Becky (2020)

I saw the sequel to this film last summer, but if I'd seen this first I wouldn't have bothered.

Becky is still in grief mode after losing her mother to an illness. When Dad surprises her with an impromptu getaway to their vacation home, she's momentarily excited until she realizes that his new girlfriend and her son are joining them. But then some bad dudes, having just escaped from prison transport, show up looking for a key that was hidden on the property years back and it everything goes sideways.

Though the deaths are inventively gory, it gets really repetitive. I also couldn't silence my mental frustration at Becky for not simply going for help.

C

The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)

Seemingly to get stunner Billie Jean's attention, Hubie steals then trashes her little brother Binx's scooter. Reasonably, Billie Jean demands that Hubie pay the $608 it will take to get the bike fixed but instead gets nearly raped by his father who, in turn, gets accidentally shot by Binx, which forces the siblings to go on the lam, becoming folk heroes to all of the wronged youths along the way.

The acting is terrible and the story takes the path of most ridiculousness at almost every turn, yet I know for a fact that I would've been way into this if I'd seen it as a teen when it came out. I doubt I would've chopped my hair off, but I definitely would've bought a "Fair is Fair" bumper sticker.

C

Dead of Winter (2025)

Widow Barb decides to go ice fishing on the lake she and her husband visited on their first date. When she stops for directions at a remote cabin, she gets suspicious about some blood spatter. Later, her suspicions are confirmed and she makes it her business to rescue the young woman being held in the cabin. She's not a superhero and makes tons of mistakes, but she's tenacious enough to cause the captors real trouble.

The best parts of this movie are the flashbacks to Barb's marriage. Everything else is serviceable but forgettable.

C

The Odyssey (2026)

I don't often feel unqualified to judge a movie, but since 1) I have very little experience with mythology and 2) I did not enjoy this movie when so many others did, I can't help but wonder if I just didn't "get it." But then I remind myself that seeing a movie is supposed to be an enjoyable activity and if I wasn't entertained -- for whatever reason -- I'm allowed to say so.

The first adjective that comes to mind is LOUD. As I covered my ears, I looked around me and saw that I was not the only one doing so. My husband even pulled his hearing aids out during several scenes. I mean, come on. That's ridiculous. Also (see my above confession about being unversed in mythology), I was often confused about what was happening. I guess if I'd had any familiarity with the stories, I might've gotten giddy when scenes started: "oh boy, this must be Calypso!" or whatever, but I didn't so I just had to judge what was on screen for what actually happened. And, most of the time, if it wasn't LOUD it was boring.

There were, of course, some standout scenes. I found the Cyclops design to be gorgeous: twisting his eye vertical and having his nose turned as well made him pitiable -- just a sadly deformed giant, living a lonely life as a shepherd in exile. And the final battle (though deafening) was also thrilling. Nominations for Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton and Robert Pattinson would be well-earned.

But, overall, naw.

C

xXx (2002)

Xander Cage is a bad-boy star due to his involvement in all the extreme sports and for dunking on THE MAN, so he gets recruited by a spy organization to be extreme for America. Lots of stuff explodes.

The story's ridiculous and Asia Argento (as the villain's girl) looks so young that I was halfway thinking that the foreign baddie was also a pedophile for a while, but the stunts are fun even when (or maybe because??) they defy physics. 

I wouldn't watch it again, but I won't lie and say it wasn't entertaining.

C-

Fall (2022)

In order to pull her best friend back from the deep grief she's been in since becoming a widow, Hunter convinces Becky to climb to the top of a 2000-ft television tower in the middle of the desert. They get stuck up there.

I had zero expectations of this film since I was only watching it in order to laugh along with this week's "How Did This Get Made," but it surprised me by being truly terrifying. This definitely had more to do with my extreme fear of heights than the script or acting, but the special effects were good enough that I felt that fear in my stomach. Not a good movie, but it's got some really decent trickery.

