April 18, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
AJ Mendez, Iman Karram, Kristen Stewart, Maya Erskine, Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Rosalind Chao, Sacramento, Sacramento movie
The Sacramento boys (CREDIT: Vertical)
Starring: Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Maya Erskine, Kristen Stewart, AJ Mendez, Iman Karram, Rosalind Chao
Director: Michael Angarano
Running Time: 84 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: April 11, 2025 (Theaters)
Whenever I think about the capital of California, my mind inevitably goes to that episode of Full House when Joey is a substitute teacher for Michelle’s class, and during a geography lesson, he says, “starts with Sac and ends with ramento.” So now you know where my head was at while I was watching a movie called Sacramento directed by Michael Angarano and also starring Angarano and other people now in their 30s who have been entertaining us since they were kids.
So now the question of course is: would I ever like to visit Sacramento? It’s an especially pressing matter, considering that the hook of this movie is that Angarano plays a guy who tricks an old friend (Michael Cera) into a road trip to Sac-Town. He says he’s going there to spread his dad’s ashes, but really he’s working up the courage to visit an old hookup (played by Angarano’s real-life wife Maya Erskine) for the first time since she gave birth to their kid. As far as I can tell from the evidence provided, there’s nothing particularly flashy about the titular city, especially compared to its in-state competition. But it does appear to provide decent space for chillaxing and coming to grips with your hangups, so this was a worthwhile trip in that regard.
Grade: 3 Babies out of 5 Daddies
April 18, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television
Andor, Boston Marathon, CinemaCon, Julien Baker & Torres, Julien GBaker, Melvins, Send a Prayer My Way, Sinners, Sneak Peek Showcase, Sneaks, The Rehearsal, The Shrouds, The Wedding Banquet, Thee Black Boltz, Thunderball, Torres, Tunde Adebimpe
I’m Boltz-ing to wherever great new music can be heard
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The Shrouds (Theaters)
–Sinners (Theaters) – …and twins?!
–Sneaks (Theaters) – A movie about sneakers.
–The Wedding Banquet (Theaters)
–Sneak Peek Showcase (April 22 and April 24 in Theaters) – A collection of trailers, clips and BTS footage from CinemaCon.
TV
–The Rehearsal Season 2 Premiere (April 20 on HBO) – Air travel prep.
–Andor Season 2 Premiere (April 22 on Disney+)
Music
-Tunde Adebimpe, Thee Black Boltz – Solo debut.
-Julien Baker & Torres, Send a Prayer My Way
-Melvins, Thunderball
Sports
-Boston Marathon (April 21 on ESPN2)
April 16, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Andrene Ward-Hammond, Buddy Guy, David Maldonado, Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, Helena Hu, Jack O'Connell, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Lola Kirke, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Omar Benson Miller, Peter Dreimanis, Ryan Coogler, Saul Williams, Sinners, Wunmi Mosaku, Yao
Sinners! (CREDIT: Warner Bros./Screenshot)
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Jayme Lawson, Delroy Lindo, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Yao, Lola Kirke, Helena Hu, Peter Dreimanis, Saul Williams, Andrene Ward-Hammond, David Maldonado, Buddy Guy
Director: Ryan Coogler
Running Time: 137 Minutes
Rating: R for Guns, Nightlife Vices, and Supernatural Mayhem
Release Date: April 18, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: The boys are back in town! Those boys in question are twin brothers Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Stack (also Jordan), while the town is in rural 1930s Mississippi. They were previously sojourning in Chicago, but now they’ve returned with millions in hand (quite possibly attained through criminal pursuits) and plans to open the hoppingest juke joint in town. Joining them in this venture are their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), a budding blues guitarist virtuoso; Smoke’s old flame Annie (Wunmi Mosaku); Stack’s old flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld); and seemingly everyone else they grew up with. Their dream quickly comes together, but lurking just outside are a few party crashers with a thirst for blood who are here to ensure that opening night will be even more unforgettable than anybody bargained for.
What Made an Impression?: Get Yourself Excited: A quick note before I really dig into the meat of this review: you all should know that I say this movie’s title with the same cadence that Superintendent Mario Chalmers refers to Principal Seymour Skinner on The Simpsons. (It’s also how I say the last name of a certain Italian tennis player.) That didn’t really affect my enjoyment one way or the other, but I do like to be transparent.
The Bloodiest Good Time: I’ll just go right ahead and get this off my chest: Sinners might just be my favorite vampire movie of all time! That’s not a huge huge surprise, as I’m not a major aficionado of Dracula and the like, so the bar wasn’t particularly high. But there are still plenty of fine examples that now must give up the throne. Perhaps you’re surprised to hear this, considering that the trailers play a little coy with the premise’s true nature. But that patient approach in which writer-director Ryan Coogler waits a little while to show off his full hand is a big reason why it’s so successful.
