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-

Caught Stealing (2025)

Hank is just coasting as a barkeep in 1990s New York after his promising future in baseball is derailed by an injury. But when his dealer neighbor has to leave town and asks Hank to catsit, he's sucked into the criminal underworld and has to scramble to get himself out before he's taken out.

There's barely a dull moment here -- almost nonstop excitement and thrills. Yes, there are more than a couple of plot holes, but that just means you shouldn't look too hard or you'll ruin the good time you'd definitely have otherwise.

B

The Driver (1978)

A persistent detective (Bruce Dern) sets his sights on a slippery getaway driver (Ryan O'Neal). The story's told with a minimum of dialogue, heaps of style and some of the best car chase footage I've ever seen. Knowing that those sequences were accomplished via practical effects make them all the more impressive.

B

Non-Stop (2014)

Neeson's an alcoholic air marshal trying to figure out which of the people on his plane is demanding $150 million to stop people from dying every 20 minutes. There are more stupid decisions than there are red herrings and, trust me, that comes out to "a shit-ton."

A complete waste of a pretty stacked cast.

D+

Thunderbolts* (2025)

A handful of second-stringers want out of the constant, soul-destroying work they're doing for Valentina de Fontaine (Louis-Dreyfus) and she agrees to let them, if each does one last job. They soon find out they've been tricked and have to work together to survive.

There are some laughs, some decent effects, and a group I'd be interested in seeing more of, but it felt weirdly "small" for a superhero movie. It plays more like an extended pilot for a television show than a movie. Not sure I'll show up for a sequel.

C+

Freaky Tales (2025)

This grabbed us minutes in, but I still can't really tell you what it's about other than the whole vibe of the '80s: it's shoulder pads, punk, early rap, video stores, bright colors and attitude. This is an anthology -- moving around a handful of stories -- none of which really get the time to fully shine. We get interested in the patrons of a punk club deciding to fight the skinheads who make their lives miserable before shifting to a female rap duo trying to break out, which then shifts to something else. Luckily, the stories all held attention, but none managed to ever feel "complete."

Great time, but it's a high that doesn't last past the credits.

B-

Sinners (2025)

Twins Smoke & Stack come back to their hometown to open a juke joint which will cater to the black community. They buy an old farm building and are assured by the good ol' boy who sells it to them that they'll be left alone because the Ku Klux Klan doesn't exist anymore. They spend the day putting together a staff and fixing up the place and boy... when it opens, it's absolutely magnificent. The twins' cousin Sammie is a natural on the guitar and has a distinctive low pitch, perfect for singing the blues (and attracting vampires).

I was not looking forward to this movie, but it didn't take long to win me over. It was bursting with life and love of music. There is one scene in particular that wowed both of us: like a hallucinatory history of black music before our eyes, somehow not gimmicky, just wondrous. But it's the final scene, decades into the future, that elevates this a few notches by reminding us of the beauty and excitement that preceded the horror. What a perfect to way to wrap up a story or a life.

A-

The Running Man (1987)

The Running Man is the biggest television show in the world: criminals are given the chance to earn wealth and freedom if they can make it through a gauntlet while being stalked by professional killers. Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger), a former cop serving hard time after being convicted of opening fire on unarmed citizens, is forced onto the show after he escapes prison and is recaptured. 

The idea is interesting and Richard Dawson makes for a fun, slimy host, and that ends the list of "what's good about this." It's just a mess from start to finish; I honestly don't know what they were doing here. Maybe if the one-liners were any good, this could have been a fun action-comedy? Or if there was any chemistry between Arnie & Maria Conchata Alonso we could've been rooting for them to make it through and ride off into the sunset? But no. It's just a cheap-looking spectacle that feels about as dangerous as a Tom and Jerry showdown.

D+

Superman (2025)

Lex Luthor has finally figured how to beat Superman. Not only does he have a super-strong fighter with a huge team dedicated to maximizing its chances when in combat, but Metropolis has finally turned against Superman. Superman himself isn't even quite sure how to feel, now that he and the world have found out that he was sent here to rule without mercy rather than to serve as he'd previously assumed.

But that's just the plot. The movie really succeeds on spectacle and an unruly super dog. Lots of fun with truly excellent casting.

B

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Four men hijack a subway car, holding its riders hostage, and demand a million dollars to release them unharmed. The overriding principle of the storytelling here seems to be "tell 'em what they need to know only when they need to know it" and this holds true for the characters too. The person we get to know best is Garber (Matthau) -- a lieutenant for the Transit Police. And, boy, I love this guy. Like, when he finds out that the Japanese businessmen he's been dismissively mocking as he's been guiding them on a tour can understand English, he just absorbs the information with a "huh" look and moves on with what needs to get done.

Not as flashy as modern-day thrillers, but that's why I like it. The action we get is appropriate and believable, the comic moments feel natural, and the danger is tangible. Though there're some gross moments with Mr. Grey, one of the hijackers, I also thought those scenes worked and made sense for his background.

A-

MacGruber (2010)

We were high and it made us giggle. If we hadn't been high, I expect we would've switched to something else by the 15-minute mark. Seriously: you already know if you're going to like this and under which circumstances you should watch it and with whom. You don't need a review.

C+

The Abyss (2024)

I like disaster movies. I like the domesticity of the early scenes with the oblivious residents going about their untroubled lives, thinking today's gonna be like every other day. I enjoy getting to know how these people are when things are fine and then seeing what they become when things go as bad as they can possibly go. 

The trouble here is that the setting -- Kiruna in Sweden -- is a real city that is home to the largest iron ore mine in the world. Because of the instability caused by the mine, the city is planning -- in real life -- to be moved approximately 3 km away. The entire plot of the movie is "but what if it collapses before we've gotten out?" Since they already know it's dangerous enough that they can't stay there, it takes a huge dose of suspended disbelief to get through this. The entire town is caught off-guard and there seem to be no emergency protocols in place. Our hero (Frigga), despite her job as the security manager for the mine, doesn't appear to have taken the time to tell her own messy family what to do when/if shit goes down.

If you like disaster movies, you'll be disappointed. If you don't like disaster movies, but you do enjoy clueless people more focused on their relationship drama than their physical world getting sucked into the earth, this might be your jam.

D+