The Choral (2025)

You don't have to sing in a chorus, as I do, to love this movie, as I did, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Jack loved it, too, and he is not a singer. Set in England against the brutalities of World War I in 1916, the movie is about a community choir, led eventually by Ralph Fiennes, a brilliant, idiosyncratic, and demanding director. Three of the singing voices are dubbed by professionals, that of Roger Allam as tenor Bernard Duxbury, Amara Okereke as soprano Mary, and Jacob Dudman as tenor Clyde. The acting is quite wonderful all around and the music uplifting.

Nicholas Hytner directs from the marvelous script by Alan Bennett, with the original score by George Fenton, which is sadly not available to stream. Here's an interesting article about the Royal College of Music singers who participated.

Fiennes was last blogged for Conclave, Hytner and Bennett for The Lady in the Van, and Fenton for The Duke. Allam looked familiar to me, perhaps because his nearly a hundred credits include The Queen (2006), The Iron Lady, and The Lady in the Van. I don't believe I've seen Okereke before, but Dudman has been in nine episodes of the Scrubs reboot.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, with a 66% average, are not singing its praises as much as its audiences at 78. We watched it on Netflix on July 29.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

Despite its excessive length of 2:36, Jack and I enjoyed this sci-fi thriller about a middle school science teacher who awakens from a coma on a spaceship and has to figure out why he is there and what to do. Ryan Gosling is good as the teacher Ryland Grace and there are some unexpected laughs here and there. The character Rocky is voiced by lead puppeteer James Ortiz. The large cast includes Sandra Hüller appearing in many flashbacks as the head of the task force that sent him to space and Lionel Boyce in a pivotal part as a security guy. 

The movie was co-directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from the screenplay by Drew Goddard, based on Andy Weir's 2021 novel. As usual, I'm streaming on Apple Music the original score as I write, this one by Daniel Pemberton.

A vast number of trivia points include that, speaking of excessive length, the original cut was a staggering 3:45.

Gosling was last blogged for The Fall Guy, Hüller for Zone of Interest, Goddard for Bad Times at the El Royale, Weir for the novel on which Goddard based the screenplay for The Martian, and Pemberton for Materialists. Ortiz's credits include three previous movies as an actor and two as a puppeteer. Boyce is best known to us as Carl, the pastry chef in 47 episodes of The Bear. This is the fifth feature co-directed by Lord and Miller and they have various wins and nominations for their writing and producing.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are full of Grace (like the spaceship) and tied at 95% approval. We streamed it on Amazon Prime on July 14.

I Love Boosters (2026)

This insane, loud, fever dream is not for everyone but Jack and I didn't hate it. Taylour Paige, Keke Palmer, and Naomi Ackie are shoplifters (boosters) of high end fashion in San Francisco, focusing on the work of one designer, played hilariously by Demi Moore. Support comes from Poppy Liu, LaKeith Stanfield, and more, with a cameo by Don Cheadle.

Director/writer Boots Riley keeps the madcap pace going throughout. Do not turn this off when the credits roll, because there is another scene at the very end. The crazy original score by Tune-Yards (Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner) is streaming on Apple Music as I type. Palmer has also released five songs from the soundtrack as a separate album.

I must mention the colorful costumes designed by Shirley Kurata.

Paige was last blogged for Sharp Stick, Palmer for One of Them Days, Moore for The Substance, Stanfield for Roofman, Cheadle for White Noise, and Riley and Tune-Yards for Sorry to Bother You. Ackie is new to me but not to her craft and Liu has appeared in episodes of Better Call Saul, The Afterparty,  and Hacks, to name a few. Kurata was recognized many times for her work in Everything Everywhere All at Once, including an Oscar nominations and a win from her peers in the Costume Designers Guild. This is her sixth feature heading the wardrobe department.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics love these folks with a 92% average, though its audiences' average needs a boost from 75. We rented it on July 24.