Flight Risk is a tense action thriller set against the stunning but treacherous backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness. The film centers on Deputy U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery), who is tasked with transporting Winston (Topher Grace), an accountant turned informant on the run from the Moretti crime family. As they board a small plane piloted by the seemingly affable Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg), their journey quickly becomes a fight for survival when it’s revealed that the pilot is actually a hitman sent by Moretti to ensure Winston never testifies.
Stranded and isolated, Madolyn must confront her own traumatic past as she improvises to protect Winston and herself. The situation escalates when they learn there’s a leak within the U.S. Marshals connected to the crime family, making them targets not just from the skies but also from within law enforcement. As Madolyn wrestles to keep control of the plane and maintain hope for rescue, the tension on board builds relentlessly, with shifting alliances and personal demons coming to the fore.
The film’s climax is a nonstop barrage of confrontations; Madolyn fends off both the lethal hitman and manipulations from her superiors. As the plane careens toward a perilous landing amid running low on fuel, Madolyn’s resourcefulness and courage are put to the ultimate test. In the final moments, she not only manages to land the plane but thwarts another assassination attempt on Winston, who is rushed to safety. “Flight Risk” delivers high-altitude suspense with psychological drama, underscored by revelations of betrayal and redemption.
It is Mark Wahlberg as you’ve never seen him before. At first it was almost hilarious watching Daryl and his quirky banter with his two passengers, but the tone quickly turned dark as Daryl reveals his true identity and evil intent. It was unnerving to say the least watching Mark Wahlberg portraying a very dark evil side. Stepping well outside his usual heroic or wholesome roles, Wahlberg embraces the character’s duplicitous nature, portraying Daryl as both a seemingly folksy, affable pilot and a ruthless, unhinged hitman. Wahlberg made a visible physical transformation by shaving his head for the role, adding a raw and unsettling authenticity that heightened the menace of his character. As the film progresses and his character’s evil intentions come to light, Wahlberg shifts gears into an overtly psychopathic demeanor—snorting, snarling, and radiating danger.
I liked it, it was fascinating to watch Mark Wahlberg in this role. It is a good little ride, grab some popcorn and give it a go….
Michelle Dockery as Madolyn and Mark Wahlberg as Daryl in Flight Risk. Photo Credit: Courtesy of LionsgateMichelle Dockery as Madolyn in Flight Risk. Photo Credit: Courtesy of LionsgateTopher Grace as Winston in Flight Risk. Photo Credit: Courtesy of LionsgateFlight Risk Movie Poster Courtesy of Lionsgate
She Rides Shotgun – A Novel by Jordan Harper – March 13, 2018.
A propulsive, gritty novel about a girl marked for death who must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows—her father.
Eleven-year-old Polly McClusky is shy, too old for the teddy bear she carries with her everywhere, when she is unexpectedly reunited with her father, Nate, fresh out of jail and driving a stolen car. He takes her from the front of her school into a world of robbery, violence, and the constant threat of death. And he does it to save her life.
Nate made dangerous enemies in prison—a gang called Aryan Steel has put out a bounty on his head, counting on its members on the outside to finish him off. They’ve already murdered his ex-wife, Polly’s mother. And Polly is their next target.
Nate and Polly’s lives soon become a series of narrow misses, of evading the bad guys and the police, of sleepless nights in motels. Out on the lam, Polly is forced to grow up early: with barely any time to mourn her mother, she must learn how to take a punch and pull off a drug-house heist. She finds herself transforming from a shy little girl into a true fighter. Nate, in turn, learns what it’s like to love fiercely and unconditionally—a love he’s never quite felt before. But can their powerful bond transcend the dangerous existence he’s carved out for them? Will they ever be able to live an honest life, free of fear?
She Rides Shotgun is a gripping and emotionally wrenching novel that upends even our most long-held expectations about heroes, villains, and victims. Nate takes Polly to save her life, but in the end it may very well be Polly who saves him.
THE MOVIE:
She Rides Shotgun follows Nate (Taron Egerton), a recently released ex-con who suddenly shows up at his 11-year-old daughter Polly’s (Ana Sophia Heger) school and drags her into a car without much explanation. Polly barely knows her father and does not trust him, but she quickly learns that a violent white-supremacist prison gang has marked Nate’s entire family for death, and the safest place for her might actually be on the run with this stranger she is supposed to call “Dad.”
As they hit the road across New Mexico, Nate starts teaching Polly how to disappear: new hair, new clothes, fake names, and a crash course in how not to look scared. They bounce between cheap motels, roadside diners, and sketchy contacts from Nate’s old criminal life, always trying to stay one step ahead of the gang members hunting them. At first Polly feels like cargo, but the more danger they face, the more Nate involves her in the plan, whether she is ready or not.
Nate takes Polly to his brother Nick’s ex-girlfriend’s house looking for help and a place to lay low for a while. Charlotte (Odessa A’zion) is a tough, street-smart woman who gives Polly a different view of Nate and the choices he has made. Polly starts to pick up survival skills of her own, from handling herself in sketchy places to swinging a baseball bat as more than just a toy, which both scares her and makes her feel powerful. The father and daughter who started as strangers slowly develop a rough, awkward bond, built on shared danger and dark jokes.
