Mia (Emma Stone) is a young actress looking for her big break in Los Angeles. Seb (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz musician who is always getting fired from his crummy, small-time gigs. When these two meet, sparks fly, but their romance is tested by their struggle to succeed in a cutthroat entertainment industry. Will Mia become Hollywood’s next star? Will Seb make jazz cool again? And can they both achieve their dreams without sacrificing their love for each other?
La La Land takes a traditional “star is born” story and, like Seb’s music, scrambles it — it’s not quite that straightforward. A big reason why is the music — La La Land is a big, splashy musical, filled with Technicolor dance numbers that take place on an L.A. freeway, a house party and even a starry sky. Its open-hearted romanticism leaves no room for cynicism, and it all works. Stone won her first Oscar for her performance, and she’s magical, but so is Gosling — together, they’re Astaire and Rogers for the Tinder era, and you could watch them dance and swoon forever.
Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) has a reputation for killing Nazis. At the start of World War II, he was a one-man death squad, dispatching German soldiers left and right. In the waning days of the war, he’s discovered some gold in a Finnish forest. A Nazi squad, led by the brutal Bruno Helldorf (Aksel Hennie), finds out about Aatami’s treasure and wants it for themselves. That’s a big mistake, and soon, Bruno’s men discover why Aatami has earned his reputation as a ruthless killer some have nicknamed “The Immortal.”
Think of Sisu as a WWII-era John Wick — there’s even a loyal dog that needs to be avenged. The movie doesn’t sugarcoat its violence so much that it revels in it — it wants you to see these Nazis suffer. Who can pass that up? As Aatami, Finnish actor Tommila doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t need to — he lets his glare and bushy beard do most of the talking and intimidating. Sisu was enough of a success to get a follow-up, Sisu: Road to Revenge, in 2025.
Diane Keaton passed away in 2025, and her death allowed everyone to look back at her one-of-a-kind career. One of her best performances ever was in the 1987 comedy Baby Boom. Keaton stars as J.C. Wiatt (Keaton), a successful NYC management consultant who has no time for a personal life. That’s why it’s such a shock when she inherits her dead cousin’s orphaned toddler, Elizabeth (Kristina and Michelle Kennedy). After deciding against putting Elizabeth up for adoption, she decides to give motherhood a go, but J.C. soon realizes that might be the toughest project she’s ever had to manage.
Baby Boom is a massively entertaining comedy with a fantastical plot (who inherits a baby?) and an ending you can see from a mile away. Keaton is the key to making this yuppie fantasy work — her J.C. isn’t all that likable at first, but by the end, you’re on her side. She injects a nervous energy into her performance that energizes the material, which could’ve played like a cheap Hallmark movie. Keaton gives Baby Boom an oomph and spice she always added to everything she appeared in. She’s already missed, but at least we have a movie like this one that showcases her talent.
Nearly fifteen years after Final Destination 5 hit theaters, the blockbuster horror franchise returns with a slightly new spin on its always-entertaining premise. In Final Destination: Bloodlines, a grandmother who averted death in the 1960s inadvertently cursed all her future offspring — since they were never meant to be born. Seeking answers and plagued by horrific dreams, college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) looks into her family’s history to find a way to avoid death’s design.
Gory, goofy and finding new ways to kill people, Final Destination: Bloodlines injects a shot of adrenaline into a twenty-year-old franchise that makes it feel fresher than ever. Even the critics agreed: the movie boasts an impressive 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews applauding the movie for its ingenious set pieces, surprising emotional core and undeniable fun.
Expectant suburban mother Marlo (Charlize Theron) is pregnant with her third child and is reaching her breaking point. While her loving husband, Drew (Ron Livingston), remains oblivious to the emotional and physical demands of motherhood that increase tenfold following the birth of their daughter, Mia. To alleviate some of Marlo’s stress, she reluctantly hires a nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis). Though hesitant towards Tully at first, Marlo eventually finds herself forming a strong but strange bond with her new friend.
