THE BIKERIDERS

Based upon a fictional motorcycle gang in Chicago (The Vandals), Danny (Mike Faist) a freelance journalist, documents the formation and expansion of the group from 1965-1973. Tom Hardy plays Johnny, the founder and President of the club. Austin Butler plays Benny, a non-emotion expressing but dedicated follower of both Johnny and the club, who's also married to local Chicago girl Kathy (Jodie Comer). Each of Hardy, Butler, and Comer bring wonderful performances to the film but Comer gives the best, nailing the Midwest accent and a young, but not so naive girl who falls for the quiet bad boy in Butler. An homage to biker films of the period, one noticeable absence and missed opportunity would have been to feature songs of the times. I'd heard quite a lot of positive things about this heading into it and for the most part, it delivers on all of them! Very enjoyable and worth seeing sooner rather than later. 7.5/10

BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F

30 years since last appearing onscreen, Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) gets the band back together again with Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) on a mission to keep Axel's LA defense attorney daughter Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige) safe as she attempts to prove the innocence of a suspected cop killer. Making cameo's are franchise characters Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) and Serge (Bronson Pinchot) while adding new blood the likes of Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon). I'll start off by saying I was against this film when it was first announced. Very few properties from the 1980's/1990's have done well decades later while studios attempt to reboot existing IPs and while this wasn't terrible, it wasn't great either and I still hold firm to my original belief we all could have gone on without it. Luckily it doesn't take away from the franchise but after only one viewing, IMO, it's the weakest (yes, even lower than BEVERLY HILLS COP III which I actually enjoy and don't find to be a terrible film by any stretch of the imagination). While there were some funny moments, the film didn't have the same energy or feel as its predecessors and both the script and story feel lite. I've heard rumors that a 5 may be coming our way and until I'm proven wrong, I'm not excited about that installment at this moment in time either. 6/10

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

A prequel to the 2 films released by creator John Krasinski, the story follows Samira (Lupita Nyong'o) on a trip into New York City with her cat when the monsters first arrive on our planet. New York City is a perfect place for this story to take place due to the high volume of noise the city emanates; however, without giving away too much, the film desperately tries to pull at the audiences heartstrings too much with Samira's story. I understand the need for the audience to buy into her past to gain sympathy but it's too heavy handed. What I'm sure was setup as a humanitarian storyline, especially with her involvement later on with Eric (Joseph Quinn), it almost comes across as comical in the end. In addition, the film had serious pacing problems as clocking in at only 100 minutes, it feels longer than that with the ballooning story between Samira/Eric with many pages passing by without any interaction with the monsters. I will say when the monsters are onscreen, it is very unsettling watching them devour the city within hours of their arrival. I'm unsure where the franchise goes from here but being that it's making money, I'm sure they'll figure something out. 6/10

MAXXXINE

The final film in writer/director Ti West's X trilogy, we pickup Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) in Hollywood, circa 1985. She's made a name for herself as an adult entertainment actress who's now trying to transition into mainstream films with THE PURITAN II, a sequel to a recent modest horror film. However, like any good trilogy, this one goes back to the original to right a wrong while also informing the audience about something they originally thought to be true, wasn't. West does a fantastic job with the nostalgia here from the hair/makeup, costumes, and music as a lot of care and respect are shown for the time period. In addition, this is the best film of the trilogy IMO and these 3 films have been a wonderful vehicle for Goth to showcase her talents. Lately she's been growing with every outing and this could be her best performance to date. Maxine is fearless, ambitious, powerful, and self-confident and Goth does such a wonderful job at taking that from page to picture. The story also incorporates the real life serial killer, The Night Stalker, as friends of Maxine's continue turning up dead around her while the killer plays with her like an animal before devouring their food. I had such a great time with this and it's easily in my top 5 (maybe even top 3) films of 2024 so far. I enjoyed it so much, and even though there's no connection to it, I'd be down for a THE PURITAN spinoff much in the same fashion as Eli Roth/THANKSGIVING. 7.5/10

