The Running Man (2025), Glen Powell, Paramount Pictures
Glen Powell, Colman Domingo, Jayme Lawson and Lee Pace are the stars of The Running Man, a new sci-fi/action/thriller directed by Edgar Wright (Baby Driver (2017).
Based on a novel by Stephen King, Powell plays a desperate man who joins a game show. One where contestants can go anywhere in the world, while pursued by people hired to kill them.
At first, I feared this might be too similar to previous movies like John Q (2002) and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Ambulance (2022). I’m pleased to see I was mostly wrong.
In fact, as someone who loves well-paced chase sequences, this looks quite promising. Perhaps I’ll finally have a favourite Glen Powell movie. Which one’s yours?
I’m now also wondering which will be better, this retelling or the original 1987 movie of the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Josh Brolin, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, David Zayas, Emilia Jones, Karl Glusman, Sean Hayes, Katy O’Brian, Sophie Simnett, George Carroll, Joey Ansah and Daniel Ezra also star.
For those who read my Barbie movie trailer post, I must first confirm that I did not develop a greater love for pink as I imagined I might. I still like pink just fine, as always. What I do appreciate more now after seeing director Greta Gerwig’s rather fun Barbie film is the casting of Ryan Gosling as Ken.
To clarify, I was never against Gosling’s casting, nor did I read the details of why some believed it to be a mistake. I was curious about the story, especially once it became clear that an existential crisis would be at its core.
How Barbie’s aforementioned internal crisis plays out makes for a watchable emotional journey that starts with her seemingly perfect days in Barbie Land, to the discovery of a different life in the real world. Add to that some female empowerment plus Ken’s own crisis, and we have a script that balances both story arcs well while delivering a Barbie movie worth the heavily pink-hued adventure.
Barbie (2023), Margot Robbie, Warner Bros. Pictures
Barbie will almost certainly be enjoyed most by serious fans who grew up playing with and loving Barbie dolls. I do not fit neatly into that category, but enjoy myself I certainly did. I’m sure it helps that I found no fault with the film’s well-imagined set/costume design. Additionally, there’s Gosling and Margot Robbie’s believable portrayals of the doll experiences in both the real world and Barbie Land.
The characters played by Issa Rae, Kate Mckinnon and Michael Cera are notable additional highlights, not to forget the delightful dance numbers performed by all the Kens.
I recommend Barbie, a fun, light-hearted summer movie that stands firmly on its own, even though it is simultaneously a great antidote for Oppenheimer (2023).
Lastly, the following is more to do with my specific criteria for the kind of films I watch at home versus the theatre. But, as Barbie played, I remember thinking I could have easily watched it at home instead of at the cinema. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to Barbie’s streaming release. Because it’s very clear to me that the rewatch value is decidedly strong with this one.
Have you already seen Barbie? And if you have, how perfect was that ending?
Directed by Sebastián Lelio, Gloria Bell follows Gloria, a free-spirited woman in her 50s who’s seeking out love at L.A. dance clubs.
With a talented cast that includes Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Michael Cera; Gloria Bell is an English-language version of the Chilean movie Gloria (2013) – which was also directed by Lelio. I wonder what he did differently this time around – besides the location.
I’m a Moore fan, the story is interesting and the film will feature my first name being mentioned a notable number of times. What’s not to get excited about?
Obi Nwankwo, Alanna Ubach, Brad Garrett, Sean Astin, Holland Taylor, Rita Wilson and Sean Astin also star.
How To Be A Latin Lover (2017), Eugenio Derbez, Rob Lowe
Starring Salma HayekEugenio Derbez and Rob Lowe, How To Be Latin Lover is a movie I watched because I adore Salma Hayek, I was curious about Eugenio Derbez and the trailer amused me.
How To Be A Latin Lover centres around Derbez’s character – Maximo, a man who’s forged a career out of seducing rich older women. Unfortunately for him, his 25-year marriage just ended, and with nowhere else to go, he finds himself living with his estranged sister.
Quite early in the movie, I realised precisely how the story was going to go. A lot of what I realised could have been guessed during the trailer; only, I was far too busy being amused. I stayed with the movie until the end because of the reasons I already mentioned, but, additionally, I happened to be in the mood for a film that didn’t require too much from me.
The often silly humour was OK. Though, the ending did seem to come about quite abruptly – and in a way I wasn’t fully expecting. Overall, I can say I regret nothing because I knew what I’d signed up for. My love of Hayek remains, and Derbez? He’s OK.
I can’t say that I picture myself telling people, ‘you simply must see this,’ but I do see myself at some point in the future, possibly referencing the scene in the trailer with the shoe dye and the pool.
Aaron Sorkin, a Hollywood name most film lovers know purely for his great screenwriting abilities has directed an exciting looking drama.
Starring Idris Elba, Jessica Chastain, Michael Cera, and Kevin Costner, Molly’s Game is a true story about an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
I’m excited for reasons including the fact that I really enjoy Aaron Sorkin’s writing. As such, I’m hoping that his directing will be great too.
The pairing of Elba and Chastain is one I didn’t know I wanted to see until I just saw it. Fingers crossed that this film turns out really well.
Chris O’Dowd, Rachel Skarsten and Bill Camp also star.
The Movie My Life 