MOVIE REVIEW: MARTY SUPREME

 

In the 1950s, young Marty Mauser pursues his dream of becoming a champion table-tennis player.

Director: Josh Safdie

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher

Release Date: December 25, 202

Genre: Drama, Sport

Rated R for language throughout, sexual content, some violent content/bloody images and nudity.

Runtime: 2h 29m

Review:

Marty Supreme is a chaotic but propulsive film from Josh Safdie that boasts a kinetic turn from Timothée Chalamet which drives the entire experience.  There’s an instant jolt of energy that pops off the screen as it takes off to a running start, rarely letting up during its two hour and half hour runtime.  Safdie quickly establishes the setting and cast of characters before moving into an impressively shot table tennis tournament.  The story moves at such a frenetic pace that only a few ill-advised musical choices take you out of the experience before you notice you’ve been fully engaged in a story about table tennis.  Timothée Chalamet magnetic central turn makes the entire engine churn as we follow his non-stop journey to achieve success.  Chalamet simply dissolves into the character who’s utterly charismatic and driven but incredibly flawed at the same time.  It’s a fascinating turn that shows off how talented he is as the film serves as a character study Marty’s drive and desires.  The character is ready made to be dissected as an example of what goes on in the head of a relentless competitor or even as a metaphor for the country as a whole.  There are plenty of layers that can be peeled off once it’s all said and done but Chalamet is simply the most interesting performer onscreen.  It helps that his character is given the largest amount of depth while the supporting characters prove to be far more one dimensional.   Gwyneth Paltrow and Odessa A'zion are both solid as respective love interest but we are given painfully little depth that leaves them feeling slightly underserved.  Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma and Abel Ferrara likewise make the most of their screentime but there’s very little to any of them outside the superficial aspects offered up.  In the end, Marty Supreme is all about Timothée Chalamet’s performance, which creates the kind of cinematic gravitation pull that’s so enveloping that the rest feels almost unnecessary.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: SONG SUNG BLUES

Two down-on-their-luck performers form a Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.

Director: Craig Brewer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi

Release Date: December 25, 202

Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Music, Musical

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some strong language, some sexual material and brief drug use.

Runtime: 2h 13m

Review:

Song Sung Blues is earnest, almost to a fault, in its utterly non cynical approach to telling the peaks and valleys of Mike and Claire Sardina powered by a pair of stellar turns from Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.  Craig Brewer’s film carries an air of authenticity that borders on schmaltzy at various points during the runtime but thankfully veers away from at decisive moments in the film.  The opening act where the two fall in love and begin their rise as Lighting and Thunder with the two downtrodden dreamers finding their way to success.  Those moments are incredibly uplifting and hard to resist regardless of how you feel about Neil Diamond’s music because there’s just something rousing about the whole thing.  Brewer smartly lets his cast do the heavy lifting during the numerous musical numbers that pepper the film and serve as the beating heart of the whole thing.  That opening act is a wide eye exercise in exuberance in their unabashed pursuit of their dreams before tragedy brings it all to a screeching halt.  Once the story hits its middle segment it allows Jackman and Hudson to really flex their dramatic muscle as they provide an honesty to their performances that shows these people’s heart laid bare.  Both are fantastic during the series of well staged musical as they leave every ounce of energy on the stage but the quieter moments really display the breadth of their talent.  Their chemistry together makes the whole thing work so well that you can’t help but root for the couple to finally make it to the top, all thanks to their nuanced turns.  Song Sung Blues does suffer a bit from some overly hokey dialogue which fall flat in the hands of lesser performers but Jackman and Hudson take you on an emotional journey that makes you feel every triumph and heartache on a personal level.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HOUSEMAID

 

Hoping for a fresh start, a young woman becomes a live-in maid for a wealthy couple who harbour sinister secrets.