As the gang closes in and law enforcement also starts paying attention, the walls tighten around Nate and Polly, forcing them into riskier moves and more direct confrontations. Nate becomes increasingly desperate to wipe out the threat before it reaches Polly, while Polly struggles with how much violence she is willing to accept from the man who is finally acting like a father. The story builds toward a final standoff that tests how far both of them will go to protect each other.
As I watched Ana Sophia Heger’s Polly in She Rides Shotgun, I was genuinely impressed by how authentic and emotionally nuanced her performance was. She never tries to play Polly as unrealistically tough, but instead shows a kid who’s scared, confused, and searching for safety, all in a world that keeps demanding she grow up too fast. The subtle changes in her expressions, whether she’s nervously watching her dad dye her hair or making difficult decisions under stress, made every scene feel real, and at times, heartbreaking.
What really resonated was how Ana, despite her age, matches and sometimes elevates the energy Taron Egerton brings to the screen. Their chemistry gives the whole father-daughter dynamic a bruised authenticity that made me care about their connection. There’s a moment near the end when Polly’s silent reaction communicates more than any line of dialogue could. For me, Ana Sophia Heger absolutely anchors the emotional tone of the film, her vulnerability, grit, and growth make Polly’s journey unforgettable and truly worth watching.
Ana Sophia Heger, at the age of 12, is an actress to watch, inviting comparisons to a young Tatum O’Neal while carving out something more fragile and contemporary. Ana gives a performance that feels like a spiritual descendant of Tatum in Paper Moon, but filtered through a 2020s sensibility. Less wisecracking prodigy, more vulnerable kid learning, far too early, what violence and loyalty really cost. She brings genuine depth and subtlety to her role far beyond her years, and given her passion, discipline, and ability to handle emotionally complex material, Ana Sophia Heger is poised to become a truly exceptional force in film as she grows.
You know what Bobby would say……
Highly Recommended!
Turn off the lights and devices,
Make some popcorn,
Grab a beverage,
and Stream This Movie
on PRIME!
Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger in SHE RIDES SHOTGUN. Photo Credit: Courtesy of LionsgateTaron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger in SHE RIDES SHOTGUN. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Bad people. Beautiful places. Brilliant detective.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery transports the action to a luxurious private island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), where a group of his handpicked “disruptors” gathers for a murder-mystery game that turns deadly real. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back, invited under mysterious circumstances, poking at the egos and secrets of this elite crew amid opulent parties and elaborate puzzles. As Blanc unravels the threads, it becomes clear that Bron’s inner circle, each with axes to grind and alibis to fake, is hiding more than just bad ideas behind their success stories.
At the story’s core is Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), Bron’s ditzy fashionista girlfriend with a heart of fool’s gold, alongside the sharp-tongued scientist Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe), loyal assistant Peggy (Jessica Henwick), and others like the YouTuber Duke (Dave Bautista) and his suspicious girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline). These characters orbit Bron like planets around a black hole of charisma, their loyalty tested when a key death upends the weekend getaway. Blanc’s quiet observations cut through the flash, turning the group’s self-congratulatory vibes into a powder keg of resentment and deception.
As the investigation heats up, Blanc navigates booby-trapped sets, hidden motives, and a script-flipping pace that keeps everyone guessing, all while the island’s isolation amps the stakes. Bron’s right-hand man Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) and the enigmatic Helen step into pivotal roles, forcing everyone to confront how far they’d go to protect their slice of the empire. The mystery builds through wild reveals and chases, with Blanc piecing together a puzzle that’s as much about ego as evidence.
Daniel Craig doubles down on Blanc’s charm, blending that drawling Southern wit with sharper impatience for nonsense this time around, gone is some of the goofiness, replaced by a steely focus that makes him feel even more like the genre’s new king. His physical ticks, like the fidgety hands and piercing stares, evolve into a more commanding presence, shedding any lingering Bond shadow while owning the detective’s theatrical flair amid absurdly rich suspects.
Janelle Monáe commands as Cassandra/Helen, channeling raw grief and intellect into a role that flips from overlooked genius to force of nature, her every glance loaded with unspoken fury. She nails the duality, vulnerable yet unbreakable, making her the emotional anchor in a sea of caricatures, with chemistry opposite Blanc that sparks like flint on steel.
Glass Onion amps the satire, swapping family dysfunction for tech-bro hubris and influencer excess, using the whodunnit to skewer “move fast and break things” culture, fake innovation, and loyalty bought with NDAs. Rian Johnson twists the formula harder, early reveals shift suspicion to deeper lies, blending Clue’s playfulness with Ocean’s Eleven polish for a mystery that’s gleefully meta yet brutally on-point about power and privilege today.
Glass Onion is highly recommended for fans of clever twists, ensemble chaos, and Blanc’s brainpower, sharper and splashier than the original with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes!
