The Dink: Fake Tennis, Real Laughs and a Formula That Works

Thanks to Rebecca for recommending The Dink. I had a free seven-day Apple TV trial, so why not?

It's a comedy about pickleball—you know, fake tennis for people with limited mobility. People like me.

Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Christine Taylor, and Ben Stiller lead a cast that also manages to work John McEnroe and Andy Roddick into the insanity.

Some critics complain that it's predictable.

My response?

Remember New Coke?

Sometimes you have a recipe that works. Leave it alone.

The Dink gave me laughs, moved the story along, and even slipped in a reminder to make mistakes, learn from them, and find your way again.

Not bad for a movie about fake tennis.

🎬 Watch my full review at NielFlamm.com/videos/moviereviews

Finding Emily: Sometimes I Just Need a Rom-Com

People getting unalived. Dinosaurs. Jason Statham kicking everyone's ass.

Apparently, I needed a break.

So I watched Finding Emily, a British rom-com involving a musician who loves love, a mysterious woman dressed as a fairy, a phone number missing ONE FREAKING DIGIT, and a psychology student who thinks our entire notion of romantic love may be archaic.

What could possibly go wrong?

It reminded me a little of a John Hughes movie with its use of music, while the British humor brought back some of what I love about Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Love Actually.

There's even Minnie Driver—and an Emily who kept making me think of a young Amy Adams in Enchanted.

Is it predictable? It's a rom-com. Of course it is.

But sometimes I need some music, British cheekiness, romance, and maybe even an inner—or OUTSIDE—cry.

🎬 Watch my full Finding Emily movie review at NielFlamm.com/videos/moviereviews

I Watched It So You Can Decide If You Should: My Latest Movie Review

There are movies I walk out of thinking, “Wow. I need to tell everyone to see that.”

Then there are movies where I walk out thinking:

“What the hell did I just watch?”

And sometimes those are much more fun to review.

My latest movie review is up, and rather than give away everything I thought about the movie here, I'm going to do something simple:

I'm inviting everyone to watch the review.

Why?

Because I've learned that a Rotten Tomatoes score doesn't necessarily mean I’ll love a movie.

A great cast doesn't guarantee a great movie.

An interesting premise doesn't guarantee the story will work.

And critics and audiences can sometimes watch the same movie and seemingly experience two completely different films.

That's one of the reasons I started doing these reviews.

I'm Not a Professional Movie Critic

I don't have a film degree.

I'm not analyzing whether the director properly paid homage to some obscure French film from 1962.

And I'm probably not going to explain the metaphorical significance of a lamp sitting in the corner of the room.

I'm a guy who likes movies.

I have Regal Unlimited. I go to the theater. I buy my popcorn. I get my Pepsi Zero. I sit down, watch the movie, and decide whether those two hours of my life were well spent.

That's my highly sophisticated rating system.

And when something doesn't work?

I'm going to say it.

When something surprises me?

I'll say that too.

And occasionally, a movie gives me so much material that reviewing it becomes almost as entertaining as watching it.

So, Was This Movie Worth Watching?

I'm not answering that here.

That's the bait.

🎬 In my full movie review, I break down what worked, what didn't, what made absolutely no sense to me, and whether I think the movie was worth my money—and my time.

I'm sure some people will completely disagree with me.

Actually, I hope they do.

Because that's half the fun.

After watching the review, I'm curious whether everyone thinks:

Did Niel get it right, or has he completely lost his mind?

👉 My full movie review is at NielFlamm.com

While there, my other movie reviews are available too, along with an option to subscribe so the next one doesn't get missed.

Because I'm going to keep watching them.

The good ones. The bad ones. And especially the ones that make me wonder who approved the script.

Insidious: Out of the Further — Did We Really Need a Sixth One?

I've enjoyed the Insidious franchise. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, The Further, jump scares—these movies helped make PG-13 horror work.

Then I watched Insidious: Out of the Further, the sixth movie in the franchise.

This time I found myself thinking about Poltergeist, Hellraiser, Thirteen Ghosts... and yet another 2026 movie playing with time loops and temporal paradoxes.

Did Insidious need a sixth chapter? And is this one worth seeing in a theater, or should you wait for streaming?

🎬 Watch my full movie review at NielFlamm.com/videos/moviereviews