Weekly Movie Recommendations

This week on The Movie Gourmet – my recommendations for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, just underway, and the movies on my list of Least Convincing Movie Monsters shown by Turner Classic Movies last night and this morning.

Take advantage of my July special – your own international film festival – free on kanopy, including We Shall Not Be Moved (pictured above)..

I also watched Kontinental ’25 by the unique Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude, who creates absurdist cinema that satirizes global capitalism, toxic masculinity and the behavioral and architectural legacy of Romanian communism. I loved the social criticism in his breakthrough Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn and liked his Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, but found his Dracula, despite its transgressive bawdiness, to get tiresome, as it beat one joke into the ground. Kontinental ’25 is Jude’s irony-packed homage to Roberto Rosselini’s Europa ’51, about a woman changed by a moral crisis. Despite a promising beginning, I found this film to peter out, again with the clever premise just not sustainable.

REMEMBRANCE

New Zealand actor Sam Neill broke through with another newcomer, Judy Davis, in My Brilliant Career (1979) and gained popularity when the British series Reilly, Ace of Spies was broadcast on PBS. Neill reliably played handsome, virile and complex characters, with a sexy menace when called for. He starred in ANZAC art films like My Brilliant Career, The Piano, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Neill was also matched up with big Hollywood stars in fare like \A Cry in the Dark, The Hunt for Red October, The Horse Whisperer, and, of course, the Jurassic Park franchise.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Maddie’s Secret: a bracingly inventive comic melodrama. In theaters.
• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a hit song? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Exit 8: nightmare on a loop. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• In the Hand of Dante: the heist and the impenetrable. Netflix

ON TV

Turner Classic Movies is airing the hilarious Ruthless People on July 20. Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater play a meek couple who, having been ruined by a scumbag business man (Danny Devito), decide to get their money back by kidnapping his wife (Bette Midler). Trouble is, she’s a handful for the over-matched naifs, and he doesn’t really want her back. Nobody can play a dumbass better than Bill Pullman, and he’s one of the joys of this frolic. Along with Airplane!, Ruthless People is the masterwork of masterpiece of Jim Abrahama, and David and Jerry Zucker, who also gave us the Naked Gun franchise. We don’t hear much about their first film, Kentucky Fried Movie, a triumph of low brow parody sketches.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – binge your own international film festival – free on kanopy. One of these film is Afire (image above), directed by Christian Petzold, whose Mirrors No. 3 is one of this year’s best.

REMEMBRANCE

I first noticed Louise Lasser in her then-husband Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run, Bananas and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex etc.. I didn’t know that she had been the first actress win a Clio award for her work in commercials. She’s best remembered for starring in Norman Lear’s pioneering Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, but she also worked with other top movie directors Todd Solondz (Happiness) and Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream).

CURRENT MOVIES

• Maddie’s Secret: a bracingly inventive comic melodrama. In theaters.
• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a hit song? Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Exit 8: nightmare on a loop. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• In the Hand of Dante: the heist and the impenetrable. Netflix
• Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial and That’s the Weight of the World: underwhelming. HBO Max.

ON TV

On July 16th, Turner Classic Movies brings us the 1977 comedy Semi-Tough with Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson and Jill Clayburgh. It’s set in the world of pro football, but it’s really a romantic triangle and a send-up of est training. Real life football stars Paul Hornung, Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Joe Kapp appear, as do sportscasters Lindsey Nelson and Dick Schaap. Along with creating the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky, this was an early role for former Raiders linebacker Carl Weathers, who went on to amass 80 acting credits and become a top TV director (Law & Order, Chicago Med, The Mandalorian).

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of the stinker In the Hand of Dante, plus the full Elvis with pure Presley in EPiC: Elvis in Convert and Elvis’ one really good movie, King Creole. I also previewed the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, coming up in mid-July. Feel free to binge this weekend with the unusually impressive slate of recent movies right now on Hulu.