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins

Release Date: December 19, 2025

Genre: Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery

Rated R for strong/bloody violent content, sexual assault, sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:  2h 11m

Review:

The Housemaid is a tawdry throwback to the psychosexual thrillers from the 90’s powered by a devilishly unhinged performance from Amanda Seyfried that covers up some of the film’s more glaring warts.  Paul Feig delivers a beautifully acclimated film that carries the sort visual polish you’d come to expect from a director of his talent.  There are bits and pieces of his own comedic/thriller A Simple Favor scattered throughout as he creates the affluent world the characters inhabit exemplified by Seyfried’s Nina Winchester who’s perpetually draped in white clothing.  After initially setting the stage of the well to do perfection Sydney Sweeney’s Millie is hired into, it doesn’t take long for the rather large cracks in the façade to start to reveal themselves.  The passive aggressive hell hole Sweeney’s character finds herself is peppered with psychological torture that she endures thanks to her checkered past.  The story is fun although it telegraphs a number of its “shocking” reveals early on especially for those with a decerning eye since the construction isn’t as clever as it thinks it is.    Sydney Sweeney is solid if uninspired in the lead role with her character proving to be the least interesting person onscreen at any given time.  Sweeney has proven she’s capable of pulling off strong performances but here she’s fighting some choppy writing which has her character go from overly gullible to brutally street smart on the turn of a dime.  It’s a shame since the character’s checked past offers up plenty to work with but the film doesn’t bother offering up any real depth to her which feels like a massive misstep.   Brandon Sklenar plays up the heartthrob role he’s established in his recent turns in 2024’s It Ends with Us and 2025’s Drop with general ease with makes his character easy to like especially early on.  Ultimately, this film belongs to Amanda Seyfried with her truly twisted turn as Nina Winchester who may or may not be utterly insane.  Seyfried chews the screen up with impressive enthusiasm as she channels Faye Dunaway’s Mommie Dearest at various points during the film as she tortures Sweeney’s Millie almost from the moment she settles into the house.  She so captivating that there’s a noticeable dip in energy whenever her character disappears from the screen especially during the increasingly ludicrous final act which almost crashes the entire film.  As is, The Housemaid plays like an amalgam of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Single White Female and Sleeping with the Enemy that struggles to ultimately struggles to find its own voice.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

 

The conflict on Pandora escalates as Jake and Neytiri's family encounter a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe.

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans, Jr.

Release Date: December 19, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material

Runtime: 3h 17m

Review:

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a visual and technical marvel, much like the first two entries, that’s the rare spectacle that needs to be seen on the big screen however the story is far more clunky and repetitive than before which makes its three hours plus run feel far more taxing than it should.  James Cameron’s third entry in his franchise again shows off his innate ability to continually up the ante on creating an immersive cinematic experience that envelopes you from the moment the film starts.  The action sequences are truly mesmerizing and massive in scale across the board with the 3D experience here putting everything else out there to shame.  The aerial and water set sequences are an assault on the senses especially when he utilizes a POV approach that firmly places the audience with the characters which is visceral and thrilling. Those set pieces alone are worth the price of admission since it’s something that filmmakers haven’t been able to recreate with such a level of technical CGI mastery especially in 3D.  Issues start to pop up as the general gist of the story starts to reveal itself with the introduction of the Ash People led by Oona Chaplin’s Varang.  Initially they serve as intriguing antagonists, particularly Chaplin who’s motion capture performance is impressive throughout but their backstory and motivations is oddly thin and rushed before turning into a mirror of Jake Sully and Neytiri relationship with Varang and Stephen Lang’s Colonel Quaritch.  There is a fun psychedelic sequence between them which serves as their twisted courtship which is a trippy thing to experience in 3D.  Their relationship should make more of an impact than it does but Chaplin’s Varang characterization stops there with her becoming little more than a hence woman for Quaritch to finally recapture Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully.  Stephen Lang is still loads of fun as Quaritch but his character’s actions and motivations all change on a dime throughout the film which keeps him from being as menacing as he should be.  Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña are both able to ease back into the roles with little trouble with a layer of emotion added early as they deal with the death of their son in the previous films.  It gives them both a bit more to work with dramatically as both characters deal with that loss in different ways with Saldaña’s Neytiri simmering with resentment and anger towards humans which is mostly directed towards their adopted son Jack Champion’s "Spider".  Champion does his best in that role, but the character still feels awkwardly out of his place from the way he’s written to his general 90’s drug dealer meets Land of the Lost’s Cha-Ka.  The spotty writing extends to the other children, with Sigourney Weaver and Britain Dalton doing their best with the teen angst their characters experience for far different reasons.  It’s an odd mis mash of ideas that doesn’t work as well as it should especially considering the amount of screentime it is given with those moments dragging the film’s momentum to a standstill in between the visceral electricity of the action sequences.  It saps Avatar: Fire and Ash of its full potential which is a shame since these plays well as a trilogy capper to the story started in the original.   

