RECENTLY VIEWED: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2

My daughter wanted to see The Devil Wears Prada 2, and I said to myself - "oh no not another sequel". I was pleasantly surprised. I liked that the movie touched on what is happening to journalism in 2026 with everything going digital and AI. A sequel to the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, it sees Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles, with Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, and Kenneth Branagh joining as new additions.

Despite the success of The Devil Wears Prada, starring cast members Streep and Hathaway were initially hesitant on the prospects of a sequel. Development on the film began in July 2024, with all four leading actors – Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci – signing on to reprise their roles, and Frankel and McKenna returning to direct and write, respectively. Additional castings for new characters were revealed between then and November 2025. Principal photography took place from June to October 2025 in Manhattan and Milan, with additional filming in Newark, New Jersey.

The cast was stunning and perfect, and Meryl Streep is perfect in evey film she is in. For me though, the standout was Stanley Tucci. I think he stole the movie in this film, and was great without trying. A nice added face to the movie was BJ Novak, from The Office fame, in a nice supporting role. 

As of May 3, 2026, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has grossed $77 million in the United States and Canada, and $157 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $234 million. In the United States and Canada, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is projected to gross $75–80 million from 4,150 theaters, with some estimates going as high as $100 million. The film made $10 million in Thursday previews. Internationally, the film is projected to debut to around $100 million from 35 countries. It made $40.5 million on its first day of release.

Like I said, I thought the movie does a great job showing how the characters from 2006 are now dealing with the reality of 2026. It is a different world now, and the magazine business has definitely changed. There were some really good laughs, even though the tempo at certain parts of the movie seemed slow. The movie was darker, which actaully made it better. For a sequel, this film can stand on its own, and there is never a dull moment with Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt on the screen...

MY RATING: 9 out of 10

RECENTLY VIEWED: THE GIVER

 My son had to read a novem in his 7th grade English class, and although he is not a big reader he really enjoyed "The Giver", written by Lois Lowry. The book came out in 1993 so I was already in college and never read it. After reading the book, I discovered it was a movie so my son and I watched it together this past week. The movie version of this dystopian novel was directed by Phillip Noyce and starred Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush, Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Cameron Monaghan, Taylor Swift, and Emma Tremblay. The Giver premiered on August 11, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on August 15, 2014. It grossed $67 million on a $25 million budget and received a People's Choice Award nomination for "Favorite Dramatic Movie".

Following a calamity referred to as "the Ruin", society has been reorganized, taking away any sense of emotion, good or bad. Babies are brought into being through genetic engineering, and sexual desire is chemically suppressed. All memories of the past are held by one person, the Receiver of Memory, to shield the rest of the community from reviver of Memory and his protégé are the only people able to see in color, which is otherwise eliminated from the community to prevent envy. 

The community is ruled by elders, including the Chief Elder. Jonas is an 18-year-old boy whose best friends are Asher and Fiona. On graduation day, Jonas is told that he will become the next Receiver of Memory and will progressively receive memories of history from his predecessor, the Giver. During his training with the Giver, Jonas gradually learns about the past and about joy, pain, death, and love. He stops taking his daily injections (which stop him from dreaming and thinking about Fiona, for whom he has feelings) and begins to experience emotion. Those who leave the community are said to have been "released to Elsewhere", but Jonas learns that to be a euphemism for murder by lethal injection. Jonas also learns that the Giver's daughter, Rosemary, had preceded Jonas as Receiver of Memory. When she began her training, however, Rosemary became so distraught from the memories that she received that she asked to be "released".

Jonas learned the memories received from the Giver and accidentally shares his memories with a baby, Gabriel, who was brought home by his father. He develops a close relationship with Gabriel upon discovering that they share a birthmark, the mark of a potential Receiver of Memory, and both can see in color.

Appalled by the deception of his community and the Elders' disregard for human life, Jonas comes to believe that everyone should have memories of the past. Eventually, the Giver and Jonas decide that the only way to help the community is for Jonas to travel past the border of their land to "Elsewhere". Doing so would release memories and color back into the community. When Jonas tries to leave his neighborhood, he encounters Asher, who tries to stop Jonas but is punched by Jonas. Jonas retrieves Gabriel, who is to be "released" for having failed to meet a developmental marker, at the Nurturing Center.

Meanwhile, Jonas' mother and Asher go to the Chief Elder to say that Jonas is missing. Jonas steals a motorcycle and drives away with Gabriel. Asher is assigned by the Chief Elder to use a drone to find Jonas and "take" him. When Asher finds Jonas and Gabriel in the desert, Jonas beseeches Asher to trust him and to let them go. Instead, Asher captures them with the drone but sets them free by dropping them into a river. When he is questioned by the Chief Elder, Asher lies and says that he has followed her orders.

Fiona is condemned to be "released" for helping Jonas. Just as she is about to be "released" by Jonas' father, the Giver tries to persuade the Chief Elder that the Elders should free the community. Unmoved by the Giver's arguments, the Chief Elder asserts that freedom is a bad idea because when they are left to their own devices, people make bad choices.Jonas and Gabriel enter a snowy area. Jonas falls to the ground and is overcome by the cold weather. However, he sees a sled like the one that he rode in a memory that he had received from the Giver. Jonas and Gabriel ride the sled downhill and cross the border into Elsewhere, which frees their community and also saves Fiona's life as Jonas' father stops short of "releasing" her upon realizing his intentions. Jonas realizes that he has succeeded in his quest.

Jeff Bridges initially wanted to film the movie in the mid-1990s, and a script was written by 1998. Various barriers marred the production of the film, including when Warner Bros.bought the rights in 2007. The rights then ended up at The Weinstein Company and Walden Media. Bridges originally intended that his own father, Lloyd Bridges, would play the title character, The Giver, but he died in 1998.

The movie itself seems rushed, like it could be twenty mintues longer. Katie Holmes spends the whole movie frowning, but is good as the mother. Taylor Swift has a small role, which she is horrible in. Someone must have owed her a favor for her to get this role. Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges are the rocks of this movie, and I would have loved to have seen some of their back story. The movie I actually preferred a little bit more than the novel, but I recommend both...

MY RATING: 7 OUT OF 10