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.
Screen Queen
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).
Many people can agree that 2025 was a banner year for scary movies; from the subtle terror of “Presence” to the visceral horror of “Weapons” and “Bring Her Back,” to the groundbreaking showstopper “Sinners.” While it’s still early in 2026, the year isn’t showing much promise so far.
Like Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” (Warner Brothers) is loosely based on pre-existing material. Both adaptations are dark and moody, but the difference is that Gyllenhaal found the light, whereas Fennell simply allowed the darkness to overwhelm her movie.
The loss of the late Oscar-winning fashion icon Diane Keaton in October 2025 was an immeasurable one.
For a novel published almost 180 years ago, Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights,” the soul-crushing story of the obsessive love between Catherine and Heathcliff, remains a literary and pop culture standard, remade and retold 35 times, in film, TV movie, and series adaptations. Even the Kate Bush song “Wuthering Heights,” from her 1978 “The Kick Inside” album, has additional versions recorded by Pat Benatar and Cécile McLorin Salvant.
“Based on a true love story,” as well as the award-winning 2008 doc of the same name, the appeal of the somewhat manipulative “Song Sung Blue” (Focus) expands beyond the world of Neil Diamond fans into the realms of substance abuse recovery, tribute bands, and blended families.
These days, it seems like everyone is still talking about the steamy gay sex scenes in Jacob Tierney’s HBO Max series “Heated Rivalry.” However, even Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) would blush at the sight of sexual activities in “Pillion” (A24), the feature-length directorial debut from Harry Lighton.
Olivia Colman already has one Oscar (and two nominations) to her name. There’s a good reason for that. Colman is one of our greatest actors. Even in an imperfect movie such as “Jimpa” (Kino Lorber), her radiance illuminates the screen.
On the day that this review is being written, Paris-based filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu received thrilling news. His movie, “Arco” (Neon), was nominated in the best Animated Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, to be broadcast on March 15. Not a bad achievement for Bienvenu’s debut feature-length film.
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