STRAYS

Will Ferrell (Reggie), Jamie Foxx (Bug), Isla Fisher (Maggie), and Randall Park (Hunter) star as 4 stray dogs who go on a journey, assisting Reggie at getting revenge against his owner Doug (Will Forte) who abandoned him. Unfortunately, like many comedies today, the best parts were already spoiled for you in the trailers. If you're an animal/dog lover the dogs will melt your heart while occasionally make you chuckle to "hear" dogs speak so profanely but don't get suckered in: the laugh out loud laughs are far and few and the rest are reserved for mere smirks or chuckles. Disappointing as the trailer had more promise. 5.5/10

GRAN TURISMO

Based on the video game and true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) a gamer who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to become a real racer upon winning a contest setup by Gran Turismo and Nissan. Constantly being misunderstood and not supported by his father (Djimon Hounsou), Jann grows up with a passion for racing, having spent thousands of hours playing Gran Turismo. When the opportunity is given to him to prove himself for the chance of a lifetime, Jann stops at nothing and rearranges his entire life to prove himself: not only to his family but to himself as well. A very inspirational, compassionate, and moving story that hits harder knowing it's based on actual events. In addition, Orlando Bloom stars as Danny Moore, the Nissan marketing executive who created the idea of the contest and David Harbour as Jack Salter, a mechanic and former racer who has nothing but contempt for the gamers and does everything in his power to wash them all out. I applaud director Neill Blomkamp as this is a very fun and at times, thrilling ride, putting the audience in the car while simultaneously in the control of the action. After watching this, I had a feeling this did for racing what TOP GUN did for flying. 6.5/10

What is the main difference between Dolby cinema vs IMAX??

https://tvwallmounting.ca/dolby-cinema-vs-imax-laser-which-is-better/

THE BOOGEYMAN

Shortly after losing their wife/mother, the remaining members of the Harper family are grieving. The father, Will (Chris Messina) throws himself into his work as a therapist, having difficulty coming to terms with what happened and in the process, emotionally isolating himself from his daughters Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) & Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair). Sadie wears her emotions on her sleeves and is obviously having the most difficulty with their new normal. It doesn't help that she's in high school and while her peers attempt to be supportive, they wind up treating her as a fragile piece of glass that's almost ready to break. Which leads us to young Sawyer, who first begins to see and become preyed upon by a monster that's living in their house. As a therapist, Will at first doesn't believe his daughters which brings them closer together while at the same time, separating them further from their father. The monster only attacks children although it's not clear from the story at what age is the cut off as after it attacks Sawyer, it then begins attacking Sadie as well. Based on a short story by Stephen King, this film relies entirely on jump scares as light is this monsters kryptonite. The design and visuals of the monster were unique but overall, for me, since this didn't scare, there wasn't much here. A pretty average movie that I didn't feel was worth the time of money at the theaters and sadly, was proven right. 5.5/10

Very interesting, thanks for the share.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

Based upon a single chapter from the Dracula novel, the film tells the story of Dracula sailing from Carpathia to England and how he wipes out the entire crew upon their arrival. Honestly the trailers did little for me as well as the story. I never read the novel but even based upon the minutia amount of screen time these events have been given in almost any interpretation of the novel, I didn't think there was a story here. I'm happy to report I was wrong in that initial assessment as the film does an enjoyable job of spacing out the attacks, doesn't seem repetitive, and was able to flesh out a 2 hour movie on a single chapter. I applaud the special effects and makeup as the character is terrifying to view but is also in a lot of frames, viewable but unfocused, giving the audience a heads up of what's to come while at the same time, having them strain for a better look. My only grip was the change of the storyline at the end but otherwise, again, this pleasantly surprised me and was better than expected! 6/10

