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.

Get the Gringo (2012)

I think this is the first movie I've seen with Mel Gibson in an acting role to have come out after 2000. Certainly the first after his two notorious scandals of the 2000s. I'm not sure what prompted me to save it to my YouTube watch list, but I know the main reason I chose it: a short runtime.

A robber (Gibson) tries to escape the police by crossing the border, only to get caught by corrupt Mexican cops. Keeping his loot for themselves, they send him to an unorthodox prison that's basically a walled-off, crime-ridden village, complete with families and a rich-poor gap. Not an easy place for an American to survive, but as a former U.S. Army sniper, he has skills to draw the attention of the de facto leaders....

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

As often happens, I heard of the remake first. The original is a bit more popular, so I gave it priority. Only later did I learn that it was based on a true story -- and paved the way for The Brady Bunch.

If you thought the Bradys had it tough, consider that widower Frank Beardsley (Henry Fonda) has ten children and widow Helen North (Lucille Ball) has eight. (Why am I not surprised that at least one goes to a Catholic school?) For most of the story, Frank's two youngest live with his nearby sister to make matters easier, but the separation produces tension with the rest of his kids. Frank and Helen happen to meet several times before dating, and despite hangups about an even bigger family, they go on to marry. In addition to the more predictable difficulties, many of the kids don't want a replacement for their dead biological parent. That won't be an issue for the little one on the way....

The Road to El Dorado (2000)

People hardly talked about this when it was new. Neither the trailer nor the excerpt I caught on TV tempted me. But a couple memes signal its sleeper cult hit status. I chose it partly to get references and partly to kill less than 90 minutes.

Sixteenth-century Spanish scoundrels Miguel (Kevin Kline) and Tulio (Kenneth Branagh) use loaded dice to win a map purporting to lead to the rumored city of gold. Being only so sneaky, they get clapped in the brig of a ship by Hernán Cortés himself (Jim Cummings) but escape in a rowboat with help from Altivo (Frank Welker), perhaps the smartest horse outside of Tangled. After weeks of mixed luck, they meet the remote El Doradans, who mistake them for prophesied divine visitors. A nice gig if you can get it, but you don't have to see or read The Man Who Would Be King to know how tenuous their status is....

Nightcrawler (2014)

If this were about the beloved X-Man, I would have seen it in a theater. If it were about an earthworm, I might still have seen it earlier. But for all its popularity, I must not have liked what I'd gleaned about it, or I would have put it on my Netflix list. Instead, it was the first halfway-promising result I hadn't watched when I browsed on another account.

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) has been a sometimes violent sneak thief, but he wants a more legitimate job. At the scene of a car crash, he decides to make videos of newsworthy nighttime incidents and sell them to a struggling L.A. news station. He gets too close for the comfort of emergency personnel, but morning news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo) craves such sensational footage. Lou enlists desperate intern Rick (Riz Ahmed) to help navigate to addresses mentioned on scanned police radio signals. In his business ambitions, Lou has so little regard for laws and ethics that he might have done less damage as a thief.

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....

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....

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.

Steel Magnolias (1989)

I'd seen a fair number of movies with comedic elements lately, but it was time for an indisputable comedy-drama. It was also time for something that easily passed the Bechdel test, with six women getting top billing and the entire poster. OK, mainly I decided to watch what would soon stop streaming on Netflix.

Although partly based in truth, the story takes place entirely in a fictional small town in Louisiana. It begins on the wedding day of Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts) and Jackson Latcherie (Dylan McDermott), who narrowly avoid several fiascos, including cold feet. Alas, the event showcases Shelby's worsening health from diabetes. Her mother, Mary Lynn or "M'Lynn" (Sally Field), would rather she not endanger herself further by having a baby. When the focus is not on the Eatentons or the Latcheries, it's usually on Annelle Dupuy (Daryl Hannah), sometimes made out to be the main character. She's a struggling newcomer who gets hired at the beauty shop of gossipy Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton), falls for one Sammy DeSoto (Kevin J. O'Connor), and then finds religion more than Sammy likes.

