CARRY-ON

TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) has been mailing it in on life until today. Today is Christmas Eve and he found out his girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) is pregnant. In order to begin providing for his soon-to-be expanding family, Ethan asks his boss for a chance to prove his worth on the busiest traveling day of the year. His boss obliges and allows him screening duties; however, he soon is forced to contend with Jason Bateman's character, who is only referred to in the credits as traveler. He's extremely smart and always one-step ahead of Ethan. The only thing Ethan needs to do it allow a bag going through his line to clear security and his pregnant girlfriend will live. I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to. I'm a huge Bateman fan and relish the opportunity to see him play against type as the baddie and here, he does not disappoint! It's an extremely interesting cat-and-mouse game set inside LAX. The story doesn't drag, constantly throwing curve balls at the audience early on, establishing and buying Bateman's character a ton of credit. This is a man who is on a mission and will not let anything or anyone get in his way of achieving his goal. Throw in for good measure a small but important role to Theo Rossi, who's credited as watcher, Bateman's trusty handyman who is also at the airport to ensure the plan goes off without a hitch. I won't say this is as good as DIE HARD but does seem reminiscent to it in a sort of homage sort of way and at least in my house hold, this just became a holiday classic! 7.5/10

RED ONE

Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) gets kidnapped at the North Pole and it's up to Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) and Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) to get him back before Christmas is ruined. I enjoy the world the creators of this content created and that's about as much praise as I can give this film. It's a family, holiday film but it just wasn't for me. The story had little value and as has become the norm for streamers such as Netflix, Prime, and Apple, they're banking on A-list talent to garner an audience and in this case on me, it worked (but that doesn't mean the final product was satisfactory). I understand the story is quite a stretch but there were even parts were I had to roll my eyes. I could never get into this and while Johnson and Evans aren't the problem here (that would be the script), they're not working with a lot here. This may play well to a younger audience but there was a reason why I passed on seeing this in theaters and opted to watch it on Prime (because it would have been a waste of my time, money, and gas to view it on the big screen). Lame sauce. 5/10

DIRTY ANGELS

A group of American girls get kidnapped from a high school by ISIS in Afghanistan. Team leader Jake (Eva Green) is convinced to lead the rescue mission after it's revealed the local ISIS leader is Amir (George Iskandar), who was responsible for the death of Jake's team during a previous mission in Afghanistan. With a list including Green, Maria Bakalova, Rudy Rose, and director Martin Campbell, to say this was a disappointment would be a gross understatement. For an action film, it's extremely thin on the action, feels low budget, and outside of one shocking 10 second scene, there is zero going on here. None of the cast stand out in this soon-to-be very forgettable movie (if anyone even watches it). Campbell has shown he is capable of so much more with the likes of GOLDENEYE and CASINO ROYALE. But I guess for every one of those there's a GREEN LANTERN or now DIRTY ANGELS. 4/10

Gonna watch this one tonight with the wifey. I'm a massive Die Hard fan, so my standards are annoyingly high for these types of movies.

Hope it lives up to it Gia. Would love to hear your thoughts after you watch it.

MARY

The story of the Virgin Mary (Noa Cohen), from her birth until the birth of Jesus. A lot of biblical stories don't give Mary her fair share of screentime and I'm very happy that oversight has been rectified with the release of this film. It shows the struggles she went through as a young woman, chosen by God to deliver His Son. In addition, it shows just how volatile it was for her to conceive this baby out of wedlock and just how far Herod (Anthony Hopkins) went to ensure Jesus' death in His infancy. This is a very beautiful and moving film. Cohen plays Mary with such grace, tenderness, and care. I applaud Netflix for having this film in their library as it seems to go against everything else they put out. My hope is Hollywood will take note and release more of these types of films as there is most definitely an audience for them! 7/10

Sorry Irish, but I found Carry-On to be disappointing lol. Taron Egerton did his best, but I felt the script let him down. His transformation from a TSA agent with a wannabe cop complex to a crime-fighting hero just wasn’t believable to me. I also thought Sofia Carson brought little to the table, with an annoyingly flat performance that lacked all impact lol. Bateman stood out as the film’s saving grace, but even his strong performance wasn’t enough to elevate the movie. The whole problem for me was that the movie didn't thrill me. It didn't excite me enough. So for me it doesn’t come close to capturing the magic of Die Hard, but I am happy that many people enjoyed it. 6/10

I appreciate your feedback and definitely agree with you on Sofia Carson.

