Arts and Entertainment Archives

Culture Representation: Filmed from 2019 to 2024, the true crime documentary film “The Alabama Solution” features an African American and white group of people talking about legal cases accusing the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) of corruption in Alabama men’s prisons.

Culture Clash: Among the allegations against ADOC are prisoners being assaulted and murdered by ADOC employees; bribery and threats to silence potential whistleblowers; unsafe and unsanitary conditions in prison; inadequate or neglectful medical care; and illegal slave labor.

Culture Audience: “The Alabama Solution” will appeal primarily to people who are interested true crime documentaries about American prison systems.

Pictured in front row, at far left: Sondra “Sandy” Ray holding a photo of her deceased son Steven Davis in “The Alabama Solution” (Photo courtesy of HBO)

The Alabama Solution is a disturbing exposé that shows examples of Alabama Department of Corrections corruption that has been detailed in numerous lawsuits. However, this documentary gets repetitive and ignores issues in women’s prisons. Despite these flaws, “The Alabama Solution” is very effective in how it brings into focus the humanity of the people who’ve been damaged or killed by this corruption, so that some of them just aren’t names in legal documents or news reports.

Directed and produced by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, “The Alabama Solution” was filmed from 2019 to 2024 and had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The movie uses a combination of cell phone footage recorded by inmates in Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) prisons; archival news footage; and exclusive interviews conducted by “The Alabama Solution” filmmakers. The cell phone footage recorded from inside the prisons includes interviews with inmates, in addition to harrowing scenes of filthy living conditions, unattended prisoners in medical crises, and employee guard stations that have sleeping or missing employees. “The Alabama Solution” was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film for the 2026 Academy Awards.

Why is Alabama singled out in this documentary? According to unsourced statistics in “The Alabama Solution,” Alabama state prisons have the highest drug overdose rate, the highest murder rate and the highest suicide rate in the United States. “The Alabama Solution” lists other alarming stastics as captions. But unfortunately, the documentary doesn’t list the information sources for any these statistics. The documentary’s lack of named and verifiable sources when listing statistic information is an omission that lowers the journalistic quality of this documentary.

Where “The Alabama Solution” excels the most is in first-person testimonials and interviews with some ADOC inmates and their loved ones. The documentary interviews ADOC inmates Robert Earl Council Jr. (also known as Kinetik Justice), Melvin Ray, Raul Poole, James Sales and other incarcerated men who chose not to be identified by their names. By the end of this documentary, one of these men has died in prison under suspicious circumstances. Another man became a victim of a brutal beating that he says was done by ADOC employees, and the assault was so severe, the injuries caused him to lose an eye. This review of “The Alabama Solution” won’t reveal which of these men had these tragic experiences, in case viewers want to find out by watching the documentary.

Most of these men appear on camera for these interviews, which were done on cell phones that the men smuggled into prison. A few of the men opted not to have their faces shown on camera, but their voices are undisguised. A caption near the beginning of the documentary says, “Alabama’s state prisons are operating at nearly 200% of their intended capacity, with one-third of the required staff. In this environment, use of contraband cell phones has proliferated.”

According to what people say in the documentary’s interviews, prisoners risk getting caught having these prohibited cell phones because they think it’s more important to have these cell phones as protection to record evidence of all the crimes that are being committed in the ADOC system. This video evidence can be uploaded or sent to people and places for safekeeping. Based on what’s described in this documentary, there’s no shortage of crimes than can be filmed in these prisons and many other prisons.

The crimes that are the focus of this documentary are those commited by ADOC employees against the prisoners. These crimes include murder, assault, bribery and other illegal coercion, deprivation or neglect of medical care, and illegal slave labor. Lawsuits have been filed against ADOC, individual Alabama prisons and/or individual ADOC employees for these allegations. Most of these lawsuits are settled out of court or dismissed.

The prisoners and their loved ones who have been active in seeking justice for these types of crimes describe being ignored, gaslighted and/or threatened by Alabama officials, in a system that is set up to hide corruption and crimes committed by ADOC employees against prisoners. The prisoners who are whistleblowers usually risk retaliatory punishments that result in ADOC employees inflicting, false accusations, solitary confinement, beatings, torture, or death, according to the interviews. Those who participate in the crime cover-ups are often rewarded, according to lawsuits against ADOC.

“The Alabama Solution” examines the case of 35-year-old Steven Davis, an inmate who was killed by being beaten to death in 2019 at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama. ADOC employee Roderick “Big G” Gadson was named as the chief culprit of this fatal beating. However, Gadson claimed self-defense because he and other ADOC employee witnesses claimed that Davis was attacking them with makeshift blades as weapons.

The documentary chronicles much of this investigation on camera, from the moment the the filmmakers heard an inmate give a phone tip saying that Davis’ death was murder. “The Alabama Solution” shows the trip to Birmingham to UAB Hospital’s intensive care unit, where Davis died and his body is seen covered with a bed sheet. Davis’ mother Sondra “Sandy” Ray (no relation to Melvin Ray) and Davis’ brother Brandon are interviewed in the documentary. They are seen grieving with other family members.

Sandy Ray is the family member who is featured the most. She expresses her frustration about trying to find out how and why Davis died and not getting her phone calls returned by the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility’s warden. Brandon says he took a photo of Davis’ body in the hospital because he wasn’t sure if the family would get the body returned to them. “I wanted to take a photo as evidence,” he comments.

Sensitive viewers should be warned: The photo is shown in the documentary. And it’s heartbreaking. Sandy Ray comments in the documentary on how this photo affects all the good memories and images she has of her slain son: “That picture of what they done to him overrides all the good.”

The family hears the “official” cause of Davis’ death (killing done in self-defense) when it’s reported on the news. The inmate who called in the tip about the death being murder wanted to remain anonymous and said that several other prisoners witnessed an ADOC officer stomp on Davis’ head repeatedly during the assault while Davis was unarmed. The tipster didn’t want to name the officer, but he advised Davis’ family to get an attorney to investigate.

And that’s exactly what happened. The documentary shows civil rights trial lawyer Hank Sherrod, who was hired to represent Sandy and her family, making phone calls to several William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility inmates to interview them under attorney confidentiality, although the inmates on the phone knew they were being filmed for a documentary. Some of the men who are contacted immediately deny knowing what happened, or they say they know what happened but don’t want talk about it. One of the men says an ADOC officer is in the room while he talks to Sherrod, even though Sherrod says that it’s the law in Alabama for a prisoner to be entitled to have no one else in a room when talking to an attorney.

A break in the investigation comes when an inmate (whose identity is withheld from the documentary) names Gadson as the killer and says other ADOC officers actively covered up the crime, by making the inmates do things such as clean up the blood before official investigators arrived, and offering special privileges to inmate witnesses who would claim they saw nothing. This inmate witness also said that Davis had a bladed weapon, but Davis never used it or showed it in a threatening manner during this incident that led to Davis’ death. According to this witness, the weapon was about 15 feet away and on the floor when Gadson was assaulting Davis. Gadson “unmercifully beat the guy [Davis] to death,” the inmate witness says during the interview.

The documentary shows Davis’ cellmate Sales telling a different story in his phone conversation with Sherrod. Sales’ version is that Davis had weapons tied to bedsheets, and Gadson was only trying to help Davis when Davis attacked Gadson. In the phone interview, where Sales appears undisguised on camera, Sales hesitates when Sherrod asks him for more details on what Davis was doing that would warrant this type of beating.

However, Sales is able to confidently give details about the ADOC policy that allows employees to use force in self-defense against an attacking inmate. Sales’ way of speaking changes when he recites this information, giving the impression that he was fed this information and memorized it. Sales also admits that he is due for an upcoming release from prison and doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize this release. However, Sales promises Sherrod that after Sales is released from prison, he will personally tell Davis’ mother the entire story.

An unidentified inmate who gives a phone interview for the documentary says that Gadson is part of a William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility employee group known in the prison as the Wrecking Crew because they’re “addicted” to inflicting brutal abuse on the inmates. The other alleged members of the Wrecking Crew are not named in the documentary, which could’ve dug deeper into the reportedly large network of abusers in the ADOC. “The Alabama Solution” makes Gadson look like the main villain, when there are obviously many more who are like Gadson or worse.

