home viewing.

9

THE RUNNING MAN

Death

The running man is a top rated TV show in the future where the contestant must stay alive for 30 days to win a boat load of money, however he is being hunted by people who want to win money for killing him.

Well acted by Glen Powell and a very funny Michael Cera. Josh Brolin plays a great sleazy bad guy. The disappointment is the choppy, and ridiculous never ending script.

8

SARAH'S OIL

Based on the true story of Sarah Rector. Sara, at 11 years old, is left a parcel of land on Indian territory. Sarah, believes that there is oil on her land...and this is where the story begins. Well acted by Naya Desir Johnson as the brilliant Sarah and Zachary Levi as her helper Bert Smith. This is a pretty good film. With an Umbrella of love and community.

7

NUREMBERG

DEATH

NUREMBERG gives an insightful view of the trial and the lead up to the trial and what happens afterwards. Fantastic performances by Russell Crowe; Rami Malek; and John Slattery. Worth a look at home. This would be higher up on my list, but, I see this often, Hollywood cant help but take a story and try to connect it to modern day politics. You know, I can make this decision on my own, I do not need it shoved in my face at the end ruining an interesting film. it was not needed.

6

ZOOTOPIA 2

Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back, and ready to solve another mystery. Not as good as the first film but still very entertaining.

5

HAMNET

Death

Directed by Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the story of what led William Shakespeare to write his masterpiece Hamlet. This movie is highlighted by the best performance of the year, which is Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare. I mean, his performance is perfection. Let me not forget to mention Jessie Buckley as William's wife Agnes. This film is sad and not an easy watch. I wished it edited a little out from the beginning and gave us a little more in the back end, letting us see the reaction of Hamlet, giving some hope for them as a couple. Still...a really interesting film, not just about the Shakespeare family but also the time and place.

4  

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

Death

Yes I got to see a screening in the theater of this before it hits Netflix next week!

Benoit Blanc is back!!!!!!!

Great performances...The reveal however is a bit flat. No spoilers so I will stop there.

Is it as good as the first Knives Out? No

Is it as good as the 2nd Knives Out Glass Onion? Yes!

3

SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Death

Not an easy watch. Directed by Joachim Trier, Value touches on so many subjects. Mental illness in a family and how it gets a passed down just by being around it. Broken relationships within a family. Trust within a family. Then throw in the inside of the making of a film within a film.

There is a lot to unpack here, but the performances by Renate Reinsve: Elle Fanning; and Stellan Skarsgard, will keep you watching. It is a slow interesting watch about a broken family.

2

CHRISTY

Yes the film that lost a ton of money is my second favorite film of the month and could be in my top ten of the year. Marketed wrong, like Rocky is a love story with some boxing. Christy is a story about manipulation and abuse with some boxing.  

The true story of Christy Martin and her rise as the first famous female boxer, and the manager who abuses her.

Fantastic performances by Sydney Sweeney and Ben Foster. This film had me tearing up at the end. Do not let the press stop you from seeing this. One of the best of the year.

1

WICKED FOR GOOD

DEATH

Yes Jon Cho made mistakes:

-Splitting this stage play in two. Les Miz was shown on the screen as  one long musical and it was fine.

-Adding more songs to this 2nd part. However I love Girl In The Bubble.

-Michelle Yeoh...who cannot sing as Madame Morrible

-Keala Settle in the film but not singing!!??

--editing problems like the Tinman being in 2 places at once.

Still with all these issues, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are wonderful in this darker back end of the musical. I still think Wicked is the best piece of entertainment ever written...For Good. Maybe not the best movie..but..how can you not watch both pieces of this film together and not love this story.

I put Wicked For Good in front of Christie this month just because of the rewatchable factor. I could watch this over and over. Christie...not so much.

Well there you have it. November the month of sad deaths, 9 out of the 13 films I saw. 

It is hard.

December will bring Avatar Fire and Ash, 3.5 hours YIKES

As always thank you for your time from the sad shadows.

October Films Ranked From Worst To Best

 Well...I am running late posting October, I have been distracted ..So stop complaining..here they are. 14...yes you read that right..ranking 14 films I watched in the theater in October. Many are already available to stream!!

So...here it goes

14

SPRINGSTEEN DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE

This film kinda just sits there. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Jeremy Allen White as Bruce.

It's an odd film marketed as a music bio, but in reality it is a film about mental health that drags on. 

Cooper and Walter Zanes were the writers and often the lines these actors spit out are eye rolling.

There is a relationship with a woman named Faye (Odessa Young), which adds nothing to the movie, and it seems like a filler. Costaring Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau and Paul Walter Hauser as Mike Batlan, they are serviceable. Still, sadly, the film is flat. Even the making of Nebraska is boring.

13

TRON ARES

Stop just stop trying to make Tron work. It is not as bad as what most say. Acting is okay. The look is amazing especially on the big screen. I just kept thinking there were rewrites everywhere in this film, where connecting the dots felt difficult. 