Tully is a raw and uncompromising portrait of the intense realities of motherhood that is uncomfortable, frank and often very funny, anchored by terrific chemistry between Davis and Theron. Theron, in particular, sinks wholly into the role of Marlo — you feel the emotional and mental weight that sits upon her shoulders in a difficult performance that requires sensitivity and honesty.
The beloved video game received the big screen treatment this year, and a sequel is already scheduled for release in 2027. The plot follows four misfits named Garrett (Jason Momoa), Natalie (Emma Myers), Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) who are sucked into a cubic land when a mysterious portal opens up on Earth. Trapped in a place known as the Overworld, the group will need to enlist the help of a man named Steve (Jack Black) if they want to find their way back home.
A Minecraft Movie broke multiple records at the box office despite iffy feedback from critics — but even some of them found they couldn’t help but be charmed by A Minecraft Movie’s strange delights. Fans of the popular game felt that the film did the franchise plenty of justice, featuring great humor, great performances and just the right amount of fan service.
After optometrist Anna (Zooey Deschanel) and teacher Russ (Charlie Cox) split up, they are forced to share weekly custody of their dog, Merv. However, when Merv is diagnosed with depression, it seems like the only thing that can cheer him up is seeing his parents back together. In the exes’ bid to make their dog happy again, they find that spending time together is reigniting some sparks of their own.
While it’s easy to see where the film is going as soon as it starts (such is the case with many holiday rom-coms), Merv is nevertheless a cute, softhearted film that will hit the Christmas-themed romantic comedy sweet spot for many people. Plus, the movie is carried in no small part by a lot of cute dog antics from rescue dog Gus, who plays the titular canine and is sure to win over animal lovers.
Frank Costello (Robert De Niro) is fed up with his life of crime. As the head of the Luciano crime family, he’s experienced enough violence and longs for a life of peace. But when he informs his underboss, Vito Genovese (also De Niro), that he intends to retire, Vito doesn’t quite believe him. Vito suspects Frank is setting him up, so he launches a war of retaliation that pushes Frank to the brink. Will he get his happy ending, or will he sleep with the fishes like so many before him?
De Niro and mob movies go hand in hand, and while The Alto Knights isn’t nearly as good as Goodfellas, it’s still a lot better than Analyze That. De Niro is convincing in dual roles, and the movie’s story never fails to fascinate. While director Barry Levinson doesn’t reinvent the gangster movie, he tells a compelling real-life story that’s worth knowing.
Michelle Pfeiffer stars as matriarch Claire Clauster, who goes to great lengths to make sure her family has a fun and memorable Christmas every year. But when Claire feels that her family doesn’t fully appreciate just how much work she puts in, she takes an opportunity to go AWOL and sets off on a spontaneous holiday adventure — and her family might just finally understand how much they need her.
Oh. What. Fun. is a warm and fun Christmas comedy from the director who brought us films like The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Carried by a biting performance from Pfeiffer, Oh. What. Fun. puts the much-deserved spotlight on the women in our lives who make Christmas special. The movie co-stars Denis Leary, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman and Felicity Jones.
Hedda is writer/director Nia DaCosta‘s inventive re-imagining of Henrik Ibsen‘s play, Hedda Gabler. In this version of the story, the title character is played by Tessa Thompson, the setting is moved to the 1950s and some traditionally male characters are now female.
At the beginning, Hedda (Thompson) is married, but not happily, to George Tesman (Tom Bateman). Hedda doesn’t have much time for George when her former lover, Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hoss), reenters her life alongside a new romantic partner, Thea (Imogen Poots). Hedda is a manipulator at heart, and she attempts to destroy Eileen’s new relationship while driving her back to her wild and drunken ways. It’s all fun and games to Hedda until someone turns the tables on her.
Hedda is streaming on Prime Video.
Richard Stark‘s Parker novels may no longer be as popular as they once were, but audiences love a good heist film, and Play Dirty had a big debut on Prime Video. Mark Wahlberg plays Parker, a cunning thief who has been stabbed in the back by one of his crew, Zoe (Rosa Salazar).
Normally, Parker would repay such a betrayal by killing anyone foolish enough to cross him. But Zoe has a line on such a good score that he and his friend, Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield), are cautiously on board. But the real question is simple: Who’s going to betray whom first?
