My November 2025 Movie Picks and Pans!

[I review the psychological thriller, "The Woman in Cabin 10," as well as the black comedy "The Roses" and Ben and Amy Stiller's documentary about their parents, "Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost."]

The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025)

An investigative journalist becomes involved in a tangled mystery while on a luxury cruise ship.

Recovering from the trauma of witnessing a source's murder, investigative journalist Laura "Lo" Blacklock (Keira Knightley) receives an invitation from terminally ill billionaire Anne Bullmer (Lisa Loven Kongsli) to join her and her husband, Richard (Guy Pearce), and some other wealthy guests, aboard their luxury yacht sailing to a fundraising gala in Norway.  Anne wants Laura to write about her new charitable foundation.

The first evening at sea, Lo ducks into Cabin 10 to avoid her ex-boyfriend, Ben (David Ajala), a photographer working for the Bullmers, and encounters a mysterious blonde woman (Gitte Witt) there. After dinner, Anne privately reveals to Lo that she has stopped taking her medication and plans to donate all of her fortune to charity. 

That night, waking to a ruckus and a woman's scream next door, Lo finds a bloody handprint by Cabin 10 and witnesses someone fall overboard. She alerts the ship and despite Laura's insistence that there was a woman in Cabin 10, all guests are accounted for and she is told that no guest was staying in Cabin 10. 

Did she imagine it?  Was it a hallucination brought on by my her guilt about her source? No, Laura knows what and who she saw so she sets out to solve this mystery.

In the meantime, the trip continues.  When Laura meets with Anne again, Anne appears to have forgotten their earlier conversation and when Laura sneaks into Cabin 10, she finds blonde hair in the sink drain. Then some other strange things start to happen. But the more she asks questions, the more the crew and guests refuse to believe her suspicions and in fact start thinking there is something mentally wrong with her.  But as she gets closer and closer to solving the mystery that is unfolding on the ship, Laura realizes her life is in danger.

What is going on?  Who was that blonde woman in Cabin 10?  And who was it that Laura saw fall off the ship?  And why won't anyone believe her?

Based on the 2016 novel by Ruth Ware, adapted by Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse and Simon Stone and directed by Stone, this is a classic, old-fashioned, psychological thriller.  You have the troubled journalist, a fish out of water hanging with very rich people (played by some recognizable British actors - Hannah Waddingham, David Morrissey, Art Malik, et al); everyone on the yacht is seemingly suspicious; our heroine witnesses a murder but no one believes her; and there is a big twist.

If you read the book, you know how this will go. Or maybe not.  I'm not sure what it says about me or the book, but I read it and could not remember the twist.  I'm also not sure what it says about me that I couldn't help but think how fun it would be for there to be an episode of "Below Deck" that featured a real life murder mystery like this.  But, I know, that would be pushing "reality TV" too far.

Rosy the Reviewer says...despite some "Huh?" moments and Laura doing some stupid stuff, this is a fast-moving psychological thriller reminiscent of those old Hitchcock films that will satisfy fans of "woman in jeopardy" stories. (Netflix)

 The Roses (2025)

A "reimagining" of the 1989 film "The War of the Roses."

I almost dislike remakes of perfectly good films as much as a I dislike sequels, and the original "The War of the Roses" is a perfectly good movie that I think would stand up today, but who can resist Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch as a married couple battling it out when their marriage goes wrong? And there are some distinct differences between the two films, so I am going to go along with the "reimagining" angle instead of calling this a remake.  And if you never saw "The War of the Roses," then this will all be new to you. 

Architect Theo (Cumberbatch) and aspiring chef Ivy (Colman) meet in London in the kitchen of a restaurant where Theo is having a work lunch and when Ivy shares that she is moving to America, Theo says they should go together. Ivy replies "We haven't even had sex yet," to which Theo replies, "That's minutes away."  And he was right.  Off they go to have hot and heavy sex in the cold walk-in fridge.

