The Film Maven Watch Diary for May 2025

Celebrating the best and the rest of what I discovered over the month.

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Well, May is finally over and good riddance. I went through a bevy of existential crises about my life and career—I mean, the month did start with Polygon being gutted and tons of great writes being out of work—so I tried my best to lose myself in movies. The variety of films below comprise some I watched as I put the finishing touches on But Have You Read the Book, Vol. 2. (If you’re excited for that one you’ve got some time. But I do have a new book dropping in November!). Some were new releases and others were random watches. Regardless, let’s look back through the month that was and what I enjoyed…and what I wish I’d skipped.

The Best

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

I did a “Written by Terry McMillan” double feature as I got to the finish line of BHYR Vol. 2 and one was vastly different than the other. I’ve seen Waiting to Exhale (1995) a few times and it’s a movie that feels very 1995. The script is overwrought and there’s a TV movie feel to it, though I’ll say it’s better than the book. So I went in with some trepidation going into my first-time watch of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, reuniting Waiting to Exhale’s star (Angela Bassett) and co-writers (McMillan and Ron Bass).

But there was nothing to fear because this movie is just as fresh and vibrant now as it was in 1998. Bassett plays Stella Payne, a stuck-in-her-ways single mother who takes a spur-of-the-moment trip to Jamaica. Along the way she meets a young Jamaican man named Winston (Taye Diggs) and their romance forces them to confront everything from age and generation gaps to whether it’s possible to find love again. It is ridiculously laughable that Bassett, at 40, is struggling to find a man. She is stunning this (and complemented by Ruth E. Carter’s costuming). But, hey, it was the ‘90s. But the script is so nuanced in its exploration of relationships. Diggs and Bassett have a natural chemistry and the script doesn’t focus on the “ew, she’s old” age gap—though that’s there—but more what expectations are expected in a relationship when one is 20 vs. 40. And it’s funny as hell.

Final Destinations: Bloodlines (2025)

From my review: Final Destination has prided itself on opening with a bang and Bloodlines is no exception. Young Iris (Brec Bassinger) goes on a romantic trip to the Skyview with her boyfriend, but what is meant to lead to a sweet proposal is telegraphed—via music cues and lines like “I’ll never let you go”—from a mile away as ending in disaster. You’ll never listen to “Shout” the same way again, that’s for sure. But it’s one thing to know what’s gonna happen, it’s another to see it. Complemented by Todd Masters’s expert makeup effects, the Skyview disaster enters the pantheon of best Final Destinationdeath scenes. No one is safe, not even children, and everything from a piano smushing someone to finger skin getting ripped off is pumped full of visceral impact. Even in moments where you might think certain things are CGI—like the Skyview sunset—the practical effects are aces.

If Final Destination: Bloodlines is where the franchise ends, it’s a fond farewell, especially since Todd is no longer a presence. The death scenes remain the star of the show, but it is becoming harder to find actors able to liven things up in between those beats. Final Destination: Bloodlines is on the lower end of the franchise spectrum, but it continues to emphasize what we love about the series: that we all end still fear the Reaper.

Mission Impossible—The Final Reckoning (2025)

From my review: It’s been nearly 30 years audiences were introduced (and the previous generation were re-introduced) to Ethan Hunt and the Impossible Missions Force. (Between this and the release of Final Destination: Bloodlines this week, millennials have never felt older.) What started out as a fun late-’60s TV show has transmorgified into the juggernaut action franchise it is today, so much so that you’d be hard pressed to find many who recall it’s small screen origins. But in those 30 years Cruise, and his ever evolving ensemble, have engaged in high-octane, blockbuster filmmaking that continues to feel unique in a world of CGI juggernauts, fueled by the 62-year-old superstar continuing to place himself in peril at every opportunity.

But all good things come to an end. This is, as the title says, the final reckoning despite Cruise’s hemming and hawing on red carpets. And it goes out with a bang. Like an IMF mission, everything about Final Reckoning is bombastic and thrilling. And unlike it’s story which places an emphasis on how “nothing is written” and man makes his own destiny, co-screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen weave a taut tale that ties in so many previous Mission: Impossibleplot threads so organically it feels like there was a master plan leading to this film from the very beginning.

