The CineFiles

Friday, September 18, 2026

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (2024)

Written & Directed By: Pedro Almodovar

Based on the Novel “WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH” By: Sigrid Nunez

Cinematography: Edu Grau

Editor: Teresa Font

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Alex Hogh Andersen, Victoria Luengo, Esther McGregor

Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

This isn’t a bad film. In fact, it’s almost frustrating that it isn’t, because there’s so much to admire here, and yet so little that I actually connected with.

Every frame is beautiful. The colors, compositions, interiors, costumes, and carefully chosen shots often look like paintings. There’s a rhythm to it, too, almost like a beautifully directed stage production. But after a while, It started feeling less like one was watching a movie and more like I was visiting a very expensive museum exhibit And while appreciated, just wasn’t necessarily having a good time.

The biggest problem for me is that the dialogue often feels written rather than spoken. The characters seem to deliver information rather than reveal emotion. It’s almost like reading a very wordy novel where the author tells you everything, leaving you to create the images and feelings yourself. Except this is a movie Qqand Pedro Almodóvar is giving us all those images already.

There are moments of genuine beauty and meaning, but emotionally, the film feels strangely cold. Almost like a modern 1950s melodrama that forgot to turn up the melodrama.

And that’s particularly disappointing because Almodóvar is one of my favorite filmmakers. He has always had this wonderful ability to make chaos feel ordinary, make the mundane feel fascinating, and turn emotional extremes into something colorful, funny, messy, and alive.

Here, everything feels much more controlled. Almost too controlled.

The film eventually becomes monotonous, like listening to someone tell you a story when you keep waiting for them to finally get to the point and then realizing you’re not particularly interested in the point.

I also couldn’t shake the feeling that this was partly an appreciation piece for its two magnificent leading actresses. If you’re already a fan of them, there’s plenty here to admire. And honestly, they deserve to be celebrated. But the movie sometimes feels more devoted to their presence than interested in giving us something emotionally involving around them.

It’s gorgeous. It’s sophisticated. It’s carefully constructed. There’s absolutely nothing technically wrong with it And maybe that’s the problem.

I kept waiting for the movie to surprise me, move me, shake me or at least make me feel something beyond “That’s a lovely shot.”

It almost feels like watching a Vogue fashion spread: beautifully designed, impeccably photographed, sophisticated enough to discuss over cocktails, but after a while you’re wondering where the actual story went.

Ultimately, The film feels like a film to study, admire, dissect, and appreciate more than one to simply enjoy And maybe that’s exactly what Almodóvar intended.

But for me, it was like going on a date with someone who has plenty of qualities you admire. They’re intelligent, beautiful, interesting, accomplished, and probably wonderful to other people. There just isn’t any chemistry. So you wish them well And if everyone else wants to rave about them, I won’t argue.

Though by the end if you can afford it. You want to know who the interior designer and costume designer were. As those are immaculate.

Grade: B-

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE (2026)

Directed By: Aaron Hovarth, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, Fabien Pollack

Written By: Matthew Fogel

Editor: Eric Osmond

Cast: (Voices of) Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Glen Powell, Donald Glover, Keegan-Michael Key, Brie Larson, Benny Safdie, Luis Guzman, Issa Rae, Kevin Michael Richardson

Mario ventures into space, exploring cosmic worlds and tackling galactic challenges far from the familiar Mushroom Kingdom.

Did we need a sequel to the original movie? No, but considering it’s box office, we knew there would be one eventually. Plus it’s a franchise just as there are so many SUPER MARIO BROTHERS. You knew this would probably come along which at least expand on the super Mario world in the first place and ads familiar faces with some new from the super Mario Brothers lore.

Though again this film feels so unnecessary. Almost like filler, that I am hoping it might be recruitment for kids who it’s obviously more aimed that and giving something to die hard Mario brothers fans the world over.

As the first film felt like the film we all wanted back when the game was popular and when they came up with that disappointing live action movie this sequel just feels while quirky on autopilot as it’s not as much fun. The story is kind of hazy and just a reason to put these characters all back together. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I can’t say it’s as fun or entertaining unfortunately, kind of takes away from the first one or reminds you how much you liked the first one and why can’t this one be just as fun.

The film stays cute though never quite necessary. Sometimes it’s actually even fun, but it does remind me of that BABE sequel; BABE: PIG IN THE CITY where babe doesn’t even really talk or if he does, he says very few words it seemed like with the first film the voice actors managed to make their characters be felt here. It just feels like they have less to say or at least less humor and more definitely dependent on actions and silly physical scenes more. not to mention the addition of just more characters and celebrity voices.

It’s better than when there would be an unenthusiastic straight to streaming your home video animated sequel as this is definitely big and grand. It just doesn’t feel as much fun or inventive as the first film maybe as it came along too fast and didn’t have time to really consider a storyline or wanted to keep it then just so we could stay with the characters and hope that would satiate the audience and the fans.

At least the score helps lift the overall tone. Even if it is mostly memorable music from the video games.

