Companion

“Companion” is a 2025 thriller/comedy starring Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games), Lukas Gage (You), Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever), and Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows).

A young man (Quaid) and his girlfriend (Thatcher) go to a remote cabin for the weekend with some of his friends. His girlfriend doesn’t know she is an AI robot, until she accidentally kills one of them while defending her life and is told the truth. She is now on the run for her life while her boyfriend and friends are trying to hunt her down.

This is a pretty good dark comedy/thriller. It’s your typical cat and mouse style thriller and once things hit the fan it goes downhill for everyone in the movie fast. It has some good kill scenes, especially a unique one towards the end of the film, which I’m always a fan of. It’s easy to guess what’s going on, but it’s still worth the watch. I give it a 7.5/10

Jackpot! (2024)

“Jackpot” is a 2024 Amazon Prime Original Action/Comedy movie starring John Cena (Blockers), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Ayden Mayeri (I Love That for You), and Donald Elise Watkins (Emergency).

It’s the not-so-distant future, and California has created a new law where whoever has won the state lottery has to survive till sundown without being killed. Whoever kills the winner gets to keep the billion plus dollar winnings for themselves. Struggling actress Katie Kim (Awkwafina) unknowingly wins the 3 plus billion-dollar lottery, now she has all of California coming after her. She hires a freelance mercenary (John Cena) to help keep her alive.

John Cena is one of the funniest guys in Hollywood, I’ll see whatever he’s in. Awkwafina is hilarious as well, so these two teamed up, it must be a must watch, right? Awkwafina plays a struggling actress who doesn’t know about the lottery and when she accidentally wins, she doesn’t understand why everyone is trying to kill her. Lucky for her though, John Cena shows up. It’s a fast-paced John Wick style fight just not as brutal, and with more comedy. Cena plays his typical big nice guy roll while beating up people. There’s not a lot of substance to this movie but it makes an entertaining watch. I give it a 7/10

The Thicket

“The Thicket” is a 2024 Tubi original Western/Thriller starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Juliette Lewis (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation), Levon Hawke (Blink Twice), Esme Creed-Miles (Hanna), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Taking of Pelham 123), and Leslie Grace (In the Heights).

A young man (Hawke) has his sister taken by an outlaw called cut throat Bill (Lewis). He ends up getting help from an unlikely trio (Dinklage, Akinnagbe, and Grace) in order to track her down and rescue her from cut throat Bill before it’s too late.

Tubi originals can be hit or miss, but I enjoy a good Western and it has a good cast so I gave it a go. Peter Dinklage of course plays a great roll, he’s a fantastic actor. He play a no nonsense gunslinger. Akinnagbe also plays a fantastic part as Dinklage’s friend who rides out with him. The Juliette Lewis casting was a little odd to me, she doesn’t play a bad part, but I just kept seeing as Audrey from Christmas Vacation and not a blood thirsty outlaw. Also, I found Hawke to be a little whiny. It has good action, and the pacing is well. Overall, it’s a solid western. I give it a 7.5/10.

Nosferatu (2024)

“Nosferatu” is a 2024 horror remake of the 1922 classic film with the same name. This one stars Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Bill Skarsgard (IT), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Lily-Rose Depp (Tusk), and Williem Dafoe (Spider-Man).

It’s 1838 in Germany, Thomas (Hoult) is an estate agent who is sent overseas by his boss to have a wealthy man by the name of Orlok (Skarsgard) sign a deed buying property back in Germany. Little does Thomas know that Orlok is not what or who he seems to be and is obsessed on making Thomas’s new bride (Lilly Rose-Depp) his own. Once this ancient evil is unleashed, there may be no stopping it.

I was a little skeptical about this one, solely because of the run time being a little over two hours. It’s very hard to make a good horror movie that long without it dragging. I heard good things about it, so I figured I would check it out. It’s a gothic period film that pays homage to the original. The acting is all top notch from top to bottom. Skarsgard knocks it out of the park, and he even changes his voice in it, adding another character to his impressive resume, along with Pennywise. He becomes unrecognizable. It’s not scary, it focuses on its cinematography and the telling of the story. It’s a great film from start to finish that doesn’t drag. I was thoroughly impressed. It’s a must see for any horror fan. I give it an 8/10

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a 2024 Holiday Comedy/Drama based off the book with the same name. It stars Judy Greer (Halloween Kills), Pete Holmes (Woman of the Hour), and Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls).

The Herdman’s are six siblings who are the absolute worst and are a terror of the town. Both kids and adults go out of their way to avoid the Herdman’s. The small-town Christmas Pageant is a big deal, and this year it is even more so with it being a special anniversary. So, this year when the Herdman’s take over the roles to be in the show, newly appointed play director Grace Bradley (Greer) doesn’t know what to do. Should she give them a chance, or will it all go down in flames?

I heard this movie is great and even have seen it described as an instant classic. So, I figured I would give it a shot myself. As I’ve mentioned in other Christmas movie reviews, it is really hard to make a great Christmas movie. They are always compared to the classics. Where does this one stand? Honestly, I have to agree. It’s going to go down as a classic. It’s funny, it’s cute, and it will have you in your feels the entire time pulling at your heart strings. It’s a great Christmas movie the entire family can enjoy. It also actually focuses on the whole point of Christmas. The birth of Jesus, and the inclusion of everyone. Even the awful Herdman’s. This is a must see this holiday season. I give it a solid 8/10.