B

MOVIE REVIEW: SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE

 

Korpi dismantles the house where his family was murdered and loads it on a truck to rebuild it somewhere safe. He soon finds himself in a violent cross-country chase as the Red Army commander who killed his family comes back to finish the job.

Director: Jalmari Helander

Cast: Jorma Tommila, Richard Brake, Stephen Lang

Release Date: November 21, 2025

Genre: Action, War

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language

Runtime: 1h 28m

Review:

Jalmari Helander's Sisu: Road to Revenge, his follow up to his 2022 original, ups the ante on the over-the-top grindhouse carnage by taking it to a cartoonish level of excess that's as lean as it is bloody.  Helander gleefully delivers another barebones story packed with massive action set pieces that get increasingly insane and nonsensical as the film goes on.  While his original film was more grounded and self-serious, this entry possesses a wry sense of humor that takes a minute to take hold.  The film plays like a bloody mashup of The Passion of the Christ in the form of a Looney Toons war movie which makes for an interesting experience to say the least.  The film throws out any semblance of logic in order to deliver some of the crazier action sequences in recent memory.  At the center of it all is the eternally stoic and driven Jorma Tommila who returns as the bloodied and battered Aatami Korpi.  Tommila just exudes intensity throughout while never uttering a single word of dialogue.  It’s another fascinating turn for Tommila in this role as he's again able to communicate so much emotion via facial expressions, something on full display in the last moments of the film where the character finally lets his guard down.  Stephen Lang serves as the primary antagonist in this entry, a role he's perfectly suited to his talents.  The role, much like the story, isn't terribly deep but Lang is menacing enough to serve as a perfect foil to Tommila's vengeful Korpi.  The film would have been well served to have given their relationship a bit more time to breathe so that you get a real sense of the animosity between the two before the final showdown.  Alas, Sisu: Road to Revenge doesn't concern itself with story or characters all that much which keeps it from being something truly special.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: HAMNET

 

William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, celebrate the birth of their son, Hamnet. However, when tragedy strikes and Hamnet dies at a young age, it inspires Shakespeare to write his timeless masterpiece "Hamlet."

Director: Chloé Zhao

Cast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe, David Wilmot, Olivia Lynes

Release Date: November 26, 2025 

Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Romance

Rated PG-13 for thematic content, some strong sexuality, and partial nudity.

Runtime: 2h 5m

Review:

Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet is a historical drama that takes you on an enveloping emotional journey that’s as uplifting as it is devastating thanks in large part to a mesmerizing turn from Jessie Buckley.  Zhao’s film is a study in subtly from the start as she holds images and frames the characters in a way that makes them look like they could be renaissance paintings.  She uses her ability to create a naturalistic look and feel to great effect here as there are countless quiet moments shared between characters and their environment to communicate a venerable treasure trove of emotional information.  Her direction gives the film a primal but utterly humanistic aura which creates an engrossing world for the characters to inhabit.  The central duo of Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley are both clearly in their element with each instantly inhabiting the skin of each character and living it with an impressive level of authenticity.  Mescal’s turn is a study in measured, understatement as we follow his character go from unrealized “useless” scholar to a successful playwright.  Through it all, he brings a sense of undying love for his wife and children although there’s a sense of restraint especially after tragedy strikes.  It’s not the beefiest role in the film but he delivers excellent work in every time he’s onscreen.  Jessie Buckley though is the lifeblood of the film with a truly astonishing turn that runs through an obstacle course of emotions.  Buckley always brings an intelligence and intensity to her roles which is perfectly suited to this role.  She brings something otherworldly to the character that’s enchanting from the moment she appears onscreen.  The opening sequences of infatuation and love ring just as true as the heartbreaking moment of loss.  She’s captivating throughout with the final act serving as a showcase for her talents with character’s catharsis is laid bared onscreen.  It’s the kind of the singular performance that’s sure to garner many well-earned awards accolades when the time comes as she makes Hamnet a powerful experience that’s sure to leave a lasting impression.

A