FRESH KILLS

First time writer/director Jensnifer Esposito stars as Francine Larusso, a mother of 2 girls and a husband who's involved with the mob. The film opens with them moving to Staten Island from Brooklyn and follows the family between the years 1987-1998; however, the film is told primarily from the daughters POV: Connie (Odessa A'zion) and Rose (Emily Bader). The girls couldn't be more polar opposites of each other with Connie being the older, louder, more brash of the 2 while Rose is extremely quite and reserved, hardly uttering a word during a lot of her scenes. Domenick Lombardozzi plays the father Joe but he's barely in the film as again, the story revolves around the daughters and to an extent, Francine as well. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this. I wasn't 100% sure as a lot of mob movies nowadays have a more made-for-TV vibe to them but not this. While it didn't get a lot of marketing put behind it, it's still a solid film. I'm a sucker for the time period and a lot of the costumes, makeup, and hair are right on point. Emily Bader as Rose does a fantastic job with her performance, particularly at the end when we see the end of her character arc. A tale about family, expectations, and freedom. 6.5/10

THE GARFIELD MOVIE

Garfield is back, this time voiced by Chris Pratt. He, Odie (Harvey Guillén), and Garfield's father Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) must steal a milk truck in order to get Vic out of trouble with Jinx (Hannah Waddingham). I grew up on the cartoon so Garfield's always had a soft spot in my heart and this was pretty entertaining. The animation looks great, and I loved Jackson voicing Vic. It started and finished funny while the middle didn't land as well (at least with me, I'm sure it did with younger audiences). The film made around $90 million domestically and $200 million globally on a budget of $60 million so I'm unsure if that'll be enough to garner a sequel but if it does, I could see myself giving it a whirl. 5.5/10

LONGLEGS

Maika Monroe plays FBI agent Lee Harker, an extremely intelligent and slightly psychic agent, who's attempting to track down a serial killer who's been on a murder spree for almost 30 years and goes by the name of Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). I don't want to give away too much and I'm so glad the trailer doesn't either for a change! Monroe gives one of, if not her best performances, alongside IT FOLLOWS. She's a very bright woman but like so many other intellectuals, she's at times socially awkward and monotone; while Cage gives one of his most terrifying performances as Longlegs. His character seems to borrow bits of Buffalo Bill and the Zodiac killer (probably others as well). Cage is given a lot of freedom to amp up his performance and he uses all of it! His look, costume, even his energy is creepy. The film also reminds me of ROSEMARY'S BABY and I can easily see this becoming a classic like that (not an overstatement). Most of the story isn't fully realized until the final act which I'm fine with. There's enough meat on the table here to get fat off of until then. I really cannot say enough good things about this and can't wait to see it again. This definitely just shot up my list of favorite films of 2024! 8/10

HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER 1

Beginning in 1859 and spanning 3 different stories over 3 different states, it follows western settlers dealing with their own circumstances on the new land. Director Kevin Costner's Hayes Ellison is on the run from a local gang after shooting one of them dead with Marigold (Abbey Lee) and a 2-year-old child in tow. Sienna Miller's Frances Kittredge and her daughter Elizabeth (Georgia MacPhail) survive an Indian attack but are rescued by an army battalion. Finally a caravan of settlers lead by Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson) are trying to avoid a similar Indian attack as well on their way to beginning a new life out west. I can see why Chapter 2 isn't going to be distributed in theaters and why this didn't make a lot of money in the theaters: the film's dull. The only story I was even semi-invested in was the one with Frances and Elizabeth Kittredge. Almost the first third of the film there's a few characters on screen we're barely introduced to, no connection is made with them, and by the time the other stories begin to take shape, it's a little hard to win the audience over when they may have already tuned out. Not Costner's best western and while I'll probably watch Chapter 2 to see how it ends, my expectations aren't going to be very high. 5.5/10

THE DEAD DON'T HURT

Viggo Mortensen stars as Holger Olsen, a Danish immigrant who's the sheriff of his portion of San Francisco during the 1860's. He meets and falls in love with Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) and the two quickly fall in love. However, after fighting for his home country and with Civil War breaking out in his new, Holger feels he has to fight for his adopted country, leaving behind Vivienne. Vivienne, a very capable, smart, and strong woman, takes care of their place while Holger's away while also gaining employment in town at the local saloon. However, she's attacked one night by one of the saloons owners, Weston Jeffries (Solly McLeod). As such, her and Holger's life will never be the same once he returns from the war. This is a decent enough love story. I'm a little surprised at the high praise it's been receiving as while it's not a bad movie, it's nothing special either. Both Holger and Vivienne are strong characters, never backing down from the other and as such both Mortensen and Krieps give enjoyable performances. But I will say the villains feel pretty light for the story and only after Vivienne's attack does the story seem to have depth. 6/10

