The Odyssey (2026)

Around the same time that I read Homer's epic, I saw the 1997 miniseries thereof, which didn't blow me away but helped cement a few memories. Not enough that some parts didn't feel new again, as I would discover. If nothing else, I could count on director Christopher Nolan to make it his own, even without Cillian Murphy or a male character mourning a dead wife or girlfriend.

Royalty has a somewhat different meaning in ancient Greece, where King Odysseus of Ithaca (Matt Damon) sees no choice but to fight in the Trojan War himself, shortly after the birth of his son, Telemachus. His side wins, but the return journey is fraught with episodes of supernatural peril, keeping him and his troops away much longer than other veterans. Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) holds out hope despite a widespread assumption of Odysseus's death, which leads to dozens of suitors taking up residence at the palace. She can't dismiss them without breaking the oft-cited Zeus's Law (i.e., show hospitality in case a guest is a disguised god). By young adulthood, Telemachus (Tom Holland) is thinking of ascending the throne, but the suitors, unofficially led by Antinous (Robert Pattinson), conspire to kill him first.

Hamnet (2025)

Of the year's Academy Best Picture nominees I hadn't seen, this was the one I most wanted to see. I hadn't heard that Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes were among the producers, nor that it got more Oscar nods than anything else directed by a woman. I just like Hamlet and take interest in anything related to it.

The story begins shortly before William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), then a teacher of Latin in Stratford-upon-Avon, meets Agnes/Anne Hathaway (Jessie Buckley) while she tames a hawk in the woods. Despite disapproval from both their families, they go on to get married and have three kids. William spends little time around them, because he works far away. He'll regret not being there when his only son, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), is in critical condition....

Minions & Monsters (2026)

After my previous complaints about the walking yellow pills, I never expected to watch any part of the spinoff series. What persuaded me? My nephew and niece invited me. I'll take almost any excuse to spend time with them.

As narrated by a tour guide (Allison Janney), most of the story takes place in early Hollywood. A tribe of Minions (all voiced by director Pierre Coffin) in search of a new bad guy to follow unwittingly crashes a set and wins the hearts of the producers (both Jeff Bridges), who cast them in many movies with the same director (Christoph Waltz). Alas, their inability to stick to English for long makes them flop with the advent of talkies. The most artistically minded Minion, James, decides to make an indie horror. Using a previous boss's magic book, he summons a talking monster (Trey Parker), who brings others on board (Phil LaMarr and Bobby Moynihan). Of course, they didn't show up to be actual actors....

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

For all its plaudits, this bombed at the box office. Some theaters declined to play it because it also went straight to Netflix streaming. Plus, I suspect that many prospective viewers were reluctant to watch such a dark story in an immersive environment with no pause option. Well, there's no better time for me to check out something bleak than right after a fun flick.

The film was shot in Ghana, with some lines in Krio and Twi, but honors its title by not specifying where in West Africa it's set. The decade is hard to guess too. Amid a civil war, prepubescent boy Agu (Abraham Attah) gets separated from some of his relatives and witnesses the killing of the rest. He runs into a rebel battalion, whose unnamed Commandant (Idris Elba) recruits him with an almost fatherly approach. That's not much if any better than wandering the wilderness alone....

Toy Story 5 (2026)

Despite my previous desire not to have the series continue, I got curious when I saw the new plot element in ads. Having seen all the other entries (not counting Lightyear) in theaters, I soon talked my parents into joining me -- followed by my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and reluctant nephew. This would be a new experience on that level at least, enough to make up for nearly half an hour of ads. Good thing the movie itself moves along at a fast clip.

Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), now 8, has trouble making friends because all the same-age kids in her neighborhood would rather play online. Her parents buy her a tablet called Lilypad (Greta Lee), much to the consternation of her soon neglected toys. Her longtime favorite, plastic cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), sneaks off with stuffed horse Bullseye (no voice) to ensure that Bonnie has a good time at a sleepover with new connections thanks to "Lily," leaving astronaut action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) to try to keep Lily in check. When things go sideways, Jessie and Bullseye involuntarily return to where she stayed decades ago....

1776 (1972)

I saw maybe half of this musical in a fifth-grade classroom. While it didn't bore me, I was not eager to check out the rest. But for the 250th anniversary, I could think of no better option.

In June of the titular year, John Adams (William Daniels) has been the only one calling for debate on independence in the Continental Congress, until Ben Franklin (Howard Da Silva) advises him to let the then more popular Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate) make the proposal. John Dickinson (Donald Madden) persuades Congress to require a unanimous vote to secede from Britain. In light of this, Adams procures a postponement so they can write a declaration to make everything clear and hopefully persuasive. By the process of elimination, he strong-arms Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) into authoring it.

Locke (2013)

I don't recall adding this to my Netflix queue or even learning about it before. Google classifies it as "Thriller/Crime," but it's neither. I chose it last night partly for looking different from other recent viewings and partly for its 84-minute runtime.

Birmingham foreman Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) has had an affair with colleague Bethan Maguire (Olivia Colman). She got pregnant and decided not to abort. On the night before Ivan's supposed to supervise an epic construction project, Bethan goes into labor. Since she has no family or friends available, Ivan agrees to drive a couple hours to the London hospital, making car phone calls to trainee Donal (Andrew Scott), boss Gareth (Ben Daniels), and wife Katrina (Ruth Wilson). Nobody is happy with his decision except Bethan, and she's stressed enough that he's not already there.