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

Following Bob from the years 1961-1965, the story depicts the rise of the folk singer until he changes his tune by switching to electric, alienating a large population of his fan base with the move. It also shows his (at times) tumultuous relationships with lovers Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and fellow musician Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Timothée Chalamet continues to be a chameleon as the iconic singer. He naturally slides into Dylan's dark shades with the costumes, hair, and accent. Like any musical biography, it hits the highlights while trying to fill in the gaps, which keeps the story moving (sometimes rather quickly). Director James Mangold also revives a character he's previously given a full-length feature to in Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook), and to be clear, Holbrook makes the character his own. While I most certainly appreciated Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the man in black, Holbrook isn't a carbon copy of that interpretation. He makes the character his own for better or worse. It's a decent enough story that shows the flaws of a man who simply wants to make music and be left alone. Chalamet gives a wonderful performance and while I'm not 100% convinced he should be nominated for a best actor Oscar, it's pretty darn close if it isn't. 7/10

It's not a movie but is anyone watching Landman? It may be Taylor Sheridan's best show and I loved Yellowstone. It does have its quirks but all in all a great show. This part was taylor made for Billy Bob

BABYGIRL

Romy (Nicole Kidman) is the CEO of a high-tech shipping company. Unsatisfied with her sex life with her theater teaching husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas), Romy soon begins an affair with a young intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), in her company. Day-to-day in the office Romy has the power as the boss but with Samuel, he's in control and Romy likes it. The affair runs around in circles at certain points in the story, overstaying its welcome a little bit. By the halfway point we understand the dynamics of Romy and Samuel's relationship and it continues on, almost beating a horse to death until the finale. The story is as much about infidelity as it is lack of communication. I sympathize with Jacob because he's a trustworthy partner but instead of Romy confiding in him, she retreats into this affair with a man about half her age because like so many cheaters say, "it was fun" or "I liked the sense of danger and getting caught." Not the most moral tale for the holidays but again, had this been tightened up a little bit, I could have enjoyed it more. 6.5/10

NOSFERATU

A remake of the 1922 German silent film by F.W. Murnau, NOSFERATU is the story of Bram Stoker's Dracula, which has been told onscreen enough times to know the story by heart. However, I applaud writer/director Robert Eggers, stars Bill Skarsgård & Lily-Rose Depp, and the entire crew for their efforts in creating this new, modern classic. I've been a huge fan of Eggers since he came onto my radar with 2015's THE WITCH. And while that is my favorite film of his thus far, this is strong second. Skarsgård once again takes an already iconic character, makes it his own, and creates another iconic version of that character. He's absolutely terrifying from his accent, to his purposeful delivery of his lines, to his appearance. I applaud both the studio and the team for never showing him in the advertising as it left a lot of curiosity once he's finally shown on screen (and even then, a lot of it is within the shadows). Every scene he's in, you can't take your eyes off of him and are eagerly anticipating his next appearance. Equally brilliant is Lily-Rose who plays Ellen Hutter, wife to her husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and also the object of Count Orlok's affection. She's affected by persistent nightmares of Count Orlok, which for the time period, she's described as being melancholy. However, Ellen is a strong woman who's had to deal with a lot in her past and in the present story. Depp does a wonderful job at giving this character such depth while continuing to show the audience her capabilities as well. Finally, I wish to point out the wonderful job the makeup, lighting, and DP's did to create this gothic world that's absolutely spine chilling yet one I can't wait to revisit again! 8.5/10

THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944)

Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre), a Dutch detective novelist vacationing in Turkey, is befriended by a police colonel (Kurt Katch), who tells him that th body of Dimitrios Makropoulis (Zachary Scott, Eternal Gypsy), a smooth, ruthless con artist and murderer, has washed up on the shore. He recounts Dimitrios' nefarious deeds and gives Leyden a list of victims and cheated associates. Leyden chases all over Europe, seeking stories for a new novel. He hears tales from a rich variety of suave, sketchy characters whom Dimitrios has swindled, especially Mr. Peters (Sidney Greenstreet) that are always engaging. The plot sometimes gets too complicated for its own good, but the acting by a parade of standout supporters (Eduardo Cianelli,, Fay Emerson, Stephen Geray, Victor Francen, George Metaxa) never disappoints. Director Jean Negulesco brilliantly gets the most out of every one of them, and especially, the complex, buddy-enemy relationship between Lorre (for once, not in a sinister role) and always-good Greenstreet. Well worth watching.

Saw it with my wife. We kinda liked it, but there was a big problem with it—Kidman felt way too old for that role. She is just not aging well. Charlize Theron would've been the perfect casting choice for that character

I disagree Gia. I think Kidman is aging very well and I think that was some of the commentary from the movie. Nobody blinks an eye when it's an older man hitting on a younger woman but some have issues the other way around. They were both consenting adults in the film.

Oh damn, she was literally giving us grandma vibes lol. She looks old and stretched! Some find nothing wrong with that, but as someone who see these women every day, I can tell you that I've never gotten used to it.

That being said, I have no issues with the fact that she is much older than him. If anything, that should've made the movie hotter. Kate Beckinsale or Charlize would've been better suited for that character, but that's just my opinion.

By the way, did you ever see the movie Adore with Naomi Watts and Robin Wright?

I'll still take those grandma vibes any day of the week, LoL. And no, I've never seen ADORE

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF ROHIRRIM

Set 200 years before THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, this film shows the realm of Rohan at war for hand of Héra (Gaia Wise). It's understandable why this was given an animated feature as the live action version would have cost too much. And the studio was playing their cards right because this is all about "girl power" in this installment. And even taking the shortcut of making it animated, it still didn't reach audiences, with me being one of them. I had a difficult time staying engaged in the story. The animation is great but the story (or lack of it) made the passage of the story more of a chore than enjoyable. They included a few easter eggs via dialogue but overall, this is lacking for the type of quality fans have come to expect from the franchise outside of the Amazon Prime DEI television series. Speaking of which, there's plenty of diversity behind the microphone but none displayed onscreen. I wonder why that is (asking for a friend)? 6/10

CINDERELLA'S REVENGE

A horror take on the classic tale finds young Cinderella, fed up with the antics of her step-sisters and step-mother and goes on a murder spree for those who have done her wrong. In recent years, a lot of these childhood characters have been given the horror treatment which I can REALLY get behind as horror is one of, if not my favorite genre. And while many are composed on a shoestring budget, this film actually rises above its seemingly limitations. Wonderful set pieces and for my money, I couldn't keep my eyes off of Josephine (Beatrice Fletcher), who marvelously chews up every scene she's in and outdoing all of her counterparts. While this may seem cheesy going into it, I was quite surprised with the production value, even garnering the likes of a name like Natasha Henstridge to play the Fairy Godmother. You know what you're in for when you hit play but this has been one of the better children's characters/horror films that have been released in recent years! 6/10

DAY OF THE FIGHT

Michael Pitt stars as former boxing champion Irish Mike Flannigan. After being incarcerated for the last 10 years, upon his release he's given the opportunity to fight for the middleweight championship at Madison Square Garden after his trainer Stevie (Ron Perlman) is able to pull some strings. The film follows Mike during his day as this could be his last fight, from seeing his estranged daughter, to making amends with those who he has strained relationships with. The movie is shot entirely in black-and-white while some flashbacks only gain a hint of color. It's a very heartfelt, sad, but moving journey. Pitt gives a fine, dramatic performance as the punch drunk boxer although I will say his training montage and boxing scenes left much to be desired. I understand he's been away from the ring for a decade and maybe that's what they were trying to capture on camera, his rust. If not, he should have put more work into that aspect of the character but that's not what the film is based upon. It's very much a drama, more concerned with the journey rather than the destination. You'll also see cameos from fellow producers Joe Pesci and Steve Buscemi. A solid way to start off the new year! 7.5/10