A SACRIFICE

Taking place in Germany, Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) is a social psychologist and author. He's currently separated from his wife and as such, he has his daughter Mazzy (Sadie Sink) for a semester abroad. However, Ben's work seems to be his main focus as his last book was successful and he's writing a follow-up to it. He soon meets and befriends a local law enforcement agent Nina (Sylvia Hoeks), who allows him to view the crime scene of a ritual suicide by a local cult. By focusing on his work and Nina, he drives his daughter away who's wanting to reestablish a connection with her father now that they're on opposite continents; however, she seeks attention and acceptance by Martin (Jonas Dassler), a local boy she meets on the train soon after landing. Although she and Ben are unaware she's getting closer to the cult who's members just committed suicide. The trailer looked interesting enough to take a chance on but the film doesn't live up to the intrigue it spurred in me. Bana and Sink have both put forth better performances so I'm unsure why either signed on to this project unless the pay was too good to pass up? The premise is interesting enough and I appreciate the fact that the cult isn't religious in nation but rather extreme climate activists. There's supposed to big a twist at the end that I saw rather early on so it was wasted on me. Don't waste you time on this, there isn't anything interesting to see here. 5.5/10

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

The Merc with the Mouth is back and this time, under the House of Mouse umbrella. Thankfully for fans of the character, he isn't watered down as he's still the lovable, foul-mouthed, killing machine we all love and he's brought a friend back from the dead with him. No one thought Hugh Jackman would ever play Logan/Wolverine again as his last performance was storybook ending; however, it was fantastic to see him back in this way as this is the Wolverine you've never seen before. The two team up to take on a common enemy while keeping their timelines from total annihilation. In addition as we've come to expect from Marvel and Deadpool, there's plenty of humor, cursing, violence, and Easter eggs! Reynolds and Jackman are absolutely brilliant together. I'd love to see outtakes as I'm sure there's great footage there of these guys trying to remain in character. Both come across as having fun which in terms, puts the audience at ease and increases their level of enjoyment as well. This may be the last time we see Jackman as Wolverine (never say never, right?) and I'm very curious now how Deadpool is going to fit into MCU's plans going forward. The team up they both assemble to help fight the baddie in the third act was great as well (but I won't spoil the roster for you). Marvel finally has a legitimate hit on their hands and hopefully this will get audiences interested in their stories again. 7.5/10

STARVE ACRE

Based upon the novel of the same name, STARVE ACRE follows an English family living in the country. The parents, Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette (Morfydd Clark) soon succumb to a terrible tragedy, when their son Owen (Arthur Shaw) dies from an asthma attack. However, the farm they're living on has a history and superstition surrounding it that begins to take form while the parents are grieving. I understand this may not be everyone's cup of tea as this is a folk horror tale but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was blown away and have been a fan of Clark's since seeing the highly underrated SAINT MAUD and this just reaffirms my love for her as an actress as once again, she puts together a powerful performance. Same could be said for Smith and both actors really do a great job at working with and at times against each other. Erin Richards plays Juliette's sister Harrie, who also does a great job with the screen time she's afforded. I'm very happy I took a flyer on this as it exceeded my expectations and probably another film to add to my top 10 films of 2024! 7/10

TRAP

M. Night Shyamalan brings us a fabulous, modern-day Hitchcockian tale that follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a loving father, taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favorite performer Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) live in concert. What Cooper is unaware of is the concert is a trap, setup to capture him as he's also known as The Butcher, a serial killer who's killed 12 people with another victim waiting in the wings. I love the fact the story shows you its hand up front and lets you chew on it for the entire film. Some suspension of disbelief is required as Cooper is constantly thinking of excuses to leave his daughter to enjoy the show while he seeks an escape route. I was really impressed with both Harnett's performance (he can easily flip the switch between dotting father and monster) while Saleka is a very talented performer. However, I wouldn't say the film ran long as it didn't but the ending did. A couple of times it felt like the end but then it continued on (although overall I was satisfied with the final shot before the credits rolled). As I've said in the past, Shyamalan typically banks his films on the endings and this delivered and this is one of his better films that he's released since 2019's GLASS. Worth the watch in theaters. 7/10