Play Dirty is streaming on Prime Video.
If it seems like Iris (Sophie Thatcher) was made to love Josh (Jack Quaid), it’s because she was. Companion isn’t just the name of the movie — it’s also an accurate description of Iris’ true self. She’s a companion robot whose heartfelt emotions for Josh feel real to her. That’s why it hurts so much when Josh betrays her.
Iris may not have initially realized what she was, but she’s a quick learner. And if Josh isn’t the man she thought he was, then she’s going to take measures to protect herself. This is one lover’s quarrel that’s not going to end well, especially after Iris upgrades herself.
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is just an unassuming bank employee in Novocaine, and the only thing special about him is that he can’t feel any physical pain. He can feel love, however, and he’s very taken with his coworker, Sherry Margrave (Amber Midthunder).
When bank robbers kidnap Sherry, Nathan takes it upon himself to rescue her. To do that, Nathan has to push his body’s immunity to pain to its limit. Nathan may not feel his injuries, but even his body has its limits.
Novocaine is streaming on Prime Video.
We all need to escape from reality, and movies are a great way to do that. A new one in the escapist movie canon is The Map That Leads to You, a Prime Video original that stars two impossibly gorgeous people in equally stunning locations. Outer Banks actress Madelyn Cline plays Heather, who meets Jack (KJ Apa) while on a European vacation with some friends. They instantly connect and start a love affair, but their different outlooks on life threaten to tear them apart. Will their brief encounter grow into an affair to remember? Or will their romance evaporate before sunrise?
The Map That Leads to You deals with some serious themes, but it isn’t that deep. It’s a frothy fantasy that pretends its two attractive leads have serious problems, but there’s no question love will win at the end. Is the movie sufficiently pretty to look at? Yes. Does it make you forget your problems for most of its 98-minute runtime? Also yes. That’s all one can hope and ask for with The Map That Leads to You, a low-key charmer of a movie that will make you swoon.
Julia Garner can currently be seen in the HBO Max hit Weapons, but that’s not her first horror movie of 2025. The Ozark actress starred in the recent remake of Wolf Man, which came out in January. When Blake (Christopher Abbott) takes his wife, Charlotte (Garner), and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) to his family cabin in Oregon, he expects to rest and bond with his family. Instead, he gets into an accident and is bitten by a wolf. Soon after, Blake’s body begins to change, and he realizes he’s turning into a werewolf. Nothing stops the transformation, and he has to get away quickly from Charlotte and Ginger before he harms them.
Wolf Man doesn’t stray too much from the formula, but what it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in atmosphere. This is a moody movie that’s heavy on conjuring up all sorts of shivers with several well-placed shots of dark woods obscured by shadow and fog. It’s an old-school horror flick that’s pleasantly retro and scary at the same time.
You might have heard of Robbie Williams if you’re a major fan of the mid-’90s to early 2000s Britpop or simply live in the United Kingdom. He’s a star there and in other parts of the world, but he never quite broke through in America. So why stream a biopic of the British singer if you don’t even know him? Because Better Man, the movie that’s based on Williams’ life, is a blast to watch and features a singing, dancing and drug-taking CGI monkey as Robbie.
The film chronicles Robbie’s life as a teen pop idol in the boy band Take That in the ‘90s to his success as a solo artist, belting out hits like “Angels,” “Rock DJ” and “Let Me Entertain You.” As is typical with these tales of fame and fortune, there are lots of drugs, some sex and one or two near-death experiences. Better Man doesn’t deviate too much from the standard musical bio script, but it’s in the execution of its well-choreographed musical sequences where it truly shines. You may not be a fan of Robbie Williams when you start this movie, but you will be when you finish it.
The Sonic movies are better than they have any right to be, and the winning streak continues with Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the latest entry in the video-game-turned-movie series. This time around, Team Sonic — Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) — encounter a new foe: Shadow (Keanu Reeves), who’s been imprisoned by the U.S. military for 50 years and is kinda upset about it. He’s not the only new threat they’ll have to face as Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey), granddad to Ivo (also Carrey), wants to take over the universe.
