Infinity Pool

Guided by a seductive and mysterious woman, a couple on vacation venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism and untold horror. A tragic accident soon leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you're rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.

This was another one of those artsy gory movies.  I wouldn't remotely say that it was scary at any point but it was like a twisted and artsier version of the Purge with much more gore.  I never know how to fully feel about artsy gore or horror movies.  It just feels kind of weird.  Mia Goth has really become the queen of these kinds of movies at this point though.  

I would sort of recommend people seeing this.  It's not a must see by any means.  It is disturbing and keeps your attention but is a pretty great watch even though the artsy edge to it makes it weird.

Missing

When her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June's search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it's too late. However, as she digs ever deeper, her digital sleuthing soon raises more questions than answers.

This was a decent watch.  Very much like Searching a few years back.  Unfortunately for me the looking at a bunch of apps and computer or phone screens takes away from all of it and pretty much kills the suspense.   It also makes me not want to look at any screens - including the one I'm using right now - for a while after seeing a movie like this.  

I would somewhat recommend this to people.  The current tik tok generation will certainly love it but the older one would probably prefer more of a straight forward suspense movie.

Plane

Pilot Brodie Torrance saves passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island -- only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When dangerous rebels take most of the passengers hostage, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare, an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI.

This is basically your textbook Gerard Butler action movie.  Instead of in the White House or whatever its a plane in a an ungoverned country.  Completely formula from start to finish.  That being said I have always been okay with turn off your brain action movies as long as they keep you interested enough and this one did that.  

I would lukewarmly recommend this movie to action movie fans.  As long as you don't overthink it at all the movie is a decent watch.  

M3gan

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll that's programmed to be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. Designed by Gemma, a brilliant roboticist, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend and teacher, playmate and protector. When Gemmabecomes the unexpected caretaker of her 8-year-old niece, she decides to give the girl an M3GAN prototype, a decision that leads to unimaginable consequences.

This movie is a testament to how a good trailer can create the best buzz for a movie.  The second I saw this I was in.  Didn't care if it was gonna be good or if it was going to be an entertaining train wreck.   It just immediately sucked you in.  The movie was pretty good.  It took a little too long to build things up and would have been a bit better if the crazy last 15 minutes or so could have been spaced out a bit more.   But even with those complaints its still a very watchable and enjoyable movie.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It is an enjoyable creepy movie and basically this generation's Child's Play. 

Babylon

Decadence, depravity, and outrageous excess lead to the rise and fall of several ambitious dreamers in 1920s Hollywood.

Well this was definitely something.   It was very much like being on an acid trip for three hours.  Some absolutely ridiculous things were seen and done on screen.   I liked the characters.  I liked the filmmaking style when things were off the wall.  But that run time was an absolute killer and bogged this movie down massively.  

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  Like I said - I totally understand why people would like this but it was definitely waaaaaaaaay too long.  

The Whale

An obese and reclusive English teacher tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.

Wow!   This movie was something.   Really something.  Amazing performance by Brendan Fraser.  Excellent directing of a play like story/setting by Arnofsky.  It REALLY makes me question eating my feelings and its a massive kick to the head for people who judge based on appearances without thinking of what have made things get to that point.  

I would definitely recommend people watching this because it really does say ALOT about society as a whole in several aspects.   It was not an easy watch at all but was a great movie with an amazing performance. 

A Man Called Otto

When a lively young family moves in next door, grumpy widower Otto Anderson meets his match in a quick-witted, pregnant woman named Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world upside down.

Every once and a while a very simple emotionally charged movie hits you at exactly the right time.  This is one of those movies.  I absolutely loved this movie.  I loved how real it felt.  I loved how genuine and random all the characters were.  I loved how it all came together and how the background info was told.  I loved the overall journey.  

I would absolutely recommend people checking this movie out.  I hope that it emotionally hooks and resonates as much with others as it did with me.

