M3gan 2.0

M3gan 2.0 a 2025 horror/sci-fi movie and sequel to 2022 horror movie M3gan. This one stars Ivana Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me), Allison Williams (Get Out), Jemaine Clement (What We Do in the Shadows), Violet McGraw (The Haunting of Hill House), Aristotle Athari (Silicone Valley).

It’s been two years since the incident with M3gan. Someone has stolen the design and created a killing machine named Amelia that has gone rouge. M3gan resurfaces to protect Cady and stop Amelia at all costs.

M3gan was a fun movie, and this one looked good so I thought I would give it a shot. First thing off the bat is it isn’t a horror movie like the first one. It is labeled a horror movie, but it’s more of an action/sci-fi. It really doesn’t have anything to make it a horror movie, maybe a few killings? It’s a fun movie though, it has a lot of action and good fight scenes. Just go in knowing it’s an action movie. It also has heartfelt moments that tug at your heart strings that essentially humanizes M3gan. It turns M3gan into the good guy and has you rooting for her throughout the film. It raises issues with AI, which is a hot topic right now. It does tease at the end there could be a third installment, so we will see. Overall, it’s a good sequel and a fun watch. I give it a 7.5/10.

The Amateur

“The Amateur” is a 2025 Action/Thriller starring Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Holt McCallany (Mind Hunter), Julianne Nicholson (I, Tonya), and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix).

Charlie (Malek) is a CIA cryptographer and when his wife is killed during an attack in London, he uses his skills to find out who is responsible. He takes his info to his superiors, when they refuse to help. He uses his technology skills to track down and kill the men responsible for killing his wife. At first the CIA takes is as a joke but once Charlie starts to become successful, they send one of their own men (Fishburne) to bring Charlie down before he exposes something he shouldn’t.

When I first saw the preview to this one, I knew I had to go and see it. Malek is such a great actor and no surprise he nails this role. The action scenes are really good with high pace action, but there is more lull than I was anticipating in between the action scenes. Making it a little bit of slower movie than expected. It’s still a good action thriller that is worth the watch. I give it a 7.5/10

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thanksgiving

“Thanksgiving” is 2023 horror movie directed by Eli Roth and starring Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy), Nell Verlaque (Big Shot), Rick Hoffman (Suits), and Jalen Thomas Brooks (Walker).

A riot turns to tragedy at a superstore in Plymouth Massachusetts on Thanksgiving for Black Friday, leaving several dead after being trampled to death. A masked killer appears dressed as Plymouth’s founding father a year later to seek revenge on those involved.

There aren’t many Thanksgiving horror movies, so I knew I had to go see this one. I didn’t have my bar set high, and didn’t really know what to expect going in. It’s a lot like the “Scream” movies in the sense there’s a masked killer targeting a high school group of friends. It uses the same run around and twists too that keeps you guessing who the actual killer is. Instead of Ghostface you have a guy dressed as a Pilgrim. I thought the motive for revenge was a little weak, or over the top to seek revenge for it, but to keep it Thanksgiving themed, it makes sense. I give them props for that. Very rarely or if any horror movie makes me queasy. It’s not as gory as the Terrifiers, but there is a couple of scenes that make me uneasy, and that’s impressive. Overall, it’s a solid slasher film, and a lot better than I was expecting it to be. They also set themselves up for a sequel. I give it a 7.5/10

The Out-Laws

“The Out-Laws” is a 2023 original Netflix comedy starring Adam Devine (Workaholics), Pierce Brosnan (Tomorrow Never Dies), Ellen Barkin (The Cobbler), Nina Dobrev (Love Hard), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Richard Kind (Spin City), Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy), and Lil Rel Howery (Uncle Drew).

A strait-laced bank manager (Devine) is excited when he finally gets the chance to meet his fiancé’s parents before their wedding. When his bank gets robbed, he has reason to believe his in-laws are the robbers. After his fiancé gets kidnapped due to old debts, he must now help his in-laws rob the top state of the art bank in order to get enough money to get his fiancé back.

The plot is outlandish with a lot of loopholes, and the comedy is dumb. Which the comedy part is to be expected with Devine. The juvenile dumb comedy is his thing, and he’s good at it. With all that said the movie accomplishes its job by being entertaining. It has several laugh out loud moments. Just don’t look too much into it and take the movie at face value. It’s just a lighthearted, funny movie. I give it a 7.5/10