PORTLAND, Maine — A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Feb 18th): If you wrote a computer algorithm to pick what the most wholesome concept for a movie would be I think "Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers" would be pretty up there. Hanks doesn't exactly look like Rogers, but he nails the vocal cadence and the feeling of the late PBS star. Though the central narrative is
Color Out of Space (Feb 25th): I am required by law to announce whenever a new Nicolas Cage project comes out, and this one is based on an HP Lovecraft story so that is doubly important. Nic goes nearly full Cage in this cosmic horror movie that didn't get the big-screen release it deserved; though it is allegedly part of a trilogy of upcoming Lovecraft stories so we have that to look forward to.
Knives Out (Feb 25th): Agatha Christie meets Get Out as directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, & Rise of Skywalker). A super tightly written script where Daniel Craig leads a cast of stars as a Foghorn Leghorn type inspector that's very entertaining even if it becomes clear whodunit early in the 2nd act. But watch for an auspicious coffee mug to signal the true message of the film.
Uncut Gems (3/10): Adam Sandler deserved an oscar nomination for this. There; I said it. Uncut Gems is a crime thriller about a New York jeweler with a gambling addiction who navigates a crisis mostly of his own design. Its hard to watch Sandler's character struggle to get out of his own why and the whole movie feels like having a 2 hour anxiety attack. Which, honestly, I loved. Also it turns out Kevin Garnet has serious acting chops. Who knew?
Avatar: The Last Airbender (15th Anniversary Steelbook): I can't believe Avatar The Last Airbender, arguably the best show to ever air on Nickolodeon not starring a yellow Sponge is 15 years old. This is classic beyond classic and even though I got the DVD, and then the Blu Ray I'm still going to triple dip on the Steelbook because the show is just that dang good.