Now Playing

The long President’s Day weekend brought us the first blockbuster of 2025 and some other new releases. Let’s dive in and see what we got. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Leo Woodall, Emma Thompson, and Chiwetel Ejofor
Synopsis: It’s been nine years since our last Bridget Jones adventure, but Zellweger is still quite good in the part. This fourth installment comes straight to streaming and picks up a few years in the future where Bridget is a single mother to two small kids after Mark (Colin Firth) has passed away. She’s still single and closed off. Her friends, including Daniel (Grant) and her doctor (Thompson), encourage her to get on with her life. She goes back to work and eventually meets a handsome younger man (Woodall). Sparks fly, but it is it the right love connection? Zellweger is great here and the film hits a lot of familiar beats. But there is a deepness to this film that I didn’t always feel in previous installments. It’s a seriousness of tone and depth of emotion that, at times, felt beautiful. This is a fun streaming option from the weekend that will likely greatly appeal to those who are fans of the franchise.
Rating: Rated R for language and some sexual references.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Captain America: Brave New World (Theaters)
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson and Giancarlo Esposito|
Synopsis: This film is the latest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, picking up where Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off. Sam Wilson (Mackie) is now Captain America, and he’s doing his best to keep the nation safe. Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross (Ford) has been elected President, and while they haven’t always gotten along, he tries to forge an alliance with Captain America. That’s shattered when Isaiah (Lumbly) and others seem to slip into a trance and make an attempt on the President’s life. It’s part of an elaborate scheme to get back at Ross and plunge the United States into war, but can Sam Wilson fend it off first? This is the start of a big year for Marvel with three releases in 2025. We’ve waited a while to see Mackie debut as Captain America, with this one featuring Ford and The Red Hulk. None of it turned out to be worth the wait. The film spent several years enduring re-writes and production issues, and it shows. The action is OK, the story is limp, and the final product is uninspired. The Marvel Cinematic Universe might be running out of steam as it heads to Phase Six and presumably a final act. This film is a disaster despite the talent in the cast and a Bottom Three part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for me.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some strong language.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

The Gorge (Apple TV+)
Starring: Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy
Synopsis: Being a sniper is a lonely job. You’re out there on your own most of the time plying your craft. Being an elite sniper might be the loneliest job ever. But if you find someone who can share your passion and understand your experience, sparks can fly. That’s the basic premise of The Gorge, a new film that streams on Apple TV+ beginning on Friday, February 14. The film features Taylor-Joy and Teller as elite snipers from very different backgrounds that find themselves thrown together. But that’s only the beginning of this film. It’s directed by Scott Derrickson, and for a time it doesn’t feel like his kind of film. Derrickson is used to providing strong visuals and a rich exploration of horror and science fiction topics. Even his Marvel film stands out for that reason. So, a simple film about two snipers on assignment that connect felt like an odd turn. That’s when the twist happens. The marketing for the film does a good job of shading that part of the plot, so I won’t ruin it here. Suffice to say we meet Drasa (Taylor-Joy) a talented sniper working for the Russians. She’s grown weary of the mental cost of making the ultimate shot and has been selected for a remote assignment that will have her off the grid for a year. Next, we meet Levi (Teller). He’s a former Marine sniper who now plies his trade for the highest bidder. He, too, has gotten tired of the grind of taking the big shot. He’s recruited by a secret agent (Sigourney Weaver) for a special assignment. He’s taken to a mysterious location and dropped off. He meets his contact who introduces him to his home for the next year, the West Tower. It sits over a mysterious gorge, with a twin tower on the opposite site manned by someone chosen by Russia. Their job is to ignore each other, maintain the tower and its equipment, and stand guard to make sure what’s in the gorge stays in the gorge. Soon, Levi connects with his opposite—Drasa—and they begin communicating via written messages and telephoto lenses. But as they grow closer, so, too, does the danger they’re meant to safeguard. This film moves at a nice pace and has a fun hook. The look and feel of the towers work well, and Teller and Taylor-Joy are great in these roles. The first half feels somewhat conventional but something of an interesting love story. Soon, it flips on a dime. The time spent in the gorge is fascinating and makes good use of Derrickson’s talent and visual eye. In fact, some of it seems like a nightmare on par with the Upside Down. It picks up the action and drives the story to a fun third act and, ultimately, a fun resolution. Apple TV+ has been a strong provider of content for years, both in terms of series and interesting films. I enjoyed the pace and production here, and I liked the lead performances. This was a fun, if somewhat unconventional film for Valentine’s Day weekend. It’s worth checking out.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, some suggestive material and thematic elements.
Verdict: Three and a half stars

Paddington in Peru (Theaters)
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, and Olivia Coleman
Synopsis: This is now the third adventure featuring the talking bear Paddington (Whishaw) and his British family, the Browns. In this one, Paddington has his passport and is an official British citizen. When he learns his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) is struggling back home in Peru, he feels called to go help. The Browns go with him. But when they arrive, the Mother Superior (Coleman) of Aunt Lucy’s retirement home says she’s gone missing in the jungle. Using clues he’s found, Paddington and the Browns hire a boat, led by a Captain (Banderas) with his own agenda, as they wade into the jungle to find Aunt Lucy. This is a fun adventure like the others. There’s some good-natured humor and some adventures as the plot revolves around the search for El Dorado. In Paddington fashion, it doesn’t turn out like you’re expecting. Still, it’s a fun time with characters we’ve grown to know and love. The film is a little dry in the early going, despite a lavish and fun musical number from Coleman. But it hits your right in the feels when it counts most. If you’ve been a fan of Paddington, this is for you.
Rating: Rated PG for action, mild rude humor and some thematic elements.
Verdict: Three stars out of five