THE EQUALIZER 3

In his third and, probably unfortunately final turn, Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall, a man who's tries to right the wrongs of his past but assisting those in the present. Taking place in a small Italian town (Altamonte), McCall is passing through after a mission in nearby Sicily. However, he's wounded and can't make it past Altamonte until he recuperates. While recuperating, McCall grows to enjoy the peace and camaraderie amongst the townspeople; that is until the local mafia shows up and begins shaking down business owners. Once fully healed, McCall sets his sites on these new targets. Unfortunately, this and the previous entry didn't have as much action or killings as the original installment did. That was like THE PUNISHER or going back to Denzel's old days with MAN ON FIRE: a scorched earth approach to revenge. Whereas the last 2 films were slower in pace with not as much action but the kill scenes still make the audience oh and ah. With saying that, I would still be down for a fourth installment as I have not grown tired of Denzel's charismatic take on the character. Nor have I grown tired of watching his so easily dispose of his enemies. If worse comes to worse, maybe the rumors can turn into reality where his son, John David Washington, could star in a prequel. 6.5/10

INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR

Picking up 9 years after the events of INSIDIOUS 2, Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are divorced and their oldest son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) is off to college. John and Dalton's relationship is anything but harmonious. Dalton is studying to become an artist and while participating in a class exercise with his professor, she unknowingly and unintentionally reconnects him with The Further. Similarly and unaware, Josh becomes reconnected with The Further as well. At the heart of this story is family, particularly the bond between a father and his son. As a suspense/horror film, this didn't translate well. Very little scares along the way, a few flashbacks but three-quarters of the film are Josh and Dalton trying to remember what happened to them 9 years ago and then once they finally unlock the red door, are faced with their past. A slow build up to a nonchalant third act that was a bore to get through. Hopefully this can be the end for the franchise. 4/10

Great review, agree with your score, we just watched it and now watchin COBWEB

THE NUN II

Taking place in France 4 years after its predecessor, Valak returns to terrorize a girls school and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) is called back to once again battle the demon. As with any film within THE CONJURING universe, jump scares are the currency and that's exactly what's relied upon heavily here. There's a few but otherwise, nothing too unsettling here. Bonnie Aarons is given more screen time as The Nun, which is refreshing being that her characters name is reflected in the title and felt she didn't get enough screen time during her first spinoff. Taissa is once again wonderful as Sister Irene and I still love the fact that she and her older sister Vera are connected within this universe; however, for my money, the heavyweights of this universe are the three CONJURING films as each and every spinoff has been mid at best and unfortunately, this is no exception. I will compliment the story as it did a better job at holding my attention this time around but again, this and none of the spinoffs can pack the same punch from credits to credits like the trilogy. 6/10

A HAUNTING IN VENICE

Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot, now semiretired living in Italy. The films quickly begins with an old friend Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) inviting him to a seance, attempting to discredit the medium Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). However, he soon learns of the tragic history that's befallen at the site of the seance and patrons soon begin to die as well. I've always enjoyed these films as they continually keep you guessing as well as engaged in the story. Taking place on Halloween, this is by far the scariest of the trilogy and as of this writing, has the highest rated score on IMDB so hopefully that'll lead us to a fourth installment, pending the box office receipts of course. Another star studded cast is provided although outside of a handful a main stars, many of the others are probably unfamiliar to the general public. And by this I mean outside of Branagh, Yeo, Fey, and Kelly Reilly. This is also the first time this story has been featured on the big screen, which was a nice reprieve from the previous two installments as I came into it fresh with no idea of how it ends. I was surprised at how it all unfolded and again, while none of these films are exceptionally memorable, they're fun, tight films that keep you entertained and guessing. And isn't that what it's really all about? 6/10

TALK TO ME

An embalmed hand that allows those who hold it and utter the specific words to visit the dead, a group of Australian teenagers treat the experience as a drug; however, for Mia (Sophie Wilde), the experience is more of a connection with her recently deceased mom. It's all fun and games for the youts, until the chickens come home to roast and prey upon those who have spoken to the dead. A psychological thriller that doesn't do much to pass the time and I'm honestly surprised and bewildered how this film was able to manage the box office receipts that it did as I found it to be a bit of a bore. Nothing outstanding or outlandish to keep my attention for the duration and I'm honestly disappointed with the end result. This film is very much a meh so I'm unsure how and why others thought it was better than it actually was? 5/10

I will check these last three out.
Great reviews i12, thanks.

