Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical — until suddenly she’s living with even more drama at home than on the stage.
Don’t Say Good Luck is directed by Julia Hart director of Miss Stevens (2016), Fast Color (2018), Stargirl (2020), I’m Your Woman (2020) and Hollywood Stargirl (2022).
Earlier in this year in April we had Roommates which starred Sadie Sandler, Don’t Say Good Luck stars the other Sandler sister Sunny who does quite an incredible job. Don’t Say Good Luck does not really do anything brand new, but the execution is undeniably beautiful and filled to the brim with heart that you cannot simply ignore. It’s quite a huge surprise that really adds up into a delightful experience.
The performances are all quite great, Sunny Sandler and Melanie Lynskey are the clear as day standouts here. Lynskey delivers a raw and believable performance of someone going through illness, she has the moments of pain but also the moments of joy with her family. She wants to just have normal days with her family and that is truly beautiful and really gives the film this extra charm.
Sunny Sandler delivers such a fantastic performance, while there are moments in the script that aren’t as polished. Sandler is able to really dig into the film’s heart and bring out the beautiful light of the film, her singing voice particularly with the song “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles is truly beautiful, I’m not exactly sure how someone can sing like this at just 16 years old (the time this was filmed) but it’s truly astonishing and brings you to tears. It’s genuinely one of the most beautiful moments I’ve seen from a film so far this year, Sunny Sandler throughout the film gives the film this warmth and rawness the atmosphere requires.
The writing is beautifully done, the mother and daughter dynamic between Sophie (played by Sunny Sandler) and Elizabeth (played by Melanie Lynskey) is truly beautiful and leads to the film’s touching ending. The writing can lean on familiar tropes, but due to the film’s much more grounded approach to the subject matter it works a lot better. That’s mainly because the film slowly but surely explores the bond between mother and daughter plus it looks at the daily lives of the people around them, there is not any massive jumps of character or time making this feel a lot more focus.
Overall Don’t Say Good Luck is not breaking any new ground, but you can very easily tell this was made with heart and it truly goes all the way. Between great singing vocals, performances and some raw moments in the writing. This is a film I recommend giving a go!
Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is directed by Olivia Newman director of First Match (2018) and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022).
Going into Remarkably Bright Creatures I knew very little, all that I knew was Sally Field and Lewis Pullman were in the cast. On the surface this might seem like a very nothing special about it Netflix movie that involves an Octopus. Surprisingly enough however there is a whole lot more going on here and when you combine that with some strong performances and actually well written dialogue, you have yourself something to really sink your teeth into.
What is mainly holding this film together is the cast, Sally Field who plays Tova is just so endearing and lovely, her chemistry with Lewis Pullman is genuinely charming and by her own she is just such a brilliant actress. Sally Field has always been fantastic and that continues to show here, she is the heart of the film and due to her beautiful personality and charisma it naturally works and brings the viewer into the film.
Lewis Pullman is also quite fantastic here, Pullman is an actor who has been quickly becoming more and more of a star and his performance here continues to show why that is. Seeing his character Cameron slowly have this friendship with Tova is truly beautiful and really fits into the film’s whole theme of making connections in all sorts of places and those connections can lead us to places we never could imagine. It’s truly beautiful and the character work (even if there are parts of it that does feel a bit incomplete) for Cameron plus how Pullman executes it with his dialogue and acting is truly fascinating.
Finally there is Alfred Molina who voices Marcellus the octopus, much like how one of Netflix’s other films Spaceman (2023) had Hanuš an empathic spider played by Paul Dano. Remarkably Bright Creatures has Alfred Molina voice an octopus who observes the connection between Tova and Cameron plus solidifies it. Molina does such a fantastic job here whether it was intentional or not that he was cast since he played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004). The scenes we get of Marcellus talking to the viewer or about what is currently happening are truly fascinating and it mainly just comes down to Molina’s tone and how he really executes the dialogue. There are moments that actually did make me tear up quite a bit as well.
The film’s script is shockingly strong, as mentioned before we get the whole theme of connections and where they can take us. It’s beautifully done in this very natural way that you can very easily tell the cast and crew poured their heart into, there is a mix of sad, dramatic and genuinely funny moments that really bring the whole film together in the end. I definitely think a few more scenes with Marcellus would have made the narrative a bit stronger, but from what’s presented with the script it’s quite strong.
Olivia Newman’s direction is incredibly charming and really brings the whole film together in a nice little bow, the film is a very human story about connections and Newman does such a fantastic job of capturing this feeling especially when combined with the atmosphere. The film can be a bit predictable at times but that is not nearly enough to stop it from being genuinely charming.
