The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025)

I am not familiar with the novel The Woman in Cabin 10 is based on but if the film adaptation is any indication it would be the sort of light, somewhat schlocky book you'd buy at the airport and finish on your flight home, that is if the absurdities of it don't force you to give up. The plot is cliched, the "mystery" is filled with over the top dramatics, and the ending feels too pat and unlikely. If it wasn't for the strong cast the film might be entirely unwatchable. 

Knightly leads a strong team of actors here who hold together the cheesiest of plots. I find her quite engaging, even when struggling with such a weak script. She manages to make it through to the end relatively unscathed but it makes me wish I was watching her in something stronger. 

I with the film had even a small sense of camp. Perhaps that would have saved it and made it a more thrilling watch. But it isn't even able to bring up any self-awareness to its own weaknesses. The Woman in Cabin 10 is an easy one to skip.

The Woman in Cabin 10

Starring: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, Daniel Ings, Lisa Loven Kongsli

Director: Simon Stone

Writers: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse, Simon Stone 

Roofman (2025)

Roofman is the sort of Hollywood true story where all the rough edges are rounded off and hits all the emotional beats (comedy, romance, a little bit a crime, some tears). It is elevated by the fact that it has a stacked cast of great actors (look at this troupe!) who really give it there all. It gives Tatum a chance to really shine and show off all his talents (he's great at the comedy, also shows some real acting chops, and he runs around naked a bit). In the end it's a good watch. 

This is the sort of "true story" that if it didn't actually happen it likely would have been too outlandish to believe. The film never quite wrestles with all the implications of its protagonists' actions but it doesn't give him an entire pass either. It sits in a bit of a safe middle ground, showing him empathy and endowing him with a large amount of likability while also confirming he is being held accountable. The script clearly is attempting to make a very watchable and enjoyable film and it does that. 

I do believe most what makes Roofman work is its cast. Besides Tatum in a show-stopping role, everyone from Dunst and Dinkladge to the smaller roles is doing bang up work here and it is truly enjoyable to watch them. It's hard not to get sucked into this story for a couple of hours. 

Roofman

Starring: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, Uzu Aduba, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage, Jimmy O. Yang, Lilly Collias, Tony Revolori, Emory Cohen

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writers: Kirt Gunn, Derek Cianfrance

Good Boy (2025)

It is great when a horror movie can be genuinely unnerving and creepy (so few are) and there is a tone to Good Boy that achieves this. Perhaps it is the film's central conceit that pulls it off. We see the story through the dog's point of view and in doing so we're missing large pieces of information and experiencing events more viscerally. Therefore it becomes less of a gimmick and more of a successful means of telling what turns out to be a rather tragic story. 

Shot over years using the film maker's actual dog in little bits and pieces, Good Boy is a simple yet powerful story that hits home. It is a story of loss with a lot of what-goes-bump-in-the-night style old fashioned scary story. It all works so well. 

At the centre of this is the film's star Indy, who has such wonderful screen presence and is a delight to see carry his own movie. Good Boy manages to give us the chills while also touching our heart strings. It is a good example of how horror can truly speak to the human condition, and perhaps the canine as well. 

Good Boy

Starring: Indy

Director: Ben Leonberg

Writers: Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg 

Eleanor the Great (2025)

First I'll start out by saying I hope Squibb lives forever so she can keep starring in movies cause I don't care what movie it is, she is always delightful and powerful as a presence on screen. Having said that, she is by far the best thing about Eleanor the Great, a movie with some flaws that remains wonderful to watch, mostly because of Squibb and the rest of the cast. 

Let's get my criticisms out of the way first. The script's ideas are interesting but their execution is often rather heavy handed. There are two big "reveal" moments in the plot that feel forced and rather unrealistic. I think the general story and its messages, around what does truth really mean and what are our responsibilities to it, could have been handled more deftly. But Squibb opposite Kellyman give such great performances that it still works despite these flaws. 

Johansson's first time directing feels rather paint-by-numbers. She doesn't do anything wrong, just doesn't really find much of a voice. Yet it all still comes together for a good watch, even if perhaps not that rewatchable due to its pedantic nature. But there remain powerful moments, including one featuring Ejiofor in an otherwise underused role, and Squibb truly delivering another in a strong of wonderful performances. 

