Category Archives: 2025 Movie Reviews

Strange Harvest

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This scared the hell out of me.

It has been a long time since I have been as disturbed by a film as I was by Strange Harvest, a film I rented on Fandango at Home (Vudu). This would have worked really well for the October 13, although I did not watch it until November.

This movie was filmed in the “True Crime” style documentary, though the story was fictional. I would call it a “mockumentary” though that term leads me to picture something funny like This is Spinal Tap, and there was nothing funny about Strange Harvest.

The film followed the story of the serial killer who became known as Mr. Shiny, and his multiple murders over several years. The main “talking heads” of the horror mockumentary were Detective Joe Kirby (Peter Zizzo) and Detective Lexi Taylor (Terri Apple). They provided most of the narrative for the fake documentary.

This feels like a real documentary, which I think is why it hit so hard. There is a “Blair Witch” tone to it which adds to the mood of this film. Up until the ending of the doc, this could be a true story.

Mr. Shiny is a combination of the Zodiac Killer and an H.P. Lovecraft character. When we learn of his identity as Leslie Sykes (Jesse J. Clarkson), the character becomes even more frightening than he did before. Jesse Clarkson does an amazing job of creating an eerie, creepy, sinister character who is more like a ghost than a human for much of the film.

This is definitely one of the most scary films I have seen in a long time. I am still feeling disconcerted and unquieted as I write this. I may go from here and jump into my bed and hide beneath my covers. Strange Harvest was an excellent experience.

4.75 stars

The Senior

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The Senior was a film that I had wanted to see in the theater when its run was happening, but I just could not get it to fit into the schedule. There were too many other films in its way. So now that it is on Fandango at Home (aka Vudu), I went ahead and rented the film to watch.

The movie is the true story of 59-year old linebacker Mike Flynt, who returned to college for his senior year several decades after being kicked out of school for fighting. He tried out for the football team as well, making the cut.

The real life story is inspiring and the film does a nice job of detailing it. Mike is played by Michael Chiklis, and he does a great job in the role. He is a very easy guy to cheer for and the film plays into that desire. I actually thought Mary Stuart Masterson, who played Mike’s wife Eileen, was an even more interesting character that I would have liked to have developed more.

Now, the movie definitely shares many of the typical sport movie tropes and it does not break a lot of new ground. There are some flaws in the storytelling and some moments of the story that does not work very well. However, the comeback Mike goes through and the on field football stuff works very well and leaves you feeling inspired and entertained. A better script could have made this an even better movie though.

The Senior is authentic and worth a watch. If you enjoy a typical sports redemption tale, The Senior is a good choice for you.

3.5 stars

Good Boy

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I was interested in seeing Good Boy for awhile now. It came available to rent on Fandango at Home so I gave it a try. You know what I discovered… this was a horror movie.

I knew the film starred the director’s dog, Indy, and that they did the dog scenes all with practical effects. I knew the film was from the point of view of the dog.

But I had no idea it was a horror film. That was why when the title card for SHUDDER came up, I paused and wondered to myself… SHUDDER?

Turned out, Good Boy was a supernatural horror film that put that poor dog into plenty of stressful and suspenseful situations.

According to IMDB, “A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.”

It was basically a haunted house film with the main protagonist being a dog. The dog does a remarkable job of making this movie. Indy clearly worked hard to get these shots. According to the film’s Wikipedia page, the film was shot over 400 days.

Indy made a very easy protagonist to support as he was everything good about dogs on display and the film looked great, including the creepy as heck mud creature in the house.

Good Boy is a quick 72 minute film with some really clever ideas and a loveable lead character. You can currently rent the film, but I would expect it to become available sooner rather than later on Shudder.

4 stars

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025)

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Hulu has a new remake of the 1992 psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. I do not think that I ever saw the original although the plot is well known enough.

According to IMDB, “An upscale suburban mom brings a new nanny, Polly Murphy, into her home, only to discover she is not the person she claims to be.“

Mary Elizabeth Winstead does a good job as Caitlin Morales, the mother who has had her share of emotional troubles and who brings Polly into the lives of her family. Winstead is easily the best part of the film.

