RESURRECTION (2025) review
written by: Bi Gan
produced by: Shan Zuolong, Yang Lele, and Charles Gillibert
directed by: Bi Gan
rated: not rated
runtime: 156 min.
U.S. release date: December 12, 2025
I’ve now seen two of Bi Gan’s films, and each time I wind up feeling perplexed, confused, and impressed. There’s nothing wrong with that. Art can be challenging. The Chinese writer/director’s last film was 2018’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night”, which was not an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play but rather a haunting noir known for its final 59 minutes, which consists of one long take in 3D. It premiered at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, and his latest and third feature, “Resurrection”, an epic science fiction drama, also premiered at last year’s Cannes. Both films are studies in sensory with a focus on visuals over discernible narrative, offering a kind of dream logic. Read more…
WE BURY THE DEAD (2026) review
written by: Zak Hilditch
produced by: Kelvin Munro, Grant Sputore, Ross Dinerstein, Joshua Harris & Mark Fasano
directed by: Zak Hilditch
rated: R (for strong violent content, gore, language, and brief drug use)
runtime: 95 min.
U.S. release date: January 2, 2026
Growing up in the eighties, I vaguely recall learning that if a nuclear war were to occur between the United States and Russia, the best place to go would be Australia. That’s because it would take quite a while for any fallout to reach Down Under. However, what would happen if a catastrophic crisis originated from Australia? Read more…
HAMNET (2025) review
written by: Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
produced by: Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes
directed by: Chloé Zhao
rated: PG-13 (for thematic content, some strong sexuality, and partial nudity)
runtime: 126 min.
U.S. release date: November 26, 2025
A month before everything shut down in 2020, Chinese-born writer/director Chloé Zhao released “Nomadland”, which would become critically praised and quite a breakthrough feature for the filmmaker, earning Oscars the following year for Best Actress (for Frances McDormand), Best Director, and Best Picture. Coincidentally, Northern Irish novelist Maggie O’Farrell published Hamnet, a fictional account of William Shakespeare’s only son with Anne Hathaway, who died at age 11. The book would go on to earn a handful of year-end awards, and this year we have “Hamnet”, a film adaptation of the novel in theaters with a screenplay co-written by O’Farrell and Zhao, who also serves as director. Read more…
ANACONDA (2025) review
written by: Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten; based on “Anaconda” written by Hans Bauer and Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.
produced by: Kevin Etten, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Tom Gormican
directed by: Tom Gormican
rated: PG-13 (for violence/action, strong language, some drug use and suggestive references)
runtime: 99 min.
U.S. release date: December 25, 2025
“J-Lo! Ice Cube! Eric Stoltz! Jon Voight… are you back for this one?”
After making the slight, forgettable 2014 flick “That Awkward Moment,” writer/director Tom Gormican seemed to find his muse in Nicolas Cage with his 2022 meta comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” While that is a film I would say I admire more than I enjoy, I was intrigued by their next project, which was going to see the two team up again for a fresh take on the Anaconda franchise, as it were. Read more…
SONG SUNG BLUE (2025) review
written by: Craig Brewer
produced by: John Davis, John Fox, and Craig Brewer
directed by: Craig Brewer
rated: PG-13 (for thematic material, some strong language, some sexual material, and brief drug use)
runtime: 132 min.
U.S. release date: December 25, 2025
Despite shooting in New Jersey, writer/director Craig Brewer has made the most Midwest movie I’ve seen all year with “Song Sung Blue”. It’s a touching dramatization of a Milwaukee-based married couple who spent much of their time as Lightning and Thunder, “a New Diamond Experience,” in the 1980s and 90s. The movie wears its heart on its satin, sequined sleeves. It is grounded by the resilience, commitment, and hard-scrabble sensibilities of characters who want to entertain others with their music and, hopefully, pay their bills along the way. Some will see this as manipulation, but when such sentiments are delivered with this kind of earnestness, I’m here for it. Read more…
MARTY SUPREME (2025) review
written by: Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein
produced by: Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Anthony Katagas, and Timothée Chalamet
directed by: Josh Safdie
rated: R (for language throughout, sexual content, some violent content/bloody images and nudity)
runtime: 150 min.
