On Reeling #886 Laura and Robin review #Kokuho, #TheLoveThatRemains, #WutheringHeights, Baz Luhrmann's #EPiC:ElvisPresleyinConcert, #Pillion, #The2026OscarNominatedShorts - Animation, Live Action and Documentary. vimeo.com/1166190292

Pálmason pivots from the period missionary expedition of "Godland," to an intimate family drama, the films connected by a main character's artistic pursuits..This is a family that continually ebbs and flows like the ocean which surrounds it #TheLoveThatRemains www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

If those who idolize celebrities feel like they know them, Luhrmann has probably gotten as close to that real intimacy with his presentation of Presley as possible, connecting us with the artist the way the Elvis connected with his audience. #ElvisPresley #EPiC www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/epic...

"The five documentary shorts nominated for the 2026 Oscar are a reflection of today's world and, with the exception of one outlier, the effect is the opposite of uplifting." #2026OscarNominatedDocumentaryShorts www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/2026...

"Viva Verdi!" is an absolute delight - I never knew Verdi considered 'his greatest work' this retirement home for singers and musicians in Milan. We're treated to several profiles of residents, all with amazing stories. Jolt.com Highly recommended. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wrm...

"French writer/director Florence Miailhe's "Butterfly" utilizes the most strikingly beautiful animation technique, hand painted images where brush strokes shimmer into ocean waves...my pick for the Oscar." #2026OscarNominatedAnimatedShorts www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/2026...

Nominated live action shorts feature two amusing modernizations of literature from previous centuries, a well worn narrative elevated by its actors, an Israeli indictment of Palestinian oppression and France's second short in a row about an aversion to kissing. www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/2026...

Japan's submission for the Oscar - "a cinematic epic, a sweeping saga that pits innate talent against traditional hereditary birthright throughout decades...one of 2025's very best." #Kokuho #RyoYoshizawa #RyuseiYokohama #Sang-ilLee #kabuki #KenWatanabe www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/koku...

"Featuring preposterous production design which at one point uses leeches in a design that extends from Cathy's breast up onto her pink bedroom walls, Fennell's #WutheringHeights may be ridiculous but it certainly scratches a particular itch..." #JacobElordi www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/wuth...

"British writer/director #HarryLighton makes a startlingly assured feature debut, a most unconventional love story that is frankly sexual, surprisingly funny and ultimately moving... #HarryMelling has made Colin unforgettable" #Pillion #AlexanderSkarsgård www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/pill...

unwieldy as it becomes, is bursting with ideas and Rockwell keeps the fun factor high...an entertaining film with so much on its mind, it's just a little too much of a good thing #GoodLuckHaveFunDontDie #GoreVerbinski #SamRockwell #HaleyLuRichardson #JunoTemple www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/good...

"If you are unfamiliar with the details of Magellan's life preceding his historic voyage, Diaz's in media res approach...requires patience, as eventually the details pull together and the epic tale achieves a rhythm." #GaelGarcíaBernal #LavDiaz #MagellanMovie www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/mage...

On Reeling #885 Laura and Robin review #GoodLuckHaveFunDon'tDie; #APoet; #Magellan; #Dracula; #Whistle; #Islands; #Mr.NobodyAgainstPutin and #SendHelp. vimeo.com/1162009126

"This Impaler is apparently more a lover than a fighter...All this and animated gargoyles!" #DraculaALoveTale #CalebLandryJones #ChristophWaltz #LucBesson #Dracula www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/drac...

"Lifting from films ranging from "Final Destination" to "It Lives Inside" to every teenage slasher flick featuring a harvest festival, "Whistle" works if you view it from the perspective of "Scream"-like self aware parody." #Whistle #DafneKeen #SophieNélisse www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/whis...

"while we can see Yurlady is more interested in painting her nails than writing poems, Oscar's desire to help her is sincere and the two actually do forge a bond, one which sees Yurlady as his unlikely savior in ways practical and profound." #APoet www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/a-po...