There is not too much more here that is worth the time. Even without seeing the original, I can tell that this is subpar in comparison. There is no way that this movie will be remembered some thirty plus years later.

The writing is low level. The contrivances are scattered throughout the film. The twist at the end was dumb and underdeveloped. The final scenes did not look good at all and took away from the intended power it wanted to have.

The characters were supposed to have lots of back issues, but none of them are developed enough to be anything more than just info that we are told about them. Because of that, I never felt the connection to either character as I was meant to.

I should watch the original some time, but I do think that if you are going to want to watch a film entitled “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle,” I would recommend you choose the original, sight unseen.

2.5 stars

A House of Dynamite

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Kathryn Bigelow won an Academy Award for the Hurt Locker. Her new thriller dropped on Netflix this weekend. It was a film called A House of Dynamite and it told its story through multiple POVs of different characters.

A normal day goes into chaos when a nuclear missile has been launched and is on its way to the United States. No one is sure where the missile came from or if it even is one, but the responses are tense and difficult.

We see this stretch of period from several different perspectives, each one revealing some new details.

The cast is exceptional. It included Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Jared Harris, Gabriel Basso, Jason Clarke, Anthony Ramos, Greta Lee, Tracy Letts, Jonah Hauer-King, and Kaitlyn Dever.

I really thought this was a strong film. I was engaged and enthralled with the story and the performances. Seeing the same scenes played out in another POV is completely amazing.

I do not want to spoil the ending, but it was a shocking thing and I am not sure how I feel about it. I understand it though.

This was a really strong film that I am glad that I watched. It is on Netflix.

4.3 stars

Shelby Oaks

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I was excited to see the horror film Shelby Oaks because the director/writer of the movie was YouTube movie reviewer Chris Stuckmann, who I have liked for many years. I know this was a passion project that he raised funds for with Kickstarter and I like seeing someone accomplish a goal.

According to IMDB, “A woman’s desperate search for her long-lost sister falls into obsession upon realizing that the imaginary demon from their childhood may have been real.”

The movie started off like it was a documentary, talking about Riley (Sarah Durn) and her crew at the YouTube channel, Paranoid Paranormal, had disappeared after arriving in the town of Shelby Oaks. Riley’s sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) investigated the disappearance, which was eventually tied to something from the sister’s past.

The chunk of the movie was engaging. There music cues were very successful in creating some tension where necessary. I really enjoyed the documentary style that started the film off. It was quite a chunk of time in this format before the title card came along. I thought that the documentary format was mor compelling than the middle section of the movie, though I did enjoy most of it.

I will say that I was fairly disappointed with the ending of the film. I did not feel a satisfaction with how things were resolved and it weakened a solid effort prior to it.

I was impressed with Stuckmann’s directorial debut as there were several good scenes and shots through the film. The film looked really good too.

Overall, I think it was a good debut from Stuckmann and it is something that he can always be proud of completing. I do think there are better movies in his future, but Shelby Oaks was wacthable.

3.5 stars

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

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The latest big time musician biopic was released this weekend, with The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White taking the stage as Bruce Springsteen.

The film takes a certain part of Springsteen’s life, specifically the time he was working on recording his album Nebraska, and tells the story of that period. There are flashbacks to Bruce as a child with his alcoholic/abusive father, but the main emphasis of the film is getting Nebraska written, recorded and released.

Jeremy Allen White is spectacular as Springsteen. He gives a sensational performance as The Boss, going as far as doing his own singing for the role. He really does sound like a young version of Springsteen. I would also like to shout out the performance of Jeremy Strong, who played Jon Landau, Bruce’s friend and manager. Strong is always great and he puts in a very subtle and workmanlike performance here.

The music is great. It was odd at first as the music did not seem to include any Springsteen songs as had Lucille by Chuck Berry and Urgent by Foreigner. The first scene we see is Bruce playing Born to Run, so there was that. The Springsteen music does come over the course of the movie.

