“Phenomena” – a glorious trip through our universe

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Denise

“Alright. So what am I looking at?”

Story: Director Josef Gatti deconstructs ten “inner workings of nature”, looking at our mundane world in ways that spotlight the makeup of our universe.

Genre I’d put it in: Science Documentaries You Actually Want To Watch
Release Date: 2026 
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: A feature length documentary based on the TV series of the same name.

Gotta say: I have to come clean with y’all. There are some times when I don’t want to write a review for a film I’ve watched. Perhaps it’s left little impression on me. Perhaps I’ve got too much to say for good or ill, and don’t feel like submitting a dissertation. But for Phenomena, I’m absolutely delighted to be behind my keyboard. This film’s focus on the beauty of life, the universe, and everything had me enraptured. And I want to tell you about it. Because you need to seek this one out. This documentary feels like the coolest episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy mixed with 60s counterculture filmmaking whipped into a fluffy but substantial treat for your eyes and brain. Hell, just the film’s poster made me stop and really gaze into it. (I want that poster please. I’ll beg if I have to. Or I can just stare at this review’s image. That works too.)

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Who Moves America” – We, the Union

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Denise

“If they can break what’s always been the biggest and strongest union in this country? Believe me, other unions will not be able to withstand the onslaught.”

Story: The Teamsters – “the largest collective bargaining agreement in all of North America” – fight for the rights of over a million employees throughout the USA. So when the UPS/Teamsters in 2023 contract was up for renewal, the 2018 contract seemed to require a major overhaul. But will the employees, the union reps, and the UPS honchos come together, before over 340 thousand employees strike?

Genre I’d put it in: Documentaries Worth Paying Attention To
Release Date: 2026 (festival circuit)
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original:  Based on the 2023 collective bargaining between UPS and the Teamsters in 2023.

Gotta say: I used to be an HR specialist. As an HR gal, I wasn’t allowed to chat with union reps, so naturally, those reps seemed like an awesome secret society, fighting for the workers. America shows the hard work of negotiating a union contract from the viewpoint of the reps, and the individuals who are affected by the outcome of a new agreement. And I was fascinated. America is just as fascinating.

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Scream 7” – where nostalgia meets routine

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Denise


“Mom, did that really happen to you? Like in the movie?”

Story: It’s been almost thirty years since Sidney Prescott went through a living hell in her hometown of Woodsboro. Now she’s all grown up, with kids of her own. Most importantly, a teenage daughter named Tatum (after her high school BFF). But, of course, Sidney can’t simply relax; she’s still getting calls from nutters thinking they’re hilarious when they try to spook her. Though one caller seems a bit too real…and when the bodies start stacking yet again, Sid and Gale try to figure out what’s going on, before Tatum experiences what happened to her namesake.

Genre I’d put it in: Worn Out Sequels
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on/part of the Scream franchise. As it says in the title, the seventh film therein.

Gotta say: Damn this feels tired. The theme of this film is “nostalgia”, but instead of getting warm fuzzies, I got the driving need to re-watch the first couple of original films. In a huge movie theater where I was one of five on opening day? I did something I don’t like to do, and rarely feel the need to. I checked my watch three times. I don’t think anyone noticed, or cared.

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Paul McCartney: Man on the Run” – a musician with (W)ings

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Denise

“Hello cabbages!“

Story: What do you do when you’ve been in the biggest band ever? Well, if you’re Paul McCartney you disappear to your farm with your new wife and family, and see what happens next. And so Wings was born.

Genre I’d put it in: Musician Documentaries
Release Date: 2026 (Amazon Prime) 2025 (Telluride festival)
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original:A documentary about Paul McCartney, and the creation of the band Wings

Gotta say: The Beatles. Everybody who’s heard of them has some kind of idea of what they were. Just as they have a favorite. Paul was the easy favorite – right up front, eyelashes for days. McCartney’s second act, Wings, wasn’t as big, but still made quite a big splash in the 70s. Run takes a look at McCartney beyond the Beatles and how Paul, and Wings, moved past expectations.

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews, Music | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fandango Giveaway – “Scream 7”!

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Denise

Ready to get back to Sidney Prescott’s story? Synopsis!

When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.

Ready? Let’s go!

Continue reading →
Posted in Giveaways | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Wuthering Heights” – 50 Shades of Heathcliff

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Denise



“What TF did I just watch?” [me, as the end credits rolled]

Story: Young Catherine lives with her abusive, drunken father in a run-down ruin of what was once a great house. One night, dad brings home a young boy that Cathy names Heathcliff. Over the years, they do the friends-to-lovers thing, all the while pranking each other and such. But then one day Cathy decides being poor sucks, and heads over to the wealthy neighbors to see what’s up. When Cathy decides to marry the wealthy neighbor, Heathcliff does not take it well. He leaves, then returns, rich as hell. Heathcliff and Cathy decide to do the adultery everywhere, and then one day Cathy dies. Heathcliff is sad. And that’s the classic tale you’ve heard about. Yep. Sure it is.

