Is the Roofman on fire? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out! (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Lakeith Stanfield, Ben Mendelsohn, Uzo Aduba, Juno Temple, Emory Cohen, Melonie Diaz, Molly Price, Lily Collias, Kennedy Moyer, Tony Revolori, Jimmy O. Yang
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Rating: R for A Brief Sex Scene and a Goofy Nude Scene (Not During the Sex)
Release Date: October 10, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?:Roofman presents Channing Tatum embodying the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, whose nom de criminality serves as the title of this film. We meet Jeffrey as a restless Army veteran who wants to be a better provider for his kids. So he resorts to robbing a series of McDonald’s in the Charlotte, North Carolina area by cutting through their roofs during their unoccupied hours. Eventually he’s caught and charged for his spree, but soon enough he escapes prison and hides out in a local Toys “R” Us store to plan his next big move. He somehow manages to evade capture long enough to assume a new identity and start dating a single mother named Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) that he meets after wandering into a church one day. As his wild story presses on apace, we’re left to wonder: maybe he’ll decide to settle down and live an honest life. Or perhaps instead, all his misdeeds will actually finally catch up to him.
What Made an Impression?: I’m going to do this review a little differently than my usual style by starting off with the question: Should YOU want to be the Roofman? I won’t keep you in suspense, though. The answer is: no, you should not.
So is that the end of the review? Well, let’s get a little more nuanced. By most accounts that I’ve come across, the real Jeffrey Manchester is fantastically charming, and Tatum certainly plays him that way. I found myself instinctively rooting for everything to work out in his favor, but then I caught myself enough to recognize that that’s not exactly the most defensible position. Jeffrey doesn’t just break the letter of the law, he also breaks the spirit. And while he does his best to eschew violence in the course of his misdeeds, some people do get hurt. Plus, he’s not exactly a Robin Hood where only Billionaire Big Business is getting hurt. So if you do find yourself rooting for him, I’d recommend redirecting that energy towards hoping that he’s given the opportunity to atone for his schemes and put his talents to better use.
And the Roofman does indeed have some considerable talents. He’s observant, thoughtful, and fun to be around. The trouble is, of course, that he too often utilizes those qualities in service of some very combustible misconduct. This is a tricky movie to watch, partly because it’s also a very easy movie to watch. On the surface level, it’s charming and exciting, which could lure you into a trap of glamorizing some bad behavior. Now, it’s not terribly difficult to avoid that trap, but what’s perhaps a little more challenging is finding the right balance when sorting out the admirable and the heinous within someone like Jeffrey Manchester. It makes sense that he found his way to a house of worship, because he’s clearly a sinner who also has some amount of desire to be better. You don’t have to be religious yourself to be inspired by this movie, but whatever your preferred belief system (or lack thereof), I think one of the biggest takeaways from this story is the eternal power of grace, even when (or perhaps especially when) things get out of hand.
You’re gonna want to sit down for this (CREDIT: HBO/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–After the Hunt (Theaters)
–A House of Dynamite (Theaters; On Netflix October 24)
–If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (Theaters)
–Kiss of the Spider Woman (Theaters)
–Roofman (Theaters)
–TRON: Ares (Theaters)
TV
–The Chair Company Series Premiere (October 12 on HBO) – From the mind of Tim Robinson.
–Elsbeth Season 3 Premiere (October 12 on CBS) – Premiering on Sunday before moving to its regular Thursday timeslot.
–Matlock Season 2 Premiere (October 12 on CBS) – Premiering on Sunday before moving to its regular Thursday timeslot.
–DMV Series Premiere (October 13 on CBS) – A sitcom set at a Department of Motor Vehicles.
–Solar Opposites Season 6 (October 13 on Hulu) – Final Season Alert!
–Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season 2 Premiere (October 16 on CBS)
–Ghosts Season 5 Premiere (October 16 on CBS)
Music
-Richard Ashcroft, Lovin’ You
-Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe, Liminal
-Mobb Deep, Infinite
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten
Director: Benny Safdie
Running Time: 123 Minutes
Rating: R for Combat and Addiction
Release Date: October 3, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: What we’ve got here is a biopic about retired mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, played by Dwayne Johnson, a veteran of athletic combat himself. Kerr was active in the ring before MMA became one of the most popular sports in the world, so if you’re an obsessive UFC historian, perhaps you’re already familiar with his story. But on the other hand, if you’ve only become a fan within the past ten years or so, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of him before. The Smashing Machine focuses on a few of Kerr’s fights in Japan during the end of the last century, and otherwise we get a close view at Mark’s chaotic home life in Arizona with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt). And it must be mentioned that we also get to spend plenty of time with Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), Mark’s fellow grappler and close confidant.
