Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing, First Match) directs this script she co-wrote with John Whittington adapting Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel of the same name about Tova Sullivan (Sally Field), an elderly cleaning lady at an aquarium in Sowell Bay, Washington. Her best friend is Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina), an arrogant and dismissive […]
Glen Starkey
Groundbreaking LGBT film Brokeback Mountain screens May 23 in the Palm
Brokeback MountainWhat’s it rated? R When? 2005 Where’s it showing? Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo on Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m. Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Life of Pi) directed this groundbreaking 2005 neo-Western romantic drama adapted by screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry from Annie Proulx’s 1997 short story about two […]
New Lord of the Flies is a terrific adaptation of William Golding’s dark depiction of humanity
William Golding’s classic 1954 dystopian novel gets its first television adaption written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and directed by Marc Munden (Utopia, The Sympathizer) about a group of schoolboys stranded on a tropical island in the Pacific following a plane crash. Ralph (Winston Sawyers) is named their leader, and with the help of intellectual “Piggy” […]
Watch Pixar’s Up and work on crafts at The Palm on May 17
UpWhat’s it rated? PG When? 2009 Where’s it showing? Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo on Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. Co-directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson helm this story they co-wrote with Tom McCarthy about Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Edward Asner), a former balloon salesman who, in an effort to fulfill his wife’s […]
Apex delivers an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed survival story
Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Everest) directs Jeremy Robbins’ script about adrenaline junkie Sasha (Charlize Theron), who’s haunted by a climbing accident and heads to the isolation of the Australian outback. What was meant as a retreat to reset turns into a cat-and-mouse battle to the death when Ben (Taron Egerton), a local weirdo, makes her […]
Nostalgia, good cause collide with Dr. No screening at Bay Theatre
Dr. NoWhat’s it rated? PG When? 1963 Where’s it showing? Bay Theatre in Morro Bay on Monday, May 11, at 5:30 p.m. (doors at 4:30; $15 benefit for the Morro Bay Senior Center) Terence Young (who went on to helm From Russia With Love and Thunderball) directs this script by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and […]
Dynasty: The Murdochs examines media mogul Ruport Murdoch’s life and family
This four-part documentary series directed by Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?) and written by Sara Enright (Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes) follows media mogul Rupert Murdoch as his children compete to see who will inherit his multibillion-dollar media empire. (four 47- to 56-min. episodes) Dynasty: The MurdochsWhat’s it rated? TV-MA What’s […]
Netflix’s Breakdown: 1975 offers a brief look at the best films of that era
Breakdown: 1975What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Morgan Neville (Lorne, Man on the Run) directs this documentary he co-wrote with Alan Lowe (Mr. November, Lorne) that examines the year 1975 through the lens of the risk-taking movies released that year: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Shampoo, […]
Left-Handed Girl is a stunning family drama shot on iPhone 13s
Shih-Ching Tsou (Take Out) directs this script co-written with her longtime creative partner Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Anora) about single mother Shu-Fen (Janel Tsai) and her two daughters, rebellious high school dropout I-Ann (Shoh-Yuan Ma) and precocious 5-year-old I-Jing (Nina Ye), who open a noodle stand at a bustling Taipei night market as they […]
Birds of War follows a love story that grows out of war coverage
Birds of WarWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Friday, April 24, 4 p.m., and Saturday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. at Downtown Centre Cinemas; and Monday, April 27, 4:30 p.m. at the Palm Theatre in SLO. Tickets at slofilmfest.org. Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak co-direct this script they co-wrote with story consultant […]
Outcome follows a Hollywood star forced to atone for his past
Jonah Hill (Mid90s) directs this screenplay he co-wrote with Ezra Woods about Hollywood star Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves), five years sober and on a break from acting, who receives a panicked call from his “crisis lawyer,” Ira Slitz (Hill), who tells him someone is blackmailing him with some dirt from his past. Desperate to maintain […]
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel is streaming on Netflix
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel What’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing?Netflix Ben Feldman (Bug Out) directs this documentary filled with archival footage and images as well as contemporary interviews with Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Jack Irons, and others. The doc’s focus, guitarist […]