A Sense of Time and Place: Sinners nails every temptation that’s so tantalizingly cool about its era, but in a way that also makes you realize that America is and also has been like this. The outfits and diction might change, but working folks and the discriminated classes have always been trying to scheme and break free and find their families. There’s a lot more to what makes Sinners cook than that, but that’s a good starting point to let you know why it’s so exhilarating.
Play It Again: There’s a magnificent set piece about halfway through in which Sammie’s singing and strumming is so magical that it summons the spirits of multi-genre past and future musicians into the party. (That power is a big reason why those supernatural baddies have found their way here.) Speaking of music, the rest of the film is soundtracked by frequent Coogler collaborator Ludwig Göransson, who blends an intoxicating stew that both honors and transcends its Delta trappings.
It’s a Beaut!: Sinners‘ cinematographer is Autumn Durald Arkapaw, a name I’m not too familiar with, although she did shoot the second Black Panther and a few other flicks I’ve seen. But man oh man, she outdid herself here. Every frame just pops off the screen and irons itself into your brainstem. I’m sure costume designer Ruth E. Carter (another Coogler regular) appreciated the fine lens work, since it made it undeniably clear how her duds were in no way duds.
Get Comfy: Don’t bolt out of your seat after the credits start rolling, because there’s more to come! If Marvel blockbusters have you feeling cynical about mid-credits and post-credits scenes, well, forget all that, because Sinners offers a couple of codas that deliver a few new flavors while deepening everything that it’s all about.
Sinners is Recommended If You Like: Only Lovers Left Alive, the American blues songbook, BlacKkKlansman
Grade: 5 out of 5 Smokestacks
April 15, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
David Cronenberg, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt, The Shrouds, Vincent Cassel
Til death do they part? (CREDIT: Sideshow and Janus Films)
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt
Director: David Cronenberg
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Rating: R for Sex and Nudity in Both the Here and Now and the Beyond, and a Little Bit of Violence
Release Date: April 18, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Have you ever wanted to peek at your dead loved ones while they’re resting underground? Well, if you lived in the world of The Shrouds, you’d be in luck! That’s because this is a movie about a businessman named Karsh Relikh (Vincent Cassel) who has invented GraveTech, which allows people to keep an eye on the decaying corpses of their dearly departed. This mission is pretty personal for him, considering his desire to be buried alongside his late wife Becca (Diane Kruger) following her untimely death from cancer. But his focus on the hereafter might be keeping him blind to the strange developments on this earthly plane, as he finds himself getting dangerously closer to Becca’s sister Terry (also Kruger) while his brother-in-law Maury (Guy Pearce) rants and raves about some sort of conspiracy.
What Made an Impression?: The Cronenberg of It All: The Shrouds is more psychological horror than body horror, or rather, I should say, that ratio leans more psychological than usual by David Cronenberg Standards. There’s definitely plenty of corporeal shenanigans, though, particularly when Karsh keeps seeing a vision of a gradually more and more surgically reduced Becca.
Guy Pearces a Bullseye: Maury is one of those characters that makes you go, “Should we just ignore this guy, or should we instead be listening very closely to every single thing that he says?” Pearce understands the assignment and is compellingly confusing.
Why, Why, Why?: Is GraveTech a good idea? Cronenberg certainly doesn’t seem to be endorsing it. And based on what we can glean from Karsh’s experience, I can’t say I recommend it. But maybe there’s a way to handle this breakthrough more sensitively? I don’t think it has to make your day-to-day so woozy and surreal. We all grieve in our own ways.
Losing the Plot: The action is driven by an act of vandalism at the GraveTech graves and an attempt to locate the guilty parties. But I got the feeling that Karsh and by extension Cronenberg weren’t really all that interested in finding the answer to that question. Instead, The Shrouds is much more concerned about the director’s continued interest in reflecting upon what happens when we give our bodies and minds over to emerging technologies.