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Joey King stars as Zara Ford, personal assistant to comic book movie star Chris Cole (Zac Efron). After 2 years of working for and being berated by Chris (with the expectation she would be promoted to Assistant Producer on his films), Zara's finally had enough of Chris and quits. The next day, Chris shows up at Zara's house unannounced and while she's gone, decides to wait and strikes up a friendship with Zara's mother Brooke (Nicole Kidman), who's she living with. The friendship quickly becomes more than that and Zara, trying to protect her mother from Chris as he doesn't get serious with women, wants the relationship to end. An impressive cast that I'm a little surprised signed onto the picture as there isn't much going for this. 2 funny parts that were displayed in the trailer and while there's a good-hearted lesson to be learned, every one of these actors has shown they are capable of so much more. This is a Netflix film so my guess can only be they threw enough money at them because like I said, the film's pretty weak otherwise. 6/10

BORDERLANDS

From director Eli Roth comes the live-action adaptation of the popular video game that features a star-studded cast (Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, and Edgar Ramírez). The premise is Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt) is missing and her wealthy father Atlas (Ramirez) hires Lilith (Blanchett) to find her along with some alien technology that was last seen on the planet Tiny Tina was also last seen. Once on the planet, Lilith slowly and at times, unwillingly, grows her group of friends to bring Tiny Tina back to her father to claim her reward. Having never played the video game, I didn't have a horse in this race. And a lot of the early negative feedback did give me pause before stepping into the theater. And while it's not a great movie, it's certainly not a train wreck that some have made it out to be either. This isn't a great film and judging by the early reactions, probably won't become the franchise Lionsgate was hoping it would become. In saying that, it's a decent B-popcorn flick that doesn't take itself too seriously, is funny and fun, and keeps the story moving along. I'm not sure what others were expecting when viewing this but it's far from a bad movie. 5.5/10

IT ENDS WITH US

After the recent passing of her father, Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) seeks refuge after the funeral on the rooftop of an apartment complex and happens to meet neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) who wonders onto the roof himself to deal with his stress. The two strike up a sudden rapport before Ryle is called away to a medical emergency. A month later, they run into each other as Lily opens her floral shop and Ryle's sister Allysa (Justin Baldoni) works there, unbeknownst to Ryle that Lily is his sister's new employer. The two aren't right for each other from the start as Ryle doesn't believe in relationships and Lily doesn't get physical with a man unless they're invested in a relationship. Ryle is absolutely smitten with Lily and decides to give this relationship a chance. While this relationship is bearing fruit, a man from Lily's past will question her next steps forward. From the trailer the audience already knows the lay of the land as the story is about abusive relationships and 3/4 of the movie, I was beginning to question myself if the trailers had indeed lied to me but I understood the importance of holding out the rest of the story. A difficult subject matter to tackle but Blake, Justin and company do it respectfully as the abuse is never gratuitous or onscreen for more than the blink of an eye. There's no need to add more visuals to the conversation but rather having the conversation itself. The story unfolds beautifully between Lily, Ryle, and Lily's other man from her past. However, the film for whatever reason did seem to painfully drag on at less than a snail's pace. The film is barely over two hours minus the end credits but I felt at times as if I was watching an extended edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Good performances, nothing sensationalized for cheap shock value, and an important and difficult topic to bring to the screen. 6/10

CUCKOO

Set in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is uprooted from the United States and forced to move abroad with his father (Hunter Schafer), step-mother Beth (Jessica Henwick), and step-sister Alma (Mila Lieu) after the recent death of his mother. Struggling with the pain of losing a parent as well as being placed in an unfamiliar country without knowing the language so quickly, Gretchen decides to runaway to Paris with a guest, Ed (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), from the hotel he's recently found employment at. Although, there are sinister forces around that prevent him from doing so. I won't dive too much more into the story for fear of giving it away as I applaud the marketing team behind this project who don't give too much away in the trailer and as such, enticed me enough to check it out. I was intrigued and appreciated the first two acts of the film but the third goes completely off the rails in spectacular fashion and not in a good way. During some of the film scenes are often repeated without explanation that aren't made exactly clear by the end either but the reasoning for what was happening to Gretchen and his family is just so far out of left field, it feels like a letdown. It appears writer/director Tilman Singer had a good, original idea but just didn't know how to wrap it up. Pretty solid soundtrack though. 4/10

