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Trap (2024)
Great
An Hour and a half into "Trap" i really wanted to sing from the rooftop how awesome the movie was. But its been so long since i've seen a 5 out of 5 movie, deep down i knew M Night Shyamalan wasn't going to be one who pulled it off. As the movie outstays its welcome, and blows it in the last 15 minutes.
The premise (and most of the movie) works really well when its set in the stadium. With Josh Hartnets killer trying to get away when police surround the building, knowing he's in there during a concert. This is really original, and Harnett is having a ball in the role, giving of a Patrick Bateman vibe. The movie is also very funny in its execution, and it almost wraps things up perfectly with an unexpected finale.
But then it just keeps going, and the last 15 minutes feel like an unwanted encore, with some weird choices, and a guest apperence from Shyamalans usually forced dialogue. Its still the best film he's done in over 20 years though so worth turning up for. As most of the plot and its unexpected moments work.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Pretty good
Like most people i love the original "alien" and its masterful followup "aliens" but the rest just kind of merge together. This new one seemed like a winner being closer in spirit to those first 2 movies though, and for the most part i loved the movie. Until that last random 15 minutes or so derails it all.
Overall though it is still mostly great. There's enough tense moments to keep fans of the original movie happy, and enough inventive action to also please fans of the second. But the characters are also a mixed bag. The guy who plays the android is very good, but i couldn't wait for one of the other annoying characters to get eaten or whatever as soon as possible.
Director Fede Alvarez adds enough new ideas while also paying plenty of (mostly good) homage to the classic movies until it starts gettting closer toward that ending. Where even the callbacks start getting a bit much. Then the last part really had everyone leaving the cinema with a bewiddled look on their face.
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
Great
Prequels are usually a bad idea but this third "Quiet place" movie is more of a spinoff focusing on different characters. So can really go in any direction, and is all the better for it.
This ones different enough from the previous 2 going back to the beginning and being set in a bigger and better location. Plus Lupita Nyong'o Is great in the movie, as an interesting new lead character.
But of course it's all about the monsters here, and we do see more of them, which could of gone either way. But luckily the movies got more old fashioned tension too, and overall i think i actually prefered it slightly over the first 2. Even if there's still too many parts where characters make plenty of noise when they know they shouldn't.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Pretty good
With the MCU withering out, is it time for Deadpool (the most out there character they have) and Hugh Jackmans classic Wolverine to come back and save it? They almost do. But the film isn't as perfect.
Overall its a good movie, that gives an audience starved for comedy a good laugh, but it also falls in with the most recent Marvel stuff, where you need to have seen 20 other movies too know whats going on. Its bloody and sweary, which is still a bonus. As it makes it stand out from all the other forced stuff. But some of Ryan Reynolds wisecracks are gettting old, and it's really Hugh Jackmans show. As he's great in the movie.
There is some cool action and plenty of crowd pleasing moments in here, but people will go and see this for the laughs, and there are plenty of those. There are quite a few jokes that don't work though, and more that won't make any sense without knowing everything there is to know about Marvel. But it's an entertaining enough movie made to bizarrely remind us of 20th century foxes efforts. Writing Disney into a corner, as they want you to move on from them now.
Twisters (2024)
Awful
Not sure what i was expecting here. But find myself watching the original "Twister" anytime its on tv. So there is something nostalgic about it. This remake/sequel or whatever it is however is the movie equivalent of talking about the weather.
Now i know the original was pretty much just about the effects. But at least it set out to be a thriller, and was creative with what it could do at the time. The Tornados in this movie however just aren't threatening. People just stand in awe of them and even just drive straight into them/through them. Sucking any suspence out of the movie.
Worse than that though the movie repeats a mistake from the original, and has way too many characters not doing very much. Which seems more pointless when the movie spends most of its time focussing on the boring romance between the 2 leads. Who always emerge from any disaster scene with hardly a hair out of place.
The movie was honestly mostly annoying. None of these tornado experts seemed to know what they were doing, and the arc of the main character gets forgotten about, until they remember they have to resolve her story at the end, even though its already been resolved.
At least there's a decent cinema set finale. But even that has an unintentionally hilarious moment, and it's all way too late to save the movie by then anyhow.
Longlegs (2024)
Decent enough
I really wanted to love "Long legs," but unfortunately every film i see these days tends to be pretty average. Even when they're claiming it to be the next "Silence of the lambs."
If i was going to give this a thumbs up or thumbs down i guess i would still give it a thumbs up though. But only just. I love most of the creative decisions in the movie, its well directed and its definitely memorable. Plus Maika Monroe is great in the movie.
But the films also quite complicated and i'm still not sure whether its big finale makes sense or not. Its also riddled with couincidence, and Nicolas Cage (who i hoped would be the best part of the movie) gives the most over the top performance of his recent come back.
