The Old Way (2022):

This is the first time that Nicolas Cage has starred in a traditional western movie, and he does so in his non-traditional way so common to his approach to acting. Cage is Colton Briggs, a notorious gunfighter with a past that is bent on catching up with him. Leaving that life behind, he marries, he has a daughter, age 12 when the action picks up here, and he looks forward a life of contentment, but that is not to be. His previous misdeeds return to haunt his present when a gunslinger shows up, the son of a man he killed, and revenge is the order of the day. Although she was not the target, the gunman kills Colton’s wife, and now he must sweep up his child and go after the revenge that needs to be dealt with. There is more behind the scenes in this standard western drama than there is in front of the cameras. The armorer on the set, the person responsible for looking after the guns and ammunition, was Hannah Gutierrez-Read, and she was nearly thrown off the set by both the director and Cage himself for what they said were unsafe practices in the handling of the armaments. She is the same person who was responsible for the armorer duties on the movie “Rust,” in which she and star Alec Baldwin have now been faced with unintentional manslaughter charges. “Rust” was shot after this movie, and Gutierrez-Read moved onto that film set immediately after having been repeatedly chastised for unsafe firearm practices on “The Old Way.” Rated 14A.

The Price We Pay (2022):

Alex and Cody (Emile Hirsch and Steven Dorf respectively) are a pair of stick-up artists who rob a pawn shop in a violent event, and as things begin to go sideways, grab a hostage from within the store, a woman named Grace (GiGi Zumbado), forced by the pair to drive the car, making a quick getaway with Grace terrified as to how this will end. When the car breaks down in a remote area in the middle of the night, Alex and Cody break into what appears to be a deserted farmhouse, still having Grace as their captive. An exploration of the house reveals something not expected – the basement has what is, for all intents and purposes, a dungeon filled with all manner of torture devices. It becomes clear the trio that something very, very wrong, and very insidious has been afoot here, and before they can leave, “Grandpa,” the home’s owner, and soon clearly the home’s torturer and executioner, arrives on the scene. He captures Alex and Cody immediately, and takes them to the torture chamber where the two robbers are cruelly and savagely dealt with. “Grandpa” isn’t aware of Grace, the third member of the party, and she now has to try to get out before befalling a fate similar to that of her captors. I pretty standard low-budget horror-slasher film in which not much good happens to anyone. But we have to root for Grace, don’t we! The movie is dedicated to cast member Tyler Sanders who plays the character Danny. Sanders died shortly after filming, of a fentanyl overdose at the age of just 18. Rate R.

Nocebo (2022):

This thriller, shot largely in the Philippines, has a small international cast, and a story that focuses on what happens to a woman named Christine (French actress Eva Green) when her career as a fashion designer is side-lined by a mysterious illness. Her husband is mystified as to what could be wrong with her, and the doctors have no clue as to what presents Christine with a series of symptoms that make living her old life impossible. All appears lost until she comes into contact with a Filipino “expert” in the kind of care he believes she needs, but as he treats her, it becomes clear that what ails her is the result of something terribly traumatic that happened to her body, something she has been unable to face. The folk-healing methods are helpful on one level, and become more and more frightening on another. A very “small” movie that was written and directed by a pair who have little experience and a short resume, the surprising outcome makes this almost worth the time. Almost. Rated 14A.

That '90s Show (2023) (TV Series):

Two decades have passed since a teenaged Eric Forman (Topher Grace), living with his family, and enjoying a life of 8 track tapes, the music of Led Zeppelin, and Farrah Fawcett posters, was the perception many had of what those days were like. To help make the transition to the '90s, a much more grown-up Topher Grace reprises his role of Erik in the first episode of this new series, not to be seen for the balance of the episodes of season one. The actors who played his parents, Red and Kitty Forman (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp) are back for the full 10 segments of this new show however. Wilmer Valderrama who played Fez in the original series also makes an appearance in the initial episode. The venue is still the State of Wisconsin, and it's 1995. Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon) pays a summer visit to her grandparents and is introduced to a whole new generation of friends, not-so-friendly teens, and some that will become friends for life in the town of Point Place. Rated 14A.

Slumberland (2022):

A good cast shows up for this adventure story that will appeal to children 8 or 10 and up. Based on the comic book series "Little Nemo in Slumberland '' by Winston McClay, we follow the adventures of a tweenage girl named Nemo and her eccentric companion Flip (Jason Mamoa) who come together after Nemo's father Peter (Kyle Chandler goes missing at sea. Set in the Pacific Northwest, but shot in Toronto, we follow Nemo as she is sent to live with relatives in the big city, a place foreign to her after the coastline life she had been living. While struggling in a new school with new people all around her, Nemo finds a secret map which hooks her up with Flip, and begins a challenging journey through lands of dreams and nightmares that she believes will help reunite her with her lost father. Rated PG.