It’s Complicated: In conclusion, if you hear the hook of GraveTech and wonder, “How will this make everyone’s relationships messier?”, then The Shrouds has been designed to cater to you.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Corpses
April 14, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Brian Geraghty, Damian Young, David Rysdahl, David Straithairn, Haley Bennett, James Wolk, Johnny Knoxville, Lilli Kay, Maisie Williams, Michael Larson, Patti Harrison, Paul Walter Hauser, Press Your Luck, Ricky Russert, Samir Oliveros, Shamier Anderson, Shaunette Renée Wilson, The Luckiest Man in America, Walton Goggins
The Face of Luck (CREDIT: IFC Films)
Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Walton Goggins, David Straithairn, Brian Geraghty, Patti Harrison, Maisie Williams, Shamier Anderson, Haley Bennett, Damian Young, Lilli Kay, James Wolk, Shaunette Renée Wilson, David Rysdahl, Ricky Russert, Johnny Knoxville
Director: Samir Oliveros
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: April 4, 2025 (Theaters)
Are ya feeling lucky? Well if you’re watching The Luckiest Man in America, you should be! It tells the story of Michael Larson, the air conditioner repairman and ice cream truck driver who broke the bank when he cracked the pattern on the seemingly random game show Press Your Luck in 1984. In the process, he earned what was at the time the highest single-day winning total on a game show. He’s played by Paul Walter Hauser, who was seemingly made in a lab to bring this sort of huckster to life. Walton Goggins is also pretty damn unforgettable as PYL host Peter Tomarken. The whole cast is unbelievably stacked, in fact. (Even a certain jackass shows up at one point.) By the time the credits roll, you’ll be thinking, “I’m the luckiest person in the movie theater!”
Grade: Absolutely NO Whammies!
April 11, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
And the Adjacent Possible, Bon Iver, Doctor Who, Drop, OK Go, One to One: John & Yoko, Röyksopp, SABLE fABLE, Sacrameto, The Amateur, True Electric, Warfare, WNBA Draft
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The Amateur (Theaters)
–Drop (Theaters)
–One to One: John & Yoko (IMAX Theaters)
–Sacramento (Theaters)
–Warfare (Theaters)
TV
–Doctor Who Season 15 Premiere (April 12 on Disney+)
Music
-Bon Iver, SABLE, fABLE
-OK Go, And the Adjacent Possible
-Röyksopp, True Electric – Oh man, remember these guys back in the day?
Sports
-WNBA Draft (April 14 on ESPN) – Checking out who’s going to be picked.
April 10, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Brandon Sklenar, Christopher Landon, Drop, Ed Weeks, Gabrielle Ryan Spring, Jacob Robinson, Jeffery Self, Meghann Fahy, Reed Diamond, Travis Nelson, Violett Beane
They certainly dropped Drop like it’s hot (CREDIT: Universal Pictures)
Starring: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan Spring, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, Travis Nelson
Director: Christopher Landon
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Chekhov’s Poison (and Gun and Knife) and Flashbacks of Abuse
Release Date: April 11, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Widowed mother Violet (Meghann Fahy) is finally ready to start dating again a few years after the dissolution of her abusive marriage. So she calls up her sister Jen (Violett Beane) to babysit her 5-year-old son Toby (Jacob Robinson) so that she can finally meet up with Henry (Brandon Sklenar), the hunky, sensitive photographer that she’s been messaging with. They settle in for dinner at a fancy high-rise spot, and the vibes are totally right… until someone starts anonymously sending Violet messages demanding that she kill Henry if she doesn’t want her son to die instead. As she desperately seeks an escape from this entrapment, she starts playing detective to identify the criminal puppetmaster: could it be the seemingly sweet bartender (Gabrielle Ryan Spring), the older gentleman getting back out there on a blind date (Reed Diamond), the totally extra waiter (Jeffery Self), the skeevy piano player (Ed Weeks), the rando she keeps bumping into (Travis Nelson), or maybe even one of the teenagers on a post-prom excursion?
What Made an Impression?: It’s So Much Fun Watching Someone in Danger!: Drop is the sort of propulsive, dread-inducing thriller that never lets up long enough for you to get hung up on how much it strains credulity. Although, now that I’ve watched it and I’m writing my review, I’m more than happy to raise some questions! Most pressingly, does the AirDrop feature really allow you to be this intrusive into someone who’s not in your contacts? I’ve never been an iPhone user, although to be fair to Drop, Violet’s tormentor is actually using an AirDrop stand-in called “DigiDrop.” I could go on to nitpick even further, but here’s the thing: I didn’t care about any of that! This movie establishes its rules of play and never cheats, so its twists and zooms feel earned, no matter how ridiculous they may be rendered upon forensic examination.
Escaping the Grip of the Past: As Violet constantly flits around and makes odd requests to the waitstaff, Henry can’t help but assume that she really isn’t quite yet in the right frame of mind for romance. He suggests that they try this another time, but since she really needs him to say, she tries the gambit of explaining that she’s been distracted because her abusive ex still has her in her grip. It may not be the immediate reason that her mind is elsewhere, but it’s not like it’s not true. What follows is a genuine, thoughtful conversation about how abuse warps our sense of reality. I wasn’t expecting Drop to be so astutely therapeutic, but I certainly appreciate it. It all adds up to a simple trick for effective storytelling: clearly establish your main characters’ backstories, and then treat their psychology with respect.
