It Ends With US

“It Ends With Us” is a 2024 Romance/Drama based off the hit book with the same name by Colleen Hoover. It stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin), and Brandon Sklenar (1923).

A young woman (Lively) meets a tall, dark, and handsome neurosurgeon (Baldoni). Everything seems perfect until her first love (Sklenar) unexpectedly reenters her life. Now it has her questioning everything.

This isn’t my typical movie, I don’t really care for romantic or drama movies. My wife read the book, so of course we had to go see it. Without having read the book myself, I have to say I did enjoy the movie. It centers heavily around domestic violence, which the movie I felt did downplay that aspect, whereas the book by my understanding hits on it much harder. The movie makes it seem like the guy isn’t really that much in the wrong until later on. Other than that, the acting is solid, the story is good. It doesn’t get overly gushy like a lot of romance movies do, which I’m happy for that too. Overall, it’s an enjoyable movie. I give it a 7.5/10.

Deadpool & Wolverine

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is a 2024 Marvel Superhero/Action/Comedy movie and also the third installment in the Deadpool series. This one stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Emma Corrin (The Crown), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), and Channing Tatum (The Lost City).

Deadpool is back and this time he’s trying to save his timeline and world from being erased out of existence. To do so he must seek out the help of one of the mightiest heroes, Wolverine.

You either love or hate the Deadpool movies, I don’t think there’s no in-between. He’s foul mouthed, sarcastic, breaks the fourth wall, and kills people. In my opinion what’s not to love? This is one of the year’s most anticipated movies, and it also is the highest grossing R rated movie of all time. So how good is it?

If you’re a superhero fan or just a fan of Deadpool, it’s amazing. It is chalked full of celebrity/superhero cameos, that make it worthwhile in its own right. The fight scenes are perfect, not only do we get to see Wolverine and Deadpool fight side by side, but also, we get to see them fight each other. This may be the only movie we’ll get to see that. Plus, Gambit finally gets his time on the big screen. The typical sarcasm, and humor breaking the 4th wall still hold up. It’s definitely worth seeing, I give it a 9/10.

Trap

“Trap” is 2024 thriller by M. Night Shyamalan starring Josh Hartnett (The Faculty), Ariel Donoghue (Wolf Like Me), Saleka Shyamalan, and Alison Pill (American Horror Story).

A father takes his daughter to a concert to see her favorite pop star Lady Raven. Only the whole concert is a set up to catch the serial killer dubbed The Butcher. Unfortunately, the dad is The Butcher. He must now find a way to escape the venue before he is caught.

I love M. Night, he is one of my favorite directors, and his twists are top notch. Josh Hartnett is also a great actor who hasn’t been in a lot lately, even though he did recently kill it in an episode of “Black Mirror.” Then add in the unique story line, this movie seems like a no brainer.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to expectations. Most of the better scenes of when they’re in the venue, are shown in the trailers, so there isn’t a lot of suspense or build up. It does get better later on in the film, but still not enough to save it. Also, the twist in this one isn’t up to par as most. I was hoping for more out of this one being an M. Night film and with such a unique story. I give it a 6.5/10

Under Paris

“Under Paris” is a 2024 original Netflix French horror/action film starring Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Nassim Lyes (Mayhem!), and Aurelia Petit (The Science of Sleep).

A grieving scientist who lost her husband and team due to a shark attack from a giant shark they were studying finds the same shark years later on a radar signal she thought to be lost. The shark has swum up the Seine River in Paris and it proves to be the perfect breeding place for it. A massive triathlon is about to be held using the Seine River, the scientist must now try to stop the shark at all costs before it’s too late.

What better movie to watch than one taking place in Paris as the 2024 Olympics finish up? It’s perfect timing. Now most monster/creature films are cheesy, we know this. This one isn’t any different. It’s a shark trapped in the waters of Paris, very “Anaconda” vibes. However, the story in this one is pretty good, and does a good job getting you invested in it, even if it is on the cheesy side. Downfall is the shark scenes look bad, really bad. Terrible CGI where it is laughable. Overall, it’s worth the watch. Just have it to take it at face value. I give it a 6.5/10

A Quiet Place: Day One

“A Quiet Place: Day One” is a 2024 horror movie and third installment and prequel for the horror series “A Quiet Place.” This one stars Lupita Nyong’o (Us), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy.)

A woman (Nyong’o) dying of cancer and a young man in law school (Quinn) are both living in NYC when an aliens who possess hypersensitive hearing invade earth. The two become unlikely allies in the fight to survive.

The last one introduced us to the very beginning when the aliens invaded earth, it was just a more rural area. Outside of this one taking place in an extremely populated city, I feel like we already saw the beginning in the last one. The acting is great from Nyong’o and Quinn, and it’s only fitting that Quinn is in this one since the aliens are identical to the Demogorgon’s in ‘Stranger Things.” However, even with these two talented actors, the movie falls flat. We already know you have to be quiet, or the aliens will find you and attack you, we’ve seen this the past two movies. This one doesn’t bring anything new or exciting to the table. It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to this one, but if they don’t do anything different, it’s probably time to let this franchise die. I give it a 6/10, and that’s only because Eddie from “Stranger Things” is in it.