The film’s script deals heavily with the depression that Springsteen was dealing with, something that he has dealt with over his life. Springsteen made Nebraska as a very personal record and the songs all meant something to him, which was why he could not compromise with them.

I do think the film felt a little long, as some of the scenes became repetitive. There was a storyline with Springsteen and a girlfriend at the time, Faye Romano (Odessa Young). This was an interesting storyline and did not show Bruce in the best light. I liked Faye and I have to say that I was rooting for her.

I think Springsteen fans will love the movie while those who are just there for the film itself may find it a touch dull. I would not say that I am a Springsteen fan, but I do like him so I was entertained enough. I definitely think that the performance of Jeremy Allen White was better than the movie itself.

3.6 stars

Good Fortune

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I was not excited about this movie. I was not a fan of the trailers that I had seen and I found the performance of Keanu Reeves to be weird.

However, after watching the full movie, and seeing Keanu Reeves’ performance in context, I understand what he was doing much more.

Accordsing to IMDB, “In Good Fortune, Ansari plays a down-on-his-luck guy who is working myriad jobs. He’s called by his friend (played by Seth Rogen), who lives in the Hollywood Hills, to do various jobs for him – put in a disco floor, fix the pool heater. Keanu Reeves “valley” angel makes it so Rogen’s rich guy situation is swapped with Ansari, so the latter has the former’s life.”

I had wondered why Keanu was playing this character in such a one note feel. After seeing the film, I understand that he is playing an angel who was never a human being, so he did not have the emotions that one might expect. Because of that, I do think I readjusted my opinions.

The film had a simple story, and was well written. It avoided some of the typical tropes of this type of film, especially the arc taken by Keanu’s Gabriel. There was some good humor here. I really liked Seth Rogen’s work in this movie. Aziz Ansari’s performance was not as great for me, but he was fine.

It is amazing that the performance of Keanu Reeves, which made me iffy about the film from the trailers, turned out to be the best part of this movie. I think Good Fortune is a good time and a fun watch.

3.75 stars

Black Phone 2

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The first film, Black Phone, was such a surprise hit and was so great that you knew there would be a sequel at some point, despite the fact that the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, was killed.

Of course, Ethan Hawke returned to the film in a supernatural manner as Black Phone 2 dropped in theaters this weekend.

According to IMDB, “As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.“

Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw returned as Finney and Gwen. Finney was the kid who the Grabber snatched in the last movie and his sister Gwen used her dreams to find where he was being held at. Gwen has had some issues with dreams still and it led them to a winter camp in the mountains.

The tone of this movie is so excellent. It is frightening and anxiety-fueling. There were multiple moments that were very disturbing and unsettling.

Ethan Hawke’s return as the Grabber was awesome. It was a creative way to bring him back. It was a Freddy Krueger type of situation and it was scary.

The performances of all the actors were fantastic. I thought they all did such a great job and helped create the suspense. This was especially the truth for Madeleine McGraw’s Gwen. She had to carry a lot of the real impact of the story.

However, I do think that some of the story became too convoluted and messy. I had some issues with the story that I will not spoil here. Still, the positives of this film overweighed the problems I found in the film.

Black Phone 2 was a solid sequel, though I did not like it as much as the original. It was a strong follow up.

3.6 stars

Roofman

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Channing Tatum showed just how charming of an actor he is by taking the role of Jeffery Manchester, a criminal who would rob McDonalds and other stores by cutting a hole in the ceiling.

This is a true story of Manchester, and it is astounding. I can tell you how much I was rooting for Tatum, even though I knew it was a true story. At one point in the theater, I thought to myself that there was no way this was going to turn out well for these characters.

According to IMDB, “Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), an Army veteran and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.“

Of course, one could argue that Manchester was incredibly selfish, having insinuated himself into the lives of Leigh and her daughters, making himself a vital part of their lives despite knowing that one day he would have to break their hearts. If you stop and think about what was happening here, you can see Manchester as a rotten person. Still, Channing Tatum is such a charming and versatile actor that you can’t help but look past the bad behavior and hope for the best.

Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba, Ben Mendelsohn, and Molly Price all had roles in the film. Dinklage was excellent as always, playing a jerk of a boss at the Toys R Us that Manchester hid out at.

The story moved quickly as the relationship between Manchester and Leigh developed. He was very skilled at inter-personal workings and he eventually won over her daughters.

I found this to be a very engaging and thoroughly beguiling film. Channing Tatum was the standout star and he carried the film on his shoulders.

4 stars

Tron: Ares

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So there was probably few major blockbusters this year that I was looking forward to less than Tron: Ares. I was not a fan of either of the previous films, Tron and Tron: Legacy, though, to be fair, I would be hard pressed to tell you much of anything about those previous movies because it has been a long time since I watched them. I did walk into the movie with as open of a mind as I could, but I was not anticipating it.

I disliked this movie a lot.

There were two things that I thought were really great. First, the soundtrack/score of the film, done by Nine Inch Nails, was sensational and worked so well for the world of this movie. I had questioned the choice of Nine Inch Nails, but they absolutely ruled here.

The second thing that I can say positively about Tron: Ares is the visual effects are amazing. It looks great, although perhaps there were some scenes when the visual effects were too much because it overpowered what was happening in the scene. For the most part, the action with these effects were top notch.

That is where I draw the line for my positives.

The story of the movie was so basic that it was as if it weren’t even there. Jared Leto was fine, but he did not have to do anything really challenging. The rest of the actors felt as if they were not necessary. So many of the other actors had virtually nothing to do, including Greta Lee and Even Peters, who I usually love. Peters, especially, felt like nothing more than a one note villain that could have been so much more.

There were nothing that really tied this movie to anything that happened in previous films, outside of a forced cameo from Jeff Bridges. That is fine, but it felt as if it went out of the way to avoid the previous films.

I was bored for much of the film and, if I did not have the score to entertain me, I may have fallen asleep. There were no characters worth my time and the story was nothing more than searching for the latest MacGuffin.

I was anxious for this movie to get over with for much of the two hour run time. I did not enjoy my time in the theater with Tron: Ares.

2 stars

The Smashing Machine

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I missed this movie last week, which was sad because I am a fan of Dwayne Johnson and the word was that he might even have a chance for an Academy Award nomination.

Having seen it, I do think this was the best performance of Johnson’s career. Do I see it as an Oscar worthy performance? No, I do not. He was the best part of this movie, though. I do think he was able to show himself as more than just an over-muscled action heroes with his performance in this movie.

The Smashing Machine is the true story of the mixed-martial arts and former UFC champion, Mark Kerr.

I did not love this movie. I found it to be a little slow and not as engaging as I hoped it would be. However, it had strong performances from Johnson and, particularly, Emily Blunt as Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn. Blunt brought some intensity to this role of a character who did not have many positives about her.

There were moments in the film where I had a hard time seeing Dwayne Johnson in the role of Mark Kerr. He definitely looked different than he usually looked, and he did a solid job not just being The Rock imitating Mark Kerr.

3.3 stars

Dangerous Animals (2025)

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3 of October 13

This is the first time that I used one of the October 13 to watch a movie from the same year. I have usually specified that the October 13 would be from prior years, but this was one of the movies that I was excited to see. Since it came free on streaming just recently, I thought this would be an excellent exception. And boy howdy, was it an excellent exception.

I do enjoy a good shark movie. However, there are rarely too many that could be defined as good. Obviously Jaws is the king of all shark movies. Jaws 2 does not get the love it should. There is Open Water (which is not as much of a shark movie as a lost at sea with sharks movie), and the epic Samuel L. Jackson death scene in Deep Blue Sea. Blake Lively’s The Shallows was good, and last year’s Under Paris was tense. After that, the pickings are rather slim.

You can add another winner to that list with Dangerous Animals. It was an awesome film that did not make the shark into the antagonist. There was a much worse antagonist on the ship.

