Scream VI

“Scream VI” is a 2023 horror film and the newest installment of the “Scream” series. It’s the sequel to the requel as the movie proudly exclaims. It brings back the core four, Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Yellowjackets), Mason Gooding (Fall), and Melissa Barrera (In the Heights). It also brings back classic “Scream” stars Courteney Cox (Friends), Skeet Ulrich (The Craft), and Hayden Panettiere (Remember the Titans). It also brings in fresh faces with Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way of the Water), and Dermot Mulroney (Young Guns).

It’s a year after the last Ghostface killings and the core four has moved to New York for a fresh start when the killings start up again.

“Scream V” was amazing, so I was pretty pumped for “Scream VI.” It does a good job of picking up where the last one left off. It also does a good job of keeping you guessing who Ghostface is until the very end. It has plenty of Easter eggs from the past screams, for the “Scream” fans. Including clothing from previous films. It’s not as good as “Scream V”, and I think part of it is just because of how good “Scream V” is, that it sets the bar pretty high. It doesn’t seem to be as action packed, and a little more predictable. Overall, it’s still good though and I give it a 7.5/10.

Luther: The Fallen Sun

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” is a 2023 Netflix original crime/drama/thriller currently sitting at number one on Netflix. It stars Idris Elba (Beast), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Dermot Crowley (Luther).

Luther is on the case of young man who was murdered, the killer feels Luther is getting close and brings some of Luther’s tactics to light sending Luther to prison. Now with more murders coming to light, Luther must escape prison and stop the killer before it’s too late.

Fans of the show “Luther” can rejoice. Everyone’s favorite detective is back. Great thing about this movie is that it’s also a great standalone film as well. If you haven’t seen the show, no problem, it’s the same characters but it doesn’t tie directly into the show. So, you’ll love it if you haven’t seen the show and you’ll love it if you have. I’m personally a fan of the show and was pumped when this movie was first released. It’s fast paced, action packed, and can only deliver the way Luther can. It also teases there may be a sequel, only time will tell. If you are a fan of the show, Alice unfortunately doesn’t make an appearance in this one, maybe the next one. I give it an 8/10.

Cocaine Bear

“Cocaine Bear” is a 2023 horror/dark comedy film directed by Elizabeth Banks starring Kerri Russell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), O’ Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Ray Liotta (The Many Saints of Newark), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), and Margo Martindale (Sneaky Pete).

“Cocaine Bear” is based on the true story about a sky diver who in the 80’s was found dead in a driveway in Knoxville, TN with a duffel bag full of cocaine. Before his plane went down, he dumped several bags of cocaine out of the plane across the Chattahoochee National Forest. A mother trying to find her daughter and friend, a cop trying to track down the cocaine, a group of teenage thugs, a park ranger, and two men who the cocaine belongs to are all in the woods for different reasons. Unbeknownst to them so is a big black bear who ingested a lot of the cocaine. Now high on cocaine the big black bear goes on a murderous rampage.

I had a special interest in this movie just because I live near the location the story takes place. It’s cool to see a place you live as a main setting in a major movie. It is a true story that has been highly embellished. A bear did ingest a lot of the cocaine in real life, but instead of going on a murderous rampage it died. However, that wouldn’t make for much of a movie.

“Cocaine Bear” is a wild ride that doesn’t slowdown from start to finish. I figured it would be just a rampage style movie where the bear runs around killing people the entire time. However, it has the perfect amount of gore mixed in with humor. There are several laugh out loud moments throughout the movie. I’m also a fan of unique death scenes in movies, that make your eyes pop, and grab onto the edge of your seat, they mix a few of these in here as well. Also, it’s bittersweet being Ray Liotta’s final film. I highly recommend checking this one out. I give it an 8/10.

Gone in the Night (2022)

“Gone in the Night” is a 2022 Mystery/Thriller starring Winona Ryder (Stranger Things), Dermot Mulroney (Young Guns), John Gallagher Jr. (Peppermint), Owen Teague (IT), and Brianne Tju (High School).

A couple (Ryder, Gallagher Jr.) take a trip to a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere for a relaxing getaway from the city, only to find out another couple has already booked the cabin and are staying there. Instead of driving hours back to the city, they stay with the couple who already booked the cabin for the night. When the woman wakes up the next morning, she finds out her boyfriend ran off with this mysterious woman who was already staying at the cabin, she now wants to find out why.