Women Talking

Women Talking takes place shortly after members of the fictional Mennonite community of Molotschna learn that the rape of many of its women over the previous two years has been committed not by demons or devils, but by male colonists, after using an animal anaesthetic to incapacitate the women.

This was a very great and disturbing content movie.   Its terrifying to think about how something like absolutely has happened and probably much closer to our time then when this was based.  I liked seeing the women communicate and work together but it still was very upsetting hearing all the different psychologies interacting with each other.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out just because it is a necessary eye opening kind of watch although it really feels like you are watching a play.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burnt through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.

This was a great continuation of the story with the characters that you are already attached to and they did a great job of working in new variations to other fables and children's stories that worked tremendously.  There were lots of laughs and cheers at certain points and this is really one of those ideal holiday movies for the whole family.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  Who doesn't enjoy the Shrek series and this spinoff of it?

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Discovered by record executive Clive Davis, Whitney Houston rises from obscurity to international fame in the 1980s to become one of the greatest singers of her generation.

This was a pretty decent biopic movie.  I very clearly remembered the rise and "fall" of Whitney Houston and this movie did a really good job of staying true to that even though it didn't really do the fall justice.  Things were alluded to and glossed over instead of really dived into which is nuts considering the movie was 2 1/2 hours long.  

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It is a great tribute to her even if the pacing was definitely screwy at times.

Devotion

The inspirational true story of Jesse Brown, the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history, and his enduring friendship with fellow fighter pilot Tom Hudner. Helping to turn the tide in the most brutal battle in the Korean War, their heroic sacrifices ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.

This movie was a decent watch.  Especially because of the true story hook to it.  The flight scenes were good and the character development was good but for this to come out the same year as Top Gun 2 was kind of a death sentence just because you can't help but kind of compare then and this loses in a landslide.

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out.  It is a good watch but not a must watch by any means. 

The Fabelmans

Young Sammy Fabelman falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see "The Greatest Show on Earth." Armed with a camera, Sammy starts to make his own films at home, much to the delight of his supportive mother.

This was a really really great movie.  Anyone who has been sucked into movies and been a fan of every aspect of them will surely love this movie.   Adding to it the person's life that you follow the journey on through the eyes of his camera and the people around him and you have a movie that I think will definitely be nominated (and win) a bunch of awards this year.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a very real feeling movie with great emotional hooks.  

Strange World

The Clades are a legendary family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission into uncharted and treacherous territory.

Wow.  This was pretty much Disney's biggest disappointment in a long time.   The story was eh.  The characters were dull as hell.  And there was like no hook whatsoever.  The only other Disney animation movies that I can even remotely compare this to would be Treasure Planet and Atlantis but at least both of those had small niches.  This was just there and released on Thanksgiving as THE family film.   Pretty much a money grab.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this movie.  I had very to little interest while watching and forgot about most of it by the next day.

House Party

Aspiring club promoters and best buddies Damon and Kevin are barely keeping things together. Out of money, down on their luck and about to lose the roofs over their heads, they need a huge windfall to make their problems go away. They soon decide to host the party of the year at an exclusive mansion, which just happens to belong to none other than NBA superstar LeBron James. What could go wrong?

I was a huge fan of the first movie.  I remember seeing it in theaters and very much enjoying it.  I was annoyed when I heard of the existence of this movie but decided to give it a shot.  After 40 minutes of not even smiling once forget laughing I pulled the plug and left.  Maybe it got better. . . . . . . . . but I couldn't doubt that any more if I tried.  

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  It's a waste of time and another massively insulting remake.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with Nakia and Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom.

Wow!  Just wow.  So emotional.  So action packed.  So entertaining.  This movie was such a massive home run under some of the most difficult circumstances ever.  They did a great job of honoring Chadwick.  They did a great job of introducing Namor.   They did a great job of continuing to develop a wide array of cast members across the board.   

I would absolutely recommend people checking this one out.  It is an awesome watch from beginning to end and you don't remotely feel the 3 hour time length.