Overall Remarkably Bright Creatures is a very solid film that has strong performances from Field, Pullman and Molina plus beautiful direction from Newman to back it up. The theme of connection is well executed and the film is just a blast to watch, give this one a go if you haven’t.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is available on Netflix.
Jill leaves voice messages to her deceased sister telling her about her chaotic life in San Francisco. Unwittingly, a mysterious Austin TX real estate agent begins to receive their confessions..
Voicemails For Isabelle is directed by Leah McKendrick director of Scrambled (2023).
Every once in a while you get a Netflix romantic comedy that surprises you due to how solid it really is. Voicemails For Isabelle is one of those films, it definitely has its flaws and some usual genre cliches. However you can’t help but fall in love with this one simply due to its charm, performances and a few note worthy scenes that really tie the whole thing together.
The performances here are all pretty solid, Zoey Deutch continues to find her home in the romantic comedy genre, Ciara Bravo’s performance is filled with emotional depth and Nick Robinson is just fantastic. It’s great to see Robinson in a leading role after so long because the wait was well worth it. The cast do such a great job of balancing the film’s humor and the more dramatic moments as well.
Right from the start this film comes out swinging with one of the best uses of Robin’s song “Dancing On My Own”, it’s very much an Up (2009) style beginning but it’s effective and works beautifully. The film also ends with “Dancing On My Own” that scene in particular made me tear up, the film’s build up was well worth it and really completes the journey that Jill Shaw has experienced.
As for the rest of the film? It’s quite great, as I said there are definitely some genre cliches that get a bit in the way of the experience. But I do think for the most part the character writing is handled quite well, the whole theme of love between sisters is beautifully done and told in a quite raw way. What really helps the film in the long run is the strong chemistry the cast has between one another, it makes the film far more real and pop out a bit more.
Overall Voicemails For Isabelle is one of the better Netflix romantic comedy films in recent memory, it has its flaws but it makes up for them with some strong act, great writing and beautiful moments.
Detective Enola Holmes heads to Malta, where her aspirations merge in her most complex and dangerous case yet.
Enola Holmes 3 is directed by Philip Barantini director of Villain (2020), Boiling Point (2021) and Accused (2023). The film serves as a sequel to Enola Holmes 2 (2022).
I’m not going to write an extensively long piece about the Enola Holmes series and my experience with it, because honestly the first two movies were cute movies that had their charm and that is really about as deep as it goes. Enola Holmes 3 shows that this series has overstayed its welcome and it might be time to move onto something else.
Millie Bobby Brown does a fine enough job here, but the spark she had in the first two movies is very noticeably absent. The performance just does not land as it did previously, Henry Cavill takes a backseat for a large portion of the movie and much like Brown, his performance has gotten noticeably worse as well. Which this is a bit of a shame because I did find Brown and Cavill decently charming in the previous two movies.
To say I was shocked that Barantini directed this would be an understatement, coming off of last year’s highly successful and acclaimed series Adolescence to this is quite baffling. The direction here is incredibly poor and has no idea what it wants to say or focus on, when you mix this in with the script from Jack Thorne you lead to some very underwhelming results.
The theme this movie attempts to tackle is British colonial history which for a movie series that prides itself on talk about important subjects, the movie does a quite poor job of exploring the subject. It makes surface level observations such as “look guys this was really bad” which is quite honestly embarrassing, it truly does feel like studio executives patting themselves on the back for being performative. It can very well be argued that the previous two movies are just as guilty of this (and I would agree with you), but at the very least they were competent movies that had good things about them. With this movie you do not get that at all and the studio executives feel is a lot more blatant here.
Overall Enola Holmes 3 is quite easily the worst of the series and it’s really not even close. It adds nothing new to the series and only brings the series backwards.
Enola Holmes 3 is available on Netflix.
3/10 D-
A handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s poem “The Divine Comedy” makes its way from a priest to a mob boss in New York City, where it is taken by Nick Tosches after he’s asked to verify its authenticity.
In The Hand Of Dante is directed by Julian Schnabel director of Basquiat (1996), Before Night Falls (2000), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), Miral (2010) and At Eternity’s Gate (2018).
In The Hand Of Dante is a prime example of movie that the only question going through your mind is “how on earth did this happen?” I’m going to keep this short simply because this is one of those terrible movies where it’s not even bad in an interesting way. It is a pretentious mess that thinks so highly of itself yet its saying very little with incredibly poor acting.