Fast forward ten years, Theo and Ivy are married with two children, Hattie (Delaney Quinn) and Roy (Ollie Robinson), and living in Mendocino, California (but actually filmed in England in Devon - I thought that was the case, because I lived in Northern California and used to go to Mendocino quite often and it didn't look familiar. So then couldn't help but wonder why Mendocino)? 

However, the cracks in the marriage are already starting to show.  Ivy is a free spirit who spoils the children with desserts and fun while Theo is more regimented and health and exercise conscious.  But then, since Ivy had given up her career dreams to raise the children, Theo presents her with a restaurant. She names it "We've Got Crabs!"

But later, while Ivy's restaurant takes off, Theo loses his job in a catastrophic way, and in a reversal role, becomes the stay-at-home dad where he imposes his discipline on the kids, even having them sign commitment documents to exercise and eat right. And this time, with Ivy's success, she tells Theo she will pay for him to build them a dream house, which he does.  

So times passes.  Hattie (Hala Finley) and Roy (Wells Rappaport) are now teens, and Ivy starts to feel shut-out of the kids' lives, and Theo is jealous of Ivy's success.  Despite attempts to save the marriage and with the kids away at boarding school, the marriage goes to hell. Theo wants a divorce but he thinks he deserves to keep the house, since he designed it and built it.  However, Ivy thinks she deserves it because she paid for it.  In fact, Ivy doesn't want Theo to have anything, so the two make each other's lives unbearable with cruel tactics - really bad stuff like trying to hurt each other's businesses and reputations. And then it gets worse!

Directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara (based on the 1981 novel "The War of the Roses" by Warren Adler), Colman and Cumberbatch are great to watch, even when they are doing terrible things to each other. But I couldn't help think that it took too long to get to the mean, I mean, fun parts.  I remember the earlier film, "The War of the Roses" being faster moving and funnier.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this film is all about Colman and Cumberbatch, and if you like them and you never saw the original, you might enjoy this film, but I did see the original and liked that one better. But watching Colman and Cumberbatch was worth it to me (for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime).

Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost (2025)

Amy and Ben Stiller reminisce about their famous parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

Stiller & Meara were a husband-and-wife comedy team made up of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara that was popular primarily in the 1960s and 1970s. The duo made frequent appearances on television variety shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Stiller and Meara were among the earliest graduates of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe to become famous.  They were regulars on "The Ed Sullivan Show, but the two also had separate careers. Anne starred on "Archie Bunker's Place" from 1979-1982 and had film roles and Jerry had a career boost as George Costanza's father on "Seinfeld."

Jerry saved everything so after their deaths, their children Ben and Amy Stiller go back to the apartment where they were raised and where their parents lived for so many years, and as Ben and Amy go through all of the mementos of their parents' lives, theirs and their parents' stories unfold with the help of home movies and other archival footage. 

Though this film covers Anne's and Jerry's careers and shares footage from some of their comedy bits, this heartfelt film, written and directed by Ben and Amy, it is almost more about what it was like for Ben and Amy growing up with famous parents who worked together.

Anne would often say it was difficult to see where the act ended and the marriage began. Likewise, the kids would hear them yelling and weren't sure if they were rehearsing or fighting. Ben and Amy share anecdotes and personal observations about their lives with these remarkable people who they clearly loved and admired. And it's a remarkable documentary.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a poignant and fun tribute to a wonderful pair of actor/comedians who deserve to be remembered. (Apple+)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Do You Like True Crime Mysteries? Then These Compelling Documentaries Are For You!!

[I review the documentaries "Amy Bradley is Missing," "Death in Apt. 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg," and "The Perfect Neighbor"]

Amy Bradley is Missing (2025)

A three-part docuseries about a 23-year-old woman who went missing during a Caribbean cruise enroute to Curacao in 1998. 

This intriguing documentary explores the case of Amy Bradley, who on March 24, 1998, was last seen by her father sleeping on the deck chair of her room's balcony on the Royal Caribbean "Rhapsody of the Seas" cruise ship at 5:30am.  By 6am, she was missing.

