“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” Review

Year: 2026, Director: Nia DaCosta

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-NBA

Chalk “The Bone Temple” up on the Mt. Rushmore of standout trilogy second chapters. For those that found “28 Years Later” slightly underwhelming,“Bone Temple” brings the heat, raging seamlessly from the first installment and focusing more on the human side of evil. Ralph Fiennes is once again brilliant as Dr. Kelson, and we get to see a lot more of him. The direction also takes a refreshing turn under the steady guidance of Nia DaCosta. For all of the techniques that make Danny Boyle so unique, DaCosta gives us a less manic and more palatable view.

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” Review

Year: 2023, Director: Kelly Fremon Craig

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

For a movie that ponders such deep themes, AYTGIMM is surprisingly whimsical. This is a rare feat. The soundtrack certainly helps, with 60/70’s all-timers from the likes of The Drifters, Shocking Blue, Dusty Springfield, The Grass Roots, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. What anchors AYTGIMM, though, is a lights-out performance by the teenage Abby Ryder Forston in the lead role. This coming-of-age exploration of faith and adolescent tribulation tactfully glides along, and never browbeats its audience with a sermon-like moral of the story. Those expecting a religious endorsement will not get one, and I think that's for the best.

“Scanners” Review

Year: 1981, Director: David Cronenberg

OP-ROB RATING: BUST

Conceptually, this is a very interesting film. It would be prime material for a big budget remake or a limited series. What makes Cronenberg's exploding-heads sci-fi adventure flop is not the outdated special effects, but the singularly bad acting of Stephen Lack as the telepathic main character, Cameron Vale. It is so poor that it actually becomes distracting, pushing the film into almost unwatchable territory. The strength of “Scanners” is its story, which still has relevance today, especially in deep-state corporate malfeasance tales like Apple TV’s “Severance”. Worth watching only for the most diehard Cronenbergians.

“F1” Review

Year: 2025, Director: Joseph Kosinski

OP-ROB RATING: STARTER

I wanted a “Top Gun: Maverick” experience from “F1”. I realize this was unfair. There's no nostalgic nitrous for “F1”. There's not the same built-in rah rah Americana. Nonetheless, this was Joseph Kosinski's next big film. It stars another one of the “Holy Trinity” with Brad Pitt in the lead role. The plot devices between the two movies are basically identical. Yet nothing hits on the same level. In a vacuum, “F1” has more gas. The sound and effects are incredible, the story is entertaining. Nonetheless, “Mav” casts a big shadow. If “Maverick” is Cheez-Its, “F1” is Cheez-Its Reduced Fat.

“Peter Hujar’s Day” Review

Year: 2025, Director: Ira Sachs

OP-ROB RATING: STARTER

Peter Hujar was a photographer that specialized in black-and-white portraits while living in New York City throughout the 1970s and 1980s. This film adapts a 1974 interview with Hujar by the writer Linda Rosenkrantz. By “adapt”, I mean the camera literally just films Rosenkrantz asking questions, and Hujar talking. I suppose the highlight is his explanation of a photo-shoot with Allen Ginsburg, but the minor details are more interesting. It’s 76 minutes well-spent, if only to see Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall shine, and be rewarded with a Wikipedia marathon to catch up on myriad references to NYC subculture.