Samantha LaBat 5/19/26 Samantha LaBat 5/19/26

Obsession

I have to give Inde Navarrette her flowers because she swapped between the sweet girl next door and the completely deranged, next-level unhinged psycho stalker with perfection and within single takes! I was absolutely blown away by her performance. I can’t recall being this impressed as of late.

Samantha LaBat 4/8/26 Samantha LaBat 4/8/26

You, Me & Tuscany

Hats off to writer Ryan Engle, because this could’ve gone so wrong, but it went so right. The film fully leans into the ridiculousness in a way that is easy to accept, making what I expected to be cringe turn out absolutely hilarious.

Samantha LaBat 4/6/26 Samantha LaBat 4/6/26

The Drama

Since this is a spoiler-free review, I obviously won’t tell you what the secret is, but I am interested to see people’s reactions to it. Personally, I felt it was dark and edgy, but I didn’t think the characters’ reactions were warranted.

Samantha LaBat 3/10/26 Samantha LaBat 3/10/26

Project Hail Mary

It is 2 hours and 36 minutes long, but it’s very well paced. I didn’t feel the time at all, I was locked in and engaged the whole time. It’s funny, yet deeply emotional. Gosling expertly shows off all his layers, as per usual.

Samantha LaBat 1/28/26 Samantha LaBat 1/28/26

Shelter

Bodhi Rae Breathnach is great, and a welcome twist to a story like this. I’ve seen a lot of ex-agent on the run alone, on the run with a love interest, but not often on the run with a child. This dynamic upped the stakes, gave the film heart, and a bit of comic relief.

Samantha LaBat 1/23/26 Samantha LaBat 1/23/26

Mercy

Chris Pratt is held against his will in a chair talking to an A.I. (Rebecca Ferguson) the entire film, so any other characters we see are in phone calls or video footage. This didn’t bother me, I thought it was engaging. It’s a similar vibe to 2018’s Searching and 2023’s Missing where the entire film takes place on a computer screen, so if that bothers you, I’d skip it.