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This was a big week at the movies as Neve Campbell returned in Scream 7. I have my thoughts on that and other new films I saw this week below. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Dreams (Theaters)
Starring: Jessica Chastain and Isaac Hernandez
Synopsis: Sometimes films touch on important subjects in unimportant ways. Often that subject becomes a plot device or something to frame whatever narrative they want to share. It can be a turnoff for viewers and derail even a well-crafted narrative. That’s the case with Dreams, a new film from writer/director Michel Franco that opens wide on Friday, February 27. The film touches on an important subject—immigration—but uses it as more of a plot device. Unfortunately, the plot it services isn’t worthy of exploration. The film begins with a border crossing. Fernando (Hernandez) is making his way from Mexico into California. He makes it all the way to San Francisco, where he arrives at the home of Jennifer McCarthy (Chastain). And she’s both happy and alarmed to see him. Jennifer is a wealthy socialite who works with her brother (Rupert Friend) and father (Marshall Bell). Part of their work has taken her to Mexico City, where her foundation helps run a ballet academy. That’s where she met Fernando, a talented dancer and teacher. They fell in love, and now Fernando has risked it all to get to the United States for their romance and for a better life. But his presence puts Jennifer in a bind. Turns out Fernando’s family in Mexico and her family in the United States aren’t in favor of their relationship. She’s also worried that his presence will disrupt her life and business, as well as putting her in potential legal trouble. Fernando, meanwhile, finds that while U.S. companies appreciate his skill, he’ll never totally fit in given his current status. Predictably, Fernando ends up back in Mexico. But can he and Jennifer make the relationship work? Does she even want it to work? Franco has delivered some interesting films in the past—including Memory, which featured Chastain. I enjoyed the themes, performances, and exploration in that film, so I was curious to see what they could do in another partnership. But this film falls flat thanks to the story and the characters. Neither Fernando nor Jennifer are good people. They don’t seem like a good match, either. It’s hard to see what they want from a relationship or each other, but it’s clear they aren’t on the same page. In fact, the film is called Dreams and yet it feels devoid of any real dreams or vision of the future for these characters. Instead, by the third act, we get a nasty back-and-forth as both hurt and manipulate each other to presumably get what they want. Though why they want it, or why they’d want to be with each other, is never clear. Perhaps it’s the decision to start with the relationship in media res that’s part of the problem. We didn’t see them fall in love. We don’t understand the relationship. And worse yet, there is no chemistry. I found this to be something of a confused mess. I like Chastain as a performer, but she’s not given enough to do here. The ending is also abrupt and unsatisfying. Overall, I’m not sure what the film is trying to accomplish, but it certainly doesn’t get anywhere worthwhile.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Man on the Run (Prime Video)
Synopsis: It’s been more than 60 years since The Beatles burst onto the scene and yet people continue to be fascinated by the band, its members, and their stories. That’s where the new documentary Man on the Run comes into play. The film is streaming on Prime Video and focuses on a slice of life for one of the Beatles, Paul McCartney. The film comes from director Morgan Neville, who has a long career making documentaries. It focuses on a critical period in McCartney’s story, and one that isn’t usually the thrust of fan interest. That makes it a fun addition to the library of Beatles-themed films. The film picks up in 1969 as John Lennon has let his bandmates know he’s ready to be done. But it’s to be kept a secret. McCartney—who married wife Linda months earlier—retreats. In fact, some begin to wonder if he’s dead. But, instead, he’s chose a simple life out on a farm. From there, McCartney launches himself back into music in a new way. He starts with some solo work, but soon he’s ready to collaborate again. This leads him to the creation of Wings, performing alongside his wife and Denny Laine. The film chronicles about a 12-year period in the life of McCartney and his career. The documentary follows the time after The Beatles, including their official breakup and the relationship between McCartney and Lennon. It showcases how McCartney built his family and sunk into his new musical expressions. For fans of The Beatles, this will be a fun documentary. Wings wasn’t the Beatles in stature or experiment, but this documentary feature gives you a greater appreciation for the band. It also provides a greater appreciation for McCartney as a man, a husband, a father, and an artist. It’s a fascinating exploration of this key period in his life and career. The story is told through file footage, concert footage, and home movies. It features interviews with McCartney, his collaborators, and his family and friends, including Lennon’s son, Sean. It’s a fascinating exploration of the man and this time. I have long enjoyed Neville as a storyteller. He’s created some of my favorite documentaries as he has a knack for telling the stories of these artists and their work. This moves at a good pace and tells an interesting story. It’s worth checking out on streaming.