True Romance (1993)

I rather liked this movie in young adulthood but totally forgot what happens in it, besides a happy ending. Since Quentin Tarantino wrote it, you know it's not just a romantic comedy/drama; it's an R-rated crime flick with antiheroes. At least having Tony Scott direct instead means there's no fixation on a woman's bare feet.

Detroit comic store clerk Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) hits it off with Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) before knowing she's a call girl hired by his employer as a birthday present. Nonetheless, she does fall for him, and they elope. Hearing how rotten her pimp Drexl Spivey (Gary Oldman) is, Clarence confronts him, ends up killing him, and orders another call girl to pack Alabama's things. Only after Clarence takes the suitcase home does he see that it's full of stolen cocaine bags. He hopes to sell it fast in L.A., but he'll have to worry about getting tracked down by previous owners as well as police.

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.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

A rare re-view review from me! I absolutely loved this when I saw it with my family, but after maybe 20 years, not much had stayed with me. Now I would see how funny I found it without company -- and mildly colorized. (I'm adding the black and white tag just in case you see the other version.)

Aristocrat Irene Bullock (Carole Lombard) goes to a New York City dump to find a "forgotten man" for a scavenger hunt. Godfrey (William Powell) accepts her invitation but doesn't enjoy the ritzy crowd. To make it up to him, Irene capriciously hires him as the family butler. He cleans up nicely and tries to do a good job, but it soon becomes clear why the Bullocks had an opening.

The Sunshine Boys (1975)

Both IMDb and Wikipedia calls this a straight-up comedy. I call it a comedy-drama, because it works better that way. While more plainly joking than The King of Comedy, it feels pretty dour much of the time, as I suspected from the title.

Aged vaudevillian Willy Clark (Walter Matthau) wants to remain in show business despite having become nearly impossible to direct. His nephew, Ben (Richard Benjamin), also serves as his thankless agent. Ben finally gets him a role on a retrospective TV special, but Willy is extremely reluctant to reunite with estranged partner Al Lewis (George Burns) for even one reprisal of their classic "doctor sketch."

Bugonia (2025)

Nobody on screen says the title. It's a Greek type of ritual sacrifice once thought to produce bees, which appear sometimes herein for an analogy. That's about the only reason I felt the need to look at the movie's Wikipedia page, because the plot's easy to remember.

Cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) kidnap pharma CEO Michelle (Emma Stone) and hold her in Teddy's house. Teddy is fully convinced that she is a high-ranking alien from the Andromeda Galaxy responsible for the slow ruination of many things for humanity. He demands that Michelle arrange a meeting between him and the Andromedan emperor on the lunar eclipse, which comes four days after the kidnapping. The longer Michelle doesn't do as Teddy bids, the less inclined he is to choose civility over rage. Slightly complicating matters are periodic check-ins by deputy Casey (Stavros Halkias), Teddy's former abusive sitter.

The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

Yeah, it's been less than a month since my last talking animal cartoon review. This one, despite numerous award nominations and a few minor wins, gets a mostly middling reception. So why did I bother to see it, especially after a decade? Because I was in the mood for something short (86 minutes) and cute.

Max (Louis C.K.), a Jack Russell, basically enjoys life in Manhattan until owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) brings home a large rescue Newfie, Duke (Eric Stonestreet), prompting covetous competition. An outdoor kerfuffle results in both of them losing their collars and getting caught by dogcatchers. Before they can reach the pound, a gang of sewer-dwelling, human-hating abandoned pets busts a member out of the van, and Max and Duke persuade lead rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart) to take them too. When their overture of rebellion proves false and they accidentally cause the demise of the biggest and nastiest ex-pet while escaping, Snowball becomes determined to hunt them down. As the two dogs seek a way home, Gidget (Jenny Slate as yet another small fluffy white critter), a neighboring Pom with a crush on Max, organizes a search squad of various pets.

Perhaps most useful to the search is antiheroic hawk Tiberius (Albert Brooks), tho he's not as acquainted with Max as most of the others. Chloe the cat (Lake Bell) stands out for pretending not to care as much as she does. Pops the basset (Dana Carvey) may be old and paraplegic, but he knows a few key points. Frequently present if less important are Buddy the dachshund (Hannibal Buress), Mel the pug (Bobby Moynihan), Sweetpea the budgie (Tara Strong), and Norman the lost guinea pig (Illumination Entertainment mainstay Chris Renaud). The gang members are too numerous to list, but I'll mention Tattoo (Michael Beattie), a highly inked pig.

