Mar 12 2025
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Movie Reviews

Oh, the Pain

In “Novocaine,” Jack Quaid dives into danger as a man with no feelings…sort of

Novocaine
Starring Jack Quaid & Amber Midthunder
Directed by Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
Rated R

In theaters Friday, March 14

When his office crush gets abducted, a young bank assistant manager sets out to rescue her. That sounds like it could be the setup for any number of flicks, but this gonzo action comedy hinges on the “ordinary” hero’s rare genetic disorder, which prevents him from feeling pain.

We learn that Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid, from TV’s The Boys) grew up with the nickname of Novocaine, given to him by bullying schoolmates who delighted in making him their recess punching bag; they enjoyed seeing him take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. (P.S., Nathan’s condition is a real-world thing, CIP, or congenital insensitivity to pain, which affects a spectrum of bodily sensitivities.)  On a tentative first date at a diner, he tells Sherry (Amber Midthunder) that he dares not ingest solid food (he might chew up his tongue and not know it), and his wristwatch timer is reminding him to take a bathroom break (because he doesn’t get a natural “signal” that his bladder needs emptying).

But when the bank gets robbed and Sherry gets taken as a hostage, Nathan isn’t thinking about pee breaks as he plunges into a gauntlet of pain-free heroics, encountering sneering bad guys, booby-trapped lairs, flying bullets and body-slamming brawls. I must give the movie credit for finding, ahem, creative ways to illustrate just how impervious Nathan is to pain. He gets walloped in a wide variety of ways, like the coyote in a real-life Road Runner cartoon. He breaks his thumb to slip out of handcuffs and turns a broken bone—his own protruding tibia—into a lethal weapon. He has his fingernails pulled out with pliers, gets plugged with an arrow from a crossbow, almost crushed under a garage car lift, impaled with a medieval mace and calmly digs out a bullet from his arm.  

But here’s the thing. Nathan is no John Wick, no James Bond or Deadpool. He can be grievously injured, or even killed—he just doesn’t “feel” it, which puts him in even more peril. People with CIP won’t know spilled coffee can scald their hand, because they don’t get the “Ouch! That hurts!” message. That sets up the subplot, about how Nathan might not register physical discomfort, but he’s not immune from emotional distress. (The movie opens with REM’s “Everybody Hurts.”) Quaid, the son of actors Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, has an amiable everyman quality that squares with Nathan as an average guy, certainly no superhero, who removes the “dis” from his “disability” and dives right into danger.

And people do get killed. The movie’s rampaging dark humor doesn’t really jibe with all the blood and body goop, or when people expire via bullets or beatings.

Amber Midthunder, who has appeared in FX’s Legion and starred in The CW’s sci-fi drama Roswell, New Mexico, brings a tantalizing dash of ambiguity and vulnerability to her role as the “love interest,” noting that we’re all scarred by something, hiding a part of ourselves until someone lets us know it’s OK to show it. Matt Walsh, from TV’s Veep, gets in a few droll quips as a sports-obsessed cop.

But mainly, Novocaine wants to show Nathan enduring an avalanche of mayhem and make audiences squeal with perverse glee seeing him rebound from every body-abusing, bone-breaking, skin-scaring whack, crunch, burn, blast and kaboom. You may think it’s all giddy popcorn fun, but for me, I didn’t particularly enjoy being turned into a movie surrogate for those schoolyard bullies, who kicked Nathan’s ass repeatedly, every day, because they knew, hey, he can’t feel it.

At least, in The Road Runner, when the coyote gets flattened with an anvil to the head or smushed by a bolder, well, it’s only a cartoon—with no squishy viscera or protruding bones.

—Neil Pond

Mar 07 2025
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The Entertainment Forecast

What to Watch and More, March 7 – March 13

Hugh Grant breaks bad, SNL’s gaga for Gaga, Ringo’s big night & Carrie U joins AI!

FRIDAY, March 7
Heretic
Hugh Grant plays bad in this white-knuckle horror movie (above) as a strange man who invites a couple of Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) into his secluded home…and some awful things start to happen (Max).

When No One Sees Us
Spanish-language series explores crimes in the political and cultural frontier of so-called “deep Spain,” and one of the largest U.S. military bases abroad, during the celebration of Holy Week (Max).

SATURDAY, March 8
Saturday Night Live
The iconic weekend comedy cornerstone, fresh off its landmark 50th anniversary celebrations, returns to live TV with tonight’s host and musical guest, Lady Gaga, doing double duty, marking her second appearance as host and her fifth as performer (11:30 p.m., NBC).

Women Who Rock
Salute female hitmakers with a day of rock-block groovin’ from Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Cyndi Lauper and Pat Benatar, plus a countdown of top songs named after women (begins 1:30 p.m., AXS TV).

SUNDAY, March 9
American Idol
Superstar Carrie Underwood comes aboard in tonight’s season premiere as the latest judge—two decades after she herself claimed the title (ABC).