The documentary does not interview Gadson, but he is seen in videoclips from a recorded deposition in one of the many lawsuits that have been filed against him. In this deposition, which is for a lawsuit that’s separate from the Davis case, Gadson is arrogant and flippant when an unseen and unidentified attorney asks him why Gadson has been sued several times for assault and other abuse of prisoners. Gadson admits to using force on the job, but he denies that the force was excessive.

In 2020, Sandy Ray sued Gadson and ADOC for wrongful death in the killing of Davis. The case was settled out of court in 2024. According to Alabama news website AL.com and other news sources, Sandy received a $250,000 settlement payment, and the state of Alabama had $393,000 in legal fees for this lawsuit. These financial amounts are legally part of public records for the state of Alabama.

An even bigger lawsuit against ADOC was filed in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), based on a DOJ investigation that began in 2016. The lawsuit alleges numerous ADOC crimes, as described the documentary and in this review. Alabama state officials, such as governor Kay Ivey (whose second and final term ends in 2026) and district attorney Steve Marshall have pushed back by saying the federal government should not get involved in Alabama state matters that need an “Alabama solution.” At the time “The Alabama Solution” documentary was released, the DOJ lawsuit was still pending and is expected to drag on for years.

Council and Melvin Ray co-founded Free Alabama Movement, an activist group aimed at advocating for civil rights of incarcerated people in the ADOC. They both say they have experienced abuse and retaliation (including solitary confinement) from ADOC employees who want to silence them and stop them in their Free Alabama Movement activities. In the documentary, Council says the system wants inmates to be ignorant of their rights and to fight each other inmates because it’s a “divide and conquer” strategy.

The purpose of the Free Alabama Movement, he says, is to unite inmates, educate inmates of their rights, and give legal assistance or resources. Free Alabama Movement has successfully led prisoner boycotts of work that’s considered slave labor, but these boycotts are temporary interruptions to much bigger problems. One of the biggest obstacles that prisoners face is the very nature of being in prison means that people will have varying degrees of opinions on what “punishment” should look like. However, “punishment” in the United States should not mean taking away basic civil rights that people are entitled to under the U.S. Constitution and in state laws.

Ostensibly, the Free Alabama Movement sounds like it’s for all Alabama prisoners who need help with civil rights issues. However, the Free Alabama Movement (just like this documentary) seems to be all about male prisoners and definitely makes it look like the needs of male prisoners are more important than the needs of any other prisoners. It’s a huge blind spot that blatantly excludes the fact that female prisoners have similar problems wherever they are incarcerated. “The Alabama Solution” also has no mention of prisoners who aren’t cisgender, such as transgender people or non-binary people, whose gender identities make them even more vulnerable to abuse in prison systems.

It doesn’t seem as if anyone who made this documentary asked Council, Melvin Ray or anyone in the Free Alabama Movement why this advocacy group gives preference to cisgender men. This bias is a form of gender discrimination for issues that affect prisoners of any gender identity. “The Alabama Solution” also refuses to acknowledge the harsh reality of racial inequalities in the U.S. criminal justice system. Any documentary about an American prison system cannot be considered truly comprehensive unless these racial inequalities are examined.

Other people interviewed in the documentary include former corrections Quante Cockrell and Stacy George, who give brief comments that don’t reveal anything surprising when they say that a lot of prison employees can be violent bullies. Alabama attorney general Marshall is also interviewed, but his comments sound like pre-rehearsed public relations statements that sidestep or deny the serious allegations in the DOJ lawsuit. Council’s daughter Catrice and his father Robert Earl Council Sr. are shown briefly making comments about the injustices that they say Robert Council Jr. experiences in prison.

“The Alabama Solution” does not try to garner sympathy for the reasons why these men are in prison. Instead, the documentary is aimed at holding people accountable for committing crimes against these prisoners and exposing a system that does more harm than good in rehabilitating those who are incarcerated. And what does it say about a prison system when hardcore inmates are afraid of getting murdered by the prison employees?

Council Jr. is the only prisoner in the documentary who’s willing to talk openly about why he’s incarcerated. He was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Council Jr. says when he was a young man, he was a drug dealer who shot a man whom he says was high on crack cocaine and was allegedly trying to run down Council Jr. with a car. Council Jr. also admits he sold drugs while in prison, but he makes the excuse that it was mainly to pay for child support.

“The Alabama Solution” is an intentionally ironic title because by the end of the documentary, it’s made woefully clear that there is no solution in sight to the massive problems in the ADOC (and other similar prison systems) because too many people have financial stakes in making sure those problems continue to thrive. The documentary includes archival commentary from radio station call-in listeners who have an attitude that every prison inmate needs to rot and suffer in a personal hell. It’s an attitude that is reflected in how numerous powerful officials want prison systems to be operated. And it’s an attitude that’s not going away anytime soon.

HBO released “The Alabama Solution” in select U.S. cinemas on October 3, 2025. HBO and HBO Max premiered the movie on October 10, 2025.

Review: ‘Dracula’ (2025), starring Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, Matilda De Angelis, Ewens Abid, David Shields and Guillaume de Tonquédec

March 12, 2026

by Carla Hay

Caleb Landry Jones in “Dracula” (Photo by Shanna Besson/Vertical)

“Dracula” (2025)

Directed by Luc Besson

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1480 and 1880 in Europe, the horror film “Dracula” (based on the novel of the same name) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few Asians and black people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: In 1480, a prince grieves over the murder of his wife, turns against God, and becomes a vampire named Dracula, who finds out that his wife has been re-incarnated as the fiancée of an attorney whom he has befriended in 1880.

Culture Audience: “Dracula” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the “Dracula” novel, filmmaker Luc Besson, the movie’s headliners, and vampire horror remakes that have clumsily made stories about love triangles and reincarnations.

Matilda De Angelis, Zoë Bleu and Caleb Landry Jones in “Dracula” (Photo courtesy of Vertical)

Although this version of “Dracula” has impressive costume designs, this misguided horror/romance movie is a bloated and disjointed mess with an underwhelming ending. The tone is sometimes campy, sometimes serious, with an uneven quality of acting. “Dracula” tries to juggle its weak scares with an obsessive love story, some offbeat comedy, a song-and-dance interlude, social commentary about immortality and reincarnations. The result is a movie with an identity crisis—and that’s not just in reference to the movie’s title character, who is lovelorn vampire prince trying to find a woman who can come close to replacing his murdered wife.

Written, directed, and produced by Luc Besson, “Dracula” is based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name. The movie takes place in Europe, mostly in 1880, after opening scenes that take place in 1480. “Dracula” was actually filmed in Finland and in France.

“Dracula” begins in 1440, by showing Prince Vladislav of Wallachia, also known as Vlad (played by Caleb Landry Jones), in a passionate relationship with his wife Elisabeta Tremsckara (played by Zoë Bleu), who are having sex in their bedroom when they are interrupted by knights. The knights barge in to dress Vlad in knight’s armor and to take Vlad away for combat duty. Vlad is more of a lover than a fighter. He doesn’t really want to be involved in this unnamed religious war against Muslims.

Before he leaves for this unnamed religious war, Vlad visits an unnamed cardinal (played by Haymon Maria Buttinger), who says Vlad must fight in this war. Vlad replies, “I’ll fight in His [God’s] name, but I ask Him one favor: I want Him to spare my wife.”

Vlad says he wouldn’t be able to cope if his wife dies. It’s at this point that you know Elisabeta is going to die. The cardinal says he can only guarantee that he will pray for Elisabeta.

Vlad is in a remote, snowy area when he witnesses Elisabeta on horseback being chased by invaders, who are also on horseback. The invaders catch up to Elisabeta and capture her. Vlad tries to fight them off, but he’s outnumbered. Elisabeta is stabbed to death.