Not exactly an epic tale; most events take place before Katie comes home for the day. It sure doesn't take long for a shared crisis to get Max and Duke to soften toward each other, with only a slight echo of their prior hostility around the start of Act 3. After all, the story tries to be heartwarming when it's not going pure comedy or adventure. Even Snowball is more redeemable than Lulu.

The comedy aspect gets priority. It usually takes the form of pets fulfilling stereotypes, pets defying stereotypes, slapstick, or vulgarity. On the last part, eh, it could be worse. Dont expect much of interest from the humans.

TSLoP is almost exactly what the ads led me to expect. Indeed, it borders on predictable, never trying for innovation. That's not altogether a bad thing when you choose a movie. I probably won't bother with the sequel, but I got what I came for.

Topper (1937)

Until it came up on YouTube, the only time I'd heard of this movie was when the American Film Institute's list of 100 funniest U.S. movies included it at #60. That was not one of the more respected AFI lists, since humor is highly subjective, so I took the placement with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, I was in the mood for an oldie.

Bank stockholder George Kerby (Cary Grant) and his wife, Marion (Constance Bennett), lead fun-loving, irresponsible lives that end abruptly in a car crash -- sort of. They persist as ghosts, evidently a fate for the morally neutral. When bank manager Cosmo Topper (Roland Young), an acquainted fellow aristocrat, stumbles on the scene of the crash, the Kerbys think of a posthumous good deed that might get them into heaven: guiding Cosmo to more joy than his strict wife, Clara (Billie Burke), has allowed him. They make their presence known to him and both engage in and encourage the same kind of behavior as before, with predictable risks.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

This has been seeing a lot of discussion in my circles, including a slight spoiler I tried to ignore. I decided not to wait for the next spoiler to see the flick in a theater. Besides, at 156 minutes, it promised a good way to fill my evening.

In the near future, scientists discover star-eating microbes that could decimate Earth's population in a few decades. These "astrophages" travel to Venus to reproduce, so it's possible to collect some for study. Only one vaguely close star, Tau Ceti, has not been dimming. The titular project sends three astronauts on a long, mostly comatose one-way trip to find and transmit answers that might save their sun. For unexplained reasons, only Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) lives to wake up. Fortunately, he meets a sapient alien he dubs Rocky, on a mission to deal with the same threat to another star. Their combined smarts might be just what they need.

20th Century Women (2016)

I felt I'd seen enough comedies or semi-comedies in a row. This movie looked suitably serious, not least with A24 distribution. Turns out it's a dramedy. Oh well, I hardly noticed.

Apart from brief flashbacks and flash-forwards, the setting is 1979 Santa Barbara. Dorothea (Annette Bening), 55, feels inadequate as the single mom of Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), 15, and doesn't count on middle-aged tenant and potential boyfriend William (Billy Crudup) to supplement her efforts. She asks her other unrelated tenant, 24-year-old Abbie (Greta Gerwig), and Jamie's closest female friend, 17-year-old Julie (Elle Fanning), to help him grow up healthily. But Jamie's not keen on this arrangement, and the ladies have conflicting ideas of how to go about it.

The Bad Guys 2 (2025)

Huh, once again, I watch an entry in the series when it's newly streaming on Netflix. The two are almost tied in general reception, with possibly a slight advantage to the sequel. And I was in the mood for a cartoon.

Even if you didn't watch the first movie, you shouldn't have trouble catching up to speed or be surprised that the titular five friends -- Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Miss Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) -- are trying to be good, but their criminal history hurts their job searches. Things get worse when someone frames them for a set of high-profile thefts. The so-called "Phantom Bandit" turns out to be three Bad Girls, who want the quintet's help to steal a rocket. Their leverage: a video that reveals the dark past of Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz). The Bad Guys reluctantly agree to "one last heist," but will they be tempted back to a life of crime?