A thorough search of the ship was done and when authorities were alerted, the Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard, thinking she may have fallen overboard or jumped, conducted a four-day search in the surrounding waters. Nothing was found.

At the time of her disappearance, Amy was 23 and a graduate of Longwood University. She was known for her strong swimming abilities as well as having previously worked as a lifeguard. She came out as gay to her family while in college, and though her parents were not happy about that, they acknowledged it was her life and they loved her unconditionally.

Amy's dad, Ron, had won an all-expenses-paid family cruise from his employer; and Bradley joined her family on that fateful trip on the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas en route for Curaçao.  They were joined by Amy's brother, Brad. Amy had a full-time job as a waitress, but was planning to start a new job at a computer consulting firm after her return from the cruise.

Using interviews with fellow ship's passengers, Amy's family members, FBI and others as well as re-enactments and film footage, this three-part docuseries directed by Phil Lott and Ari Mark details the efforts to find Amy, descriptions of the many sightings that have been reported over the years and speculation about what could have happened to her. 

• Did Amy commit suicide by jumping off her balcony?
• Was Amy pushed off the balcony?
• Did Amy fall from the balcony by accident?
• Did Amy leave the ship of her own accord?
• Was Amy abducted by sex traffickers

A case is built for each theory.  See what you think.

As an aside, the series also notes some dangers associated with cruising.  Out on International waters, you are on your own.

In the many years since her disappearance, several people have claimed to have seen Amy in Curacao, Barbados and other locations but authorities have been unable to corroborate the sightings though this has fueled speculation that Amy was a victim of human trafficking.  Amy's whereabouts are still unknown, though tips and sightings continue to come in.  Will the mystery of her disappearance ever been solved?

As they say, it's not the destination, it's the journey.  This journey is a fascinating mystery.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this stranger than fiction real life story is highly addictive but also highly disturbing.  I won't be taking a cruise anytime soon. (Netflix)

Death in Apartment. 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? (2025)

School teacher, Ellen Greenberg, was found dead in her apartment with over 20 stab wounds and her death was initially ruled a suicide and the case was closed!  What!?

Produced and directed by Nancy Schwartzman, this 3-part mini-series explores the death of Ellen Greenberg whose gruesome death was ruled a suicide.  Later it was ruled a homicide and then changed back to a suicide. No one could believe that was possible and her parents fought to keep the case open.

On January 26, 2011, Ellen Greenberg's fiancee, Sam Goldberg, left the apartment he shared with Ellen and went down to the gym in their Philadelphia apartment building. When he returned, he found the apartment door latched from the inside. He asked the apartment concierge for help and called Ellen repeatedly.  He eventually broke down the door and found Ellen's body with 20 stab wounds and a knife sticking out of her heart.  He called 911 and when the police came, Ellen's death was ruled a suicide because the door had been latched from the inside, the apartment was not disturbed and she had no defensive wounds.  Because it is not a crime to kill yourself in Pennsylvania, the case was closed, the apartment was cleaned and Sam's attorney uncle removed Ellen's phone and computer.  And that was that.

But wait a minute.  Later, the coroner ruled it a homicide but basically it was too late for much of an investigation since the scene had been cleaned and electronics removed.  What did the police have to go on?  But c'mon. Something to go on would be 20 stab wounds, some of those stab wounds in the back of her neck! And what about those bruises? And was Sam's testimony to be believed? But, later, after what appeared to be pressure from the police, the coroner changed his ruling back to suicide. 

To everyone who knew her, Ellen was a charming, happy person.  Yes, she was depressed about her teaching job and it was observed that she often didn't wear he engagement ring. But there were no indications that she wanted to kill herself. After her death, Sam went on with this life but Ellen's parents, Josh and Sandee Greenberg, weren't having it and began a crusade to find out the truth, and six years after Ellen's death, Stephanie Farr, a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote Ellen's story.  She put Ellen's story all together and no one had really seen the full story until then. It became a cause celebre and this mini-series is a result of that. In fact, Elle and Dakota Fanning are two of the producers. Taking a case to the media is often the only way to get some movement. 

