Big Mistakes (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Big Mistakes (TV 2026): Family crime comedy. A dysfunctional, barely competent family falls into the clutches of the mob and every attempt to escape just leads to more trouble. Dan Levy stars as a closeted gay minister, with a stellar supporting cast. B+

Netflix

BAIT (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

BAIT (TV 2026): Six episode look at a struggling actor who bluffs his way into an audition to be the next James Bond. His self doubt leads to his life spiraling downwards. A satiric look at the price of fame. B-

Prime

Resident Alien (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Resident Alien (TV 2021): Alan Tudyk stars as an extraterrestrial who crash lands in a Colorado town and has to disguise himself as a human until he can repair his spacecraft. All of the humor relies on his awkward interactions with people in town. Mork did it better. B-

Netflix

#VeryTardyReview

Merrily We Roll Along (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Merrily We Roll Along (2026): Sondheim musical filmed on stage. It flopped in 1981 but then won a Tony in 2024 for Best Revival. 30 year timeline that plays out backwards spoils the story. Music bridges the eras of classic 1950s musicals and modern tastes. B-

Netflix

Deadloch (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Deadloch (TV 2023): A serial killer terrorizes a small town in Tasmania. It's a whodunnit mystery mashed with film noir black comedy. At one point, the state police accuse every woman in town of being conspirators, leaving it up to the town's female senior sergeant to keep sleuthing. B+

Prime

#VeryTardyReview

Project Hail Mary (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Project Hail Mary (2026): A sci-fi, save-the-world adventure. Also, a heartwarming, buddy comedy. A Ryan Gosling star vehicle. Maybe about 20 minutes too long, but overall, it's a fun watch with thought-provoking ideas about science and the nature of heroism. B+

In theatres

TRON: Ares (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

TRON: Ares (2025): 1982's AI in a video game doesn't work in 2026. AI is so much different today. Here, the humanlike AI program escapes the digital world and is on the hunt in the real world. Plot is a mess. Characters are one-dimensional. I guess the CGI is good. C-

Disney+

Néro the Assassin (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Néro the Assassin (TV 2025): French. An assassin is on the run across 16th century France with his daughter who does not trust him. Everyone wants him dead—his employer, the church, a fanatical religious group, and maybe a deadly witch. Lots of myth-building with no clear lines between good and evil. Lots of violence. B-

Netflix

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (TV 2026): Mystery/Comedy. Three friends attend the funeral of a fourth friend from high school and begin to uncover unpleasant facts about the coverup of a crime they all were part of. The story is quirky, which is good, but way too convoluted, which is bad. Still, their interactions are hilarious. B-

Netflix

Pizza Movie (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Pizza Movie (2026): It's a dumb movie about college life, hazing, friendship, and growing. Emphasis always on dumb. Redeeming feature: it's not raunchy, unless you consider fart jokes raunchy. If so, you won't last five minutes. D+

Hulu

Down Cemetery Road (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Down Cemetery Road (TV 2025): A house explodes. A victim disappears from a hospital and a concerned neighbor investigates, uncovering a government conspiracy. Lots of dead bodies. What causes this show to rise above the ordinary is the tough, spiky-haired private investigator played by Emma Thompson. B+

AppleTV+

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026): An action-comedy about gangsters, a single night full of parties, and I'm not kidding, a time machine. Despite the violence that accompanies every party, overall it's a fun ride. B-

Hulu

KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

KPop Demon Hunters (2025): Animation. Girl bands, superheroes, boy bands, demons, all tied together with irresistable, infectious beats and lyrics. What's not to like? Other than the one note appeal I mean? C+

Netflix

Wonder Man (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wonder Man (TV 2026): Struggling actor gets an audition for a remake of Wonder Man, a chance for stardom, if he can hold his super temper in check. A Marvel superhero movie where the main character is three-dimensional and he's not trying to save the world, only himself. B+

Hulu

Nuremberg (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nuremberg (2025): Russell Crowe plays Hermann Göring on trial. Rami Malek plays the psychiatrist who interviews him in prison. Cat and mouse vibes, but who is the cat and who is the mouse? Mostly talk, little action. A good movie to learn history from. B-

Netflix

Ponies (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ponies (TV 2026): Moscow, 1977. Two secretaries in US Embassy get involved in spy work for CIA. Plot is implausible, but the chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson makes every scene between them entertaining. B-

Peacock

Song Sung Blue (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Song Sung Blue (2025): Biopic, not of Neil Diamond, but of a 1990s tribute act. Perhaps because the movie condenses over a decade of their careers, the movie feels rushed. Hugh Jackman does fine work, as does Kate Hudson. Lots of love and respect for Neil Diamond. B-

Peacock

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025): A woman is having a nervous breakdown and spirals downward as her troubles mount as movie wears on. Great one-note acting. Some view it as a black comedy. Try that, as otherwise it's just too bleak. B-

HBO Max

The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures

Source: h/t DALL-E.

The Academy Awards will be given out Sunday, March 15, 2026. I've seen all the nominees for Best Picture. That means my opinion means something. Right? Regardless, I've ranked the movies in order of my preference for "Best Picture."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science uses ranked choice voting (RCV) to ensure that the winner has broad support throughout the Academy members. I wish US political elections used something similar (see proportional voting). But that's for another post.

My personal ranked choice of the Oscar nominees is based on the grades I gave the movies immediately after seeing them. In case of ties, I ordered them by my judgment today. Note this is not my prediction of which movie will win but how I would vote, if I had a vote. (The bettors are picking "One Battle After Another". I think "Sinners" could win in an upset.)

The envelope please. The winner of "The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures" goes to...

Blue Moon (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Blue Moon (2025): At the bar in NY's Sardi's, Lorenz Hart watches his former partner Richard Rodgers celebrate the opening of Oklahoma! Ethan Hawke is masterful portraying a musical genius in decline. With just one set, and one night, it feels like a stage play, one with little dramatic arc. B+

Netflix