Pee Wee as Himself (2025)

The cottage industry of reevaluating disgraced figures of the 1980s and 1990s is starting to hit a wall, but there’s still plenty of interesting people to explore. As is the case with Pee Wee as Himself looking at the life of the titled children’s TV shot, aka Paul Reubens. Reubens’s death in 2023 cast an eye on how people were quick to ruin his name after he was discovered in a porn theater in the 1990s, coupled with the fact that Reubens finally came out as a gay man.

There are plenty of flaws found in Pee Wee as Himself, most of it stemming from the fact that Reubens refused to cooperate and talk to the filmmakers at a certain point. So there is an overall sense of the vague with the documentary, as if the filmmakers were afraid to make assertions while Reubens was still alive and didn’t add anything in after he was gone. But the moment where Reubens does talk about himself are interesting. It’s obvious he struggled with identity issues and, had the movie spent more time with him, no doubt the film’s true impact would hit harder. But what’s there is a frustrating look at a man who knew Hollywood wouldn’t accept him and what happens when persona overtakes the person.

Sally! (2024)

I started a new part-time gig that has given me the opportunity to watch some really good documentaries, starting with the documentary Sally! (Not to be confused with the NatGeo documentary on Sally Ride.) Sally! is the story of lesbian activist Sally Gearhart. Sally is a hoot from the minute the documentary opens, openly supporting and envisioning a female utopia where men aren’t necessary. The documentary uses that to peel back the layers on the lesbian rights movement, something criminally underdiscussed considering, as one of the talking heads says, queer history has been written by gay men. This continues today, as evidenced by clips from Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film Milk that shows sequences that show only Sean Penn’s Harvey Milk in situations where Gearthart was with him. If you’re looking for a unique entry into queer history for Pride Month, find this one.

Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age (2022)

A harsh but vital view for anyone who spends time online (which is everyone). Directors Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist interview a variety of different women, different ages and countries, to examine online harassment and misogyny in social spaces. On the one hand it’s heartbreaking to see sequences of children as young as eight discussing being harassed online and trying to combat bullying. On the other, it’s a biting look at how online harassment affects everyone, even though in politics. It’s a hard sit, but it speaks to a lot of what is happening right now.

And the Rest

Agnes of God (1985)

This is on the cusp of being one of the best but the overall mid quality of it puts it here. I had high hopes for this Norman Jewison directed adaptation of John Pielmeier's play, and there are plenty of good elements. Meg Tilly gives a transcendent performance as the young nun, Agnes, dealing with either mental illness, the fall-out of sexual repression, or the trials of sainthood. And Anne Bancroft is wonderful as the Mother Superior whose closeness to Agnes leads to questions.

But the movie seems unsure whether it wants to be a mystery, something more horror based (a la The Exorcist), or a drama about a highly religious woman vs. an atheist (Jane Fonda). There are so many interesting threads in making this a mystery around whether is Agnes is a saint or just mentally ill but then we get divergences into Fonda—at her most overwrought and melodramatic—shouting about trying to save her while reminding everyone she has issues with organized religion. It all tries to be too much. And then it just ends. No catharsis, no resolution, not even a question to make the viewer think more. Just credits.

Another Simple Favor (2025)

Did anyone have high hopes for this? We all figured something was up considering the move from a theatrical release to an Amazon Prime Video debut and the Lively/Baldoni discourse sucking the air out of everything. But, oof, is this one of the biggest squandered sequel opportunities. The script, credited to the first film’s screenwriter Jessica Sharzer and Terminator: Genisys screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis, doesn’t have a clue where it wants to go. With those two women at the helm, it makes sense why things seem so haphazard.