Through archival materials, crime scene photos interviews with friends, relatives and Ellen's parents as well as with the coroner, police officers, a private investigator hired by Ellen's parents, the district attorney, Farr and others, Ellen's story is told and the errors in the investigation of her death and the bureaucratic failures are revealed.

This story is important and amplifies something that could touch any of us - the sometimes difficult task to get justice.

Rosy the Reviewer says...suicide or homicide? You decide.  But, c'mon, 20 stab wounds? (Hulu)

The Perfect Neighbor (2025)

On June 2, 2023 in Ocala, Florida Susan Lorincz shot and killed her neighbor, Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens through the door as Owens, angry that Lorincz had been antagonizing her son, knocked on her door. So much for a perfect neighbor.

The title of this documentary is, of course, ironic.  Lorincz was a white woman living in a predominantly black neighborhood and was the neighbor from hell calling the police multiple times on the kids in the neighborhood, accusing them of noise, stealing, messing with her truck and on and on.  And Lorincz could not understand why this was happening to her because she thought of herself as "the perfect neighbor."

Using mostly bodycam footage from the many times sheriff's deputies responded to her 911 calls, security tapes and recordings of her calls as well as her questioning after the shooting, this film directed by Geeta Gandbhir is like an elevated version of "Cops" with "The Blair Witch Project" thrown in. There are no talking heads and no narration which gives the film a "you are there" feel and  the film is very real and disturbing. This is reality TV.

This was an important case because it brought the controversial "Stand your ground" laws to light.

Florida has a "Stand your ground" law meaning, if people feel threatened, it's okay to defend themselves.  And that's what Lorincz did. She said she was in fear for her life and that she was afraid that Owens would break through the door and kill her. However, the film is an indictment of "Stand your ground" laws and states that those laws play a part in over 700 deaths a year with a higher rate of black people being killed by whites.

On one side, gun critics argue that “stand your ground” is less a law than a "license to kill. They call it a “shoot-first, think-later” doctrine that magnifies America’s ugliest reflexes around race, fear, and power. They say, in the wrong hands, it turns prejudice into justification, allowing fear itself to be used as a weapon.

Second Amendment enthusiasts say the law is clear.  The right to bear arms is sacred and defending your life is a right. 

So what happened to Susan Lorincz?

That's the mystery you will have to solve by watching this film, but for me the greater mystery is how Susan Lorincz ended up being such a miserable and hateful person, not to mention a monster of a neighbor and how many more like her are out there? 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a disturbing experience that makes me wonder about my neighbors. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Some New September Movies You Will Want To See: Spike Lee's Latest, a Fun British Murder Mystery with Geriatric Detectives and a Shocking Documentary!

[I review Spike Lee's - "Highest 2 Lowest" - as well as "The Thursday Murder Club" and the documentary "Unknown Number: The High School Catfish"]

Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

When a music mogul is caught up in a ransom plot, he must make a life-changing moral decision.

David King (Denzel Washington) is a New York City music mogul and the founder of Stackin' Hits Records. He needs to buy back his majority ownership of his company to avoid a buyout by a rival label.  But to raise the cash to do that, King needs to put up many of his personal assets including his penthouse and art collection as collateral. But the day the deal is to go through, King receives a call from an anonymous caller who says he has kidnapped King's son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), and the kidnapper demands $17.5 million in Swiss 1,000-franc notes.  There goes King's deal to buy back his company but he agrees with his wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera), to pay the ransom.  But then, in a twist of fate, we learn that it wasn't Trey who was kidnapped, it was Trey's best friend, Kyle (Elijah Wright), who is also the son of King's driver and best friend, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright).