Consumed with grief and rage, Vlad storms back into the cardinal’s church headquarters and yells at the cardinal, who says that the cardinal is only God’s messenger. That answer doesn’t satisfy Vlad, who snarls: “Tell your God that until He brings back my wife, my life no longer belongs to Him!” Vlad then stabs the cardinal to death with a crucifix.

“Dracula” then fast-forwards to Paris, in the year 1880. Vlad has turned to the dark side and has been living as a vampire since Elqisabeta’s death. The movie shows later that his physical features have become old and decrepit because he has been subsisting on animal blood. However, after he consumes human blood and gets a new lease on life, Vlad reverts back to looking like the 30s age range he was in when Elisabeta died.

Meanwhile, in Paris, a 25-year-old woman named Maria (played by Matilda De Angelis), who’s originally from Bologna, Italy, is being held and chained up in the cell of a psychiatric facility. Maria is in this facility because she had an apparent mental breakdown during her wedding ceremony to a man named Henry William Spencer (played by David Shields). A doctor named Dumont (played by Guillaume de Tonquédec) takes an unnamed priest (played by Christoph Waltz) to observe Maria because Dumont thinks that whatever is wrong with Maria cannot be cured with medicine or psychiatric treatment.

Dumont explains to the priest that during the wedding ceremony, Maria “was seized with hysteria and a sexual appetite beyond comprehension.” Dumont has invited this priest to evaluate Maria because this priest also happens to be a vampire hunter. Maria writhes around, hissing, and laughing maniacally.

But what confirms that Maria is a vampire is when she tries to kiss someone and her fangs come out. The priest says he’s been studying vampires for a long time, and Maria is the first vampire whom he has seen being under captivity. The priest also notices that Maria has fang marks on her neck, indicating that she’s not a first-generation vampire.

Much of “Dracula” consists of flashbacks to show how Maria is connected to major characters in the story. Maria’s best friend, who comes to visit her in the asylum, is an ingenue named Mina (also played by Bleu), who looks exactly like Elisabeta. Mina is engaged to an attorney named Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently befriended a count named Dracula, who is the alter ego of Vlad.

When Vlad/Dracula finds out what Mina looks like, he is convinced that Mina is the reincarnation of Elisabeta. Vlad has a music box that Elisabeta loves, so he thinks this music box will rekindle Elisabeta’s memories that he thinks exist in the mind of Mina. It takes an awfully long time in this 129-minute movie to get to this point. In between, some of the flashbacks begin to drag.

Jones as Vlad/Dracula gives a committed performance that has only fleeting moments of being truly menacing. This portrayal of Dracula is more concerned about finding a new version of Elisabeta than killing people for their blood. There is bloodshed and fighting, but Dracula has his gargoyles and other minions do a lot of his dirty work.

The movie has somewhat tacky-looking visual effects for any animals or mythical creatures. However, the movie’s production design, makeup and hairstyling are above-average. Bleu adequately portrays her dual roles as Elisabetha and Mina. Waltz leans into the campier side of his priest character. However, many of the lesser supporting characters have amateurish acting that often distract from the story.

The awkwardly placed song-and-dance musical number in “Dracula” happens during an elaborate party scene, but it still looks tonally off-balance from the rest of the movie. “Dracula” shows hints in the beginning that it could’ve been a sexy vampire film, but that tone for the movie quickly falls by the wayside. “Dracula” over-uses flashbacks to stretch out Vlad’s quest to be reunited with his one true love. By the time the dreadfully dull conclusion happens, viewers will be wondering what all the fuss was about and why so much time was wasted on a story with a final decision that is more passive than passionate.

Vertical released “Dracula” in select U.S. cinemas on February 6, 2026. The movie was released on digital and VOD on March 10, 2026. “Dracula” was released in France and some other countries on August 30, 2025.

Review: ‘Frankenstein’ (2025), starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz

March 12, 2026

by Carla Hay

Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac in “Frankenstein” (Photo by Ken Woroner/Netflix)

“Frankenstein” (2025)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Some language in Danish and French with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Europe and in the Arctic Ocean, from the 1830s to 1857, the sci-fi horror film “Frankenstein” (based on the novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”) features an all-white cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A “mad scientist,” who is obsessed with finding a way to prevent death, creatures an immortal humanoid from various body parts, and the creature goes from being the scientist’s slave to becoming the scientist’s tormenter.

Culture Audience: “Frankenstein” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the novel on which the movie is based, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, the movie’s headliners, and lavish and artistically made horror movie remakes.

Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth in “Frankenstein” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

This version of “Frankenstein” is a bit too long, and Oscar Isaac’s performance is a little too hammy. However, the movie’s technical mastery is stunning, and Jacob Elordi’s noteworthy performance as Frankenstein’s creature is the film’s soul. It’s ultimately the type of movie that’s worth seeing on the biggest screen possible.

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein” is based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.” “Frankenstein” had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival. “Frankenstein” takes place in various parts of Europe, from the 1830s to 1857. The movie was actually filmed in Scotland and in the Canadian cities of Toronto and North Bay.

“Frankenstein” explores issues that are still relevant today, such as how far science should go to alter nature; preventing or delaying death; and the ethics of creating a scientific experimental “monster” that becomes too powerful to control. This version of “Frankenstein” begins in 1857, on the Royal Danish ship Horizont, which is stuck on an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean’s North Pole. Several of the ships sailors have found a wounded man with a prosthetic left leg in the snow.

The sailors soon find out that the wounded man, whose name is Victor Frankenstein (played by Isaac), is a scientist who has been hunting and is being hunted by an unnamed creature (played by Elordi), who rises up from the ice and snow and shouts, “Bring him to me!” Under orders from the ship’s Captain Anderson (played by Lars Mikkelsen), the sailors begin attacking the creature, mostly by shooting guns at it.

The creature has superhuman strength and is able to kill several of the men. However, the creature is shot and falls into the ice. The sailors think that the creature has died. But as Victor is getting medical treatment on the ship by Dr. Udsen (played by Joachim Fjelstrup), Victor tells Captain Anderson that this creature can’t die and will soon come looking for Victor again.

“Frankenstein” is then told in two chapters. Chapter 1 is titled “Victor’s Tale,” which takes up most of this 149-minute movie. Chapter 2 is titled “The Creature’s Tale,” which is can be considered the part of the movie that has the best acting performances.

“Victor’s Tale” tells Victor’s life story, beginning in the 1930s, when he was in his early teens (played by Christian Convery) and living as a nobleman’s heir in England. Victor’s father is a brilliant baron/surgeon Leopold Frankenstein (played by Charles Dance), who is abusive and stern to Victor. Leopold expects Victor to also become a medical scientist.

Victor is much closer to his mother, a French royal named Claire (played by Mia Goth), who is kind and patient with Victor. In a voiceover, the adult Victor mentions that Leopold only married Claire for her dowry and her royal title. Leopold thinks Claire and Victor are weak-minded, and Leopold is resentful of the close emotional bond that Claire and Victor have with each other, so Leopold treats both of them with contempt.

Claire is pregnant when she is first seen in the movie. She dies while giving birth to son William (played by Rafe Harwood), who grows up to be the preferred son of Leopold. After the death of Claire, Victor becomes moody, withdrawn and cynical. By contrast, William is cheerful, friendly and optimistic. Victor vows to himself that he will make it his life mission to find a way to prevent death, as a way to honor his mother Claire.

The Frankenstein family experiences financial ruin after their revolts and fire ruin their plantation empire. Leopold eventually dies. Victor moves to England and then Scotland, while William moves to Vienna and lives with family members. Victor’s childhood could have been trimmed by about 15 minutes, because this is one of the areas of the movie that’s a little too long.

The rest of “Frankenstein” shows adult Victor (played by Isaac) as the “mad scientist” that he had become. By 1855, Victor has been expelled from the Royal College of Medicine for his radical idea of putting together body parts to form an immortal creature. However, Victor finds a financial investor for his experiment.

