May 18, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Boots Riley, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle, Eiza González, I Love Boosters, Jason Ritter, Jermaine Fowler, Kara Young, Keke Palmer, Lakeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Poppy Liu, Taylour Paige, Will Poulter
Give these ladies a Boost! (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle, Jason Ritter, Kara Young, Jermaine Fowler
Director: Boots Riley
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Rating: R for Creative Nudity and Language
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Corvette (Keke Palmer), Sade (Naomi Ackie), and Mariah (Taylour Paige) are making ends meet in the San Francisco area by shoplifting (aka “boosting”) clothes and reselling them at a discount. But they’re aspiring to quite a bit more than that. Trouble is, though, it’s pretty much impossible to get ahead in fashion when an influential billionaire like Christie Smith (Demi Moore) steals your designs. So the boosters have revenge on their mind, and their tenacity leads them to uncover a patronizing conspiracy and some reality-altering technology. Meanwhile, Corvette might have some romance brewing with a mysterious individual played by LaKeith Stanfield, but that could be much more bizarrely troublesome than it’s worth.
What Made an Impression?: It’s a Surprise: I don’t want to spoil I Love Boosters, but even if I told you everything that happens in precisely minute detail, you still wouldn’t know anything. You must actually witness it to believe it. That’s how Boots Riley lures us in: grounding us in what initially appears to be a fairly accurate recreation of the real world, only to overturn it all with a reveal that makes you cry out, “How did I get here?!” After all, his unapologetic message of expansive workers’ rights goes down easier that way.
There’s a Lot Going On: If my previous paragraph makes it sound like Riley is employing a similar strategy as he did in his directorial debut Sorry to Bother You, that’s because he certainly is. But the key difference is that whereas StBY hinged on one major twist, I Love Boosters offers up a handful of them. The chaotically overwhelming approach of the latter is not quite as successful as the easier-to-map former. But even though the whole of ILB is tricky to handle, pretty much every individual piece sparkles, and I’m glad that it didn’t hold back any of its big swings, despite the messiness.
I’m Warped: If this all sounds way too dizzying, well, rest assured that I actually found I Love Boosters to be kind of gentle. Although maybe that’s just because I enjoy watching reality get bent more than the average comrade. I wouldn’t recommend this freakishly fascinating flick to everybody, but I would absolutely approve of its consumption for anyone with an amicably deranged sensibility. If that doesn’t describe you, it might still be worth the risk, though. After all, it’s splattered with a whole lot more primary colors than eat-the-rich fairy tales typically are.
I Love Boosters is Recommended If You Like: They Live, Skittles, Dialectics
Grade: 4 out of 5 Runways
May 17, 2026
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Paul McCartney, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 51, SNL, SNL Season 51, Will Ferrell
Where’s there a Will, there’s a Ferrell (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
Jeff “jmunney” Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then reviews all the sketches and segments according to a “wacky” theme.
Congratulations, we’ve made it to the very end of Saturday Night Live Season 51. And for the finale, it’s quite a lineup, with host Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney. They’ve both been part of multiple previous SNL episodes, and they also both boast sizable fanbases, myself included among them. So I think it’s reasonable to expect that this should be an enjoyable hour and a half of television. Let’s proceed into my review and discover if that indeed turned out to be the case.
For my Review Gimmick for this episode, I shall be taking inspiration from my favorite thing that Will Ferrell has ever done by saying “You stay classy” to a particular element of each sketch and segment.
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May 16, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Carlos Bardem, Christian Ochoa Lavernia, Eiza González, Emmett J. Scanlan, Fisher Stevens, Guy Ritchie, Henry Cavill, In the Grey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Wong, Kojo Attah, Kristofer Hivju, Rosamund Pike
Mr. & Mr. Grey (CREDIT: Black Bear/Screenshot)
Starring: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González, Kristofer Hivju, Fisher Stevens, Rosamund Pike, Emmett J. Scanlan, Kojo Attah, Jason Wong, Christian Ochoa Lavernia, Carlos Bardem
Director: Guy Ritchie
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: May 15, 2026 (Theaters)
I’m going to have to be perfectly honest here, guys. I totally nodded off at least twice during In the Grey. I wasn’t really prepared for that, as it wasn’t like I was feeling profoundly tired when I entered the theater. Although I suppose I was a little restless the night before. Anyway, it started off as a fairly promising caper, even if I didn’t fully understand everyone’s motivations. So now I would appreciate it if somebody could give me a synopsis of the middle and the very end. In the meantime, I remain very much in the grey myself!
Grade: I Guess It Lived Up to Its Title!