THE MOUSE TRAP

Alex (Sophie McIntosh) working late one night at her job at Fun Haven, an arcade for children, is asked by her boss (Simon Phillips) to stay late for a last minute birthday party. Grudgingly doing so in need of the extra money, she and the guests soon find themselves in the mist of a killer in a Mickey Mouse mask knocking them off one-by-one. Another horror film that's been made recently once the property rights entered the public domain: in this case Steamboat Willie, which is the first appearance of Mickey Mouse. Much like THE MEAN ONE or WINNIE-THE-POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY 1 & 2, the audience knows what its signing up for when they hit play. The film doesn't take itself seriously at all and it's a fun, cheesy, horror film if you allow it to be. Although I will admit that the "kryptonite" to the killer could have been a little bit better, I'm not going to grip as the film actually made it to print and I enjoyed it for what it was. Due to a small budget I'm sure, the death scenes are watered down but I can look past it. For my money, please keep pumping these babies out! 5/10

HIGHWAY 301 (1950)

This patented Warner Bros. gangster/actioner features Steve Cochran (eternal Elvis Precursor) as George Legenza, brutal leader of the Tri State Gang of bank robbers (Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia), killing everyone and anyone who could identify him or them. The gang's molls, Virginia Grey and Gaby Andre, provide the interesting subplot--Gray as tough and stand-up for the mobsters, Andre as delicate, fearful, wanting out of the criminal scene and being pursued, relentlessly and lethally by Legenza. The cast is very good--Robert Webber, Wally Cassell, Richard Egan and Edward Norris as Legenza's sidekicks-in-crime, Edmon Ryan as the detective sergeant out to get them. Cochran is, as ever, unsubtle but forceful, and has an appealingly edgy nuance to his otherwise thuggishness. The action and suspense are quite good most of the time but the film slows down in a couple of places and loses pace. The real-life governors of the three states provide a boring sanctimonious intro.

BLINK TWICE

Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) work an event sponsored by tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). During the event, they take the chance to mingle amongst the affluent and in doing so, garner an invitation to Slater's private island. While there, they party like rock stars without a care in the world until one day Jess goes missing and no one except Frida remembers seeing her on the island. The premise is enticing enough and the trailer did its job so kudos to the marketing team but once the story unfolds, it's nothing short of gaslighting trash; a feminist wet dream. The story is so detached from reality it could only make sense in the minds of those who made this film (and I'm well aware of the undertones and themes of the film). For "artists" who claim to want to promote "unity" and "inclusion" in Hollywood, watch their actions rather than listening to their hallow words because this film is a case study in just that. Hypocrisy at its finest which is really a shame as I do appreciate Zoë Kravitz as an actress but perhaps she should stay in her own lane after this inaugural debut. 4/10

THE CROW (2024)

A remake/reimagining 30 years after the original, we find Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) in a rehabilitation center where he meets and falls in love with Shelly Webster (FKA twigs). Shelly is killed by thugs of the baddie of the film, Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston), for possessing an incriminating video of him that could bring him down. Eric is given a second chance and sent back to Earth to make the wrongs right. I know a lot of people were upset this film was made and released, especially after the tragic passing of Brandon Lee who unfortunately gave his life on this film. And while I never read the source material, this film couldn't be more different than its predecessor. The only things they have in common are the title, Draven, and Webster. Other than those, this film is its own entity but its incredibly weak. The script feels like it was written by a middle schooler for a drama project. It's hollow that lacks depth and development. Eric's wardrobes are completely over-the-top (not in a good way), reminiscing as if Machine Gun Kelly were a crack baby. This film gives more time between Eric and Shelly than the original but most of its wasted. The only two things I'll say this has working for it is the soundtrack and the Opera House scenes, which even then, weren't enough to save this. 5/10

STRANGE DARLING

A one-night stand encounter between The Demon (Kyle Gallner) and The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) finds a serial killer in hunt of their next prey. I applaud the cast and crew of this film as I'm willing to bet it (unfortunately) won't make a lot of noise at the box office but it should as it surpassed my expectations! The marketing is brilliant as I thought I knew what I was getting into when I went in but I quickly found out that I didn't. Both Gallner and Fitzgerald give incredible performances in their respective roles. For a lot of the first 10 minutes of the film, this felt like an homage to the great Quentin Tarantino as it had an Easter egg to Kill Bill, felt somewhat like DEATH PROOF, and is told in 6 non-linear chapters. BLINK TWICE, which was also released this weekend, and the rest of Hollywood could learn a lesson from this: STOP PREACHING and just entertain your audience because that's what they're there for! The movie did somewhat run out of steam during the last 10-15 minutes but I was so engaged by that point I was willing to overlook it. 7.5/10