There’s not a lot of love for this movie, IMDb has it rated as a 4.9. I think that’s low. It does a good job pulling you in. It opens up with Ryder and Gallagher Jr driving to the cabin in the night. First thing I noticed is Ryder is old enough to be his mom, which bugged me at first, but they addressed it, so that’s okay. When they get to the cabin a mysterious couple is already there, and they greeted them wearing green raincoats, even though it’s not raining. So, off the bat, you’re already thinking wtf is going on. They have it set up from the start. Where I think the hate is, the plot seems simplistic, and it has some slow spots. Without the spoilers, it’s not a simple case of the boyfriend running off with another woman, there’s something darker and more complex going on. I think it’s worth watching, and you can currently catch it on Hulu. I give it a 7/10.

Knock at the Cabin

“Knock at the Cabin” is a 2023 thriller/mystery directed by M. Night Shyamalan based on the book ” The Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay. It stars the big man himself Dave Bautista (Glass Onion), Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old), Abby Quinn (Mad About You), and Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth).

Two husbands and their adopted daughter are vacationing at a cabin in the woods off the beaten path. They haven’t been there long, when a knock comes at the door. It’s four strangers who tell them the fate of the world is in their hands. They must sacrifice one of themselves or the world will end.

I love M. Night Shyamalan, he’s one of my favorite directors. His movies are thought provoking, unique and a lot of times leave you speechless with the surprise twist. This one is pretty much the same, not as much of a surprise twist and you would expect from him, but the rest is true. This is another home run for him. I like both Dave Bautista and Jonathan Groff, both are great actors. It’s also good to see Bautista branch out and do a serious roll versus the big, dumb, muscular, funny guy roll that he normally plays. Which he nails. It’s a two-hour movie, and the whole thing takes place in one location, the cabin. So, it’s set up to be a nightmare if written poorly, but this one is executed really well and doesn’t feel like two hours at all. Plus, it throws some tear jerkers in there as well. The only thing I didn’t like about the movie is the camera angles. Majority of the scenes are zoomed way in and only catch on person in the frame at a time, I’m guessing it’s done for dramatic effect, but I didn’t care for it. Overall, it’s a must see and I give it a 9/10.

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn

“Jeepers Creepers: Reborn” is a 2022 horror movie and the fourth instalment in the “Jeepers Creepers” series. This one stars Sydney Craven (EastEnders), Imran Adams (Hollyoaks), Peter Brooker (Wonder Woman 1984), and Jarreau Benjamin (Red Devil) as the creeper.

A young couple go to a horror convention because the boyfriend wants to, and the girlfriend reluctantly goes with him. The couple wins a grand prize at the convention where they get to stay a night at the creepers house with a film crew. Unkown to them, it’s been 23 years and once again the creeper is back to feast. They’ve been set up by members of the town for the creeper to feast on them. Specifically, the girlfriend since she is pregnant, and the creeper wants her baby.

There was a lot of hype for this one when it was announced. It’s been five years since the third one and twenty-one years since the original. The first one is a classic, and the second one, though not as good as the first, is still pretty good. I haven’t watched the third one in the series, but with a new “Jeepers Creepers” out, I knew I had to watch this one. It has received a ton of hate with a measly score of 2.5/10 on IMDb.

There’s a lot to unpack here. As a stand-alone horror movie, it’s not too bad. There is a lot worse out there. As one of the Jeepers Creeper movies, I can see why people are hating on it. There’s a lot of reasons. First off it seems pretty low budget, which for a horror movie that isn’t uncommon, but the first two in the series aren’t. So, compared to them, that’s pretty bad. Secondly the acting is terrible, but that normally comes with a low budget film. Third, is the creeper himself. Which I think is the main reason it’s being hated on, for me personally anyway. They changed the actor who plays him. The new creeper looks horrible, a low budget order off wish creeper. The original actually looks like a creature. This one looks like a latex costume. Plus, he looks and seems smaller, not at all intimidating and badass like the original. I feel like I could take this creeper in a fight. Now again, if you watch it as a stand-alone horror movie, it’s okay, but in the creeper franchise, it is awful. I am a little disappointed myself, I was hoping for better with the new one. Overall, I give it a 5/10. Just an eh film. If you do want to check it out, you can currently find it on Hulu.

You People

“You People” is a Netflix original 2023 comedy/drama starring Eddie Murphy (Meet Dave), Jonah Hill (Superbad), Lauren London (ATL), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld), David Duchovny (The X-Files) Mike Epps (Friday After Next), and Rhea Perlman (Cheers).

A young white Jewish man and young African American Muslim woman fall in love and get engaged. Being different skin colors and from different worlds may prove to be too big of a hurdle to overcome with tension from their families mounting.