Filthy Fortunes
Matt Paxton, a modern-day treasure hunter, scours the country in this new reality series, searcing for rare, valuable items hidden inside some of the most cluttered, filthy homes in America (10 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, March 10
Ringo & Friends at the Ryman
The wide-ranging musical legacy of the former Beatle (above) is celebrated “with a little help from his friends,” including Sheryl Crow, Brenda Lee, Rodney Crowell, Larkin Poe and Billy Springs, at Nashville’s most hallowed hall (8 p.m., CBS).

Confessions of Octomom
Learn the story of Kristen Lee Gutoskie, who used IVF to birth 14 kids, including a set of octuplets—and survived being torn apart by the tabloid media (10 p.m., Lifetime).

TUESDAY, March 11
Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna
Documentary takes you inside the making of the movie Rust, in which a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin discharged, wounding the film’s director and killing its cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins (above). As the lawsuits and frenzy of media attention took over the narrative, a private, personal tragedy was overshadowed (Hulu).

Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party
Remastered ‘80s documentary by director Cameron Crowe follows the late rock hitmaker and his band as they finish, promote and tour with their Long After Dark album, which contained the hit “You Got Lucky” (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, March 13
The Parenting
Horror comedy stars Lisa Kudrow, Edie Falco, Brian Cox, Parker Posey, Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn in a tale of a couple trying to arrange for their parents to meet for the first time…at a rented cabin haunted by a 400-year-old poltergeist (Max).

Long Bright River
Amanda Seyfried stars in this new series, based on a No. 1 bestselling novel, about a Philly police officer working a neighborhood hard-hit with the opioid crisis when a string of murders suggest they’re possibly related to her past (Peacock).

Like Tears in Rain
Documentary about the late Dutch actor Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Sin City, Batman Begins) features interviews with Whoopi Goldberg, Miranda Richardson and more. Did you know that Hauer was named in 1999 as the Dutch Actor of the Century? (Viaplay).

BRING IT HOME

Women Who Run Hollywood (Kino Lorber), a compilation of four previously released documentaries, profiles three Tinseltown trailblazers who all broke the “glass ceiling” of the studio system as screenwriters, actors and directors: Mary Pickford, the silent-era superstar who went on to co-found United Artists; Dorothy Arzner, one of the only female directors of the ‘30s; and Ida Lupino, the actress who bravely embraced roles in films confronting “taboo” subjects like unwed mothers, sexual assault and bigamy. https://kinolorber.com/product/women-who-run-hollywood

Now available for the first time on Blu-ray, The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers (Film Movement) features the acclaimed 1980s PBS series, with mythologist Joseph Campbell aboard to explore how “sacred stories” offer millennia-spanning insights into the spiritual core of human nature. Bonus features include a never-aired discussion on Star Wars.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Springtime is just around the corner, and everything’s coming up roses early in The Rose Book (Phaedon), a visual survey of our most “romantic” flower and all its incarnations in history, pop culture, fashion…and gardens! Learn all about the iconic, sweet-smelling bloom’s endless varieties and how it’s been an inspiration for artists, poets and lovers for centuries.

This new reissue of a classic collection, DogsDogs (Phaedon) features photographer Elliott Erwitt’s whimsical, black-and-white portraits and snapshots of canines in a variety of situations, fetching, walking, snuggling, playing or otherwise just chillin’. It will bring page after page of smiles to any dog lover’s face.

Mar 05 2025
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Movie Reviews

Bruiser Babe

“Queen of the Ring” is the true story of the woman at the colorful center of a wrestling revolution

Queen of the Ring
Starring Emily Bett Richards, Josh Lucas & Francesca Eastwood
Directed by Ash Avildsen
Rated PG-13

In theaters Friday, March 7

Unless you’re a deep-dish wrestling fan, you probably don’t know about Mildred Burke, who dominated the sport for some 20 years as the “Kansas Cyclone.” This is her story, based on the 2009 book by Jeff Leen, The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend.

That title pretty much says it all—sensuality, brawn and glamour wrapped in wrestling tights. Emily Bett Richards, best known for her role as brainy Felicity Smoak on the CW series Arrow and its DC spinoffs, slips convincingly into the starring role of Burke, a single mom raising her baby boy while slinging hash in a small-town diner and dreaming of a way out of the boonies.

“I’ve always loved being feminine and tough,” Mildred says, hooked on the rough-and-tumble razzle-dazzle of seeing her first wrestling match, as a hyped-up crowd boos a hissable “heel” putting the hurt on a handsome “babyface.” The stars align when she meets a dashing wrestling promoter, Billy Wolfe (Josh Lucas), who gives her a shot in his traveling wrestling sideshow. Soon she’s grappling in carnivals with big sweaty guys from the crowd—and beating them.

And she finds herself falling for Billy Wolfe, several years older. Their “complicated” on-again/off-again relationship is a major crux of the movie, especially when she finds out he’s a cad, canoodling with other girls as he grooms them for the ring.  