What Made an Impression?: What’s It All About, Smashy?:The Smashing Machine is not exactly your typical sports biopic. I don’t say that as praise, nor criticism, but merely observation. Oh sure, it’s got training sequences and behind-the-scenes struggles, but it doesn’t exactly build to the sort of climax you’re probably expecting. Occasionally, it feels like its reason for existing is to unveil the untold truth of MMA. Elsewhere, it’s something else entirely: a stark portrait of addiction, as Mark becomes dangerously hooked on painkillers and Dawn’s alcoholism brings her to the edge of utter destruction. Of course, there’s no reason it can’t be both of those things, but this particular case is an oddly shaped assemblage that I’ve never quite encountered before. Letting Us In: This movie raises the question: why Mark Kerr in particular? He doesn’t seem like the most influential or most successful figure in his sport’s history, though he certainly made a noticeable impact. As far as I can tell, The Smashing Machine happened because Johnson and writer/director Benny Safdie were fans, and they had the pull to make it happen. And on top of that, the real Kerr was remarkably willing to let his unvarnished story go on the screen. That vulnerability certainly comes through via the unflinching portrayal of Mark and Dawn’s chaotic relationship, as well as the remarkably supportive friendship between the two Marks. This Would Have Played Out Very Differently with Instant Replay: One more observation before I wrap things up: this movie contains a lot of nitpicking, mostly in terms of Mark and Dawn getting on each other’s nerves. But a very different type of pedantry really stood out as something unusual. Early on, Mark loses a fight, but he’s convinced that his opponent has used an illegal move on him. So he marches right out of the stadium to immediately plead his case to the guy in charge of everything while he’s still a sweaty mess in his grappling skivvies. What struck me most about this scene was how much it was devoted to a procedural matter. It also serves a thematic purpose regarding Mark’s journey, but from my vantage point, it mainly underscored how much rules and their interpretation matter in sports, which can be both kind of fun and also kind of infuriating.
The Smashing Machine is Recommended If You Like: It When a Really Gritty Movie Also Features a Trip to the Local Fair for Some Reason
Happy Halloween, and also with you! (CREDIT: Hulu)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Anemone (Theaters)
–Bone Lake (Theaters)
–Good Boy (Theaters)
–Orwell 2+2=5 (Theaters)
–The Smashing Machine (Theaters)
TV
–Saturday Night Live Season 51 Premiere (October 4 on NBC) – Kicking it off with Bad Bunny and Doja Cat.
-Family Guy: “A Little Fright Music” (October 6 on Hulu) – Another holiday special.
Music
-AFI, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…
-Sparks, MADDER!
-Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl
Sports
-WNBA Finals (Begins October 3, on ESPN and ABC)
People are Strangers, when Eleanor is Great (CREDIT: Sony Pictures Classics/Screenshot; Lionsgate)
Eleanor the Great
Starring: June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, Rita Zohar, Will Price
Director: Scarlett Johansson
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
The Strangers – Chapter 2
Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Rachel Shenton
Director: Renny Harlin
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
Sometimes when I watch two very different movies in quick succession, I like to ask which one of them feels more like home. First up we have Eleanor the Great, in which June Squibb plays a woman who moves in with her daughter and grandson and then befriends a young journalism student in the course of pretending that her recently deceased friend’s experience of surviving the Holocaust is her own story. Meanwhile, The Strangers – Chapter 2 (which is of course the fourth film in the Strangers franchise) is just the latest misadventure of masked killers delivering their lethal blows to ostensibly random targets.
Stay! (CREDIT: Ben Leonberg/Independent Film Company and Shudder)
They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for October 2025:
Good Boy: I love dogs, and I love horror movies. Good Boy combines these two great passions of mine. There have been other canine-based scary flicks before, but I’m hearing that this one is among the best.
Pictured: a moment from One of the Battles (CREDIT: Warner Bros./Screenshot)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Tony Goldwyn, James Downey, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Shayna McHayle, Paul Grimstad, Dijon Duenas, John Hoogenakker, Eric Schweig
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Running Time: 162 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
Could One Battle for Another be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen that I didn’t laugh once during? Before I ventured out to the multiplex, I’d been seeing a lot of raves calling it pretty dang hilarious in the midst of a wild and high-wire tonal mix. And I can now intellectually confirm what everyone was talking about. Leo D. rolling around on the floor, Benicio del T. doing a little dance on the side of the road – that’s some goofy physicality for ya! Trouble is, these moments are also really TENSE. The whole movie is so goshdang tense! Yeah, these characters do plenty of silly things, but always in situations where getting shot in the head is a real possibility. So keep your head on straight, and you’ll probably enjoy this movie. Maybe not in the exact same way as I did (re: chuckling), but that should still work out okay.