Martin Scorsese is the best part about this movie and not even him being dressed up as a Gandalf and Dumbledore hybrid could save this mess (he only has a couple of scenes as well, keep in mind this movie is 2 hours and 33 minutes long.) Scorsese seems to be the only one who is able to give a somewhat decent performance, it’s not terrible and it is almost certainly not something that belongs in the looney bin like some of these other performances.
If you want to hear one of the worst Italian accents ever put to film like no further than Gal Gadot. It’s truly baffling how not a single person on set questioned this, she has no chemistry with Oscar Isaac and the movie trying to build her character does not work at the slightest. Jason Momoa and Gerard Butler feel like cartoon characters trying to copy the behaviors of humans (some of these scenes go on for so long it becomes awkward.) Oscar Isaac does not necessarily give a bad performance it’s just one that is so forgettable and feels like a whole lot of nothing.
Lastly the movie trying to capture the whole Classic Hollywood noir of the 1940s and 1950s is embarrassing. The atmosphere that made those films so great is just not present at all here nor is the thrills. There are some admittedly beautiful locations but that’s where it really ends, the movie’s mystery is confused and does not offer any sort of strong connection with the characters or its themes. It’s a complete and total mess that can only be described as a science fair project that was done the day before it was due.
Overall, In The Hand Of Dante is a disaster of a movie that is truly baffling to watch. This is one of the most bafflingly bad movies I’ve seen in quite some time.
In The Hand Of Dante is available on Netflix.
1/10 F
Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz, runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees, which is severely tested when a sexy new lawyer begins working for her.
Office Romance is directed by Ol Parker (or Oliver Parker) director of Imagine Me & You (2005), Now Is Good (2012), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) and Ticket to Paradise (2022).
Office Romance does not have a whole lot going on here with the exception of the birthing scene that seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s clearly only here for shock value and that’s really about as deep as it goes. Everything else about this movie is incredibly bare bones romantic comedy cliches.
Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein and Betty Gilpin give fine enough performances, but none of them are quite enough to save the movie from being a chore to sit through. They each get one or two moments to shine, but really that’s where it ends.
The movie heavily relies on its cast to do all of the heavy lifting and carry the movie to the finish line, but completely forgets that you need a good script to help give the cast something to work with and that is just not present here at all.
A woman seeking isolation in the Australian wilderness becomes the target of a ritualistic killer, forcing her into a brutal fight for survival.
Apex is directed by Baltasar Kormákur director of 2 Guns (2013), Everest (2015), Adrift (2018), Beast (2022) and many others.
Apex is your very typical cat and mouse thriller, the material is elevated a tiny bit due to the talent of Taron Egerton and Charlize Theron being involved. But outside of that, this is a quite forgettable thriller that doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Charlize Theron gives a solid performance here, it’s not going to go down as one of her greatest but she still has her natural charm here that works effectively. Taron Egerton plays an unhinged maniac and it works perfectly, Egerton is able to take the movie’s more over the top moments and turn them into something genuinely creepy. Plus he captures the atmosphere the movie requires so that’s always a bonus.
What the movie struggles here with the most is just not having a whole lot of meat on the bone. The exploration of grief is very hollow and really is nothing more than a jumping pad to get Sasha (played by Charlize Theron) into the woods, when you take away the movie’s surprisingly decent production value it is just another Netflix thriller that really doesn’t go anywhere that interesting.
Overall Apex is not terrible, you could easily do a whole lot worse and if you are looking for a late night watch or something quick to put on the movie gets the job done. However if you are looking for something with a lot more substance, you are going to be disappointed with this one. Hadn’t been for Theron and Egerton, Apex would have sank far sooner.
During a grueling Army Ranger training exercise, recruits encounter a deadly, otherworldly machine, turning their mission into a fight for survival against an alien threat.
War Machine is directed by Patrick Hughes director of Red Hill (2010), The Expendables 3 (2014), The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021) and The Man from Toronto (2022).
War Machine is a very odd duck of a movie and not in an interesting way, the movie tries to take elements from so many other action and sci-fi films such as Predator (1987), The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986) and Independence Day (1996) all of which it fails to recapture. Also fun fact, this is the second movie to be released by Netflix called War Machine. The two films obviously have nothing to do with another as War Machine (2017) is a satirical film that’s based on real events (although fictionalized), this one however is just a very forgettable action movie.