Mildred becomes a ticket-selling draw, a wrestling superstar, a heroine to little girls, and a big part of the mainstreaming of “lady wrestlers” at a time when female wrestling was illegal in much of the country.  As a tagline for the movie notes, she becomes the first female million-dollar athlete in history—long, long, long before Venus Williams, Simone Biles or Coco Gauff came into the sports spotlight.

Director Ash Avildsen knows a thing or two about sports flicks. You might say they’re in his blood. He’s the son of Oscar-winning director John Avildsen, who made Rocky and three Karate Kid movies. Queen of the Ring certainly makes the most of its modest budget, and the wrestling scenes have the wallop and wham of authenticity. You’ll spot some familiar faces playing real people from the wrestling world. Walton Goggins (currently on HBO’s season three of The White Lotus) is East Coast wrestling mogul Jack Pfefer. Hey, isn’t that Francesca Eastwood (Clint’s daughter) as wrestler Mae Young, who has a thing for other girls in tights? And there’s Martin Kove, who played the original antagonist in The Karate Kid, as promoter Al Haft. Adam Demos (from the Netflix series Sex/Life) is “Gorgeous George” Wagner, who became a strutting superstar with a flair for flamboyant showmanship and a head topped with bountiful, blonde-dyed hair.

The movie strikingly recreates scenes and settings from its era-spanning story, from the 1930s into the ’60s, when television catapulted wrestling into dens and living rooms across America. (There must have been a separate line item on the budget for men’s fedoras and porkpie hats). And it gets a some further bona fides with appearances by real-life female wrestlers, like Toni Storm (an All Elite Wrestling world champion) and Kamille (nee Kailee Dawn Latimer), making her film debut as the towering, tough-as-nails June Byers, who would become, like Mildred, a Professional Wrestling Hall of Famer.  

Throughout the movie, we’re reminded that wrestling is highly physical—and sometimes dangerous, as wrestlers can be seriously injured, or even killed, in the ring.  But it’s also a show, a spectacle, a piece of stagecraft with characters, personas and plotlines. “I want to entertain people,” Mildred says. “I can’t sing, and I can’t dance. But I can tell a story.”

Stay for the credits and you’ll learn that Mildred Burke died, at the age of 73, in 1989. But her story is one of force, determination, reinvention and perseverance, and Richards digs in with a vigorous intensity to flesh out her character’s multilayered persona as a mother, breadwinner and savvy businesswoman who found success, fame and riches in a “man’s world.” This wrestling tale about the queen of the ring has a rousing ring of truth, especially for anyone who wants to learn more—in this Women’s History Month—about a woman at the center of a colorful chapter of wrestling history.

—Neil Pond

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Mar 04 2025
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Movie Reviews

You Go, Girls!

Movie review: “Rule Breakers” tells the inspiring true story of a group of high school computer-whiz Afghans who rocked the world at international competitions

Rule Breakers
Starring Nikohl Boosheri, Ali Fazell & Waj Ali
Directed by Bill Gutenberg
Rated PG

In theaters Friday, March 7

Since it’s Women’s History Month, here’s some Women’s History—about a group of teenage girls from war-torn Afghanistan that came to America in 2017 to compete in a global robotics competition.  Based on their inspiring story, this emotionally stirring dramatic recreation reminds us of their impressive feat—from a part of the world at a time where girls and women were just beginning to emerge from the brutal oppressions of Taliban rule—and illustrates the courage of these young women, the power of dreams and the importance of education.

If you love “underdog” stories, Rule Breakers certainly falls into that category. It’s Rocky with robots. Canadian actress Nikohl Boosheri leads the cast as the determined young college student—based on Roya Mahboob, the real-life IT pioneer and software guru recognized by TIME magazine in 2013 for building internet classrooms in her native Afghanistan—who teaches a group of high school girls basic programming skills, then how to build and operate robots. But it’s not easy, as they navigate volatile—and violent—Middle Eastern politics and defy the country’s heavy-handed patriarchal norms to become a team, the Afghan Dreamers, and participate in competitions around the world.

The movie mostly follows familiar dramatic “beats” as the girls bravely break the rules…and navigate the perils, including Taliban threats, a roadside ambush and a mosque bombing that strikes tragically close to home. And the film certainly represents Mahboob’s advocacy for girls and women—the empowerment of education and the global “language” of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)—as it shows young minds from varying cultures, religions, languages and customs coming together with a common goal of finding solutions to large-scale humanitarian problems, like detecting toxins in water and locating land mines, left over from deadly warfare, so they can be safely removed.

“The world has too many borders, and too many walls,” says one of the competition organizers, stressing the positive vibes of diversified global get-togethers that encourage cooperation and unity while fostering innovation, fueling young brainpower and creating bridges instead of barriers. “It’s not people building robots,” says one of the participants. “It’s robots building people.”