DUMB MONEY

While Wall Street bets short on Game Stop stock, investment broker Keith Gill (Paul Dano) bets against the odds and plays the investors at their own game. What truly is a David vs Goliath story plays out in real time, and exposes how corrupt and manipulative the stock market is. Paul Dano is wonderful as the cat loving, basement dwelling, average Joe who initially invests in this stock and is able to garner follows via his YouTube channel. However, once the proverbial sh*t hits the fan, the market manipulates itself in order to self-preserve. Unfortunately for everyone involved, it shows how those who have the means win, while those who don't, do not. Overall, a very telling and worth while story worth checking out. 7/10

NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU

Kaitlyn Dever stars as Brynn, an ostracized member of her local community, who soon experiences UFO encounters and attempted abductions. The meat of the character and the trauma/baggage she's carrying isn't revealed until the bitter end, but by then it's too late. The audience isn't invested enough in her and unfortunately, Kaitlyn Dever is capable of so much more. Regrettable, she's handed a weak script and is asked to turn water into wine, which, even by her own capabilities, she's unable to do. The story is limp, offering not a lot of dialogue so most of Kaitlyn's performance is nonverbal. And while that's not a problem for this actress, it isn't enough to keep the audience engaged. 3/10

SAW X

Tobin Bell returns as John Kramer as well as Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young. Taking place between the events of SAW and SAW II the story finds John with only months to live. He is lead to believe a doctor in Mexico who's performing an untested procedure to remove cancer can cure him as well. But unfortunately for the doctor and his team, the operation isn't successful and they become the next players in John's games. This entry into the Saw franchise goes against the grain in many different ways: it has the longest run time at 118 minutes, the games don't take place until the third act which allows the story and characters plenty of breathing room to flesh out the story, and it is some ways makes John and Amanda the heroes of the story. It was a nice change of pace to see the story build for the first half of the film, although the gore hounds who paid to see blood might not enjoy it quite as much. The games don't appear to be as elaborate either compared to other entries, however, this can be chalked up to John finding his rhythm for lack of a better term as again, this is at the beginning of John's "work" and he got better as he progressed in later films. It's always good to see John and Amanda back together again and if this does well enough and if they wish to continue to make another involving John's relationship with a certain detective, I'd be up for that as well. 6/10

THE CREATOR

The year is 2065 and 1 million people are died is Los Angeles after a nuclear explosion. Humans/America are at war with Artificial Intelligence, blaming them for the launch of the nuke and are at war with New Asia (present day Asia) where a large population is still living amongst humans. America is dedicated to eradicating the earth of them and use their main military weapon, NOMAD, to find and destroy them (NOMAD is an aerial station that can scan areas for AI's and humans and launch missiles with pinpoint precise for their targets). Visually, this film is stunning and the main reason I gave the film such a high score. I love the world director Gareth Edwards has created: it's stylish, innovative, and breathtaking. I found the story to be mid as it's very heavy handed with attempting to play on the audiences sympathy. It doesn't so much as pull on your heart strings as it does to yank on them, so once you see through this, you're only left with the beautiful images on screen. However, props for the originality of the story and for bringing something new to the sci-fi genre that's worth having a discussion about. 7/10

REPTILE

Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) stars as a real-estate agent, who discovers the dead body of his partner Summer (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz) at one of their properties. Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro), an honest cop who previously had a crooked partner, is assigned the case and stops at nothing to solve it. The only thing he loves more than being a cop is his wife Judy (Alicia Silverstone). A slow burner of a thriller, the story unfolds sometimes at a snails pace. And while the audience (or at least me) guessed the final outcome early on, the film overstays itself by continuing this song-and-dance operata with the audience. A very well selected and balanced cast featuring the likes of Del Toro, Silvertone, Timerlake, Eric Bogosian, Michael Pitt, and Karl Glusman. This could have been wrapped up a little quicker and my score would have increased had it been tighter. Still a film worthy of your time. 6.5/10