For the fans, I believe this song will be possibly enough, but if you’re not really in the super Mario Brothers, I feel like this will kind of be even more disappointing.

Grade: C

Saturday, September 12, 2026

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS (2026)

Directed By: Hayley Kiyoko

Written By: Hayley Kiyoko and Stephanie Scott

Story by: Chloe Okuno and Hayley Kiyoko

Cinematography: Sonia Tsypin

Editor: Christine Armstrong and Sabine Hoffman

Cast: Maya Da Costa, Myra Molloy, Zach Braff, Levon Hawke, Alozie LaRose, Sierra Sidwell, Hunter Dillon, Sophia Carriere, Alexa Mareka

Coley, 17, from rural Oregon, navigates intimacy after her mother’s passing. Meeting Sonya sparks new feelings, but self-doubt hinders their connection. Sonya, unfamiliar with dating girls, is uncertain. They learn to embrace emotions.

The film is light and airy feeling like a perfect summer romance

A nostalgic throwback that feels modern but yet would fit in the early 2000’s in which it’s set

Wondering if it is autobiographical fantasy for the Writer- Director Hayley Kioko from her song and music video it seems a full length feature extension from.

It works as a typical romantic film that just happens to be queer or a queer awakening film that lends itself more to a paperback romantic novel origins. As the film feels like, The type that this is adapted from by the writer director who also wrote the original novel.

The films easy to watch you can’t help but route for the main characters and their back stories are handled with care that seem to be heavy and emotion, but very light material wise all the two girls bond and are left in their own world. There is no bullying there doesn’t seem to be prejudice from any friends or family so really the only challenge throughout the film seems to be being emotionally available and open to one another and trust there’s nothing or no one in the outside world really challenging this romance.

As throughout the film, it seems like the main character played By Maya Da Costa seems to be the one who is facing the most challenge of letting go and growing up and living her life and not staying mentally in her sorrow.

It also doesn’t hurt that everything in this film is very pretty. So there’s nothing that’s ugly or mean spirited and there’s nothing bad to look at as most of the cast is beautiful as are the locations and the town that they’re staying in. The cast is lovingly diverse. It’s one of those dream towns where everyone seems cool with everything. No prejudice, no class struggles, no bigotry. So the film won’t offend anyone and one can see why some might be attracted to it.

There is a slightly romantic rival, and once they are with them instead of the scenes, seeming as romantic beautifully shot and intense, there’s a coldness in a practicality that feels cold and a little bit of disgust.

It’s an assured debut by Director, Hayley Kioko, who keeps it light and sweet with a little bit of death and is quite assured behind the camera as an actress and musician. She seems to have learned and picked up the necessary skill and await what her next film will be here she shows she has the goods to continue along this path.

Happy this got a limited release theatrically though really the material feels more like a streaming or the type that these days would be more streaming original only because it’s a little more lightweight, which isn’t unexpected watching the trailer

The film is more likable than one might expect

Grade: C+

Friday, September 11, 2026

SHE’S THE HE (2026)

Written, Edited & Directed By: Siobhan McCarthy

Cinematography: Bethany Michalski

Cast: Nico Carney, Misha Osherovich, Malia Pyles, Suzanne Cryer, Tatiana Ringsby, Mark Indelicato, Emmett Preciado, Aparna Nancherla

Before graduation, Ethan and Alex pose as trans women in a last ditch effort to quell gay rumors. It’s all a joke until Ethan realizes: she really is trans. The two must reckon with their changing friendship, coming out, and coming-of-age.

This is a Queer film where the leads are trans and, Non-Binary. Which there isn’t a problem because there are such few films and representation for them. So at least here they get a chance to beat themselves or speak for themselves.

As the two leads who are non-binary and trans, are supposed to play their roles as straight boys trying to disguise themselves as trans to save themselves and to try and get one of their dream girls to fall in love with them go through that process one discovers that they might actually be trans themselves and is not pretending as much.

The film is mostly a comedy and plays out like one of those teen comedies from the 80s 90s or even 2000s or logic. It’s thrown out the door, but which sounds like a good plan works and goes as well as satirizing high school movies in general straight and queer.

What shocked me here was not the comedy which is a little like the recent film BOTTOMS but without as big of a budget, it was the heart and emotion that this film has it’s not played out throughout, but it is an essential part of the film, which is the film’s heartbeat which truly is what saves the film. As it helps cover up the low budget technical shortcomings and presentation.

As, if this film had just been straight comedy, it would’ve worked, but it wouldn’t have felt necessarily as worth the story or the fountain as it gets you the audience at certain moments that prove to be universal and truly show the depth of the characters and the situations they find themselves in. While swimming in the Moore, universal broad comedy aspects of it all.

This is an unexpected delight that I think people

Should give a chance to, and maybe it will open up their ways of thinking to acceptance and support for the LGBTQ+ community and understand the challenges and fears that they go through.

It’s a film that can be both educational and fun for the audience other than language maybe should be aimed or show more teenagers as it’s appeal seems to be aimed at them a little more

Not to mention is definitely very quotable.

Grade: B-