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.