The wealthy investor is weapon manufacturer Henrich Harlander (played by Christoph Waltz), whose niece Elizabeth (also played by Goth) is the fiancée of Victor’s younger brother William (played by Felix Kammerer), who has grown up to be a kind man but with a very bland personality. No one in the movie comments on how Elizabeth looks like Claire, who is perceptive, opinionated and empathetic. It’s somewhat strange that the movie omits any acknowledgement about Elizabeth’s identical resemblance to Claire, but this omission doesn’t ruin the movie.

Victor’s family estate is the only thing left from the Frankenstein family fortune, and it’s where Victor has his scientific lab. Victor gets body parts of executed criminals from an executioner (played by Burn Gorman) after Victor finds a way to re-animate a human corpse. With the help of Heinrich, Victor assembles these body parts that become the creature in the movie. At first, Victor is thrilled with his invention, as he teaches it how to act and think like a human.

However, that excitement turns into disillusionment and anger, when Victor sees that the creature can’t seem to say anything else besides Victor’s name. Victor also sees that the creature has superhuman strength, so he chains up the creature and treats it like an imprisoned slave. Elizabeth shows compassion to the creature and forms an emotional bond with it.

A turning point in the story comes when Victor decides to kill the creature, by setting the family manor on fire, but the creature escapes and encounters an elderly blind man (played by David Bradley), who changes the creature’s life. The creature is actually more intelligent than Victor thinks it is. The rest of “Frankenstein” shows how the power balance shifts from Victor having total control over the creature to being hunted by the creature. Victor also hunts the creature because thinks the creature is too dangerous to be on its own.

“Frankenstein” is a visually dazzling film that has award-worthy production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling. However, some of the movie’s narrative is disjointed and unnecessary. For example, there’s a subplot that goes nowhere about sexual tension/attraction that Victor feels for Elizabeth, who does not feel the same way about Victor. It’s a creepy attraction on Victor’s part, not just because Elizabeth is engaged to marry Victor’s brother William but also because Elizabeth looks exactly like Claire, the dead mother of Victor and William.

And the character of adult William is very underdeveloped and almost nothing is revealed about what his life was like after he moved to Vienna. There’s no explanation for why William is marrying someone who looks exactly like his mother. One can assume that photos and/or paintings of a noblewoman such as Claire existed. In addition, William has family members who could’ve told him how Elizabeth is Claire’s look-alike. Elizabeth gets a lot more screen time than William, who doesn’t have much to say or do about anything.

However, “Frankenstein” finds its emotional apex when the creature begins to say more than just the name Victor. It’s in Elordi’s riveting performance (which is aching and poignant, instead of being a stereotypical monster that’s always menacing) that “Frankenstein” has its greatest emotional resonance. In the dual roles of Claire and Elizabeth, Goth also performs quite well as someone who is independent-minded without sacrificing integrity. “Frankenstein” is intended to be an epic film. It succeeds in almost every way on a technical level, while it’s a mixed bag on a creative/performance level. Just like Frankenstein’s creature, the movie has its flaws, but it makes a lasting impression.

Netflix released “Frankenstein” in select U.S. cinemas on October 17, 2025. Netflix premiered the movie on its streaming service on November 7, 2025.

Review: Undertone (2026), starring Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas and Jeff Yung

March 11, 2026

by Carla Hay

Nina Kiri in “Undertone” (Photo by Dustin Rabin/A24)

“Undertone” (2026)

Directed by Ian Tuason

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed Canadian city, the horror film “Undertone” features an all-white cast of characters representing the middle-class.

Culture Clash: A podcaster, who’s caring for her gravely ill mother, tries to unravel the mystery of audio files that were sent to her podcaster co-host, and the two podcasters experiencer terror along the way.

Culture Audience: “Undertone” will appeal primarily to people who are people who are interested in low-budget independent horror films inspired by “Paranormal Activity.”

Nina Kiri in “Undertone” (Photo courtesy of A24)

“Undertone” excels with its outstanding sound design in this story about podcasters who experience paranormal horror. The movie’s last 10 minutes can be considered too abrupt and inconclusive, but the rest of “Undertone” is riveting. Fans of 2009’s “Paranormal Activity” will probably enjoy “Undertone,” although the “found video footage” format of “Paranormal Activity” has a more blatant way of showing the chaotic terror in the story, while “Undertone” deliberately leaves the worst scenarios off camera.

Written and directed by Ian Tuason, “Undertone” is his feature-film directorial debut. The movie had its world premiere at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival, where “Undertone” won the Audience Award. “Undertone” had its U.S. premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The movie takes place in an unnamed Canadian city. “Undertone” was actually filmed in Tuason’s home in Toronto.

“Undertone” is told entirely from the point of view of protagonist Evangeline Marie “Evy” Babic (played by Nina Kiri), who is co-host of a paranormal activity podcast called Undertone. Evy’s co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) lives in an unnamed city that is too far away for him to see Evy in person on a regular basis. Evy (pronounced (“eee-vee”) and Justin co-host the podcast remotely, with Evy working from home. Justin is never seen on camera in this movie.

Evy and Justin have different attitudes about the paranormal. Evy is the skeptic of the duo. Justin is more likely to believe in the paranormal. Their podcast is usually about Evy and Justin examining paranormal reports and deciding which ones are credible or not. Naturally, Evy is more inclined to debunk whatever she and Justin examine.

The beginning of “Undertone” shows that not all is well in the Babic household, which is where Evy grew up. Evy lives an isolated existence, where she is the caregiver for her ailing, bedridden mother (played by Michèle Duquet), who doesn’t have a first name in the movie. Evy’s mother is unconscious or apparently asleep when she is seen on screen. Evy and her mother are the only people who are seen on screen, except for photos of a few other people.

The inside of the Babic house is the only location seen on screen. There are hints throughout the story that Evy grew up in a strict Christian household, but Evy as an adult is now non-religious and probably atheist. “Undertone” has plenty of darkly list scenes to set the mood of this horror film. In other words, Evy and her mother do not know the meaning of a room that has bright lighting. “Undertone” cinematographer Graham Beasley does an admirable job of conveying Evy’s probable agoraphobia in this desolate house.

Later, when Evy’s boyfriend Darren (voiced by Ryan Turner) calls Evy, he coaxes her to go with him to a party because Evy has been “cooped up for weeks.” Evy leaves the house and comes back the next morning. It’s a decision that she soon regrets because of what she sees when she returns home.

Most of “Undertone” (which takes place over the course of a few days) is about Evy and Justin trying to solve the mystery of 10 audio files that they have received from the same unidentified person. Evy and Justin play each file live during episodes of their podcast and take occasional calls from listeners to get audience comments on what they hear in these files. Each file gives more clues about what could possibly be happening in these recordings.

Evy and Justin find out early on that the recordings are of a couple named Mike (voiced by Jeff Yung) and Jessa (voiced by Keana Lyn Bastidas), who are expecting a child together. “Undertone” has several themes about pregnancy, children dying, and how certain nursery rhymes are really songs about children in peril. “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “London Bridge Is Falling Down” are the two nursery rhymes featured prominently in the movie.

At a certain point in the movie, “Undertone” will keep viewers guessing about what might be real and what might be someone’s hallucinations. Because Evy is the only character who’s seen on screen for the vast majority of “Undertone,” the movie relies heavily on Kiri’s gripping performance, is which convincing throughout the film. The disturbing sounds that are heard in this movie are equally effective. It’s best to see this movie with the most advanced audio system possible. “Undertone” doesn’t have any major surprises, but it’s a notable example of a horror movie that leaves much of the terror up to viewers’ imaginations.

A24 will release “Undertone” in U.S. cinemas on March 13, 2026. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on March 9, 2026.

Review: ‘The Loved One’ (2026), starring Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales

March 11, 2026

by Carla Hay

Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales in “The Loved One” (Photo courtesy of Viva Films)

“The Loved One” (2026)

Directed by Irene Emma Villamor

Tagalog with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in the Philippines, the dramatic film “The Loved One” features an all-Filipino cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: An information technology (IT) specialist and his girlfriend have a volatile 10-year romance where they have conflicts because he thinks she’s less committed to the relationship than he is.

Culture Audience: “The Loved One” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and mature, realistic stories about adult romantic relationships.

