Society of the Snow (2023)

This is the sort of movie I don't watch on truly cold days. I had some reservations about watching more Spanish-language fare already, but there weren't many longer movies (144 minutes) left on my dwindling Netflix list to fill a slow evening. FWIW, dubbing matched the lips so poorly that I switched to subtitles.

In October 1972, a plane from Montevideo fails to cross a treacherous sky over the Andes. By morning, 16 of the 45 people aboard die from injury or freezing. The rest are inclined to stay in or near the wreckage until a rescue party arrives, but combing the area takes so long that a radio reports that the searchers presume them all dead and will wait for clearer weather. After two months, the most able-bodied survivors decide to hike back to civilization.

I Am Frankelda (2025)

I was not aware of the Cartoon Network Latin America miniseries Frankelda's Book of Spooks, for which this is a prequel. I just saw the title on a Netflix menu and thought it would be a relatively tame yet appropriate way to fill my Halloween night. If nothing else, it promised a feast for the eyes.

In a 19th-century Mexican town, young Francisca Imelda, pen name "Frankelda," prolifically writes gothic horror that meets almost universal contempt, between sexism and disdain for the genre. But one of her characters, Prince Herneval of Topus Terrenus, crosses the secret border between fiction and "reality" to seek her talented help. His realm of terrors creates literal nightmares for humans in order to live on fear, which has faded since royal advisor Procustes' scripts have grown stale. Frankelda lets Herneval render her something of a temporary ghost, leaving her comatose body so she can visit his home, with the offer to stay as official nightmare writer. She vacillates wildly in confidence, partly because the jealous Procustes manipulates her. Worse, he commits plagiarism and plans a coup d'etat....

The Invisible Man (2020)

Another Universal Monsters quasi-remake. It's so far removed from the H.G. Wells story that I decline to add "book" to the tags. The trailer, tho including part of a deleted scene, aptly conveyed its creepiness, giving me mixed feelings on whether to watch. Nonetheless, the library carried no more promising candidate for my seasonal purpose.

In the San Francisco area, Cecilia "Cee" Kass (Elisabeth Moss) narrowly escapes the estate of Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a rich CEO and brilliant engineer but far too possessive a boyfriend. After two PTSD-ridden weeks hiding out at the house of Officer James Lanier (Aldis Hodge) and his teen daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), she learns from Adrian's attorney brother Tom (Michael Dorman) that Adrian killed himself and willed a fortune to her. Just as things start looking up for her, she gets the impression of Adrian's unseen, mostly silent presence. Friends and family think she's going from paranoid to violently insane, but, well, see the title.

Fjord (2026)

For the first time in years, someone in the AFI Meetup group suggested a viewing. It didn't sound scary, despite "thriller" being among the assigned genres, but I wanted to resume the practice ASAP. Only I accepted the invitation, alas, but at least the suggester and I had a good talk afterward.

The main Gheorghiu family consists of husband Mihai (Sebastian Stan), wife Lisbet (Renate Reinsve), and five kids ages 0 to maybe 14. They move from Romania to Norway for proximity to Lisbet's relatives. Then they learn the hard way that the Norwegian government has different restrictions on what it tolerates in parental discipline. Child Welfare Services takes the kids away, promising to return them if the parents are acquitted of physical abuse charges. The parents grow desperate. When playing by the standard rules doesn't work, Mihai drums up international outrage, which might just backfire in court.

Heretic (2024)

I hadn't heard of this title when I found it in the library, but a summary mentioning Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the same directors as A Quiet Place (not Part II), convinced me to give it a try. Given the religious focus, I opted out of inviting a friend, in case we strongly disagreed on it.

On a rainy day in Boulder, two young adult Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and more experienced Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), visit the home of one Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who previously expressed interest in discussion of their faith. They gradually realize that despite his amiable demeanor, he'd rather proselytize to them, albeit remaining cagey about "the one true religion." More importantly, he's dishonest and manipulative. Then they discover that the old-fashioned house is designed not to be exited easily or allow phone signals. Reed claims they're free to go; they just have to make careful choices first....

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

From a trailer, I got the impression that this was actually a prequel. Turns out only the opening scene is a flashback to the day the blind but nearly invincible killer aliens arrived in the main family's hometown. (No, it's not just an excuse to show writer-director and former lead actor John Krasinski again.) After that, it picks up right where the predecessor left off, more than a year later.

