Movies

Craig T. Nelson grew up in Washington state, but he has a deep association with the Midwest. His great-grandfather emigrated from Norway to Ettrick, Wisconsin, about an hour from Eau Claire. The family later moved to South Dakota, where a Nelson farm is still in operation.

"When you are present with death, it truly gives you the gift of what is most important," Portland death doula Valenca Valenzuela says in the film. "It gives you the gift of life."

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many creatives were forced to innovate, moving what were typically in-person events and collaborations to a digital space.

Some 300 miles and change northwest of Spokane sits the Canadian city of Kamloops. Keep driving 172 miles farther northwest and you’ll run into the Williams Lake Indian Reserve.

Finally, a flick that can please every Valentine’s Day moviegoer: those who hate the lovey-dovey holiday, those who adore it, those who want romance in their Valentine’s Day movies and those who prefer their gushing more gory. Every section of that particular Venn diagram can come away satisfied from “Heart Eyes,” a fun and irreverent seasonal slasher from director Josh Ruben.

After more than a month in the court of public opinion, the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni battle finally entered an actual courtroom Monday in New York.

“Train Dreams,” the film shot in Spokane and adapted from a novel set in the Idaho Panhandle, has been purchased by Netflix.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are seeking to dismiss the $400 million lawsuit brought against them by the actress’ “It Ends With Us” director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.

Acclaimed actor Steven Yeun stars opposite Kristen Stewart in “Love Me,” written and directed by husband and wife filmmaking team Andrew and Sam Zuchero. The film is hitting theaters one year after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, and follows an unconventional love story set after the extinction of humanity. The two-hander between two of the most exciting actors working today is a chance to explore the filmography of Yeun, who has steadily been building one of the most eclectic and interesting resumes since his breakout role on the zombie series “The Walking Dead” in 2010.

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: a buoy and a satellite meet on a post-humanity Earth. The satellite asks the buoy “are you a life form?” And the buoy answers yes, quickly scanning the dregs of the internet to offer up a lifelike image, and lands on an influencer. A love story ensues.

Never fear, “Dog Man” is here — to save your families from the doldrums of January moviegoing. The popular children’s books by Dav Pilkey (a spinoff of the “Captain Underpants” series) are adapted with a silly, self-referential charm by writer/director Peter Hastings, the result a cutely frenetic but somewhat narratively flimsy animated feature.

As with any subject, history can be explored in a number of ways. In high school and college, students might study it through reading textbooks, by consulting various websites, paying attention (or not) to their teachers’ power-point presentations or even by watching the occasional movie.

It’s a challenge to keep a list of noteworthy movies still to come in 2025 to a lean 25. To make it easier, we’ve stuck to theatrical releases, so apologies to fast-approaching streaming flicks such as Apple TV+ offering “The Gorge” (Feb. 14), starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller, and Netflix’s “The Electric State” (March 14), helmed by past and future “Avengers” directors Joe and Anthony Russo.

Carla Peperzak didn’t speak of her horrific experiences during World War II for 55 years.

NEW YORK — “Joker: Folie à Deux” leads the nominations for the 2025 Golden Raspberries, satirical awards that celebrate the worst films and performances of the past year. Video game adaptation “Borderlands,” biopic “Reagan,” Marvel superhero flick “Madame Web” and Francis Ford Coppola’s controversy-filled “Megalopolis” each earned six nominations on Tuesday, while the “Joker” sequel nabbed ...

Brandi Carlile, Maple Valley’s multiple-Grammy Award-winning roots rocker, has received her first Oscar nomination. The nominated song, “Never Too Late,” written by Carlile, Elton John, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt for the documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late,” was named Thursday in the original song category.

NEW YORK — Netflix musical “Emilia Pérez” scored 13 Oscar nominations Thursday, the most of any movie. The nominations, twice postponed as Los Angeles continues to reel from deadly wildfires, were announced by “Shiva Baby” Rachel Sennott and “Saturday Night Live” star player Bowen Yang. 

Throughout the year, Spokane Area Jewish Family Services offers programming and support to members of the community, primarily seniors, low-income residents and people with disabilities.

Movies about inspirational teachers are a well-worn subgenre. Whether it’s “School of Rock” or “Dangerous Minds,” the relationship between a caring teacher and a group of (usually) troubled students offers easy access for heartstring-pulling and triumphant feelings of hard-earned success. The new film “Brave the Dark” treads this familiar territory, but it’s more of a unique one-on-one connection between teacher and student.