MOVIE REVIEWS: “Scream 7,” "How to Make a Killing," "Midwinter Break," "Pillion," "Hoppers," "I Can Only Imagine 2" & "Dreams" – Valdosta Daily Times

Published 7:41 am Monday, April 20, 2026
By Adann-Kennn J. Alexxandar
(Horror/Slasher: 1 hour, 54 minutes)
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Isabel May
Director: Kevin Williamson
Rated: R (Strong bloody violence, gore, and strong language.)
Movie Review:
“Scream VI” (2023) revitalized this horror franchise, but “Scream 7,” despite being entertaining, diminishes it with implausibility galore. This one brings back some familiar faces but poses an unbelievable story. While it is great to see numerous faces from the previous “Scream” movies, it would be nice to see them in a much better story for this slasher reunion.
Neve Campbell once again plays Sidney Prescott Evans, who is living a peaceful life with her daughter Isabel (May) and her husband, police chief Mark Evans (Joel McHale), in Pine Grove, Indiana. All is well until she receives a telephone call — one all too familiar. “Hello, Sidney. Do you like scary movies?”
From there, this movie features much screaming, running and of course multiple murders. This addition also brings in artificial intelligence, social media and a Scooby Doo type atmosphere to solving crime.
The result is a hodgepodge of messy writing and unbelievable circumstances. Surprisingly, this movie’s great feat is that it seems to set up a continuation of this series. With hope, future movies will be more intelligently convincing.
Grade: C+ (Entertains but it is nothing to scream about.)
(Noir Comedy/Crime: 1 hour, 45 minutes) strong bloody violence, gore, and language.
Starring: Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley and Jessica Henwick
Director: John Patton Ford
Rated: R (Strong language and violence/bloody images)
Movie Review:
“How to Make a Killing” is exactly what its title suggests. The movie is a poorly executed crime comedy about a young man’s determination to secure wealth and the lengths he will go to achieve that goal.
Becket Redfellow (Powell) grew up poor, despite his mother’s belonging to one of the wealthiest families in the United States. When his childhood friend Julia (Qualley) puts the notion in his head that he only needs to kill a few relatives to achieve a mighty fortune, Becket does just that. He begins killing off relatives who would be in line to inherit the family‘s $28 billion.
On the surface, the plot has merit as a dramedy, a mixture of comedy and drama. However, it is poorly edited and features unconvincing acting, so the laughs are nil. The movie has a few clever turns, but ultimately it does not measure up to the cleverness the story seems to promise in the trailers. This is a shame, since Glen Powell, fresh from his turn as the main character in “Running Man,” and Margaret Qualley (“The Substance,” 2024) are talented actors. They are fun to watch here and there, but “How to Make a Killing’s” script seems trite.
Grade: C- (How to make a poor comedy.)
(Drama: 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Starring: Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds
Director: Polly Findlay
Rated: PG-13 (Thematic material involving alcoholism, strong language, bloody images and suggestive material)
Movie Review:
“Midwinter Break” is proof a good, solid dramatic photoplay is not a waning art form. Based on Bernard MacLaverty’s 2017 novel, it is a fine drama, uplifted by the acting talent of Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds. They turned this into a fine trauma worthy of one’s time at a cinema, even when the narrative seems to leave its audiences in limbo for a few scenes. Eventually, most matters are explained, Director Polly Findlay (“The Merchant of Venice,” 2015) and her team provide an inviting drama about faith, love, and matrimony.
Stella and Gerry Gilmore (Manville and Hinds, respectively) are a long-time married couple. Stella is grounded, trying to make sense of life through her faith. Gerry is in midair, living a solitary life laced with alcoholism. They take a trip to Amsterdam, a Christmas gift to themselves. On the trip, they rediscover each other and a past they both cannot resolve.
Manville and Hinds are excellent actors. They make a married couple interesting and entertaining, even when their characters are just sitting in bed talking. They offer a masterclass in Acting 101. Fine actors know how to play opposite each other. They are superb in low-key drama.
It also helps that the movie does something brilliant. It slowly evolves the story to let one see their past and why they are still troubled today. However, the movie occasionally leaves the audience in the dark. You must keep learning about this couple as they learn about each other. The problem is they make you wait for it, and sometimes, you feel you are oblivious to some parts of The Gilmores’ story.
Grade: B (A good break this spring.)
(Drama: 1 hour, 46 minutes)
Starring: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge
Director: Harry Lighton
Rated: R (Sexual content, nudity, thematic material and strong language)
Movie Review:
Called a romance drama by its producers, “Pillion” is a dark screenplay about a unique relationship between two men. This very adult-themed movie involves one person agreeing to be dominated, virtually mistreated as part of a wanted dynamic. The movie works because Harry Lighton, in his directorial debut for a full-length feature film, approaches this relationship very seriously. Although it is not an arthouse film for everyone, it is a well-done drama.
Colin is a mild-mannered parking enforcement officer living in Bromley, London, with his parents, Pete (Hodge) and Peggy (Sharp). A shy Collin has never been in a profound relationship until he meets Ray (Skarsgård), a tall, attractive motorcyclist with a toned physique. Ray is masculine, an alpha male, and Colin, a reclusive nerdy gentleman, enter a strict BDSM relationship where Colin obeys Ray’s commands.