MaXXXine (2024)
Pretty bad
I liked "X," and thought "Pearl" was kind of unnecessary but was very well done. So could "Maxxxine" make this series a great trilogy? Unfortunately it feels like it was only made because everything has to be a trilogy these days.
Mia Goth is still great in the movie from the beginning, and its 80's set atmosphere is promising with its decent soundtrack. But about half way through i gave up on the movie, as it wasn't really doing its own thing like the previous 2, and was referencing "X" way too much. Plus i knew it wasn't really going anywhere good, and i was right.
The Last act ends up being hilariously bad, and is so completely random, it just feels like its being made up as it goes along. Then it feels like it just keeps going when it should have wrapped up, just to meet a suitable running time. It does try to have some bigger message in there, but it feels like the horror off the movie is just tacked on afterwards when it remembers that the original "X" was a horror.
In a Violent Nature (2024)
Awful
I Heard this was a brand new take on slashers, and it is. But it somehow manages to still be a terrible movie, for old as well as new reasons.
Its essentially "Friday the 13th," but most of the movie is from the supernatural killers perspective. This is the only reason i'm not giving it 1 star. As at least its trying to be original. But the gimmick soon wears thin, as most of the movie ends up being the killer just walking around, us looking at his back as he limps along. This means there's nothing for us to get invested in.
But is it at least building up to scares? There are a couple of suspenceful moments. But that's not enough to save this. They obviously knew it was all a bit boring so added some over the top silly kills. One in particular is the dumbest most unintentionally hilarious kills i've ever seen.
Then the last 20 minutes or so get completely lost in the woods. The film isn't even fully commited to its idea here, and it goes off on an even more boring tangent. Before having an obscure ending which just proves they think this movie is oh so smart, when it really isn't.
Road House (2024)
Average
Ok, so somebody thought after "Roadhouse" became a thing on "family guy" 10 years ago, that there would now be an audience for a remake, and to be honest the original movie isn't as untouchable as some of the remakes we've had already, so this could have worked.
Unfortunately though its just an average modern day action movie trying to be old school. There is some decent action, and it is different enough from the original (which i only saw for the first time recently) but it still has alot of the stuff we don't want from this kind of movie too.
It feels like it's playing it safe and trying to appeal to everyone. So is lacking the cheesy appeal of the original while of course saving money by having some terrible CGI. Plus any efforts from Gyllenhaal are cancelled out when the awful Conor McGreggor shows up. Then remembers he can't act so just swaggers about grinning like a Cheshire cat the whole time.
The Bikeriders (2023)
Decent enough
"The Bike riders" looked promising with its amazing cast and its promise of a true story. But is there really much of a story here? The movies an oddity as i got way more than i expected from the performances. But still found it all a bit average.
Most of the movie was just a motorbike gang sitting about drinking and smoking, so maybe they needed this awesome cast to add more to it. The film is an acting masterclass however as Tom Hardy nails his badass role, Jodie Comer is as awesome as always stealing the show, and there are great bit parts filled by the likes of Michael Shannon and a particularly good one from an almost unrecognisable Norman Reedus.
So there is plenty of character in the film and some great individual scenes. But i'm torn as it never moves up a gear, and i hoped it would be excellent.
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Great
"Kinds of kindness" is a completely bonkers sort of dark adult comedy which tells 3 different stories. I'm still not 100 percent sure how they're all connected. But individually they all have their strengths, and the movie overall is held together by strong performances. The same people playing different parts in each plot.
The first and probably strongest chapter focusses on Jesse Plemons as a man who tries to escape a life controlled by William Dafoe. This one really sets up the slow build odd pace of the entire movie. Plemons is fantastic here, and its the right amount of bizare and funny.
The second part of the movie continues this style and is probably the darkest and funniest segment. With great performances from both Emma Stone and Plemons. Even if it does get a little too crazy before moving onto the last part.
The last story has Emma Stone steal the show as she tries to be accepted by a bizare cult. This one has less humour too it and it maybe all gets a bit too weird again here. But that might just be because its the last act, and the 3 hour running time is catching up with it all by this point.
Something in the Water (2024)
Pretty bad
"Something in the water" looked different enough from all the other shark movies we've had in the past. Its a British "open water" with more characters. So in some ways was more interesting and could do more. But does it sink or swim? Unfortunately it sinks.
The movies just not very good. Most of the characters are more annoying than the screamy girl from "Jaws 2," and there are alot of unlikely things said or done in the movie. The order of deaths and when they happen is also mostly predictable.
But there are a couple of decent moments in there, and the CGI is used sparingly. But this is probably because its bad when it starts to get used more toward the end.
