Ron Perlman

Play Dirty

  • Title: Play Dirty (2025)
  • IMDb: link

Not to be confused with the upcoming Shane Black film of the same name, Play Dirty stars Theo Rossi as corrupt Police Detective Frank Grady about to be indicted by Internal Affairs for his partnership with a local crime boss (Ron Perlman). In order to run, Frank needs the money he’s owed. However, Murray (Perlman) offers a condition of only paying out once Frank takes out Murray’s various competition all in one night. However, what’s set up as a near-impossible task turns out to be relatively easy for Frank who makes it through most of the night unscathed (with his only wound coming late in the film) to tell his story to a couple of tweakers.

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

  • Title: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
  • IMDb: link

Disney’s live-action version of Pinocchio from earlier this year felt redundant and unnecessary. A shadow of the original animated film based on the classic story, the new version failed to capture much magic at all. Released only two months later, Guillermo del Toro‘s stop-motion version of Pinocchio breathes new life into the story you already know setting the Italian tale during the 20th Century when a grieving father’s wooden recreation of his son is brought to life. 

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Asher

  • Title: Asher
  • IMDb: link

Asher movie reviewWhile Asher doesn’t offer much in the way of surprise or suspense, there’s something magnetic about Ron Perlman as the career fixer whose age has finally started to catch up to him. Perlman captures Asher’s weary professionalism that is only ever disrupted by the chance meeting of a ballet teacher (Famke Janssen) whose life he literally falls into.

The script from first-time feature screenwriter Jay Zaretsky is pretty standard fare about an aging hitman whose life is about to get complicated by a new love and a past come back to haunt him. Perlman and Janssen help elevate the subject manner while director Michael Caton-Jones and cinematographer Denis Crossan combine to provide the film a visual style that highlights its stars and the world where Asher lives.

Filling out the story, the script throws in subplots involving Jacqueline Bisset the ballet teacher’s mother suffering from Alzheimer’s and troubles involving Richard Dreyfuss and Peter Facinelli as a honored boss and celebrity protege. Neither story offers easy answers, but, when force comes to bear, Asher will deal with all obstacles as best he can.

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