Jericho Rosales and Anne Curtis in “The Loved One” (Photo courtesy of Viva Films)

Told mostly in non-chronological flashbacks, “The Loved One” is a well-acted examination of a 10-year romance between an IT specialist and his indecisive girlfriend. This drama has believable scenarios in showing the ups and downs of this relationship. “The Loved One” doesn’t sugarcoat how messy a relationship can be if each partner in the relationship has a conflicting expectations and denial about problems in the relationship that can’t be fixed.

Written and directed by Irene Emma Villamor, “The Loved One” takes place in an unnamed city in the Philippines. The movie was mostly filmed in the Manila area. Although there are some supporting characters, their moments in “The Loved One” are fleeting. Almost everything in the movie revolves around the central couple of the story.

“The Loved One” shows the present-day scenes in black and white, while the flashbacks are shown in color. In the beginning of the movie, and IT specialist named Eric (played by Jericho Rosales) is waiting in the present day for his ex-lover Ellie (played by Anne Curtis) for their scheduled meeting at a casual restaurant. Ellie (who’s about five to seven years young than Ellie) is running late because she’s stuck in traffic. Eric, who was always the “responsible” one in the relationship, doesn’t seem surprised that he is on time and Ellie is tardy. He texts her a message, “I still love you.”

Ellie and Eric have not seen each other in 10 years. Prior to their breakup, Eric and Ellie had been a couple for 10 years. Eric says in a voiceover as he looks wistfully at a photo of Ellie that he’s love with her, “like everyone else.” The movie goes into flashback mode to show what happened in Ellie and Eric’s relationship and why it fell apart.

Some questions linger in the present-day scenes, until the movie answers the questions: Why are Eric and Ellie having this lunch meeting? And will this meeting rekindle their romance or not? Ellie and Eric are currently single and available. Eric is still pining over Ellie, but is her better off with her or without her?

Eric and Ellie’s relationship was somewhat rocky from the start, but they had undeniable chemistry together and they did love each other. Flashbacks show that Eric and Ellie began dating shortly after reconnecting at wedding for one of Eric’s co-worker friends at a corporate company called Allied. Ellie and Eric had actually met before at a bar, but Eric had left abruptly without saying why.

At the wedding, Ellie reminds Eric about their first meeting that was cut short. Ellie thought Eric left suddenly because he didn’t want to spend time with her any more. Eric makes an apology to Ellie and says the real reason why he left was because he had to tend to an urgent family matter.

The wedding is for Eric’s friend/co-worker Greg (played by Luis Alandy) and Greg’s bride is Kyla (played by Max Eigenmann), who become the ideal married couple that Eric eventually wishes that he and Ellie could be. At the wedding, Eric and Ellie flirt with each other, they dance together, and enough romantic sparks start flying between them for them to start dating each other.

This wedding scene also shows the contrasts in personalities between Eric and Ellie. Eric is somewhat introverted, is a methodical planner, and wants to have a traditional life. Ellie is more of an extroverted “life of the party” type who likes spontaneity and hasn’t quite figured out what she wants to do with her life. Ellie’s ambivalence eventually becomes one of the biggest sources of conflict in her relationship with Eric.

Four years into their relationship, Eric proposes marriage, but Ellie tearfully says no. Ellie says she loves Eric, but she doesn’t think their relationship needs marriage to validate it. Ellie says to Eric: “I want to live with you. I don’t want to be trapped.” Ellie and Eric have an argument about it, but Eric tells Ellie that he loves her so much, he just wants her to be happy, so he accepts this arrangement for the time being.

However, other cracks in the relationship begin to show and get wider. Flashbacks show that Eric repeatedly tells Ellie that he loves her and wants to protect her, but Ellie often feels that Eric is too controlling and judgmental of her. Ellie also thinks that Eric doesn’t have enough respect for her life choices. Meanwhile, Eric thinks that he shows more love and commitment to the relationship than Ellie does.

One day, 28-year-old Ellie announces that she quit her corporate job with no plans on what she’ll do next because she says she now knows she’s not suited for a corporate career. Eric is supportive of her decision, but his reaction shows that he thinks it’s a decision he wouldn’t make for himself because it’s too flaky for him. Meanwhile, Eric is consumed with climbing the corporate ladder at Allied and gets frustrated when he gets passed over for a job promotion that he wanted. Eric eventually gets promoted during another big turning point in his relationship with Ellie.

Before he gets this big job promotion, another big conflict between Eric and Ellie happens when Ellie works as an English teacher in Nepal for four months in a job with a non-profit charity group called Volunteer World. The movie never actually shows Ellie in Nepal, but there are conversations about how she temporarily lived there for this job. When Ellie told Eric that she got the job and would be away in Nepal for four months, Eric expresses surprise because he knew she applied for the job, but Eric didn’t think Ellie took the job application seriously. This comment deeply hurts Ellie, who starts to wonder how much Eric actually respects her.

When Ellie comes back to the Philippines, she says, “I feel stuck.” Ellie and Eric have another big argument because she wants to continue doing philanthropic work, but with more responsibilities, such as doing a United Nations mission. Eric doesn’t understand why Ellie doesn’t want a better-paying job. Ellie explodes with anger and shouts at Eric: “We’re so fucking privileged! Did you learn nothing from the [COVID-19] pandemic? I just want my life to make sense!”

Another thing that tests their relationship, but ends up not being a dealbreaker, is Ellie (who came from an upper-middle-class family) had a father named Ted (played by Mari Kaimo), who didn’t really approve of Eric. Early on in the courtship of Eric and Ellie, when Ted met Eric, he asked Eric what Eric did for a job. When Eric told him, Ted replied, “Am I supposed to be impressed with that?”

Ted died at some point during Eric and Ellie’s relationship. This death is not seen on camera, nor is Ted’s cause of death discussed in the movie. However, by putting pieces of this story puzzle together, viewers can discern that Ellie’s grief over Ted’s death motivates her to take more control of her life and not always do the things that Eric suggests. Ellie also starts smoking cigarettes. Eric is concerned because he says smoking is a hard habit to break, but Ellie assures Eric that she will only smoke for stress relief.

Most relationship dramas have some type of subplot about temptation infidelity. “The Loved One” is no exception. In this case, Eric and a work colleague named Nicole (played by Catriona Gray) have a mutual attraction to each other. Nicole knows that Eric and Ellie are living together and are in a committed love relationship. Eric and Nicole go on a business trip that will test their attraction to each other.

Curtis and Rosales previously starred in 2008’s “Baler,” where they portrayed lovers in a forbidden romance during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 to 1898. In “The Loved One,” Curtis and Rosales show their impressive acting skills in a 21st century love story. The personalities and scenarios of Ellie and Eric are so specific and performed with such emotional authenticity, many people who’ve been in long-term romantic relationships can find something to relate to in “The Loved One.”

Eric’s voiceover narration tends to drive the narrative. And he can occasionally sound a little hokey. In one scene he says in a voiceover: “Love turns people into poets, philosophers and monsters.” If the “The Loved One” need to have voiceover narration, it might have been a better movie if Ellie had an equal balance in her voiceover thoughts, to present a “he said/she said” narrative.

Although “The Loved One” has an above-average screenplay, some of the movie’s pacing might be too slow for some viewers. And the decision to make the flashback scenes non-chronological might not hold the interest of viewers who don’t have the patience to put these story puzzle pieces together. Still, “The Loved One” is a very good option for anyone who wants to watch a love story where there are no heroes or villains but flawed human beings trying to do the best they can in relationships and accepting that it takes more than love for a relationship to last.

Viva Films released “The Loved One” in select U.S. cinemas on March 6, 2026. The movie was released in the Philippines on February 11, 2026.

Review: ‘Reminders of Him,’ starring Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford

March 11, 2026

by Carla Hay

“Reminders of Him”

Directed by Vanessa Caswill

Culture Representation: Taking place in Laramie, Wyoming, the dramatic film “Reminders of Him” (based on the novel of the same name) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: After being released from prison for the vehicular manslaughter that killed her boyfriend, a woman goes back to her hometown to try to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter, and she falls in love with her boyfriend’s best friend.