SOUND OF FREEDOM

The unfortunate true story of former Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), who rescues a young boy being trafficked for sex at the US/Mexico border. However, once he reunites the boy with his father, Ballard learns about his sister who's still being trafficked. The difficult part is, she could be anywhere in the world and as a federal agent attempting to rescue her abroad, his resources are rather limited as the US government doesn't want to get into an international conflict about this with opposing countries. Throughout the film, Tim must make many difficult decisions such as the time he's losing with his own 6 children, his career, and his safety. I've been a fan of Caviezel's but more so recently as it's become quite apparent he chooses roles he's most passionate about and I couldn't think of a more contemporary issue to shine a spotlight on than child sex trafficking. Unfortunately, the media and Hollywood didn't embrace this film like they should have (dealing with the subject matter) until it started to make noise at the box office; and even then it was rather mute compared to some of the other blockbusters in recent memory. I'm glad moviegoers voted with their wallets and let their voices be heard that we want more of this type of content. A difficult film to sit through but truly powerful and highly recommended. 7.5/10

TOTALLY KILLER

Originally set in 1987, a killer dubbed the Sweet 16 killer as he kills his victims who've recently turned 16 and stabs them each 16 times, reemerges 35 years after his initial killings. Pam Hughes (Julie Bowen), the mother of our star Jamie Hughes, played marvelously by Kiernan Shipka, is murdered in our present day. In order to save her mother Jamie travels back in time in a time machine built by her best friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema) in order to stop the killer before he even begins back in 1987. The film then turns pure comedy as it places a 2023 progressive/woke teen square in Regan's America. Fans of 80's films will see the exquisite attention to detail for the time period and while it pokes fun at it, it doesn't come across as preachy, moral superiority, or higher-than-thou drivel audiences now are made to swallow about films from yesteryear. It is rather quite funny and has a stable supporting cast, all of which this is my first introduction to. For fans of horror, comedy, or 80's films, this is worth checking out as it's a very enjoyable ride. Finally a Prime movie I enjoyed! 7/10

FAIR PLAY

Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) are coworkers at the same hedge fund in New York City. They're madly in love, live together, and have recently become engaged. However, there's two problems with this picture: one, they're breaking company policy with their relationship and two, a promotion is available and both covet the position. At first Emily overhears some work gossip and informs Luke that he'll be the one to receive the promotion. But, when Emily receives a call at 2am from her boss Campbell (Eddie Marsan) she instead is given the promotion. The rest of the film is a deconstruction of their relationship with Luke's inability to handle being passed over for his fiance and his either knowingly or subconsciously sabotaging their relationship. From that point forward Luke plays the villain while Emily goes above and beyond to not allow this to interfere with their future marriage plans. The story is intriguing enough to pass the time, both Ehrenreich and Dynevor play their roles with so much passion and emotion. You believe them at all times, whether it's as passionate lovers or at each others throats. The girlboss crowd will love it but others can find it enjoyable too. 6.5/10

THE MEAN ONE

In the same vein as recent release WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY, THE MEAN ONE is a horror take on the timeless Christmas classic Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Taking place in Newville, the film opens with young Cindy confronting The Grinch about why he's stealing their Christmas until her mother arrives and attacks the Grinch in an effort to get him to leave; however, Cindy's life is forever changed when the Grinch fights back and kills her mother. Still suffering the effects of that night, 20 years later Cindy returns to Newville in order to confront her demons and move past it, until a certain green creator continues his murderous rampage. Audiences know going into this they're not expecting THE GODFATHER but rather a fun, B-type movie that's a new and fun take on an existing classic and that's exactly what this film delivers. It's a low budget film that proves that with its sometimes eye sore CGI and rapid cuts that tend to be a little annoying but overall, it's still a fun way to kill 93 minutes. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I'm hoping more of these children classics receive the horror treatment. 6/10

Thanks for the review i12

We were able to view this last night and while being shocked and horrified to see a portrayal of the evils we know prey on children and the world we also were amazed at this was a true story of real people. Seeing the real people at the end was interesting.

That guy and his team are real Hero’s.

We gave it 4 out of 5 stars

It's a hard film to watch at times but an important film nonetheless. Glad you enjoyed it as well.