It’s all very silly, but it works, and that’s due to the cast having fun with the thin material. Reeves is perfectly cast as a vengeful hedgehog who isn’t as bad as he looks, while Carrey chews even more scenery in a dual role as two mad scientists with father/son issues. The movie is funnier than you’d think, and the special effects accurately convey the madcap glory of the ‘90s Sega games it’s based on.
Who would’ve thought that Ben Affleck’s most enduring action role is as assassin/accountant Christian Wolff rather than the DCEU’s Batman? Christian is back in this follow-up to the 2016 sleeper hit, and he’s ready to file some tax returns — and kick some ass. This time, Wolff teams up with his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) to find a missing Salvadoran family.
Like the original, The Accountant 2 works as a mid-budget action movie that has a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor. Affleck and Bernthal have great chemistry as bickering brothers who can take down a room full of bad guys and can still make some time for a line dance. The Accountant 2 is a goofy action movie, but it’s also an entertaining one that’s ideal for home viewing.
Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) hates Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). That’s a big problem, since Alex is the son of the U.S. president (Uma Thurman) and Henry is heir to the British throne. They need to get along so Alex’s mom can finish a trade deal with Britain that’s key to her re-election campaign, but what no one expected was for them to fall in love with each other. Now they have an even bigger problem to solve, and it’s not clear there’s any solution.
Based on a popular YA novel by Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue is better than you might think. While it never strays too far from its opposites-attract rom-com formula, it executes it just about perfectly. Perez and Galitzine have genuine chemistry with one another, which helps sell the dramatic stakes toward the end. You actually want their ridiculously gorgeous and obscenely wealthy characters to get everything they want, and you can’t help but smile when they do.
It’s been five years since Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) last saw her former BFF Emily (Blake Lively), who went to prison for her crimes. So it’s a bit of a shock for her to see Emily waltz into her book reading and ask her to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding in Capri. How can Stephanie resist a free vacation and more material for a future bestseller? But is Emily truly reformed, or is she just plotting revenge on the woman who took everything away from her?
Another Simple Favor has just enough of the same off-kilter humor that made the original such a treat back in 2018. Lively and Kendrick are a good comedic duo, and the movie’s twisty story is entertaining enough to keep you glued to the screen.
“Are you not entertained?” Russell Crowe memorably asked in the first Gladiator all those years ago. That question pops up again in the sequel, and the answer is a muted “kinda.” Gladiator II isn’t perfect, and it fails to match the raw muscular power of its predecessor, but it’s still mostly entertaining and has one of Denzel Washington’s most enjoyable performances ever.
Decades after Maximus Meridius’ death, his exiled son Lucius (Paul Mescal) follows in his father’s footsteps and seeks revenge on the powerful people who killed his wife. But his need for vengeance will bring him back to a home he has never known and a mother (Connie Nielsen) who abandoned him to protect him. Can Lucius fulfil his destiny while also satisfying his need to honor the family he lost?
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday and the whole world is in mourning. But what happens after a pope passes and a new successor must be chosen? That’s the central theme behind Conclave, a critically acclaimed 2024 movie that won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) oversees a conclave of the world’s best priests to determine who will be the next pope. But surprising revelations and intense political campaigning threaten to derail the process, and Thomas must decide who is telling the truth and who just wants to be chosen to fulfil their personal ambitions.
Conclave is an intense drama, an amusing black comedy and a surprise thriller, too. Selecting the next pope doesn’t sound particularly suspenseful, but director Edward Berger milks enough thrills from the material to make it an absorbing and fun movie to watch. The cast is superb, with Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini both terrific as quiet members of the church who hold more power and influence than most of their peers realize.
Tashi (Zendaya) is a former tennis player who is the wife and coach of Art (Mike Faist), a Grand Slam champion who has one last shot at glory. He enters a minor league challenger tournament to regain his mojo, and the couple quickly realizes that Art’s former friend and rival and Tashi’s ex-lover, Patrick (Josh O’Connor), is competing as well. Will Art and Patrick renew their rivalry during the tournament? And does Tashi still have feelings for the man she once loved?
