“Don’t Bother” Movies
Although I usually review movies that have some rationale for investing one or two hours viewing time or much more in case of mini-series, this week I am giving you a heads-up on what not to watch. Read a good book instead of wasting your time on any of these ten, although they all have A-list actors.
1.”Seven Dials” (2026)–Even Helena Bonham Carter cannot save this adaptation of an Agatha Christie mystery. Lethargic pacing and unbelievably sudden unwinding of the whodunit, without giving the viewer time to parse the clues and red herrings.
2.”The Mastermind” (2025) –The talented Josh O’Connor plays a man-child who is a creative but unemployed cabinet maker designing what he thinks is a fool-proof art heist. Set in the 1970’s, fails in delivering on the pleasure of heist movies.
3. “Misbehavior” (2020)–In this fully-loaded cast of A-list actors, the interesting true story of women who disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty contest has some fascinating data-points but a lackluster downplaying of feminist activism.
4.”Bookish” (2025)–In this very British mystery series set in a bookshop, the capers are uneven in terms of wanting to ferret out the perpetrator and character development.
5.”One Battle After Another” (2025)–Another star-studded cast embodying the commentary on our current sociopolitical moment does not save this Academy-Award nominated (!) movie.
6. “Dark Winds”(2022-2026)–This fan-favorite series was a bit baffling to include in this list. Navajo officers seek justice while facing their own personal trials in a White Man’s world. Pacing and dialogue were way off, however.
7. “House of Dynamite”(2025)–This nuclear thriller is almost ripped from the headlines. Can government authority be restrained in a life-or-death situation with hysteria rampant? While one character study is heroic, the rest of the characters reveal little development.
8. “Wayward”(2025)–Bordering on horror, even the runaway teen and the current residents’ in a bucolic close knit community in Vermont cannot entice this viewer to engage in the usually compelling genre of mean girls covering up their crimes, if the plot is carefully laid out.
9. “Woman in Cabin 10” (2025)–An unfortunate adaptation of a Ruth Ware mystery, the murders on a yacht seem to go nowhere before anyone thinks of asking pertinent questions. Felt like a miserable, slow drowning.
10.”Giri/Haji” (2019)–Part BBC police procedural, part Yakuza crime saga, the drama alternates between London and Tokyo during a Japanese gang war. Even anime cartoons are interspersed. What is this mess? Not experimental but erratic, confusing sequences.
Note: Don’t forget to watch the 2026 Academy Awards show this Sunday, March 15.