Culture Audience: “Reminders of Him” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the headliners, the book on which the movie, and predictable romantic dramas that have unrealistic resolutions to serious problems.

Zoe Kosovic and Tyriq Withers in “Reminders of Him” (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

Predictable, sappy, and dull to the core, “Reminders of Him” is a hollow drama where people have unrealistic conversations that sound like throwaway lines from a bad romance novel. The romance has more schmaltz than sizzle. “Reminders of Him” also downplays serious and complex issues, in order to force a fairytale narrative.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill, “Reminders of Him” was written by Colleen Hoover and Lauren Levine, who are two of the movie’s producers. “Reminders of Him” is based on Hoover’s 2022 novel of the same name. “Reminders of Him” takes place in Laramie, Wyoming. The movie was actually filmed in Alberta, Canada. The “Reminders of Him” book was set in Colorado.

In “Reminders of Him,” Kenna Rowan (played by Maika Monroe) has been released from prison, after serving a seven-year prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence. The math doesn’t really add up for the age that Kenna’s daughter is in this story. Kenna found out that she was pregnant shortly after she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison. While Kenna was in prison, she gave birth to a daughter, who is 5 years old when Kenna gets out of prison.

Based on the movie’s timeline, Kenna’s daughter should be older than 5. In the “Reminders of Him” book, Kenna was given a five-year prison sentence, not a seven-year prison sentence. There’s a brief moment in the movie when Kenna mentions she got an early release from prison, which would be the only logical explanation for why Kenna’s daughter is 5 years old when Kenna gets out of prison in the movie.

Kenna was the driver in a car accident that killed Scott “Scotty” Landry (played by Rudy Pankow), who was her boyfriend at the time. Kenna and Scotty were in their early 20s at the time of the accident. A flashback in the movie shows this accident. Scotty, who had no siblings, is described in the movie as an ideal son who was a football player when he was a student.

The daughter of Kenna and Scotty is bright and bubbly Diem Landry (played by Zoe Kosovic), who has been living with Scotty’s parents Patrick Landry (played by Bradley Whitford) and Grace Landry (played by Lauren Graham) since Diem was a baby. Kenna’s parental rights were terminated. Patrick and Grace have told Diem that Diem’s mother is still alive but unable to take care of Diem.

Kenna feels guilt and remorse over Scotty’s death, but she doesn’t think she should be deprived from getting to know her daughter. However, Grace and Patrick do not want Kenna to be in Diem’s life and have had no contact with Kenna since Kenna went to prison. These grandparents haven’t even told Diem any details about Kenna, such as Kenna’s name or what Kenna looks like. Diem is starting to ask more questions about who Diem’s mother is. Diem is told she’ll get the information when her grandparents think she’s ready.

It’s a damaging way to raise a child in these circumstances, considering that Kenna will eventually get out of prison and considering that Diem could find out information about Kenna from someone other than her grandparents. The grandparents’ deliberate withholding of basic information about Kenna from Diem could cause Diem to feel resentment toward her grandparents if Diem finds out in a way that’s traumatic. It’s one of many problematic situations in “Reminders of Him” that are ultimately glossed over for the fairytale narrative.

When Kenna gets out of prison, one of the first things she does is go back to her hometown of Laramie. Off the side of a road, she sees a makeshift memorial that has a crucifix with Scotty’s name on it. Kenna steals the crucifix. She tells someone later that she stole the crucifix because she thinks Scotty wouldn’t have wanted this type of memorial decoration.

Kenna rents a small studio apartment in a dumpy motel-styled building called the Paradise Apartments. The building’s manager Ruth Clayton (played by Jennifer Robertson) offers Kenna a discount on the utility bills if Kenna takes one of the kittens that Ruth has in Ruth’s office. Kenna names her female kitten Ivy, who is merely used as a cutesy prop in the movie.

Kenna has difficulty finding a job because a lot of places won’t hire people who’ve been convicted of any crimes. She eventually gets a part-time job as a cashier at a grocery store, thanks to store employee Amy Matthews (played by Lainey Wilson), who has empathy for Kenna’s plight as a former prisoner who’s having problems getting a job. Amy confides in Kenna that Amy’s got some problems of her own: Amy recently rear-ended someone in a car accident, and Amy has no car insurance.

Throughout the movie, Kenna carries around stuffed journals full of letters that she’s written to Scotty over the years. She reads excerpts of these letters in constant voiceovers. Kenna has these journals with her when she walks into a bar that’s owned by Scotty’s best friend Ledger Ward (played by Tyriq Withers), who is like a surrogate uncle to Diem. Ledger and Kenna never met when Scotty was alive because Ledger was always busy doing something else.

And this is where the movie loses all credibility: When Kenna is in the bar and meets Ledger for the first time, Ledger doesn’t know who she is. If your best friend died in a vehicular manslaughter car accident, you’d want to know who the perpetrator is and what that person looks like. But in the world of “Reminders of Him,” Ledger never bothered to find out what Kenna looks like, even though her courtroom case was probably covered by the local news.

The movie’s flashbacks show Kenna looks exactly the same in the present day as she did when she was sentenced to prison. Therefore, the movie can’t use the excuse that Kenna’s physical appearance is drastically different from when she was in prison. It’s all just a contrivance for Kenna and Ledger to have that “meet cute” moment where they’re instantly attracted to each other without knowing their true identities and their connections to Scotty.

Kenna and Ledger flirt with each other during this “meet cute” moment. Kenna asks Ledger if he has any job openings. He says no. Ledger is a former NFL player whose football career ended because of a shoulder injury. The bar that Ledger owns used to be a bookstore that was a place where Kenna liked to go. A flashback shows another “meet cute” moment, when Kenna and Scotty met at the Dollar Den thrift store where she was a cashier at the time.

Kenna exits the bar but accidentally leaves her journals behind at the bar. When Ledger returns the journals to her, he says he didn’t read the journals, but he asks for her phone number. Kenna tells Ledger that she doesn’t have a phone, which is true. He finds it hard to believe, but he doesn’t seem that suspicious about why Kenna doesn’t have a phone. Kenna eventually gets a cell phone, but this scene is an example of how Ledger seems to be willfully ignorant.

Ledger finds out who Kenna is when she shows up unannounced and uninvited at the home of Patrick and Grace because Kenna is desperate to see Diem. Ledger happens to be there too. And that’s how Kenna finds out that Ledger was Scotty’s best friend. We’re supposed to believe that Scotty and Kenna were “in love,” and yet when Scott was alive, Kenna never thought of asking to see a photo of Scotty’s best friend, whom she had never met when Scotty was alive.

Even after finding out her identity, Ledger gives Kenna a part-time job at his bar. Patrick and Grace eventually put out a restraining order against Kenna. The rest of “Reminders of Him” plays out exactly like it shows in the movie’s trailer: Kenna and Ledger end up falling in love. They keep their romance a secret from Patrick, Grace and Diem. But you know where all of this is going, long before the movie’s trite and hokey ending.

Kenna and Ledger aren’t very convincing as a romantic couple, even without all the icky circumstances of their deception and how disrespectful their relationship is to deceased Scotty. And there’s also the matter of Ledger being Kenna’s boss, which is another problematic issue that’s barely addressed in the movie. Most of their relationship seems based on lust and loneliness, not true love.

It’s briefly mentioned that Ledger used to be engaged to a woman named Leah, who broke up with Ledger because she was jealous of Ledger’s close relationship with Diem. It’s another story contrivance because Kenna obviously won’t have a problem with Diem having a father figure like Ledger. It’s also a contrivance to make Ledger look sympathetic because Leah supposedly broke his heart.

“Reminders of Him” has supporting characters who are generic or formulaic and don’t add much to the story. Roman (played by Nicholas Duvernay) is Ledger’s close friend/co-worker, whose only purpose in the movie is just to be a sounding board for Ledger when Ledger moans and frets about his taboo romance with Kenna. Mary Anne (played by Hilary Jardine), another friend/co-worker of Ledger, is also a vague, underdeveloped character.

