The Exorcist: Believer

When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who's witnessed anything like it before.

I have truly grown to feel like exorcist movies have become the lamest version of horror movies.   For every ten made you get one that might be above average.  This was not the one even with the attempt at working the nostalgia angle with the original one.  It took way too long to get going and once it did you had pretty much seen everything in the trailer.   It's pretty much forgettable the second the movie is over.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this movie that ultimately is really just kind of there.  

What Happens Later

Snowed-in at a regional airport overnight, ex-lovers Willa and Bill realize they're still attracted to each other -- but also still equally annoyed with each other. As they unpack the riddle of their mutual past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, they begin to wonder if their reunion is a mere coincidence or something more enchanted.

This movie seemed like a decent premise and at the start it was pretty good but it went on waaaaaaaay too long and ran its course too soon.   The whole back half of this movie was after it had past the point of being watchable.  And the staying in the same setting for that long was pretty rough for a "rom-com" and killed all of the "com."

I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out.  It's that unspoken line of thinking that all of us have but it was only good as a premise apparently.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers. Their new friend, April O'Neil, helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.

I had very low expectations for this movie because the animation looked more like sketches and this franchise has honestly been rebooted like 8 or 9 times now I think.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this movie was.  It was kept nice and simple and the animation actually added a new feel to the familiar story.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was much more enjoyable than I expected.  

Five Nights At Freddy's

The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy's won't be so easy to make it through.

This movie is exactly what I thought it would be.  I never really understood the craze over the games years ago and once I heard the movie was opening up in theaters and streamers at the same time I figured it would be a just there, mailed in, PG-13 "horror" movie.   And that is what it was.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  It plays more like a 10 minute sketch of Chuck E Cheese going bad.  

The Creator

As a future war between the human race and artificial intelligence rages on, ex-special forces agent Joshua is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI. The Creator has developed a mysterious weapon that has the power to end the war and all of mankind. As Joshua and his team of elite operatives venture into enemy-occupied territory, they soon discover the world-ending weapon is actually an AI in the form of a young child.

This was a really good sci-fi movie.  I have always said that the best sci-fi is when you are basically taken to their world and leave the theater thinking that you might be coming out into that world and this accomplished that.   The characters were well developed and I enjoyed the story.  It was a little too long and strangely tried to be a little too artsy at times but those are minimal knocks against a very enjoyable sci-fi ride of a movie.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very enjoyable watch and visually awesome.

Dumb Money

Everyday people flip the script on Wall Street and get rich by turning GameStop into one of the world's hottest companies. In the middle of everything is Keith Gill, a regular guy who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock. When his social media posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets wealthy -- until the billionaires fight back and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.

This feels like one of the quickest turnarounds for a real life story into a movie I've ever seen.  It has a great cast and the plotting out of the events that led to everything was done in such a quirky way that it really showed how the every day people "beat the system" and what not.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.   It's a good watch of a great story with a really awesome cast.  

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.

This was a MUCH better send off of Indiana Jones than the last entry was.  That was honestly all I wanted.  This felt MUCH more like the original trilogy even if the pacing was a little too slow.  The unfortunate truth is that the world has moved past these kinds of movies due to advances in film making and what not.   But this was still an enjoyable watch.

I would recommend people checking this out.   It's not a must see and will not be a repeated watch like some from the original trilogy but it definitely gets the crap taste from the last one out of your mouth and is a good cap to the character.  

Haunted Mansion

A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.

This movie was a decent family watch based on the Disney ride.  Lots of fun call outs to the ride throughout and it was much better than the Eddie Murphy version they did a few years back.  My only issue was that there was no reason for this to be two hours long.   You could have easily trimmed 20-30 minutes off of this and the movie would have been so much better.

I would still recommend people checking it out because it is a good watch.   Just a little bit too long for me.

Oppenheimer

During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world's first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.

This one is a little bit tough to review.  I am a HUGE fan of Christopher Nolan.  This movie is the type of movie that you know you are watching excellent direction, excellent acting and excellent storytelling but it just didn't fully hook me.   Like from a film making point of view it's amazing.  But from an entertaining point of view . . . . ehhhhhhhhh.   And you very much feel all three hours of it.   

I would still recommend that people check it out because it is a very well made movie but you definitely feel how long this movie is.

Saw X

Hoping for a miraculous cure, John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure, only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer uses deranged and ingenious traps to turn the tables on the con artists.

I mean it's just more of the same.   This is the 10th one.  It's been going on for 20 years now.  You either are gonna see this or you are not and what I have to say about it will have zero effect on that.  LOL.   The background story was decent but let's be honest - this is just about the crazy setup traps and they were as nasty as always.

Like I said - no point in my recommending it or not.  If you like these I'm sure you will like them.  If you don't why in the blue hell would you start now?