At that point, the only known survivors are mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and three of her kids, but at least they have found the aliens' sonic weakness. They head out of their, y'know, quiet place to look for other live humans. The first they find is an old friend of the family, Emmett (Cillian Murphy), who has given up on the future of humanity and refuses to host them for long in his foundry shelter. When deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) learns of an offshore active radio station, she hopes to weaponize it against the aliens. Not trusting her mother to approve, she sets out on a one-day journey alone. Evelyn persuades Emmett to go after her. The party keeps splitting without adequate protection....

The Substance (2024)

When I looked over the DVD section of my library, it occurred to me that I would soon begin my Halloween-y viewings. This appears to be the most esteemed horror of the past few years, even nominated for Academy Best Picture, so I went right for it. Not that the DVD offers much over streaming; the only extra is a one-minute "featurette" in which director Coralie Fargeat summarizes her feminist aims.

Oscar-winning former actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) has moved on to hosting an aerobics program, until producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) dismisses her for turning 50. Then she gets stealthy word of an unnamed, clearly FDA-unapproved product that can make a more youthful clone of her. She goes for it, and her younger self (Margaret Qualley) gets the same job under the alias "Sue." She enjoys major success but has to keep switching her consciousness between bodies weekly, keeping the catatonic body on an IV. When she ignores the supplier's warnings, things go sideways on both sides....

Milly: Queen of Merengue

Another entry in the AFI Latin American film festival, this one not a doc but a bio. It didn't pack the seats to the same degree, having only 20+ IMDb votes so far, but it has a great reputation among its viewers, hence my interest to come with my parents.

In 1996, a middle-aged Milagros "Milly" del Rosario Quezada Borbón is depressed and reclusive. For most of the movie, she reflects on her life starting with her childhood move from the Dominican Republic to New York City (when she was nicknamed Cuquita). In her adolescence, she and her siblings performed rock music in the streets, but they found more success by switching to merengue. As the lead singer, Milly is the most prominent band member, and she proves to stay in the line of work the longest.

The Match (2026)

As reflected in this blog, I haven't been making much time for movies lately. Fortunately, my dad invited me to a Latin American film festival, which started yesterday (perhaps in honor of Mexican Independence Day). I picked one of the more popular entries, with little regard for the subject or genre.

This is the first documentary I've known to be based on a book. The title refers to a 1986 FIFA World Cup match in Mexico, remembered chiefly for two goals against England by Argentina's Diego Maradona, one spectacular and one controversial. Of course, you can't really spend 91 minutes (about the length of the match) talking about just that, so we get a lot of historical background about the heated rivalry between the two teams, followed by the aftermath.

Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

For three generations, my family has enjoyed Road Runner and Coyote shorts more than most Looney Tunes outings. It didn't take much to convince my mom, sister, and nephew to come to a theater with me. I was a little worried that a live-action setting would spell less family-friendliness, but hey, I'd seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit many times by my nephew's age.

Wile E. Coyote, mute as usual, finally decides to hire toon-focused Albuquerque human attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to sue Acme for all the dangerously defective products he's used to try to catch the Road Runner (Eric Bauza, who voices most of the male toons). Kevin balks at the idea of covering lots of products in a single lawsuit, but avid intern Paige (Lana Condor) thinks it's just what the struggling firm of Avery, Jones, and Maltese (no doubt named for Tex, Chuck, and Michael) needs. Of course, a megacorporation has a tough lawyer, namely Kevin's ex-classmate Buddy Crane (John Cena). And it's not brutal only in the courtroom.

I Swear (2025)

I became aware of this only in connection with a public catastrophe. I assumed a documentary, but it's a biopic. When it came to Netflix, I leapt at it for education's sake.

In a Scottish town in 1983, preteen John Davidson (Scott Ellis Watson) develops frequent shouts and spasms, some of which qualify as assaults. Everyone else assumes he's just being a jerk, but he insists it's involuntary. Sure enough, he goes on to be diagnosed with acute Tourette syndrome. In young adulthood (now played by Robert Aramayo), he decides to leave the home of his mother, Heather (Shirley Henderson), and live with Dottie (Maxine Peake), the ailing mother of his old school friend, Murray (Francesco Piacentini-Smith). Heather objects, but John notes that Dottie is both more tolerant and more experienced with mental patients. In middle age, he becomes the face of Tourette's awareness.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

This is the third time I've seen a Spider-Man movie at an out-of-the-way theater at a friend's invitation. As much as I've enjoyed the Tom Holland entries, the ads didn't make me eager to watch more after nearly five years. Little did I know how much others loved the trailer and, so far, the flick itself.