May 15, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Comedy, Entertainment To-Do List, Literature, Music, Podcasts, Sports, Television
American Stories, Billy Eichner, Billy on Billy, Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir, Game Changer, In the Grey, Is God Is, Lisa Ann Walter: It Was An Accident, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Obsession, Podcasts, Preakness Stakes, Rostam, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, TV Is Good
Is this the face of Maximum Pleasure (CREDIT: Apple TV)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–In the Grey (Theaters) – Directed by Guy Ritchie
–Is God Is (Theaters) – I didn’t love this, but it’s interesting enough to be worth checking out.
–Obsession (Theaters)
TV
–Game Changer Season 8 Premiere (May 18 on Dropout)
–Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Series Premiere (May 20 on Apple TV) – Starring Tatiana Maslany.
–The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series Finale (May 21 on CBS)
Music
-Rostam, American Stories
Books
–Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir, by Billy Eichner (Release Date: May 19)
Comedy
–Lisa Ann Walter: It Was An Accident (May 15 on Hulu)
Sports
-Preakness Stakes (May 16 on NBC)
Podcasts
–TV Is Good – Co-hosted by Alan Sepinwall and Kathryn VanArendonk.
May 13, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Anne Hathaway, B.J. Novak, Caleb Hearon, David Frankel, Emily Blunt, George C. Wolfe, Helen J. Shen, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Larry Mitchell, Lucy Liu, Meryl Streep, Patrick Brammall, Pauline Chalamet, Rachel Bloom, Simone Ashley, Stanley Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Tibor Feldman, Tracie Thoms
Is this the Devil that Mötley Crüe was shouting at? (CREDIT:
20th Century Studios/Screenshot)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, B.J. Novak, Simone Ashley, Tracie Thoms, Tibor Feldman, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen, Rachel Bloom, Larry Mitchell, George C. Wolfe, Pauline Chalamet
Director: David Frankel
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 1, 2026 (Theaters)
Easily the most surprising moment for me while watching The Devil Wears Prada 2 came during the end credits when accomplished professional golfer Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica were credited as playing themselves. And yet my mom and I had not noticed them during the actual movie, despite both of us closely following his recent major victories. We figured they must have been at Miranda’s party at the Hamptons, which was positively bursting with oddball cameos. Which brings me to an important question I couldn’t help but ask myself: would I ever like to attend a Hamptons soiree myself like that?
I cannot imagine I would exactly enjoy the drive over, and it’s not like Runway can afford to loan everyone on the guest list a personal helicopter anymore these days, what with the modern state of legacy journalism being what it is and all (that’s the message of the film). Although if I were in the passenger seat, I would of course appreciate being able to get plenty of reading done. But the unpredictable assemblage of guests would probably make my brain melt from the random discombobulation of it all. I guess that’s a commentary on what Life is Like Right Now.
Thank you for coming to my hyper-specific review of The Devil Wears Prada 2!
Grade: 2 Lipas out of 3 Gagas
May 12, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Andy Richter, Cooper Tomlinson, Curry Barker, Inde Navarrette, Megan Lawless, Michael Johnston, Obsession
OMG, they’re obsessed. (CREDIT: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC)
Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter
Director: Curry Barker
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rating: R for Disturbing Sudden Violence, Odd Bedroom Behavior, and a Brief Moment of Graphic Nudity
Release Date: May 15, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: You know when you’ve been harboring romantic feelings for a platonic friend for a long time, but you’re too afraid to ask them if they feel the same way, so then you just secretly wish that they would confess their love for you out of the blue? Do you think it would be sensible to make that wish with the aid of a supposedly magic device? If you’re a human being in this layer of reality, then I would call that “Mostly Harmless.” But if you’re the main character in a horror movie, then I would categorize that as a “Bad Idea.” Lovesick young music store employee Bear (Michael Johnston) finds that out the hard way when he cracks open what appears to be a novelty device called a “One Wish Willow” and declares his desire that his coworker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would love him more than anything in the world. His request is granted, but it predictably all goes pear-shaped, as Nikki becomes possessed by a treacherously all-consuming passion.
What Made an Impression?: Too Close for Comfort?: There are some movies about young people with plenty of snappy dialogue that make growing up seem impossibly cool. And then there are those movies about young people where the dialogue is stilted and faltering, which make growing up seem like hell on Earth. Obsession is very much the latter. I imagine that was intentional, but if you’ve ever found yourself in a predicament like Bear’s, you may find this all simply too unbearable. Reminding yourself that this is just a movie is usually a good idea when it comes to horror. But in this case, I suspect it will only bring the coldest of comfort.