So now King is caught in a moral dilemma and needs to do some soul searching. Does he pay that ransom and ruin his business for somebody else's son? And what happens, if he goes after the kidnapper himself? 

Spike Lee directs this crime thriller which he describes as a "reinterpretation" of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film "High and Low," which was based on the 1959 novel "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain.  This is Lee's fifth collaboration with Washington and the first since "Inside Man," which he directed 19 years ago.

I have always been a big Spike Lee fan ever since his first feature film "She's Gotta Have it (1986)," and this film has many of the elements we have come to expect from Lee.  It's a bit of a love letter to New York City exploring urban life; it has a big opening sequence, dynamic camera movements and a bold style. It's a commentary on the music business, and it wouldn't be a Spike Lee film without some sports references ("Go Yankees!") But it's also a story of friendship and family, which I liked, but sadly the first half of the film was slow moving and felt overdramatic and the soundtrack was annoying, but then happily as the film progressed, the second half picked up and there was Spike Lee at his best. I also appreciated the sharp dialogue thanks to the screenplay by Alan Fox and the appearance of A$AP Rocky as a greedy, ambitious rapper.  

So Lee's surefire direction is apparent here, but this movie is all about Denzel Washington, who is at the top of his game. Nobody plays it big like Denzel. But Wright, coming off his Oscar nom for "American Fiction," is also a wonderful actor and holds his own with Denzel. Uh, Denzel, may I call you Denzel?

Rosy the Reviewer says...though the film has some issues, it's compelling and has a message of hope, that sometimes life's "lowest" is more about getting back to the basics than taking you down. Thank you, Spike! You still got it!  May I call you Spike? (Netflix)

The Thursday Murder Club (2025)

Four retirees living in a retirement village, pass the time trying to solve cold cases but soon find themselves involved in a real life very hot whodunit.

As a retiree myself, I learned that in retirement, it is important to find meaning, and psychiatrist Ibrahim Arifv (Ben Kingsley), former trade union leader Ron Ritchie (Pierce Brosnan), and Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), whose former work remains a mystery for much of the film, though I figured it out early, have found meaning by forming the Thursday Murder Club (TMC), which meets weekly to discuss old cold cases. They all live in Cooper's Chase, a retirement village in the English countryside and are soon joined by new resident, Joyce (Celia Imrie), a retired nurse, whose medical knowledge is needed. The group was inspired by a murder case once handled by Detective Inspector Penny Gray, a friend of Elizabeth's who is now comatose in hospice.

Meanwhile, Ian Ventham (David Tennant), one of the owners of Coopers Chase, wants to redevelop it into luxury flats.  His partner, Tony Curran (Geoff Bell), opposes that idea as do all of the residents. Tony promises the residents he will block the sale but then Tony is found dead.

The TMC now has a real case to investigate and they enlist the help of young detective constable Donna de Freitas (Naomi Ackie), who has just come from London and is bored with the routine tasks she is given at the police station, not to mention the English countryside where nothing seems to happen. The Club must now rule out the usual suspects, and in so doing, find themselves embroiled with local crime boss, Bobby Tanner (Richard E. Grant), another murder, and that earlier unsolved case that Detective Penny Gray had been working on.

If you like cozy British mysteries, how can you go wrong with this very British story based on the book by Richard Osman, which is part of his popular mystery series (screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote), directed by Chris Columbus and with such an oh-so-British all-star cast? The film is also a sort of comedy and has some funny moments, but what I liked most was that even though these actors are "of a certain age," the film did not try to create comedy by making fun of them. Some filmmakers think it's funny to see a sex-crazed 80-year old smoking pot and telling everybody to f**k off. I don't.

Rosy the Reviewer says...though the resolution of the film is kind of a stretch and the plot one of those convoluted ones we have come to expect from British mysteries, it's fun watching these veteran actors do their thing. And do you think there will be a sequel? Duh. (Netflix)

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)

This true-crime documentary focuses on the cyberbullying of a young girl and her boyfriend in a small Michigan town.