REMEMBRANCE

Ann Blyth started acting in movies as a teenager, and her work in Mildred Pierce at age 17 earned her an Oscar nomination; she vividly played Joan Crawford’s bratty, ungrateful and ultimately murderous daughter. After less memorable movie roles, she retired at age 30.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Unidentified: a slow burn whodunit – until the shocker ending, In theaters.
• Maddie’s Secret: a bracingly inventive comic melodrama. In theaters.
• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a hit song? In theaters.
• Coroner to the Stars: too transparent? In theaters.
• Exit 8: nightmare on a loop. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• In the Hand of Dante: the heist and the impenetrable. Netflix
• Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial and That’s the Weight of the World: underwhelming. HBO Max.

ON TV

On July 6, Turner Classic Movies presents Muscle Beach Party, the second of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello’s four Beach Party movies; (Annette made a fifth one with Dwayne Hickman of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis). Muscle Beach Party is just as silly and formulaic as the others, but it has the best music. The genius of the surf guitar, Dick Dale, performs with his Del-Tones. So does 14-year-old Little Stevie Wonder, almost a decade before Superstition. There’s humor – both corny and zany – from Don Rickles, Morey Amsterdam, Buddy Hackett and Peter Lorre. One of the bodybuilders is Peter Lupus, who later supplied muscle to the Mission: Impossible team. Look for iconic rock music impresario Bill Graham as one of the “surfer boys”. And Annette “surfs” without disturbing her hairspray.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – it’s the last weekend of Frameline; here’s my festival preview and my recommended international films – Frameline Goes International. I also posted a new review of the documentary Coroner to the Stars. And I also reviewed the world premiere of the mesmerizing Memorizu at Tribeca; I’ll let you know when this remarkable film releases in the US.

Yesterday, I published a new review of John Early’s bracingly inventive comic melodrama Maddie’s Secret.

The best film in theaters now is the feminist Saudi Unidentified:, a whodunit with a jaw-dropping ending. The best movies recently available to watch at home are the wholly original revenge thriller Is God Is, the psychological thriller Exit 8, and the genial Italian comedy The Last One for the Road.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Exit 8: nightmare on a loop. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Unidentified: a slow burn whodunit – until the shocker ending, In theaters.
• Maddie’s Secret: a bracingly inventive comic melodrama. In theaters.
• Coroner to the Stars: too transparent? In theaters.
• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a ht song? In theaters.
• Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• Sirat: gripping, hypnotic and devastating. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango and included with Hulu.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial and That’s the Weight of the World: underwhelming. HBO Max.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.

ON TV

On June 27, Turner Classic Movies will be presenting a film recognized as the masterpiece of a great filmmaker, but one that has slipped from the current conversation – Preston Sturges’ Sullivan’s Travels. Sturges was the first workaday Hollywood screenwriter to transition into a major writer-director, and between the ages of 42 and 46, he churned out The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach Story, Sullivan’s Travels, Hail the Conquering Hero and The Great McGinty, an impressive body of work. Unfortunately, his turbulent personality led to conflict in his business affairs, which exacerbated his drinking. He burned out and was dead at age 60, but he left behind some of the very, very smartest and funniest movie comedies. Sullivan’s Travels is a fast-paced and cynical comedy about a pretentious movie director who goes on the road to be inspired by The Average Man – and gets more of an adventure than he expects. There has never been a better movie about Hollywood. Sullivan’s Travels is on It’s on my own 50 Greatest Movies of All Time list.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of the Japanese psychological thriller Exit 8 and the Saudi feminist shocker Unidentified. This is the opening weekend of the 11-day Frameline; here’s my festival preview and my recommended international films – Frameline Goes International.

I also watched the HBO Max documentary Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial and That’s the Weight of the World. It’s director Questlove’s remarkably well-sourced doc about musician Maurice White and his seminal band Earth Wind & Fire, with archival footage interpreted by surviving band members and White’s widow, and with comments by Barack and Michelle Obama, Stevie Wonder and Lionel Ritchie. I found the story underwhelming, and, although I loved Questlove’s Sly Lives! and his Oscar-winning Summer of Love (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), I can’t recommend this one.