It’s also got a guest appearance by Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and a performance spot for the Black Eyed Peas to remind everyone at a competition that “Tonight’s gonna be a good night.” There even some situational humor, and one scene—set in a thumpin’ German disco—where the girls shake off their head coverings, let down their hair and allow themselves a few glorious groovin’ moments before getting back to work. As Cyndi Lauper reminded us way back in the ‘80s, girls just wanna have fun. Even hajib-wearing, computer-coding, robot-rockin’ Afghani teens, taking a short break from breaking the rules, crossing borders and making the world a better place.  

—Neil Pond

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Feb 28 2025
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 28 – March 6

Hollywood biggest night, a murderous gigolo & Kevin Hart goes to ‘toon town

Will Conclave, Wicked or The Substance take home the night’s big Oscars?

FRIDAY, Feb. 28
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Guy Fieri loads up on barbecue, turkey legs and brisket fries on a trip to Memphis before heading to New York and blueberry pierogies, meatballs and cheddar chicken (9 p.m., Food Network).

Why You Like It: Decoding Musical Tastes
Composer and musicologist Dr. Nolan Gasser explores the science and culture behind our musical preferences (check local listings, PBS).

SATURDAY, March 1
Killing the Competition
Melissa Joan Hart stars in this new network movie inspired by the real-life story of a mother who turns to kidnapping when her daughter is cut from her high school dance team (Lifetime).

Million Dollar Zombie Flips
House flippers fix up dilapidated homes in the Seattle area, turning them into mansions (11 a.m., A&E).

SUNDAY, March 2
The Oscars
Conan O’Brien hosts, and we’ll see who comes out on top among top contenders including Emelia PerĂŠz, The Brutalist, Conclave, Anora, A Complete Unknown and Wicked. And Karla Sofia Gascòn has already made history as the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Actress. But can she win after her “mean tweets” on social media?  (7 p.m., ABC).

Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue
Eric McCormack, Lydia Wilson and Adam Long are among the cast in this thriller series about survivors of a plane crash in the Mexican jungle who later begin to die in strange and violent ways. Ten passports, nine bodies, one deadly secret. (9 p.m., MGM+).

MONDAY, March 3
Recipes for Love and Murder
In the new season of the culinary murder mystery (above), a massive fire engulfs the small town of Eden, and a fateful chain of events brings together the lead characters in a multiple homidide investigation that uncovers the town’s darkest secrets (Acorn TV).

Celtic City
Nine-part documentary series chronicles the Boston Celtics, the city’s winningest sports franchise, from its founding to its triumphant 2024 season (HBO Sports).

Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas
Docuseries (above) about the investigation of a former cast member of the TV reality show Gigolos, who was arrested for killing a young woman in his home in a bloody tangle of sex work, fame and the lure of “Sin City” (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, March 4
The Rare Breed
No, it’s not the English Foxhound. Rather, it’s this rugged 1966 Western starring James Stewart, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith—a rather unlikely combo of stars from It’s a Wonderful Life, The Parent Trap and TV’s Family Affair, in a tale that mixes bull breeding, greedy criminals and untamed Texas (8:45 p.m., TCM).

WEDNESDAY, March 5
The Amazing Race
On your mark, get set…go! Go to the couch, that is, to watch as the 37th race in the hit TV competition begins tonight with a group of 14 new teams (above) kicking off their global trek in Japan (9:30 p.m., CBS).

THURSDAY, March 6
Deli Boys
Comedy about a pair of Pakistani-American brothers who uncover the secret life of their late convenience-store magnate father (Hulu).

Lil Kev
Adult animated comedy was inspired by Kevin Hart’s childhood in Philadelphia, with voices by Hart, Wanda Sykes and Deon Cole (BET+).

NOW HEAR THIS

The iconic 1986 Bon Jovi album Slippery When Wet, which catapulted the group into the rock mainstream and sold more than 12 million copies, has been re-released on multiple formats—including one with heavy-duty vinyl encasing a blue liquid…which looks slippery ‘n’ wet indeed! Hear classic hits (“You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Lilvin’ on a Prayer”), plus newly added bonus features on the digital edition, including live tracks from the group’s 1987 tour.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

What do termite mounds, dolphins, rainbows, carnivals, the Roman poet Ovid, our sense of balance, caves and animal feces all have in common? They’re all in Phenomena: An Infographic Guide to Almost Everything (Thames & Hudson), an engrossing collection of charts, graphics and other “visualized” information. Dig in and prepare to be well-informed!

BRING IT HOME

When Santa (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped from the North Pole, his beefy head of security (Dwayne Johnson) springs into action with the help of a wisecracking bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to bring him home and save Christmas. It’s merry mayhem in Red One (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), with appearances by Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt and Nick Kroll.

Feb 21 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 21 – Feb. 27

A ‘Star Wars’ marathon, Tom Hanks the all-American & the king of Israel is in da ‘House’!

