James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark, The Rule of Jenny Pen) directs this psychological crime thriller written by Ben Jacoby and Chaser Palmer based on British writer Steve Mosby’s 2019 novel written under the pseudonym Alex North. The story follows recently widowed novelist Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott), who with his young son, Jake (Acston […]
Glen Starkey
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Orchestra Novo accompanies For Heaven’s Sake on Sept. 13
For Heaven’s SakeWhat’s it rated? “Passed” When? 1926 Where’s it showing? The Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Sunday, Sept. 13 (3 p.m.; $45 at my805tix.com; students $15 at the door) Maestro Michael Nowak and Orchestra Novo will accompany the 1926 silent film For Heaven’s Sake directed by Sam Taylor (Exit Smiling, Girl Shy, […]
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The Dog Stars follows survivors navigating dystopia
Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, The Martian) directs Mark L. Smith’s adaptation of Peter Heller’s celebrated 2012 sci-fi novel about survivors living in a dystopian America after a flu pandemic wiped out most of humanity. Jacob Elordi is Hig, a civilian pilot; Josh Brolin is Bangley, a former […]
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The Sting (1973) screens at Park Cinemas on Sept. 6
The StingWhat’s it rated? PG When? 1973 Where’s it showing? Park Cinemas on Sunday, Sept. 6 (doors at 6:30 p.m.; $21.50 presale at parkcinemas.com or $20 at the box office) The Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association is hosting a screening of director George Roy Hill’s (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Slaughterhouse-Five, The World […]
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Central Coast author Sharon Sheltzer’s Lady of the Waves uses a climate change backdrop
Central Coast author Sharon Sheltzer’s new young adult romance and adventure novel, Lady of the Waves: Love in the Time of Climate Change, opens with a bang. Twelve-year-old protagonist Aallotar, on vacation with her Finnish family in Thailand, heads to the beach with her mother. “We only have another week in paradise,” her mom says. […]
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Tony follows 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain’s first restaurant experience
Matt Johnson (BlackBerry) directs this story about 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa), who in 1975 travels to Provincetown to follow his crush, Nancy (Emilia Jones), and winds up with his first kitchen job. (106 min.) TonyWhat’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? MatineeWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Fair Oaks, Palm, Downtown Centre, […]
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Normal finds Bob Odenkirk revisiting his unlikely action hero role
NormalWhat’s it rated? RWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? HBO Max Directed by Ben Wheatley (Meg 2: The Trench, Free Fire, Kill List) from Derek Kolstad’s script based on a story co-written with star Bob Odenkirk, Normal follows an interim sheriff, Ulysses (Odenkirk), of the fictional town of Normal, Minnesota. After a botched bank robbery, Ulysses discovers […]
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The End of Oak Street tries to channel Spielberg
David Robert Mitchell (It Follows, Under Silver Lake) wrote and directed this sci-fi dinosaur thriller about the Platt family—aspiring novelist Denise (Anne Hathaway), husband Greg (Ewan McGregor), and children Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery)—who after some kind of cosmic event discovers their suburban neighborhood has been transplanted to a strange and dangerous place. […]
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The Dink gives pickleball the sports comedy treatment
The DinkWhat’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Strays, Will & Harper) directs Sean Clements’ script about Dustin “The Hammer” Boyd (Jake Johnson), a former tennis prodigy trained by his domineering father, Chuck (Ed Harris, at his most taciturn). Tragically, Dustin […]
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One Night Only offers a charming romcom within a ridiculous premise
Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends with Benefits, Anyone But You) directs Travis Braun’s rom-com script set in a dystopian future America where premarital sex is outlawed under a “chastity mandate” except for one night a year. Two New Yorkers searching for love—Owen (Callum Turner), a pizza shop owner, and Allie (Monica Barbaro), a commercial jingles […]
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Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story examines a cable TV trailblazer
Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd StoryWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? HBO Max Do you remember “leased access” cable television? The FCC mandated that cable operators must offer independent cable creators and producers rentable airtime. An example of a local cable access show was the fishing parody program Fishmasters, which aired […]
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day is all about the importance of friends
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) directs this fourth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man series. After Dr. Stephen Strange’s spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), no one remembers Peter Parker (Tom Holland)—not his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), and not even his girlfriend, MJ […]