In 2020, teens Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny, who were boyfriend and girlfriend living in small Beal City, Michigan, started to received thousands of text messages - 40 to 50 a day. The texts were very graphic and from an unknown number. It was assumed that the messages were coming from a classmate attempting to break up their relationship. The texts were not only really explicit but cruel, even telling Lauryn to kill herself. They also referenced personal aspects of their lives that only someone close to them would know.

The harassment went on for over a year, causing paranoia in the town and ruining relationships as everyone was suspicious of everyone. Lauryn was even accused of doing this to herself, but eventually the FBI became involved and the identity of the catfish was discovered. 

And it was totally shocking.

I love documentaries and have always been fascinated by catfishing (I have been watching "Catfish," the TV show from the beginning), though this wasn't really a standard catfish story. But it is an extremely compelling mystery directed by Skye Borgman, and the ending is about as shocking as you can get, but I wish there had been answers. Even now, I don't really understand why the person did it, even though there was an attempt to explain, but mostly I was left feeling very strange by Lauryn's final reaction to it all and the end of the film was very unsettling.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like documentaries, this is an engrossing one that will shock you. (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

"The Pickup," "Death of a Unicorn," "The Woman in the Yard" and "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me:" My Movie Picks and Pans for August 2025

[I review "The Pickup," the new Eddie Murphy-Pete Davidson buddy movie as well as two horror films and a documentary - "Death of a Unicorn," "The Woman in the Yard" and "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me," a documentary about a rock band you might not know about]

The Pickup (2025)

Two mismatched armored car drivers find themselves in a heist situation.

I have always been a big Eddie Murphy fan ever since he was on SNL. He created some of the funniest characters of all time. But is it me?  Do comedians get less funny as they get older?  I noticed it with Richard Pryor, Chevy Chase and others. It seems as they age like they start to take themselves too seriously and suddenly aren't funny anymore. I think that has happened to Eddie.

Russell Pierce (Murphy), a veteran armored car driver close to retirement, and Travis Stolly (Pete Davidson), a rookie who aspires to be a police officer, team up for the first time on duty. It's Russell's 25th Wedding Anniversary and he needs to get home to take his wife, Natalie (Eva Longoria), out for dinner and surprise her with the ring he had reset for her, so he is not happy that they have a particularly long day of pickups. And he is really unhappy when young criminal mastermind Zoe (Keke Palmer) and her cohorts, Banner (Jack Kesy) and Miguel (Ismael Cruz Cordova), ambush them. 

After an intense car chase with cars blowing up and money containing dye thrown all over the place, Zoe manages to hijack the armored car. Travis recognizes Zoe because...wait for it. Wouldn't you know? Travis and Zoe had "met cute" the day before and had a one-night-stand where he had just coincidentally told her everything about his work including his schedule and the route he was going to take. Assuming that Banner and Miguel are dead after both of their vehicles have violently crashed, Zoe reveals that it's not the money in the truck that she wants, it's the armored truck itself because her plan is to use it for a pickup of $60 million from an Atlantic City casino, and she wants Russell and Travis to help her. Since she has a gun on them, they figure they don't have much choice.

However, Banner and Miguel survive and now they are mad that Zoe has abandoned them so they are on the hunt for Zoe, Russell and Travis. In the meantime, Zoe reveals her real reason for wanting to rob the casino and Russell's wife, Natalie, has tracked them down, because, hey, it's her 25th Wedding Anniversary and she wants to know where the heck Russell is.  Now she is also involved but why she is even in this movie is a mystery. Eva must have needed the work.

More car chases, more shenanigans, more I don't care anymore.