Peter "Spider-Man" Parker (Holland) is certainly more of a man now, living alone, albeit with no apparent job, and making short work of most New York villains. He's also becoming more of a spider, as his fused DNA asserts itself, heightening his senses, letting him shoot webs organically like the Tobey Maguire version, and making him more brutal under stress like a lesser Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), whose alter ego he visits for advice. Amid this identity crisis, he must contend with a foe (Sadie Sink) who gives other people identity crises by temporarily possessing them. The mystery mind-hopper is intent on infiltrating U.S. Department of Damage Control headquarters, which houses so many sensitive, potentially scandalous secrets that its director (Tramell Tillman) can hardly guess which is being targeted.

The Invite (2026)

I was hoping to see Young Washington this evening, but it's already gone from the nearest theaters. Among the available showings I hadn't seen, TI looked most popular. Maybe just as well, for promising something extra different from my expensive, humorless previous viewing. Not that I could tell much from one- or two-sentence summaries; it sounded vaguely like it could be Bad Shabbos minus Judaism.

Angela (Olivia Wilde, who also directs) invites upstairs couple Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz) to visit her San Francisco apartment, without the timely awareness or approval of her husband, Joe (Seth Rogen). She wants to make up for them having to tolerate renovation noises by showing them the results, and maybe she and Joe will finally have friends again. Joe would rather give them a piece of his mind about their noises, from sex at ungodly hours. It turns out that Hawk and Piña host orgies and would be interested in Angela and Joe joining....

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....

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....

Supergirl (2026)

Going by reviews, I did not plan to see this, at least in a theater. But a friend had already bought tickets, and after his disappointment that I didn't join him for Joker: Folie à Deux, I opted to grin and bear it. Besides, I'd watched two seasons of the Supergirl TV series, and that's not supposed to be much better.

Very little of this movie takes place on Earth. Supergirl (Milly Alcock), 23-year-old cousin of Superman (David Corenswet), has been vacationing on planets near a red sun, which suspends Kryptonian powers and thus lets her get drunk more easily. The first halfway heroic thing we see her do is defend 13-year-old Ruthye (Eve Ridley) from thieves. Ruthye asks for help avenging her family, murdered by Brigand leader Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Supergirl doesn't really care until after Krem poisons her dog, Krypto, while holding the only known antitoxin sample. Even then, she wants Ruthye to step aside. Yeah, right.

Michael (2026)

Longtime readers know I'm a sucker for musician biopics, with few exceptions. I was also as much of a Michael Jackson fan as the next tween in the early '90s. For that reason, I decided to see this in an immersive theater while I could.

The story follows Michael from the formation of the Jackson 5 in 1966 (when he's played by Juliano Valdi) to the start of his first solo tour in 1988 (when he's played by Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine). His father, Joseph (Colman Domingo), makes for a demanding manager, prone to emotional and sometimes physical abuse; his mother, Katherine (Nia Long), can do little to counter Joseph. The overarching theme is of Michael wishing to do his own thing, with help from attorney John Branca (Miles Teller) and bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) among others.

Poor Things (2023)

I've wanted to see this since I caught a few clips at the Academy Awards. My desire decreased when I learned that Yorgos Lanthimos directed. Nonetheless, almost as soon as it came to Netflix, I obliged.

In 19th-century London, heavily pregnant Victoria Blessington (Emma Stone) commits suicide. Victor Frankenstein-like Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) could simply revive her, but seeing little sense in bringing back a suicidal mind, he transplants her baby's brain into her head first. When he asks med student Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) to help document the behavior of this "Bella Baxter," she can barely talk or balance, but she's learning fast. Eventually, Godwin talks Max into proposing to Bella. She accepts, but since Godwin would still require her to stay on his property all the time, she first runs off on an adventure with Europe-traveling lothario Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo). Neither she nor Duncan knows what they're getting into.