"while it sports Raimi's style, it also becomes so cartoonish in its third act, it ends up throwing out the baby with the bath water." #SendHelp #SamRaimi #RachelMcAdams #DylanOBrien www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/send...

"as languid as a lazy day at the beach, a perfect ploy for a story that sneaks up on you...Riley keeps us guessing, right up until the film reveals itself to be something else entirely from what we may have thought it was." #IslandsMovie #SamRiley #StacyMartin www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/isla...

"Ugo Bienvenu's magical feature debut encases an "E.T." like adventure story about friendship spanning two different worlds within an environmental message that offers both a dire warning and hope for our future." #Arco #UgoBienvenu www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/arco/

"like a French take on "Manhattan Murder Mystery" where the self appointed investigator is a psychiatrist who stands to solve a lot more about herself and her former marriage...The filmmaker really wanted Foster and the actress embraces the role" #APrivateLife www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/a-pr...

Back in theaters tomorrow - "One may never forget the sight of Chow Yun-Fat taking out half a dozen combatants with a gun in one hand and the baby he dubs 'Saliva Sammy' cradled in the other." #HardBoiled #JohnWoo #ChowYunFat #TonyLeung www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/hard...

[Bekmambetov]'s latest, featuring his usual schlocky visual flash, coasts for a while on its cheap thrills concept before sliding off the rails into cheap spectacle and incestuously contrived conspiracy. #MercyMovie #ChrisPratt #RebeccaFerguson #TimurBekmambetov www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/mercy/

On Reeling #884 Laura and Robin review #MercyMovie, #Arco, #HIsforHawk, #APrivateLife, #MotherofFlies, #28YearsLaterTheBoneTemple, #SheepdogMovie and #HardBoiled vimeo.com/1157047931

"The Adams' folk horror tale is full of stunning imagery, from practical effects involving a python to a Caesarean birth, a climatic one something akin to a magic act...if you think you know where everything is headed, guess again." #MotherofFlies #AdamsFamily www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/moth...

"excels in its depiction of falconry, Foy a natural with the birds, and the profound sense of loss caused by Helen's dad's sudden death, Brendan Gleeson creating a lovable eccentric, a man with no formal education but vast and varied interests" #HIsForHawk www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/h-is...

"meat and potatoes filmmaking on a well worn subject that succeeds with its realistic portrait of small town community and every day heroes." #Sheepdog #StevenGrayhm #VondieCurtis-Hall #VirginiaMadsen www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/shee...

"Albert Birney ("Strawberry Mansion") rewinds to 1987 to explore the roots of isolating computer culture within a delightfully retro technological adventure...invites us to reengage with life." #OBEX #AlbertBirney www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/obex/

"Kristen Stewart makes an audaciously impressive filmmaking debut... illustrating her protagonist's state of mind with fractured, impressionistic imagery which gradually settles into more linear storytelling as Lidia gains control over her life" #KristenStewart www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

"Now THIS is how you create a trilogy. Ralph Fiennes goes to places one might never have imagined this actor could go...The film's climax is absolutely breathtaking, a crescendo of character arcs all meeting within the Bone Temple." #28YearsLaterTheBoneTemple www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/28-y...

"Director Nicholas Hytner and his...screenwriting partner Alan Bennett team up for their fourth collaboration about community and the power of music to bring people together despite the issues that might keep them apart" #TheChoral #RalphFiennes #NicholasHytner www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

"A musical about religious fervor in the 18th century may not be high on many people's list but those open to the idea will experience a unique biopic, faith itself choreographed led by Seyfried's committed performance and Fastvold's directorial precision" www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

On Reeling #883 Laura and Robin review #TheTestamentofAnnLee, #DeadMan'sWire, #Obex, #TheChronologyofWater, #FatherMotherSisterBrother, #TheChoral, #TheVoiceofHindRajab and #WeBurytheDead vimeo.com/1152406058

"Ben Hania and her cast convey the cumulative stress that builds from their work done at the Palestinian Red Emergency Center and the overwhelming sense of grief when they lose someone, the Hind Rajab case horrific in so many ways." #TheVoiceOfHindRajab www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

"After a couple of forays into television, director Gus Van Sant returns to feature filmmaking after seven years with a script by newcomer Austin Kolodney based on a true story from almost fifty years ago that couldn't be more relevant today." #DeadMansWire www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/dead...