The Watchers (2024)
Average
Went into this movie blind. Only knowing it was a horror movie. But thinking it was the latest from M Night Shyamalan. He's a producer, but this is his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalans first effort.
Me and the mate i saw this movie with usually rip films like this apart, but this one really wasn't that bad. It was a slow burner, but i wanted to see what happened in the movie and liked its mysterious approach, as I was invested enough waiting for that inevitable twist.
But the film isn't really anything new. This is "body snatchers" territory. But also a tamer version of that. I was waiting for the movie to move up a gear. But there's no real shocks or surprises in a sombre watch.
Arcadian (2024)
Average
"Arcadian" had so much potential. Its a character driven horror movie, stars come back king Nicolas Cage, and has original monsters in it. But unfortunately its quite badly made.
I liked the resticted story. Which focuses mostly on 2 brothers who don't get along, struggling to survive on a farm in a post apocalypse setting. I also liked the old fashioned feel of the movie which keeps the creatures mysterious and largely in the dark.
But unfortunately some of the mad stuff the creatures do doesn't work, and keeping everything in the dark is cool, but not when the cameras moving around as much as this and the viewer can't make out any of the action.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
Average
I realised while watching "Bad boys - ride or die" that i don't actually remember the other movies all that well. So maybe i'm missing something. But as a casual viewer it still made for an ok movie.
These movies are action comedies, and the action here is old school and has some cool moments. Which i do remember all the previous movies having. But you might be waiting a while for them. As majority of the film is a comedy, and this is more of a mixed bag.
Some of the banter between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence works, but just as much of it doesn't. The whole film feels like all those related Michael Bay movies. Which i always thought had alot of ups and downs. Turns out they still do.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
Average
I love the original Strangers and will even stand up for the second one because it actually did something surprising. Those who saw it will hopefully know what i mean. But its also surprising (in a bad way) that they churned out another one here.
I watched it out of curiosity. Thinking it was a prequel, and to start with the positives. It still has the suspence of the original turned up high. So is a half scary movie.
But then there's the negatives. It won't be a surprise to anyone who saw the trailer that the movie is just too much like the original. Which isn't even that old. It probably won't be a surprise either that the couple in the movie are literally the dumbest characters ever, and have multiple chances to get away that they don't take. The guy in the movie even manages to lose his inhaler not once but twice, and that's not even as dumbest thing he does.
What is more surprising is that this is the first part of a trilogy, and there are things in here that make it almost impossible to be set before the original. So is it a prequel? A remake? I don't even think they know. But i do know that this movie should be the last, as there are only a few stabs at anything new here, and there's definitely not much else you can do with it as a series.
Sting (2024)
Pretty good
"Sting" is a nice little horror movie that starts of with minimal CGI, and builds up to big old school practical effects at the end. So this little movie gives horror and movie fans what they're craving really.
Its "Arachnophobia" meets "Batteries not included" if anyone remembers those. As an ever growing spider wrecks havoc in an apartment block. But the movies more than that as it makes a nice change from all the ghost/possession horror movies we constantly get these days.
Thing is it could have been even better. Its comedy almost gets there but is cut short, and the movie makes you think its going to have the guts to go darker at one point, only to back track and cop out a couple of times by the end.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Disappointing
They've been talking about doing this movie for years. So i was all up for it. But does it live up to the standards of the excellent "fury road?" Unfortunately i found alot of this movie to be stuck in first gear.
I'm maybe being too harsh with the rating because there are positives in the movie. Most of the action is as good as you'd expect with alot of real stunts, and Chris Hemsworth steals the movie as the villian. I loved the middle hour or so of it, and the film had alot of style and cool design work like all the Mad Max movies have had.
But there were just as many negatives. There wasn't really a plot and it was all very this scene, then that scene, then this, then that. I didn't know what was going on the first half hour or so, and then found the last half hour very underwhelming and anticlimatic.
Plus there was alot of bad green screen and CGI despite what people say. Can Chris Hemsworth not drive? Because he was just being dubbed into the truck he was in, and even the cracks in his windows were CGI. I mean come on! I get people being on fire being done with CGI but some of this was just lazy. Not to mention the movie takes the scenic route and is way too long.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Great
Love the last 3 "Planet of the apes" movies. With "Dawn" being one of my personal favourite movies of all time. So was happy to see more. Though wondered if it would be half as good without Andy Serkis and his previous team.
The good news is that the makers of this movie know what worked in the last ones, and are trying to stick with it. The story and characters come first, and the top notch motion capture is just a bonus. Really capturing the performances of the actors, and bringing more life to talking apes than could have ever have been imagined back in the first Charlton Heston movie. Which is nicely referenced a bit too. There are tear jerking and funny character moments in a sci-fi story that has extra layers to it too. Like most of these movies have had. Plus its all going in a promising direction. So its a great movie.