A REAL PAIN

2 Jewish cousins from New York take a trip to Poland to honor their recently deceased grandmother by visiting her home while also participating in a Holocaust tour of the country. The weird thing though is this is a comedy and a pretty fun one at that. Benji (Kieran Culkin) is the more direct, honest, yet unstable of the 2. He's currently unemployed, lives with his mother, and has no current prospects. David (Jesse Eisenberg) on the other hand is married with children, however, he's more quiet, reserved, and more of a nagging mother type. The film does briefly show some of the real sites they visited and I'm surprised writer/director Jesse Eisenberg made this a comedy, which again, works. My biggest issue with the film was the shoehorned character of Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan). I know this will ruffle some feathers but I don't care. He has no family that was lost in the Holocaust as he's from Rwanda and a convert to Judaism. And while I'm not making light of the struggle the Rwandan people have faced but make that movie instead of poorly ham-handly forcing him into this picture in order to score social points with a small percentage of the audience. He stuck out like a sore thumb, it was obvious why his character was written in, and other than his brief backstory which I've just described, served no purpose to this film! 6/10

THE LAST SHOWGIRL

A once famous Las Vegas showgirls show from yesteryear, The Razzle Dazzle, is coming to its conclusion after decades of being a main attraction. We follow Shelly (Pamela Anderson), once the main star of the show who is now currently pushing almost 60 and dancing with women who are about a third of her age. She doesn't seemed too concerned about her next move at this stage in her life due to her disappointment with the show ending. The finality of this makes her reexamine some of her life choices and even tries to reconnect with her estranged daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd). Going into this I'd heard positive things and even some whispers of award nominations for Pamela. I would respectfully disagree as enjoyable as her performance is, I wasn't sold on the fact it was THAT good. There's a lot of themes at play here such as ageism and how we discard our elders once we feel they no longer have value or purpose. Choosing between having a successful (or what will make us happier) career vs family, sexism to an extent, and old vs new. A well deserved shout out goes to Dave Bautista for his dramatic turn as Eddie, the manager of the soon to be discontinued show. Bautista really shows his range here and I'd most definitely welcome more roles like this. Surprisingly, the rest of the cast is filled out by the likes of both Kiernan Shipka and Jamie Lee Curtis, who actually gives a wonderful performance herself in the limited time she's afforded as Shelly's best friend who's an aging cocktail waitress and is experiencing some of the issues Shelly is herself. Overall, it's a satisfying film that didn't live up to some of the expectations I had heading in. 6/10

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA

After the events of part 1, the story shifts to Nice, France where Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) is looking to score again, this time in the diamond district. Former LASD Detective Nicholas O'Brien (Gerard Butler), still raw after not being able to prove Donnie's involvement with the Federal Reserve heist, follows Donnie to France in an attempt to partake in the robbery this time around. Has Nick completely turned his back on law enforcement after they've turned their back on him or is he playing Donnie all along? I was a little surprised this got a sequel as the first one was pretty enjoyable but didn't crush it at the box office. I thought it would have been a modest hit and moved on but remembering that Lionsgate is the studio, I'm now not surprised as sequels are their blueprint. The long and short of it is, this was another enjoyable film, a bit slow in parts, with a good ending. Did it need to be made? In my opinion, no it did not. Is it better than the original? Again, in my opinion, no. I much prefer the gritty streets of LA as opposed to the polished, high society of Europe. The original's script was smarter and the action scenes were also much more in your face in the original. This time around you have the thieves, law enforcement, and the writers threw in the mob for good measure, which doesn't serve much of a purpose until the end even though they're peppered throughout the film. The real bright spot of this film is Butler as the burnt out LA cop Big Nick, who's American bravado doesn't play well with the more "sophisticated" Europeans. He's a blunt, brash, and in your face character and I haven't remotely gotten tired of his antics just yet. In saying that, I'd take a flyer on a third installment should they decide to make one (plus I'm curious where the story would go from here after the events of this film). 6/10

