By Steve Crum

A young priest is assigned to a small-town parish to assist a monsignor with a very negative reputation. What follows is a study in deception, cult behavior and eccentricity. Add to that some very dark humor. And override all of that with murder. The result is an involving ride with an internationally known private detective in quest to discover the guilty. 

The heavily layered plot makes for a riveting 144 minutes of Wake Up Dead Man, the third film of the “Knives Out Mystery” series. Once again, Rian Johnson produces, writes and directs. He reestablishes himself as the premiere movie crime-mystery creator of our time…much as his obvious mentor, Agatha Christie, was of her authored books. 

The who-done-it (once again) stars Daniel Craig as master detective Benoit Blanc. He is called to upstate New York to help local police investigate the murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), the brash and outspoken pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. Brolin is terrific.

The list of suspects, like any stereotypical murder mystery, varies from the wild to the weird. No surprise that the guilty seems to vary from one to another, and back again—the sign of a good murder mystery. Clues overlap and disappear to the extent that Detective Blanc explodes his frustration: “I cannot solve this case!”

Nonetheless, church parishioners, including assistant priest/former boxer Jud Duplencity (Josh O’Connor), have their individual quirks and possible motives for doing in the domineering Wicks. 

Part of the enjoyment of Wake Up Dead Man are the well known actors who play suspects—referred to as a “flock of wolves.” Consider Glenn Close as the creepily devout church lady Martha Delacroix. Maybe the guilty party is Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), the alcoholic physician? Perhaps it is Kerry Washington’s Vera Draven. Andrew Scott’s author, Lee Ross, is suspicious. The list goes on. 

It’s also a kick to watch Jeffrey Wright as a bishop; and Thomas Haden Church as groundskeeper and Martha’s lover. 

Then there is Mila Kunis as the business-only local police chief. 

Wake Up Dead Man is an enticing journey through familiar plot structure that will pull the audience into a revealing and satisfying  epilogue. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B+

By Steve Crum

Let’s get right to it. Blue Moon is a fascinating bomb of a movie. It is essentially 100 minutes of nearly non-stop talking by Ethan Hawke as the legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart. Press materials label the film “a biographical comedy-drama.” I consider it a biographical-drama that borders on tragedy. It is also tragic that this is what director Richard Linklater and writer Robert Kaplow give us as either entertainment or, really, information. Blue Moon amounts to a depressing psychological study. 

Considering only Hawke’s extraordinary portrayal of famed lyricist Lorenz Hart, Blue Moon is genius. But it plays out in a nearly non-cinematic format. Presenting Blue Moon on stage MIGHT have worked. 

The story’s opening moments occur on March 31, 1943 in an alley. The remainder plays out in flashback beginning minutes earlier, during a singing sequence from the premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Standing in the back of the theatre is Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers’ musical collaborator for two decades. Hart’s alcoholism and unreliability have prompted Rodgers to team with Oscar Hammerstein II for this new venture It turns out to be a very successful venture. 

In the meantime, Hart leaves the show and retreats to a near empty Sardi’s to await Rodgers, Hammerstein, actors, and audience members to arrive and celebrate opening night. So goes the plot as the sober Hart immediately wanders to the bar and exchanges quips, stories, and grievances with the bartender, Eddie (Bobby Cannavale). Hart was known for his clever language and witticism. It is Hawke’s expertise at dialogue that carries the picture. Lorenz Hart was an unattractive, comb-over hair guy who stood only five feet tall. And Ethan Hawke pulls it all off perfectly. (The height issue is accomplished through body language, camera angles and actor double.) 

What occurs within Hart’s time in Sardi’s depends on both who is already in the bar (Eddie; a WWII soldier [played by Jonah Lees] on leave and playing piano; and various restaurant employees. The talkative, friendly, and growing drunk Hart speaks with them all.) When the Oklahoma! crowd wanders in, Hart tries to converse with everyone, even his new rival Hammerstein (Simon Delaney). Hart is particularly on the prowl for 20 year-old Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), who he clumsily tries to impress. 

On several occasions, he approaches his former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) to re-team. Kudos to all the actors in Blue Moon. 

As for all those great Rodgers and Hart songs from Broadway and Hollywood, we get to hear barely a smattering of them as piano background—infrequently. It is ironic that 1948’s spectacular musical Words and Music was jammed with Rodgers and Hart music while the team’s personal stories were either fabricated or missing.

Blue Moon has limited appeal except for a target audience of show biz/theatrical fans. I love Rodgers and Hart’s musical legacy, particularly their superb song “Blue Moon,” but not this sad telling. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: C+

By Steve Crum

I love June Squibb. The affair began when I first saw her on screen in 2013. Now 96, Squibb is superb in her second starring role since 2024’s Thelma. As in her Oscar nominated Supporting Actress turn as Bruce Dern’s wife in Nebraska (2013), her every scene is lively and compelling. 

She runs the proverbial gamut in 2025’s Eleanor the Great. Whether the scenes involve deep friendship or crushing sorrow, Squibb delivers. 

Her delivery can be stinging as well as sassy—as befits her role as Eleanor Morgenstein. She is a widow undergoing a major life change following the death of her best friend and roomie, Bessie Stern (Rita Zohar). 

Adjusting to her new lifestyle, Eleanor soon moves in with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and grandson Max (Will Price) in New York City. The results are immediately familiar and expected, as told in Tory Kamen’s screenplay. It’s no surprise that the opinionated Eleanor is looking for a new place to stay. Along the way, she stumbles into joining a support group of Holocaust survivors. But there is a major problem inherent. Such is the crux of the plot. 

