Category Archives: Doc’s Movie Reviews

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

Scare Me (2020)

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5 of the October 13

Scare me is a comedy horror film written, directed and starring Josh Ruben, who has also directed Werewolves Within and Heart Eyes.

I do not remember where I found this film while I was compiling my possible list of the October 13 this year, but I am truly pleased that Scare Me made it. Comedy-horror is difficult to do. There are way more examples of films that try it and fail than those that are successful. Josh Ruben appears to be someone who can find that perfect mix between the genres.

Fred (Josh Ruben) rented a cabin in the Catskills with hopes of doing some writing. Fred meets Fanny (Aya Cash), who had written one of the best horror novels of all time. During a power outage, Fanny comes over to Fred’s cabin and the two of them take turns telling stories, trying to scare each other.

This was really great. It was so funny and still provided that creepy feel that you didn’t know what was next. Josh Ruben and Aya Cash worked well together, creating some compelling stories to present to each other.

Chris Redd joined in on the fun for a short while as Carlo the pizza delivery guy.

The film uses a ton of references from other horror movies including Jaws, The Shining, Misery, and Poltergeist. The movie clearly has a love for horror films and the manner in which they are created, while also messing with the tropes of the genre.

I watched Scare Me on Amazon Prime, specifically with Shudder. It was an excellent time, blending humor and horror perfectly.

House on Haunted Hill (1999)

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4 of the October 13

There was a movie from 1959 called House on Haunted Hill, that starred Vincent Price. It was a fun time as five people were challenged to stay the night in a haunted house for $10,000.

Well, in 1999, the fee goes up.

It was $1,000,000 dollars in the 1999 remake, and it was at an old abandoned insane asylum.

And I would not classify this one as “fun.”

The film included  Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher, and Chris Kattan as those poor souls trying to survive the night. That’s a decent cast list of actors, but the writing was anything but good, and character development was lacking even more.

Some of the special effects were bad, although it was 1999, so you have to take that into consideration. Of course, 1999 had the Sixth Sense come out and those effects were much better.

This was nowhere near as good of a movie as the Vincent Price version, and it was the first poor movie in the October 13 for this year.

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

The Devil on Trial (2023)

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2 of The October 13

A first for the October 13, a documentary.

Netflix’s documentary The Devil on Trial featured the supposed demonic possession of 11-year old David Glatzel. This was a case taken up by Ed and Lorraine Warren. During the exorcism, Arne Cheyenne Johnson reportedly challenged the demon, which everyone took as a bad thing.

Then, Arne Cheyenne Johnson killed his friend with a knife, and his trial was the famous “The Devil Made Me Do It” case. The judge would not allow that defense, but the doc presented that case.

I will say though that this doc was very balanced, because one of David’s brothers, Carl, provided an other side of the story. He came out and told a story about his father coming into the room, slapping David after he had been cursing at his mother, and David went and sat down. His manner of telling the events was definitely calm and convincing.

He also mentioned the belief that their mother was giving her kids and husband Sominex in their food. Again, he was very believable in the way he presented the details.

The doc presented both sides of the Warrens. The side where they have helped a lot of people and another side where they were in it to make money. I like the Warrens, but you have to wonder about their motives.

I did enjoy the doc, especially since it did not push one side or the other.

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

Final Destination (2000)

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1 of The October 13

The first film of The October 13 for 2025 is the first Final Destination, a movie that I had never had any interest in seeing until this past year. That was when I went to see Final Destination: Bloodlines, which was just fabulous. So I figured that I could give the first film of this franchise, which has always had good word of mouth, a chance during The October 13.

I am so glad that I watched this movie, because it was just exceptional.

According to IMDB, “After getting a premonition about a plane crash on his school trip, Alex, a student, saves a few of his classmates. However, their situation gets complicated when death starts chasing them.”

The cast included Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke, Sean William Scott, Tony Todd, Daniel Roebuck, Roger Guenveur Smith, Chad Donella, and Amanda Detmer.

The film does not dive too deeply into any of the characters as they are basically fodder for death, but part of the fun is to see what is going to happen to them next. I was rooting for Devon Sawa as Alex, as he desperately tried to help the others avoid their fate.

The deaths are over-the-top for sure, but that is part of the charm of these movies. I do think Final Destination: Bloodlines is the better film, but I really did enjoy this movie.

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