Happy New Year - May 2026 *Not* Be A Disaster!

If you were CINEMA itself, what would your New Year's Resolutions be?

Can't wait to hear your answers...

Review: "Oh. What. Fun."

by Nathaniel R

La Pfeiffer is finally back in "OH. WHAT. FUN" streaming on Amazon Prime.

We love an accurate movie title. Michael Showalter's latest comedy Oh. What Fun. presents a quandary. Is the title true or false? While we generally hope for "fun" at comedies, the staccato cadence of those periods implies a sarcastic tone or eye roll; this woman Claire Clauster (played by the long-missing Michelle Pfeiffer) and her family (assorted SAG members cashing a check) are not having any fun! This general tonal conceit, deployed in all sorts of holiday comedies, is that we are meant to laugh at and relate to people who are experiencing the universal misery of forced holiday cheer and durationally challenging "quality time" with family. We've presumably all been there even if we actually love both the holidays and our family...

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TIFF '23: Getting into the Christmas Spirit with ‘El Sabor de la Navidad’

By Abe Friedtanzer

It always feels a little strange to watch a Christmas movie long before the holiday season, but that just means getting into that wintry mindset ahead of time! El Sabor de la Navidad, a Spanish-language comedy from Mexico, is notable because it’s produced by Salma Hayek Pinault and stars Mariana Treviño, who is the best reason to watch last year’s A Man Called Otto. It’s a lighthearted portrait of an extended family and others connected to them trying to get through a holiday that brings far too many conflicting personalities together…

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Happy Fourth of July!

The Tree of Life (2011)

Almost titled this 'god bless America' because America needs a lot of blessings right now. Anyway. Have a wonderful holiday if you celebrate. We're throwing a last minute backyard potluck chez moi. We'll be back to regular posting tomorrow with some Limited Series Emmy punditry and a celebration of the work of cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema. Later in the week and into the weekend some "halfway mark" celebrations of the best of January through June. And then the first wave of Oscar predictions (much later than usual - apologies!) 

Did you see 'The Dial of Destiny' or pass?

By Nathaniel R

The box office prelude to a mid-week Fourth of July (today) rested on Indiana Jones's 5th outing but he didn't truly deliver in The Dial of Destiny, a sequel that few people outside of Hollywood's money-obsessed board rooms  were asking for. Hollywood is discovering that it can't live on franchises alone. Problem is that's become Hollywood's ONLY strategy and all they've been investing in for some time now. Unfortunately for those of us who love the cinematic experience audience  increasingly lukewarm or chilly response to the big franchises isn't really morphinng into interest pointed at other moviegoing options. Hollywood has been training people to only care about franchises for years and now that they've "won", we're all losing!

Weekend Box Office (estimates? actuals? it's always a little fuzzy around holidays) June 30th - July 2nd  🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended
WIDE (Over 800 Screens)	LIMITED / PLATFORM
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY	EVERY BODY
1 🔺 INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY $60.3 *NEW* 4600 screens	1 🔺 EVERY BODY [doc] $150k *NEW* 255 screens

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