The ‘Saving Private Ryan’ star narrates a 10-part doc about the Americas.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 21
Surface
In season two of the psychological thriller, Gugu Mbatha-Raw returns to the starring role as a young London woman who’s lost her memory and trying to piece her life back together—and realizing she’s in the company of some very dangerous people (Apple TV+).

A Thousand Blows
The latest from the creator of Peaky Blinders, this new series (below) set in the brutal world of illegal boxing was inspired by true-life tales of survival in the criminal underbelly of 1880s Victorian London (Hulu).  

SATURDAY, Feb. 22
Abducted in the Everglades
Tori Spelling stars in this lurid TV movie as a mom searching for her daughter that goes missing on a spring break trip in Miami (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Star Wars Marathon
Strap in and make the jump to hyperspace with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker (begins 1:45 p.m., TBS).

SUNDAY, Feb. 23
The Americas
Sprawling ten-part nature documentary series about our “supercontinent” of North and South America, narrated by Tom Hanks, was five years in the making—and you can see why! (NBC and BBC). 

Grosse Point Garden Society
Members of a suburban garden club find their lives interwoven by scandal, mischief and a scared secret. New series stars AnnaSopha Robb, Ben Rappapport and Nancy Travis (10 p.m., NBC).

MONDAY, Feb. 24
Beyond the Gates
New daytime drama is set in a leafy Maryland suburb, one of the most affluent Black counties in America (and just beyond the gates of the White House). Starring Michelle Visage, Clifton Davis and Daphne Duplaix (2 p.m., CBS).

Bike Vessel
After several heath crises, a 70-year-old man embarks on a transformative long-distance cycling trip with his son in this moving documentary (Independent Lens).

TUESDAY, Feb. 25
Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP
Meet the longtime leader of the NAACP and one of the most influential—but least known—figures in civil rights history (9 p.m., PBS).

Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015
Six-part anthology illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equality and racial justice in the decades following the American civil rights movement (HBO).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26
Baltimore’s Bridge Collapse
Find out more about the 2024 disaster when a massive container ship plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six highway workers. Are other bridges at risk of the same thing? (9 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 27
The House of David
New series based on the biblical story of David (Michael Iskander) and how he eventually became the most celebrated and storied king of Israel (Prime Video).

The Case of Iwona Wieczorek
This gripping docuseries delves into one of the best-known disappearances in recent Polish history, about a 19-year-old high school graduate who vanished on the way home from a party (Viaplay).

READ ALL ABOUT

The British ‘rock scene comes alive in Dennis Morris: Music + Life (Thames & Hudson), a handsome retrospective of the lauded rock photographer’s exploration of music, race, culture and class, and his capture-the-moment lens work with Bob Marley, Oasis, The Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, LL Cool J, Oasis, Grace Jones, Patti Smith, Marianne Faithful and other British celebs.

Baseball season only lasts about half a year, but A Baseball Book of Days (McFarland) by Phil Coffin stretches out the saga of the game through an entire year—a chronically arranged compendium of trivia, facts, record-setting achievements, firsts, onlys and what-might-have-beens made to last from January thru December. It’s a grand slam of goodies for baseball fans of any stripe.

NOW HEAR THIS

Celebrated the 40th anniversary of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen debut as a solo act with The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 (Rhino), a splendid five-disc set with “Just a Gigilo,” “California Girls,” “Tobacco Road,” “Just Like Paradise” and much more music from Diamond Dave’s albums and EPs, including Crazy From the Heat, Eat ‘Em and Smile and Skyscraper.

BRING IT HOME

It brought home an armload of eight Oscars, and now you can see why all over again as Amadeus celebrates its 40th anniversary with a new 4K restoration. With star turns from F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulse (fresh outta Animal House!) as the young musical genius Wolfgang Mozart, and Jeffrey Jones (the principal from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

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Feb 19 2025
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Movie Reviews

Monkey See, Monkey Kill

The deep horror roots of the sinister simian wind-up toy in “The Monkey”

The Monkey
Starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Colin O’Brien & Christian Convery
Directed by Osgood Perkins
Rated R

In theaters Friday, Feb. 21

As a horror flick, The Monkey certainly has its bona fides. It’s based on a 1980 short story by horror maestro Steven King, inspired by a much older classic creepy tale, The Monkey’s Paw, by British author W.W. Jacobs. One of the producers is James Wan, the creator of Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises. The director, Osgood Perkins, made last year’s Longlegs, a wild ride of freakish serial-killer disturbia with Nicolas Cage and a demonic doll. And the director is the son of Anthony Perkins, forever enshrined in the halls of horror as the cray-cray, cross-dressing Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho.

Here, murder and mayhem swirl around a wind-up monkey “toy” that unleashes all kinds of hellzapoppin’ when someone turns the “key” on its back, making its mechanical arms start to bang on a drum. As a drummer myself, hey, I get it—some people don’t think much of drum solos. But at least no one’s ever died, as far as I know, because I dig into a roll or a few paradiddles.