Genre I’d put it in: Bastardized Classics
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the novel of the same name by Emily Brontë. Allegedly. Like, they used the title of the novel, the characters, and the idea that this was supposed to be a story in the Romantic genre.

Gotta say: I’ve never particularly liked Wuthering Heights, the novel. I always thought of myself as one of those readers who just didn’t get it. The characters are assholes, the story is a goddamn mess of who’s with whom and in what family, and while the ending is relatively happy (at least to my horror loving mind)? It’s not a fun read. But after watching this Heights? I think I might have to give the novel another try. After this “imagining”, I think I might actually fall in love with the damn thing.

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“Dracula” – a campy, creepy romp that’s perfect for Love Month

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Denise

“Tell your God that until he brings me back my wife, my life no longer belongs to him.”

Story: 1480s Europe. Wallachian Prince Vladimir must leave his beautiful wife Elisabeta and fight against the Ottomans. His only request to his Bishop before the fight? That his wife survive. But? She doesn’t. Vlad does not take that well at all. He becomes so violently despondent that God curses him with immortal life. All the more time to search for Elisabeta, right? She’s gotta come back to him, right? Cut to 400 years later…oh you know the deal.

Genre I’d put it in: Love Sucks
Release Date: 2025 (limited/France) 2026 (wide/USA and Canada) [As I’m an Ugly American, I’m counting this film towards my 2026 quota. As with Dracula, I too am a monster.]
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the novel by Bram Stoker. With a heavy whiff of 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and 60s 70s Hammer horrors.

Gotta say: I’m kinda meh about Valentine’s Day. Okay, so this bitch loves a theme, and I’ll take any reason to go all out for some stupid reason. So I’ll don the red and pink, grab up some black as well (because of course), pop up some hearts all over the house, and eat all the heart-shaped things. But I do that for me, not because of The Lurve or whatever. I’m a slave to the aesthetic, and to getting snuggly during this cold-ass month. This year though? I do believe that 14th Century Vampire Realness is gonna be big around here. Because this Dracula is a messy masterpiece of love, embarrassing obsession, and lush visuals that’ll steal your breath. Plus, it’s campy as hell.

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Shelter”

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Denise

“I gotchu. It’s okay. I gotchu.”

Story: Mason lives alone in a lighthouse, and he likes it that way. No matter how often young Jesse tries to befriend him, Mason ignores her kindness. But when a vicious storm hits, leaving her uncle and his boat pulled under and Jesse on the brink of death, Mason saves her. Hooray! Though her foot is infected from the storm. Boo! So he goes to the mainland to get her Neosporin. Yay! And then the folks that Mason has been hiding from find out where he is thanks to way too many monitored cameras. Oh no…

Genre I’d put it in:
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original:

Gotta say: As soon as I see Jason Statham helmijg a film, I immediately think “Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun.” (Just pretend Meg 2 doesn’t exist. I’ve been doing it for years.) Shelter isn’t the adrenaline rush of some of Statham’s earlier work, but for this wintry time of year, the season works perfectly to help you feel the chill and solitude of the main characters.

A blend of Léon: The Professional, Man on Fire, and John Wick, mixed with vibes from samurai stories like Lone Wolf and Cub, Shelter is better than it’s familiar story should be. That’s thanks to winning performances by Statham and Bodhi Rae Breathnach as on-the-run duo Mason and Jesse.

Continue reading →
Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “Shelter”!

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Denise

Already looking forward to the upcoming snow to be over? SAME. So let’s prep for better weather with free passes, okay? Synopsis!

On a remote coastal island, a man living in self-imposed exile rescues a young girl from a deadly storm. This action sets off a chain of events, bringing him out of seclusion and both into harm’s way. As their lives intertwine, he must navigate protecting the orphaned girl while battling enemies from his past – setting them both on a breathless odyssey for survival and a deeper journey toward redemption.

Ready? Let’s go!

Continue reading →
Posted in Free Screenings | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” – literally a monument to the horror genre

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Denise

“Do we help them?”

Story: After the events of the last film, Spike is introduced to the Jimmy gang. Let’s see how it goes. Meanwhile, Doc Kelson is trying to find the humanity in good ol’ Samson. Let’s see how it goes. And a pregnant woman and her family try to survive day to day. Let’s see… Well you get the gist.

Genre I’d put it in: Superb Sequels
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: The fourth entry in the 28 Days Later film series, and the second film of the 28 Years trilogy.

Gotta say: Okay let me fess up here. I didn’t think Temple could build on the fascinating story of Years. I was scared to hope. But it does. In fact I’d go so far as to say it’s better than it’s immediate predecessor.

Continue reading →
Posted in In Horror, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment