Big Decisions For This Lightning Offseason

 

By Mark Pukalo

Where do the Tampa Bay Lightning go from here?

The narrative of four straight seasons losing in the first round of the playoffs is a bit overblown. They outplayed Toronto in 2023, but couldn't hold a few late leads. They lost to the eventual Cup champions Florida Panthers in 24 and 25. This time, the Bolts were beaten by two bad bounces in Game 7 versus Montreal.

The run caused several ridiculous comments on twitter after the season. Yes, going deep in the playoffs is a standard the franchise has built. Still, Lightning fans have become quite spoiled. There are 31 other teams in the league. Some of them do most things right like the Bolts.

Let's look at the overall numbers. It's nine straight trips to the playoffs with two Stanley Cups, three trips to the finals and four Eastern Conference finals. The 106 points total this season was their most since the last Cup run in 2021 and they were ravaged with injuries. Yes, Buffalo, Jon Cooper sure deserved the Jack Adams!

Many franchises would kill for that nine-year stretch. 

That all being said, this offseason could be different. In the past three, it was cap issues and tweaks for the most part. Sure, the Steven Stamkos decision was a big one. But Jake Guentzel for Stammer is - at the very worst - a wash. 

Does GM Julien Brisebois have something big up his sleeve or just a few smart additions to keep this group in the hunt? 

This is the first time the team probably needed a serious autopsy. There are some very big questions to answer for 2026-27.

Will Point Return to Form?

Brayden Point scored just 18 goals in 63 games during the regular season and one in the first round of the playoffs on 12 shots.

In the previous three seasons, the speedy center averaged 46.3 goals.

Brisebois will have to answer the question of whether Point can rebound from an off season. Was this an aberration or is it injury related? Point certainly looked like he was skating alright near the end of the season and in the playoffs. He just wasn't producing anywhere near the same level.

The Lightning brass may just have to see next season with four years at $9.5 million left on a contract that would be hard to move at this stage. I'm sure Brisebois will listen if someone blows him away with an offer, though.

Can Hedman Be a Factor Again?

We found out after the season that captain Victor Hedman was dealing with mental health issues the last few months. 

Victor is one of the best professional athletes I have dealt with in 40+ years of journalism. It took a lot of courage to do what he did. While they make a lot of money, athletes are people, too. I am confident he will be back at 100 percent next September.

Hedman is 35 and Ryan McDonagh is 36. They are winners. They are leaders. I expect them to return close to their 2024-25 form when Hedman had 66 points and McDonagh was +43. Heck, Ryan was good in 48 games this last season.

I'm predicting Heddy would win Comeback Player of the Year. ... if there was one. Maybe the Masterson instead?

Who Plays The Right Side On D?

Darren Raddysh is gone and that was predictable. Raddy had a great season, but it was just one and that does not make him worth $68 million the next eight years.

That leaves Eric Cernak and Max Crozier as the only right-handed defensemen on the NHL roster. Lefties JJ Moser and Emil Lilleberg have played the right side and did the job, but you wonder if JB goes big or just adds depth.

Veteran righty John Carlson has been prominently mentioned and it sounds like a decent idea with Raddy's power-play ability in Toronto. I'm not against bringing him in, but not at the numbers being reported. I'm a fan of Crozier, and Chucky D'Astous can team with Victor Hedman on the power play. 

The feeling is Brisebois is going to do something, though. If anyone is traded, it would probably be Lilleberg to loosen up the crowded left side of the defense corps.

Who Are the Centers Of Attention?

Like the glut of lefty defensemen, the Lightning have many players whose best forward position is center.

You have Point, Anthony Cirelli, Dominic James, Yanni Gourde, Nick Paul and maybe Conor Geekie. Then, you add rookie Sam O'Reilly to the mix. O'Reilly, who was acquired from Edmonton for Isaac Howard, is expected to push for a spot in training camp.

No doubt, some of them can play the wing. But you may need to deal a center to get another scoring winger. While Gage Goncalves emerged in the second half of the year, ancient Corey Perry was playing in the top six during the Montreal series. Oliver Bjorkstrand won't likely be back. Another scoring winger would help.

You need to improve your faceoff percentage as well. Those guys don't grow on trees, though. O'Reilly has been good on the dot in juniors, but he is 20. 

I might consider moving Geekie or Paul, but the return must be worthy. 

Would love to get Robert Thomas from St. Louis somehow, but that might be too expensive. Not really interested in Dylan Larkin. We'll see what happens.

In Conclusion, What Do You Do?

It's hard to tell. I just wouldn't make panic moves and I'm confident Brisebois won't do that.

There have been some interesting off seasons in the past, but this may be the most important for the future. You wonder what prospects can emerge? Is Dylan Duke ready for full-time duty in the bottom six or can he be used in a deal? 

Four straight first-round losses? I don't want to hear about it anymore. I will try to block out the national hockey media.

Here's two things that won't happen. Jon Cooper, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are going nowhere. I don't expect Hedman and Cirelli will be traded. Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel will end their careers here.

Have faith Lightning fans. I think a 10th straight trip to the playoffs is less than 12 months away. After that, as always, anything can happen.

What Is A Progressive Democrat These Days?

 

By Mark Pukalo

The Democratic Party is in trouble.

It's not because of Trump, the Republicans' gerrymandering project, messaging or our terrible, milquetoast leadership group of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. 

The problem is the internal struggle between those democrats who call themselves progressives. The practical progressives like me thought we were the real left wing for many years. Now we are characterized as moderates when we oppose a candidate we don't think can win or isn't to the standards Dems should strive for.

The "Bernie Bros or Pod Bros" - basically a group which is slightly to the left of Bernie Sanders - will argue most of them voted for Kamala Harris. We will never know the statistics on that. Regardless, they hurt her in several ways with often unfair or at least mistimed criticism.

Many Bros or their podcast followers didn't vote or went third party. Most blamed the Biden-Harris administration for failing to stop Netanyahu's genocide in Gaza. Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats, would not allow conditions on weapons support for Israel. Biden probably could have done a little more no doubt, but his hands were often tied. 

Harris could not come out against her President on the issue, but you got the impression she would have adjusted the policy by changing some members of the cabinet. The Bros didn't get that, or they didn't care. They just wanted to complain.

And, anyways .... Like Trump was gonna be better?

Because the election was so close, I blame this "farther" left group on the margins in the swing states. I am sick of their self-righteous attitudes. It's easy to blame Dem leadership. I do. But if you distort what the party stands for like the Bros often do, it hurts the brand and feeds right into Republican narratives.

In a lot of ways, the Bros are just like MAGA. They have been knocking AOC lately for being too practical. They have hammered a good Senate candidate named Mallory McMorrow in Michigan. There are several others they will damage.

I want Netanyahu to be arrested and thrown in the Hague. I want everyone in the Israeli army who physically abused or killed innocent civilians to spend the rest of their lives in prison. It is currently a fascist regime.

But, yet, we have always supported the Israeli people. It seems anyone who dares to go against the Bros and tries to straddle the line on the issue is cancelled.

I have spent way too much time on twitter (I won't call it the other name) fighting the Bros on Abdul El-Sayed and Graham Platner among others lately.

El-Sayed is a good candidate - for the House. I don't really have a problem with a lot of his views and he's a smart guy, but I don't think he can win statewide with his background. If so, you are giving up a Dem Senate seat just to win a primary.

Platner is totally different. We should have known there was a bigger problem with him from the start, much like John "Trojan Horse" Fetterman. You can discount the NYT story all you want. But what about his Nazi tattoo, his quotes on women taking some blame for rape, the Kik account (whatever that is), his constant lies and his opposition to an assault weapons ban? That's just some of them.

He's a bad candidate, but yet the Bros tell progressives like me we are Republican-Lite for having that take. 

We should not lower ourselves to nominate candidates like Republicans do! While Platner is not Ken Paxton, he is bringing the party down. What other shoe will drop to help Susan "I have concerns" Collins win again?

I always thought progressives were simply fighting for affordable health care, taxing the rich/economic equality, protecting civil rights, environmental protection, peaceful foreign policy, getting corporate money out of government and social welfare - looking ahead, not looking behind, evolving with the times.

Hey MAGA? That's not communism or socialism. That's Christian. Those are Jesus' teachings.

The party's failure to use this fact more in ads and campaigns drives me nuts. Hopefully, James Talarico can change that in Texas. He has talked about bringing the Democratic Party back to its roots, which is fighting for the little guy and the marginalized. I think the party still does that to an extent, but its agenda has gotten too bloated.

Meanwhile, the Bros prefer dismantling government institutions and controlling instead of reforming them - much like MAGA - while being anti-capitalism, using purity tests and pushing for issues that are impractical in a democracy. The Bros can be racist and misogynistic at times as well.

It does not seem like a big difference in some ways. But the whole issue is the Bros are never wrong in their own minds. You can find a lot of them on twitter defending Platner. People like Hasan Piker, David Sirota and others have no conscience. 

It does not mean that every Democratic candidate must be perfect. I honestly thought we were too rough on Al Franken. The things that forced him to resign pale in comparison to Platner.

I felt I had a clear objective with this blog. But, ultimately, this is a difficult issue to explain. I am all over the place. But everything is a fight ever since the orange-haired fool came down the escalator in 2016 and your head spins every day in the news cycle.

It would be nice to just sit back and enjoy life. But, it is what it is. The election 10 years ago changed everything. If Biden had been the candidate instead of Hillary in 2016, we may have avoided this.

The Republicans used to have a lot of factions. They really don't anymore. It's MAGA and a few reasonable conservatives on the other side hanging on for the ride.

With Dems, now we have three and perhaps four if you split the moderates. You have the establishment, the real progressives like me and the Bros. 

Because it is hard to imagine how we could lose to Trump twice, everyone has an opinion. The Bros think we are not going far enough left and the public secretly wants that (they don't). The moderates have no clue what to do as they try to please everyone. My group in the middle would like to reclaim the "progressive" name and convince more of the public our views are not radical, and more Christian than the GOP's.

A good result in November could ease some of the pain, but there is a lot of work to be done.

I just want good, solid candidates that I can support. It seems impossible to find the safe spot in a Democratic primary these days. McMorrow has that problem and is making mistakes. Conor Lamb probably lost a primary to Fetterman because of that issue. 

I just want there to be a distinction between what a progressive is and isn't. The Bros are not progressives. I don't want to be lumped in with them. 

I don't want to be told I am in favor of genocide when I criticize Platner or Piker. I don't want to be told I am antisemitic by AIPAC Democrats when I criticize Israel's government either.

Our country is a mess. It is up to the Democratic Party to save it. We have to get it together.

Sweet Ending To Sarasota Film Festival

 

By Mark Pukalo

The final day of the 2026 Sarasota Film Festival offered three more strong movies and made you crave a handful of mint chocolate cookies for the ride home.

Well, they apparently make many kinds of Girl Scout cookies these days, but any would do after watching a delightful documentary about the yearly business pursuit for pint-sized young girls.

"Cookie Queens" drew standing ovations at Sundance in January and did not disappoint at Ringling College on Sunday afternoon. Director Alysa Nahmias mixes the comedy and sweetness of four girls from different sections of the country with the economic aspects of the cookie quest.

Olive is a 12-year-old going on 30 and a high seller from Charlotte who aspires to be a Supreme Court justice (put her on the list now). Nikki, 9, is the youngest of three family girl scouts from Chino, Calif. with a lot of spirit. Shannon Elizabeth, 8, is an optimistic young lady from El Paso and adorable 5-year-old Ara plays the piano like an adult and struggles with Type-1 Diabetes.

Jennifer Sims, one of the producers for the film, was in attendance on Sunday and said it was a huge undertaking to pick the girls and the families to go on this journey. They succeeded.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are executive producers on the film that was picked up by Roadside Attractions and will be in theaters this summer. You must hide a few happy tears during the film, but you walk out of the theater with a smile.

The final film of the day "Late Fame" featured the great Willem Dafoe as a former New York poet, who had moved on in life after some early success. Ed Saxberger is "re-discovered" by a poetry fan and brought into his eclectic young literary group. Saxberger must learn to deal with this new "fame," while he navigates modern day art.

It is a movie that is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but it is entertaining. Dafoe never fails to find the essence of his character while Greta Lee (left with Dafoe) is fabulous as a mysterious young actress who joins the group and befriends the smitten Ed.

In between the cookies and Dafoe, "Westhampton," was a bit more solemn. It follows a filmmaker who travels back to his hometown many years after his life was shattered by a car accident many blame him for. Though the trip home is to clear out personal items from his parents' house that has been put on the market, it allows him a chance to potentially exercise some demons. It is a little too vague at times, but is a worthwhile watch.

In all, I was able to see 14 movies over an eight-day span in Sarasota. There were about 15 more I would have liked to see, but I could not fit them into my schedule. Hopefully, this is the first of many more film festivals. The Festival staff was wonderful.

All 14 movies are worth your time. Here's how I rated them. 

The Best - Carolina Caroline, Cookie Queens, I Want Your Sex, Late Fame, Steal This Story, Please.

Low Expectations, High Reward - The Floaters, On the End, Deepfaking Sam Altman, Charliebird.

Good, not great - Soul Patrol, Omaha, Westhampton, The Last One for the Road, Anne Packard: An Actor's Resolve.

Weaving, Hoffman Hit HRs at Sarasota Film Festival

 

By Mark Pukalo

Director Adam Carter Rehmeier made a movie that became a cult classic in 2020 and followed that up with a fun, semi-autobiographical film by the pool in 2024.

The awkwardly funny and ultimately heartwarming "Dinner in America" was released during covid and took awhile before word of mouth found it an audience while "Snack Shack" drew positive reviews from most critics and did reasonably well at the box office.

Two years later, Rehmeier has taken his directing to a new level with a modern day Bonnie & Clyde-like film "Carolina Caroline" - showed at the Sarasota Film Festival on Thursday night before its wide release date on June 5.

Rehmeier's film was one of four viewed on Thursday and Friday - two with star-studded casts and a pair with unique independent feels. 

Carolina Caroline could have been just another crime drama on the road, but co-stars Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner had such good chemistry that it made the film seem authentic. Gallner creates a smarter, more confident, version of the con man he played in Dinner in America while Weaving's Caroline is both sexy and vulnerable.

This wasn't a film with many twists and turns, but Rehmeier kept your attention with a simple script that pulled you into the fated love story. This movie might not be in awards discussion at year's end, but it is an entertaining 90 minutes for move fans.

It was a rough 2025 for Weaving with awful scripts in "Eenie Meanie" and especially "Borderline." But 2026 may turn her career in the right direction with "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come," "Over My Dead Body" and this performance.

Cooper Hoffman could have a big year as well. The son of the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is slowly moving toward the top of  list of young leading men. He made his debut in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza," played Dick Ebersol in "Saturday Night," and killed it last year in "The Long Walk."

However, this could be a major breakout year for Hoffman with the upcoming "Poetic License," "Artificial" and perhaps "The Chaperones." His best performance in 2026 may end up being in the erotic comedy "I Want Your Sex," which showed Friday in Sarasota. It is scheduled for a wide release July 31. Go see it. It's a wild good time.

Hoffman blends obsession for his sexually dominant boss Olivia Wilde along with a sense of humor. Charli xcx, Mason Gooding and especially the appealing Chase Sui Wonders (right, with Hoffman) add a bundle of laughs supporting the two leads.

Director Greg Araki mixes the comedy with eroticism just right and examines relationships in modern days. A movie like this can go over the line, but Araki finds the comfort zone and gets laughs throughout.

Carolina Caroline and I Want Your Sex were the most entertaining films on Thursday and Friday in Sarasota, but the two other films viewed had plenty to offer as well.

"The Last One for the Road" is a quirky Italian comedy/drama about two middle-aged men who go on a bar-hopping road trip with a random young male student. It has plenty of laughs and allows all three main characters to learn a little about the essence of life. It won't make my top five of the festival, but I'm glad I saw it on Thursday when "Bunnylovr" was canceled.

"Charliebird" was an entirely different experience on Friday. Director Libby Ewing's feature film debut won the US Narrative July Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and you can see why.

It is a simple film about a music therapist at a Children's Hospital who forges a close relationship with a teenage patient that brings back her childhood traumas. Samantha Smart (left) wrote and starred in the film that is playful, but very emotional. Gabriela Ochoa Perez is outstanding as the young Charlie.

It's disappointing that a moving, independent film like this does not get more run in theaters. The one thing my Tampa area needs is a good independent movie house. 

Yes, there are a few venues in the area (Tampa Theater for one, sometimes Sun-Ray near USF) that play some of these types of films, but they also seem to feel the need to show the blockbusters. Instead we get long runs for crap like "Melania," "Him" and "Friday Nights at Freddys 2" at AMC.

I'm not naive. They need to make money and there are not enough people with open minds that will spend money to see these films consistently. I just wish it could be different. At least streaming can fill the gap at times.

If you can find Charliebird at some point this year, give it a watch and see what you think. 

For more information, check out https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.

 

Amy Goodman, Sambot Highlight Tuesday SFF

 

By Mark Pukalo

It was a day for documentaries at the Sarasota Film Festival on Tuesday and all three proved well worth the time.

"Steal This Story, Please!" the story of independent journalist Amy Goodman and the plight of modern day media, hit the highest note to end the day.

Emmy award-winning directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal put together a fair, detailed documentary on Goodman, who pulls no punches in her honest reporting on difficult issues for her show "Democracy Now!" But it also documents the current problems that independent journalism must deal with in the corporate media age.

Lessin, who was in attendance with her mother at the screening, said they were going to call the film "Chasing Amy," but that was taken. The project took many turns along the way as new issues deserved attention. 

The most compelling part was Goodman's reporting on the Indonesian massacre in East Timor. Her "Democracy Now!" story on the Chevron-Nigeria oil dictatorship was maddening as well. It all worked and kept your eyes on the screen.

No doubt, the right wing will call this leftist propaganda. That's a lie. It's even handed and does not put any words in people's mouths. We need more Amy Goodmans. Unfortunately, we've got a ways to go to pull out of the media abyss we are living in. That made the movie a bit sad.

The film will be in the Tampa area in early June. It is already slated for Sun-Ray Cinema near USF, starting June 5. Take a ride, but stay away from the popcorn (unless they have vastly improved it since I first tried it. lol).

We started the day with an epic documentary about the Vietnam War's first black ops team, which reunited after 50 years, called "Soul Patrol." The veterans talk about their memories, revealing some untold stories while trying to deal with mental wounds.

J.M. Harper, who directed a very good documentary in 2024 called "As We Speak" about rappers being prosecuted for their lyrics, won the directing award for US documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival in January for Soul Patrol. It is a moving film that drags a bit at times, but is essential for lovers of history to see.

In between those two serious and powerful documentaries, came Adam Bhala Lough's "Deepfaking Sam Altman," an entertaining journey to learn more about AI. Lough, who was nominated for two Emmys for his HBO mini series "Telemarketers," is the main character in the story as he tries to get an interview with Open AI CEO Sam Altman.

After striking out for months, Lough travels to India to find a tech who puts together an AI version of Altman (Sambot) to interview. The whole process is more about entertainment than information. Lough is never able to interview the real Altman, but becomes somewhat attached to the AI version.

The first review I saw was from Roger Ebert's site and the critic panned Lough's movie. Then I investigated the writer - Matt Zoller Seitz - and saw he did not include the masterpiece "One Battle After Another" in his top 10 for 2025. He also had the pretentious "Life of Chuck" in the 10th spot.

Seitz was probably looking for Deepfaking Sam Altman to be a different movie. Most of the other critics who reviewed the film took it like me. You just sit back and enjoy it.

I have seven more movies to view at the Festival. For more information and the schedule, go to https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.

 

Under The Radar Films Shine At SFF Sunday

 

By Mark Pukalo

Expectations did not meet reality at the Sarasota Film Festival on Sunday.

One film that was highly anticipated turned out to be a bit thin, and two lesser-known movies were well worth the time.

"The Floaters" started the day and left me with a smile while the gritty "On the End" stayed with me on the long ride home. "Omaha," which has received strong reviews for its emotional punch as far back as the 2025 Sundance, seemed to be missing something on the road to a soul-crushing ending.

In between, a large crowd viewed "Anne Packard: An Artist's Resolve" about the life of the famous 92-year-old painter who spent most of her time in Provincetown on Cape Cod. It was an interesting, well shot and expertly edited documentary from Arthur Egeli (Art Thief). Packard (right) is a real piece of work.

However, the day started with an enjoyable, unique summer camp film from director Rachel Israel. Nomi (Jackie Tohn) loses her job as the front girl of a rock band and desperately takes a job with her friend at a Jewish summer camp.

Nomi is given a group called "floaters," who are not signed up for anything special at the camp. The film hinges on how compelling these kids are and they deliver. They are smart and, at times, very funny. It is kind of predictable that the outcast girl (Nina Bloomgarden) and the grumpy outcast boy (Judah Lewis) get together, but it all works. 

There is just enough smart humor to carry the story along. It is sort of a poor man's "Theater Camp" - one of my favorite movies of 2023. Israel sprinkles in the religion enough that you notice it, but it does not stand out. This film might not fill the theaters. However, if you see it on a streaming site or Fandango, give it a watch. It's a lot of fun.

On the End takes a little getting used to. It's based on the true story of a down-on-his-luck, hoarding mechanic (Tim Blake Nelson) who owns beachfront property in Montauk. A local realtor and the town are harassing him to sell while he welcomes a spirited woman he met online (Freckles) to his home.

Freckles (Mireille Enos, left), a fellow diabetic in worse condition, adds a real spark to the film and Tom's life as they fight the snobby town officials. It's not for everyone, but if you give it a chance, it has a big heart. Like The Floaters, it might not fill seats, but director Ari Selinger made a film worth the time for move lovers.

Omaha is not a bad movie at all. In my opinion, it is just a bit of a missed opportunity. It follows a widower (John Magaro), who packs up his two kids and the dog for a trip from Utah to Nebraska after the house is foreclosed on. There are some stops along the way and the kids (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis) are wonderful.

While the sound system where I viewed the movie was a bit of an issue, the story needed more depth before the big reveal at the end. We know he's depressed. He lost his wife and had some obvious financial issues, but we need to know more - maybe with a few well-placed flashbacks. The run time is just 84 minutes, so another 10-15 would not have hurt.

A second viewing at some point may change my opinion a bit. Those who watch 200 movies per year should watch Omaha and see what they think. Magaro never disappoints.

The festival continues through Sunday. For more information, check out https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.

28th Sarasota Film Festival Has Little Of Everything

 

By Mark Pukalo

The 28th Sarasota Film Festival will offer an interesting menu of premieres, highly-regarded movies that debuted at other major events and a large, diverse group of documentaries.

The April 10-19 Festival opens with Renny Harlin's "Deep Water," about a plane that crash lands in shark-infested waters, forcing the passengers to go into survival mode. Former Kiss front man Gene Simmons produced the film.

A film named "In the Hand of Dante" with an all-star cast including Al Pacino, Gal Gadot, Oscar Isaac and John Malkovich ends the festival. The drama involves a poem, a priest and a mob boss.

In between is a variety of films for every movie lover's taste. Here is a look at just some of the 47 features and 39 shorts available at several locations.

The movies in the running for the Narrative Feature Competition include "The Scout," "Two Pianos," "Late Fame," "Honeyjoon" and "Charliebird."

Late Fame (left), with the great Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee (Past Lives) was featured at the Venice and New York Film Festivals and received solid reviews. Charliebird, about a small-town story of a music therapist who confronts her past when working with a new patient, sounds very intriguing.

The Documentary Feature Competition category is loaded, led by "Cookie Queens," "The Trial of Alec Baldwin," "Soul Patrol," "Nuisance Bear" and "A Portrait of a Postman." 

Cookie Queens, a coming-of-age story about Girls Scout cookie seasons will be interesting, along with an examination of the hysteria around the accidental shooting by Alec Baldwin on a movie set. Soul Patrol features a black special ops team from the Vietnam War reuniting to tell their stories.

There are many others that caught my eye or came well-reviewed from previous film festivals. You can check out the entire list at https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/

"Omaha" (right) first played at Sundance in 2025. It packs an emotional punch as a widowed father takes his kids on a road trip after their house is foreclosed on. John Magaro, who always makes a film better, is the lead. Have some tissues ready from what I hear.

"Fish Fry & Fellowship" is a documentary about a church fish fry which brings together a diverse group of people who talk of their memories of segregation.

"Give Me the Ball!" is a documentary about the Hall of Fame tennis star Billie-Jean King.

"Arthur's Box" is a feature about a night shift doorman's normal life being forever changed by the arrival of a new tenant.

"On the End" centers on Montauk mechanic who meets a wild diabetic woman named Freckles online and opposites attract.

"Deepfaking Sam Altman" is a documentary where the director interviews an AI version of Altman to try and find answers.

"She Runs the World" (left) is a sports documentary on one of the greatest American track stars of all time - Allyson Felix.

"Steal this Story, Please!" examines the world of independent journalism with a pioneer in the industry (Amy Goodman).

"The Last One on the Road" is a feature about small-town Italian criminals who go on a bender with a random college student.

"Bunnylovr" received some mixed reviews at Sundance 2025, but the premise is interesting about an online sex worker dealing with increased pressure from clients. Sounds like a Sean Baker film and the always watchable Rachel Sennott supports lead Katarina Zhu.

"Carolina Caroline" Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner star in a drama about a small-town girl who falls for a con man and goes on a crime spree. It was first seen at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival. We'll see if Gallner can create a character similar to the one in the under-appreciated "Dinner in America."

"I Want Your Sex" (On top of story) drew rave reviews at Sundance earlier this year. A young man (Cooper Hoffman) becomes the sexual slave of an iconic artist (Olivia Wilde) and does not quite know what he got himself into. It's a wild ride.

"Normal" (right) stars Bob Odenkirk as a sheriff who takes a job in a small town, thinking it will be a good break for him. But the town's name does not describe the community. Just saw the trailer for this at a movie on Thursday (Undertone).

"Westhampton" sounds like an interesting story about a man who was responsible for a bad accident returning to the town where it happened. It debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.

There's so much more. Check out the festival website for info on all the films, the sites and the special events.