Challengers is impressive on many levels: it features a great trio of performances by its three lead stars, the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is a genuine banger, and it makes minor league tennis somehow interesting to watch. But its greatest achievement is being one of the horniest movies ever made while not having any explicit sex scenes at all. But what else would you expect from Luca Guadagnino, a director who is always concerned with how desire plays out in the body and the mind?
In this superb prequel to the first two A Quiet Place movies, we finally find out how the initial invasion of Earth by those noise-sensitive aliens began. Lupita Nyong’o is Sam, a cynical woman with terminal cancer who travels to New York City with her pet cat, Frodo. Once there, aliens begin to destroy downtown Manhattan, forcing Sam to team up with others, including Joseph Quinn’s law student Eric, to survive the onslaught. Can they leave the island and seek sanctuary from their otherworldly invaders before it’s too late?
A Quiet Place: Day One is the rare prequel that’s actually better than its sister movies. There’s plenty of action, with a sequence set in the subway that ranks as an all-timer, but it’s the quieter moments that make the movie truly special. Director Michael Sarnoski previously helmed the character study Pig with Nicolas Cage, and his sensitive touch is evident even when his characters are fleeing from slimy CGI creatures.
Elliott (Maisy Stella) is at a crossroads. She’s about to leave for college and is in a casual relationship with another girl, Chelsea (Alexandria Rivera). One night, she takes some psychedelic mushrooms with her friends and hallucinates a future version of herself, Older Elliott (Aubrey Plaza). Proving she’s the real thing, Older Elliott cryptically tells her younger self three things: spend more time with your family, appreciate the farm that you grew up in and avoid a boy named Chad. She disappears, but leaves her number in younger Elliott’s phone.
That’s the far-out premise of My Old Ass, a comedy that isn’t ashamed to be sentimental. Elliott doesn’t exactly believe anything her future self says at first, but gradually, she finds herself growing closer to her family. Chad eventually appears, and it’s in this development that My Old Ass reveals itself as an effective tearjerker in disguise. Plaza is great as always; if everyone grew up to be like Older Elliott, we’d all be OK.
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is a world-famous detective, but he may have found the one case that’s stumped even him. Famous mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead one morning with his throat cleanly slit but no other signs of foul play. Ruled a suicide by the police, Harlan’s death is suspicious enough for Blanc to investigate.
As he interviews members of the Thrombey household, which includes ne’er-do-well grandson Hugh (Chris Evans), sleazy son-in-law Richard (Don Johnson), dotty daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) and kind-hearted nurse Marta (Ana de Armas), Blanc soon realizes this mystery runs deeper than he thought. Can he catch Harlan’s killer in time to prevent another murder?
A big hit when it was released in 2019, Knives Out has already spawned a sequel, Glass Onion, in 2022, and a third one, Wake Up Dead Man, is due for release in 2025. Nothing can touch the original, though, with writer/director Rian Johnson clearly having a ball weaving a mystery yarn worthy of Agatha Christie. Everyone in the cast has their moment to shine, and the ending is just about perfect.
Bridget Gregory (Linda Fiorentino) is a New Yorker you don’t want to cross. A con woman who makes her living selling fake coins to unsuspecting people over the phone, Bridget steals her crooked dentist husband’s drug money and hides away in a small town upstate. Bridget’s not one to rest on her laurels, and soon, she seduces local dumb hunk Mike (Peter Berg) in an elaborate insurance scam that will pad her pockets and allow Mike to leave his hometown forever. But Bridget’s past catches up with her fast, and Mike soon finds himself in over his head in a way he never imagined.
One of the greatest neo-noirs ever made, The Last Seduction hasn’t aged a bit, even though it’s three decades old and was initially released as a cable movie on HBO. The movie is tough and unsentimental, and it features one of the best female performances ever from Fiorentino. As the calculating Bridget, she’s always one step ahead of everyone, and that includes the audience. You keep expecting her to let up, to show some kind of humanity, and she never does. Bridget’s rotten to the core, and it’s fun watching her be so very bad.