Note: the genial Italian comedy The Last One for the Road is now on VOD.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Exit 8: nightmare on a loop. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Unidentified: a slow burn whodunit – until the shocker ending, In theaters.
• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a ht song? In theaters.
• Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• This Tempting Madness: she can’t remember whodunit. In theaters, but hard to find.
• The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford: remembering when people had attention spans. In theaters.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• Sirat: gripping, hypnotic and devastating. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango and included with Hulu.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial and That’s the Weight of the World: underwhelming. HBO Max.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.

ON TV

On June 23, Turner Classic Movies airs The Great Waldo Pepper, with Robert Redford playing a daredevil stunt pilot barnstorming across America in the 1920s. It’s a wonderful period piece, brightened by the unregulated, and therefore harrowing, aviation of the time. Redford’s protagonist is disappointed that he missed on WW I aerial combat, and he’s as alienated as any 1970s movie character. Directed and co-written by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting), It’s a fine film, but here’s why it’s overlooked – Redford made it immediately after Jeremiah Johnson The Way We Were, The Candidate, The Sting and The Great Gatsby, and immediately before Three Days of the Condor and All the President;s Men; so, it kind of has gotten lost in the Redford canon. The fine cast includes Susan Sarandon, Bo Svenson, Margot Kidder, Edward Herrman and Geoffrey Lewis.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of Christian Petzold’s masterful psychodrama Mirrors No. 3, the briskly-paced thriller This Tempting Madness, and the droll British satire The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford.

Note: both of the two best films of 2026 so far, Mirrors No. 3: and Is God Is are now available on VOD. The best movies in theaters right now remain Pressure and Power Ballad.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a ht song? In theaters.
• Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• This Tempting Madness: she can’t remember whodunit. In theaters, but hard to find.
• The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford: remembering when people had attention spans. In theaters.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• Sirat: gripping, hypnotic and devastating. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango and included with Hulu.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.

ON TV

On June 13, Turner Classic Movies will air the 1974 neo-noir The Yakuza, starring Robert Mitchum. The world-weary Mitchum was the greatest male star of classic film noir, and 25 years later was still jaded and just as cool. Here, Mitchum plays a former GI who returns to Japan to help rescue the kidnapped daughter of an army buddy (Brian Keith) who still lives in Japan. Mitchum’s character has a unique relationship with a former Yazuka (Ken Takakura), who can help him navigate the Japanese underworld. Of course, the Japanese had been making Yakuza movies for over a decade, but The Yakuza introduced American audiences to the code of behavior of the Yakuza (severed fingers and all) and other aspects of Japanese culture. There’s a big reveal about two of the characters, and the finale is heavy duty. The Yazuka was directed by Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa, Tootsie, Jeremiah Johnson) from a screenplay adapted by Paul Shrader (Taxi Driver) and Robert Towne (Chinatown). James Shigeta, who I discuss in my post about The Crimson Kimono, also appears.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of the engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making Pressure and the delightful dramedy Power Ballad. I also previewed the 50th Frameline film festival, which open in a week or so.

This week I watched Marty, Life Is Short on Netflix and found it engaging. Although it’s feature length and directed by noted documentarian Morgan Neville, I’m not publishing a separate review because it’s more of a celebrity profile than a biodoc. Martin Short is a genius of sketch comedy, and his upbringing, personal attitude and career path are interesting, with the strongest element being his longtime marriage. We get to see his iconic Jiminy Glick and Ed Grimley characters and Short hosting family get-togethers with his best friends Eugene Levy and Steve Martin. Again, it’s a good watch.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Pressure: engrossing study of high-stakes decision-making
• Power Ballad: what (and who) makes a ht song? In theaters.
• Marty, Life Is Short: an engaging profile. Netflix.
• Sirat: gripping, hypnotic and devastating. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango and included with Hulu.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Heads or Tails?: a spaghetti western goes off the rails. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• A Great Awakening: good religion and bad history. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – the first MUST SEE of 2026 is the extraordinarily well-written revenge thriller Is God Is. I also posted about the unusually impressive slate of recent movies now on Hulu and a new review of the Steven Soderbergh dramedy The Christophers.