The Bikeriders

“The Bikeriders is a 2024 crime drama starring Jodie Comer (Free Guy), Austin Butler (Elvis), Tom Hardy (Venom), Michael Shannon (Bullet Train), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), and Emory Cohen (Lords of Chaos).

“The Bikeriders” is based on the book with the same name by photographer and journalist Danny Lyon who rode with a bike club from 1963-1967. The movie follows the story of a biker group called the Vandals and how they grow from a small biker club in the 60’s to a biker gang with several chapters across the United States.

“The Bikeriders” was different than what I was expecting. I was expecting more action and more of a thriller style movie. It’s almost like a documentary, it’s an interview style movie being told from a woman (Cromer) who marries the most rebellious bad boy of the Vandals (Butler), and tells their story along with the Vandals story from the early 60’s to early 70’s. It’s interesting though and really well done. The acting is great across the board, plus I love Tom Hardy, you can’t go wrong with him. If you’re a fan of “Easy Rider” or this period of American history, it’s definitely worth checking out. My only complaint is the run time, it’s close to two hours, so it does drag here and there. They probably could have shaved off 20 minutes or so and still had a solid film. I give it a 7.5/10.

Lowlifes

“Lowlifes” is a 2024 horror movie starring Amanda Fix (Orphan Black: Echoes), Matthew MacCaull (Tomorrowland), Brenna Llewellyn (The Sinners), Elyse Levesque (Ready or Not), and Josh Zaharia (The Main Event).

A family of cannibals who are travelling cross country in their RV, kill and eat who they deem to be below them or “lowlifes.” They stop at a remote farmhouse which may prove to be a fatal mistake as the family that lives there, fights back.

It’s a little on the low budget side and uses actors that aren’t real well known. There are times when you can tell by the dialogue and acting, it just isn’t good. Some of it makes you groan out load in fact. However, even with that said, the story is good, and it’s well executed. It’s gory, brutal, and filled with unique kill scenes. If gory slashers aren’t your thing, then it’s not for you. It even has a good twist at the end and sets up for a second film if they choose to go that route. Overall, it’s a very solid slasher. I give it a 7.5/10. You can currently catch it on Tubi.

The Strangers Chapter 1

“The Strangers Chapter 1” is 2024 horror movie and prequel to the horror series “The Strangers”. It stars Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), Ryan Bown (Everything I Know About Love), and Ema Horvath (What Lies Below).

A couple traveling stop in a remote town for a bite to eat, but upon leaving the diner, they find their care won’t start. They stay the night at a remote cabin, and also the only Airbnb in town, in hopes their car will be fixed by morning by a local mechanic. While staying at the cabin the young couple is terrorized by three masked intruders. They must try to escape before it’s too late.

This one follows the style of the other stranger movies by starting out with a knock on the door, followed by a cat and mouse game by the masked intruders. Even though I knew what was going to happen, it is still entertaining. They did a good job capturing the creepiness of the others and it sets itself up for the second chapter. While it isn’t as good as the original, it’s still worth watching. I give it a 7/10.

Civil War

“Civil War” is a 2024 Thriller/Action movie starring Kristen Dunst (Spider-Man), Wagner Moura (Narcos), Cailee Spaeny (Bad Times at the El Royale), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Law & Order), Jefferson White (Yellowstone), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad).

It’s modern day and the United States is ravaged by an ongoing civil war. Highways and interstates are almost impassable due to bombings, abandoned cars, and fire fight. Four reporters are determined to make the trek to Washington, D.C., behind enemy lines in order to interview the president, who no one has heard from in over a year.

I wasn’t totally sure what to expect going in, I just know the movie looked good. It’s an interesting watch, and what makes it so unnerving is a civil war is always a possibility. I believe it’s a slim possibility, but one none the less. It relies heavily on graphic fight scenes to drive the idea home that is always a possibility. It does get a little artsy in certain spots for me. It was different than what I was expecting, I was hoping it would be a little better than what it was, but it is an entertaining watch, and the acting is good. Overall, I give it a 7/10.

Abigail

“Abigail” is a 2024 horror movie starring Melissa Barrera (Scream VI), Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast), Alisha Weir (Matilda: the Musical), Kathryn Newton (Lisa Frankenstein), Kevin Durand (Smokin’ Aces), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad).

Six criminals who are the best in their field are hired to kidnap a twelve-year-old girl and hold her 24 hours in a safe house for a hefty ransom. The kidnapping goes smoothly, but once they’re in the safe house, the criminals quickly realize they are locked in, and they are not locked in with an ordinary little girl. Instead, they are locked in with a vampire who is intent on making each one of them her meal. Now it becomes a matter of survival for the six criminals.

I’m a sucker for a good vampire film (no pun intended), only problem is, vampire films tend to be very hit or miss. This one has a unique story line, with having a little girl as the blood thirsty monster. It’s a vampire flick mixed with the “Usual Suspects”, a who’s who of sorts, but it’s easy to figure out what’s going on in this one. Still, it’s super enjoyable. The casting is great, two of the characters I found super annoying, but they died early on so it’s okay. The remaining ones play their parts great, especially Weir, Newton, and Durand. Enough can’t be said for these three. It’s pretty fast paced once they realize the little girl is a vampire. It’s filled with brutal and bloody killings, which always makes for good cinema. It’s an entertaining watch, and a win for vampire films. I give it a 7.5/10.