REAGAN

Dennis Quaid & Penelope Ann Miller star in this film based upon the former President. The film quickly (and briefly) starts out with Ronald's childhood before moving to his Hollywood career. It spends a little bit more time here before switching gears to his political career, first as Governor of California before ultimately his Presidency. Quaid and Miller both give favorable performances. They have onscreen chemistry together. Quaid has the voice, charm, and mannerisms of the former President while Miller is his rock, his love, and at times, his strength. The film's very patriotic, which is something our country desperately needs at this point in our history with the extreme partisanism on both sides of the isle while also slightly leaning into the Reagan's faith, which I appreciated as religion has became so chic to be the butt end of jokes as of late. The story focuses more on our conflict with the Russians rather than our conflicts here at home and it's these types of films that bring us together and are truly about inclusion. Not most of the trash Hollywood activists put out preaching inclusion but yet vilifying a particular group, more than likely based on physical characteristics they have no control over, to further promote their propaganda. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a marketing campaign behind this; in fact I'd dare say there's a great number of people who are aware this was even released. 7/10

KINDS OF KINDNESS

Set over the course of 3 separate stories, director Yorgos Lanthimos twists together themes of love, manipulation, and faith. The same set of characters appear across all 3 stories opening with Robert (Jesse Plemons) carrying out every wish his invasive and controlling boss Raymond (Willem Dafoe) demands. The second story finds Daniel (Plemons) whose wife Liz (Emma Stone) goes missing on a work trip and then miraculously returns home. The final story finds both Emily (Stone) and Andrew (Plemons) as cult members attempting to find their messiah, Ruth (Margaret Qualley). This was an ambitious project and while I typically enjoy Lanthimos' work (with this being no exception), it's not his best IMO. The runtime is rather a chore at 2 hours and 44 minutes and at times it felt longer than that. But again, I do appreciate the 3 stories as each is enticing in their own way and can easily be debated upon which is the best as none were weaker than the next (although my personal favorite was the first). Each actor gives unique and at times, daring performances across this film. And again, while this isn't Yorgos' best, I appreciate the effort that went into making 3 uniquely thematic stories. 6.5/10

THE FRONT ROOM

Married couple Belinda (Brandy) and Norman (Andrew Burnap) are expecting their first child when Norman suddenly gets a phone call that his father has passed and he has to cross paths with his overbearing step-mother Solange (Kathryn Hunter). Fearing she doesn't have much time herself to live, Solange makes the couple a proposition: she'll leave every dime she has to them as long as she can move in with them, as the house used to belong to her, and she wants to be surrounded by family in her final days. Although once moved in, her and Belinda battle for dominance for Norman's attention as well as care for the newborn. I was surprised to see Brandy starring in this as I haven't seen her since 1998's I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Kathryn Hunter steals the show however as the cantankerous and old fashioned mother-in-law. And like many people her age, she speaks her mind and isn't concerned with fragile feelings. She's stubborn, set in her ways, and a devout Christian, which the film also at times makes fun of or tries to portray her a kook. The film also takes the obvious bite of low hanging fruit and slathers on a layer of racism as well because its the lazy thing to do. The film appeared more interesting from the trailer as the movie has a constant wash-and-repeat, back-and-forth between Belinda and Solange that definitely runs its course by the credits. The writers also tried to pull a fast one over the audience with the final scene but its limp in its attempt and rather undermines Belinda character in my opinion. 5/10

SKINCARE

Based on true events, Elizabeth Banks stars as Hope Goldman, the next big thing in Hollywood for the launch of her own skincare product line. She's been labeled an artist at her ability to pinpoint a persons age as well as make them look young again. However, a new competitor Angel (Luis Gerardo Méndez) moves in next door and begins poaching her customs from her before her line drops. From there, Hope begins experiencing a series of unfortunate events that appear too coincidental and begins to suspect that Angel may be behind them in the cutthroat business of skin care. I'm not sure how much of this is fact vs fiction, nor am I familiar with the original story that was the inspiration for this movie but it's enjoyable enough to sit through. The story never seems to lag or repeat itself, constantly progressing towards the finale but wasn't a huge shock as time wears on but still fulfilling enough to not be a let down. A nice sleeper of a movie that (hopefully) will find more of an audience when it begins streaming. 6.5/10