According to IMDB, “When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.“

This was extremely intense and suspenseful. Hassie Harrison played Zephyr, a loner whose one night stand with Moses (Josh Heuston) gave her a moment of joy. Unfortunately, she was grabbed by Tucker (Jai Courtney), who had his own plans for her.

Hassie Harrison was awesome as this bad ass. She fought with every ounce of energy she had to avoid being fed to the sharks and she was great. Jai Courtney was as slimy and horrendous of a character as I have seen on the screen in a long time. The war between Zephyr and Tucker kept me glued through every minute of the 98 minute run time.

I loved the ending, which was very satisfying and portrayed the shark in a wholly unusual light. The shots of the shark were great despite the low budget feel of this Australian/USA co-production. The score worked so well helping to build the tension. The overall look and design of this film was very strong and I enjoyed this one a lot.

I was able to stream this on Prime. I would absolutely recommend those who love the shark movie, give this one a try.

4.25 stars

The Lost Bus

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*Deep breath*

Apple TV + has had some great movies over the last few years, but I am not sure there has been one that was more intense or dramatic as the new Matthew McConaughey film, The Lost Bus.

The Lost Bus was based on the 2021 non-fiction novel, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson. It chronicled the story of a bus driver and a bus load of kids who were trying to survive the 2018 Camp Fire, one of the deadliest and destructive wildfire in the history of California.

The film was unbelievable. The tension and horrifying moments throughout the film was breathtaking. There were stretches of the film where I would not breath because I was so invested.

I do not know how they filmed this because it sure felt as if this bus was traveling through a real fire. The special effects are utterly astounding and created amazing suspense.

This bus faced so many obstacles, I had to keep convincing myself that they would not make this movie if the ending was tragic, but I wondered how it was going to be possible for them to make it out. The final scene with the bus driving through the flames was as nerve-shaking as you are ever going to see.

Admittedly, the characters were not that deep. Outside of McConaughey’s Kevin McKay, there were not very many three dimensional characters. America Ferrera’s school teacher Mary Ludwig got some moments of character development and Ferrera brought a powerhouse performance with what she had. Both McConaughey and Ferrera were excellent with the action roles. I should also shout out to the kids on the bus, who did a great job of seeming traumatized.

The secondary story of Chief Martinez (Yul Vasquez) was nowhere near as personal or powerful as the tale of the bus, and most of the times they cut to him and the other firefighters felt like a break in the anxiety, even though Vasquez does bring a lot to the role.

Fun fact: In the movie, Kevin’s mother Sherry was played by Matthew McConaughey’s real life mother Kay, and Kevin’s son, Shaun, was played by his real life son, Levi.

The Lost Bus was an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed tale of survival and heroism that looked epic and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was squirming around and talking to the screen, gasping at some of the frightening things that were on display. This was an outstanding movie experience that would have been even better on the big screen.

4.6 stars

One Battle After Another

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It seemed as though everyone and their mother have been raving about the new film from Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another. I saw it today and I may have a differing opinion.

According to IMDB, “When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own’s daughter.” This is not the best synopsis that I have ever heard, because this is only somewhat accurate for the storyline.

Leonardo DiCaprio played Bob, the former revolutionary who met up with Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), a fellow revolutionary, and they made a powerful pair. However, when Perfidia got pregnant, it was not sure what was going to happen. She, in fact, left Bob and her daughter to continue her lifestyle of wildness.

Flash forward several years, Bob has become an alcoholic and an ample drug user, but when danger came once again, he had to spring back into action to protect his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).

Col. Stephen J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) had returned from their past to once again pursue Bob and, specifically, Willa.

Sean Penn was absolutely unhinged in this film, and DiCaprio played the bumbling former revolutionary very well. They were the best part of this movie.

I have to say, I did not like the first half or so of this movie. I found it dull and downright disappointing. It is a long movie, so I was looking at my phone to see the time, hoping it would be over sooner than what the time said.

However, the film’s final part picked up and piqued my interest more, saving the film for me. I found that last hour or so much more compelling than the first part.

The performances were all solid. Some of the action was good too. It just felt as if the film spent too much time getting going before it finally grabbed my attention.

3.1 stars