Stretching Out for Some Relief: Much of Obsession operates in two-hander mode, with Bear defenseless against Nikki’s descent as they lounge alone in his curtains-drawn, limbo-like house. So keep your claustrophobia treatments handy if you’re susceptible to the anxiety of tight spaces. Navarette is game to go as uncanny as this isolation demands, but I must say that I preferred the occasional group gatherings, particularly a standout party scene in which the extra characters allow the disturbing quirks to bounce and echo in zippy directions. Getting backed into a corner is much more fun when you know that you can bust out of it occasionally.
A Crunchy Mix of Flavors: Obsession is one of the most disturbing horror movies I’ve seen in the past few years, and yet it’s also one of the silliest. Those two opposing tones seem to have a restraining order against each other, save for when they get mixed up in the chaotic climax. To drill down into specifics, this is a movie that includes someone’s face being bashed against a brick as well as a frozen-in-place character losing control of fluid-based bodily functions, but it’s also a flick that features Reddit research about the Mandela effect along with Andy Richter in a small role as one of the main character’s dads. In other words, this is the kind of cinematic experience that’ll have you going, “Um, okay, that’s bizarre” and also, “OMG, THAT’S BIZARRE!”
Obsession is Recommended If You Like: High-concept kid-friendly horror like Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps turbo-charged into R-Rated Mode
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Willows
May 11, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Aleshea Harris, Erika Alexander, Is God Is, Janelle Monáe, Josiah Cross, Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Mykelti Williamson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox
Well… IS God is? (PHOTO CREDIT: Patti Perret
© 2026 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.)
Starring: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross
Director: Aleshea Harris
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Rating: R for Extreme Violence and Unfettered Language
Release Date: May 15, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have only had themselves to rely on ever since their dad (Sterling K. Brown) set their mom Ruby (Vivica A. Fox) on fire in a bathtub when they were little girls. The attack left burn marks up and down Rachine’s arm and all over Anaia’s face, leading the rest of the world to look down upon them as ugly outcasts. It also left their mom dead… or so they thought until one day when Ruby summons them and gives them a mission: kill their daddy. So they head out on their odyssey of revenge, encountering a colorfully alarming cast of new wives (Erika Alexander, Janelle Monáe) and half-siblings along the way. They’re frequently warned that their vengeance is just not worth it, but the pull to finally eliminate this monster is hard to resist.
What Made an Impression?: How Did It Get This Evil?: I thought Is God Is was going to be more stylized. The trailer certainly made it seem that way, and it’s a common tactic for making a premise like this more palatable. But instead, it’s a much, much more difficult watch. I wouldn’t exactly call it as realistic as possible, but it does force you to confront an environment where domestic violence is inescapable.
What’s the Takeaway?: With its unflinching approach to the subject matter, one would hope (or at least I would hope) that there could be an effort towards profundity. So what is the overarching message of Is God Is? Is it that vengeance destroys everyone caught in its trail? Is it that it’s better to escape the cycle of violence when you have the chance? Or is it that sometimes you inexplicably can’t escape even if you want to? There are elements of all of that here, but I’d be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what writer/director Aleshea Harris (adapting her play of the same name) wants to send us off with. Perhaps that confusion is the point. If so, it might be more frightening than she reckoned for.
Like They’re Going to Explode: So when I bemoaned this movie’s lack of stylization, I kind of lied. Or rather, I omitted just how over-the-top some of the performances are. Although maybe that’s not stylization, but instead just how some people would really behave in this scenario. Either way, watching the likes of Vivica A. Fox, Mykelti Williamson, and Janelle Monáe chew up the set like we know they can is easily the most enjoyable element of this movie. As the leads, Young and Johnson are required to be a little subdued, though they do have fun with their telepathic twin communication. Sterling K. Brown has quite a time biting into a rare opportunity to play the villain, but it’s Erika Alexander as a God-fearing jilted wife who leaves the biggest impression of “What the heck is going on here?” It’s what I’ll choose to remember more than the utter despair.
Is God Is is Recommended If You Like: Lifetime movies and ’70s revenge flicks
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Burn Scars
May 10, 2026
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Matt Damon, Noah Kahan, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 51, SNL, SNL Season 51
It’s Ben a good time (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
Jeff “jmunney” Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then reviews all the sketches and segments according to a “wacky” theme.
When Matthew Paige Damon hosts Saturday Night Live, it’s a relatively rare occurrence but generally worth tuning into. So that’s what I’ve done for his third outing as SNL Host. (Of course, I watch all new SNL episodes anyway, so you can’t reasonably claim that you’re surprised that I’m doing this.)
During the previous two times that Damon hosted, the musical guests were Bruce Springsteen & the E Street and Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus, respectively. This time around, however, it’s Noah Kahan, which honestly isn’t a huge shift in terms of tempo and genre.
For my Review Gimmick for this episode, I shall take inspiration from my favorite thing that Matt Damon has ever done (i.e., his lead turn in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley) and examine how each sketch and segment demonstrated the ways in which the performers are Talented.