Theo James (from the dystopian Divergent films, and season two of The White Lotus) plays double roles as the adult versions of twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who’ve grown up loathing each other. As kids (both effectively played by Christian Convery, from Netflix’s Sweet Tooth) rummaging through their dad’s collection of souvenir curios, they discover a box containing the monkey. “Turn the key and see what happens” is the instruction on a label on the monkey’s back.

What happens when the key gets turned is spectacularly bad news. People start to die, in twistedly inventive, Rube Goldberg-ian ways—decapitated by a flying knife at a Japanese steakhouse, trampled to death in a sleeping bag by wild horses, mangled by a lawnmower, beheaded by a cannonball, eviscerated with a speargun in a pawn shop. No one is safe when this monkey gets cranked.

Unlike some other evil “objects” or playthings (like the dolls in Chuckie, Anabelle, M3GAN or The Boy), the monkey doesn’t participate or engage in the mayhem. It doesn’t come alive and pick up a kitchen knife, like the South America voodoo doll in Trilogy of Terror, chasing Karen Black in the made-for-TV shocker back in 1975, or directly menace Telly Savalas like Talking Tina, the “Living Doll” on that 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone. This sinister simian is more a silent summoner of evil, an inscrutable avatar for the deep, dark pit of existential unknowable-ness, staring us down with a relentless, unsettling grin and a drumbeat heralding doom…for someone.

Elijah Wood (Frodo from The Hobbit-verse) has a scene as a gonzo parenting guru, and the director himself slips into the role of Hal and Bill’s swinger uncle.  

The movie, which often feels like a smart-ass comedic spoof and send-up of horror cliches, runs on gleeful, ghoulish humor and an embrace of its own wild, wooly weirdness—like the school cheerleaders who show up to rah-rah-sis-boom-bah at murder scenes. It’s also got a subtext about fathers and sons, deadbeat dads, the various toxicities that families “pass down” through generations, and the infallible truth that we’ll all inevitably meet our expiration date someday. The movie even literalizes a line from the Book or Revelation: “And I looked and beheld a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death.” Giddy-up!

“Everybody dies,” the boy’s mother (Tatiana Maslany) tells them, after the funeral of their babysitter. “That’s life.”

That’s certainly life with The Monkey, where a twist of its key always brings an insanely over-the-top, spectacularly splattery encounter with the grim reaper. Who’ll be next? How many more people will die? Is the Monkey the devil? Can it be stopped?

And can you ever hear the retro grooves of Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ the Night Away” again without thinking of a grinning keyed-up monkey, lopped-off heads, killer bees, and how a cobra can leap out of a golf course hole and clamp down on your jugular?

—Neil Pond

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Feb 14 2025
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 14 – Feb. 20

Valentine’s Day ‘toons, a Marvel marathon & the return of ‘The White Lotus’

Peter and Lois get frisky on a Valentine’s Day-themed ‘Family Guy.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 14
Valentine’s Day Marathon
Love is in the air, and on the screen, with back-to-back romantically themed episodes of King of the Hill, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and Futurama (begins 9 a.m, FXX).

The Gorge
Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star in this new thriller about an unseen enemy, a cataclysmic threat against humanity, and two sentries stationed on opposite sides of a massive gorge (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 15
Marvel Movie Marathon
After yesterday’s lovey-dovey, bulk up with some superhero action alongside Iron Man 3, Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: The First Avenger, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and more (7:30 am, continuing 8 a.m tomorrow, FX).

Cats, Cows and Cryptorchids
Dr. Cori gives a cow a pregnancy test, and her colleague Dr. Allison gets a lucky break. And, p.s., cryptorchids are undescended testicles (10 p.m., National Geographic).

SUNDAY, Feb. 16
Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103
New four-part investigative series tracks the mysterious circumstances behind the bomb explosion of a Pan Am flight over Scotland in 1988, resulting in the deaths of 270 people, the majority of whom were Americans (9 p.m., CNN).

The White Lotus
The eight-episode third season of the twisty, Emmy-winning mystery drama from creator Mike White is this time set in an exclusive Thai resort, with a new cast that includes Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Parker Posey (HBO).

MONDAY, Feb. 17
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story
Lucy Boynton (above) stars in this four-part series about the last woman hanged in England, in 1955, exposing British obsessions of class, sex and death (Britbox).

On TV: A Black History Month Special
Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, the first Black co-hosting team for Entertainment Tonight, host this look back at trailblazing Black TV actors and others forging new paths today (8 p.m., CBS).

TUESDAY, Feb. 18
We Beat the Dream Team
The little-known story of a group of college basketball players who beat the legendary “Dream Team” (Larry Byrd, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordon) in a 1992 scrimmage (Max).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19
Good Cop/Bad Cop
Leighton Meester, Luke Cook and Clancy Brown star in new comedic drama series about a brother/sister odd-couple detective team investigating crimes in the picturesque Pacific Northwest (9 p.m., The CW).

Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief
Discover the secret networks of curators and dealers who made fortunes from Nazi-looted art in the aftermath of WWII, perpetuating a decades-long war crime that’s never been fully revealed or resolved (10 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, Feb. 20
Memes and Nightmares
Satirical film framed as a dark “buddy comedy” dives into the culture of memes, viral moments and digital fandom that have turned college basketball into a 24/7 cultural phenomena (Hulu).

How I Escaped My Cult
New true-crime series kicks off with the tale of one young woman who recounts her horrific time as a sex slave for cult leader Tony Alamo, holding the keys to his eventual downfall (9 p.m., Freeform).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Who was Hollywood’s first stunt woman? It was Helen Gibson, the subject of Mally O’Mera’s richly detailed biography Daughter of Daring (Hanover Square), which spotlights the former rodeo rider’s rough and tumble life in the movies in the early 1900s—long before Tom Cruise began to brag about doing his own stunts!

BRING IT HOME

The age-old tale of Dracula gets a horrifying new life in Nosferatu (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), about a vampire (Bill Skarsgård) obsessed with a young maiden (Lily-Rose Depp) in a deliciously dark, goth-drenched saga of blood, lust and unholy evil. Willem Dafoe is an equally obsessed vampire hunter, and Nicholas Hoult is a swoon-worthy young swain. It’s a top-notch take that gives an iconic horror story a fresh new set of fangs.

Feb 07 2025
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Books, History, Music, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 7 – Feb. 13

Willie’s tailgate party, puppies in a bowl & Bridget Jones is back!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 7
The Critics Choice Awards
Conclave and Wicked lead the pack at this annual evening honoring the year’s top movies, acting and other achievements, as voted by people who cover film professionally. Chelsea Handler returns as host (7 p.m., E!)

We Live in Time
Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in this acclaimed movie about a couple trying to build the life they’ve always dreamed of, until a painful truth puts their love story to the test (Max).

SATURDAY, Feb. 8
I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story
Dramatized biopic (starring Joaquina Kalukango) about the rise to fame of America’s “Queen of Disco,” whose signature song “I Will Survive” became a timeless pop anthem of resilience, endurance and self-sufficiency (8 p.m., Lifetime).

65
This 2023 sci-fi adventure stars Adam Driver as an astronaut who finds—after a catastrophic crash—he’s actually stranded on Earth….65 million years ago! With Ariana Greenblatt (8 p.m., FX).

SUNDAY, Feb. 9
Puppy Bowl XXI
Are you Team Ruff or Team Fluff? Pick your side for this annual clash of cuddly cuties featuring rescue pups from around the world and spotlighting the good work of shelters that help animals find forever homes (2 p.m., Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+).

Concerts ‘Till Kickoff
Get ready for tonight’s “big game” with this daylong tailgate party, a marathon of live performances from Willie Nelson, Blackberry Smoke, ZZ Top, Toby Keith, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Zac Brown Band (9 a.m., AXS).

MONDAY, Feb. 10
Extracted
No, it’s not about a dental procedure, but rather a new competition in which  a dozen “untrained” contestants try to survive grueling and perilous conditions while their families keep watch…and refrain from hitting the “extract” button to have their loved one removed from their dire circumstances (8 p.m., Fox).

This Time Next Year
Adapted from a best-selling novel by Sophie Cousens, this romcom stars the author and Lucien Laviscount (from Emily in Paris) as two people born on the same day, in the same hospital, just one minute apart. What happens when they grow up? You’ll find out (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Feb. 11
Match Point
Mockumentary series stars former NFL players Vernon Davis and Omar Bolden as one-time Olympic tennis gold medalists who’re now hapless sports podcasters (Apple TV+ and Prime).  

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12
Eric Clapton Unplugged…Over 30 Years Later
Ninety-minute special is an extended and remastered edition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s live performance of “Layla,” “Tears in Heaven” and other hits originally recorded in 1992 for the MTV franchise (Paramount+).

THURSDAY, Feb. 13
Sly Lives!
Documentary about ‘70s supergroup Sly and the Family Stone features commentary by Chaka Kahn, Clive Davis, Nile Rogers, Andre 3000 and others (Hulu).

Mad About the Boy
Renee Zellweger returns in this new streamer to the role from Bridget Jones’ Diary that made her a movie romcom heroine, as Bridget is now alone once again (this time with two young children) and reenters the world of moms, kids and dating apps. Memorable movie costars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth also make appearances (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Think there are too many rules, too much regulation, too much bureaucracy? Author Barry Lam, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, argues in the eye-opening Fewer Rules, Better People: The Case for Discretion (W.W. Norton) that a society awash in requirements and mandates makes us dumber, not smarter. Discretion and ethics play important roles in many of our everyday decisions and actions. Find out more about what can be good about that, and what the author says is not.