Drop is Recommended If You Like: Red Eye probably (I’ve never seen it in its entirety, but based on chatter I’ve heard, the comparison fits), Hitchcock thrillers about protagonists who suddenly find themselves in over their heads (Rear Window, North by Northwest, etc.), The Invisible Man
Grade: 4 out of 5 Threats
April 9, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
documentary, John Lennon, Kevin Macdonald, One to One: John & Yoko, Sam Rice-Edwards, Yoko Ono
Documentary for the Benefit of John & Yoko (CREDIT: Magnolia Pictures)
Starring: John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Directors: Kevin MacDonald and Sam Rice-Edwards
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Rating: R for Graphic Non-Sexual Nudity and Some Drug Use
Release Date: April 11, 2025 (IMAX Theaters)
What’s It About?: In August 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed the “One to One” concert at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a benefit show for the Willowbrook institution for children with intellectual disabilities, which was notorious for its inhumane conditions. The documentary One to One: John & Yoko tracks the buildup to that show, while also painting a portrait of the couple’s stay in a Greenwich apartment, which they lived in for 18 months from 1971 to 1973. During that time, when they weren’t preparing for the show, the musical couple liked to stay in bed and watch a lot of TV, while also advocating for the freedom of activist John Sinclair, among other activities.
What Made an Impression?: A Reality-Altering Adventure: One to One does not unfold strictly linearly, both in terms of chronology and geometry. Instead, it bounces around from fragment to fragment, often with scratches of static to mark the transitions. In other words, it operates much like human memory, or at least my human memory. No worries if your mind is a little chaotic, though. If you’re someone who’s been alive in the modern world during any of the last several decades, I suspect that you’ll still be able to intuit directors Kevin MacDonald and Sam Rice-Edwards’ style of mediation within mediation pretty naturally, even if doesn’t follow the typical syntax of documentary cinema language.
A Peek Inside: With its mix of archival TV clips and behind-the-scenes footage, One to One also aims to capture the fleeting essence of what it was like to live as John and Yoko during this era. Perhaps the mind-bending style sounds a little too niche or maybe even off-putting to you. But if you have any affection for these people, you’ll surely find yourself touched by the access and vulnerability. And thankfully it doesn’t feel invasive, but instead like a gift to the world of a little piece of their souls.
One to One: John & Yoko is Recommended If You Like: Experimental documentaries, Intimate documentaries, 1970s talk shows
Grade: 4 out of 5 Benefit Concerts
April 8, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
A Minecraft Movie, Andrew Barth Feldman, Andrew Burnap, Andy Grotelueschen, Ansu Kabia, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Gal Gadot, George Salazar, Jack Black, Jared Hess, Jason Kravits, Jason Momoa, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, Jeremy Swift, Marc Webb, Martin Klebba, Patrick Page, Rachel House, Rachel Zegler, Sebastian Hansen, Snow White, Snow White 2025, Tituss Burgess
When it Snows, it blocks (CREDIT: Disney/Screenshot; Warner Bros./Screenshot)
Snow White
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Ansu Kabia, Patrick Page, Jeremy Swift, Tituss Burgess, Andrew Barth Feldman, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Andy Grotelueschen
Director: Marc Webb
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: March 21, 2025 (Theaters)
A Minecraft Movie
Starring: Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement, Jared Hess
Director: Jared Hess
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: April 4, 2025 (Theaters)
A few days ago, I saw Snow White (the version where Rachel Zegler plays the Friend of Grumpy). Then the very next day, I saw A Minecraft Movie (the one released in 2025, in case you’re reading this in the future). And I couldn’t help but ask myself: would I like to live in either of these magical realms?
More
April 4, 2025
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
A Minecraft Movie, Black Mirror, Brandi Carlile, Bunky Becky Birthday Boy, David Longstreth, Dirty Projectors, Djo, Elton John, Elton John and Brandi Carlile, Sleigh Bells, Song of the Earth, stargaze, The Crux, The Handmaid's Tale, The Luckiest Man in America, The Masters, Who Believes in Angels?
I knew that one day I would look in the mirror and see Paul Giamatti looking back at me (CREDIT: John Wall/Netflix)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The Luckiest Man in America (Theaters)
–A Minecraft Movie (Theaters)
TV
–The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 (April 8 on Hulu) – Final Season Alert!
–Black Mirror Season 7 (April 10 on Netflix) – I still haven’t finished Season 6, though!
Music
-Dirty Projectors, David Longstreth, & stargaze, Song of the Earth
-Djo, The Crux
-Elton John and Brandi Carlile, Who Believes in Angels?
-Sleigh Bells, Bunky Becky Birthday Boy
Sports
-The Masters (April 10-13 on ESPN, Paramount+, and CBS) – Will Rory McIlroy finally win this year?
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