Hot Frosty

“Hot Frosty” is a Netflix Original 2024 Christmas rom/com movie starring Lacy Chabert (Mean Girls), Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek), Joe Lo Trugilo (Paul), and Craig Robinson (The Office).

This is a fresh take on the classic Christmas movie “Frosty the Snowman.” A single woman (Chabert) who owns a local diner puts a scarf on a snow carving, and like Frosty, this snow carving also comes to life. Unlike Frosty though, this snow carving turns into an attractive, buff, naked man (Milligan) who calls himself Jack. She decides to help Jack because she thinks he is a harmless confused man suffering from some sort of amnesia. The longer she spends with Jack the more she starts to believe him and the more she starts to fall for him.

It’s the time of year for the Christmas movies to start rolling out and the majority of them are awful, it’s hard to make a good one, let alone one to become a classic. Yes, the premise of this one is dumb, and it sounds hallmark-esque. It has a solid cast, who does a good job. It’s lighthearted and fun. It’s pretty much what you see is what you get and it’s not one you want to look too much into. Milligan does a good job as the dumb, loving Frosty come to life that the whole town falls in love with. It’s a fun movie that the whole family can enjoy. I give it a 7/10.

Venom: The Last Dance

“Venom: The Last Dance” is a 2024 Marvel Superhero/ Action movie and the third installment of the Venom series. This one stars Tom Hardy (Venom), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Juno Temple (Horns), and Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spiderman).

A force not of this world set on destroying earth sends its minions to find Eddie and Venom. They are the only ones that hold the key to stopping this force. Can Eddie and Venom pull off saving the world one more time, or will this be the end?

The Venom movies are an amazing series. One of the best Anti Heros in the Marvel universe, outside of maybe Deadpool. So, there is a lot of hype and anticipation for this one. I love Tom Hardy, and I love his Venom character. This movie however left me wanting more, and it was underwhelming. There’s not as much action as the other two movies, but the main fight scene is pretty cool, but it comes towards the end of the film. Most of the movie is them on the run. It’s supposedly the last film in the Venom series, which I hope not because Venom deserves a better send off. It’s not a bad movie, it’s still good just lacking. I give it a 6.5/10.

Terrifier 3

“Terrifier 3” is a 2024 horror movie and the third installment of Damien Leone’s “Terrifier” series. This one stars Lauren LaVera (Terrifier 2), David Howard Thornton (Terrifier), Samantha Scaffidi (Terrifier), Daniel Roebuck (River’s Edge), and Clint Howard (Ice Cream Man).

Art the Clown (Thornton) is back to wreak havoc once again and finish what he started by killing Sienna (LaVera).

The Terrifier’s are independent films, but they have been gaining more and more popularity as the series goes on. So much so, that the third one has made it to theaters and Art the Clown has become a household name. I have never found any of the Terrifier’s scary, but they are the goriest movies out there and are very unhinged. The third one is no different, so much so that it can be described as sadistic. Just when you don’t think it can get any gorier than the previous one, it manages to do so. This one has some of the wildest scenes I have seen, and also a small nod to the first film. The story line is better than the second one and the brutal scenes are spaced far enough apart that it works. It’s a solid horror movie, and probably the best one in the series. It hints at a fourth one at the end of this one giving us something to look forward to. I give it a 7/10.

Mr. Crocket

“Mr. Crocket” is a 2024 Hulu exclusive horror movie starring Jerrika Hinton (Grey’s Anatomy), Alex Akpobome (Twenties), and Elvis Nolasco (Godfather of Harlem).

Mr. Crocket is a TV kids show host that is Mr. Roger-esque mixed with the set of Pee Wees Playhouse. He believes he has the best interest of kids at heart, so much so that he crawls through the tv of kids who he believes have bad parents and gruesomely murders their parents. Afterwards he takes the kids back with him to his special world to live with him forever.

I like unique movie ideas, and one dealing with a Mr. Rogers type character coming out of the tv and killing parents he finds unworthy is a brilliant concept. There is a little bad acting, and parts almost seem like a spoof of a horror movie and not a real horror movie itself. It got better as it went on however, and the story itself is pretty good. It reminds me a lot of Joe Hills book “NOS4A2”, which is a great book, and has many parallels with this movie. The main character does a great job, he’s like a character from the Jeffersons mixed with Art the Clown. They tease that there is going to be a second one, and I hope so. I would like to see more of Mr. Crocket in the future. Hopefully he can pull an Art the Clown and make it to the big screen. I give it a 7/10.

Speak No Evil

“Speak No Evil” is a 2024 thriller/horror movie from Blumhouse starring James McAvoy (Split), Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate), Scoot McNairy (Argo), and Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale).

A family with a young daughter is vacationing in Italy when they meet another family with a young boy vacationing as well. They immediately hit it off and decide to visit the family with a young boy at their secluded farm and stay a while once they’re all back home. Only there is something very sinister and dark going on at the secluded farm, and it has deadly consequences.

James McAvoy is an incredible actor who nails every role he plays, and Blumhouse always puts out good movies. This one looked like it would be incredible as well from the previews. It’s a slower burn than what I was expecting, not a whole lot happens the first hour or so. I began to think the only good parts were the ones shown in the preview. The last 40 min or so are great, it takes off and goes hard. My wife guessed early on what was going on, but even knowing doesn’t ruin it. Overall it’s a great movie, would have been better without all the slow buildup. Just go in knowing it gets a lot better, and James McAvoy once again shows off his incredible range. I give it a 7/10.