Marcus Curly has been writing film reviews for over 20 years. Below are films that Marcus believes are worth watching and therefore there are no negative reviews in the list.
The tips describe the genre and other characteristics of the film, but do not detail its plot, so that its events come as a surprise to the viewer.
In his reviews, Marcus gives his own view of each film. The rating is 1.0 – 5.0 stars. New tips are added a couple of times a month.
Desperation Road (3.0/5.0) May 24, 2026
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Willa Fitzgerald, Mel Gibson, Ryan Hurst
Directed by: Nadine Crocker
Year: 2023
Running time: 1h 52min
A small-scale thriller drama that differs in its plot in a refreshing way from mainstream productions. The events of the movie take place in a small town in Mississippi and the story does not involve beautiful, brave or rich people, but ordinary people of flesh and blood. The film makes you ponder on life and its capriciousness from many angles.
The Holdovers (3.5/5.0) May 10, 2026
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Year: 2023
Running time: 2 h 13 minutes
A successful drama set in a boarding school. The story touchingly tells the fundamental questions of the lives of an elderly history teacher and a problematic student who has been expelled from several schools. Paul Giamatti, who plays the history teacher, does a brilliant job of portraying the role, which at times even felt like overacting. But when I remembered the manners of my high school history teacher and his brilliance with ancient events and the application of ancient wisdom to the present, the idea of overacting was immediately forgotten. The story, set during Christmas time and appropriately humorous, progresses smoothly and there is something inexplicably fascinating about it.
One-Way Ticket to Mombasa (4.0/5) April 6, 2026
Starring: Antti Tarvainen, Joonas Saartamo, Johanna Rönnlöf
Directed by: Hannu Tuomainen
Year: 2002
Running time: 1h 28m
The film is an award-winning Finnish road movie that tells the story of two teenage boys with cancer on their ‘escape trip’ and their hope to experience something unique – before their possible death.
The movie is a touching, sad but beautiful depiction of dreams and the thirst for life of youth, when you get to experience everything for the first time. Music plays a significant role in the picture, with evergreen songs from Finnish folklore playing in the background.
Although the film’s target audience is young people, even older viewers get a glimpse of the feelings that you can only experience once, on the threshold of adulthood.
Forsaken (3.0/5), March 24, 2026
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Brian Cox, Michael Wincott, Demi Moore
Directed by: Jon Cassar
Year: 2015
Running time: 1h 30min
This Western is a stereotype of its category – a story about a lonely gunfighter who would like to live a peaceful life – stereotypical, but successful as such.
Good actors, innovative and unusually clear filming of action scenes, and music that seamlessly integrates with the story make the film worth watching.
The narrative is well-paced and the story progresses, except for a slightly lingering take at the beginning.
The careful choice of filming locations brings a sense of authenticity to the film, and the widescreen brings out the magnificent, natural beauty and mountainous landscapes.
Michael Wincott, a master of supporting roles (including The Crow, 1994), brings a worthy addition to the film. As a curiosity, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland, who play father and son in the film, are also father and son in real life.
Annihilation (3.5/5) , March 6 2026
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac
Dir: Alex Garland
Year: 2018
Running time: 1h 55 min
An interesting and impressive, unconventional SciFi thriller. If you want to enjoy the fear of the unknown, you should watch the film alone at night in the dark with good sound system.
The film is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s award-winning science fiction book of the same name. The aforementioned book is like a synthesis of Arkady & Boris Strugatsky’s and Stanisław Lem’s SciFi books – Stalker & Solaris. Both of these have also been made into films.
Crown Vic (3.0/5.0) , Feb 28, 2026
Starring: Thomas Jane, Luke Kleintank
Dir: Joel Souza
Year: 2019
Running time: 1 h 50 min
Several of these police rookie films have been made in recent years, and some have even ended up as TV series. This shot is a dark depiction of a trainee’s first day at work, which happens to be extremely tough night shift in LA. An anxious and at times thrillingly exciting film, which gains more authenticity from the home theater sound system.
Let’s also mention Thomas Jane’s convincing performance as an experienced police officer.
Another curiosity is that the film’s director, Souza, was later wounded in 2021 by Alec Baldwin’s bullet while directing the film ‘Rust’.
Idiocracy (2.5/5.0), Feb 16, 2026
Starring: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph
Dir.: Mike Judge
Year: 2006
Running time: 1 h 26 min
A light-hearted sci-fi comedy that will make you smile. The film presents a dystopian future where people have become ignorant or, honestly speaking, stupid. This vision may come true sooner than the 500 years depicted in the film, thanks to artificial intelligence, robotics, and smartphone addiction.
Anecdote. I remember an incident from last year where a store cashier had enormous difficulty counting change from a cash payment, even though the cash register was calculating the amount to be refunded.
The Place Beyond the Pines (3.5/5.0), Feb 7, 2026
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes
Supporting: Ray Liotta, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Harris Yulin, Dane DeHaan
Dir.: Derek Cianfrance
Year: 2012
Running time: 2 h 20 min
A quality drama for lovers of slow storytelling. A realistic, unhurried story that has hints of the law of karma and biblical features of the transmission of sins from generation to generation. The successful cast, including supporting roles, is a testament to the filmmakers’ piety. However, for those accustomed to today’s short YouTube videos, the film may be too slow-paced. The undersigned also believes that some of the film’s 2 h 20 min length could have been cut without much loss to the story.
Finding Neverland (4.0/5.0), Feb 7, 2026
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman
Dir.: Marc Forster
Year: 2004
Running time: 1 h 41 min
A touching, feel-good film with top-notch acting, and a narrative that flows smoothly like the flow of a mountain stream.
The drama film is set in Victorian England in the early 1900s and is based on true events, the birth of one of the landmarks of Western culture’s fantasy literature, and provides background on how the story of Peter Pan began.
The Judge (3.5/5.0), Feb 7, 2026
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton
Dir.: David Dobkin
Year: 2014
Running time: 2 h 21 min
A high-quality drama, which is rarely made these days with a big budget and quality actors. The excellent script is not based on a novel, but the plot development is misleadingly reminiscent of John Grisham’s stories. The film is a development story about a lawyer’s growth as a person, his return to his roots and complicated family relationships. The obligatory touch of romance is also included.
Quality work for drama lovers.