Movie Review – “Song Sung Blue”

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Denise

“Insurance? Miss, do you know any musicians? We’re broke as a joke.”

Story: In Milwaukee, a man and woman meet. Sparks fly, and they get together. And they also decide to form a Neil Diamond cover band, which gets pretty darn popular. But then tragedy strikes, and things look insurmountable. But as they try to put themselves back together, music, and love, is always there.

Genre I’d put it in: Heart-wrenching Musical Biopics
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the real life Neil Diamond cover band Lightning and Thunder (Mike Sardina, and his wife Claire), and the documentary of the same name based on their life.

Gotta say: When John Beckwith’s Eddie Vedder says “who doesn’t like Neil Diamond?” Truer Words. The singer has something for everybody, and it’s all good. From young horror nerds (see: Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass, which uses Diamond exclusively) to Boomers who were at OG concerts back in the day. Blue may not have that same irresistible pull as Neil, but it’s got moments of heart and bittersweet beauty that tug on the same heartstrings.

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Ho or No – “The Baltimorons”

Posted on December 13, 2025 by Denise

“So… I’ll see you Monday.”

Story: Cliff and Brittany head to Brittany’s parents house for Christmas Eve. But when Cliff hurts himself and needs emergency dental work, he finds Didi, a dentist who’s actually at her office. This leads to a whole lot of crazy circumstances, a whole lot of soul-baring, and maybe a little bit of understanding.

Genre I’d put it in: Baltimore Christmas Rom-coms
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Original.

Gotta say: I love Citizen Kane even though for years I didn’t much care for it. I could talk about what an excellent cinematic achievement it was, and how much it impressed me. But I felt nothing. Baltimorons is kinda like that.

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In Queue Review – “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Denise

“Telling the truth can be a bitter herb.”

Genre: Mysterious Mysteries
Release Date: 2025
Where I Watched: Netflix

Gist: At Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude , Father MONSIGNOR Jefferson Wicks is
old school fire and brimstone. He’s stirring up his congregation, stoking anger and fear in each of them. But when “Young dumb and full of Christ” Father Jud Duplenticy is transferred to the parish after, well, An Incident, the small congregation is shaken up a bit. When the Monsignor is found dead during mass? They’re shaken up a lot.

Gotta say: Damn. How do the films in this series keep getting better? Man may well be the best of Benoit Blanc’s mysteries, with the clues, suspects, and humor the most enjoyable story yet.

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“Sinners” sweeps Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Denise

I love my people. Yeah, we may not always agree on things, but this year? We all came together to give Ryan Coogler’s Sinners the flowers it deserves.

From our Grand Pooh-bah, Tim Gordon:

Among this year’s most notable achievements:
Sinners (Warner Bros.) makes WAFCA history with 10 wins, the most ever for a single film.
Ryan Coogler achieves the rare sweep of Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, the first since Slumdog Millionaire in 2009.
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) earns three awards, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Check out the full list of winners after the jump, and CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners. It was a tough year, with many worthy contenders. Every winner should be proud of their accomplishments.

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Ho or No? – “Oh. What. Fun.”

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Denise

“The one thing I really wanted for Christmas. And I couldn’t even get it for myself.” 

Genre: Family Christmas Films That Bring No Cheer
New Holiday Spirit or Ghost of Christmas Past?: OG story. Released 2025.
Bonus Content?: MICHELLE FREAKING PFEIFFER
Where I Watched: Amazon Prime

Synopsis: Claire is a mom to grown kids who are coming home for the Christmas holidays. But it seems everybody has a different agenda, and while presents take a back seat to drama, can Claire get everyone – including herself – back on track?

Worth the Eggnog?: This is a with a soundtrack that’s better than the film deserves. Rather than a story that pulls you into the holiday spirit, it’s a jumble of subplots and moments that never come together. Fun should only be watched under the influence of too much heavily spiked eggnog.

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“Hamnet” – exquisite heartbreak

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Denise


“Look at me. Look at me.”

Story: Shakespeare’s plays. Everybody knows ’em or at least knows of them. But what about how they came about? Herewith, a look at how his play Hamlet may have come to be.

Genre I’d put it in: Bewitching Historical Dramas
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Ann/Agnes, and the award winning novel of the same name by Maggie O’Farrell. Oh yeah, and that Hamlet play you read in school.

Gotta say: There’s a lot of things I can say, and will say, about this film. But off the cuff? Damn, that’s intense. In all the very best ways. This is a movie to sink into. A story that will fill you with joy, break your heart, and then mend it. 

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “The Housemaid”

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Denise

Ready to get creeped out in your own home? Synopsis!

THE HOUSEMAID is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

Ready? Let’s go!

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In Queue Review – “Hell House LLC: Lineage”

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Denise


” I thought they took these assholes out.”

Genre: Sleep Inducing Sequels
Release Date: 2025
Where I Watched: Shudder

Gist: Something about someone who’s trying to figure out something and The Abbadon Hotel after one of the many bloody oopsie doodles that happened there. Or something. It’s tough to tell with this cobbled together “story”.

Gotta say: Lineage is disappointing, dull, and had me thinking that the Ludovico Technique could be a good idea sometimes. Well, at least when it comes to staying awake during bad movies. Because DAMN this movie is a clunker.

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In Queue Review – “The Wrong Paris”

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Denise

“Hey – can I hitch a ride into town? I really need to stop by the Piggly Wiggly.” [PIGGLY WIGGLY MENTIONED]

Genre: Enemies To Lovers Boilerplate That Has Fun With It
Release Date: 2025
Where I Watched: Netflix

Gist: Dawn is so sick of small town Texas life, y’all. So when she gets accepted to her dream art school in Paris? She’s stoked. One small problem; she used her savings to help pay her grandmother’s medical bills after an accident. Is she out of luck? Nope! There’s a dating show that’s gonna be set in Paris for their next season. Just in time to get Dawn to school. (And the sign up payment will cover tuition, sweet.) Will she end up falling in love with the Bachelor Trent, throwing a wrench in her plans? Honey, what do you think?

Gotta say: If you’re actually reading a review for this film? You’re intrigued by the premise. So all I’ve gotta say is, go do that. Because Paris is stupid cute.

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“Wicked: For Good” – quite literally spectacular

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Denise

“They’re never going to stop believing in me. Y’know why? They don’t want to.” [Damn, Chu. That’s super on point for the year of Our Lord 2025.]

Story: When we last saw our two witches, Galinda/Glinda had stepped up as Oz’s shining darling, with Elphaba being painted as the “Wicked Witch of the West”. As Elphaba fights for freedom for all members of Oz – animal and human/human adjacent – Glinda starts to see the cracks in the Wizard’s carefully constructed façade. Looks like there’s a storm brewing…

Genre I’d put it in: Adaptations Of Popular Broadway Musicals
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Sequel to/conclusion of 2024’s Wicked. Based on the stage musical of the same name, and very loosely based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.

Gotta say: I have no shame about my total love for the first film. I’m a theater kid born and raised, so this was exactly the kind of gloriously extravagant creation my heart was hoping for. And honey? 2 just blew it out of the water. Or, to keep with the Oz thing, the sky. If Nope warned viewers not to be taken in by spectacle? 2 is here to let us know that sometimes, spectacle is just what the doctor ordered. Don’t we all need a little Christmas spectacle right this very minute? We do. 2 delivers that in abundance.

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