Unfortunately this movie has its problems from the very beginning…it’s characters. A lot of the characters here are nothing but cannon fodder who get almost no time to get moments to shine. Alan Ritchson is admittedly not bad here and plays his role well enough, but without any sort of great character moments the movie struggles with making any of these characters at least memorable.
The stuntwork here is at the very least decent and somewhat makes up for the dodgy CG work, there’s a few moments that have this decent scale to them where it does feel like you are in this movie’s world. But then there are others where the CG takes you out of the experience simply due to how bad they look.
The biggest problem with War Machine is the lack of originality and director Patrick Hughes not having a distinct directorial voice. As I mentioned earlier, War Machine takes from a lot of different movies within the genre but rather than making the elements its own. It feels like the movie is lifting rather than being inspired, it becomes very apparent during the movie’s action scenes. Which leads into Hughes not having a distinct voice, I did not go into War Machine expecting anything fantastic given Hughes’s previous work, however I do think it is still incredibly lazy to not even attempt to try and find a way to make these elements your own.
Even if you took away the genre cliches, you are still left with incredibly corny dialogue and very strained attempts at emotional depth that by then the viewer has already caught on about how poorly written these characters really are.
Overall War Machine is incredibly forgettable, you could absolutely do a lot worse. If you want to just put something on in the background this gets the job done, but if you are looking for an actual great sci-fi action film you are better off looking elsewhere
A shy freshman, Devon, hopes to reinvent herself in college by becoming best friends with her cool roommate, Celeste, but their bond sours into a passive-aggressive war as Celeste’s behavior becomes increasingly manipulative.
Roommates is directed by Chandler Levack director of We Forgot to Break Up (2017), I Like Movies (2022) and Mile End Kicks (2026).
It’s worth noting that Mile End Kicks and Roommates came out the exact same day which was April 17th 2026 very neat! I also do think it’s kind of interesting due to both films centering someone in different parts of their life, Mile End Kicks focuses on being in your late 20s and trying to figure yourself out in the world with this feel of loneliness. Roommates focuses on freshmen year of college, someone who just graduated high school. They are both done in very different styles but I thought it was neat to point out.
Roommates is a surprisingly decent Netflix comedy, there are some flaws that do unfortunately hold this movie back from reaching “great” territory, but for what the film is and how Chandler Levack is able to tell the story in this sort of focused way (up until the third act) I do think it’s worth it in the end.
Sadie Sandler (daughter of Adam Sandler) does a really great job here, while this isn’t her first role. This is her first performance without Adam Sandler being in the movie. Her performance as Devon has the right amount of charm and character moments that really bring the fun atmosphere to life. She shows off her range in her performance decently well, plus her chemistry with the rest of the cast especially Chloe East is quite fascinating.
Chloe East plays Celeste someone who is truly unlikable and due to some grounded moments from East, the performance ends up delivering quite well. She’s able to switch from being a seemingly sweet person to a pretty nasty one with a flip of a switch, it has this Regina George from Mean Girls (2004) sort of feel that Chloe East captures incredibly well.
The rest of the film is solid, it’s entertaining enough to reach the finish line. But it is admittedly on the basic side of things, luckily there are the technical elements such as the fun music and the speedy editing to back the film up.
It’s very clear that this is a much different film from director Chandler Levack, whereas her last couple films have had more of a grounded approach. Roommates is a much more sillier approach with some grounded moments as well as being larger in scale. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the movie manages to stick the landing, but you do start to see the cracks during the third act where things get a bit too chaotic that can potentially take the viewer out of the experience.
Overall Roommates is not bad, it’s decently fun and has great performances. Not everything works here, but if you are looking for a quick watch this will do the job.
A massive hurricane floods a South Carolina town, and bull sharks swim inland, forcing residents to fight for survival.
Trash is directed by Tommy Wirkola director of Dead Snow (2009), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013), Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014), What Happened to Monday (2017), Violent Night (2022) and a few others.
Not a whole lot to comment on here since Thrash is basically if you took the idea of Crawl (2019) and replaced the alligators with sharks. It’s also clear that Netflix was trying to get their Sharknado (2013) moment with this movie, however all this results in is a very dull shark movie that has a good cast and some decent kills but that is really about it.
Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak and Djimon Hounsou all give fine enough performances, the character writing however is incredibly bland and just doesn’t have the investing or striking moments it needs to draw the viewer in. Had the movie just went nuts with the idea rather than trying to have a serious tone at certain points with the characters I think you could have maybe given this a pass. However the movie opts to go the tonally confused route with its character writing that ultimately hurts itself.
