Greetings again from the darkness. Craig Gillespie previously directed I, TONYA (2017) and LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007), among other projects, and it’s perhaps those two films – both featuring odd outsiders – that motivated producer James Gunn to choose him to helm the feature film that brings DC’s Supergirl back to the big screen. The screenplay is by Ana Nogueira, and of course features characters originated by Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster, with the key source material being the comic, “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”.
Seeing as I’m neither a comic book fanatic nor a fan of the 1984 SUPERGIRL film starring Helen Slater (with the exception of Brenda Vaccaro’s performance), it’s safe to say I carried no heightened expectations into the theater. On the bright side, it’s quite entertaining to see Milly Alcock (“Sirens”, “House of the Dragon”) play Kara Zor-El as a not-so-Super girl trying to numb the pain of the tragedy that took her parents and home planet, Krypton. We see her younger days via periodic flashbacks with David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as her parents. We also learn why they shipped her and her pet dog Krypto off to Earth to meet her cousin, Superman (David Corenswet) aka Clark Kent. He, of course, was raised in Kansas, creating the contrast between the two characters.
The one bit of advice mom gave Kara was to “be nice” and help others. That’s not so easy to do whilst on an intergalactic mind-numbing bender, but Kara continually rises to the occasion. The different effects of red sun and yellow sun become quite obvious, and it’s crossing paths with Ruthye (Eve Ridley) that drives the key story lines. An actor I’ve always admired, Matthias Schoenaerts, plays the face-studded vile villain Krem – the vicious dude who slaughtered Ruthye’s family, setting her off on a revenge mission, armed only with a prized sword handcrafted by her slain father. As savage as Krem is, we all recognize that a standout villain is vital to a standout superhero movie, and Krem simply falls short. On this interplanetary road trip, Kara and Ruthye encounter a slew of aliens who all look like castoffs from the Star Wars casino … but also with Lobo, an immortal intergalactic bounty hunter and stogie smoking hog rider. Lobo is played by Jason Mamoa, and the character seems forcibly wedged into the story for the sole purpose of having Mr. Mamoa on a poster. He makes an excellent bad boy, even if he doesn’t really fit here.
Krypto the superdog plays near-dead for most of the film, but does have some excitable moments … creating an excellent ‘pink eye’ joke. Some may compare this to CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019) or the most recent SUPERMAN (2025), but the messy CGI fight scenes and weak story prevent this one from reaching those levels. Milly Alcock’s take on Supergirl gets too few chances to play against Corenswet’s Superman, and the film suffers because of it. Composer Claudia Sarne (THE BOOK OF ELI, 2010) delivers a fitting electronic score, but the needle drops seem to be trying too hard. It’s likely huge comic book fans will have a different take on the film, and that’s as it should be.
In theaters beginning June 26, 2026
Posted by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. This is at least the eighth film adaptation of a story by Cesc Gay: THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS (Spain, 2020), VICINI DI CASA (Italy, 2022), THE NEIGHBORS FROM UPSTAIRS (Switzerland, 2023), V DOBREM I ZLEM (Czech Republic, 2024), NEPRILICHNYE GOSTI (Russia, 2024), MAYBE MORE (France, 2024), THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS (S Korea, 2025). Clearly, it’s a story and situation that resonates with many couples, regardless of geography, language, or culture … and director Olivia Wilde provides an American spin with assistance from co-writers Will McCormack (Oscar winner, TOY STORY 4) and Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation”).
Greetings again from the darkness. This documentary opens with Steve Martin sitting on the sofa conversing with his friend Peter Asher. An early point is made that defining or labeling Peter Asher is a bit challenging, and co-directors Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine (collaborators for more than 35 years, including HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A STORY, A SONG, 2021) then proceed to spell out his remarkable career and his impact on music and the music industry. Perhaps the closest comparison we can offer is that of the recently deceased music executive, Clive Davis. Two influential men who brought passion to the work.
Greetings again from the darkness. So what is it that differentiates this one from the many other crime-comedies that have come before? The truth is … not much, but maybe just enough to keep fans of the genre tuned in. It certainly has an intriguing cast, and writer-director Derrick Borte (back with his UNHINGED star) and co-writer Daniel Forte have adapted the 2010 Thomas Perry novel, “Strip”.
Greetings again from the darkness. We discover a certain guilty pleasure in following a lost soul millennial as he searches for meaning, connection, or some reason to exist. The film from writer-director Adam Jumba and co-writer Christian Flowers is one of the closing night films for this year’s Dances With Films LA festival, and it’s likely to generate plenty of thought and consideration for viewers.
Greetings again from the darkness. Making its world premiere at this year’s Dances With Films LA is the first feature film from writer-director Jay Diaz, whose previous credits include numerous short films, videos, and TV episodes. Himself a first generation American, Diaz tells the similar story of Angel, a man working hard at life while trying to prevent his dreams from slowly slipping away.
Greetings again from the darkness. Sometimes I believe the best use of cinema is in proving the old adage, ‘truth is stranger than fiction’. Combining that with the mission of Dances With Films to remain a festival that highlights independent filmmaking, featuring director Jay Silverman’s film on Opening Night is a fitting choice. It’s a remarkable story that writer Van Billet based on his own family. We can only imagine some of those holiday memories.
Greetings again from the darkness. Writer-director Haifaa Al-Monsour (MARY SHELLEY, 2017; WADJA, 2012) will always be referred to as a trailblazer, and the label was earned by becoming the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia to direct a feature length film. She has since influenced and inspired other women to pursue the art. Her latest film was co-written with her husband Brad Nieman, and it opens coldly with a woman’s dead body discovered in the desert.
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s been thirty-one years since I sat stunned in the movie theater after being first introduced to Woody, Buzz, and the entire gang of Pixar toys. It was the year BRAVEHEART won five Oscars and TOY STORY, which marked a shift in filmmaking, won none. That was Pixar’s first feature film and since there was no Animated Feature Film category at the time, the Academy didn’t really know what to do with it. Fortunately, John Lasseter (since fired) and Andrew Stanton certainly knew what to do, as this is the fifth film of the franchise, and they’ve managed to create cinematic magic with each one.
Greetings again from the darkness. The songs are part of music history: “Whipping Post”, “Midnight Rider”, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, “Melissa”, and “Ramblin’ Man”. Their album, “Live at Fillmore East”, is considered one of the best live albums of all time. The Allman Brothers paved the way for a couple of hugely Southern rock bands, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band, and they were influential to the work of countless other bands and musicians. Of course, a documentary about Gregg Allman must include much about the band, yet documentarian James Keach does tremendous work here maintaining the focus on the man. Mr. Keach is mostly retired from a long acting career, yet he’s continued to take on directing gigs across the past thirty-plus years – including a couple of other documentaries on musicians: LINDA AND THE MOCKINGBIRDS (2020) and GLEN CAMPBELL: I’LL BE ME (2014).