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Time to ball with these cool dudes (CREDIT: Outright Games/Screenshot)
Movie
–One Battle After Another (Theaters)
–The Strangers: Chapter 2 (Theaters)
–Eleanor the Great (Theaters)
TV
–Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season Premiere (September 26 on ABC)
–Bob’s Burgers Season 16 Premiere (September 28 on FOX)
–Krapopolis Season 3 Premiere (September 28 on FOX)
–The Simpsons Season 37 Premiere (September 28 on FOX)
–Abbott Elementary Season 5 Premiere (October 1 on ABC)
Music
-Fred Armisen, 100 Sound Effects
-Mariah Carey, Here for It All
-Neko Case, Neon Grey Midnight Green
-Doja Cat, Vie
-Zara Larsson, Midnight Sun
-Robert Plant, Saving Grace
-Jeff Tweedy, Twilight Override
Video Games –NBA Bounce (Switch, PS4, PS5, Steam, XBOX One, XBOX Series X|S) – 3-on-3 cartoony basketball.
Starring: Laila Lockhart Kraner, Gloria Estefan, Kristen Wiig, Jason Mantzoukas, Logan Bailey, Fortune Feimster, Thomas Lennon, Melissa Villaseñor, Ego Nwodim, Matty Matheson, Juliet Donenfeld, Eduardo Franco, Maggie Lowe, Sainty Nelsen, Donovan Patton, Tara Strong, Carla Tassara, Secunda Wood, Kyle Mooney
Director: Ryan Crego
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: G (Although Some of the Jokes Are Cheekily Off-Color in a Kid-Friendly Way)
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Based on the Netflix series of the same name, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie introduces the multiplex-frequenting public to the titular young woman (Laila Lockhart Kraner) and her titular feline-filled toy abode. She and her grandma Gigi (Gloria Estefan) make their way to “Cat Francisco,” which is just one part of a cat-tacularly pun-filled alterna-USA wherein Gabby has the power to shrink down into a cartoon version of herself to truly hang out in the dollhouse. But disaster strikes when her Gabby Cats end up in the villainous claws of Vera (Kristen Wiig), a cat lady who’s forgotten how to play with her toys in favor of just collecting them. So Gabby and Gigi set out on a rescue mission to retrieve her best friends. But meanwhile, she’ll have to watch out for the seen-it-all kitty Chumsley (Jason Mantzoukas), who suspects that Gabby might have outgrown the wonders of the dollhouse.
What Made an Impression?: Virginia Horsen Energy:GD: The Movie is obviously not made for adult film critics. It looks like the show is basically the Blue’s Clues of its time, which is to say it’s primarily for the preschool set. Maybe the big screen version is aiming a few ages higher, while parents can theoretically keep their sanity by focusing on Kristen Wiig as the femme fatale. To her credit, she does indeed give a much stranger performance than you would expect to find in a G-rated flick for tykes. Vera legitimately could’ve been a beloved recurring character on SNL back during An Golden Era. What’s Up, Jerks?: Even more bizarre than Wiig’s presence is the top billing of Jason Mantzoukas in an all-ages affair. Maybe my sense or reality has been warped by all my years of listening to How Did This Get Made?, but it really did feel like Chumsley might just shout “What’s up, jerks?!” at any point. And I really did think while watching, “Is this a Jacob’s Ladder Scenario?” If Gabby’s Dollhouse has all along been a sneaky operation to get the next generation hooked on deranged comedy, then I gotta say that the kids’ll be all right. The Rest is Cacophony: If it sounds like I’ve become a low-key Gabby’s Dollhouse superfan, well, that’s because I only focused on the few parts that I enjoyed in spite of everything else. The rest of it was just a big blur of candy colors and chaotic cupcake explosions that subtly declared, “You can just let your mind wander and think about whatever.” I was somewhat intrigued by the messy assemblage of the soundtrack, which included the likes of a recent chart-topper by Bruno Mars, the All-4-One ballad “I Swear,” the worldbeat hit “Makeba” by French singer Jain, and something that I’m pretty sure is entitled “Skibidi Meow.” So in conclusion: this movie has several bizarre beats that might just stick with me, but otherwise it’ s a low-rent Toy Story 2.
Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie is Recommended If You Like: Cats that can cry sprinkles
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Paul Copley, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Paul Giamatti, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Douglas Reith, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, Simon Russell Beale, Alessandro Nivola, Arty Froushan, Joely Richardson
Director: Simon Curtis
Running Time: 124 Minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: September 12, 2025 (Theaters)
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale very much feels like it’s about the end of an era. Much the same way that the first Downton Abbey movie and Downton Abbey: A New Era felt like they were about the end of an era. I’ve never seen a single episode of the same-named TV show that these films are based on, but I’m going to guess that it also had something to do with reckoning with the end of an era. Anyway, in this latest edition, that reckoning mostly consists of the Crawleys dealing with the possibility that they might have to live somewhere else, maybe even an apartment*! (*-Aka a “flat” in Britspeak.) Of course, in that scenario Robert must first learn what a flat even is. Lol. In the midst of all that, some unsavory character tries to pull a big con on the Grantham crew, which sure seems like a looming disaster. But then they get rid of him by basically just saying “You get outta here” a la Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. And then it’s time to go home, I guess.
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