Expendables 4

Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on, the Expendables are the world's last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table.

Why is this still happening?   First one - fine.  Nice nostalgia throwback.  Second one - okay.  You want to include any action stars that you didn't put in the first.  I'll allow it.  But the third was garbage and this is hot flaming garbage.  Please just stop.

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  Ever.  It's not even worth it for like basic action stuff.  Total waste of time.

The Equalizer 3

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall finds solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Now living in Southern Italy, he soon discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall becomes their protector by taking on the mafia.

I'm not really sure how much the world was clamoring for this movie or the franchise to be a trilogy.   Like at all.  The movie was a decent watch.  It started awesome and ended great but there was a lot of down time inbetween - which again that's probably because Denzel as an action hero has probably set sail so there was alot of dramatic talking and stuff that could have easily been trimmed down.

I would still somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It was a decent watch but definitely could have been better.

The Nun 2

In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.

I don't really know that anyone was calling for this sequel to be made.   I wouldn't say that it was a bad movie.  It was more like disjointed.   At one point during it the movie felt like it kind of split into two movies.   The nuns looking into something and the kids getting terrorized.   They never really seemed to properly connect when they met back up and it held the movie back as a whole despite some decent creepiness levels.

I would very lukewarmly recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see by any means and it's borderline okay but it might be one of the better offerings that come out this month.  

Sound Of Freedom

After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

Checking all politics at the door and what not this is an amazing movie.  Very intense.  Very well done and acted.  Very difficult to watch at times.  I will never be watching this movie again because of the subject matter but it was an excellent movie.  Alot of stuff around the movie can be massively misconstrued and twisted and I hate that the world has gotten to this point where seeing a movie means you are one side or the other.  As long as you can just shut that out and watch this movie it is an incredible watch.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It's not an easy watch and you need to get through all the political talk about it and just enjoy a well made movie.

Gran Turismo

A player wins a series of Nissan-sponsored video game competitions through his gaming skills and becomes a real-life professional race car driver.

This is one of those just kind of there movies.  You pretty much already saw it from the trailer.  It's formula in every way but watchable.  But you kind of forget about it a couple of days after watching it.  

I would not really recommend anyone rushing to see it.  Maybe it would mean more if I was a fan of or played the video game but outside of that again the movie is just kind of there.

It Lives Inside

Desperate to fit in at school, Sam rejects her East Indian culture and family to be like everyone else. However, when a mythological demonic spirit latches onto her former best friend, she must come to terms with her heritage to defeat it.

This is a textbook eh September horror movie.  Concept seems pretty decent.  Trailer was okay.  But the movie is just kind of there and doesn't really deliver like at all.   There are always 2-3 of these every September.

I would not recommend anyone really bothering with this.  It's completely forgettable and a waste of time.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission -- not even the lives of those he cares about most.

These movies just honestly don't disappoint.  This movie was just like the others.  Amazing action, great bad guys against the characters that you have grown to love.  The pacing was perfect.  Did it have to be 3 hours long?  Probably not.  But honestly you don't really feel it because you are more than hooked by the movie.   Just an awesome popcorn movie.

I definitely recommend people checking this out.   It is a great ride and watch and another installment in an excellent all around franchise.

Blue Beetle

Jaime Reyes suddenly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology called the Scarab. When the Scarab chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he's bestowed with an incredible suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle.

I mean it might have been the bottom of the barrel expectations for this movie but this was a pretty enjoyable watch.  It was very basic, simple and formula but a good origin story for this superhero - especially by DC's standards.  

I would actually recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must watch or anywhere near the best comic book movie ever made but it was a pretty good watch and that is a major plus for a DC movie as far as I'm concerned.  

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Members of the Portokalos family reunite in Greece for a hilarious and heartwarming trip full of love, twists and turns.

This movie was a decent watch / continuation of the quirky greek family from the first two movies.   I don't know that there was remotely any demand or need for it whatsoever but it you like the characters it is a decent continuation and short enough to avoid being painful.  

I would not really recommend anyone rushing to see this.  It's not a bad watch but is kind of just there and not really worth the time/money.

Retribution

While driving with his two kids, a man receives a phone call from an unknown assailant who claims there is a bomb in the car. Unable to exit the vehicle, he must now follow a series of twisted instructions while trying to figure out how to survive.

This is literally Taken in a car.  There is honestly nothing more to say than that.  It's what you thought from the trailer and it's exactly what you got.  Taken in a car.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to watch this.  It's decent enough and is less than 90 minutes long.  But it really is just Taken in a car.  

The Meg 2: The Trench

Jonas Taylor leads a research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal, prehistoric sharks and relentless environmental plunderers, they must outrun, outsmart and outswim their merciless predators.