It starts out with a simple premise: Emily (Blake Lively) is getting married. But like most of the plot points here there’s an overly complicated and elaborate reason why. This all forces everyone to a beautiful island that seems like someone watched Glass Onion and wanted to copy it. The costumes and locations are gorgeous, and Lively still knows why we love Emily as a character, but that’s the only good points. The “twist” is ridiculous—and includes a sexual assault joke that is SO not funny—and forces a total retcon of Emily’s character that just feels like a studio note you’d get in 2025. “People don’t like women to be bitchy anymore.” A total mess and I’m still angry I wasted two hours (it’s a 90-minute movie, tops) on it.

Thousands Cheer (1943)

This George Sidney-directed musical is part of the genre of war films that’s a cavalcade of stars with a thin premise of plot to stitch it all together. In this case, soldier Eddie Marsh (Gene Kelly) falls in love with Kathryn Jones (Kathryn Grayson), the colonel’s daughter. Their relationship is threatened by Kathryn’s father who thinks Eddie is a bum, and Eddie’s fear of returning to the trapeze act his family runs. Oh, and they’ve decided to put on a show. The vignettes are okay, if only to catch glimpses of stars like Lucille Ball and Margaret O’Brien. But when the focus is on Eddie and Kathryn the relationship feels very one-sided. I’m probably biased because Grayson is not an actress I particularly enjoy, but she is dull as paint her. Kelly is giving everything and thank goodness he did better movies after this.

City Hall (1996)

I do love when TCM shows random movies from the ‘90s! This was one where the cast made me look twice. Al Pacino? John Cusack? Bridget Fonda? In a 1990s political drama? With a script co-written by Paul Schrader AND Nicholas Pileggi?! I’m a sucker for a good ‘90s political thriller a la Nick of Time or The Insider. Unfortunately, this one has a very rose-colored glasses view of politics, wherein Al Pacino’s New York mayor can showboat his pants off at the funeral of a dead little boy and still come out of a messy legal situation by saying, “You know, maybe I should resign for the good of the office!” Simple times. It’s also boring as hell. Fonda and Cusack are just the blank slates trying to solve a mystery that should point to a bevy of corruption but ends up hitting with all the impact of a wet towel.

Funnily enough, I can tell you exactly what parts of this movie I assume were contributed by Schrader: the gritty New York filled with bad cops, drugs, and what should be a fascinating look at the Black community. You can also see in all the Mob stuff what Pileggi contributed. If only all of this was better.

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

From my review: Lilo & Stitch 2025 isn’t a bad movie. Director Dean Fleischer Camp isn’t a stranger to sweet stories of loss, being the man behind Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, and co-screenwriters Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes certainly pay homage to the fan base that grew up with the movie. The casting is charming and the VFX are ridiculously good. The problem is the give-and-take nature of a script that slavishly recreates the original film’s greatest hits while breathlessly trying to leapfrog over those same moments to add in original storytelling that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

There’s a moment in this movie that involves Stitch and a defibrillator and that’s what Lilo & Stitch(2025) is. A vain attempt to shock a familiar story back to life. Hewing so close to the original most in the theater will just wonder why they aren’t watching the animated feature. And yet there’s just enough there to make it different, though dull in execution. Barely two months have passed since the last Disney remake, and though this is far better than Snow White this will probably end up right next to that retread as a movie you’ll barely remember come the fall.

Insignificance (1985)

This was a recommendation from someone who cited it as the best Marilyn Monroe performance (in terms of someone playing her) of all time. I don’t know if I’d say the best, but it’s certainly good. Directed by Nicolas Roeg, Insignificance tells of a fictional night wherein Albert Einstein (Michael Emil) interacts with Senator Joseph McCarthy (Tony Curtis), Joe DiMaggio (Gary Busey) and Marilyn Monroe (Theresa Russell). Having seen other Roeg films I assumed this one would be kooky and it is. The group spends the runtime talking about life, the nature of the universe, physics, and more. The aimlessness is part of the allure, but it isn’t particularly engaging. Russell’s performance is what most will walk away praising as she understands the various personas Monroe gave. I’m glad I saw this but it’s far from Roeg’s best.