F1 (2025; written by Ehren Kruger; from a story by Joseph Kosinski and Ehren Kruger; directed by Joseph Kosinski)

 This sports drama about Formula One racing goes through the motions of a standard Hollywood blockbuster, as an aging driver (Brad Pitt) joins a struggling F1 team, overcomes self-doubt, and eventually emerges victorious. You’ve seen it all before – and probably better – in recent films like Rush (2013) and Ford v Ferrari (2019). Yet Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski keep it moving along fast enough that you may forgive its predictability. I did.

Rating: **½

Mortal Kombat (2021; written by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham; from a story by Oren Uziel and Greg Russo; directed by Simon McQuoid)

Movies based on video games are an iffy proposition, and in all honesty I barely remember the original film from 1995 based on this popular series. This spiffed-up reboot comes with a bigger budget and upgraded (but still not great) VFX, and the result is nowhere near as fun as it should be, despite all the over-the-top deaths and face-offs. Perhaps a wittier script would’ve helped.

Rating: **

곡성 (The Wailing, 2016; written and directed by Na Hong-jin)

A Japanese man arrives at a village in South Korea and a strange illness starts to spread. As people become infected and start to kill others, 곡성 (English title: The Wailing) begins to take shape as a murder mystery, complete with an inept local police officer (Kwak Do-won) who’s in over his head. But soon writer/director Na Hong-jin’s film turns to demonic possession, with hexes, shamans, and exorcisms thrown in for good measure.

And it doesn’t end there. Nods to other horror genres – folk, zombies, ghosts – abound, as well as that particular dark humor favored by other South Korean directors like Bong Joon Ho. It all makes for an intoxicating brew that doesn’t make complete sense – I’m still not sure who was the evil entity – yet drips with so much atmosphere that the ambiguity is part of its charm.

Rating: ***

Scream (2022; written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick; directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett)

Scream VI (2023; written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick; directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett)

Scream 7 (2026; written by Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick; from a story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick; directed by Kevin Williamson)

Eleven years after Scream 4 (2011) and the franchise is revived with a fresh Scream (Part 5, but just titled Scream again). The daughter of one of the original killers (Melissa Barrera) and her half-sister (Jenna Ortega) face off against a pair of new Ghostface wackos with the aid of legacy trio Sydney (Neve Campbell), Dewey (David Arquette), and Gale (Courtney Cox). There’s not much that’s new here, but Barrera and Ortega have a nice chemistry, and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett do their best to pay homage to the Wes Craven era. I also enjoyed the fact that Scream VI moves the action to New York City, expanding the scope of the series (and the climax with three killers is a first).

And then there’s Scream 7, the worst entry in the franchise so far. Let me list a couple of reasons:

1. Barrera and Ortega are gone, instead bringing back original star Campbell after sitting out Scream VI (2023). I like Campbell, but this is a weird, what-do-we-do-now choice (and apparently motivated by Barrera’s political comments, look it up).

2. A lazy, by-the numbers story with almost no meta commentary. Every Scream movie has something to say about horror movies in one way or another. This one half-asses some sort of critique of AI, but it’s neither clever nor thrilling.

3. The reveal of the killers is rushed and ridiculous. Seriously, the next-door neighbor and the orderly from the psychiatric hospital?

I could go on, including how Cox’s character (who’s been in every Scream movie) virtually disappears during the climax. Scream 3 (2000) was a low point, but Scream 7 takes the cake. Maybe it’s time to let Ghostface rest.

Scream – Rating: **½

Scream VI – Rating: **½

Scream 7 – Rating: *½

12 Angry Men (1957; written by Reginald Rose, based on his teleplay Twelve Angry Men; directed by Sidney Lumet)

A jury goes into a room to deliberate a murder case. Eleven think the accused teenager is guilty. One of them (Henry Fonda) is not so sure. 12 Angry Men is set completely inside one enclosed space, deriving a great amount of tension from solid performances, director Sidney Lumet’s staging, and Carl Lerner’s tight editing. Best is the fact that the script by Reginald Rose offers no clear answers – the man may be guilty, but still deserves the moral duty of a fair trial over possible bias. They don’t make films like this anymore.

Rating: ***

They Will Kill You (2026; written by Kirill Sokolov and Alex Litvak; directed by Kirill Sokolov)

Rich people with ties to Satan and nefarious plans for the poor? Yep, they’re all around. But let’s talk movies. In They Will Kill You, an ex-convict (Zazie Beetz) looking for her sister in a New York high-rise finds a bunch of wealthy assholes who want to sacrifice her to the Devil. Think Ready or Not (2019) but with a hyperkinetic B-movie vibe that’s all sorts of gruesome fun. Plus how can you dislike a movie featuring a disembodied sentient eyeball?

Rating: **½

Project Hail Mary (2026; written by Drew Goddard; based on the novel by Peter Weir; directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)

This sci-fi flick about a middle school teacher on a mission to save Earth is goofy and earnest, a throwback to the type of 80s movies in which sympathetic humans and benign aliens were friends. It’s reasonably entertaining, with a likable performance by Ryan Gosling as the reluctant astronaut, and old-fashioned puppetry for his rock-like buddy Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz). But it’s also overlong, the tone and pacing are uneven, and the jokey script by Drew Goddard sometimes doesn’t land. Still, as far as formulaic movies go, Project Hail Mary is a fine Saturday night at the movies.

Rating: **½

Carlos I. Cuevas