What’s that shiny surface? It might be a piece of art! In MirrorMirror: The Reflective Surface in Contemporary Art (Thames & Hudson), author Michael Petry shows how reflective surfaces—glass, shiny steel, vinyl, obsidian—are used all over the world in artworks that appeal to our senses, reflect our vanities and take us to places of joy, marvel and inspiration.

Jan 31 2025
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DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 31 – Feb. 6

Cruisin’ with Guy, Superbowl commercials & Amy Schumer’s baby bump

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Jan. 31
Guy’s Ultimate Family Cruise
Guy Fiero takes his family to the Caribbean in this new special celebrating his son’s high school graduation, diving into all sorts of food and adventure along the way (9 p.m., Food Network).

Vietnam: The War That Changed America
Six-part series narrated by actor Ethan Hawke commemorates the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of one of the most divisive military conflicts in American history (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Feb. 1
Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story
Biopic (starring Jearnest Corchado) all about the Puerto Rican teen who became a hit-making Latina artist with hits including “Can You Feel the Beat,” “All Cried Out” and “Lost in Emotion.” (8 p.m, Lifetime).

New York Homicide
Can’t get enough of the real-world nitty gritty? Well, here’s another show for you as a retired detective digs into season three of some of the worst murders in Big Apple history (9 p.m., Oxygen).

SUNDAY, Feb. 2
The Grammy Awards
Queen B (that’s Beyonce, in case you’ve been living in a hole), brings her all-time record number of Grammy noms to 99 with her nods in 11 categories for this year. But will her “Cowboy Carter” win for Album of Year, a top-line category that has thus far eluded her? Tune in to tonight’s live ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, to find out! (8 p.m., CBS).

Very Scary Lovers
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg host this series examining some of the most diabolical, twisted and murderous relationships in modern history (10 p.m., ID).

MONDAY, Feb. 3
The Hunting Party
A small team of investigators track down and capture the country’s most dangerous killers in this new series (above) starring Melissa Roxburth and Nick Wechsler (10 p.m, NBC).

The Strike
How did a small hunger strike at California’s Pelican Bay Prison turn into a massive statewide protest? Find out in this probing documentary (Independent Lens and PBS apps).

TUESDAY, Feb. 4
Burden of Guilt
Docuseries follows a woman’s quest to solve the mystery of what really killed her four-month-old baby brother, 25 years ago (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5
Super Bowl Greatest Commercials
A lot of people watch the Super Bowl not for the football game, but for the big-budget TV spots in between. Tonight’s annual rundown, hosted by Nate Burleson and actress Daniela Ruah, features highlights from Super Bowls past (9 pm., ABC).

Wild Cards
More steam from the new season of this steamy drama about a hunky cop (Giacomo Bianniotti) and a sexy con woman (Vanessa Morgan), who find themselves deeper in lust…and trouble (8 p.m., The CW).

Kinda Pregnant
Amy Schumer is back on TV with this new movie comedy (above) as a woman who fakes a baby bump because she likes the attention it brings her…then meets the man of her dreams. With Jillian Bell, Will Forte and Damon Wayans (Netflix).

THURSDAY, Feb. 6
The Takedown: American Aryans
Four-part series takes viewers inside the cult-like world of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, an organized crime gang built on Nazism and extreme violence, from the late 2000s to the present (Max).

The Z-Suite
Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls and Superstore’s Doug Garcia star in this new streaming series about an advertising maven and her right-hand man pushed into the irrelevant zone by a rising tide of Gen-Z employees on Madison Avenue (Tubi).

BRING IT HOME

Clint Eastwood directs the legal thriller Juror #2 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), in which a family man (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself in a serious moral dilemma while serving on the jury of a high-profile murder trial. With Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons and Keifer Sutherland.

What’s big and green and now on Blu-ray? It’s Wicked (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the lavish big-screen treatment of the hit Broadway musical about the backstory of The Wizard of Oz. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are forces of nature as the two young women who’ll grow up to become Oz’s iconic witches, and Jeff Goldblum is the whiz of a wiz. Loaded with bonus features, too!

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenburg (who also wrote and directed) are superb in A Real Pain (Searchlight), a drama with heart and rich humanity about two mismatched cousins on a tour through Poland honor their beloved grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Bonus features on the Blu-ray include a making-of documentary. See why the film won an award at Sundance and was nominated for four Golden Globes.

For some bona fide funny business, get The Wayans Brothers: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), available now for the first time on DVD. It’s got all five seasons of the iconic sitcom that ran on the WB network in the late ‘90s, about a pair of Harlem brothers, their friends and family. You’ll howl along with real-life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans, plus others, including John Witherspoon, Mitch Mullany and Ja’Net Dubois. The show was unceremoniously canceled in 1999 and never got a proper finale. Boo!!!!

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