I think the main problem here is the movie wants a little bit of everything. It wants to be this silly and over the top shark movie while also wanting to be taken seriously during a lot of moments. The way the movie tries to execute this is rough and really feels like they are just trying to pad out time, the scenes with the kids raised by the abusive caretaker family are quite terrible and feel incredibly out of place. I get that most shark movies aren’t made with character writing in mind, however this does feel quite lazy and almost feels like there wasn’t exactly an attempt to really try.
I’m struggling to think of more to say, Thrash is a very forgettable shark movie that you are absolutely going to forget about almost immediately after watching.
A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the seizure, making them question who to rely on.
The Rip is directed by Joe Carnahan director of Smokin’ Aces (2006), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Stretch (2014), Boss Level (2020), Copshop (2021), Shadow Force (2025) and a few others.
The Rip is yet another January Netflix original film that isn’t bad (the first being People We Meet On Vacation), while that’s not exactly high praise and admittedly is the bare minimum. A lot of Netflix original January films would wish they are at least middle of the road. There’s a decent amount to like about The Rip from the cast to the action scenes which brings a decent enough experience to fans of the genre.
The main reason why The Rip works is mainly due to the cast. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are undeniably a great duo who work incredibly well together, their dialogue bounces off of each other naturally and the two are already great actors which does help make the material of The Rip a bit more interesting. Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle also get some great moments here, even if they sometimes feel a bit underutilized in certain sections of the film.
The writing for the most part is decent, the first two acts help establish the film’s atmosphere in surprisingly great detail. The atmosphere is thrilling enough due to the writing and gives these characters some sort of alert to check their surroundings, it’s not a case where everything feels like it’s safe. There’s a few moments in particular that are decently tense thanks to this. With that being said, the writing does drop the ball during the film’s final act. The tension that was built up filters away in a very predictable and empty conclusion that really does feel like the writers couldn’t think of way to close the story. It’s unfortunate because there was some genuine intrigue going on here prior to the incredibly empty final act.
The action scenes are solid, they are not anything groundbreaking and won’t change the landscape of the action thriller genre. But due to the film’s atmosphere the scenes work decently enough, especially when you combine them with the settings which the movie does a pretty good job of incorporating them into the mix. The cinematography is also shockingly really solid, cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz captures some beautiful shots here that add to the overall detail of the movie even if they are little moments.
Overall The Rip is a serviceable action thriller that despite having struggles to close out the film, does just enough to stick the landing and give something that fans of the action thriller genre will have a decent time with.
Poppy wants to explore the world and Alex prefers to stay home with a good book, but somehow they are the best of friends. They live far apart, but for a decade they have spent one week of summer vacation together.
People We Meet On Vacation is directed by Brett Haley director of The New Year (2010), I’ll See You in My Dreams (2015), The Hero (2017), All The Bright Places (2020) and All Together Now (2020).
Netflix romantic comedies have set this terrible expectation for viewers, that’s mainly due to the poor quality and a majority of them being almost identical to one another. But every now and then you get one like People We Meet On Vacation that manages to actually be quite great, while it does have it’s flaws which basically comes down to familiar genre beats. There is this level of likability to the film that helps it cross the finish line.
Emily Bader and Tom Blyth both give very solid performances, the chemistry between the two is undeniably charming. It has this natural magnetic energy going on here that the viewer feels almost immediately from the moment they start sharing scenes together. Emily Bader does a fantastic job of making Poppy such a funny and lovable character that mixes well with Tom Blyth’s character Alex. Tom Blyth plays a different type of role here and he nails it quite well. It just mainly comes down to the chemistry and the two really nailed it, there’s this authentic feel to the film that we really do not get a whole lot from these Netflix romantic comedies.
The soundtrack is solid and fits the mood of each scene, the cinematography from cinematographer Rob C. Givens is shockingly quite great. There’s a lot of moments here where the film takes advantage of the setting and delivers some gorgeous shots that show off the setting in great detail.
The writing is solid, there’s some genuine funny moments that work in the film’s favor. While the character moments of the film are not grand, they do add up to being quite meaningful towards the end. The film definitely has familiar beats but luckily it never goes the incredibly predictable route and opts for a more natural and grounded approach.
Overall People We Meet On Vacation isn’t anything groundbreaking, however it is incredibly refreshing to see a romantic comedy be effective and accomplish what it’s being sent out to do. Great performances, solid pacing and solid natural dialogue, I recommend giving this one a look.
People We Meet On Vacation is available on Netflix.
Jerome Reviews... 