What on What's Good

The Fall of the House of Usher Intrepid Pictures Netflix Release date October 12th, 2023 Description From Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, a wicked horror series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth. Express Review Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) built an abundantly successful company called Fortunato Pharmaceuticals.  All of a sudden, the children in the Usher family start to die off under mysterious circumstances.  The question is why?  Do Roderick and Madeline have a secret? The Fall of the House of Usher is the perfect series to watch this Halloween season.    The series is based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.  Ep...

The Burial Amazon Studios, Double Nickel Entertainment, Foxxhole Productions, Maven Pictures, Bobby Shriver Productions Amazon Prime Video My Rating   7/10 #whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating   77% Release date In Select Theaters October 6 Streaming Globally On Prime Video October 13 Description Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story. Story by  Doug Wright Screenplay by  Doug Wright and Maggie Betts Based on  The New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr Runtime  126 min Genres Comedy, Drama Starring Jamie Foxx as Willie E. Gary Tommy Lee Jones as Jerry O'Keefe Jurnee Smollett Mamoudou Athie Bill Ca...

American Fiction Orion Pictures, MRC Film, T-Street Productions, 3 Arts Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Release date September 8, 2023 (TIFF) November 17, 2023 My Rating   8/10 #whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating   75% Running time 117 minutes Description AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. Written for the Screen and Directed by   Cord Jefferson Based upon the novel ‘Erasure’ by  Percival Everett Genres Comedy/Drama Starring Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison Tracee Ellis Ross Erika Alexander Leslie...

Anatomy of a Fall Les Films Pelléas, Les Films de Pierre  Le Pacte, Elevation Pictures Release date October 20, 2023 Description For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel's suspicious death is presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the main suspect. Little by little, the trial becomes not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel's death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's conflicted relationship. Express Review Samuel (Swann Arlaud) falls to his death at a chalet in the French Alps.  Their eleven-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), who lost his vision when he was younger, found his father’s body in the snow outside the chalet.   What happened to Samuel? Did he commit sui...

Cassandro Escape Artists, Panorama Global Amazon Studios Running time 107 minutes Release date In Theaters September 15; Streaming Globally On Prime Video September 22 My Rating   6/10 #whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating   50% Description Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal), a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character ‘Cassandro,’ the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life. Based on a true story. Directed by Academy Award® winner Roger Ross Williams. CASSANDRO (Amazon Studios) Starring Gael García Bernal as Saúl Armendáriz / Cassandro Roberta Colindrez as Sabrina Perla De La Rosa as Yocasta Joaquín Cosío as Lorenzo Raúl Castillo as Gerardo / El Comandante El Hijo del Santo as himself Bad Bunny as Felipe Directed By Roger Ross Williams Produced By Gerardo Gatica, Todd Black, David Bloomfield, Ted Hope, Julie Goldman Executive Produced By Gael García B...

Dear Child Netflix   Release date September 7th, 2023  Description   Lena lives in complete isolation in a highly secured home with the two children Hannah and Jonathan. They eat their meals, go to the toilet, and to bed at precisely prescribed times. As soon as he enters the room, they line up to show their hands. They do everything he says. Until the young woman manages to escape. After a near-fatal car accident, she is hospitalized, accompanied by Hannah. DEAR CHILD starts where traditional thrillers end: with redemption. But the true extent of this nightmare is revealed with the arrival of Lena's parents at the hospital the same night. They have been desperately searching for their missing daughter for almost 13 years… DEAR CHILD is a six part mini series based on Romy Hausman’s novel of the same title. Episode count 6 Episodes Express Review A woman is taken to the hospital after a hit-and-run accident. We learn from her daughter that her name is Lena Beck.  Le...

The Holdovers Miramax, Gran Via Productions Focus Features Release date October 27, 2023  My Rating  8/10 #whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating   82% Description From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during the holiday break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Running time 133 minutes Directed by Alexander Payne Written by David Hemingson Produced by Mark Johnson, Bill Block and David Hemingson Starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham Dominic Sessa as Angus Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Carrie Preston as Lydia Crane Cinematography Eigil Bryld Edited by Kevin Tent Music by Mark Orton (l-r.) Director Alexander Payne...

Bob Marley: One Love Tuff Gong, Plan B Entertainment Paramount Pictures Release date January 12, 2024 My Rating   6/10 #whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating  62% Description BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. Produced in partnership with the Marley family and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the legendary musician and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE is in theatres January 12, Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green Written by Zach Baylin, Frank E. Flowers and Terence Winter Produced By Robert Teitel, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley, Cedella Marley Executive Produced By Richard Hewitt, Orly Marley, Matt Solodky Cinematography Robert Elswit Starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley Lashana Lynch as Rit...

The Beanie Bubble Apple Studios, Imagine Entertainment Apple TV+ Description Why did the world suddenly treat stuffed animals like gold? Ty Warner was a frustrated toy salesman until his collaboration with three women grew his masterstroke of an idea into the biggest toy crazy in history. "The Beanie Bubble" is an inventive story about what and who we value, and the unsung heroes whose names didn't appear on the heart-shaped tag. Express Review Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis) and his business partner Robbie (Elizabeth Banks) created a company called Ty Inc. Ty and others created the popular stuffed animal called the Beanie Babies back in the 1990s. The film gives you a bit of the backstory of the Beanie plush toy.  Directed By Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash, Jr. Screenplay by Kristin Gore Based on The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette Produced By Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Karen Lunder Executive Produced By Zach Galifi...

Next Goal Wins Searchlight Pictures, Imaginarium Productions, Defender Films, Garrett Basch Production Searchlight Pictures My Rating 6/10 #whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating 67% Release dates 10 September 2023 (TIFF) 17 November 2023 (United States) Running time 103 minutes Description Directed by Academy Award Winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok) and based on a true story, NEXT GOAL WINS follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this heartfelt underdog comedy. Screenplay by  Taika Waititi & Iain Morris Starring Michael Fassbender as Thomas Rongen Oscar Kightley as Tavita Uli Latukefu as Nicky Salapu Kaimana as Jaiyah Saelua Elisabeth Moss as Gail Beulah Koale as Daru Taumua Rachel House as Ruth David Fane as Ace Chris Alosio as J...