Lady Diana (played by Monika Myers) is a Paradise Apartments resident who is a casual acquaintance of Kenna. Lady Diana happens to have Down syndrome, and the movie makes her the “comic relief” of the story. It seems disrespectful of the “Reminders of Him” filmmakers to portray the movie’s only disabled character as a clownish character.

“Reminders of Him” is dreadfully tedious in showing this “forbidden romance” and erases a lot of the complications that would happen in real life because of this relationship. There’s nothing special about the acting performances in the movie. “Reminders of Him” exists in a fantasy bubble where people use modern technology but not when it comes to finding out basic information about their loved ones and their loved ones’ best friends or partners. Anyone with enough common sense and real-life experiences will find much of “Reminders of Him” to be a ridiculous story that’s an insult to people’s intelligence.

Universal Pictures will release “Reminders of Him” in U.S. cinemas on March 13, 2026.

Review: ‘Slanted’ (2026), starring Shirley Chen, Mckenna Grace, Vivian Wu, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Amelie Zilber, Fang Du, Elaine Hendrix and R. Keith Harris

March 10, 2026

by Carla Hay

Shirley Chen in “Slanted” (Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street and Tideline Entertainment)

“Slanted” (2026)

Directed by Amy Wang

Some language in Mandarin with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed U.S. city, the sci-fi comedy/drama film “Slanted” features a predominantly Asian and white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A high school student, who comes from an immigrant Chinese family, is desperate to be popular at her predominantly white school, so she campaigns to be prom queen and undergoes surgery to radically change her physical appearance to look like a white person.

Culture Audience: “Slanted” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in seeing dark satires of how white supremacist racism affects people’s lives.

Mckenna Grace and Amelie Zilber in “Slanted” (Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street and Tideline Entertainment)

“Slanted” blends dark comedy and some body horror in this story about an insecure Asian high school girl who has radical surgery to look like a white person. The movie’s concept fizzles out in the last 15 minutes, but most of the satire works well. Because the movie doesn’t fully commit to the horror angle that happens in the second half of “Slanted,” this movie might not be scary enough for horror fans, and it might not be funny enough for comedy fans. However, “Slanted” has enough memorable moments and engaging performances to motivate curious viewers to see how the movie ends.

Written and directed by Amy Wang, “Slanted” is her feature-film directorial debut. “Slanted” had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival, where it won the grand jury prize for Narrative Feature Competition. The movie takes place in an unnamed U.S. city. “Slanted” was actually filmed in the Atlanta area.

In “Slanted,” 17-year-old Joan Huang (played by Shirley Chen) is in her last year at Stanwood Park High School. Joan is the only child of domineering Sofia Huang (played by Vivian Wu) and mild-mannered Roger Huang (played by Fang Du). The Huang family immigrated to the United States from China about 10 years before this story takes place. Roger works as a house cleaner for a wealthy woman named Harmony (played by Elaine Hendrix), whose husband and kids are not characters in the movie.

Joan’s best friend at school is Brindha (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who is sarcastic and outspoken. The “queen bee” of the school’s popular clique is Olivia Hammond (played by Amelie Zilber), a shallow and self-absorbed “mean girl” who pretends to be kind and charitable when she’s filming herself for social media. In reality, Olivia is rude and likes to act superior to people she thinks are inferior to her.

Joan and Brindha are not part of the school’s most popular clique that is led by Olivia. Brindha doesn’t care, but Joan secretly wants to be part of this clique, which consists only of white people in this school of predominantly white students. The clique consists of Olivia; sycophantic blondes Greta (played by Sarah Kopkin) and Cat (played by Callie McClincy); Olivia’s boyfriend Greg; and star athlete Nash (played by Nicholas Myers). All of these clique members are spoiled and entitled.

One day, Olivia announces that she is not going to be a candidate for prom queen, which is a title that Olivia is sure she would’ve won. This announcement prompts Joan to run for prom queen. Brindha offers to be Joan’s campaign manager. Later, Olivia says that in the following week, Olivia will announce which prom queen candidate will get Olivia’s endorsement.

Much of the first third of “Slanted” shows examples of how Joan tries to downplay or erase her Chinese American heritage in situations where she thinks she will be discriminated against for being an immigrant and for not being white. Sofia often gives criticism to Joan for Joan losing interest in Chinese traditions. Sofia also thinks Joan wears too much makeup, even though Joan’s makeup is modest by American standards.

Observant viewers will notice that only white people are in the posters and pin-up photos that Joan has on her bedroom walls. Joan gets embarrassed when Sofia speaks Mandarin in public. Joan also doesn’t tell people that she was born in China. Joan lets people assume that she was born in the United States.

And when Joan notices that all the previous Stanwood Park High School prom queens were white girls with blonde hair, Joan decides to dye her hair blonde. She can’t afford to have the dye job done professionally, so she does the dye job herself. The results are a dye job with uneven streaks and roots that are noticeably showing.

Joan’s parents aren’t thrilled about Joan’s new hair color, but they aren’t angry about it either. At school, Olivia starts paying more attention to Joan, now that Joan is a blonde. Joan is excited when Olivia invites Joan to join Olivia, Greta and Cat for a trip to a local beauty salon/spa. However, Joan’s elation turns to humiliation when Joan finds out that Olivia is just using Joan to speak Mandarin to the spa’s Chinese owner/manager because Olivia wants the owner/manager to give them a discount.

Joan keeps getting text messages from a company called Ethnos Inc., which markets itself to people who aren’t white and who want more success in a society that’s dominated by white people. Joan is curious about this company but doesn’t respond to their pitches until after a bullying incident where Olivia and her clique make it obvious that they will never accept Joan into their group.

Joan visits the Ethnos offices, where she meets co-founder Willie Singer (played by R. Keith Harris), who explains that the company offers experimental surgery that can turn people of color into white people. It’s a procedure that’s irreversible. Willie says he got the surgery for himself.

Ethnos also has promotional videos featuring “testimonials” from other people who’ve had the surgery and are happy with the results. The people who give the testimonials all say that their lives are so much easier now that they are white. They give examples of how they get treated better by strangers and they have more success in their lives.

Joan is desperate and wants to do the surgery. Because Joan is under the age of 18, she has to get a parental signature for the surgery documents. Knowing that Sofia will trust whatever Joan says and won’t really look at the documents, Joan lies to Sofia and says the documents are for a field trip. The movie never explains where Joan got the money to pay for the unnamed cost of this surgery.

The rest of “Slanted” shows what happens after Joan gets the surgery and re-invents herself as a white girl named Jo Hunt (played by Mckenna Grace), with an identity as a newly enrolled student from California. Jo lies when she tells people that her father is a film/TV producer. Joan’s parents are shocked and dismayed by what Joan has done to her physical appearance. And, as already revealed in the “Slanted” trailer, this surgery has side effects where Joan’s face becomes disfigured and some of her skin can be peeled off.

“Slanted” has very talented principal cast members, who skillfully handle the movie’s mix of genres, making “Slanted” very intriguing and watchable. The jokes and scenarios about racism and beauty standards have enough truth in them for the satire to be effective. However, once these points are made in “Slanted,” and the movie establishes that the Ethnos surgery is irreversible, the plot really has nowhere else to go. “Slanted” won’t be considered a classic film about how racism affects people, but the movie stands on its own for offering some sly commentary about this provocative topic.

Bleecker Street and Tideline Entertainment will release “Slanted” in U.S. cinemas on March 13, 2026. The movie had a sneak preview in U.S. cinemas on March 9, 2026.

Review: ‘Worldbreaker,’ starring Luke Evans, Billie Boullet, Mila Harris and Milla Jovovich

March 9, 2026

by Carla Hay

“Worldbreaker”

Directed by Brad Anderson

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed part of Earth in an unspecified period of time, the sci-fi/fantasy/action film “Worldbreaker” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people) who are survivors in a post-apocalyptic world.

Culture Clash: A man trains his teenage daughter to become a warrior in a world where people can become infected by zombie-like creatures.

Culture Audience: “Worldbreaker” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and dull movies about living in a post-apocalyptic world.