Written by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider and directed by Tim Story, this is the #3 most popular movie on Netflix right now, so I guess Eddie Murphy can still pull an audience but, like I said, sadly he just isn't funny anymore, nor is this movie. Eddie used to have the funniest facial reactions and doesn't even do that here for a cheap laugh. Pete does Pete, that Chad character he created on SNL, but the relationship between Eddie and Pete just didn't work. This is supposed to be a "buddy movie" but these guys have zero buddy chemistry. And I have never been a Keke Palmer fan. She always tries too hard to be perky, but at least here she has toned it down so I didn't mind her as much. And Andrew Dice Clay as the armored truck company boss was unrecognizable. He used to be funny too. 

I think this movie was supposed to be fun, but it wasn't. Even the car crashes weren't fun. They were over-the-top and unrealistic. How many car crashes in slow motion do we have to see?  

Rosy the Reviewer says...predictable and dumb. Cliche after cliche after cliche. I felt used. I liked Eddie better when he was funny.  (Amazon Prime)

Death of a Unicorn (2025)

While on his way to a weekend retreat at his boss's house with his daughter, a man who works for a pharmaceutical company kills a unicorn which leads to mayhem.

I like the occasional horror film, but for some reason this month I have been drawn to them.  Maybe it's because pretend horror takes my mind off the real life horror of world events. And I am not alone. It's actually been documented that in times of economic and political upheaval, more people are drawn to horror films. 

Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his teenage daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), are travelling through the Canadian Rockies on their way for a weekend at the estate of Elliot's boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) and his family- his wife Belinda (Tea Leoni) and son, Shepard (Will Poulter). Elliot is up for a promotion in Odell's pharmaceutical company. Odell is suffering from cancer. 

On the way, Elliot accidentally strikes and injures a unicorn with his car. Okay, I know. Unicorns don't really exist.  Suspend your disbelief.

When Elliot and Ridley inspect the unicorn, Ridley touches its horn and is cosmically transported until Elliot bashes it with a tire iron, splashing them both with blood.  They stash the unicorn in the trunk and head to the Leopolds' estate. Elliott plans to bury the unicorn after everyone is asleep.  Ooo---kay. Not sure that's a good plan. But then something really strange happens. Ridley discovers that her acne is gone and Elliot's vision suddenly improves and so do his allergies. It looks like unicorns have healing powers.

After arriving at the Leopolds' estate, they all discover that the unicorn wasn't dead. They shoot it but when Odell learns that the unicorn has healing powers, he brings in a bunch of scientists who grate pieces of the unicorn's horn off.  Odell ingests it and suddenly Odell's cancer is gone. Still with me?

Gee, Odell runs a pharmaceutical company.  I wonder what his plans are for the unicorn. Yes, he plans to exploit it.  In the meantime, Ridley remembers seeing the famous Unicorn Tapestries and gets the feeling that something bad is going to happen. Ya think? Well, she's right. Turns out, there is more than one unicorn, and they don't like that their friend is being taken off to be experimented on. All hell breaks loose.

Written and directed by Alex Scharfman, this is one of those "what if" stories.  What if unicorns are real and have curative powers and also get violent when Big Pharma tries to exploit them? 

All of the characters in this are larger than life which is sometimes fun but here could be interpreted as over-acting. There is lots of guts and gore (there is a fun homage to "Alien"), but is this film really a horror film?  It wants to be, but since it's so over-the-top, it's not really scary. It's more of a cartoon. Yes, it is funny at times, makes fun of rich people and it's a statement about the greed of Big Pharma, but I'm not sure the presentation really makes that hit home. Though the film has some originality and may have meant well, it has a one note premise: unicorns gone wild, and it went on way too long with a very strange ending. When the police arrived, I couldn't help but wonder, how do you tell the police, "Unicorns did it?"

I like Paul Rudd. He does "dufus" really well. Jenna Ortega is everywhere these days and Poulter has made a name for himself playing bullies (he does it again here) but redeemed himself in his recent stint on "The Bear." Leoni and Grant are veteran actors but despite all of this star power, it wasn't enough to save this movie. I liked the idea of unicorns running wild in a horror film and there were some fun moments, but not enough for me to recommend this movie. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...much as I sometimes like to watch horror films to take my mind off real life horror, sadly, this movie just reminded me that I don't like silly, over-the-top horror. But if that's your jam, you might like it. (HBO Max)

The Woman in the Yard (2025)

What would you do if a mysterious woman clad in black appeared sitting in your yard and she wouldn't leave?  Call the police?

