Category Archives: 2025 Movie Reviews

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

Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl

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I was not sure if I was going to go to this. This was a limited release film coinciding with the release of Taylor Swift’s new record, “The Life of A Showgirl.” I would not be considered a “Swifty” by any stretch of the imagination, but I did go to the ERAs Tour film and I enjoyed it well. It worked into the schedule tonight so I wound up in Cinemark with a ton of teenage girls and a few other adults to see this film.

It is not really a film. It is also not really a concert film. It showed us the brand new video for the song “The Fate of Ophelia,” all of the lyric vids of the other 11 songs, and several behind the scenes shots of Taylor in the prep for the video, both with rehearsing and discussion of the creative.

Taylor Swift was the director of the video as well so she was shown to be the definitive creative force behind it. There were times when it seemed that she would speak and everyone else would just agree with her. I would have liked to see someone make a comment that wasn’t just “Oh how awesome you are.”

As a middle school literacy teacher, I did love the fact that she made a comment about a metaphor, followed by a comment on alliteration and then mentioned imagery. I hope the kids in the theater heard those terms.

As for the music, it was a bit of a mixed bag. It was clear that “The Fate of Ophelia” was the best song on the album. They showed us that video at the beginning of the movie and at the end. It was definitely my personal favorite as well.

I did notice that Taylor Swift’s songs on this album had a tendency to be repetitive, in one specific manner. She seemed as if she ended every song in the exact same way. The music slowed or stopped and she repeated one line that she had sung during the song, as if she were really emphasizing it. It was fine, but I did notice it so I would have liked maybe some variety in the end of the songs.

The songs that I did enjoy included “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Actually Romantic,” “Wood,” “Opalite,” and “Cancelled.” There were two songs that I did not like at all. They were “Father Figure” and “Wi$h Li$t.” “The Eldest Daughter,” “Ruin the Friendship,” and “Honey” were good. The album’s title track, “The Life of a Showgirl” was underwhelming, but not at the level of “Father ZFigure” or “Wi$h Li$t.”

The experience in the theater was as much a reason to go to this as anything else. It was fun with the audience cheering and applauding throughout the film. No one sang along in my theater, but it was fun to be part of the mass.

Overall, this was not much of a film, but it was a solid experience and I was happy to have chosen to see it. “The Fate of Ophelia” is easily the hit of this album and was the most important of the songs with this movie.

3.6 stars

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

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I was watching the Kristian Harloff show over a week ago and Roxy Striar, one of my favorite pundits on the show, was giving her TV picks. She mentioned the documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. It was on Netflix and she spoke about how amazing the story of the doc was. I put it on my queue, but was having trouble finding the time to watch it.

I found the time today, and it was shocking and troubling. One of the more compelling docs I have seen in a long time.

According to IMDB, “A teen girl and her boyfriend face persistent harassment from an unknown caller. Police investigating the months of torment discover a revelation that upends their initial assumptions.”

I am not going to spoil the story of this, but I just want to say that it was unbelievable, watching the young girl receive these horrific text messages from an unknown stalker that helped ruin her life, as well as the life of her boyfriend and some of her classmates.

This doc does a fantastic job of setting up the story and follow the investigation of what happened. I was impressed with the doc because this one actually had a lot of resolution to the story, which some of these docs do not have.

This was about 90 minutes and it is an extremely engaging story. I am glad that I finally got around to it.

4.5 stars

Him

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The other movie I missed last weekend because of my trip to SiouxperCon was Him. Unfortunately, this was another film that I would not have minded missing.

According to IMDB, “A young athlete descends into a world of terror when he’s invited to train with a legendary champion whose charisma curdles into something darker.“

Starting off, despite what the trailers and promotional materials want you to believe, this film is not directed by Jordon Peele. Jordan Peele’s name is all over the promotional materials. He was a producer on the film, but with the use of his name, it made you feel that he was much more involved than he was. The film was directed by Justin Tipping.

The performances from Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers were top notch. Wayans, in particular, does a sensational job in his role.

The film does look great. The cinematography was very well done.

After that, there was not much positive about this film.

The story of this film was basically non-existent. The story during the first two acts of the film was dull and lacked any kind of real narrative that was worth the time. The story was confusing and messy, trying to be a mysterious tale. In the third act, the film suddenly becomes the exposition dump as the film dropped everything that was happening, telling us the situation. It also provided a rapid conclusion that was rushed and felt out of place.

Oh, and some of the visuals were laughable. There were several x-ray shots and every one of them was just ridiculous.

Honestly, I found this movie to be one of the worst of the year.

1 star

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

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I missed the movies last weekend because I went to SiouxperCon last week and was unable to see the movies. I was looking forward to A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Sadly, with the two movies from last week, I did not miss much.

According to IMDB, “In this tale, David heads to a wedding in his old car with a unique GPS. He meets Sarah, and together, they embark on a journey suggested by the GPS. Along the way, they confront their pasts and explore painted landscapes, leading to a deeper connection. As they contemplate their future, they face a crucial decision about their relationship.”

The biggest problem with this movie is that I felt like I had seen so much of the film from the trailers that the rest of the film felt lesser. Most of the most interesting pieces of the film was stuff that I had seen. That is a major problem for a film like this.

I am not sure that I feel much for the relationship between Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie. These characters just did not do it for me much. I liked the individual actors a lot and I think their characters were interesting, but it did not feel like they had this great connection that the movie wanted it to be.

I did like how these strange doors that they keep going through led to individual characters bits, because the individual characters are more interesting than they are together.

There are some good moments in the movie. I was not offended while watching it. Maybe a little bord, but not offended. I could see this as a lazy afternoon watch, playing in the background. It is not a film that I should have been upset about missing.

2.8 stars