THE KILL ROOM

Reuniting frequent Tarantino collaborators, THE KILL ROOM finds Uma Thurman as Patrice, an art gallery owner with an Adderall addiction, who is slowly losing her standing within the art community as well as her gallery. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Gordon, the owner of a Jewish bakery across the river from Patrice's gallery in New Jersey. They both have a problem and believe they can help the other person out. Recently, Gordon's money launderer got busted, so he's looking to clean his cash, while Patrice could use the increase in cash flow at her gallery under the guise of selling art. Joe Manganiello stars as The Bagman, a hitman for Gordon's operation and the name he uses as an artist who has to create the paintings Patrice must sell in order to launder Gordon's money. The script is thin and I'm sure the studio and producers were banking on Thurman and Jackson's names alone to bring in audiences (and hey, it worked on me). It's a fun little story with nothing really standing out. I'm a fan of both Thurman and Jackson so their performances didn't disappoint and it was fun seeing Uma's daughter Maya, do battle with her mother for a few scenes. This is the type of film you watch on an international flight when you want to check out something you've never seen before. 5.5/10

Not gonna lie, that "bone marrow" scene was one of the most disgusting things in a mainstream horror movie in a long time tho lol

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

The story tells the true story of the massacre of the Osage people. Osage are a Native American people in Oklahoma who struck it rich when oil was found upon their land. Years later, the wolves come through in an attempt to swindle some of that money for themselves: those specifically being William Hale (Robert De Niro) and his nephew Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio). Ernest returns to his uncle after fighting in World War I and attempts to reassimilate to civilian life as a taxi driver, when he meets and drives home Mollie (Lily Gladstone). The two soon hit it off, get married, and start a family. But everything is not as it seems as even by his own confession, Ernest loves nothing more in this world than money and the audience rides shotgun as a voyeur to the coming tragedy to Mollie and her people for their money. Another Scorsese masterpiece and while I didn't overly love the film, I did enjoy it. My interest in the story ran hot and cold at times but the cast and Scorsese's mastery kept me entertained throughout. And yes, while the runtime is clocked at 3 hours and 26 minutes, 10 minutes of that is reserved for the credits, so for those who can't sit an extra 16 minutes longer than the recent Marvel movies, spare me. The pacing is on point while the story and film never seem to drag. I can easily see all of De Niro, DiCaprio, Gladstone, and Scorsese walk away with at least Oscar nominations. 8/10

OLD DADS

Comedian Bill Burr makes his directorial debut with his Netflix exclusive film OLD DADS, which he stars in alongside Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine. The 3 friends started a business together called Trifecta Classics in 2000, which is a vintage sports jersey line. They sold out but are staying on as employees; however, their new boss is 28-year-out generation alpha Aspen Bell (Miles Robbins) who has a zero tolerance policy for anyone who doesn't fit into the overly sensitive 2023 PC standards. In addition, early in the film Burr gets into a profanity verbal altercation with his son's private school principal Dr. Lois Schmieckel-Turner (Rachael Harris). Dr. L as she's referred to in the film, has a lot of power when it comes to recommendations for the next school their child Nate (Dash McCloud) will attend so he is pleaded by his wife Leah (Katie Aselton) to make amends with Dr. L. Much like Burrs standup, most of the film is him clashing with the youth of today in a funny, not heavy-handed or "holier than thou" approach. Just his observations in a very funny way. I've started to get into more of Burrs work with the help of a friend within this last year and I'm glad I did as I might not have seeked out this hidden gem otherwise. Burrs smart quips and deadpan expressions never grow tire and he's supported hilariously as well by both Cannavale and Bokeem. I hope this film finds a large audience on Netflix as it honestly surpassed my expectations and I would love to see this group of actors back together again soon for another hilarious adventure. 7.5/10

While we mostly agree with your reviews and scores, we do not on this one.

Wife and I enjoyed it being inthralled in the possibilities of confronting aliens.
Creepy and solidly eventful.
This movie is almost realistic to what an alien encounter or after life guilty repentance could be like.
Dever did a great piece of work here.

We score this a 7 on your scale.