Screen Queen

The indie drama “Magic Hour” (Greenwich Entertainment) was directed by Katie Aselton, who also co-wrote the screenplay (with husband Mark Duplass) and stars in the movie. Aselton plays Erin, who is married to Charlie (Daveed Diggs). Our first glimpses of the couple present a portrait of a playful pair, seemingly happily married, who are trying to conceive.

Bradley Cooper received a couple of Oscar nominations for the 2024 biopic “Maestro,” in which he starred as the late Leonard Bernstein, in addition to directing and co-writing the screenplay. “Maestro” didn’t avoid the subject of Bernstein’s queerness, but it felt like a secondary subject.

Brother and sister Raymond (Brandon Soo Hoo) and Coco (Andie Ju) have brought shame on their family in the past. He got thrown out of Duke, and she dropped out of art school. But those things will pale in comparison with the high-stakes criminal activity in which they become involved in Jing Ai Ng’s feature-length debut “Forge” (Utopia).

As unnecessary sequels go, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” (20th Century Studios) earns a well-deserved place near the top of the list. Where the original, released 20 (!) years ago, had iconic lines (“That is all.”) and portrayals (Meryl Streep should have won an Oscar for her performance, as opposed to the undeserved one she received for the abysmal “The Iron Lady”), the sequel is lacking.

It’s incredible to think that it took this long for Michael Jackson, the late “King of Pop” who died two months shy of his 51st birthday in 2009, to be the subject of a big-screen biopic (in IMAX, no less). Unfortunately, the mono-monikered “Michael” (Universal/Lionsgate), directed by Antoine Fuqua, with a screenplay by gay writer John Logan, comes off as nothing more than a glorified Lifetime movie.

Gay filmmaker François Ozon’s movie adaptation of “The Stranger” (Music Box Films), based on Albert Camus’ 1942 novella of the same name, is the third time the book has been adapted for the screen. However, it may be the first time that audience members might have to decide which is more breathtaking - the black and white photography or the actor in the lead role?

Many of us have seen at least one gay or straight rom-com, in which the nebbish-y lead character, played by the movie’s writer/director, ends up making out (or more) with another hot lead character. In a way, that’s the fantasy part of actor/writer/director Matt Shear’s “Fantasy Life” (Greenwich Entertainment). 

Ever wondered what happened to the “Heathers” or the Plastics from “Mean Girls” right after high school? In its own way, “Forbidden Fruits” (IFC/Shudder), directed and co-written by Meredith Alloway, offers some clues.

It’s still early in 2026, but once you witness Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling’s riveting portrayal of science teacher/inadvertent planet savior Ryland Grace in “Project Hail Mary” (Amazon/MGM), you may agree that he’s a shoo-in for an Academy Award nomination and may, in fact, take home a statuette. His layered performance draws on both his comedic and dramatic skills in equal measure, combined with his general hotness (wait until you see him in one of his skintight space suits).

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