WOLF MAN

A somewhat different interpretation of the now classic tale finds Blake (Christopher Abbott) who must return to his childhood home in Oregon to clean out the house after his father's recent passing. He and his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) are going through a bumpy patch and in order to grow closer together, he convinces her and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) to accompany him on the long journey from New York. However, once there, he's soon attacked by a werewolf and tries to protect his family before becoming one himself. I appreciate the new takes on THE INVISIBLE MAN and now WOLF MAN from writer & director Leigh Whannell. And while initially I wasn't the biggest fan of THE INVISIBLE MAN in the theaters, I have warmed up to it since then. This however, I'm not sure I will for a few reasons. It's definitely more of a suspense than a horror film. Also, it's a fairly slow burn without much payoff. The film takes place over the course of the first night the family arrives at the farm. In addition, the story attempts to humanize the monster by slowly transitioning Blake from human to beast, showing increments of his humanity slowly slipping away. Also, the makeup for the monster isn't much to write home about. In the marketing and even the film the appearance of the monster is mostly hidden akin to another recently released horror film in NOSFERATU. For the later it worked; for the former, meh. Neither performance from Abbott or Garner stands out unfortunately and the film isn't scary but just average on the whole. 5/10

THE BRUTALIST

László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Jewish-Hungarian architect who survived World War II, immigrates to the US in search of a new life. He soon meets and begins working for a wealthy client, Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce), who tasks him with building a center dedicated to his late mother. During his time in America, László begins to understand the American dream may not be for "people like him." A lot of buzz is currently surrounding this film and for good reason. It's a 3 hour and 34 minute film but it never drags or loses your attention. The presentation is in the style of the big epics of yesteryear complete with an overture to open with, followed by a 15 minute intermission. In addition, both Pearce and Brody give wonderful performances, some of the best of both of their careers. I can easily agree more with Brody being nominated for an award than Pearce (not to take anything away from him). I was more impressed with Adrien's performance over Guy's when you compare the two. The film also features Felicity Jones as László's wife Erzsébet, but unfortunately, she's not utilized to her full potential as she doesn't make her first appearance until the second half and even then it's at times sporadic. Although László, Erzsébet, and László's niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy) are Holocaust survivors, the film doesn't show or really mention the war too much but rather their life and assimilation to life in America. However, László has he own ways of dealing with his experience which is a theme throughout the picture. It is a great film and I implore potential viewers to not be scared away by the runtime as the reward of the experience is worth it. In addition, between the intermission, which again is 15 minutes, and the credits are an additional 5, the film itself is 3 hours and 14 minutes. A satisfying film but not a classic some have said it is in the reviews and trailers. 7/10

FLIGHT RISK

Winston (Topher Grace) is an accountant for a mob boss in New York. On the lam, he's picked up in Alaska by U.S. Marshall Madolyn (Michelle Dockery). They charter a private plane from podunk Alaska to Seattle where they can transfer Winston back to New York in order to testify against his former employer. The pilot with the southern drawl is Daryl (Mark Wahlberg), however, he's not who he seems as he's been sent by Winston's former boss in order to kill him to prevent him from testifying. Although, this isn't made clear until they're 3,000 feet in the air and no one outside of Winston knows how to fly. The premise is simple enough and the marketing team did their job, planting enough seeds for me to board this flight. However, once airborne, outside of a few pockets of turbulence, it was an uneventful flight. Once Daryl is revealed to not be who he claims to be, the story actually slows down with Madolyn in charge of attempting to land the plane safely. Topher Grace provides quite a few quips to break up the tension but outside of Wahlberg's southern drawl, which he pulls off for the most part here, there isn't much here unfortunately. Another reason why I took a ride with these 3 is because director Mel Gibson has impressed me before with his directorial duties but here he falls short as this is framed as a white knuckle thrill ride but sadly it's not. 5.5/10

