Coyote vs. Acme (2026)

Bugs Bunny was Saturday morning appointment television when I was growing up so I was absolutely giddy with anticipation when I saw the trailer several months back. The idea is brilliant: Wile E. Coyote hires a personal injury lawyer to bring suit against Acme for its faulty products. But, somehow, this never leaned into the silliness that made the shorts such classics. Sure, there are tons of explosions, but I never found myself chuckling or even smiling.

Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor are all well-cast and very game, so I can only fault the script and, possibly, the silence of Wile E., when everyone who knows Looney Tunes is aware that he can speak (see below). I really wanted to love this, but it felt way too long and way too convoluted and just didn't charm me the way I was expecting.

C+

The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

After their parents disappeared a year back, sisters Mary and Eve are running a bed and breakfast out of their house. Angus has taken a room there in order to do some archaeology in their front yard (?), from which he extracts the skull of a large animal and uncovers a religious mosaic. Good friend James is the Lord Protector of the town, which seems to be a ceremonial position centered around the legend of a worm. Oh, and a snaky lady lives right down the road.

Absolutely nutso film that doesn't make much sense at all, but is still pretty entertaining somehow. Amanda Donohoe as the immortal Lady Sylvia Marsh takes vamping to sky-high levels, lifting the entire production up with her.

C+

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Captain Kirk and Picard get together after meeting in "the ribbon": a utopia where time doesn't exist. Picard is trying to enlist Kirk's help in stopping Soran, a scientist who's been trying to get back to the ribbon for decades. See, the Enterprise -- via Kirk's heroic sacrifice -- pulled him and many others out of the ribbon in order to save their lives and Soran's so desperate to get back that he'll destroy a populated planet to do so.

It's pretty much just an extended episode of TNG, but with short shrift given to most of the crew in favor of time with Kirk and Soran. Oh, and Data has feelings and a new complexion now.

C

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

Fed-up with their cramped NYC apartment and the unreasonable price for making it more livable, the Blandings decide to take a look at an estate with acreage in Connecticut. They see romance and possibility in the fixer-upper and rush headlong into the purchase without knowing what they're doing nor bothering to seek the advice of their lawyer/best friend. And they keep right on making ill-considered decisions to make their dreams a reality while more and more money flies out of the holes that should be windows.

It's fun and charming and Cary Grant's reactions are comedy gold, but there's no real depth to it.

B

Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026)

Widowed Tova is a custodian for her tiny seaside town's aquarium. She enjoys the work and has a special bond with their octopus, who has become an escape artist. When she's injured, the new-to-town Cameron is brought on to cover. Both Tova and Cameron are carrying trauma and wind up bonding despite their initial friction.

I really liked the characters here and identified with Tova's impatience and chosen isolation. I also believe that animals -- even when less intelligent than an octopus -- can often sense what we need and help us heal. But I also felt manipulated by the coincidences, even though there'd be little story without them.

B-