This was absolute trash.  Like complete and total trash.  I was excited to see this because the first one turned out to be a pretty good guilty pleasure movie.  This one massively dropped the ball.   There wasn't even any sea creature shit really until like the last 20-30 minutes.   Like there were humans talking for 90 minutes before anything good.  Nobody.  I repeat nobody is seeing this movie for that nonsense.

I would not recommend that anyone bother with this movie.  It's a complete waste of time and very disappointing even for a movie that was expected to be guilty pleasure bad already.

Barbie

Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

I really don't know how to feel about this movie.  Like if I say I didn't like it does that make me anti-feminism because I'm not.  And the whole girl power thing was not the problem with the movie.  It was honestly just that the movie couldn't decide what it wanted to be.  Like when it was campy and silly it was actually pretty good.  Similar to Free Guy with the being in a video game or The Lego Movie.  I enjoyed all of the Barbie world schtick.  But then they would switch to trying to be deep and human and heartfelt and then I would get kind of annoyed.  It was just a very disjointed movie.

I would not really recommend people seeing it but I feel like everyone already has.  The marketing was absolutely genius but the payoff of the movie just didn't match the hype for me I guess. 

Haunted Mansion

A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.

This movie was a decent family watch based on the Disney ride.  Lots of fun call outs to the ride throughout and it was much better than the Eddie Murphy version they did a few years back.  My only issue was that there was no reason for this to be two hours long.   You could have easily trimmed 20-30 minutes off of this and the movie would have been so much better.

I would still recommend people checking it out because it is a good watch.   Just a little bit too long for me.

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter

The crew of the merchant ship Demeter sets sail from Carpathia to London to deliver a cargo of 50 unmarked wooden crates. However, they soon discover they're not alone as Dracula's unholy presence turns the trip into a nightmarish fight for survival.

Why is it so hard to make a memorable Dracula movie.  I feel like they always miss the mark and this one was more of the same.  Not sure who was remotely asking for this movie to be made but it is beyond forgettable.  I honestly waited too long to write this review and barely remember the movie.  That is how forgettable it is.

I would not recommend anyone bother with this movie.  It is a pretty big waste of time.

Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts

Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals to save Earth.

I know I said I was done with the Transformers franchise after the last massive turd that I walked out on but I thought that with it being free that I would give it another shot.  I even tried nooning up so that maybe the buzz could make me laugh at it.  Nope.  Walked out half way through after doing nothing but shaking my head in disgust and saying What? over and over again for the first hour.   Unreal how bad this franchise is and that it keeps going.

I would not recommend anyone watch this.  I am the king of enjoying the turn off your brain action movies that are over the top and ridiculous (I'm looking at you Fast & Furious) but there is something that just massively triggers me with these Transformers movies that I can't get by.

Strays

Abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug, a naive but lovable dog named Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier and his gang of strays. Determined to seek revenge, Reggie and his new canine pals embark on an epic adventure to get him home and make Doug pay for his dirty deed.

I'm not going to lie.  I had pretty high hopes for this movie.  And I think that those high hopes definitely skewed my feelings about it.  Like the movie was funny and had some big laughs but I just wanted it to be much funnier than it was I guess.   

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's not too long and there were some good laughs.  I just didn't think that there were enough of them.  

The Boogeyman

High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister, Sawyer, are still reeling from the recent death of their mother. They're not getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who's dealing with his own intense pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their house seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims.

Movies like this rely on two things.  First is the suspense build up and jump scares.  This movie did a good job of that.   Second is the reveal of the monster.  This one dropped the ball big time on this.   The second you see the monster and how ridiculous it looks the scare factor is massively watered down.  They might have been better off not showing it except for the beady eyes thing.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  It's not a terrible watch but it is not as good at all once you see the monster.

Talk To Me

When a group of friends discovers how to conjure spirits by using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill -- until one of them unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

This was a better than average horror movie.  I was definitely surprised.  It was definitely due to some creepy self mutilation visuals throughout but it held my interest a lot more than I thought it would.  

I would recommend people checking this out.   It was better than expected and not too long of a watch.

Elemental

In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.

For the record - I'm still a believer that Pixar doesn't make bad movies (except for Cars 2 being a blatant merch grab).   The writing and animation is just too good for the movies to not be very good or better.  However, they have definitely become to smart for their own good.   These are animated movies that are meant for kids.  So when you are trying really hard to address social issues and also want to include things such as science and elements and what not - you end up kind of losing your audience.  The kids end up missing most of it.  The parents end up having to explain concepts both socially and academically to the kids that may not understand and bottom line, right or wrong, that isn't what they are looking to pay for.   Again - not saying this movie is bad.   I actually liked it alot.   But much like their last 4-5 offerings maybe, Pixar has become animation for adults while not being adult animation if that makes sense.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.   It was a very enjoyable watch but strangely I don't think I would recommend families rushing off to see this because the kids will miss most of what the movie is trying to say and it won't be as much of enjoyable distraction as past Pixar movies have been before getting "too smart."