WINNIE-THE-POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY 2

Picking up after the events of its predecessor, Christopher Robin is dealing with the fallout of the events that previously transpired. He's ostracized from his local community, being labeled a murderer. Pooh and his friends are likewise run back further into the forest by locals who wish to finish what Christopher started. Although like any good horror sequel, a group of friends who know nothing of the recent events decide to camp in the wrong area, rekindling Pooh and company's killing spree. Again, take these films as what they are: mindless, and at times, laughable horror films that don't take themselves seriously at all while the producers are trying to capitalize on well-established, childhood heroes that have gone feral in their world. If you can go into it with that mindset, these films are not that bad but overall, I did find the pacing of this to drag a bit at times with the kills spread out a little further apart than part 1. In saying that, I prefer the original to this but I'm still lining up for more should additional films be released. 4/10

AM I RACIST?

Matt Walsh is back with another hard-hitting documentary, this time focusing on race within our society as he asks the question, "am I racist?" He goes undercover to group sessions where they attempt to rid themselves of their "privilege" by apologizing for crimes they did not commit against minorities. In addition, a good portion of this so called "therapy" is simply perpetuating white guilt, as apparently being racist is inherently only a white trait. It also exposes the hypocrisy and business this has become as many of these so called "experts" charge substantial fees for workshops, interviews, or appearance fees (over $10,000 in a lot of cases). Glad to see they're "doing the work" and not profiting off of it. In short, Walsh has another hit on his hands and for my money, I see him as a counter to Michael Moore and I look forward to his next project! 7/10

THE KILLER'S GAME

Dave Bautista stars as Joe Flood, a hitman who's diagnosed with a terminal disease. Wanting to save himself and his ballet dancing girlfriend Maize (Sofia Boutella) the heartache of watching him disintegrate before their very eyes, Joe takes a contract out on himself in order to leave the money from his life insurance policy to Maize. However, once the clock on his contract has begun, he's informed by his doctor there was a mix up with his lab work and he's not going to die after all; unfortunately, he's unable to cancel the contract and must truly fight for his life in order to start a new one with Maize. Dave and Sofia have wonderful chemistry onscreen. You truly believe these 2 are madly in love with one another. Pigeon holed again, Dave plays the hulking big man who's just as lethal with his fists as he is with a gun. My expectations going into this weren't high but I must say I had a lot of fun with it. It's funny, violent, action-packed, and has heart. If it does modestly well, I could see a sequel churned out as after all, Lionsgate is the studio behind this and we know how much they love building out original IPs. If you're looking for a diamond in the rough or some fun and sweet action, go check this out as you won't be disappointed! 7/10

SPEAK NO EVIL

Ben (Scoot McNairy), his wife Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) are Americans, living in London but vacating in Italy when they meet another English family: father Paddy (James McAvoy), wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son Ant (Dan Hough). The 2 families really hit it off and stay in brief contact once going back to their normal lives. However, Ben decides to take Paddy up on his offer to come stay with them on their farm in the west part of the country after some difficulty with Ben's work. Once there though, the friendly English couple are not who they appeared to be in Italy and the Americans must find a way home without tipping off their hosts. This is a remake of a Danish film with the same name and while I didn't see the original, this is enjoyable although the story takes a great deal of time before Paddy and company reveal their true selves. A lot of time, perhaps too much, is spent developing the relationship between the 2 families with Paddy and his constantly but subtly pushing past Ben and his families boundaries. In order to not come off as rude, they simply brush these aside as no big deal to continue playing the grateful and polite guests. Although one important take away from the story is it does mention a few times about honesty and this plays a big role in the third act and one in which I believe we as a society have gotten away from. We flash fake smiles and lie in order to not hurt others feelings, instead of having open and honest dialogue. Doing so while still being polite is all in the delivery of the message but with the fragility amongst a great sector of our society, feelings over facts rule the day, which is an extremely slippery slope as it is impossible to please everyone and not hurt someone's feelings, no matter how good the intention is. McAvoy turns in one of his best performances to date as he seems to relish the freedom he's given with Paddy, who is the most impolite among them. 6/10