Again, this is an adult movie that thrives on a relationship of submissiveness and domination. It involves an intense but controlled sexual relationship, although the nudity is toned down. One uses imagination to fill individual visual gaps.
“Pillion” is a relationship movie. It is much like a hard-core romance, except the nature of the relationship is not what one would expect in a typical romance. It also helps that the actors seem to take their roles seriously. Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling create a reason for you to care about these people, especially Melling’s character. Sure, the relationship seems avant-garde and maybe crazy to some moviegoers, but it is rendered potently by a cast nicely helmed by director-writer Harry Lighton.
Satisfyingly and unlike most romance genre movies, this one seems more like real life. You do not know what will happen to these characters, but if they are happy, you wish them well or something like that.
Grade: B+ (Melling makes a good Pillion for an intense Skarsgård.)
(Animation/Adventure: 1 hour, 44 minutes)
Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm
Director: Daniel Chong
Rated: PG (Action peril/violence, scary images and mild language)
Movie Review:
“Hoppers” is an animated family film that serves as an informative piece about the environment and how we treat the life forms in it. It is very much like 2024’s “Wild Robot,” a phenomenal movie that involves a robot in nature. “Hoppers” is similar and involves robots that are animatronic animals. The movie is adventurous and should entertain most family members.
Mabel Tanaka, the voice of Curda, is a 19-year-old university student who wants to save the animals living in a lake area near the city of Beaverton. The environment and the animals are in trouble because business-progressive Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Hamm) wants to redevelop the land to build a highway through it. Serendipitously, Dr. Samantha “Sam” Fairfax (Kathy Najimy), Mabel’s biology professor, has developed a way to put human thought processes into small animal robots as avatars to study animals. Mabel intends to use a beaver robot body to save the animals. Surprisingly, once she inhabits the beaver avatar, she can understand and communicate with the animals. To save the animals’ homes, she mounts an animal revolt.
If you take “Wild Robot” (Director Chris Sanders), the movie James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009), “Braveheart” (Director Mel Gibson, 1995), and any of the Disney environmentalist movies, the result is “Hoppers.” One young lady strives to save the animals and the lake that have meant so much to her. This is where the movie grabs you with its adventure and becomes a thrilling, visual treat.
“Hoppers” manages to encompass the best parts of several films before. And by doing so, it creates a unique venture in which we see life from the animal’s standpoint and humans as the aggressors. Think of it as a “Braveheart” liberation movement for our four-legged friends.
Grade: B- (Fun, even familiar.)
(Drama: 1 hour, 50 minutes)
Starring: John Michael Finley, Sammy Dell, and Milo Ventimiglia.
Directors: Andrew Erwin and Brent Mccorkle
Rated: PG (Thematic  elements )
Movie Review:
“I Can Only Imagine 2” is the follow-up to the 2018 hit movie “I Can Only Imagine (Directors Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin). This second version seems more of an attempt to capitalize on the success of its predecessor. The characters are still watchable, but their path this outing does not seem as faithfully endearing as the 2018 movie.
This outing, John Finley returns as Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe, a gospel band. Having resolved issues with this abusive father, Arthur (Dennis Quaid), years ago, Bart now must resolve issues with his son Sam (Dell), a fractured relationship much like the one he shared with his father. To repair their father-son relationship, the Brat and his wife Shannon decide that Sam should go on a road trip with the band, since he is a promising musician himself.
“I Can Only Imagine 2” has all the bells and whistles one wants for a faith-based biographical drama. It is a drama with comedic moments that make the dramatic moments easier to accept. However, the movie falls into the same tropes we have seen with many other religious films.
Films of religiosity should step out on faith and not be afraid to try something new. This would help when the acting falls short, although Milo Ventimiglia is good as Tim Timmons.
Grade: C (Not as imaginative as the first.)
(Drama: 1 hour, 38 minutes)
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Isaac Hernández and Rupert Friend
Director: Michel Franco
Rated: NR (Sex, nudity, strong language, violence including rape)
Movie Review:
“Dreams” is an uneven drama that unfolds between a wealthy American woman and a younger Mexican man. The romance seems doomed from the start as this coupling seems ill-fated. Even more, the movie, like their relationship, never builds into something substantial enough to be considered a tangible drama.
Jessica Chastain plays philanthropist Jennifer McCarthy. She falls for a young Mexican immigrant dancer, Fernando Rodriguez (real ballet dancer Isaac Hernández). He risks his life by coming to America, leaving his family behind to pursue a relationship with McCarthy. She, on the other hand, hides him as if he were a dirty secret. Their secret affair becomes toxic as Rodriguez wants a more committed relationship, a notion McCarthy rebuffs.
Penned by Michel Franco (“After Lucia,” 2012), “Dreams” does not live up to its name. Michel’s story does not inspire one to care about these characters. Their wishy-washy relationship is an on-again-off-again, annoying mess at times. Chastain’s character, for all her wisdom and advanced age, seems childish in this relationship with a young man. Rather than admit she has a strong feeling for him, she hides him and tries her best to keep him outside of the United States.
Plus, the beginning of this tale appears dramatically different from the rest of the movie. Michel Franco’s script appears lost in translation at first and then suffers from inconsistent pacing onward.
“Dreams” is a less impactful drama despite concentrated performances from Chastain and Hernández. They exist in a plot that never advances enough in the romance department to make it interesting.
Grade: C (Not as imaginative as it could be.)

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