Insidious: The Red Door

Josh Lambert heads east to drop his son, Dalton, off at school. However, Dalton's college dream soon becomes a living nightmare when the repressed demons of his past suddenly return to haunt them both.

I didn't even make it through this movie.  The first Insidious was so good and then the franchise has been total trash since then.   There was literally one scene in the first hour of this movie that had me on edge.  The rest was boring as hell.  I even tried to finish the movie online and just didn't care at all.  

I would not recommend anyone bothering with this.  It was pretty much a giant waste of time.  

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken

Ruby Gillman is a sweet and awkward high school student who discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.

This was a pretty disappointing movie by Dreamworks Animation standards.  Like it wasn't really bad but like it was just kind of there.  The only consistently entertaining character was the non speaking crab.  Everything else was massively forgettable.  

I wouldn't really suggest anyone checking this out.  It's kind of a waste of time.

The Little Mermaid

The youngest of King Triton's daughters, Ariel is a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. Longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel visits the surface and falls for the dashing Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land.

I really enjoyed this live action remake.   It's probably one of the better ones that Disney has done.  My only real complaint is why they turned a less than 90 minute animated movie into a two hour and 15 minute live action movie.  That seemed strange.  But outside of that it was great and they really delivered on the main musical numbers from the original.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It's a very enjoyable family film although a little too long.

Joy Ride

When Audrey's business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the help of Lolo, her childhood best friend, Kat, a college friend, and Deadeye, Lolo's eccentric cousin. Their epic, no-holds-barred experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

This movie was a hell of a lot funnier than I thought it would be.  They had no problem pushing the raunchy envelope which provided some of the biggest laughs in the movie.   It is basically Asian Female Hangover.   If you enjoyed Hangover and Bridesmaids I don't see you not enjoying this.

I would recommend people checking this out for some pretty good laughs.  It is a hard rated R though.  

Air

Sonny Vaccaro and Nike pursue basketball rookie Michael Jordan, creating a partnership that revolutionizes the world of sports and contemporary culture.

For a movie that not much really happens except for negotiating a deal this was a very entertaining movie.   It was a great cast with some awesome performances - especially Viola Davis.   It did a great job of pulling back the curtain to show how something so big started with something so small and was all about people being dedicated and taking chances.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.   It was a really good watch.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

Wow.  Just wow.   I didn't think it would be possible to top the first Spider-Verse movie but they honestly might have done it.   The animation and variations of it are awesome.   The characters hook the hell out of you.  And the story was sooooooo damn good.  Might honestly be one of the best storylines for an animated movie ever.   Just the way that an animated movie built up such strong tension/drama that it legit put a sold out movie theater into a hushed silence for like 5 minutes as things played out was so impressive.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  This continues to be, even with as much as I love Tom Holland as Spider-Man, the best version of the Spider-Man movies since they started.

The Flash

Worlds collide when the Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past. However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation. With no other superheroes to turn to, the Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian -- albeit not the one he's looking for.

WOW!  A DC movie that actually delivered?   Can't be!   Has hell frozen over?  I am stunned at how much I enjoyed this movie.  The story was great.  The action was great.  The nostalgia with Michael Keaton as Batman was great.   And most of all - Ezra Miller did an incredible job.   Completely stunned that I really liked this movie.  I even waited a day before writing this because I figured that it would fade but it hasn't.  My only issue is with WB's marketing/hype team as always.  They kept saying this would reset the DC Universe and that the end credit scene would explain it all.  And I really didn't feel either of those things.  Like at all.  

I would actually recommend people checking this out.  It was a really enjoyable watch.  I'm shocked.

No Hard Feelings

On the brink of losing her childhood home, a desperate woman agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward 19-year-old son before he leaves for college.

This was a pretty good watch.  Although it had some hysterically raunchy moments it was not the all out raunchy comedy that I thought it would be.  It ended up developing a heart and becoming a nice/sweet movie.  Doesn't mean it was no good.  Just not really what it was advertised as.

I would recommend people checking this movie out for some pretty good laughs and it does leave you feeling good.  There is also one HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK scene in it that is priceless.

The Blackening

Seven friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. They must pit their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies against the murderer to stay alive.

This is yet another movie that you basically saw just by watching the trailer.  Were there some laughs?  Definitely.  Were there enough to carry the whole movie?   Definitely not.   

I would not really recommend people checking this out.  It's not awful but it's not really that good either.