Well, that's not what Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) did. She should have.  Ramona is a widowed mother living on an isolated farm.  She was in a car accident that killed her husband. She is grieving, hobbling around on crutches, and not doing well, distancing herself from her two children, Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and Annie (Estella Kahiha).  

Suddenly, a woman all in black appears sitting in their front yard and says  "Today's the day."  There are repeated attempts to get the woman to leave by both Ramona and Taylor but the woman remains, and in fact, appears to be moving closer and closer to the house. Then the cell service and power goes out and Charlie, the dog, goes missing.

Turns out there is more to the car accident than Ramona has revealed.

Not sure if it's Deadwyler, the screenplay by Sam Stefanak, or Jaume Collet-Serra's direction, but Ramona was not a sympathetic character. Yes, she is a grieving widow but she is actually a pain in the butt to her kids and to the audience watching this film.  She is useless.  As she hobbles from her bedroom down the stairs, I couldn't help but say to myself, "Why doesn't she sleep downstairs?" And why is the crashed car sitting on the property? I rolled my eyes more than once, and finally said out loud to the TV, "What the Hell?"  If Deadwyler had generated a bit more warmth or smarts, I might have cared, but I didn't. It doesn't take much to figure out what the woman in the yard represents but even figuring that out, I still didn't care.

I was hopeful going into this film.  I usually like Blumhouse horror films, but I can't say this film was actually a horror film.  It was more of a psychological look at grief and guilt with a few gotcha moments, but even so, not that well done.  And I am not a fan of an ambiguous ending that makes me go "Huh?"

Rosy the Reviewer says...when it comes to horror, I have been a big fan of Blumhouse productions but they have their ups and downs and this one was definitely a down. Not recommended. (Peacock)

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012)

A rock documentary about the rock band, Big Star, that received critical acclaim but commercial failure though today it is a success as a cult band phenomenon.

Remember The Box Tops and the song "The Letter?"  Alex Chilton was the lead singer for The Box Tops and was only 16 when he recorded that song.  He had huge success at a young age and later formed the band Big Star with Chris Bell.  This documentary tells the story of what happened to Chilton and Bell as they starred in the most famous band you have never heard of. 

Founded in 1971 in Memphis, the band found a home at Ardent Studios, noted for its connection to Stax Records (Sam and Dave, Led Zeppelin and Isaac Hayes recorded there). Their albums were critically acclaimed but a series of events caused distribution issues, and despite their getting credit for influencing other bands like R.E.M. and Cheap Trick, they never really had success until much later, when they had a cult following in the 90's. Their song "In the Street" was the theme for "That '70s Show," though it was performed by Cheap Trick.  

Written by Drew DeNicola and directed by DeNicola and Olivia Mori, the film uses archival materials and all kinds of talking heads to track the history of Chilton, Bell and Big Star, but the talking heads are people you will probably not recognize nor are they routinely identified, and that's the problem with this movie. It is never clear who is talking and what their connection to Big Star was. 

The story of Big Star is an intriguing one but the film goes on too long with too many people talking and conjecturing with little actual footage of the band performing and the film doesn't really manage to make a point about why Big Star didn't make it big. There are hints at drug and alcohol use that contributed to Chilton and Bell never really finding their niches, but there is never enough information to understand what really happened and why they didn't become big stars during their lifetimes.  Both died young - Bell is in the "27 Club" and Chilton died at 59.

Big Star was clearly a band ahead of it's time with an interesting story, and I am glad it is getting some props. However, even though I am a big fan of music documentaries, this film just did not come together for me.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are/were a fan of Big Star or are a rock documentary nerd, you might enjoy this, but otherwise, not recommended. (HBO Max).

See You Next Time!

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