Milla Jovovich in “Worldbreaker’ (Photo courtesy of Aura Entertainment)

Derivative and forgettable, “Worldbreaker” is ultimately too repetitive with its weak plot about a father and his teenage daughter trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world populated by zombie-like creatures. The visual effects are mediocre. Almost the entire movie consists of the father training the daughter to become a warrior like the daughter’s missing mother, the father thinking the daughter isn’t ready, and the daughter whining about it, as some creatures attack along the way.

Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Joshua Rollins, “Worldbreaker” takes place on a remote island in an unnamed part of the world. “Worldbreaker” was actually filmed in Northern Ireland. The period of time in the movie is not specified either. There is no modern technology, but it’s during a time when newspapers exist.

“Worldbreaker” begins with the unnamed father (played by Luke Evans), who is listed as Dad in the movie’s end credits, giving an exposition heavy voiceover narration to his daughter explain the world that exists: “They’ll ask you one day to tell them the story of who the world was saved. They’ll want to know how we found our heroes and together fought back. But to tell that story, you have to tell them how it was before.”

Dad continues: “You’re too young to remember how green the world was, how light, how full of hope. And how we were too blinded by the light of our own happiness to see the darkness buried right beneath our own feet. And when it finally came, it only had one purpose: to destroy all that was good.”

The father goes on to say that men fought in this war first. And eventually, women and children joined in the war. He adds, “They made sure this was a war we could not lose.” Dad also says, “This world has been broken many times. And the breakers are always different.”

Dad and his daughter Willa (played by Billie Boullet), who is 15 years old when the story begins, live in an underground bunker. Inside the bunker, the father has a wall that is filled with newspaper clippings with stories about global warming, arctic warming, power grid failures, asteroids, famine and diseases that have threatened human existence.

A few flashbacks in the movie show that Dad and Willa used to live with Dad’s unnamed wife/Willa’s mother (played by Milla Jovovich), who is listed as Mom in the movie’s end credits. Mom is now away on military duty. Her limited screen time is mostly seen as flashbacks. Dad tells Willa that Mom is a respected and brave warrior, and he wants to train Willa to be this type of warrior too.

Most of “Worldbreaker” (which takes place over a little a more than one year) is a tedious repeat loop of Dad training Willa, and Willa becoming frustrated when Dad doesn’t think she’s ready to become a warrior. The zombie-like creatures are infected humans who are called hybrids because after they’re infected, their bodies change into having monster-like characteristics such as fangs and claws. A subplot about a monster called Kodiak eventually fizzles out and is very unimpressive.

In addition to fighting off hybrids and random giant flying creatures, Dad and Willa have to be on the defensive from humans who are criminals. Because resources are scarce in this post-apocalyptic world, it’s not uncommon for people to be robbed or killed for their possessions. Dad and Willa encounter an orphaned teenage girl named Rosie (played by Mila Harris), who is frightened and alone. Rosie and Willa soon become friends. All of the other characters in the movie are nameless, utterly generic, and aren’t in the movie long enough to show what types of personalities they have.

“Worldbreaker” might satisfy viewers who are just looking for a post-apocalyptic action film that has some fight scenes with zombie-like creatures. However, the movie is disappointing in how it fails to create an interesting story for the main characters. Dad and Willa have two-dimensional personalities and very little is told about their lives before the apocalypse, except for what Willa’s parents gave her as a birthday gift before Mom left the family to fight in the war. “Worldbreaker” is more likely to break the patience of any viewers who is looking for an intriguing and thrilling story.

Aura Entertainment released “Worldbreaker” in select U.S. cinemas on Janaury 30, 2026. The movie was released on digital and VOD on Febraury 20, 2026.

True Crime Entertainment: What’s New This Week

The following content is generally available worldwide, except where otherwise noted. All TV shows listed are for networks and streaming services based in the United States. All movies listed are those released in U.S. cinemas. This schedule is for content and events premiering this week and does not include content that has already been made available.

March 9 – March 15, 2026

TV/Streaming Services

All times listed are Eastern Time/Pacific Time, unless otherwise noted.

HBO Max’s limited documentary series “Naked on the Net: The Truth About Rose Leonel” premieres on Tuesday, March 10 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT.

Monday, March 9

“Fatal Attraction”
“In the Shadows” (Episode 1631)
Monday, March 9, 9 p.m., TV One

“120 Hours Behind Bars”
“Washoe County Jail” (Episode 108) **Season Finale**
Monday, March 9, 9 p.m., Discovery

“People Magazine Investigates”
“In the Cut” (Episode 907)
Monday, March 9, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Live PD: Greatest Shifts”
(Episode 648)
Monday, March 9, 9 p.m., A&E

“Live PD: Greatest Shifts”
(Episode 649)
Monday, March 9, 10 p.m., A&E

“The Curious Case of …”
“The Corpse Who Came to Dinner” (Episode 208) **Season Finale**
Monday, March 9, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Fatal Attraction: I’d Kill to Be You”
TBA (Episode 107)
Monday, March 9, 10 p.m., TV One

Tuesday, March 10

“Naked on the Net: The Truth About Rose Leonel” (Documentary series)
Tuesda, March 10, 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT, HBO Max

“Evil Lives Here”
“I Still Hear Their Screams” (Episode 108)
Tuesday, March 10, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger”
“A Devil Always Lies” (Episode 108) **Season Finale**
Tuesday, March 10, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery

Wednesday, March 11

“Alaska State Troopers”
“Shots in the Snow” (Episode 910) **Season Finale**
Wednesday, March 11, 8 p.m., A&E

“Police 24/7”
“I Know My Rights” (Episode 241)
Wednesday, March 11, 8 p.m., The CW

“Feds”
“Vanishing Act” (Episode 202)
Wednesday, March 11, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“To Catch a Smuggler”
“High Caliber Highway” (Episode 1003)
Wednesday, March 11, 9 p.m., National Geographic

“Ozark Law”
“Labor Day After Dark” (Episode 210)
Wednesday, March 11, 9 p.m., A&E

“Desert Law”
“End of the Summer” (Episode 110)
Wednesday, March 11, 10 p.m., A&E

“Hunt for the Missing: Chicago”
“Lost in the Daylight” (Episode 102)
Wednesday, March 11, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery

Thursday, March 12

“The First 48”
“In Blood”
Thursday, March 12, 8 p.m., A&E

‘“Predator Hunters”
“Someone You Know and Trust” (Episode 102)
Thursday, March 12, 9 p.m., A&E

“True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here”
“Love County, Oklahoma” (Episode 304)
Thursday, March 12, 10 p.m., Sundance Now

Friday, March 13

“On Patrol: First Shift”
TBA
Friday, March 13, 8 p.m., Reelz

“On Patrol: Live”
TBA
Friday, March 13, 9 p.m., Reelz

“20/20”
TBA
Friday, March 13, 9 p.m., ABC

Saturday, March 14

“On Patrol: First Shift”
TBA
Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m., Reelz

“Buried in the Backyard”
“2000 Lb Secret” (Episode 613)
Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m., Oxygen

“Deadly Women: Fatal Instincts”
“Revenge” (Episode 205)
Saturday, March 14, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“On Patrol: Live”
TBA
Saturday, March 14, 9 p.m., Reelz

“48 Hours”
TBA
Saturday, March 14, 10 p.m., CBS

Sunday, March 15

“Snapped”
“Evelyn Zigerelli-Henderson” (Episode 3607)
Sunday, March 15, 6 p.m., Oxygen

“A Plan to Kill”
“Killer Competition” (Episode 202)
Sunday, March 15, 7 p.m., Oxygen

“Enemy at the Gate” (TV Special)
Sunday, March 15, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

Movies in Theaters or on Home Video

No new true crime movies releasing in theaters and on home video this week.

Radio/Podcasts

No new true crime radio or podcast series premiering this week.

Events

Events listed here are not considered endorsements by this website. All ticket buyers with questions or concerns about the event should contact the event promoter or ticket seller directly.

All start times listed are local time, unless otherwise noted.

No new true crime events this week.