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May 8, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), BLARF, Born to Kill, Film Scores for Films That Don't Exist, Jonny Greenwood, Lacrosse, Lykke Li, Marty Life Is Short, Mortal Kombat II, PGA Championship, Pop Culture Jeopardy!, Ranjha, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Shye Ben Tzur, Shye Ben Tzur Jonny Greenwood And The Rajasthan Express, Social Distortion, The Afterparty, The Rajasthan Express, The Sheep Detectives
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (Theaters) – Co-directed by Billie and James Cameron.
–Marty, Life Is Short (May 12 on Netflix) – Documentary about Martin Short.
–Mortal Kombat II (Theaters)
–The Sheep Detectives (Theaters)
TV
–RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11 Premiere (May 8 on Paramount+)
–Pop Culture Jeopardy! Season 2 Premiere (May 11 on Netflix) – Airing daily Monday-Friday until June 5 this season.
Music
-Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood And The Rajasthan Express, Ranjha
-BLARF, Film Scores for Films That Don’t Exist (Released May 1) – The latest from Eric Andre’s musical side project
-Lykke Li, The Afterparty – Reportedly her final album.
-Social Distortion, Born to Kill
Sports
-PGA Championship (May 14-17 on ESPN and CBS) – Set in Pennsylvania.
-NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament (May 8-22 on ESPN, ESPNU, and ESPN+) – I care this year because Rutgers and Loyola (Maryland) are in the field.
May 7, 2026
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Billie Eilish, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), concert documentary, documentary, Hit Me Hard and Soft, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, James Cameron
Billie on the Stage (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Billie Eilish
Directors: Billie Eilish and James Cameron
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Lyrics and Singalongs That Would Get a Parental Advisory Label
Release Date: May 8, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Her baroque soundscapes and famously baggy fashion may not fit the typical pop musician mold, but Billie Eilish has nevertheless managed to become one of the biggest superstars in the world. So that means that she has the cachet to front a theatrically released concert documentary with some unique creative choices. That includes co-directing alongside James Cameron and shooting the whole thing in three dimensions. So the result is an immersive experience in multiple ways, gathered from footage of Eilish’s performances in Manchester, England as part of her “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour.” And in typical concert doc fashion, there are also behind-the-scenes bits sprinkled in of Billie revealing what’s been going on in her world and fans confessing how much she means to them.
What Made an Impression?: What a Mouthful: This isn’t a big deal in terms of the viewing experience, but what are people going to say when buying a ticket for this movie (as the entirety of “Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” will probably take multiple breaths to get through)? I suppose this doesn’t matter too much, as so much ticket-buying takes place online ahead of time nowadays. Still, with a title that requires as much punctuation as this one, it’s a good idea to have an abbreviation that everyone can agree upon. In conclusion, I love ungainly Methuselan titles like this, and I’m glad that it’s what they went with!
Making Sense of the Setlist: I consider myself a little bit more than a casual fan of Billie’s, but watching this doc was a stark reminder that even superstars are somewhat niche in our post-monoculture era. I’ve only listened to the album that the tour is named after once in its entirety, so there were plenty of songs performed here that I wasn’t terribly familiar with. Eventually, Billie does bust out some of her most inescapable hits like “Bad Guy” and “everything i wanted”, so those of us who only check with her every once in a while won’t feel totally adrift. This is not to say that including the newer and lesser-known tracks is a bad idea (far from it, in fact), but it was a little unnerving to realize that I wouldn’t be able to sing along as much as I thought I could.
The 3D Verdict: I still firmly contend that 3D movies are best when treated like a gimmick in the form of projectiles firing at the audience, rather than serving the goal of creating the most visually immersive atmosphere possible, even when you have the master of the latter approach behind the camera. Nevertheless, Hit Me Hard and Soft‘s extra-dimensionality is memorable, especially when boisterous concert attendees appear like they’re in the movie theater, and when falling confetti threatens to make a mess of your popcorn. So ultimately, it is enough of a gimmick for putting on the goofy glasses to be as fun and as silly as I could hope for.
The Parasociality of It All: I’ve never been the type of fan to say that I’ve been saved by my favorite artist’s music, so when I hear others express that sentiment, as so many of Billie’s devotees do here, it can feel a little overwhelming. However, if the connections they’ve formed with these songs truly did pull them back from the brink of darkness, then that’s a net positive for the world. The declarations of what the artist means to so many are nothing new in this genre, but they’re in the final cut for a reason.
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is Recommended If: You’re a Fan/True Believer in Any of the Names, Words, and/or Formats in That Title
Grade: 3 out of 5 Ankle-Length Shorts
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