C

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

When Gary and I first got married, we bought of those huge "sit on the floor" console TVs for like $10 at a garage sale. One of the tubes was bad, so everything we watched had a pinkish hue and that's how I originally saw this film. All of the underwater missile scenes were impossible to decipher because it came over as just an unbroken wash of mauve. This viewing was much more interesting!

Great tension in this story about a handful of men in a Russian submarine executing their plan to defect to the United States. They have to hope that the Americans are smart enough to realize this while the Russians (including the bulk of the men on board their own craft) are kept in the dark. They're also having to deal with an on-board saboteur! Luckily, Jack Ryan's figured it all out. Now, will the American brass listen?

Though the special effects look a bit silly now, everything else still works pretty well. I did, however, get a little tired of the repetitive scenes that boiled down to Jack arguing that his gut is telling him they're defecting only to be slapped down by his superiors with the "too risky" argument. 

And wow -- Alec Baldwin was such a pretty young man.

B-

Thrashin' (1986)

Corey is a meathead who has two things going for him: his physique and his skateboard skillz. His friends -- aka the "Ramp Locals" -- run afoul of the L.A. group "The Daggers" when they come to town to participate in a pool competition and the gnarliest downhill board race THE L.A. MASSACRE. The Daggers take an instant dislike to Corey because he's a threat competition-wise and he's got eyes for Chrissy, who turns out to be the sister of Tommy Hook, leader of The Daggers.

The skating sequences makes this almost watchable. Almost.

D-

Vertical Limit (2000)

I saw this movie within a couple of years of its release and, somehow, I rated it a "B" back then. I'd love to be able to put myself back into the simple mindset of the girl who could like this piece of shit -- she must have had a handle on finding the positive.

Anyway, this is terribly stupid. I think a good 25% of the dialogue is coughing.

D

Drop Zone (1994)

A pair of US Marshals (who happen to be brothers for no reason at all) are transporting an important witness/criminal hacker by plane to a more secure location. While in flight, a hole is blown in the side of the plane and the witness is presumed to be among the casualties, as is one of the Marshals. But the surviving Marshal Pete believes that the witness is still alive and has been snatched by the parachuting attackers.

It never gets any more sane which, honestly, is probably the right call here. If you're trying to make a serious movie about a ring of parachuting criminals, you just might be delusional.

C-

R.I.P.D. (2013)

After growing a conscience about the gold they took, cop Nick gets shot by his partner and gets a new job in the afterlife: tracking "deados" masquerading as live people. His new partner died in the Old West, so there's an opportunity for funny friction. And, hehehe, Nick now looks like an elderly Chinese man while his partner appears as a sexy blonde going to the club. 

Though the CGI sucks, it's the lack of soul that really ruins this. Although I generally advocate for shorter rather than longer run times, I think this could've benefited from a couple more pre-death scenes of Nick and his wife -- maybe add a dog who can sense who the elderly Asian actually is? This just needed something to make me care at all.

C-

Deep Cover (2025)

A cop recruits an improv teacher and a couple of her students to do a quick undercover drug buy. Though nervous, their commitment to the bit gets them in deeper than expected. They are so successful in proving themselves to the gang, that it only makes sense that they keep up the ruse to get even deeper. Yes, it beggars belief, but somehow still works. 

The chemistry between the full-of-himself method actor (Orlando Bloom) the socially-awkward IT guy (Nick Mohammed) and the capable yet in over her head Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard) was silly yet solid. I'd watch a sequel.

B

Argylle (2024)

I'd seen the bad reviews, so it was quite a nice surprise that I was having such a great time with this! It had the same vibe as Romancing the Stone or The Lost City: sheltered lady writer is thrust into a dangerous situation in which they're required to basically live the things they've written. Bryce Dallas Howard was perfect as the terrified yet still quick-thinking author here.

But then we find out what's really going on and the bad reviews made perfect sense. I still think it might've come off with my thumb pointing more up than down if it hadn't also gotten incredibly silly. Figure skating on oil-covered concrete with improvised knife boots was a scene that should've been scrapped once the screenwriter sobered up.