Adding to the complexity of Eleanor’s challenges is a friendship she acquires with college journalism major Nina Davis (Erin Kellerman) and her renowned TV news anchor father Roger Davis (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Much like Eleanor, he is reeling from the recent death of his wife. Nina wants to write about Eleanor for her journalism class, which Eleanor at first rejects. They become close pals. 

Kamen’s plot lines eventually weave together—sometimes surprisingly, sometimes predictably. Incidentally, Dustin O’Halloran’s subtle and appropriate score is a plus. 

But a big credit for the success of the film goes to renowned actress Scarlett Johansson. She makes her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great. 

At this writing, June Squibb has recently closed a successful play run on Broadway in “Marjorie Prime.” It is hard to believe that she began her career in 1959 on the Great White Way stage in “Gypsy,” playing a singing stripper. 

Moreover, this study in the psychology of grief and loss is what makes Eleanor so great. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B+

By Steve Crum

There have been 469 feature movie versions of  Frankenstein. Most of them at least pay homage to Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel. (That includes Young Frankenstein’s parody of such. It does not include Jesse James Meets Frankenstein.) 

2025’s Frankenstein, written, directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro, towers among the best—if not THE best– of the filmed versions. The 150 minutes is divided into three parts: Prelude, Victor’s Tale and The Creature’s Tale. After the opening, which covers an ice-stranded Royal Danish Navy ship in 1857 on the way to the North Pole, the action kicks in to a nearby bloody scene. Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) and several of his crew rescue a near-death Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac). As he is carried aboard their vessel, a lanky figure attacks—repeatedly.

Meet The Creature (Jacob Elordi) we now know as Frankenstein’s monster. 

Segue to Victor’s Tale wherein we survey the future baron’s aristocratic upbringing with a strict and often cruel father (Charles Dance). Victor becomes obsessed with science, particularly creating life through assemblage of corpses’ body parts. (His lab resembles a bloody slaughterhouse.) If you have seen any previous Frankenstein film (or read the novel), it should sound familiar. Add to that characters vital to the plot. William Frankenstein (Felix Kammerer) is Victor’s younger brother…and engaged to Lady Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth).  Christoph Waltz portrays Henrich Harlander, Elizabeth’s uncle, who funds Victor’s heinous experiments. More corpses + more body work + a fantastic lightning rod sequence = a living and increasingly verbal man. (This info should not be considered a spoiler.) 

An aside: Do not expect to hear Victor’s famous shouting from James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein: “It’s alive! It’s alive!”

A friendship develops between Elizabeth and the creature—who is chained within the castle tower. This leads to tragedy, thanks to Victor. 

Circumstances lead to The Creature’s Tale wherein the narrative is spoken through thoughts and actual voice of the “monster” himself. He is on a trek to find the long-gone Victor and seek retribution. On his own now, he discovers friendly creatures of the forest as well as making friends with a blind old shepherd, played by David Bradley.

He also discovers some deadly forest savagery via wolves. The wolf attack sequence is…to die for. Sorry about that one. 

Incidentally, I am not disclosing the huge surprise about the creature’s physical being. It is a major plot point, however. Add to that the story’s rather jarring conclusion.

Along the way, savor Elordi and Isaac’s super fine acting. Makeup, set design, cinematography and music are impressive as well. 

Del Toro’s Frankenstein is grand storytelling.

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: A

By Steve Crum

The year is 1932. Returning to their Mississippi hometown of Clarksdale after seven years of working for Al Capone in Chicago are twin brothers Elijah and Elias Moore (aka the “Smokestack Twins”), terrifically played by Michael B. Jordan. Both “Smoke” and “Stack” have big plans. So begins Director/Writer/Producer Ryan Coogler’s horror film, Sinners. It could also be labeled a musical horror film, since the story includes fine sequences of dance, blues, folk and gospel. Specifically, the brothers plan to open a juke joint on the outskirts of town.

The first half of the film follows their quest of securing food, booze, staff and musicians for opening night. After they discover the talented guitarist and singer Sammie Moore (their cousin) and bring him onboard, they convince a local blues legend/harmonica player Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) to join.

Sammie, a mainstay of the story, is brilliantly played by Miles Caton.

Along the way, however, things take violent turns via white racists and local thieves. Factor in Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), a local who is also Smoke’s estranged wife. It so happens she is also an evil spirit practitioner. Is Sinners a horror movie or not? 

Make no mistake, it is. Without divulging too much more, consider these teasers: Native American police search for a dangerous madman; a trio of white folksingers wants to be part of the nightclub’s entertainment; and then there is that mysterious grave. 

But the focus of the second half of the movie is on an outbreak of bloodthirsty souls—really lack of souls—on the attack. Shades of Night of the Living Dead and From Dusk till Dawn!

Sinners succeeds big time on a visceral level. Gross plus. 

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead should particularly enjoy it. After all, it seems vampires and zombies are blood brothers and sisters in their cravings. 2010’s Let Me In was the first time I heard of vampires having to be invited into a domicile to wreak their toothy rage. (In 1931, Bela Lugosi’s Dracula just walked or flew in.) 

Ryan Coogler’s major influence seems to be the great work of Jordan Peele, whose horror films (Get Out; Nope; more) are more nuanced and suspenseful than Sinners. But Coogler has a sharp eye for cinematography (via the talented Autumn Durald Arkapaw) and music (Ludwig Göransson). 

Be assured that the film’s 138-minutes concludes with a simple resolution. I lie. Just stay with the happenings until the credit roll…and through the credits to the very end. Surprise. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B+