PRESENCE

After the death of her friend and classmate Nadia, Chloe (Callina Liang) and her family move into a new home for a fresh start. However, as in life, you can't outrun your problems and the issues the family were facing before are once again at the forefront. Chloe is a daddy's girl, while her brother Tyler (Eddy Maday) is favored by his mother Rebekah (Lucy Liu). But when strange things begin to happen within the house such as objects being moved or doors closing on their own, Chloe is the only one to suspect their house is haunted. Chloe's father Chris (Chris Sullivan) is the only one who believes her while her brother Tyler and mother chalk it up to her grieving for her dead friend Nadia. Before long though, the rest of the family believes Chloe that there's someone else in the house. I applaud writer David Koepp and director Steven Soderbergh for this bold project, telling the story of a haunted house from the spirit's POV. Also, the film's not a suspense or horror movie either but plays as a drama. Excellent camera work from the crew to give the audience the sense of moving with the spirit freely throughout the house. It's a study about lose, grief, confusion, and lack of communication. I was unsure about it after watching the trailer but had some time to kill today and I'm glad I checked this out as it exceeded my expectations! 6.5/10

Agree 100% with this. My wife thought the same thing as well.

COMPANION

Josh (Jack Quaid) and his girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher) retreat to the countryside for a long weekend at a friends house. However, a death at the cabin brings to the surface many questions involving the group of friends, particularly Iris' relationship with Josh. Once again the marketing team seemed to not give away too much in the trailers, which is a trend I can start getting behind again. Thatcher, fresh off of her brilliant role as Sister Barnes in HERETIC, builds us another wonderful performance of someone who's in a toxic relationship, while Quaid once again gets to play the whitey, I mean the stereotypical "patriarchal figure," I mean the baddie. In true 2025 Hollywood form, the virtue signaling is oozing from the screen. Themes of misogyny, abusive relationships, as well as our over-reliance on technology (in this case, companionship) are important and should be discussed. They just come off heavy handed during the 97 minute runtime. In addition and as I briefly touched upon earlier, the mythical fight against "the patriarchy" is once again front and center. The themes and commentary writer/director Drew Hancock is attempting to convey to the audience is nothing new. I'm sure he thought it would come off as smart but it's redundant, adding nothing new to the conversation except for him to score brownie points within the cult that is now Hollywood. I used to enjoy the storytelling of cinema. I used to enjoy going to movies and being inspired, moved, or challenged. Sadly, it's been tarnished the last 4+ years with activists who continually beat the same tropes over and over and over again until the audience has had their fill of indoctrination. I still attend movies because I love the medium and pray we can finally put the divisiveness behind us. Unfortunately, it's getting worse rather than better and this is just another example of that, which I will continue to call it out for what it is. 4.5/10

YOU'RE CORDIALLY INVITED

Jim's (Will Ferrell) daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) is getting married. To make the event even more special, he suggests to Jenni that she get married at the same venue that he and her mother did. After booking the reservation, it's soon discovered Margot's (Reese Witherspoon) kid sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) also recently got engaged. Margot suggests they get married at the same venue since her and her sister had wonderful times on that island while staying with their grandmother during childhood. Unbeknownst to both Jim and Margot, the tiny venue is now double booked and mayhem ensues. I'm sure from this description and the trailer you can figure out how the film ends. While Ferrell and Witherspoon are both professionals and decent enough in their respective roles, their dynamic together felt off and non-genuine. The film is moderately funny, however, the story could have been a little tighter in my opinion. And even for a romantic comedy, it's not all that heartwarming either. Passable with Ferrell obviously providing the most comic relief but average. 5.5/10