U.S. release date: December 25, 2025
“Marty Supreme” reaffirms Timothée Chalamet’s bona fide movie star status. It’s a movie with an insane amount of energy and attitude, with an unpredictable original story that’s bolstered by the actor’s exhilarating lead performance. Some may eye roll at Chalamet, feeling he’s overexposed, but there’s no denying that he’s a gifted actor, and his persistent, exuberant drive makes him an arguably welcome presence in the movie-making industry. His partnership with director Josh Safdie (they co-produce) on a feature that follows an ambitious, arrogant table tennis player in the 1950s is a wild ride that delivers comedy, violence, deception, and plenty of ping-pong. Read more…
THE HOUSEMAID (2025) review
written by: Screenplay by Rebecca Sonnenshine, based on the novel by Freida McFadden
produced by: Paul Feig, Laura Allen Fischer, Todd Lieberman
directed by: Paul Feig
rated: R (for strong/bloody violent content, sexual assault, sexual content, nudity and language)
runtime: 131 min.
U.S. release date: December 19, 2025
“Having teeth is a privilege.”
It feels as if the last few years have brought fewer and fewer movies for adults to movie theaters, with most studios holding them back, figuring that blockbusters are getting all the traction at the multiplex and awards contenders are clogging up the arthouse. So, if you don’t want to see the latest adventures of Avatar, SpongeBob, Wicked, Freddy, or Zootopia, and can only handle so many depressing awards season films a week, you’re basically S.O.L. Read more…
THE PLAGUE (2025) review
written by: Charlie Polinger
produced by: Lizzie Shapiro, Lucy McKendrick, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider & Derek Dauchy
directed by: Charlie Polinger
rated: R (for language, sexual material, self-harm/bloody images, and some drug and alcohol use – all involving children)
runtime: 95 min.
U.S. release date: December 24, 2025 (theatrical) and January 6, 2026 (expanding)
Last May, New York-based filmmaker Charlier Polinger brought his feature directorial debut, “The Plague,” to Cannes, where the coming-of-age, psychological thriller was well-received. Making its world premiere there as part of the Un Certain Regard lineup, the harrowing film went on to receive nominations in that category, as well as the Caméra d’Or, and won an award for Best Sound Creation. That award was appropriate considering what is immediately noticeable is the film’s effective use of sound and its distinctive score, both of which heighten the subject matter and the viewer’s interest. Read more…
DAVID (2025) review
written by: Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham
produced by: Steve Pegram, Tim Keller, and Rita Mbanga
directed by: Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham
rated: PG (for action/violence and some scary images)
runtime: 115 min.
U.S. release date: December 19, 2025
Last Easter, Angel Studios released “The King of Kings,” an animated feature that oddly told the story of Jesus Christ from the perspective of author Charles Dickens. It was definitely a different approach and probably the only time that a Biblical tale included the whimsical antics of a cartoon cat. Now, for Christmas, the studio is releasing “David, it’s not a sequel nor is it about the birth of Christ, but rather a kid-friendly look at the Old Testament character who was considered “a man after God’s own heart” – known primarily for standing up to a giant. Writer/directors Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham obviously include that noteworthy moment of faith, yet also go beyond it, telling a Cliff Notes version of David’s life, showing a life of loyalty and devotion padded with musical numbers. Read more…
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH (2025) review
written by: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver
produced by: James Cameron and Jon Landau
directed by: James Cameron
rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements, and suggestive material)
runtime: 197 min.
U.S. release date: December 19, 2025
When “Avatar: The Way of Water” came out in 2022, it was quite a while after writer/director James Cameron debuted his epic sci-fi fantasy “Avatar” in 2009. As expected, he delivered something more epic, bigger in scope, and ground-breaking in its performance-capture technology. Still, despite the stunning visuals, especially the exceptional use of 3D, Cameron’s first sequel suffered from a repetitive, unimaginative screenplay with dialogue so cheesy and clunky that it felt like the characters should have drawstrings on their backs. Unfortunately, the second sequel, “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, isn’t all that different from the last movie. Cameron and his co-writers, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, are essentially regurgitating the same story as “The Way of Water, counting on viewers coming back for “more of the same, rather than offering them something new and different. Read more…