Rating: Rated R for language
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Scream 7 (Theaters)
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and Isabel May
Synopsis: It’s been 30 years since we first laid eyes on Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. The original Scream is not only a classic and classically important film, but also an iconic film to many viewers of a certain age. I was in high school when that film debuted. I was in high school when Campbell was starring on Party of Five and Kevin Williamson was creating Dawson’s Creek. It’s undoubtable that those shows, along with Scream, were a part of my formative years. That probably makes me part of the target audience for Scream 7, which opens in wide release today. It’s the seventh film in the franchise and comes 30 years after the original. It puts the focus back on Sidney Prescott—who was absent from the last film. It’s something of a re-boot, again, and a shift in direction after wholesale changes that happened following Scream VI. The series brings back Williamson, who not only wrote the screenplay but directed the film. And it’s heavily reliant on nostalgia in its marketing and story. But does that make it worth the trip? In the film, Sidney now goes by Mrs. Evans. She’s married to Mark (Joel McHale), the town police chief, and is the mother of three kids. The oldest of those, Tatum (May), was named after her best friend. Tatum is 17 years old—the same age Sidney was in our original film—and she has questions about her mother. In some ways, Sidney’s life is an open book. She’s been written about, talked about, and the subject of films. But to Tatum, she’s a mystery. Sidney doesn’t like to talk about herself and her past, seemingly making her own daughter one of the few people in their small Indiana town that doesn’t know Sidney’s story. Sidney has moved on. She’s running a small business, is a part of the community, and wants to put the past behind her. But that doesn’t seem to be possible, as a new string of murders—and a killer targeting her daughter—put her squarely back on the offensive. There were a lot of things wrong with the marketing of this film. The trailer gives away the cold open almost in its entirety. It also spoils the fact that Matthew Lillard—one half of the original set of killers in the franchise—is back. If you managed to avoid the marketing, some of this might hit better. If not, then you certainly know at least some of what is coming. One of the things that always set Scream apart for me was that it was a clever film. It had some clever lines, some clever pop culture references, and some solid humor. You’d hope to get that in this new film—especially with so much returning to the feel of the original, including the original writer. But this is a mostly humorless and joyless film. That’s a big part of its problem. Despite that, I was still hanging with the film through the middle section. I was curious to see how they’d work out a seemingly ridiculous plot twist. But I enjoyed Campbell in the lead role, I like May as her daughter, and there were pieces that were fun. That included Cox showing up as Gale Weathers and Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding showing up as twins Mindy and Chad. In fact, some of the sequences with Mindy and Chad were the only lighter parts of the film. While pairing Gale and Sidney together on the hunt was interesting. But it couldn’t be sustained. In addition to what I listed above, the marketing gives away key action sequences with Sidney and Tatum. That’s frustrating, but not a deal-breaker. However, as we hit the climax, it becomes clear the film doesn’t have anything constructive to say. The killer reveal was both predictable and underwhelming. One might even argue it makes no sense. It certainly brings the film home on a deflating note, no matter how you might have felt about what came before it. This is a film built on nostalgia and emotionality that it doesn’t really pay off or earn over the course of its run time. I still like Campbell as Sidney Prescott, but I wish she’d been given a better film around her.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, and language.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Threshold (Peacock)
Synopsis: The 2026 Winter Olympics ended on Sunday. Every four years, we see these athletes competing and worldwide people invest in skating, skiing, snowboarding, luge, and more. But rarely do we think about the years that go into preparing, or the struggles that come with fighting your way to the top in these sports. For those that want a deeper dive into the Olympics, and the struggles of these athletes, we get the new documentary Threshold. It dropped Monday on Peacock, and dovetails nicely with the end of their coverage of the winter games. The film comes from directors Lars and Torsten Brinkema and focuses on cross country skier Jessie Diggins. The Minnesota native has been a force on the skiing scene for more than a decade. In 2018 she reached the pinnacle, becoming the first woman to win a Gold Medal for skiing in the Olympics. It represented years of hard work, sacrifice, and training. It put Diggins in an even bigger spotlight and made her something of a national name. But that spotlight came with a big cost—both personally and professionally. This documentary dives deep into her life and career. It also doesn’t shy away from the challenges that Diggins faced. Her story is difficult but it’s also inspiring. The documentary captures all of her story and helps to shed a light on the work, the struggle, and the pitfalls that come with being a top-tier Olympic athlete. I was curious to dive into this documentary because I’m an Olympics fan. The games come every two years (alternating Winter and Summer) and shed light on sports and athletes that I mostly don’t see. This is no exception. I remember seeing Diggins perform, and even remember her winning the Gold Medal, but I didn’t know much about her or her sport. I enjoyed this documentary because it dives deep into her story. It’s not always a happy or an easy story, but it’s compelling and inspiring. She didn’t let struggles or difficulties keep her down. She keeps on fighting, competing, and succeeding. For fans of a good sports documentary or just documentaries in general, this will be an interesting watch. Diggins is a good subject and the Brinkema brothers do a nice job bringing this story to life.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five