C-

The Running Man (2025)

Though I'm not a fan of the original film, the plot made a lot more sense. In the earlier film, Ben Richards was wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime, breaks out of prison, and -- once caught -- is forced onto "The Running Man" game show to either die or win his freedom and mountains of cash. In this one, Ben Richards is a hothead who can't keep a job so is struggling to make ends meet for his family. He willingly auditions to be on a game show for cash. Though "The Running Man" is the one he was hoping not to land on, he still knew it was a possibility. There's no railroading here

I don't know if the part is written wrong or if Glen Powell just plays it wrong, but I am absolutely positive that this doesn't work. Why would I root for a guy whose pride is jeopardizing his family? He's just an entitled asshole who happens to be poor. Some of the action sequences are fun, but I kind of hated Ben Richards and that ruined any chance that I would care if he lives or dies.

Final note: it took me 3 full weeks to finish watching this.

D

The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)

Just as was the case between seasons when the show was airing, it took so long for this movie to come out that I've pretty much forgotten everything that was going on. But, just like in times past, it doesn't really matter -- it's still gonna be a good time.

My biggest complaint? Not enough Brock.

B-

Wild Target (2010)

A hitman who has grown bored with his job is hired to take out a conwoman who crossed a mobster. Despite himself, he winds up protecting her because she interests him. They also pick up an aimless stoner because why not.

This is not a good movie and the romance bummed me out. It is, however, charming and fun. Think Hudson Hawk and you're on the right track.

C+

Anaconda (2025)

Jack Black and Paul Rudd as lifelong friends separately experiencing disillusionment in their careers deciding to revisit their love for the movie Anaconda by making a "spiritual sequel" together? Yes, yes, yes, yes!!

But then I actually saw the thing and it is an absolute nonsensical jumble. The acting abilities of Thandiwe Newton and Rudd seem to fly out of the window and into the realm of "desperate sitcom actors who know they've lost the studio crowd so are going broader and LOUDER in hopes that will win them back." But, as evidenced by Jack Black (giving it his all), it doesn't matter how seriously you take the material, when it's this shit there's no disguising it.

I don't even understand how a movie can be this terrible when it has these actors and this premise. Mind-blowingly disappointing.

D

F1: The Movie (2025)

Brad Pitt plays an aging driver known for his out-of-the-box risky style who's brought in as a last-ditch attempt to turn around a failing F1 team. It's extremely predictable and would've been a complete waste of time if it weren't for a handful of driver's-view race segments.

C-

One Battle After Another (2025)

A far-left revolutionary group wreaks havoc on the establishment, including a facility holding immigrants on the Mexico/U.S. border. Lockjaw, the bigoted head honcho at the facility, takes an interest in Perfidia, a black leader romantically involved with Pat, the explosives expert for their group. When she has a baby, Pat's ready to scale back the work to prioritize parenthood, but she is uninterested and is eventually scooped up by authorities and pressured to talk, causing Pat to leave town with his daughter to live under assumed names.

I am not a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, but I'm also not a hater -- he's just so inconsistent that when I hear his name I think neither "must see" nor "skipping it," but just "we'll see." For me, this one is definitely nearer the top of the list than the bottom. DiCaprio is paranoid magic here: just doing everything he can to keep his daughter safe, while coping with the mess that more than a dozen years of anti-sobriety have made of his memory. Penn also holds his own in a role that's much less fun.

This was a fun ride for sure, but Anderson needs to learn to kill his darlings -- there was no reason for this to be as long as it is.

B

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)

Without a doubt, the weakest of the franchise. Yes, there are some thrilling sequences, but the actual plot is a big muddle and there's so much exposition, way too much of which is written in that annoying "single speech but several people are taking turns saying the sentences that comprise it" thing. No one talks like that, especially not without stumbling over each other at some point.

It just felt like a big "this is your life, Tom Cruise Ethan Hunt." Such a disappointment.

C-