Eddie Murphy is the GOAT of comedy to me, and I also like Jonah Hill. They bring in the star power also adding Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Mike Epps. So, it looks like a no brainer, that it’s a must see. It’s currently sitting at number one in movies on Netflix. So, how is it? They missed the mark somewhere. It’s two hours of focusing on race. Which is an important issue, but they tried to also make a comedy out of it and ended up falling flat. Either make it a drama, or a comedy with the star power you have. Instead, its a two hour bore, with a couple of good jokes here and there. Overall though, you just want it to end. It’s a shame because I really wanted to like this one, but I give it a 5/10.

The Man Who Killed Hitler Then the Bigfoot.

I have an obscure one for you. “The Man Who Killed Hitler Then the Bigfoot” is a 2018 Drama/ Sci-Fi starring Sam Elliott (The Big Lebowski), Aidan Turner (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), and Larry Miller (10 Things I Hate About You).

“The Man Who Killed Hitler Then the Bigfoot” follows the story of a WWII vet (Elliott) who went on a secret mission and assassinated Hitler. Now an old man, who is lonely and doesn’t feel like he has much left to live for is once again called upon by his country to hunt down bigfoot and kill the monster. Bigfoot is carrying a type of plague that is wiping out wildlife and it’s starting to spread and kill off humans. Elliott is humanities last hope.

This sounds like one those awful cheesy Sci-Fi movies that shouldn’t exist. Where they mash up two things that shouldn’t be together and it is just a mess, like “Sharknado”. This has Sam Elliott in it though, and he’s a respectable actor, so I figured I would give it a shot. It was definitely different than I was expecting. It’s slower than expected and more on the drama side than anything else. Sure, it had its cheesy moments, I mean the plot is ridiculous, where else are you going to see Sam Elliott fight bigfoot? It’s original though, which I like that. Despite the name of the title, it doesn’t focus a whole lot on Hitler or bigfoot just more on Elliot’s life. It’s not a bad watch, like I mentioned just slower and different than I was expecting. You can currently catch it on Tubi. I give it a 6/10

M3GAN

“M3GAN” is the first big horror movie to come out in 2023. It’s from Blumhouse and stars Allison Williams (Get Out), Violet McGraw (I Believe in Santa), and Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians).

A robotic engineer (Williams) at a toy company is working on a revolutionary AI doll called M3GAN when her sister, her brother-in-law, and niece (McGraw) are involved in a fatal accident. The only survivor is her niece, and she now becomes the legal guardian of her. She thinks the doll she is working on will help comfort her niece during her mourning period. M3GAN quickly surpasses expectations with self-learning and adaptiveness. M3GAN will do anything to ensure her new friends happiness and safety, no matter how deadly the consequences may be.

I was a little hesitant to see this one. It looks like a rip off of the “Chuckie” series, and it pretty much is. A doll that goes on a violent rampage and kills people. This one is more current with our times with the development with AI technology and there could actually be something like M3GAN in our future, that’s what makes this movie creepy/scary. I didn’t find it either, but they did do a good job, making it suspenseful and there’s a couple of Oh Sh*t moments, which I always love in horror movies. I do wish they went a little bit further. There isn’t as much gore and killing as you think there would be. As soon as it starts to get ramping up, they’re already trying to stop M3gan. I read a thing saying there was originally a gorier rated R version, but they figured this pg13 version is scarier and that’s why they went with this. It is a good watch, but I think the rated R version would probably have delivered more. You can currently catch it in theaters. I give it a 7.5/10.

Emily the Criminal

This is the first review of the 2023 for me. I’m going to start it off with a 2022 drama/ thriller titled “Emily the Criminal” starring Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy), and Megalyn Echikunwoke (Night School).

A recent ex con (Plaza) is struggling to make ends meet. Bills are piling up, especially her student loans, and her job at a catering company isn’t enough. No other jobs will look past her felony conviction. Without any other choice, she gets caught up in a credit card scheme in order to make some fast cash. It soon proves to be a slippery slope.

I hadn’t heard anything about this movie, but it sounded good, and I like Aubrey Plaza. She always plays a goofy quirky roll that just seems to be her, so it was nice to see her in a more serious role. She’s paired alongside Theo Rossi in this gritty drama. Both play their roles really well, and Plaza proves she can do more than just comedy. There’s enough suspense and action to keep the adrenaline pumping, and keep you wondering what is going to happen next. It’s a great, fast paced watch. You can catch it on Netflix. I give it an 8/10.