"This often humorous and ultimately moving look at familial disconnection features three different families, but all three stories are linked with skateboarders, drinking water, the phrase 'Bob's your uncle' and color coded clothing." #FatherMotherSisterBrother www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/fath...

"a visually dazzling journey through cinematic genres following one protagonist who takes on five different identities...Bi Gan has created a film to get lost in" #ResurrectionMovie #BiGan www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/resu...

"a deliciously dark satire that is highly amusing while packing a socioeconomic punch." #NoOtherChoice #ParkChan-wook www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/no-o...

"Perhaps the scariest element of writer/director Zak Hilditch's unique take on the zombie genre is that it is the first time in my recollection where the U.S. has been made the bad guy by a country we consider an ally." #WeBuryTheDead #DaisyRidley www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/we-b...

#ThePlague is an unsettling portrait of the cruelty inflicted by children trying to carve out their positions in society and Polinger's stylish debut makes him a filmmaker to watch. #EverettBlunck #KayoMartin #JoelEdgerton #KennyRasmussen www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

"Arnett, asea separately, and Dern, energetic on her own, are just wonderful together, convincing of a long held partnership that could use some refreshing, each changing for the better having been given room to grow. Cooper is great comic relief..." www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/is-t...

"We learn a lot about Marty in the film's first few minutes...opening credits which feature hard charging sperm fertilizing an egg which turns into a ping pong ball a microcosm of the entire film." #MartySupreme #TimothéeChalamet #JoshSafdie #GwynethPaltrow www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/mart...

"a joyous crowd pleaser about two people whose love of performance turned into love for each other...the film belongs to a radiant Kate Hudson" #SongSungBlue #HughJackman #KateHudson #NeilDiamond www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/song...

Reeling's #2025TopTenLists www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/2025...

On Reeling #882 Laura and Robin reveal their 2025 Top Ten lists and review #MartySupreme, #ThePlague, #TheHousemaid, #SongSungBlue, #AvatarFire&Ash, #IsThisThingOn? and #DustBunny. vimeo.com/1147523193

enjoyable trash, at least until it turns into outright trash. Seyfried plunges herself into this over the top spectacle that combines glitzy lifestyles with lowbrow shenanigans as Sweeney's necklines plunge ever deeper. #TheHousemaid #AmandaSeyfried www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...

"visually astounding...but...a story that features repetitive captures and escapes, a climax that looks a lot like the last one and spends over three hours to advance just one new concept is exactly why this franchise is suffering fatigue." #AvatarFireAndAsh www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/avat...

Available now on VOD - A must see for any fans of the true crime genre, #ZodiacKillerProject is destined to make you laugh, think and perhaps be taken aback by the lack of ethics often employed...You'll never watch a true crime documentary the same way again. www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/zodi...

"Reuniting with his Hannibal Lecter, who is now a loner hitman with empathy for an orphaned child, Fuller has created a horror fantasy fairy tale with offbeat humor and whimsical production design" #DustBunny #MadsMikkelsen #BryanFuller www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/dust...

"There is a reason Sorrentino keeps casting Servillo, who makes this man known for his middle ground politics far more complex than we expect...a portrait of a beloved politician leaving office with grace." #LaGrazia #PaoloSorrentino #ToniServillo www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/la-g...

"Filho...has stated that his film is about memory and that is reflected in the fractured recollections and various audio recordings reconstructing Armando's history." #TheSecretAgent #WagnerMoura #KleberMendonçaFilho www.reelingreviews.com/reviews/the-...