I’m looking forward to catching the WW II epic Pressure and the heist film Tuner in theaters this weekend.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Is God Is: an extraordinary new story-teller. In theaters.
• Sirat: gripping, hypnotic and devastating. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango and included with Hulu.
• The Christophers: twisty, watchable and disposable. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. In art-house theaters.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. In theaters.
• Two Pianos: he doesn’t know what he should want, but the women do. In theaters.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
• Heads or Tails?: a spaghetti western goes off the rails. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
• A Great Awakening: good religion and bad history. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Magellan: slower than the slowest slow boat. Criterion.

ON TV

On June 4, TCM brings us something COMPLETELY different, the 1955 Pete Kelly’s Blues, directed by and starring Jack Webb, who we all know from TV’s Dragnet.   Made at the downturn of the Big Band Era, Pete Kelly’s Blues is set at during Prohibition in the infancy of Big Bands.

It’s a fairly routine drama about a small time bandleader on the outs with a dangerous crime boss, but Jack Webb loved jazz and worked hard to get the music in the movie right, resulting in quite the period document.  Peggy Lee received a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for portraying an alcoholic vocalist.  There’s an unforgettable cameo performance by Ella Fitzgerald at the top of her game.  The house band includes many real-life musicians who played with Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby and the like, including  Matty Matlock, Eddie Miller and Jud De Naut.

Webb, who played characters with some goofiness in Sunset Boulevard and He Walked By Night is only okay here, but the rest of the cast is excellent: Janet Leigh, Edmond O’Brien,  Lee Marvin, Andy Devine, Jayne Mansfield and Harry Morgan.  Not a great flick, but worth a look for the music.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of the harrowing and bleak psychological thriller Sirat, now on VOD. I’ll be writing this weekend about the revenge thriller Is God Is; don’t wait for my review – it’s the best movie that I’ve seen in 2026 so far,

Note: Last year’s wonderful Train Dreams is currently included on Netflix.

CURRENT MOVIES

• Sirat: gripping, hypnotic and devastating. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango and included with Hulu.
• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. In art-house theaters.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. In theaters.
• Two Pianos: he doesn’t know what he should want, but the women do. In theaters.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
• Heads or Tails?: a spaghetti western goes off the rails. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Heel: don’t try this at home. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• La Grazia: it’s time to get past his malaise. Amazon, AppleTV.
• The Bride!: a funnier Bonnie and Clyde, with monsters. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
• A Great Awakening: good religion and bad history. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Magellan: slower than the slowest slow boat. Criterion.

ON TV

Each year, I look forward to the Memorial Day Marathon on Turner Classic Movies – three straight days filled with war movies. This year, however, I couldn’t find any overlooked war movies to shine a light upon. Of course, there are plenty of well-known films like The Best Years of Our Lives that don’t need a recommendation from the likes of me.

So, yesterday, I posted about Time Limit, an underseen Korean War gem. I originally watched it on TCM, but it’s not on this weekend. Stream it anyway from Amazon or Apple.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – after a very rewarding movie-going April, especially with the SLO and SFFILM film festivals, May has been disappointing, with the likes of Heads or Tails? and A Great Awakening.

REMEMBRANCE

Ted Turner was only minimally a filmmaker, but he was a giant in making films available to all of us. He pioneered in a cable television movement that resulted all of those channels that cablecast movies, as well as the premium channels that made original films and episodics. Most essentially, he created Turner Classic Movies, which, with its core from the Warner Bros, MGM and RKO libraries, presents classic American movies, along with international and silent films to the broad North American audience. If you like watching movies at home without commercial interruption, thank Ted Turner.

As to filmmaking, Ted Turner did act as a Confederate colonel dying in Pickett’s Charge in the very best Civil War movie, Gettysburg, and then produced and cameoed in its prequel Gods and Generals (one of the worst Civil War movies).

CURRENT MOVIES

• The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. In art-house theaters.
• Omaha: in the best interest of the children. In theaters.
• Two Pianos: he doesn’t know what he should want, but the women do. In theaters.
• The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
• Heads or Tails?: a spaghetti western goes off the rails. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Heel: don’t try this at home. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• La Grazia: it’s time to get past his malaise. Amazon, AppleTV.
• The Bride!: a funnier Bonnie and Clyde, with monsters. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
• A Great Awakening: good religion and bad history. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
• Magellan: slower than the slowest slow boat. Criterion.