Unfortunately though alot of people left the cinema before the end, and there are reasons for this. As a series overall it does feel like its going in circles. No spoilers but i've seen some of this before. Even in that Tim Burton version. Plus one thing that was setup in the previous movie just goes back on itself here.
This is all while leaving unanswered questions so you "come back next time." But the thing that bugged me the most is that this new main character looks exactly like Ceaser for no good reason. This as well as a few other open endings will probably be answered next time. But who knows what they'll call it. As they must be running out of cool sounding titles by now.
Abigail (2024)
Pretty good
Heard great things about "Abigail" and no wonder. Its basically in the vein of the better Evil deads. But also has a build up that fleshes out the characters more than one of these survival horror movies deserves.
Its slow burn first half and over the top bloody second half probably means it won't be for everyone. But its a comedy horror really, and i thought its comedy built up to getting more and more out there throughout. It's "The Exorcist" meets "From dusk till dawn."
The cast is decent overall but its really the creepy little girl that's great. Even if her dancing around can get a bit too daft and into "Megan" territory. There's also alot of characters explaining what's going on which sometimes seems unnecessary or out of place amongst the carnage.
Civil War (2024)
Really good
This movie could have gone either way. It looked like it could of been too political and divisive at first. But then again, it was made by the increasely great A24 studios, and had good word of mouth. Turns out its a great movie that should get people talking.
Overall it actually feels quite politically neutral, and doesn't feel like the lecture that you might expect. As its really about the journalist characters caught in the middle, and shows that nobodies perfect. Least of all the journalists. Its really more of an antiwar movie. But on top of that it feels very oldschool for a modern film. Focusing more on the story, the characters, and building up to a big finale. Instead of just being all explosions and war. Which is more than i was hoping for.
Some will find it a slow burner. But it was never boring as it built towards its action. With the later scenes of the movie really paying off with some tense, as well as action packed showdowns.
The Fall Guy (2024)
Great
Thought "The Fall guy" was an original movie. But turns out its a remake of an old tv show. Was a bit disappointed by that. As we've already had enough remakes. But its a cool movie.
I struggled to get into it at first when i thought it was going to be nothing but the soppy romance (which does go on a bit) but it gets way better when the bad guys turn up, and its all carried by an awesome soundtrack.
Its a good comedy all the way through. Even if not all the jokes work. But its the action that really pushes the movie up. There is some CGI in there but there are also alot of real stunts and the movie overall feels like a genuine love letter to stuntmen. When in this day and age, it could have just did everything with greenscreen.
So it feels like an original movie in the end. Or at least its a new take on action movies.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Disappointing
Not sure why i even saw this. As i've not liked any of these movies (except for skull Island). But i was told it was so bad it was good and was unintentionally hilarious so i checked it out for a laugh.
Unfortunately though its not so bad its good its just not good. Though it is slightly better than the other bad movies in this series the bads still outweigh the goods here. The action and effects are cool and there is actually a story of sorts. But with Brian Tyree Henry back as the annoying comedy sidekick. The movie still doesn't have anyone to really route for throughout all the carnage.
Its story is all building up too a big fight of a finale. Which is awesome. But still has all the issues these movies have. All the destruction feels like its not really effecting anything, and the unintentional laughs feel odd when the intentional laughs just aren't working.
I.S.S. (2023)
Disappointing
I randomly went in to see this film knowing next to nothing about it, because it at least sounded like it had an interesting plot, and its only an hour and a half long. Unfortunately though, even though the general idea is good. It just takes too long to get going.
The potential to be good is still there. But there's just too much floating about in space chatting in the first act of the movie. Which doesn't do a good job of setting up the characters for later.
It does get better later to be fair. But for such a short movie, it just takes way too long to get there. There were only about 10 people in the audience and 2 of them left. So that should give you an idea of whether this is a movie for you or not. Its ok. But also not good enough to get away with its left open ending.
The First Omen (2024)
Disappointing
"The First Omen" came out of nowhere really. It also feels like its going somewhere by the end. But unfortunately most of it is dull build up to that interesting finale.
Now i love the original Omen. It wasn't a hardcore horror or anything but was still a classic with that creepy kid and tremendous music. But this one has more or less the same "scares" but less.
The problem is that a modern audience expects more from horror and (outside of one scene) this film just isn't scary. Infact you'll find yourself either rolling your eyes or laughing at the bits that are supposed to be. Basically you don't even have to have seen the original to have seen all this before. Everything is very familiar and alot of the movie is very predictable.
Nell Tiger Free However is great in the movie, and if you're patient enough that last 20 minutes or so is half decent.