Eleanor the Great

Starring: June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Director: Scarlett Johansson

Writer: Tory Kamen

The Lost Bus (2025)

The Lost Bus is fairly cliche riddled and never overcomes the based-on-a-true-story movie-of-the-week tropes infused throughout. It isn't terrible but, yes, it goes pretty much exactly as you would expect and has as much to say about the human condition as a fortune cookie. McConaughey and Ferrera do what they can with the material but there just isn't that much there there. 

The film's special effects often distract from the story its telling. They often feel a bit too obvious and this takes away from the stakes somewhat. The stakes were already pretty low as you never truly worry for our protagonists. There is a sense that everything is going to work out fine. That's one of the problems with movies like this. They predicate certain expectations. McConaughey's character is very much a stereotype (Ferrera's even more so) and we know what arc his character is to go through. The film is just hitting all the beats. 

There is a bit of the film trying to be Speed in the middle which does ramp up the excitement quotient a bit. But it still comes down to the fact that we never doubt they will make it out alive. Greengrass knows how to make thrilling action films so I don't know how he misses so much here. 

The Lost Bus just is trying to hard to be inspiration porn to tell an actually compelling story. It ends up therefore being rather forgettable and not really having much of anything to say about wildfires or heroics. 

The Lost Bus

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera

Director: Paul Greengrass

Writers: Brad Ingelsby, Paul Greengrass 

Steve (2025)

The novella the film Steve is based on (also written by screenwriter Porter) is focused on Lycurgo's character, Shy, and his interiority. Shy is a student at a school for boys with behavioural problems who reaches a crisis point. Readers are immersed into his thinking through non-traditional narrative forms such as poetry. The film shifts this focus to the title character, played by Murphy, the headmaster of the school and takes a completely different approach. It focuses on a day when a documentary crew is filming at the school as things spiral out of control. Both work together to bring different means of exploring the challenges those discarded by society, the performative aspects of our systems, and the helplessness so many involved feel. 

Mielants' approach to set this as a pseudo-documentary works to give the film a raw and honest feeling even if it doesn't always make sense in terms of in-world logic (would that scene really have been filmed by an on site doc crew?). But he begins to move away from this style and move into something more surreal as the film progresses. It isn't always clear when this is continuing and when it isn't. This approach does highlight that performative aspect I discussed, giving lots of opportunity for the film to question how we generally approach the "difficult" people the film forces us to confront. It also allows us to tap into some of that interiority of the characters that the book reaches.

Amongst a strong cast over all Murphy and Lycurgo both stand out giving great depth to their characters. Steve struggles to resolve itself in a way that doesn't fall into the all too typically tragic ways these stories but despite this I believe it finds some insights and truths through the work of its cast and crew. 

Steve

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson 

Director: Tim Mielants

Writer: Max Porter

Play Dirty (2025)

Play Dirty doesn't start off well. The opening sequence, set up like an adrenaline fuelled cold open, is rather dumb. Not only does it not make sense from a narrative point of view, it downplays the emotional stakes. The film tells us not to take it seriously. Black is credited at shaping the buddy/comedy subgenre and he's here to do what he does well. He just isn't trying that hard. 

And that's okay. Cause what follows is light, if rather forgettable, fun. It's campy but not in a clever way. It's funny, but rarely to the point you laugh that hard. It's an interesting enough story, without being that involved. It is the sort of film you can look at your phone throughout without missing much. 

The cast is having a good time mostly. I adore Stanfeld and he is clearly enjoying himself here making what he can with the part. Key and Shalhoub do their things to strong effect. Some of the newer cast stand out. I really enjoyed Hansen and Wolff. Only Wahlberg feels like he thinks this is something serious, but the rest of the group is having fun. 

Black pulls from a lot of influences here from the film's Bond inspired credit sequence to setting his story at Christmas time. But perhaps the biggest influence is how much this takes from his own film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Play Dirty is very slight but watchable enough. Could it be the start of a series of films based on the Parker book series on which this is based? There is likely a better movie to be maid so why not? 

Play Dirty

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Lakeith Stanfeld, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas Jane, Tony Shalhoub, Gretchen Mol, Peta Wilson, Chai Hansen

Diretor: Shane Black

Writers: Charles Mondry, Anthony Bagarozzi, Shane Black