Knives Out follows the wealthy Thrombey family in the aftermath of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey’s (Christopher Plummer) mysterious death at his sprawling estate. Detectives led by gentleman-sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrive to question the relatives, all of whom seem more interested in Harlan’s money than in mourning him. As Blanc listens in, it becomes clear that each family member is hiding something, and that the “suicide” might not be as straightforward as it looks.
At the heart of the story is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s kind, soft-spoken nurse, who had a close, genuine bond with him that his own children (Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette) seem to lack. Marta throws up when she tries to lie, which turns her into both an unlikely ally and a walking truth-detector for Blanc. When the will is read and Marta unexpectedly becomes the main heir to Harlan’s fortune and mansion, the once-smug Thrombeys quickly turn on her, exposing their entitlement and desperation in very down-to-earth, almost darkly comic ways.
As pressure mounts, Marta finds herself scrambling to keep her own involvement with Harlan’s final hours hidden while also trying to do the right thing. Harlan’s black-sheep grandson Ransom (Chris Evans) steps in, acting like the only family member willing to help her, but his smug charm and sudden interest raise questions about his true motives. The investigation spirals into car chases, secret notes, and late-night meetings, all while Blanc patiently pieces together a timeline that keeps shifting as new details emerge.
Ana de Armas shines as Marta Cabrera, the immigrant nurse who’s equal parts heart and hidden steel in a house full of schemers. She plays her as genuinely kind and awkward, constantly fidgeting or throwing up when she tries to lie, which makes her the moral center everyone else orbits around. It’s a breakout role that lets her mix vulnerability with quiet smarts, turning what could be a side character into the emotional engine of the whole mystery. Her chemistry with Harlan (Christopher Plummer) feels real and earned, like the one authentic relationship in a family built on fakeness, which sets her up perfectly for the chaos when the will drops its bombshell. De Armas nails the outsider vibe too, soft-spoken accent, wide-eyed politeness that masks a fierce sense of right and wrong, making every scene she’s in crackle with tension and sympathy
A couple of minutes in watching Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, I forgot that it was Daniel Craig. Instead of just playing Daniel Craig with an accent, he disappears into Benoit Blanc completely. He leans hard into Benoit’s slow, drawling Southern charm, with a slightly goofy, theatrical edge, and it strips away all the cool, steely James Bond baggage we’re used to seeing almost immediately. The physicality helps too, looser posture, more expressive hands and face, and a kind of amused curiosity, so he feels like a quirky gentleman detective rather than an action star slumming it. The softness in his voice, the patience in his pacing, and the way he lets other characters fill the space all help you forget the actor and just track Blanc’s brain at work. It feels like watching a character from a classic mystery novel who has somehow wandered into a very modern, messy family drama, and Craig commits to that blend so completely that the star persona fades into the background.
Knives Out doesn’t just copy the old-school whodunnit formula, it updates it by blending classic mystery motifs with today’s social and political tensions. Rian Johnson builds the story around familiar elements, a big eccentric family, a sprawling mansion, and a quirky detective, but uses them to explore themes like privilege, immigration, and class conflict in a way that feels current rather than nostalgic. By flipping when and how key information is revealed, the film shifts the focus from simply guessing the killer to questioning motives, power dynamics, and who gets to claim the moral high ground, turning a cozy genre staple into something sharper and more reflective of the world viewers recognize now.
Knives Out is highly recommended for anyone who loves clever mysteries with bite. It nails the whodunit formula while delivering fresh laughs, stellar acting, and social commentary that doesn’t preach. You know what Bobby says:
The Lost Bus on Apple TV+ grips from the start as a harrowing true-story survival thriller, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, a down-on-his-luck school bus driver in Paradise, California. Set against the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in state history, the film thrusts McKay into chaos when flames erupt during a routine school run, forcing him to evacuate 22 elementary kids with the help of quick-thinking teacher Mary Ludwig, played by America Ferrera. Greengrass’s kinetic, handheld style immerses viewers in the smoke-choked inferno, where every decision means life or death amid crumbling infrastructure and zero visibility.
McConaughey delivers a powerhouse performance, channeling raw vulnerability and grit as a flawed everyman rising to heroism, his Oklahoma drawl adding authentic texture to the role. Ferrera shines as the composed educator whose calm anchors the kids’ panic, their chemistry fueling tense, heartfelt exchanges that humanize the disaster. Supporting turns from young actors portraying the children bring genuine terror and resilience, while cameos like Steve Zahn add grounded support without stealing focus.
Technically, the film excels in building relentless suspense through practical effects and sound design, the roar of flames and kids’ cries create palpable dread, though some CGI fire sequences feel slightly artificial. Greengrass, known for United 93 and Captain Phillips, masterfully blends real-time urgency with emotional depth, exploring themes of community and redemption without veering into melodrama. Pacing never lags, clocking in at a taut 129 minutes that leaves you breathless.
Overall, The Lost Bus stands as a top-tier disaster drama with its pulse-pounding action, stellar leads, and inspirational true events. Perfect for thriller enthusiasts craving high-stakes heroism like 127 Hours, it’s a must-watch on Apple TV+.
STREAMING MOVIE NIGHT 