12

HOUSE OF DYNAMITE

A film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who also did Zero Dark Thirty so I was excited about watching this film about a nuclear attack on the United States. This film is divisive, it splits people who love it or hate it with no in between. I think she made an awful editing choice. She decides to show the story in many parts so we see the perspective of each individual involved. So we see the whole story in the first 20 minutes, after that, I didn't care, I KNEW WHAT HAPPENED!!! I hung in thinking something will be extended but no, it ruined the movie. I have it higher up on this list because of the many A list actors did well, but again let down by a bad editing decision.

11

BLUE MOON

Blue Moon tells the true story of Lorenz Hart's, who was the writer of many musicals and songs such as Blue Moon. The film takes place on one night, the night of the debut of Oklahoma.

Directed by Richard Linklater and with an outstanding performance by Ethan Hawke as Lorenz.

It was a good movie but often uncomfortable, I mean watching a desperate man trying to still be relevant.

Plus, the whole time I thought, this should not have been a film, it should have been on a stage. So, not bad, but...not great.

10

ANNIVERSARY

I went in blind to see this movie. I knew nothing. Directed by Jan Komasa and written by Komasa and Lori Rosene Gambino. The story follows the fracturing of a family caused by the new addition to the family Elizabeth who writes a book called THE CHANGE. The Change becomes a movement of a one party system restricting all who disagree.

It felt long and hard to watch. I am not a violent person but so often I thought about shooting that person and hide the body lol. It is a frustrating political watch, that is well acted by Diane Lane; Kyle Chandler; and Phoebe Dynevor.

9

REGRETTING YOU

Based on a Colleen Hoover novel. Boy I wanted to like this more. Sadly, poorly acted and poorly written, and sadly the two most interesting characters die in the first 10 minutes.

8 

A LITTLE PRAYER

This is a small film highlighting the great actors that Jane Levy (so underrated) and David Strathairn (also underrated) are. The question is, what is a man supposed to do when he finds out his son is cheating on his wife, and the dad kinda likes the wife more than his son. It is a very soft sweet yet sad film. Worth a look when it pops up on a streaming channel.

7

A GOOD FORTUNE

It is a modern day Trading Places done by an angel, Gabriel, played wonderfully by Keanu Reeves.

This was going to be higher on my list but the last 10 minutes became odd and heavy handed, to a point of rolling my eyes. It came across as patronizing and unfortunately...ruins the film.

Worth a look on streaming, Keanu is very funny.

6

ROOFMAN

A true story about Jeffrey Manchester. He robbed fast food restaurants by going through the roofs of the establishments. He gets arrested; escapes; and hides in a Toys R Us for months. I mean look at the poster, the movie looks fun, I did not think so. Jeff (great performance by Channing Tatum) ends up in a relationship with Leigh (Kirsten Dunst). I think the Director Derek Cianfrance thought I would find it charming, I mean she had a child. No!!! Why is he getting into a relationship while hiding from the police? He is selfish, he only thinks about himself. For me that was the umbrella over this film, not fun and quirky.

Interesting story to see and shocking that he pulled this off, s, it's worth a watch.

5

BALTIMORONS

Directed by Jay Duplass., and highlighted by fantastic performances and lovely chemistry between Michael Strassner as Cliff and Liz Larsen as Didi. It is a simple story that takes place on Christmas Eve, Cliff, a recovering alcoholic, needs emergency dental work, he meets Didi the dentist. They stay together all Christmas Eve. A touch of Before Sunrise is thrown in, and it is funny, awkward, and sweet all at the same time. You will love them, Cliff is naive and sweet and Didi is hard. Available for streaming.

4

TRUTH & TREASON

Directed and written by Matt Whitaker, and starring Ewan Horrocks as Helmuth Hubener. This is a true story following this young teenager in Germany who understands the evil the Hitler brings, and does not conform and fights back. This film is really good. Why not number 1? I kept thinking, why is this being made with English speaking actors and not German with subtitles? It felt odd. However, it cost 3 million to make and it doubled that in revenue, so Angel Studios must have made the right call.

Look for this film which is still in some theaters, or stream it, it is so good. All heroes don't wear capes.

3

BONE LAKE

I mean look at the poster. This film was marketed as a horror film. As you know, I do not do horror films. This is not a horror film. This is a violent thriller.

Diego and Sage rent a place for a romantic vacation. However another couple show up and are also booked at the same place. This is the premise, no spoilers. Very exciting, and you will be like me screaming...just leave just leave.

2

BUGONIA

Yorgos Lanthimos is back with Emma Stone again and Jesse Plemons again. This film, like other Yorgos films, is batshit crazy. The premise: Michelle( Stone) is an executive who gets kidnapped by Teddy who believes that she is an alien. No spoilers I will leave it right there. Its bonkers. With a very strange ending.

Wanted to also note..a very good performance by a newcomer Stavros Halkias as Casey, This may be too strange for many but I was all in.

1

FRANKENSTEIN

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, and starring in an Oscar nomination worthy performance by Oscar Isaac as Dr Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the monster.

It's different from all the other versions of this story and did I mention..how fantastic it looked on the big screen. I hope it transfers well onto the small screen. Please note this version is bloody and often violently gross...so you know.

Well...there you are, 14 films. November movies are coming in fast. Along with a little film called Wicked For Good.

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good...rings hard for me...going into November.

Again from the shadows as always thanks for your time.